Living The Quran
From Issue: 1049 [Read full issue]
To Know One
Al-Kafirun (The Unbelievers) Sura 109: Verse 1
Say: "O unbelievers!"
Abdallah Ibn Abbas said that no surah is more difficult and harsher for Satan than this surah, because it is sheer tawhid and disavowal of associationism.
Tawhid is of two sorts: the tawhid of attestation and the tawhid of recognition. The tawhid of attestation is to say one, and the tawhid of recognition is to know one.
"To say one" is to bear witness to God's oneness and purity in Essence and attributes. In Essence, He is pure of spouse, child, and partner, and in attributes, He is pure of similar, equal, and pointer. His attributes are not intelligible, their "how" is not understood, comprehended, or limited. They are outside of imagination and understanding, and no one knows how they are.
"To know one" is to know that He is one in blessings and bounties, that the giver and bestower is He, and that He is one in apportioning and beneficence. It is He who is one in word and deed, He who is one in bounty and gentleness, He who is one in mercy and favour. He is one—gratitude and favours belong to no one but Him. No one has power and strength but He, and no one has withholding and bestowal but He.
When the rays of the sun of tawhid shine on the faithful, tawhid-voicing servant, his mark is that he is watchful over his rest and his movement. He does not take one breath without the permission of the Shariah.
Compiled From:
"Kashf al-Asrar wa Uddat al-Abrar" - Rashid al-Din Maybudi, p. 556