and the tawḥīd of ulūhiyya (exclusive worship) necessarily includes the tawḥīd of rubūbiyya (Lordship); that is, affirming Lordship is subsumed under affirming exclusive worship. Accordingly, whoever worships Allah alone, associating nothing with Him, must already believe that He is his Lord and Creator, just as Abraham—peace be upon him—said:

“Have you considered what you and your earliest forefathers have been worshipping? They are enemies to me—except the Lord of all worlds, the One who created me, and so He guides me; the One who gives me food and drink; and when I fall ill, He heals me; the One who will cause me to die and then bring me back to life; and the One whom I hope will forgive me my sins on the Day of Judgment.” 1

Rubūbiyya and ulūhiyya are sometimes mentioned together, in which case their meanings diverge and one becomes a subdivision of the other, as in His words:

“Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the Sovereign of mankind, the God of mankind.”

Here “Lord” (rabb) means the Owner who disposes of the creation, whereas “God” (ilāh) means the One rightfully worshipped, deserving worship alone. At other times one of the two terms is mentioned on its own, and then their meanings coincide. Thus, the two angels ask the deceased in the grave, “Who is your Lord?”—meaning: who is your God and Creator? The same applies to the verses:

“Those who were expelled from their homes without right, only because they said, ‘Our Lord is Allah.’” 2
“Say: Shall I seek any lord other than Allah?” 3
“Indeed, those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah,’ and then remain steadfast…” 4

In all these passages rubūbiyya has the same sense as ulūhiyya.

Of the two categories, the one to which the messengers summoned people is the tawḥīd of ulūhiyya, because the tawḥīd of rubūbiyya is already acknowledged by the vast majority of nations; only a few outliers have ever denied it—and even they did so merely outwardly. Yet affirming it alone is not enough: Iblis himself acknowledged it when he said, “My Lord, because You have led me astray…” 5. The idolaters among whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent likewise acknowledged it, as the clear verses show: “If you were to ask them, ‘Who created them?’ they would surely say, ‘Allah.’” 6. Therefore, whoever confines himself to the tawḥīd of Lordship is not a Muslim, and neither his life nor his property is inviolable until he also affirms the tawḥīd of ulūhiyya, worshipping none but Allah.