tauhid

Tawhid, also transliterated tauhid, is the central doctrine of Islam concerning the oneness of God. Rooted in the Arabic verb wahhada, meaning to unite or make one, tawhid asserts that God is singular in His lordship, His worship, and His divine names and attributes.

Scholars typically describe tawhid as comprising three interrelated aspects: tawhid al-Rububiyyah (unity of Lordship), affirming that God alone is the creator, sustainer, and ruler of the universe; tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (unity of worship), asserting that God alone is worthy of worship and that all acts of devotion should be directed to Him; and tawhid al-Asma wa al-Sifat (unity of the names and attributes), which affirms God's names and attributes as described in the Qur'an and Sunnah and rejects any anthropomorphic or metaphorical interpretation.

Shirk, the act of associating partners with God, is considered the gravest violation of tawhid. Major shirk involves worshiping others as gods or attributing divine qualities to beings or objects, while minor shirk refers to expressions or actions that reflect ostentation, reputation, or subservience to others in ways that compromise pure dependence on God.

Tawhid is treated as the foundation of Islamic belief and practice, shaping creed (aqidah) and daily conduct. The Qur’an repeatedly emphasizes the oneness of God and instructs believers to worship Him alone, while the Hadith literature underscores the imperative to safeguard tawhid from misinterpretation or deviation. Across mainstream Islamic thought, tawhid remains the central criterion by which beliefs and practices are judged.