THE PERSPECTIVE OF AT-TAWḤĪD

Author(s): MUḤAMMAD ABDUL ḤAQ

Source: Islamic Studies, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Autumn 1983), pp. 1-19
Published by: Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20847235
Accessed: 06-04-2018 06:38 UTC

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide
range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and
facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://about.jstor.org/terms

Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad is collaborating

with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Islamic Studies

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 THE PERSPECTIVE OF AT-TAWHlD

MUHAMMAD 'ABDUL HAQ

Islam is founded on at-Tawhid, the unity of God, i.e.,

monotheism as generally known in the West. It is often re
peated in the holy Qur'an as the fundamental doctrine of Islam.
But it is not a new doctrine in the Semitic Tradition, because
Judaism and Christianity also claim to profess monotheism.
The present paper aims at pointing out the essential differences
between at-Tawhid or Islamic monotheism on the one hand and
the monotheism asserted by Judaism and Christianity, on the
other, and thereby at bringing out the characteristic features of
Islamic monotheism in perspicuous terms.

At-Tdwhid or Islamic monotheism is expressed in a formula

called al-Shahadah. "There is no god except Allah". It means
that there is no god but one absolute God, the Lord and Crea
tor of the universe. Islam thus puts absolute emphasis on the
unity of God and everything else revolves round this unique
centre and derives from it. It begins with God and ends in
Him. But Judaism and Christianity primarily start from Divine
manifestation rather than from Divine Unity. In Judaism,
everything is concentrated on the event of the 'Mystery of Sinai'
or the idea of a 'Chosen people'. It monotheism is inseparable
from the concept of chosen people: He who says Jehovah says
Israel and conversely. It is, therefore, impossible to dissociate
the God of Judaism from the Jewish people.1 This proves
that the Judaic monotheism is associated with a Divine mani
festation in history and consequently it becomes ingrained in

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 2 MUHAMMAD 'ABDUL HAQ

historical relativity. Likewise Christianity is also rooted in

history. For it is primarily based on the miraculous birth of
Christ as a Unique event in history and everything in Christia
nity is centred round Christ. Christ absorbs everything, even
the idea of Divine Unity.2

To sum up, while Islam is founded on the Divine Unity, Ju

daism and Christiaaity are founded on Divine manifestation ;
in other words, while Islam is based on the Absolute Truth,
Judaism and Christianity are based on relative Truth. The pers
pective of Islam is therefore, absolute and universal in chara
cter ; while those of Judaism and Christianity are relative and
particular in nature. That is why Judaism accentuates the
Pact (Mithaq) between God and Israel, Christianity accentuates
the divinity of an earthly phenomenon and consequently
introduces relativity in God or considers God at a relative
level, while Islam accentuates absolutely the Unity of God and,
as a consequence, it excludes all that is earthly and relative
from God.3 Islam thus emphasizes the utter.Transcendence
of God, but Judaism and Christianity compromise Divine
Transcendence by bringing God at the relative level.
Judaism places man in God through the mystery of' Chosen
People ' and Christianity places God in man through the mystery
of the incarnation of Christ.4 This proves the fact that Judaism
and Christianity are not directly based on the Divine Unity,
because their essential basis is a historical event or person. But
historical facts do not play such an important part in Islam
which is founded directly on Divine Unity, i.e, the eternal
Truth.'

The above discussion shows clearly that while Islamic

monotheism is integral, transcendent and Universal in nature,
the monotheism upheld by Judaism and Christianity is parti

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 at-tawhid 3
cularized and restricted in character. Because Judaism ha
restricted the universal message of monotheism by havin
nationalized monotheism and monopolised prophecy, while
Christianity has particularized the absolute and transcendent
mission of monotheism by making Jesus Divine at the cost o
humanizing God.6 It has, thus, confiscated the worship o
God by an exclusive worship of a particular Divine manifestatio
and has placed Trinity at the level of Divine Unity. In fact,
Trinitarianism, whatever may be its argument, is not pure m
notheism.7 Islam finally stands for pure and unalloyed mono
theism, first by putting absolute emphasis on Divine Unity and,
secondly, by avoiding any particularization. In any case, any
attribution of Divinity to a historical personage or event is repu
gnant to Islam, because Divine Unity is absolute and transc
nds all relativity.

From the absolute and uncompromising nature of Divine

Unity springs the unshakable character of the faith of a Musli
and an acute consciousness of it dominates his whole life. His
faith is, therefore, inaccessible to doubt and despair. The unitary
aspect of at-Tawhid is so decisive that it has a levelling charac
ter, as affirmed by the Qur'anic doctrine of final levelling befor
the day of Judgement. As Divine Unity determines and absorb
everything, no fact can be absolutely unique.8 For, according
to the Qur'an, everything is perishing save the countenance o
God. r'^,J diJ <j^-j (-)u l^ & ^'
" All that d wells upon the earth is perishing, yet still abides the
face of thy Lord, majestic, and splendid."9

Islam thus emphasizes the transcendence of Divine

Unity, the absolute character of which implies the corresponding
relative and contingent character of what is terrestrial or what

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
4 MUHAMMAD 'ABDUL HAQ

is other than God. A Muslim invariably tends to say that fir

does not burn, God alone causes burning. This means th
in the Islamic perspective the terrestrial phenomena are ting
with a maximum of relativity in order to accentuate Divine
Omnipotence and the utter dependence of all things on God
The Unity of God, therefore, implies that everythigng depen
on God and returns to Him. This utter dependence of all things
on God is very characteristic of the pure monotheistic theme o
Islam.10 In like manner, time is viewed as nothing, but
movement towards the unique and motionless centre, i.e
Divine Unity and it can be even reversible. "If God s
wished."11 The Qur'an describes with burning eloquen
that at the end of time, even matter will flow back inward throu
a process of ontological transmutation and the seemingly infini
space will shrink like a balloon emptied of air.

"They measure not God with His True measure. The ear
altogether shall be His handful on the day of Judgement an
the heavens shall be rolled up in His right hand." 12 Th
means that Judaism and Christianity have failed to evalua
the true worth of Divine Unity, the incommensurable natur
of which signifies that there is no common measure betwe
the finite and the Infinite. In Islam, even history is importan
only in so far as it refers back to the orgin or in so far as it flow
on towards the Last Day. For God is the 'First and the Last'
13 JjVl>b
It is now clear that by placing absolute emphasis on
Divine Unity, Islam seeks to realise pure monotheism with a
its essential characteristics. But the case of monotheistic trad
tion in Judaism and Christianity is quite different. For Ju
aism having emigrated and been dispersed, and Christianity
having been Romanized, Hellenized, and Germanized

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AT-TAWHID 5

gave birth to many uni-lateral even unjustifiable develop

ments incompatible with pure monotheism.14 Monotheistic trad
ition in Judaism grew weak when it began to assert that one
must be descended from Jacob in order to be able to belong
to God.15 Thus it took a national and particular character.
Likewise, original and universal monotheism, as preached and
reestablished by Abraham, was adopted by Moses and annexed
by Judaism. The historical character of Judaism developed the
idea of Messiah which was not inherent in its original monothe
ism. But in course of time, Judaic monotheism became concre
tized in the Messianic idea.16 Because, due to d>ver-emphasis
upon the Messianic idea, Divine Unity, the central doctrine of
original monotheism, became progressively overshadowed in
Judaic tradition.

Christianity, in its turn, adopted monotheism through

the affirmation of Messiah in the person of Christ, who, as a
manifestation of Divinity, entirely absorbed the monotheistic
doctrine. This means that Christ was not only the culmination
of historical Judaism but also the support of monotheism. This
extreme historical positivity of Christ is responsible for the*
limitation of Christianity,17 because this development or
deviation is hardly compatible with original monotheism or
with the absolute character of Divine Unity. Moreover, Chris
tianity further developed the idea of 'Mystery of Christ'which,
as a historical fact, is of primary importance. To a Christian,
everything depends on the incarnation and redemptive nature
of Christ, who absorbs every thing even the idea of Divine
Unity, which appears under the Trinitarian aspect.18 This is a
clear deviation from or rather transgression on the pure mono
theism of Abraham ?a transgression in which the doctrine of
Divine Unity became completely clouded and blurred. In Islam,
everything is centred in the Unity of Allah, the Absolute and

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
6 MUHAMMAD 'ABDUL HAQ

Transcendent Lord and Creator of the universe. The idea

of God becoming man or Christ as God individualized is the
central doctrine of Christianity.19 In the Islamic perspective,
the central doctrine is Divine Unity, which dominates it through
out, excluding what is other than God and emphasizing the
exclusively monotheistic tradition.

In Christianity, Christ is the unique Divine manifesta

tion, and salvation is, therefore, through him ; in Judaism the
means of salvation is the ' Celestial Pact' (Mithaq) between
God and the ' Chosen People ' of Israel; and in Islam, finally,
the means is prescribed through the belief in al - Tawhid, the
Unity of Allah.20 In consequence the Prophet of Islam has
no need to be more than a messenger and more than a man
as the Qur'an declares :
jbJj aJI ^^Jl Lit ^Jl^ jj pCliL* j^jUI Lit Ji

" Say : I am only a mortal, like you are. To me it has been

revealed that your God is one God ;"21 Islam does not give
the same preeminence to the mediator as Christianity and
Judaism do. The aim of Islam is to realize Divine Unity
completely, of which the absolute nature proves the correspond
ing imperfection of the created order. God employs human
means in Islam in order to prove that Divine Unity does not
depend upon the superhuman character of a messenger. It
is a self-evident Truth and its self-evidence is self-sufficient,
for God is eternally Sufficient unto Himself.22

The above facts indicate clearly where lies the essential

difference among the three Semitic traditions and how Islam
seeks to establish pure monotheism with all its essential charac
teristics by placing absolute and supreme emphasis upon Divine
Unity. Now, from the point of view of Islam, the religion of
pure monotheism, Judaism appears as a sort of perified mono

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AT-TAWHID 7

theism and Christianity appears as a sort of violated monotheism

or a disequilibrium-monotheism. Islam alone stands for in
violate and inviolable monotheism. Islam by professing to be
Abrahamic and therefore primordial, seeks to reconcile within
itself all oppositions, just as substance absorbs all accidents,
all disequilibriums j and by referring to Abraham and thereby
to Noah and Adam, it aims at re-exploiting the inexhaustible
treasures of pure monotheism, whence its absolute accentuation
of unitary faith which can free and revive monotheism whose
Israilization and Christification had neglected and ignored its
infinite potentialities. All the unshakable conviction, certainty
and the dynamic power of Islam emanate only from this
source.23

Thus Judaism and Christianity have failed to safeguard

the essential characteristics of the pure monotheism of Abraham
ic tradition which is irrefutable and irreplaceable in character.
Islam thus finally appears to fulfil the great and universal mission
of monotheism.

It should be noted that since Divine Unity is the

Primordial truth, Islam is therefore called by the Qur'an as
" al-Din al-Hamf, i.e.; the Primordial Religion. This means
that it has existed all the time since the creation of man. This
further indicates that Islam essentially does not bring anything
that was not brought by previous prophets. But it has perfec
ted the doctrine of Divine unity expounded by previous religions.
By affirming what all the prophet have asserted over the ages,
Islam has emphasized the primordial as well as universal
message of al-Tawhid. However, as a moral, legal and social
system, Islam represents the greatest advance in the religious
history of mankind, as compased to judaism and Christianity.

In like manner, Islam is called by al-Qur'4n Din al

Fitrah, i.e., normal or natural religion. Because Islam is what

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
8 MUHAMMAD 'ABDUL HAQ

is normal and constitautes the true nature of things. It puts

everything in its proper place and right relations. It considers
God as God, the absolute Lord and the creator of the Universe
and considers man as a created being, endowed with
intelligence and free-will and with a sense of responsibility.
It does not, therefore, relegate God to ihe level of man, nor does
it elevate man to the level of God, It is impossible for man to
become God or a servant to occupy the place of his Lord. The
servant and Lord (Rchb) polarity is an irreducible fact in
Islam.24 Islam, therefore, is a meeting between God as such
and man as such, or an encounter between the eternal God
and that which is immortal in man, i.e., his Fitrah, or
Divine nature, on which man was created, because it is
incorruptible in its essence, as the Qur'an indicates.
^AlkUIS Jjljik! Ja-uV VfeU ^Ul j?2* jn\ Uj^ ^JdJ d5C^j r$U

" So set thy face to the religion of pure faith ? God's original,
upon which He originated mankind. There is no changing in
God's creation, that is the right religion ; but most men know
it not. "25

Thus, as a Primordial Religion or Natural Religion,

Islam is what is everywhere and what has always been. In
space, Islam appears as a polyvalent pattern ; in time, it presents
ifself as a restoration of what has been before.26 This imp
lies that essentially Din is one. Aas God declares :

"The true religion with God is Islam."27

Al-Qur'an further declares :<u, jjb Lo ^^\^ ^ ^

" Who so desires another religion than Islam, it
shall not be acceptable to Him."28

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AT-TAWHID 9
It means that the only Din or religion acceptable to Allah is
Islam. Thus every previous message from Adam down to Jesus
is nothing but submission (al-Islam) to the Unity of Allah,
although it assumed a particular form or name in a particular
place and time due to the particularist tendency inherent in diffe
rent peoples. That is why al-Qur'an invariably refers to al-Din,
i.e., religion, in a singular form. In this sense, the entire sweep
of the religious history of mankind is in reality the history of
al-Islam or a prolonged monologue of at-Tawhid.

Since Islam is the Primordial Religion, it is therefore, also

the last religion. For God is the 6 First and the Last.' It
completes the process of earlier monotheistic tradition by
reasserting the Abrahamic monotheism. Abraham came before
Moses and Jesus, and consequently the prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had to appear after
Jesus encompassing and fulfilling the monotheistic cycle of
Moses and Jesus and putting absolute emphasis on the mono
theistic truth alone.29

The aim of Din or religion is to re-establish the broken

link between God and man, between the creator and the created.
In this context, Islam, unlike any other religion, has been able
to establish a direct link without any mediator. A Muslim is
always in the presence of God because God is Omnipresent.
He can always pray to God without any mediator, because he
is his own priest. In Christianity, redemption will be made
through Christ. But in Islam, every Muslim is his own redeemer,
if he is true to the responsibility imposed on him by God.3<>
Islam, thus, has been able to reduce the distance between God
and man to almost nothing. This proves that Islam is the final
religion, because no religion has been able to bestow such a
privileged position on man. In Christianity, no man can pray
to God without first praying to Christ.31 Similar is the case

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 10 MUHAMMAD 'ABDUL HAQ

with other religions. In fine, while every religion leads to Divine

Unity by a detour or indirectly, i.e., through some mediator,
Islam leads to Divine Unity directly without any mediator.
That is why, Islam is called the straight Path. (^L^\^>\jp)

The Nocturnal flight or the prototypal voyage of the

Prophet of Islam to the Divine source in the ' Night of Destiny,'
a unique Prophetic exploit, unforeseen and unforeseeable by
any analogous phenomenon, indicates the fact that the broken
link between God and man has been restored conclusively and
Dm, or religion as a movement, has reached its culmination in
Islam. Thus Islam appears as a fulfilment of all antecedent
religions eliminating all human aberration and deviation and
extricating Din or religion in its true monotheistic form.
According to al-Qur'an, Dm is one reality of which Islam consti
tutes the harmonious totality and in relation to which all previous
religions are fragments or various aspects. To this fact, al
Qur'an indicates : ^ cX?~\ ^Jl
"Today I have perfected your religion "32

Al-Qur'an further says :?

" It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and

the religion of truth, to give it victory over all religion."3 3

All these fact prove that Islam is an integrated and synthesized to

tality of the various aspects of al-Dm. Al-Qur'an, therefore, says
that you continue to fight for al-Tawhid so that Din may totally
represent Divine Unity. j oj??V Jf*
" Fight them, till there is no presecution and the religion
is God's in its entirety."34

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AT-TAWHID 11

The characteristic of Islam of being the last religion

confers on it the power of synthesis. But the synthesis, in the
context of Islam, should not be understood in the Hegelian
sense. Here it means that Islam, as a culmination of 'Din\
has a logical as well as ontological right to synthesize the mutually
different and contradictory aspects that developed and encum
bered the Dm throughout the ages. For example, Islam over
comes Judeo-Christian antagonism by rejecting the Jewish
development of the Messianic idea on the one hand and by re
pudiating Christian transgression on Divine Unity, on the other,
and thus restores the fundamental affirmation of monotheism,
i.e, at-Tawhid;3 9 Islam therefore, appears as a Divine corrective
against the Messianic idea and Trinity, and harmonizes their
antagonism by reducing it to pure monotheism. For al-Qur'an
establishes the right relationship of Jesus to God by repudiating
the extreme position adopted by the Jews with regard to Jesus
who disparaged and rejected him, and the equally extreme stand
taken by the Christians who exalted him to the rank of God.3 *
Islam thus shattered Christian form and Christianity; shattered
the Judaic form and not the other way about.

Moreover, the synthetic role of Islam is confirmed by the

single fact that among the Semitic religions, Islam is the third
aspect of this traditional current, that it represents the number
three, which is the number of harmony, whereas mumber two
represents only an alternative and is therefore not self-sufficient.
In fine, Islam re-established the initial equilibrium in the mono
theistic tradition of Abraham. In other words, Islam appears
to be a kind of regress into Abrahamic and timeless tradition,
or a kind of redress for and reaction against Jewish and Christian
excesses. The monotheism of Abraham possessed both
exotericism and esotericism in perfect equilibrium. With
Moses, exotericism, i.e., Law became the tradition, while with

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 12 MUHAMMAD 'ABDUL HAQ

Christ esotericism, i.e., spirit became the tradition j and finally,

with Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)
the initial equilibrium was restored by combining both the aspects,
Law and Spirit. Monotheistic tradition thus became closed.
This is the clear proof of the synthetic and final character of
Islam.

The synthetic nature of Islam has the unique characteris

tic of reconciling opposites. For Islam preaches transcendence
of God to such an extent that no religion has emphasized it so
much. But this utter transcendence is compensated by His
utter immanence. Islam, therefore, affirms the idea that the
infinitely transcendent God is at the same time infinitely close,
closer than your jugular vein, so that He surrounds you and
watches you.39
As al-Qur'an declares : & *Jl vyl
" We are nearer to him than the Jugular Vein."4*

In like manner, Islam comprises two other opposite

characteristics, ahistoric and historic. From the point of view
of Primordial religion, Islam has an ahistoric character, because
Divine Unity is an eternal truth, independent of history. Islam
is therefoe, what is anywhere and what has always been without
having any particular history.41 That is why, it is not
connected with the name of its founder or with the name of any
place as is the case with any other religion. It is universal,
and is, therefore, anoynmous. But from the point of view that
history is the expression of Divine will, Islam is a historic reli
gion, because Islam is the fulfilment or culmination of the history
of Dm, i.e., religion.

As Islam is the total and finally integrated image of

Din, the Prophet of Islam is also the last Prophet affirmed by

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AT-TAWHID 13
al-Qur'an as the seal of the prophets Gy^1 ^~u> ). The
Qur'an is, therefore, the last and the totality of all revelations.
The most characteristic evidence for the finality of Prophet
Muhammad, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is
that he appeared as a mere mortal. Never did he claim any
glory and greatness for himself or try to appear as a superman.
Because in Islam all greatness and glory exclusively belong to
Divine Unity, al-Tawhid of which the full realization is his sole
aim. Consequently the Prophet appeared as a human Prophet.
As the Qur'an says : ^ 1^ c^T Ja
"Am I aught but a mortal Messenger." 4*

Yet he surpassed all prophets For he brought the totality

of Dm" in the form of Islam ; he completed the prophetic
phenomenon, as he was called * Seal of the Prophets' (^^Ji^u)
he brought the totality of revelations, for he was given the
totality of words (^Jl c-jji) and he left behind the best
model of human perfection described by al-Qur'an as ' Noble
Example'. And the total glory and greatness
of all his missions and their magnitude reflected back upon him
and he was, therefore, placed at the summit of all. The sim
plicity and voluntary littleness of the Prophet is a clear proof
of his sincerity and the superhuman grandeur of his soul. An
impostor coming after Christ would not hesitate to declare
himself 'Son of God'43 But he claimed to be no
more than a human being.

It should be noted that the voluntary littleness of the

Prophet of Islam is profoundly significant, for it implies that in
the face of Divine Unity mankind is nothing, that the Prophet
is poor and utterly passive in relation to Allah and that by being
reduced to utter poverty and nothingness, he completely vindica
ted the absolute greatness of Divine Unity. In Islamic pers

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 14 MUHAMMAD ABDUL HAQ

pective, it is called ' Muhammad's Poverty', (<5-u*^ y$)

from which originated all Islamic spirituality. But as men
tioned above, the synthetic nature of Islam reconciles opposites,
this outward poverty is, therefore, compensated by the inward
richness of the Prophet (^JUl j& gl), symbolized in his
' Night Journey ' towards heaven and in which he took the lead
of all Prophets, rather the whole of creation representing them
before God. Ibn ' Arabi, the great ?ufi Master, , maintained
that the Prophet of Islam realised the spiritual state called
mystery of * Where ' and ' Between ' j. ^I) i.e., Supreme
contiguity. To this state a ?ufi Hadlth indicates that what the
Prophet experienced of Divine nearness is unrealized and un
realizable by any Prophet or angel.
d*V* ur^' J SO2* V V ij

Thus the Prophet of Islam is unsurpassed and.unsur

passable because he alone realized the total grendeur of Divine
Unity through a process of Unification (Tawhid), i.e., by unify
ing the descent of the Divinein spiration in the Night of Destiny
(Laylat al-Qadr) with the ascent of the Prophetic inspiration in
the Night of Ascention {Laylat al-MVraj) and thus he alone is
worthy of being the true Khalifa or representative of God on
Earth.4 5

To sum up, as God is one, Hit message to mankind is

basically one, i.e., al-Tawhid. Therefore, His prescribed
Din or religion for mankind is also one. This indicates the
essential unity of mankind also, as al-Qur'an declares,

" Your creation and your upraising are as but a single

soul."46

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AT-TAWHID 15

In like manner, the outward multiplicity of the cosmos, reflects

its inward unity and harmony.

In Islam, thus, everything is centered round al-Tawhid,

Divine Unity which is at once logical and oniological, external
and internal, metaphysical and intellectual, objective but not
at all subjective, having no equal or opposite, encompassing
everything but surpassing all human comprehension. As
nothing can go outside being, because this 'outside' does not
exist, likewise nothing can go outside God who is the Absolute
Being. For according to the Qur'an, God is the First and the
Last, the Outward and Inward, the Transcendent and the
Immanent.

" He is the First and the Last, the Outward and the
Inward, He has knowledge of everything."47

The intellectual originality of a Muslim, therefore,

proceeds from this doctrine of al-Tawhid. It is the source of
all spirituality, all intellectual and scientific activities, and all
arts and architectur in Islam. Even a Muslim's social, family
and private life is determined by it.

From the Islamic point of view, man himtelf is a Unity,

a potential representative or Khalifah of God on Earth and,
therefore, he cannot be a lay-man. A Christian is by definition
a lay-man, a peripheral being. A Muslim is everywhere a central
being ; he is his own priest. Likewise, a Muslim family is a
unity, a society within a society, an impregnable block of which
the supreme symbol is the K'abah which is a square block.
It is reflected as a whole in the least of its part. Islam, therefore,
replaces cross with the cube of the K'abah, for it decentralizes
and univrrsalizes seeking centre everywhere, as God is every
where.

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 16 MUHAMMAD 'ABDUL HAQ

Thus man, family and society are harmoniously integra

ted with the mould of Unity. In Islam God does not redeem
the world, rather He absorbs it through Islam i.e.," Submission"
to Divine Unity/48) Al -Qur'an asserts :
ol^^JI ^ ^ ^1 a)j cy^t -oil

" Do they desire another religion than God's, and to

him has surrendered whatever is in the heaven and the
earth."(49)
The traditional Islamic civilization has always been ruled b>
this presiding idea affirmed by al-Tawhid which governs all
possible aspects of human life.
All traditional Islamic sciences are fundamentally based
on the idea of Unity and invariably evoke the reminiscences
of unity in us.50 Islam implies a restoration of all things to
unity or the perception of unity in multiplicity . Islamic art and
particularly architecture is more importani for its inherent and
underlying message of unity than for its aesthetic surfaces. It is
fundamentally derived from Tawbfd, that is, from an assent to
or contemplation of Divine Unity.51 This unity is a cease
lessly renewed theme of Islamic art and architecture which is
the earthly crystallization of Divine Unity. That is why,
Islamic art, compared to Gothic art and its flamboyant style
is contemplative rather volitivb ; it is intellectual rather than
dramatic and it negates the mystical and heroic design of cathe
drals. 5 2

Al -Tawbfd means that Divine Unity abolishes all duality.

This is the starting point of all metaphysical knowledge in
Islam. From a metaphysical context, the formula of al-Tawhid
means that there is no reality save one reality and the cosmos
is the manifestation of that reality.53 At-Tawhid, thus, is
a discernment between real and unreal, Truth and illusion.

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 at-tawhid 17

To perceive the unreality of the world is to be conscious of the

symbolic meaning of the phenomena, that the phenomena
through their accidental nature and their fragile appearance
indicate that accidents have no independent reality of their own
and therefore depend utterly on their creator alone.(54) Again,
to be aware that we are nothing, because the phenomenal world
is nothing means to pray to God, who alone is the Real and the
quintessential prayer is to remember God sincerely which
amounts to forgetting one's ego and living in Divine Ubiquity.
Thus the Remembrance of God is the sap of human condition
which otherwise seems ambiguous and dubious.

In fine, just as the first shahadak (La illaha ilia Allah)

ends in Allah, so does the second Shahadak, (MUHAMMAD
AL RAStJL-L-ALLAH) ends in Allah. This fact indicates
that God is the First and the Last. This also means that noth
ing is outside God', nothing is absent from God.
*U-J! ^iVj u^j^l <y Cx4 if v>4 Uj
" And not so much as the weight of an ant in the earth
or heaven escapes from the Lord."55
For the Divine Name Allah, in its utter transcendence and
inviolable mystery, includes all that is and supasses all that is.
This is an infinite dimension where all things die and are reborn
in the Divine Unity'.(56)
The essence of al-Tawhid is incommunicable through
words. It reveals itself in the Qur'an and strikes the heart
(Qalb) of contemplative minds by sudden and discontinuous
flashes. It is an incommensurable Divine Mystery, hence
our overwhelming incomprehension. But Shahadak, which is
addressed to our intelligence, sows the seed of the knowledge
of at-Tawkid in us. When this knowledge becomes intense,
deep-rooted and attains certainty, then it may serve as an open

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 18 MUHAl/MAD ABDUL HAQ

ing in our heart towsrds that invisible- Ever-Effulgent Reality.

A Prophetic Hadith confirms this, "Heaven and earth cannot
contain Me (God), but the heart of the believer contains
Me.'YSTi
REFRANCE
(1) Frithj of Schuon, Gnosis, Trans, by G.E.H. Palmer, W. Clowes and Sons Ltd., London,
1959, P. 14.
(2) F. Schuon, The Transcendent Unity of Religions, Trans, by Peter Townsend, FABAR
and FABAR LTD. London, 1953. P. 128.
(3) F. Schuon, Understanding Islam, Trans by D.M. Mathson, G. Allen & Unwin Ltd.
London, 1963, PP. 22, 23.
(4) F. Schuon, Gnosis, P. 14.
(5) F. Schuon The Transcendent Unity of Religions, P. 128.
(6) F. Schuon, Islam and the Perennial Philosophy, Trans, by Peter Hobson, World of
Islam Festival Pub. Company Ltd., London. P. 7, 21.
(8) F. Schuon, Stations of Wisdom, Trans by G.E. Palmer, W. Clowes and Sons Ltd.,
London, 1961, 58.
(7) Ibid, PP. 7. 21.
(9) Arberry, A J. The Koran Interpreted, Oxford Varsity Press, 1964, .55 : 26).
(10) F. Schuon, Understanding Islam, P. 68.
(11) F. Schuon, Islam and the Perennial Philosophy. P. 23
(12) Arberry, A.J. The Koran Interpreted, (39 : 67).
(13) F. Schuon, Islam and the Perennial Philosophy, P. 23.
(14) F. Schuon, Dimensions of Islam, Trans, by P. N. Townsend, G. Allen & Unwin*
London, 1969. P. 69.
(15) F. Schuon, Islam and the Perennial Philosophy, P. 20.
(16) F. Schuon, The Transcendent Unity of Religions, PP. 117, 118.
(17) Ibid, PP. 118, 119.
(18) Ibid, P. 128.
(19) Ibid, P. 128.
(20) F. Schuon, Islam and the Perennial Philosophy, P. 22.
21) Arberry, A.J., The Koran Interpreted, (41 : 6).
(22) F. Schuon, Islam and the Perennial Philosophy, P. 24.
(23) F. Schuon, The Quintessential Esoterism of Islam, Studies in Comparative Relig]on
Perennial Books Ltd. England, (Winter-Spring, 1979) PP. 5, 6.
(24) F. Schuon, Logic and Transcendence, Trans, by Peter, N. Townsend Harper & Raw
Publishers, London, 1975, P. 209.
(25) Arberry, A.J. The Koran Interpreted, (30 : 30).
(26) F. Schuon, Stations of Wisdom, P. 28.
(27) Arberry.. A.J. The Koran Interpreted (3 : 19).
(28) Ibid (3 : 85).

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 AT-TAWHID 19
(29) F. Schuon, Dimensions of Islam, PP. 86, 69.
(30) Muhammad Asam, Islam at the Crossroads, Ashraf Publication, Lahore, 1969,
P. 27,
(31) F. Schuoh, Islam and the Perennial Philosophy, P. 24.
(32) Arberry, A.T. The Koran Interpreted, (5 : 3).
(33) Yusuf Ali, Abdullah, The Holy Quran, Ashraf Pub. Lahore, 1937, (48 : 28)
(34) Arberry. A.J. The Koran Interpreted, (8 :39).
(35) F. Schuon, The Transcendent Unity of Religion, P. 122.
(36) Siddiqui, Mazheruddin, The Quranic concept of History, Central Institute of Islamic
Research, Karachi, Pakistan, 1965, P. 182.
(37) F. Schuon, The Transcendent Unity of Religion, P. 121.
(38) Ibid,* 124.
(39) F. Schuon, Gnosis, P. 15.
(40) Arberry, A.J. The Koran Interpreted, (50 : 16).
(41) Smith, W.C. Islam in Modern History, Princeton University Press, 1957, pp. 15,16,17
; (42) Arberry, A.J., The Koran Interpreted, (17 : 93)
(43) F. Schuon, Islam and the Perennial Philosophy, P. 28.
(44) Badi '-UZ-Zaman, FurOj Anfer, Ahadith Matlmawi, Tehran University, Pub. (1347
Solar) P. 39.
(45) F. Schuon, Light on the Ancient worlds Trans, by Lord Northbourne, (London 1965),
P. 141.
(46) Arberry, A.J The Koran Interpreted, (31 : 28).
(47) Arberry, A.J. The Koran Interpreted, (57 : 3).
(48) F. Schuon, The Transcendent Unity of Religions, pp. 129, 130.
(49) Arberry, A.J., The Koran Interpreted, (3: 83).
(50) Nasr,S.H., An Introduction to Islamic cosmological Doctrines, (Cambridge, 1964)
pp. 4, 5.
And Islamic Science, And Illustrated Study, World of Islam Festival Pub. Company
Ltd. London, 1976, pp. 4, 5, 6.
(51) Titus Burckhardt, Perennial Values in Islamic Act. Studies in Comparative religion,
(Summer 1967) pp. 139, 141.
(52) T. Burckhardt, Arab or Islamic Art. Studies in Comparat Religion, (Winter 1971)
P. 23.
(53) F. Schuon, Gnosis, PP. 17,18. And Cf. Ernst Haeckel The Riddle of the Universe,
Trans, by Joseph Mecabe Walts & Co., London, Thinker's Library, 4th Impression,
1937, PP. 223, 34.
(54) F. Schuon, Understanding Islam PP. 106, 107.
(55) Arberry, A.J. The Koran Interpreted, (10 : 61).
(56) F. Schuon, Understanding Islam, P. 154.
(57) Badi'-UZ-Zaman, Furuj Anfer, Ahadith Mathnawi, P. 26.

(MUHAMMAD ABDUL HAQ)

This content downloaded from 121.52.153.182 on Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:38:33 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms