Qaidah Jami'ah fi Tawhid Allah wa Ikhlas al-Wajh wal-Amal lahu Ibadah wa Isti'anah
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Asimah
Qaidah Jami'ah fi Tawhid Allah wa Ikhlas al-Wajh wal-Amal lahu Ibadah wa Isti'anah (Arabic: قاعدة جامعة في توحيد الله وإخلاص الوجه والعمل له عبادة واستعانة, A Comprehensive Principle on the Oneness of God and Sincerity of Purpose and Action for Him in Worship and Seeking Aid) is a theological treatise written by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728 AH / 1328 CE) on Islamic monotheism, specifically the distinction between divine lordship (rububiyyah) and divine worship (uluhiyyah) .
Subject and Core Themes
The treatise focuses on establishing that the core of Islamic faith revolves around directing all worship exclusively to God and relying solely upon Him for assistance . Ibn Taymiyya frames this around the verse إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ("You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help") [al-Fatiha: 5] .
The author begins with a foundational premise regarding created nature: every living creature is inherently needy and dependent on obtaining what benefits it and warding off what harms it . This necessity comprises four elements:
- A desired and beloved objective to attain benefit .
- A disliked harm to avoid .
- A means to attain the desired objective .
- A means to repel the disliked harm .
Ibn Taymiyya argues that God alone encompasses all four matters: He is the sole ultimate purpose and beloved objective who must be worshipped (al-ilah, relating to uluhiyyah), and He is the sole helper and sustainer who aids the servant and wards off harm (al-rabb, relating to rububiyyah) . He highlights seven textual pairings in the Quran uniting worship and reliance, including فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ ("So worship Him and rely upon Him") [Hud: 123] and عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ ("In Him I trust, and unto Him I repent") [Hud: 88] .
The work argues that affirming God's lordship (tawhid al-rububiyyah) alone—which was acknowledged by past polytheists and treated extensively by speculative theologians (ahl al-kalam)—is insufficient by itself for salvation; rather, it serves as an argument demanding the single devotion of worship (tawhid al-uluhiyyah) to God alone . Ibn Taymiyya also addresses spiritual and psychological dimensions, stating that the human heart and soul can achieve peace and well-being only through the remembrance and worship of God, while attachment to other than God produces spiritual ruin more harmful than consuming poisoned food .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscripts of the treatise are preserved in several libraries, including:
- Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya (under the Taymur collection, majami' no. 204) .
- King Fahd National Library in Riyadh (within the Shaqra Public Library collection, no. 208) .
- Leiden University Library (dated 1337 AH) .
- Oxford University Library (no. 3154) .
The work is incorporated into the compendium Majmu' al-Fatawa under the title Qaidah fi Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (vol. 1, pp. 20–36) . It has also been printed independently, including an edition edited by Muhammad al-Sayyid al-Julaynid (1399 AH) and another edited by Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Busayri based on two manuscripts (Dar al-Asimah, 1418 AH) .
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