TAWHID, MONOTHEISM

 

Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamenei delivered a series of six lectures in 1971 in Mashhad, Iran at Imam Hasan Mujtaba Mosque. Appended below are the salient features of his first lecture.

Tawhid, Unity of Allah is the foundation of Islam and deserves to be addressed deeply and thoroughly. It is not the numerical distinction of ‘One’ against ‘Three’. Discussion of Tawhid places responsibilities and commitment on the shoulders of Muslims. If we could increase our contact with the Glorious Qur’an by reciting it with intelligence, we shall find a boundless ocean of Tawhid.

Everything in the Universe belongs to Allah. Allah created everything in this world, big or small. Allah made this Universe; it did not come into existence by itself or by accident. He has created everything with a specific system and maintains it by through laws. There is a similitude of sustaining the Universe by Allah with the contents of Ayah 255 of Surah al-Baqarah. (Ayatal Kursi)

Allah is ‘Ilah”. Ilah is to be worshipped and revered and man gives total control of his life. For those people who let their carnal desires control their lives, their ‘Ilah’ is those desires! Those who allow an arrogant and oppressive person to run their lives, they have this devil as their ‘Ilah’. In short, whatever has an unconditional authority over the existence and life of a man is his ‘Ilah’. There may be artificial ‘Ilah’ like Pharoah but no true, lawful ‘Ilah’ except Him. If you have accepted any thing as ‘Ilah’ except Him, you have sinned; you have acted contrary to truth, because there is no one except Allah deserving worship.

The Ayah next describes the Attributes of Allah; “al-Hai”. He is alive; everything else is dead. A life that did not exist at one time and will not exist in future, a living existence that is prone to annihilation in a split- second; what kind of life is this? The everlasting: the real life, the true life is that existence Who owns life and blesses all His creation with life and that is God. Al-Hai. That living existence. “Al-Qayyum”-The lasting existence Whose life has no end; that existence on Whom every life is dependent. If He is not there or if He does not want or will, life will cease to exist in the universe.

He does not dose off or sleep. Dozing off or sleep does not separate Him from Himself. Even a split-second distraction is not in His existence and life. Other creations become inattentive; false gods become unmindful of themselves and those in their charge. The essence that has nothing to do with ignorance is the true ruler of this universe, i.e., Allah.   

Who can intercede in front of Him without His permission? Prophets, Imams, saints, the pious believers, and martyrs intercede with God’s permission. They are all servants of Allah. Even we recite in ‘Tashahud- I testify that Muhammad is His servant and prophet. Being a servant is mentioned first’. They do not have a fraction of the knowledge except what He Wills. His position of the knowledge is greater than the heavens and the earth. Its safeguarding does not interfere Him.

Atrocious allegation that there is a son of Allah. “They say, ‘The All-beneficent has taken a son! The heavens are about to be rent apart at it, the earth to split open, and the mountains to collapse into bits.” (19:88-90) Whatever exists in the heavens and the earth is His slave and He surrounds them.

Source: Extracts from “Tawhid, Monotheism-Six Sermons by  Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Khamenei”