Bismillah Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem
Allah Ta’ala created the world and everything in it to worship Him alone. He sent His Rasool (sallallaho alayhi wassallam) to call to Tawheed. Quraan Shareef is concerned with the Aqeedah of Tawheed in most of its chapters; it explains the harm of Shirk for the individual and the society. Shirk is the reason for destruction in this life and the reason for eternal destruction in the Fire of Jahanam.
All the Anbiyaa and Rusul (alayhimus salaam) began their call with Tawheed, which they were commanded to by Allah Ta’ala to convey it to the people. He, the Most High, said:
And We sent no messenger before thee but We inspired him, (saying): There is no god save Me (Allah), so worship Me. (21:25)
Rasoolullah (sallallaho alayhi wassallam) stayed in Makkah for thirteen years calling his people to Tawheed, he called to Allah Ta’ala alone without associating anything with Him. It was regarding this that Allah revealed the following verse to His Noble Rasool (sallallaho alayhi wassallam):
Say (unto them, O Muhammad): I pray unto Allah only, and ascribe unto Him no partner. (72:20)
Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (sallallaho alayhi wassallam) brought up his followers upon Tawheed from the time of childhood, he once said to his cousin Hazrat Abdullaah ibn Abbaas (radhiallaho anho) “When you ask, then ask Allah, and when you seek help, then seek help from Allah.” [Hasan Saheeh, Tirmidhi]. This Tawheed is the main pillar of Islam, which is built upon it, and Allah does, not accept anything other than it.
Nabi Muhammad (sallallaho alayhi wassallam) taught the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (radhiallaho anhum) to begin their call with Tawheed, he said to Muaadh ibn Jabal (radhiallaho anho), when sending him to Yemen: “So let the first thing you call them to, be the testification that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah.” And in another narration: “…that they worship Allah alone.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Tawheed is embodied within the testification that “There is no deity except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” Its meaning is that there is no one who is worthy of deserving worship except Allah, and there is no worship except that which the Messenger of Allah came with. It is this testification which allows a unbeliever to enter into Islam, it is the key to Paradise the one who testifies to it and believes it enters Paradise as long as he does not invalidate it by shirk or a word of disbelief.
The disbelieving Quraysh offered the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) kingship, wealth and wives and other than that from the pleasures of this life in exchange for him abandon the call to Tawheed, and abandon the attacks against the idols. However, he did not desire that from them, rather lie continued his call and endured the onslaught along with the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (radhiallaho anhum), until the call to Tawheed was victorious after thirteen years, after which Makkah was conquered and the idols were destroyed. Rasool-Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) recited:
And say: Truth hath come and falsehood hath vanished away. Lo! falsehood is ever bound to vanish. (17:81)
A Muslim is preoccupied with Tawheed in his life, he begins his life with Tawheed and he ends it with Tawheed. His task in life is to establish Tawheed and the call to Tawheed, since this unifies the Believers and gathers them upon the statement of Tawheed.
I ask my only Rabb Allah Ta’ala to make the statement of Tawheed “Laa ilaaha il-Allaah” our last words in this world and I pray to Him to gather the Muslims upon Tawheed. Ameen!