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Both monotheism and polytheism have degrees and stages. Unless a man
passes through all the stages of monotheism, he cannot be a true monotheist.
I. Unity of the Essence of Allah
To acknowledge the unity of His essence means that Allah is One in His
essence. The first impression of Allah which anybody has is that of His
Self-dependence. He is a Being who is not dependent on any other being
in any way. In the words of the Holy Qur'an, He is Ghani (the Absolute).
Everything depends on Him and seeks His help. He is independent of everything.
The Holy Qur'an says:
"O men, it is you who stand in need of Allah. As for Allah, He
is above all need, worthy of praise."
Sermon - 1, p. 137, Peak of Eloquence, ISP, 1984)
In the first passage it has been affirmed that Allah has attributes
(whose attributes are not limited by any limitation). In the second passage
also it is confirmed that He has attributes, but instruction has been given
to impute no attributes to Him. The wording of these passages shows that
the attributes which He has are unlimited like the limitlessness of His
own self, that they are identical with His essence, and the attributes
from which He is free are those which are limited and separate from His
essence and from each other. Thus the unity of the Divine tributes means
to acknowledge the unity of Allah's essence and His attributes.
III. Unity of the Work of Allah
Unity of His work means to recognize that the world with all its systems,
ways, causes and effects is the work of Allah alone and has originated
from His will. Nothing in the world is self-existing. Everything depends
on Him. In the words of the Holy Qur'an, He is the sustainer of the whole
world. The existing things are not independent with regard to their effect
and causation. As a result, as Allah has no partner in his essence, similarly
He has no partner in His work. Every agent and every cause owes its existence
and effectiveness to Him and depends on Him. All power as well as ability
to do things belong to Him alone.
Man is one of the existing things and hence a creation of Allah. Like
other things he is effective as far as his own work is concerned and unlike
of them, he is the master of his own destiny. But Allah has in no way delegated
His powers to him. Thus he has not got complete discretion.
"By the power of Allah I stand and sit".
The belief that any being, whether man or a being other than man, has
a complete discretion, amounts to believing that being to be a partner
of Allah as far as independence of activity is concerned. As independence
in activity amounts to independence in essence it is contrary to Allah's
unity of essence, what to say of His unity of work.
"All praise is due to Allah who has taken no spouse nor a child.
He has no partner in His sovereignty, nor has He a helper to help Him
out of weakness. Therefore glorify Him a great deal."
