Principles of Islam
54. Tawheed
~ 163 ~
54. TAWHEED
Fundamental to the religious structure of Islam is
the concept of
tawheed,
or monotheism. As the seed
is to tree, so is
tawheed
to Islam. Just as the tree is a
wonderfully developed extension of the seed, so is
the religious system of Islam a multi-facetted
expression of a single basic concept. For
monotheism in Islam does not mean simply belief
in one God, but in God’s oneness in all respects. No
one shares in this oneness of God.
Anthropologists would have us believe that the
concept of God in religion began with polytheism;
that polytheism gradually developed with
monotheism. That is, the concept of
tawheed
was an
evolutionary feature of religion which emerged at a
later stage. But, according to Islamic belief, the
concept of
tawheed
has existed since the beginning
of human life on this earth. The first man – Adam –
was the first messenger of God. It was this first
messenger who taught human beings the religion of
tawheed.
