The foundation of this Deen-ul-Haq (true religion) is Tawheed, that is, the declaration “La ilaha illallah”—there is no disagreement about this. Without Tawheed, there can be no Islam; Tawheed is the most important aspect of Islam.
The unfortunate reality is that the people who identify themselves as Muslims today hold a fundamentally flawed concept (Aqidah) of Tawheed. For them, Tawheed simply means believing in the oneness of Allah and worshipping Him. Although the Arabic words Tawheed and Wahdaniyyah originate from the same root, their meanings are not the same. Wahdaniyyah refers to believing that the Creator of the universe, Allah, is One (monotheism). On the other hand, Tawheed means accepting the sovereignty of that One Allah and offering unconditional obedience only to Him.
The polytheists (Mushrikeen) of Arabia—among whom the last Messenger of Allah was sent—also believed in the Oneness of Allah (Wahdaniyyah). But they did not accept His authority; they did not obey His laws. Instead, they governed their personal, social, and collective lives with man-made rules and traditions. These rules were created and controlled by the Qurayshi priests of the Kaaba, even though they worshipped idols.
Despite their idol worship, those Mushrikeen believed that Allah alone is the Creator of the universe. In fact, their faith in the Oneness of Allah was not any weaker than that of many people today who claim to be Muslims and believers. (See Surah Zukhruf 9, Ankabut 61, Luqman 25.) But since they did not follow the commands of Allah, their belief was meaningless and ineffective. Naturally, the result of disobeying Allah was that their society was full of injustice, oppression, lawlessness, insecurity, conflict, and bloodshed. This is why that era is known as the Days of Ignorance (Ayyam-e-Jahiliyyah).
A Messenger was sent to call them back to the authority of Allah. The Messenger did precisely that, and as a result, that society—immersed in wrongdoing and unrest—was transformed into a community full of peace, justice, and prosperity. So, the true reason they were disbelievers and polytheists was their refusal to obey Allah.
Today’s Muslims fail to realize that the idols of wood and stone of pre-Islamic Arabia have now reappeared in the form of democracy, communism, dictatorship, monarchy, and other such systems. The Muslim population now obeys the founders and leaders of these man-made systems instead of Allah.
Each of these systems represents a separate Deen (way of life), just like Islam is also a complete Deen. The difference is that these man-made Deens only focus on certain aspects of human life, and even then, they fail to offer comprehensive solutions. Islam, however, offers a complete and perfect system—from personal to collective life.
Today’s Muslim population, by obeying these man-made ideologies, has effectively become polytheists and disbelievers, just like the idol-worshipping Arabs of old. The Messenger of Allah came and established the foundation of Tawheed, not Wahdaniyyah, because the Arab polytheists already believed that Allah was One. They didn’t consider their idols as gods or creators, but as intermediaries to bring them closer to Allah or intercede for them. (See Surah Yunus 18, Surah Zumar 3.)
So, even behind their idol worship, their true object of worship was Allah. But today, in the systems people obey, there is no place for Allah at all. These systems are completely indifferent to the existence of Allah. As a result, today’s so-called believers and Muslims are involved in a form of shirk (polytheism) and kufr (disbelief) far worse than that of the Arabs 1400 years ago.
Yes, I am calling this shirk and kufr, and I am fully aware of the weight of this statement. But I sincerely request readers to reflect on the logic presented here before reacting emotionally. If this population were truly believers and Muslims, then many verses of the Qur’an would have to be deemed false—which is absolutely impossible.
Allah has promised:
"If you are believers, I will grant you authority on earth as I gave to those before you." (Surah An-Nur: 55).
That promise was fulfilled when He gave half the world to the hands of the illiterate, poor, and small Ummah of Muhammad (SAW), only half a million strong.
Now, we claim to be believers—so why don't we hold power on Earth today?
Is Allah failing to keep His promise? (Na’udhubillah!)
No—Allah also says:
“Allah is the Wali (Protector) of the believers.” (Surah Baqarah: 257).
If Allah is truly someone’s protector, can they ever be humiliated and defeated by their enemies? Can their mothers and sisters be raped by oppressors?
Absolutely not.
The only answer is: We are not true believers. We are not Muslims. We are not the Ummah of Muhammad (SAW). Why?
Because this population has deviated from the very foundation of Islam. That foundation is Tawheed, the sovereignty of Allah. That is what “La ilaha illallah” truly means. From Adam (AS) to the last Prophet Muhammad (SAW), this Kalima has remained unchanged. The word “Ilah” has always been used in it—no other term has ever replaced it.
There’s no doubt that Allah is our only object of worship, Creator, and Sustainer. But merely acknowledging that is not the foundation of this Deen. The foundation is the Kalima, which is La ilaha illallah. Without accepting Allah as Ilah, no one can be a believer.
The true meaning of the word Ilah is “the one whose command must be followed.”
But over centuries, this meaning has been corrupted into “the one who is worshipped.” Just like how “Hedayah” (guidance) has been wrongly replaced with “Taqwa,” and “Aqidah” has been confused with “Iman,” similarly, “Ilah” has been translated globally as “Ma’bud” or “object of worship.”
In almost all translations of the Qur’an, especially those produced by Christian institutions, the Kalima is translated as:
“There is no god but Allah,” or
“There is no object of worship but Allah.”
This translation is deeply flawed. If that were true, the Arabic would have been:
“La Ma’bud illallah,”
but that has never been the Kalima.
No Prophet—from Adam (AS) to Muhammad (SAW)—ever brought this as the Kalima. A non-Muslim cannot enter Islam by declaring “There is no Ma’bud except Allah.”
This misunderstanding has led the entire Muslim population to deviate from the foundation of the Deen. As a result, they are no longer believers. Not only have they become disbelievers and polytheists, but this mistake has led to something even worse:
Due to the change in the meaning of Ilah, their entire Aqidah regarding the Kalima has changed. And when one’s Aqidah is incorrect, all actions become null and void according to all scholars, and even Iman itself loses its value.
Today, Muslims place no importance on following Allah’s commands. Worship is considered enough. This wrong belief is deeply embedded in their subconscious. As a result, there is no state, no group in the world today that runs its collective life by Allah’s commands. Instead, disobedience of Allah on a national scale is being whitewashed with mountains of religious rituals and worship—but all this fails to attract Allah’s mercy.
If Ilah meant “Ma’bud” (object of worship), the Qur’an would have said so.
But numerous verses show otherwise. For example:
Surah Al-Fath 17:
“Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, Allah will admit him to Paradise.”
The precondition for Paradise is obedience, not worship.
Surah An-Nisa 69:
“Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will be with the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous.”
Again, no mention of worship—only obedience.
So, Ilah means: “The One whose commands are to be obeyed.”
Allah’s demand is that humans must first commit to obeying Him in everything. Then comes the worship, because Allah commands worship. Thus, obedience comes first, followed by worship.
Surah Al-Anbiya 25:
“There is no Ilah but Allah, so worship Him.”
If worship was primary, the verse would have said:
“There is no Ma’bud but Allah, so obey Him.”
But the Qur’an never says that.
In every case, Allah uses “Ilah” and “Ma’bud” as distinct terms, because their meanings are not the same.
In conclusion:
The 1.5 billion people who call themselves Muslims, and even believers and Ummah of Muhammad (SAW), are none of these. They are practically immersed in Shirk and Kufr.
“Whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, they are disbelievers, wrongdoers, and rebellious.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah: 44, 45, 47)
The word “Hukm” (judgment) here doesn't just mean legal judgments in courts—it refers to personal and collective life being governed by Allah's laws revealed in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
But Muslims today are divided into over fifty nation-states, subjugated by European Christians, Jews, and pagans. They run their societies with their man-made laws and reject Allah’s guidance. As a result, they have become Faasiq (disobedient), Zaalim (oppressors), and Kaafir (rejecters).
By now, it should be clear that Tawheed and Deen are not the same.
Tawheed is the foundation: rejecting all sovereignty besides Allah and obeying His every command.
Deen is the structure built upon that foundation—living according to Allah and His Messenger’s commands in every matter, without question.
Gratitude to Allah that He has once again revealed this lost understanding of Tawheed and the true Aqidah of the Deen to the Imam of the Age, Muhammad Bayazeed Khan Panni (RH). On February 2, 2008, through a great miracle, Allah revealed that “Hizb-ut-Tawheed” is His chosen group, through which all global injustice and unrest will be removed and universal peace and security will be established—Insha’Allah.
Images Related to this Post
Leave a Comment