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;, I ..:..il8/ ,' \ ' . - . -.) ) . ') ࣍ ,,.. ; u .... "I have not created jinn and mankind except that they should worship and serve Me" (al-Dhaariyaat 56). Allah also says, u~\ \ t;J੺ qt ইJ .'஌) 3 '-5-y--. "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him" (al-Israa 23). Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi This branch of tauheed is the real goal or essence of the teachings of all of the messengers and prophets. The first type of tauheed, tauheed al­ ruboobiyah, is necessary and essential. In reality, there has been very little dispute or controversy over that first type of tauheed. Many people would accept the basic concept that the Lord and Creator is One Lord and Creator only. However, this belief must lead to this second form of tauheed wherein one directs all of his acts of worship towards Allah and Allah alone. This is why so many Messengers are quoted in the Quran as telling their people, / J. ,,,,. / ,J 0 ,J :>੸ o.:.11 :_; Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi god other than Allah, could restore them to you" (al-Anaam 46). And there are other similar verses.1 (3) Tauheed al-Asmaa wa al-Sifaat: The third aspect of tauheed, in this way of viewing tauheed, is recognizing and affirming the Oneness of Allah with respect to His names and attributes. One must affirm that these attributes are perfect and complete in Allah alone. These attributes are unique to Allah. No one else can attain any of these attributes. Throughout the history of Islam, this is another aspect of tauheed concerning which many sects deviated. Shuaib al-Amaoot describes the different views that developed in the following passage, There is no doubt that the topic of Allah's attributes must be considered as one of the greatest and most important topics of the foundations of faith. The views of the Islamicists have differed on this issue. Some of them followed the approach of complete denial of the attributes. Others accepted Allah's names in general but denied the attributes. Some of them accepted both the names and attributes but, at the same time, rejected or gave interpretations for some of them, turning away from their apparent meanings [of the texts found in the Quran and sunnah]. Some of them took the approach that it is obligatory to believe in all of the names and attributes that are mentioned in the Book of Allah and the authentic sunnah. They took them and passed them on according to their plain, apparent meaning. They deny any understanding of their modality (kaifiyah) and deny any kind of similarity [of those attributes to any other than Allah]. The people of this last opinion are those who are called the salaf [pious predecessors] and ah! al-sunnah.2 Al-Amaoot wrote that passage in the introduction to Zain al-Din al­ Maqdisi's Aqaweel al-Thiqaat fl Taweel al-Asma wa al-Sifaat wa al-Ayaat al­ Muhkimaat wa al-Mushtabihaat. This book quotes the earliest scholars to prove that the view of the attributes of Allah which is known as the salafi view is the correct view according to the Quran and sunnah. Unfortunately, there developed the idea that the view of the later scholars was the "wiser" or 1 lbn Abu al-Izz, vol. 1, pp. 37-38. 2 Shuaib al-Amaoot, introduction to Zain al-Din al-Maqdisi, Aqaweel al-Thiqaat ft Taweel al­ Asma wa al-Sifaat wa al-Ayaat al-Muhkamaat wa al-Mushtabihaat (Beirut: Muassasat al­ Risaalah, 1985), p. 6. One of the earliest examples of a person asking about these attributes and seeking an explanation for them comes from the time of Malik. A man came to him and said, "O Abu Abdullah [Imam Malik], [about the verse,] 'Allah rose over the Throne,' how is this rising?" Malik's reply was, "The modality of His act is not known. But His rising over the Throne is not unknown. Belief in it is obligatory. Asking about it is an innovation. And I suspect that you are a heretic." This narration from Malik, with various wordings, can be found in numerous works. For a discussion of its chains and meanings, see Baadi, vol. 1 , pp. 226-231. Hadith #2: The Hadith of Jibreel "stronger" approach. Those "later scholars" did not believe in these attributes at what could be called "face value" and instead reinterpreted them and gave them new meanings. In his introduction to al-Maqdisi's work, again, Arnaut states, referring to this belief, I am certain that the one who reads this book [al-Maqdisi's book] attentively and sincerely will have his heart and mind filled with the conviction of the correctness of the approach of the salaf concerning the attributes of Allah. It is the best, strongest and most guided approach. He [the reader] will reject, with pleasure and conviction, what has been written in the books of the later scholars that the approach of the salaf is safer but the approach of the later scholars is wiser and more intelligent.