Kitab al-Tawhid

The Almighty says: “I did not create jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me.” (Adh-Dhariyat 56)

Subject of this book: to clarify the tawhid Allah has made obligatory for His servants—indeed, the very purpose for which He created them—and to explain whatever nullifies it, namely major shirk, or whatever diminishes its obligatory or recommended perfection, such as minor shirk and innovations.

The term kitab is the verbal noun of kataba, which originally means “to gather”; writing with the pen, therefore, is the gathering of letters and words.

Tawhid is the verbal noun of wahhada, “to make one.” Here it refers to singling out Allah in worship.

Khalaqtu (I created): creation is to bring a thing into existence from nothing and without precedent.

Liyaʿbudun (that they may worship Me): linguistically, ʿibada denotes humility and submission; in the legal sense it is a comprehensive term for everything Allah loves and approves of—statements and deeds, outward and inward.

The overall meaning of the verse: Allah, exalted is He, informs us that He created humankind and jinn only for His worship. The verse thus reveals the wisdom behind their creation. He did not want from them what masters usually want from their slaves—provision or feeding—but rather what will benefit them.

The relevance of the verse to this chapter is that it establishes the obligation of tawhid, which is