—that, in their eyes, constitutes tawḥīd; yet within it are innovations that run counter to the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the first generations of this ummah, some of which we have already indicated. (1)

As for the tawḥīd that Allah has mentioned in His Book, revealed in His Scriptures, sent His messengers to proclaim, and upon which all Muslims of every community have agreed, it is—as the imams have said—the testimony that there is no god but Allah, that is, to worship Allah alone with no partner. He clarified this when He said:

“Your god is one God; there is no deity except Him, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.” (2)

He thus informs us that the God is but one God; it is impermissible to take any other god besides Him, and none is to be worshipped except Him alone, just as He says in another surah:

“Allah has said, ‘Do not adopt two deities; indeed, He is but one God—so fear Me alone.’” (3)

And He says:

“Do not set up with Allah another god, lest you sit blamed and forsaken … until His words: ‘…then you will be thrown into Hell, reproached and banished.’” (4)

He also says:

“Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book in truth; so worship Allah, devoting the religion purely to Him. (2) Surely, to Allah belongs the pure religion. Those who take protectors besides Him say, ‘We worship them only so that they may bring us nearer to Allah.’” (5)

And He says:

“Those who do not call upon another deity along with Allah …” (6)

The shirk that Allah mentions in His Book is none other than worshipping something other than Him among His creatures: worship of the angels, the planets, the sun, the moon, the prophets, or their statues or graves, or any other human beings—matters that are widespread among these Jahmīs and the like, who claim to be (7) authorities on tawḥīd while they are in fact among the greatest perpetrators of shirk.

Allah the Exalted says as well: “Have you considered what you invoke besides Allah? If He should will harm for me—”