Kitab At-Tauhid

Kitab At-Tauhid — the Book of Islamic Monotheism — is the work by which Shaykh-ul-Islam Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab is best known, and the book most commonly set as the first serious text in Aqeedah. Its method is what makes it endure: the Shaykh states a principle, then lets the Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah carry the argument. There is very little of the author's own voice in it. That is deliberate.

What Tawheed Actually Requires

The book works through the three categories of Islamic monotheism:

• Tawheed ar-Rububiyyah — oneness of Lordship: Allah alone creates, sustains and controls
• Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah — oneness of worship: Allah alone is to be supplicated, feared, relied upon and sacrificed to
• Tawheed al-Asma was-Sifat — oneness of Names and Attributes: affirming what Allah affirmed of Himself without distortion or denial

Most of the book concerns the second category, because that is where people fall. It examines the specific things that break or weaken Tawheed — major and minor shirk, directing supplication to the dead, amulets and charms, oaths by other than Allah, seeking omens, showing off in worship (riya'), and excess in praising the righteous. Each is treated in its own chapter with the relevant evidences and the words of the early scholars.

Who It Is For

This is a study text, not a light read. It is short but dense, and it rewards being taken slowly — ideally with a teacher, a commentary, or an audio series alongside it. Students of knowledge, du'aat, teachers and anyone reviewing the foundations of their creed will get the most from it. Complete beginners often do better starting with Pillars of Islam or Pillars of Islam and Iman and returning to Kitab At-Tauhid afterwards.

Editions and Companions