Praise be to Allah, the Almighty, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Universe, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, last of the Prophets, and upon all those who adhere to his example until the Day of Judgement.

Faith is the foundation upon which the whole structure of nations is based. Therefore, the progress of each nation is dependent upon the maintenance of its faith and ideology. Thus, all Prophets (peace be upon them) have called for true faith. Every Prophet told his people from the very beginning, "Worship Allah, the Almighty. You have no other god but Him".(1) "We assuredly sent amongst every people an Apostle, (with the command), Serve Allah and eschew evil".(2) This is because Allah the Almighty created all people to worship Him alone and set up no associate to Him. "I have only created jinns and men that they may worship Me".(3)

Worship is the exclusive right of Allah owed to Him by His creation mankind. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) once said to Muath ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him): "Do you know what duties and rights people have towards Allah'? The duty of mankind towards Allah is to worship Him and attribute no partner to Him. The right of mankind is that Allah will not torture those who do not attribute any partner to Him".(4) This right of worship is the foremost right of Allah owed to Him by His people. "Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him." (5) "Say : Come, I will recite to you what Allah has really forbidden to you : Join not any-thing as equal with Allah".(6)

This right has priority over all other rights because it is the foundation upon which all other precepts of the religion (of Islam) are based.

Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) during the thirteen years of his preaching in Makkah, constantly called upon people to observe this right of Allah and forbid any partner to Him. The Holy Quran in most of its verses, has confirmed this concept and negated any resemblance to Him. Every Muslim in his five daily prayers pledges to Allah to observe this right by saying, "You alone do we worship and only Your assistance do we seek". (7)

This great right is referred to as the singleness of worship, deity or objective and purpose. This monotheism is ingrained in man's nature. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said "Every child is born with a (pure) innate character. His parents may turn him to become a Jew, a Christian or Mazdist" (8). Therefore, believing in the oneness of Allah is innate and original, whereas idolatry is spurious and unnatural. Man will deviate from the right path only because of false upbringing and surroundings. Allah the Almighty stated in the Holy Quran "Mankind was one single nation, and Allah sent messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and with them He sent the Book, in truth, to judge between people in matters wherein they differed".(9) Simarly, He, the Almighty, also stated in they Holy Quran "Mankind was but one nation, but differed later". (10)

Moreover, Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "Ten centuries lapsed from Adam to Noah (peace be upon them and all people adhered to Islam during that perished". (11) Ibn-ulQaiyim, the learned scholar, commented on this by saying "This interpretation (by Ibn Abbas) of the above verse is correct."(12) He cited examples from the Holy Quran to support this idea an confirmed it in his commentary, "The Meaning of the Quran".

The first incident of polytheism took place among the people of Noah when they exceeded the limits of respect for their saints and started worshipping them despite exhortation by their Prophets. As it is stated in the Holy Quran "And they have said (to each other), abandon not your gods : abandon neither Wadd for Suwa, neither Yaguth not Yauq".(13) Bukhari quoted Ibn Abbas as saying that "The above names were those of pious men among the people of Noah. When these pious men died, Satan suggested to the people of Noah that they erect statues of those pious men in their homes and call the statues by these pious men's names. Thus, people did so, but did not worship the statues. The statues, however, in later generations become idols to be worshipped." (14)

Ibn-ul-Qaiyim said "Noah's people were led to idolatry because they aggrandized their dead by sculpturing their images. Such is the case with most idolaters." (15) Some were made to worship stars, as they believed that stars are influential elements in the universe. Later, they built shrines, appointed gate keepers and custodians and fixed offerings and rites for the stars. The same method still continues, apparently originating from the Sabians, the people of Abraham. Abraham (peace be upon him) argued with his people pointing out to them the falsehood of idolatry. He silenced them with arguments and shattered their idols. Consequently, his people demanded that he be set on fire.

"We noticed that some people made statues of the moon, thinking that the moon controlled the world and, thus, deserved worship. The Magians, adherents of Mazdaism, worship fire; they make many shrines for it and appoint caretakers who do not allow the flame to die out for a single moment. Some groups worship water, believing that it is the origin and source of everything. Other groups worship animals, like horses or cows. Others have worshipped men, alive or dead, while still others have worshipped jinn, trees or angel.(16)

From the above, we can learn the following

1 - Hanging pictures on walls and setting up statues and sculptured images lead people to idolatry because excessive exaltation of these pictures and statues develops into a belief that they bring good and prevent harm, as evidenced in the example of thepeople of Noah.

2 - Satan is bent on deceiving mankind. He will try every trick to exploit man's sentiments. When Satan observed among the people of Noah their emotional liking forpious people, he tempted them to exceed their love and finally made them placethose people's statues in their dwellings in order to make them stray from the rightpath.

3 - Not only does Satan try to deceive the present generation, he also keeps his eye onthe future generations. When he could not plunge the present generation of thepeople of Noah into idolatry, he anticipated the coming generation to be misled and set a trap for it.

4 - Negligence must not be shown toward evil, but it must be eradicated and all its doorsmust be closed.

5 - The presence of diligent and learned men is a blessing because Satan can deceive the people after the learned men among them had passed away.

Belief in the Oneness of Allah is of two kinds

1) belief in the Oneness of Allah in the sense that He, alone, has created the whole universe, and

2) belief that He, alone, manages its affairs. He, alone, causes life and death, and He, alone, brings good and drives away evil.

Such belief in the Oneness of Allah is universal and fundamental and there can be no disputes over it. Even' idolaters themselves confessed it as mentioned in the Holy Quran, "Say : who is it that sustains you (in life) from the sky and from earth? Or who is it that has power over hearing and sight? And what is it that brings the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who is it that rules and regulates all affairs? They will soon say, Allah. Say : Will you not then show piety to Him'' (17)

There are similar verses in the Holy Quran which clearly state that idolaters have been admitting to this kind of Oneness of Allah but yet, they have denied the Oneness of Allah in the sense of worship. Idolaters knew that this requires that Allah the Almighty be worshipped alone, and that He, alone, be invoked for any need or assistance. This is clearly reflected in the article of faith, ''There is no god but Allah". This means that all worship is owed only to Allah, alone. Therefore, when the Prophet (peace by upon him) asked the pagans of Makkah to say these words, they refused by saying, "Has he made the gods (all) into one Allah? Truly this is a wonderful thing!"(18) The idolaters realized that whoever uttered these words would nullify homage to all except Allah. These words would prove that worship is owed to Allah Alone. A close look at the Arabic word "ilah" means one who is venerated and worshipped. Worship includes all visible or invisible words or deeds for the pleasure of Allah. Therefore, whoever said these words, and continued to invoke other than Allah, would surely contradict himself. Hence, we notice both kinds of belief in this oneness of Allah are correlated.

Thus a person who believes in the Oneness of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe has to worship Him alone and refrain from associating any partner with Him of any sort whatsoever. All the prophets asked their people to submit themselves to Allah alone. Allah Almighty said, "That is Allah, your Lord!. There is no god but He, the Creator of all things. Then worship Him, and He has power to dispose of all affairs." (19) He, the Almighty has also stated in the Holy Quran "If indeed, you ask them who is it that created the heavens and the earth, they would be sure to say, 'Allah'. Say : See you then the things that you invoke besides Allah? Can they, if Allah wills some penalty for me, remove His penalty ? Or if He will some grace for me, can they keep back His grace ?" (20) This acknowledgment of Allah's unity as the only Cherisher and Sustainer of the universe is deeply rooted in the nature of mankind No one disputes it. Even idolaters admit this fact. No one is known among the various sects of the world to have negated this fact except the atheists, who believe in the materialistic doctrine. They say that the world proceeds by itself without anyone to rule or regulate its affairs. Allah the Almighty has said, "And they (the atheists) say : What is there but our life in this world ? We shall die and we live, and nothing but time can destory us." So Allah said to them, "But of that they have no knowledge : they merely conjecture" (21) It is evident that their denial of Allah is based on a mere assumption and they have no proof. Hypothetical conclusions do not help in guiding to the right path. Therefore, they had no answer to the word of Allah. Allah said, "Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators ? or did they create the heavens and the earth ? No, they have no firm belief." (22)

They also have no answer for the statement of Allah, the Almighty in the Holy Quran "Such is the creation of Allah : Now show Me what is there that others besides Him have created." (23) "Say : Do you see what it is you invoke besides Allah ? Show me what it is they created on earth, or have they a share in the heavens?" (24) Those who pretend to deny this unity of Allah in fact confess it in their hearts as Pharoah did. Allah Almighty said, "Moses said to Pharoah, "You know well that these things have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth." (25) Allah, the Almighty stated also about Pharoah and his people "And they rejected those signs in iniquity and arrogance , though their souls were convinced there of." (26)

He, the Almighty said about previous nations : "Remember, also, the Ad and the Thamud (people) Clearly will appear to you from (the traces) of their buildings (their fate) Satan made their deeds alluring to them and kept them back from the path, though they were gifted with the intelligence and skill." (27)

Thus we notice that there has never been any group denying the Oneness of Allah in the sense that He alone is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Magians (adherents of Mazdaism) believe in two gods, light as creator of virtue and darkness as creator of vice. They believe that the original one is light and darkness is casual resulting of it, and that light is superior to darkness.

Similarly, Christians who believe in the trinity agree that the Creator of the world is one. They say that "God, the father" is superior, but they cannot prove the separate gods. We conclude that the Oneness of Allah as Creator and Sustainer of the world is unanimously accepted. Very seldom do we hear of a group making others as separate to Allah in this particular sense.

But acknowledgement of Allah as the sole Sustainer of the world is not enough to become a Muslim. It is essential that this belief be substantiated with practice, i.e. to worship Allah, Alone, without invoking others for help. Pagans, particularly Arab infidels, acknowledge Allah as the sole Creator and Sustainer, but they can not be regarded as Muslims unless they substantiate this belief with practice, i.e., to worship Allah alone. If we look into the verses of the Holy Quran, we see that they call for the Oneness of Allah in worship. The various verses of the Quran tell us that unbelievers acknowledge Allah as the Only Sustainer of the universe, but their deeds do not conform to their belief. Therefore, they are admonished to confirm the oneness of Allah in their worship and in their deeds. Allah Almighty said, "O you people ! Adore your Guardian Lord Who Created you and those who came before you that you may have the chance to learn righteousness; Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy : and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth there-with fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto Allah when you know (the truth)" (28) which was the first command to people in the Holy Quran by Allah, the Almighty.

We often find in the Holy Quran a call to the Oneness of Allah in worship. Simultaneously, the Holy Quran clarifies all doubts cast around this Oneness. In every chapter, virtually in every verse, this call for the Oneness of Allah is repeated. This is because the Holy Quran continuously informs its reader about Allah, His Names, His Attnbutes and His Characteristics, all reflecting his Oneness as the Creator and Sustainer, or when the Holy Quran calls people to worship Him alone and refrain from worshipping anything or anyone besides Him. This is the Oneness in worship. Then the Holy Quran informs people about Allah's grace in this life and His subsequent reward in the Hereafter for those who adhere to this Oneness totally. It also warns people about the punishment for idolaters in this world and the Hereafter. The Holy Quran also outlines the laws and commands of Allah, since Allah, alone, is the sole legislative power. This is the true manifestation of the Oneness of Allah.

This Oneness, with all its implications, is contained in the saying, "There is no god but Allah." It negates divine power from all and confirms it with Allah, the One and Only God. This, also, implies a "pledge of allegiance" to Allah and rejection of any partner to Him in any form. The Holy Qur an mentions the statement of Abraham (peace be upon him), "I do indeed clear myself of what you worship. I worship only Him who made me and He will certainly guide me." (29) Such has been the course of all the prophets who were sent by Allah. Allah the Almighty said "We assuredly sent amongst every people an apostle with the command, Serve Allah and eschew evil." (30) He, the Almighty also said "Whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks". (31) Therefore, whoever has said "There is no god but Allah" has disavowed himself from worshipping anything other than Allah, and he has committed himself to worshipping Allah solely. In saying these words, he undertakes a pledge. "Then anyone who violates his oath, does so to the harm of his own soul. And anyone who fulfils what has been covenanted to Allah, Allah will soon grant his a great reward." (32)

It is clear now that "There is no god but Allah" is a declaration to worship the one and only God, e.g. Allah because (Allah) means deity, and therefore no one deserves to be worshipped except Allah. And whoever has uttered these words knowing their meaning and acting upon that meaning (negating idolatry and confirming the Oneness of Allah as the sole Creator as well as the only one to be worshipped), in addition to having adopted them in letter and spirit, can be regarded as a true Muslim. One who has uttered these words and practised their meanings in public, but without accepting them in his heart, is a hypocrite. One who uttered these words with his tongue, but acted against their meaning through committing idolatry, is an unbeliever, even if he uttered these words more than once as in the case of those who adorn tombs, for although they utter these words they do so without understanding their meaning.

Thus, these words leave no impact on their actions. You hear them say, "There is no god but Allah", but you also hear them calling "O Abdul Qadir", or "O Badawi", or other pious individuals. They invoke the dead for help when faced with adversity. The idolators of old times were better informed of the meaning of these words, i.e. commitment to the Oneness in worship of Allah, the Almighty, than those people who adorn the tombs and graves of pious people. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the idolators to say "La Ilaha ilallah : (There is no god but Allah),they realized that these words of commitment to Oneness clearly meant that they must abandon idolatry and worship Allah alone. Therefore, the idolators' answer was : "Has he made the gods (all) into one Allah?" (33) About the people of Hud, the Quran says, "They said, You came to us, that we may worship Allah alone and give up the cult of our fathers?" (34) The people of Saleh said, "Do you forbid us the worship of what our fathers worshipped?" (35)

About the people of Noah, the Holy Quran relates, "And they have said (to each other), Abandon not your gods : abandon neither Wadd nor Suwa, neither Yaguth or Yauq no Nasr." (36) This is how the unbelievers understood the meaning of (There is no god but Allah) - that it means to give up deities and come forward to worship Allah only. That is why they refused to utter these words of Monotheism, for there could not be any compromise with their adoration of Lat, Uzza or Manat, the well known idols. But, amazingly, those who adore graves today do not realize this contradiction. They utter these words and continue their adoration of the dead.

Thus, we notice that some people interpret "God" as the one capable of invention, creation and origination. In this context, the meaning of "There is no god but Allah" will be that no one is capable of creation except Allah. This is one of the worst mistakes because it goes no farther than what the unbelievers had already acknowledged. We notice that idolators and others had affirmed that no one is capable of invention, creation, sustenance and causing life or death except Allah. (37) This statement of the unbelievers is illustrated in a previously mentioned Quranic verse. However, they could not become Muslims by this confession because this alone does not fulfil the requirement of the testimony of faith, "There is no god but Allah".

We have indicated earlier the first occurrence in which people placed humans or other objects in positions to share with Allah His sole right to be worshipped. Such practice unfortunately continues to the present; this is polytheism which is of two kinds. The first is greater idolatry which is committed by Muslims by performing deeds, such as slaughtering in the names of other persons or deities than Allah, or by adoring others in any form that will make them dearer than, or even equal to Allah the Almighty. The second is idolatry of a lesser degree which makes one's faith inferior, and which may sometimes place one outside of the Islamic faith. This applies to those taking oaths in the name of other persons or deities than Allah, or uttering words like, "by the life of so and so, or by the sun, moon or stars, etc."

Such polytheism has developed among people because they have distanced themselves from the Book of Allah and the Prophet's traditions. They are determined to imitate their ancestors even though they have strayed from the right path of Allah. They exalt some of the dead saints or pious people to the extent of worship. For example, they build shrines on these deceased saints' graves. All of this happens because such people are not aware of the facts of their religion, Islam. As Umar ibn AI-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) stated, "The bonds of Islam will indeed breakdown, one after the other, if one who has grown up in Islam has not known about the pre-Islamic paganism." Many people are misled due to circulation of various doubts of stories and heresies which they inadvertently consider as authentic evidences to justify their deeds. Some of these doubts are similar to those previously raised by idolaters of past people and generations. Here are some examples of such doubts and suspicions

FIRST : A common suspicion of past and contemporary people is that they have inherited these practices from their ancestors. About them, Allah the Almighty said, "Just in the same way, whenever We sent a Warner (i.e. a messenger who calls to the worship of Allah the Almighty) before you to any people, the wealthy ones among them said, "We found our fathers following a certain religion, and we will certainly follow in their footsteps." (38)

Those who cannot produce any proof for their plea resort to this type of invalid argument. That, of course, is reasonable. How can they be sure that their ancestors were right ? Then again, why should they blindly follow their ancestors' footsteps ? Allah Almighty said, "When it is said to them, follow what Allah has revealed, they say, No! We shall follow the way of our fathers. What! Even though their fathers were void of wisdom and guidance"(39) Also, "Even if their fathers knew nothing and were astray?" (41) To follow the footsteps of fathers is commendable if they were on the right path. Concerning Joseph (peace be upon him), Allah, the Almighty said "And I follow the ways of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob : Never could we attribute any partners whatsoever to Allah; that comes of the grace of Allah to us and to mankind, yet most men are ungrateful." (41) Allah also said, "And those who believe and whose families follow them in faith, to tiem shall We join their families." (42)

Suspicion was always raised by people in answer to the call of Prophets. The people replied to the call of Noah (peace be upon him), as we notice in the Holy Quran "We sent Noah to his people; he said, "O my people worship Allah, you have no other god but Him. Will you not fear Him ? The unbelievers among his people said, "He is no more than a man like yourselves; his wish is to assert his superiority over you If Allah had wished to send messengers, He could have sent down angels. Never did we hear such a thing as he says among our ancestors of old." (43)

The unbelievers wanted to take the practice of their ancestors against the commands of Allah which were presented to them by their Prophets (peace be upon them). As Allah the Almighty stated in the Holy Quran : The people of Saleh said, "Do you forbid us the worship of what our fathers worshipped?" (44) The people of Shu'aib said, as Allah pointed out in the Holy Quran "Does your religion of prayers command you that we leave whatever our forefathers used to worship?" (45) The people of Abraham, after they were silenced by argument, said, as stated in the Holy Quran "...We worship idols and we remain constantly in attendance on them. (Abraham) said, ‘Do they listen to you when you call on them or they do you good or harm?' They said, Nay, but we found our fathers doing." (46) Pharoah said to Moses, as Allah demonstrated in the Holy Quran : "... What then is the condition of previous generations." (47)

Who were before you and did the same thing by following the footprints of their parents. Look what happened to them.Thus, unbelievers have been opposing the truth with weak and foolish arguments.

SECOND : A suspicion raised by the pagans of Quraish and others to justify their deeds of idolatry was the issue of divine predestination. Allah the Almighty said in the Holy Quran: "Those who give partners to Allah will say' If Allah had wished, we should not have given partners to Him, nor would our fathers, nor should we have had any taboos." (48)