Chapter 10 — Tawhid: Do Not Separate What Has Been Joined

A person’s Islam begins with the two declarations of the Shahadah:

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ
وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ

“I bear witness that there is no Ilah except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

Notice something very important:

These two declarations are joined by:

وَ — WAW — AND

They are not two testimonies operating independently.

They form one chain of witnessing.

The first declaration describes Allah.

The second describes the bearer of Allah’s Risalah.

Therefore, do not separate what has been joined.

Do not turn:

Allah into one entity,

and Muhammad ﷺ into a second entity separated from Allah’s Risalah.

Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah — the bearer of Allah’s Risalah.

The Bearer of the Risalah is always together with what he carries.

Not because the bearer becomes Allah.

But because he carries, conveys and manifests Allah’s Risalah.

That is why the two declarations of the Shahadah must be understood as one complete witnessing.

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DO NOT MAKE TWO

Allah states:

لَا تَتَّخِذُوا إِلَٰهَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ

“Do not take two Ilahs.”

— An-Nahl 16:51

Then it is emphasised:

إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ

“Indeed, He is only One Ilah.”

Tawhid does not stop at simply saying “one”.

Tawhid requires human beings not to divide the descriptions until two centres of divinity are formed within the mind.

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DO NOT MAKE THREE

Allah also states:

وَلَا تَقُولُوا ثَلَاثَةٌ

“And do not say: Three.”

— An-Nisa’ 4:171

Within this discussion, Essence, Attributes and Actions must not be imagined as three separate entities.

They are three perspectives of description concerning Allah:

ESSENCE

ATTRIBUTES

ACTIONS

Not three Gods.

Not three figures.

Not three entities.

All of them are gathered within one body of descriptions concerning Allah.

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TWO DECLARATIONS, ONE WITNESSING

This is where human beings need to reconsider what they are actually affirming every time they recite the Shahadah.

Are we merely memorising the words?

Or do we truly understand the relationship between:

ALLAH

RISALAH

MUHAMMAD ﷺ AS THE BEARER OF THE RISALAH

The two declarations of the Shahadah should not be separated into two different worlds.

The first declaration, without understanding the Bearer of the Risalah, loses the path through which the Risalah is conveyed.

The second declaration, without understanding the Risalah, becomes a name without content.

Therefore, both must be joined together within the witnessing:

ALLAH → RISALAH → MUHAMMAD ﷺ AS THE BEARER OF THE RISALAH

This is the relationship joined by WAW.

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RETURN TO THE FOUNDATION OF ISLAM

Let us reassess the foundation of our Islam.

Not with the feeling that it is already sufficient merely because we can memorise the words.

Not because we inherited the words from previous generations.

But by asking:

What am I witnessing?

Who is the Bearer of the Risalah whom I affirm?

What is the relationship between Allah, the Risalah and Muhammad ﷺ within the two declarations of the Shahadah?

Have I separated what was actually joined?

A living Islam begins when the Shahadah is understood as witnessing, not merely the memorisation of sounds.

Return to the foundation:

There is no Ilah except Allah

AND

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

Two declarations.

One chain.

One witnessing.

One Tawhid.