The Original Arabic Text and Translation#

Arabic Text:

Kitab al-Tawhid
Chapter 1
Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said; "I have not created jinn and man except to worship Me"

English Translation: Kitab al-Tawhid Chapter 1: Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said; “I have not created jinn and man except to worship Me”

The Quranic Evidence#

Arabic Text:

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: {وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ}

English Translation: Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) said; “I have not created jinn and man except to worship Me” (al-Dhariyat 51:56)

Additional Quranic Verses:

1. Arabic: {وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ} English: “We sent a messenger to every nation [saying]; ‘Worship Allah and shun the taghut.’” (al-Nahl 16:36)

2. Arabic: {وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا} English: “Your Lord has ordered that you worship none but He, and that you behave kindly to your parents.” (al-Isra’ 17:23)

3. Arabic: {وَاعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا} English: “Worship Allah, and do not associate anything with Him.” (al-Nisa’: 36)

4. Arabic: {قُلْ تَعَالَوْا أَتْلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَلَّا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا} English: “Say: ‘Come! I will recite what your Lord has prohibited for you: That you do not associate anything with Him…” (al-An’am 6:151)

The Hadith Evidence#

From Ibn Mas’ud (رضي الله عنه): Ibn Mas’ud said, “Whoever wants to have a look at the will that Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) placed his seal upon, then let him recite the Most High’s saying; ‘Say: “Come! I will recite what your Lord has prohibited for you: That you do not associate anything with Him… and surely this is my Straight Path.” (al-An’am 6:151-153)

From Mu’adh bin Jabal (رضي الله عنه): Mu’adh bin Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, said; “While I was riding upon a donkey with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), he said to me; ‘O Mu’adh! Do you know what Allah’s right is upon His worshippers, and what the worshipper’s right upon Allah is?’ I replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know better.’ He said, ‘Allah’s right upon His worshipper is that they worship Him without associating anything with Him. The worshipper’s right upon Allah is that He does not punish anyone who does not associate anything with Him.’ I said, ‘Shall I tell this to the people?’ He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, ‘Do not inform them since they may depend [solely] on it.’” This was recorded in the two Sahihs.

Important Points from this Chapter#

1. The wisdom behind the creation of jinns and humans - They were created solely for the worship of Allah.

2. That al-ibadah refers [in particular] to tawhid - Since it is the subject of the argument [above].

3. Whoever does not come with this, then he has not worshipped Allah - In this vein is the meaning of His saying; “And you will not worship what I worship.” (al-Kafirun 109:3)

4. The wisdom behind sending the messengers - To call people to the worship of Allah alone.

5. That the Message [i.e. tawhid] has been delivered to all nations - Every nation received a messenger with the same message.

6. That the prophets’ religion is one and the same - All prophets called to the same fundamental message of tawhid.

7. An issue of major importance here is that the worship of Allah is not realized without rejecting the taghut - In this vein is the meaning of His (سبحانه وتعالى) saying; “And whoever rejects the taghut and believes in Allah, he has grasped the firm handle that will not break…” (al-Baqarah 2:256)

Commentary Notes#

The famous commentator on Kitab al-Tawhid, Shaykh Sulayman bin Abdullah bin Muhammad Abd al-Wahhab (Taysir al-Aziz fi Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid) says, “This report is recorded by al-Tirmidhi who graded it hasan, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Tabarani similarly, and Abu Ubayd and Abd bin Humayd reported similarly from al-Rabi’a bin Khuthaym.”

Al-Arna’ut said, “Recorded by al-Tirmidhi no. 3072 in al-Tafsir, under Surat al-An’am, and he graded it hasan, and it is as he said.”

Key Lessons#

• The Purpose of Creation: Everything was created for the worship of Allah alone
• The Unity of Message: All prophets brought the same fundamental message
• The Rejection of Taghut: True worship requires rejecting all false objects of worship
• The Right of Allah: Allah has the right to be worshipped alone without partners
• The Promise of Allah: Those who worship Him alone will not be punished

This chapter establishes the fundamental principle that the entire purpose of creation is the worship of Allah alone, and that this worship cannot be complete without rejecting all forms of shirk and taghut.