al-Irshad ila Tawhid Rabb al-Ibad
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dār al-‘Āṣimah
al-Irshad ila Tawhid Rabb al-Ibad (Guiding to the Monotheism of the Lord of Servants) is a doctrinal treatise on Islamic monotheism (tawhid) written by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Rahman ibn Hammad Al Umar .
Purpose and Sources
The author composed the work to delineate pure monotheism as preached by all prophetic messengers from the first to Muhammad ﷺ . Grounded in verses from the Quran, authentic prophetic traditions, and elucidations by verified scholars, the treatise compiles key excerpts drawn from foundational texts by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, notably Thalathat al-Usul (The Three Principles), Kashf al-Shubuhat (The Clarification of Doubts), and Kitab al-Tawhid (The Book of Monotheism) .
Structure and Content
The treatise begins by identifying the foremost obligation incumbent upon believers: faith in God, affirming His oneness, and rejecting taghut (false deities and transgressors) . It lists five primary heads of taghut: Iblis, anyone worshiped with their consent, anyone calling people to worship them, anyone claiming knowledge of the unseen, and anyone ruling by other than what God revealed .
The core subject of monotheism is divided into three distinct categories:
- Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (Oneness of Lordship): Acknowledging God alone as Creator, Provider, Sustainer, and Ruler of creation . The text notes that earlier polytheists affirmed this aspect, yet their affirmation alone did not enter them into Islam or spare their lives and property because they failed to fulfill the oneness of worship .
- Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness of Divinity and Worship): Directing all acts of worship exclusively to God, including prayer, supplication (du'a), fear, hope, reliance (tawakkul), seeking refuge, sacrifice, and vows . Directing any of these acts to other than God constitutes polytheism (shirk) .
- Tawhid al-Dhat wa-l-Asma' wa-l-Sifat (Oneness of Essence, Names, and Attributes) .
Publication
The book has been published in multiple printings, including a third edition issued by Dar al-Asimah in Riyadh in 1412 AH (1991–1992 CE) .
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