First Principle - Who is your Lord?

The Three Fundamental Principles

If it is said to you: What are the three fundamental principles obligatory upon the people to know? Say: The slave of Allah must know his Lord, his religion, and his Prophet Muhammad -may Allah praise him and send him peace- (1).

If it said to you: Who is your Lord? Say: My Lord is Allah, the one who has nurtured me and all of His creations with His favors and blessings. He is the One whom I worship and there is no other whom I worship besides Him. The proof is His, the Most High, saying: «All the praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of everything which He has created» (Qur'an 1:1) (2). Everything besides Allah is created and I am one of those creations (3).

(1) The author -may Allah have mercy on him- began by mentioning the three principles which are the three questions each person will be asked in the grave. He draws the attention of the reader by asking a question then he answers it.

(2) The author -may Allah have mercy on him- clarifies the first principle that the Lord, the One deserving of worship is Allah, the Perfect and the Most High. Then he mentions the proof for it which is the saying of Allah: «All the praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of everything which He has created». The Lord is the One who should be worshipped.

«All the praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of everything which He has created»

This verse contains the three categories of Tawheed:

1. «All the praise and thanks …» affirms Tawheed of the Names and Attributes.
2. «be to Allah…» affirms Tawheed of Worship.
3. «The Lord…» affirms Tawheed of Lordship.

(3) It means that everything other than Allah is created and if I am created then it is a must upon me to thank the Creator, the Perfect and the Most High.

If it is said to you: ‘How did you come to know your Creator?’ Say: 'Through His signs and His creations. From His signs are the night and the day, the sun and the moon. From His creations are the seven heavens, the seven earths, everything within them, and everything between them. The proof is His, The Most High, saying: «And from His signs are the night, the day, the sun, and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun or to the moon, but prostrate to Allah who created them, if you truly worship Him» (Qur'an 41:37). And also His, The Most High's, saying: «Your Lord is certainly Allah who has created the heavens and the earth in six days, and then He rose over the Throne. He causes the night to cover the day which follows with haste; and the sun, the moon, and the stars subjected to His command. Certainly, the creation and commandment are His alone. Blessed is Allah the Lord of all creation» (Qur'an 7:54) (1).

The Lord is the One who should be worshiped. The proof is His, the Most High, saying: «O Mankind, worship your Lord, who has created you and those before you so that you may become pious. The One that has made the earth a resting place for you, the sky as a canopy, has sent down rain from the sky, and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah(in worship) while you know (that He alone has the right to be worshiped)» (Qur'an 2:22) (2).

Ibn Katheer (701-774H) -may Allah have mercy on him- said: “Only the One who has created these things deserves to be worshiped” (3).

(1) The author mentions some signs in the universe and creations which prove the existence of Allah and affirm that there is no Lord, no Creator, and no one worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone. Then he mentions the proofs from the Qur'an.

Every created object is a sign which proves the existence of Allah, the Perfect and the Most High. However, the author differentiates between the signs in the universe and the created objects since the signs go through changes such as the night and the day. That which changes is a stronger proof than that which does not change.

(2) Some of the scholars said regarding this verse in the second chapter of the Qur'an: This verse mentions the first call in the Qur'an «O Mankind», the first order «worship» meaning single out with worship, and the first prohibition «So do not worship others with Allah while you know» is prohibition against shirk.

(3) The one who is singled out with Lordship must be singled out with worship. The author follows the saying of Ibn Katheer with a number of acts of worship of the heart and body while mentioning the proofs from the Qur'an and the Sunnah for each one of them.

The types of worship that Allah commanded, such as Islaam, Imaan, and Ihsaan. Moreover, Supplication (Du’aa), Fear (Khawf), Hope (Rajaa), Reliance (Tawakkul), Longing (Raghbah), and Dreading (Rahbah), Submissiveness (Khushoo’) Awe (Khashyah), Repentance (Inaabah), Seeking Assistance (Isti’aanah), Seeking Refuge (Isti’aadhah), Asking for Help (Istighaathah), Offering Sacrifices (Dhabah), Making Oaths (Nadhar) and all of the other types of worship that Allah commanded – all of these belong to Allah, alone. The proof for this is Allah’s saying: «And the masaajid belong to Allah, so do not call unto anyone along with Allah.» (Qur'an 72:18).

So whoever directs any part of these acts of worship to other than Allah, then he is a polytheist, disbeliever. The proof of this is Allah’s saying: «And whoever calls unto another gods besides Allah without any proof, his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely, the disbelievers will not be successful» (Qur'an 23:117). Also the noble Hadeeth: "Du'a is worship" (Tirmidhee "Authentic"Albani). The proof is the saying of Allah: And your Lord said: «Call upon Me and I will respond to you. Those who scorn My worship will surely enter Hell in humiliation!» (Qur'an 40:60).

The author follows the saying of Ibn Katheer with a number of acts of worship of the heart and body while mentioning the proofs from the Qur'an and the Sunnah for each one of them.