This is chapter 7 from the book “Islamic Thought”
Since sanctification is natural in man, then man, by his innate nature, worships something. This is because sanctification is a natural response to religiousness. Therefore, when man performs ‘ibadah (worship) he feels with comfort and tranquillity, because by performing the ‘ibadah he would have satisfied the religiousness instinct. However, this ‘ibadah must not be left to the emotion (wijdan) to determine the way it likes, nor the man to perform as he wishes. Rather, the mind should associate with the emotion in determining the thing that must be worshipped. This is because the emotion (wijdan) is subject to error and conducive to misguidance (dalaal). It is often that emotion (wijdan) drives man to worship things that must be destroyed. It is also often that it drives man to sanctify things that must be despised. If, thus, emotion (wijdan) was left alone to determine to man what he worships, this would lead to misguidance (dalaal) in worshipping other than the Creator, or to superstition manifested in seeking nearness to the Creator through matters that alienate from Him. This is because emotion (wijdan) is an instinctive sensation or an inner feeling that appears at the presence of a sensed reality, to which it responds; or it appears from thinking in what agitates that feeling. If man responded to that feeling once it occurred without thinking, then this might lead to misguidance (dalaal) or error. For example, you might scc, at night, a ghost thinking it is an enemy to you. So, the survival instinct is agitated in you through the manifestation of fear. If you responded to that feeling and did the response that it requires, which is the escape, for example, then this would be wrong to do. This is because you might escape from nothing You might also escape from something which resistance is the only good thing you have to do. Thus, the response you took was wrong. However, if you use your mind, and think of the feeling that appeared in you before you make the response it requires, then it becomes clear to you what sort of action you have to undertake. It might appear to you that the ghost is an electricity post, a tree or an animal. The fear in you would then disappear and you continue your walk. It might also appear that it is a beast that you can’t out run, so you refer to a trick by climbing a tree, or take refuge in a house, thus you save yourself. Therefore, man should not undertake the response required by the instinct except through the use of the mind. In other words, it is not allowed that he undertake actions based on the agitation of the emotion (wijdan) alone; it is rather necessary to use the mind and the emotion. Thereupon, sanctification must be built on thinking and not on emotion, because it is a response to the religiousness and not on emotion, because it is a response to the religiousness instinct. So, this response should not be made without thinking because it might lead to misguidance or error. Thus, it is necessary that man does not initiate this response to religiousness instinct, except after thinking, ie, except through the use of mind. Therefore it is not allowed to have worship except in accordance with what the mind directs to, so that this worship be to whom the innate nature (fitrah) guides to worship, that is the Creator and Sustainer, to Whom man feels of need to.
The mind necessitates that worship is only for the Creator, for He is the eternal (azali) and He is inevitably existent (wajib-ul-wujood). So, worship must not be to other than Him. It is He Who created man, the universe and life; and it is He Who is characterised with the absolutely perfect attribute. If man believed in His existence, it is necessary that he worships Him, and it is necessary that worship be to Him alone. The acceptance of Him being a Creator, by natural innate and mind, obliges that the one who acknowledges this to worship Him. This is because worship is response to his feeling of His existence; and worship is one of the most important manifestations of gratefulness (shukr) which the creature must perform towards the one who bestowed upon him with the bounty of creation and initiation. Thus the innate nature obliges the worship, and the mind obliges the worship. The innate nature necessitates also that the worship be to this Creator alone and exclusively; and the mind necessitates that the one who deserves worship, greatfulness and praise is only the Creator, to the exclusion of everything else. Therefore, we find those who submitted to the emotion (wijdan) alone in generating the response of sanctification (taqdees), without using the mind, had went astray. So they worshipped many things, though they acknowledged of the existence of the Creator who is inevitably existent (wajib ul-wujood), and despite their acknowledgement that his Creator is one. However, when they initiated the response of sanctification, they sanctified the Creator, and sanctified others with Him. So, they worshipped the Creator; and worshipped the creatures, whether considering them as gods that are themselves worthy of worship, or thinking that the Creator was incarnated in them, or he accepts to seek nearness to Him through worshipping them. Thus, the innate nature obliges the existence of a Creator. However, the response of sanctification which is necessary to arise when what agitates the emotions of religiousness occurs, leads to making the sanctification to everything thought to be worthy of worship; whether because it is the Creator, or it is thought that the Creator accepts to sanctify it, or it is thought that the Creator is carnated in it. This leads to worshipping many things, despite the fact that the Creator is one.
Therefore, the concept of polytheism (plurality of gods) was directed to what is worshipped and not towards the Creator. So negation of polytheism must be negation of the worshipped things, and restricting the worship to the Creator, the eternal (azali) and inevitably existent (wajib ul-wujood).
Islam accordingly came to explain to all mankind that worship is only to the entity (dhat) that is of inevitable existence, which is Allah. It came to demonstrate this explanation through an explicit rational way. It asked them about the thing that has to be worshipped. They answered it is Allah, and committed themselves with the evidence.
قُلْ لِمَنِ الْأَرْضُ وَمَنْ فِيهَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (84) سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (85) قُلْ مَنْ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ (86) سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (87) قُلْ مَنْ بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (88) سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ فَأَنَّى تُسْحَرُونَ (89) بَلْ أَتَيْنَاهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ (90) مَا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ مِنْ وَلَدٍ وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِذًا لَذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَهٍ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
Allah says; “Say, ‘to whom (belongs) the earth and whosoever is in it, if you have knowledge? They will say, ‘to Allah. Say, ‘will you not then remember?’ Say, ‘who is the Lord of the seven beavens and the Lord of the Tremendous Throne (al-‘Arsh ul-‘Atheem)? They will say, ‘to Allah Say, will you not then keep duty (to Him)?’ Say, ‘in Whose hand is the dominion over all things, and He protects while against Him there is no protection, if you have knowledge? They will say, ‘to Allah.’ Say, ‘how then are you bewitched? Nay, but We have brought them the Truth, and lo! They are liars. Allah bas not chosen any son, and nor is there any God along with Him; else would each God have assuredly championed that which he created, and some of them wonld assuredly have overcome others. Glorified be Allah above all that they allege.” [TMQ Al-Mu’minoon: 84-91]
By this acknowledgement from them that Allah (swt) is the Creator of everything, and His Hand is the dominion over all things, they bound themselves by worshipping Him alone. This is because, according to their confession, He is alone worthy of worship. Islam explained to them in another verse that other than Allah does not do anything that deserves worship. So He (swt) said:
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ وَأَبْصَارَكُمْ وَخَتَمَ عَلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ مَنْ إِلَهُ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِهِ
“Do you see if Allah took away your bearing and your sight and sealed over your hearts, who is, other than Allah can restore it to you” [TMQ Al-An’aam: 46]
أَمْ لَهُمْ إِلَهُ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ
And He said: “Do they have a god other than Allah” [TMQ At-Tur: 43]
Allah has confirmed in Qur’an the unity of the worshipped in many verses, where He emphasised the unification of Allah. So He (swt) said:
وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهُ وَاحِدٌ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ
“And your god is one god, and there is no god other than Him.” [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 163]
اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ
“Allah, there is no got except Him” [TMQ Ta-Ha: 8]
وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهِ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ
“And there is no got except Allah, the One, …” [TMQ Sad: 65]
This means there is no one worthy of worship except the inevitably existent (wajib ul-wujood) entity (dhat), Who is Allah, the One. And He (swt) said:
وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهَ إِلَّا إِلَهُ وَاحِدٌ
“And there is no got except one god.” [TMQ Al-Maidah: 73]
This means there is no one worthy of worship except the One.
Thus Islam advocates the unification of worship to the inevitably existent (wajib ul-wujood) entity (dhat), which the mind and innate nature (fitrah) confirms its existence, who is Allah. The Quranic verses explicitly indicate in negating polytheism. Allah says:
لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَنَا
“Had therein gods other than Allah, they would have been in disarray” [TMQ Al-Anbiaa:22]
Thus, the verses came to negate polytheism, and to confine worship to one god, Who is Allah. In other words, they came to establish that the worthy of worship is one, who is the inevitable existent (wajib ul-wujood) entity (dhat).
‘Ilah (god) in language has only one meaning, which is ‘the worshipped’ (ma’bood). It has no shar’i (divine) meaning other than that. So the meaning of ‘la ilaha’ (there is no god) in the language and Shar’ is the same which is ‘there is none worthy of worship’. Illa Allah’ (except Allah) means in the language and Shar’ the inevitably existent (wajib al-wujood) entity (dhat), Who is Allah. Therefore, the meaning of the first Shahadah (witness) of Islam is not only witnessing in the unity of the Creator as many presume; it rather means to witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah, the inevitably existent (wajib ul-wujood). This in order that Allah alone is worshipped and sanctified; and that worship is negated definitely from anything other than Allah (swt).
Thereupon, the confession in the existence of Allah is not enough in Oneness (wahdaniyyab) there rather must be oneness of the Creator and oneness of the worshipped. This is because the meaning of ‘la illah illa Allah’ is that there is no worthy of worship except Allah. Thus, the Shahadah, (witness) of Muslim in that ‘la ilaha illa Allah’ definitely binds him to worship Allah, and obliges him to worship Allah alone. Thus, oneness is the sanctification of the Creator alone, ie, to believe that worship is only for Allah (swt), the One.
