does not thereby enter into Islam; for the Prophet ﷺ fought the people even though they acknowledged tawḥīd al-rubūbiyyah, and he deemed their blood and wealth lawful.
Had tawḥīd al-rubūbiyyah been sufficient, the Messenger ﷺ would not have fought them, nor would there have been any need for the sending of messengers. This proves that the true goal and demand is tawḥīd al-ulūhiyyah, whereas tawḥīd al-rubūbiyyah merely points to it and serves as its sign. Hence, whenever Allah commands His worship, He reminds His servants that He created the heavens and the earth and manages every affair of His creation—proof for tawḥīd al-ulūhiyyah and a binding argument against the disbelievers and polytheists who affirm Lordship yet reject divinity. So when the Prophet ﷺ said to them, “Say: Lā ilāha illā Allah (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah),” they replied, “Has he made all the gods into one God? Indeed, this is a wondrous thing.” (1) [Q 38: 5]. And He said
(1) Ibn Abbas reported: When Abu Talib fell ill, Quraysh came to see him, and the Prophet ﷺ also came. A place had been prepared for someone at Abu Talib’s side, but Abu Jahl stood up to block him. They complained about the Prophet to Abu Talib, so he said, “My nephew, what do you want from your people?” The Prophet replied, “I want only one word from them. If they say it, the Arabs will submit to them and the non-Arabs will pay them jizya.” Abu Talib asked, “One word?” He said, “Yes—one word: O uncle, let them say: la ilaha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah).” They answered, “A single god? We have never heard of this in the latest religion; this is nothing but a concoction.” Then the Quran was revealed about them: “Sad. Wa-l-qurani dhi al-dhikr (Sad. By the Quran full of reminder)” up to His words, “inna hadha illa ikhtilaq (this is nothing but an invention).”
Recorded by Ahmad, Musnad, 1/228; and by al-Tirmidhi, Book of Tafsir, chapter “From Surah Sad,” no. 3232, who graded it hasan sahih. Shaykh Ahmad Shakir likewise authenticated it, no. 2008.