In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Who is Allah

The first of the three fundamental principles is knowing Allah. Before a person is asked about anything else, he is asked about his Lord. Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan explains why these principles are learned first:

“They will make him sit up in his grave and they will say to him, ‘Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet?’ The believer will say, ‘My Lord is Allah; my religion is al-Islam; and Muhammad ﷺ is my Prophet.’”

That questioning in the grave is why this knowledge comes before everything else What follows is taken from the treatise The Three Fundamental Principles, by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, and from the explanations of it by Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan and Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen. The treatise opens with four matters every person must learn:

“Know, may Allah have mercy upon you, that it is obligatory upon you to have knowledge of four matters: (i) Knowledge (al-‘Ilm), which is knowledge and awareness of Allah, and knowledge of His Prophet, and knowledge of the religion of Islam with the proofs. (ii) Action upon that. (iii) Calling to that. (iv) Patiently persevering and bearing any harm encountered upon that way.”

Knowledge comes first, before action. And the first part of that knowledge is knowing Allah Himself. Shaykh al-Fawzan:

“and it is the knowledge of Allah, His names and attributes, and knowledge of His right upon us, which is to worship Him alone without associating partners with Him. Therefore, the first of that which is obligatory upon the servant is to have knowledge of his Lord and how to worship Him.”

My Lord Is Allah

The treatise answers the grave’s first question directly:

“My Lord is Allah, who has nurtured me and all of creation with His favours and blessings.”

“He is the one whom I worship, and there is no other whom I worship besides Him.”

Ar-Rabb [the Lord] is taken from tarbiyah [nurturing: raising a thing and providing everything it needs]. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen explains the word in his footnote on this sentence:

“So Allah nurtures all of the creation with His favours and blessings, and has prepared them for that for which they were created, and He supported them with all of their needs.”

So the Lord is the One who created every person, raised him, and still provides everything he needs. The Shaykh draws the conclusion himself:

“So it is Allah who created you, prepared you, supported you and provided for your needs, so He alone is deserving of your worship.”

The treatise gives its proof from the opening of the Qur’an:

“The proof is the Saying of Allah, the Most High: ‘All praise is for Allah, the Lord of all creation’ [Soorah al-Faatihah (1):1]. Everything besides Allah is a created being and I am one of the creation.”

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen explains what “the Lord of all creation” means:

“‘the Lord of all creation’ meaning that He is the one who nurtured and sustained them with His blessings, and that He is their creator and their owner and Sovereign-Lord, and that He is the one Who controls their affairs as He, the Mighty and Majestic, wishes.”

Creator, Owner, and the One who controls all affairs: that is the Lord. And the title ar-Rabb, with “the” before it, belongs to Him alone. Shaykh al-Fawzan:

“So, if it is said ‘ar-Rabb’ (the Lord), then this is not applicable to anything or anyone except Allah; and it is not to be given except to Him. As for the creation, then it is to be restricted, such that it is said ‘rabbud-dar’ (lord of the home) or ‘rabbul-bahimah’ (lord of the animals), i.e., their owner and custodian.”

The Meaning of the Name Allah

The name itself carries the answer to this page’s question. Shaykh al-Fawzan:

“The meaning of Allah is: the one who possesses divinity and servitude over all of His creation; and none besides Him, Glorified be He, has this name.”

No one else can be called Allah. The name is His alone, because divinity over all creation is His alone. His names and attributes in their detail are taught on Names and Attributes of Allah; this page stays with the name the treatise itself explains.

Created With a Purpose, and a Messenger Sent

The first of the three matters the treatise teaches is this:

“That Allah created us and provided sustenance for us, and He did not leave us without a purpose rather He sent Messengers to us. So whoever obeys him will enter Paradise, and whoever rejects and disobeys him will enter the Fire.”

The purpose is stated in the Qur’an. On this page the verse is quoted in the wording printed in Shaykh al-Fawzan’s explanation; What Is the Purpose of Life in Islam? quotes the same verse in Shaykh as-Sa’di’s printing and treats the purpose of creation in full.

“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and humans except that they should worship Me (alone). I seek not any provision from them (i.e., provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e., feed themselves or My creatures).”

Surah adh-Dhariyat (51), verses 56 to 57. Shaykh al-Fawzan explains why we were created:

“Allah has created us, and He created for us these provisions and means due to a tremendous wisdom and a lofty objective, which is that we worship Him. He did not create us to be like the animals whom He created for the benefit of His worshipers, who then die and depart, because they are not responsible nor are they commanded or prohibited. Rather, He has created us for His worship.”

And He did not leave us to guess at that worship. He sent a Messenger. Shaykh al-Fawzan:

“He sent him in order to clarify to us the reason we were created, to clarify that we should worship Allah and to prohibit us from polytheism, disbelief, and sins.”

The treatise’s proof for the sending is Allah’s saying:

“Verily, We have sent to you a messenger (Muhammad ﷺ) to be a witness over you, as We did send a messenger to Fir’awn. But Fir’awn disobeyed the messenger, so We seized him with a severe punishment.”

Surah al-Muzzammil (73), verses 15 to 16.

Known by His Signs

How is Allah known? The treatise asks and answers:

“So, if it is said to you, ‘How did you come to know your Lord?’ Then say, ‘By His signs and His creation.’”

“From His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. From His creation are the seven heavens and the seven earths; those who are within them and those who are between them.”

The verses the treatise brings for these signs are quoted here in Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen’s printing. The first is Surah Fussilat (41), verse 37:

“And from His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun, nor to the moon, but prostrate to Allah who created them, if you truly worship Him.”

The Shaykh comments on the verse:

“since they are two created things, and the one Who is alone deserving and has the right to worship is Allah, the Most High, Who created them.”

The second verse is Surah al-A’raf (7), verse 54:

“Your Lord is Allah who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then ascended upon the Throne. He causes the night to cover the day which it follows with haste; and the sun, the moon and the stars are subservient and subject to His command. Certainly creation and commandment are His alone. Exalted is Allah the Lord of all creation.”

The signs point back to their Maker. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen quotes Ibn Kathir’s words on this: “The creator of these things is the One Who deserves to be worshipped.” The night and the day, the sun and the moon, the heavens and the earth: everything a person sees tells him who his Lord is, and that this Lord alone is to be worshipped.

He Alone Is to Be Worshipped

Knowing who Allah is leads to one command. Allah says, in the wording printed in Shaykh al-Fawzan’s explanation:

“Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship.”

Surah an-Nisa (4), verse 36. The Shaykh explains why the command and the prohibition stand together in one verse:

“This is because worship is not correct when paired with polytheism, nor will it benefit, and it is not called worship unless it is purely for the sake of Allah. If it is mixed with polytheism, it is not called worship, no matter how much the person tires himself out in doing so. He connected the command to worship with the prohibition of polytheism. Therefore, worship is not correct with the existence of polytheism.”

This verse is the Shaykh’s proof that “the greatest of that with which Allah has commanded is tawhid” [singling Allah out in worship]. And Allah says:

“And the mosques are for Allah (alone), so invoke not anyone along with Allah.”

Surah al-Jinn (72), verse 18. The word “anyone” in the verse leaves no one out. Shaykh al-Fawzan:

“This is general for everything which is called upon besides Allah, whether it’s an angel, a prophet, a wali, a tree, or a stone. It is generally applied to all who are called upon other than Allah, for that is major shirk.”

Shirk [associating partners with Allah] is to give any act of worship to other than Allah; the wali named in the Shaykh’s list is a righteous person close to Allah. The treatise states the ruling plainly:

“So, he who gives any of that to other than Allah, then he is a mushrik (polytheist) and a kafir (disbeliever).”

And its proof is Allah’s saying, in the same book’s printing:

“And whoever invokes (or worships) besides Allah any other ilah (god), of whom he has no proof, then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely! Al-kafirun (the disbelievers in Allah and in the oneness of Allah, the polytheists, pagans, idolaters, etc.) will not be successful.”

Surah al-Mu’minun (23), verse 117. Shirk itself, what it is and why it is the greatest sin, is treated in full on What Is Shirk? This page keeps the treatise’s own line: worship given to other than Allah is shirk, whoever it is given to.

The Kinds of Worship

Worship is wider than the prayer. It takes in the actions of the body and the actions of the heart, and every kind of it belongs to Allah alone. What worship is, and its conditions, are taught on Worship (Ibadah). Here the treatise’s own list is quoted once, and three of its kinds are worked from the books: du’a [supplication: calling upon Allah], seeking aid, and fear. After du’a, which the treatise treats first, Shaykh al-Fawzan names the rest:

“al-khawf (reverential fear), ar-raja’ (hope), at-tawakkul (reliance), ar-raghbah (fervent desire), ar-rahbah (dread), al-khushu’ (humility), al-khashyah (awe), al-inabah (turning in repentance), al-isti’anah (seeking aid), al-isti’adhah (seeking refuge), al-istighathah (seeking deliverance), adh-dhabh (sacrificing), an-nadhar (vows), and other than that from the various types of worship which Allah has commanded with. All of them are (exclusively) for Allah, the Exalted.”

Du’a: Calling Upon Allah

The proof for du’a is Allah’s saying:

“And your Lord said, ‘Invoke Me, [i.e., believe in My oneness (Islamic monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything); I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e., do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My oneness (Islamic monotheism)], they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!’”

Surah Ghafir (40), verse 60. Notice that the verse calls du’a itself worship: those who scorn it are described as scorning His worship. Shaykh al-Fawzan explains the command:

“He commanded with invoking Him, Glorified be He, and He has promised to respond. This is from His generosity. This is because He is Rich, (not in need) of our supplications.”

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Supplication is worship.”

The book’s footnote gives this narration’s sources: Abu Dawud (1479), at-Tirmidhi (2969), and Ibn Majah (3828), from an-Nu’man bin Bashir, and at-Tirmidhi graded it hasan sahih [a narration graded good and authentic]. The Shaykh notes that this wording is more authentic than the wording “Supplication is the essence of worship,” and that the meaning of the two is the same. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen adds that du’a is of two types: a request a person makes of his Lord, and the worship itself that a person does seeking reward and fearing punishment. Both belong to Allah alone.

Seeking Aid

Every day in the prayer the believer says:

“You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help (for each and every thing).”

Surah al-Fatihah (1), verse 5. And in the hadith:

“If you seek help, then seek the help of Allah.”

The book’s footnote attributes this to at-Tirmidhi (2516), from Ibn Abbas. Shaykh al-Fawzan explains that seeking aid is of two types:

“Al-isti’anah means ‘seeking aid,’ and it is of two types: 1) Seeking aid in something which none is able to do except Allah. To give this to other than Allah is shirk. He who seeks aid with other than Allah in that which none is able to do except Allah, then he has committed shirk, because he has given a type of worship to other than Allah. 2) Seeking help in that which the creation has the ability to do. So, you seek someone’s aid in constructing a wall or in carrying your luggage, or that he should assist you in some permissible action.”

So asking a living person for help he can actually give is ordinary cooperation, not worship. Asking anyone for what only Allah can do is worship, and it is shirk if it goes to other than Him.

Fear

The evidence for fear is Allah’s saying:

“It is only Shaytan (Satan) that suggests to you the fear of his awliya’ [supporters and friends (polytheists, disbelievers in the oneness of Allah and in His Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ)], so fear them not, but fear Me, if you are (true) believers.”

Surah Ali ‘Imran (3), verse 175. Shaykh al-Fawzan explains:

“Al-khawf is a type of worship, and it is worship of the heart. This is the case for al-khawf, al-khashyah, ar-raghbah, ar-rahbah, ar-raja’, and at-tawakkul—each of these are worship of the heart. Al-khawf is the expectation of that which one dislikes, and it is of two types: 1) Khawf al-‘ibadah (fear which is worship). 2) Khawf at-tabi’i (natural fear).”

The fear that is worship belongs to Allah alone. Natural fear, like fearing a snake or a fire, is not worship and is not what this verse commands. The rest of the kinds in the list, hope, reliance, seeking refuge, sacrifice, and vows among them, stand under the same ruling the list ends with: all of them are exclusively for Allah. Their evidences are worked in the books named in the References, and worship as a whole is taught on the Worship page linked above.

Conclusion

Who is Allah? He is the Lord: the Creator, the Owner, and the One who controls all affairs, who nurtured every created thing with His favours and blessings and still provides its needs. He created mankind for a purpose, to worship Him, and He sent Messengers so that purpose would be known. He is known by His signs in creation and by His verses. His name belongs to Him alone, and every kind of worship belongs to Him alone. Belief in Him as the first pillar of faith is set out on Belief in Allah, and the categories of tawhid on Tawheed (Monotheism).

And the One who created everything will judge it. Shaykh al-Fawzan quotes the verse the creation ends with:

“And they (all the creatures) will be judged with truth, and it will be said: ‘All praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the ‘alamin (mankind, jinn, and all that exists).’”

Surah az-Zumar (39), verse 75. To know Allah is to worship Him alone, in this life, before the question is asked in the grave.

References

The Three Fundamental Principles: Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. The treatise text is quoted from the two explanations below.

Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles: Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan; Authentic Statements Publishing, translated by Raha Batts (printed pp. 24, 47, 51, 54, 64, 93, 108, 116, 117, 118, 119, 121, 153, 154, 156, 157, 173).

Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles: Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen; Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution, First Edition 1418 AH/1997 CE, translated by Aboo Talhah Daawood ibn Ronald Burbank (printed pp. 22, 82, 83, 84, 87, 91).

In quotations from these books, the divine name is written “Allah” throughout. Shaykh al-Fawzan’s book prints it with a diacritic mark (Allah with a line over the a), and Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen’s book prints it “Allaah”; the spelling is standardised here, and nothing else in the wording is changed.

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