Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyyah

Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyyah is to single out Allaah alone with the actions of creating (everything), owning (everything), and controlling (everything). The details of this meaning are as follows:

First, as for singling out Allaah alone with the action of creating; He is the Creator other than Whom there is no creator. Allaah says:

Is there are creator other than Allaah that provides you with sustenance from the heavens and earth? There is nothing deserving of worship besides Him alone.[Soorah Faatir, 35:3]

And He says, clarifying the falsehood of the disbelievers’ gods:

Is then He, Who creates as one who creates not? Will you not then remember?[17:16]

So Allaah alone is the only Creator. He created everything, decreeing the creation before its existence.His creation includes what He Himself has made by His own actions as well as the actions of the creation. For this reason, it is from the completion of Eemaan in Qadr(Pre-decree) to believe that Allaah is the Creator of the servants’ actions as He said

“While Allâh has created you and what you make!”
[Soorah As-Saaffaat, 37:96]

Question:

How do we combine between the singling out of Allaah alone with the action of creating and the fact that the action of creating has also been attributed to other than Allaah as the following verse indicates:

Then We made the Nutfah into a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood), then We made the clot into a little lump of flesh, then We made out of that little lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, and then We brought it forth as another creation. So Blessed is Allâh, the Best of creators. [Soorah Al-Muminoon, 23:14]

And this is also indicated by the statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding the image-makers:

“It will be said to them (on the Day of Resurrection): ‘Bring to life what you have created!”

Answer:

The answer to this is that anyone other than Allaah cannot create as He does; they are not able to bring something into existence from nothing, nor can they bring to life the dead. The “creation” of other than Allaah is merely the changing or converting of something from one state to another, but it is still originally a creation of none other than Allaah. So an image-maker, for example, when he makes an image, he is not actually bringing something into existence. Rather, the most he is capable of doing is converting something from one state to another,such as changing clay into the image of a bird or camel, for example.Or he may convert a plain white canvass into a colorful picture simply by painting it. Still, the paint and canvass are both from origins of that which only Allaah can create.

This is the difference between attributing the act of creating to Allaah and attributing it to the creation.Understanding this, Allaah is singled out alone with the act of creation that specifically applies to Him.

Second, as for singling out Allaah alone as it relates to owning the dominions; Allaah is the only absolute owner of everything. He (the exalted) said:

Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion; and He is Able to do all things. [Surah Mulk 67, Verse 1]

And He says:

Say “In Whose Hand is the sovereignty of everything (i.e. treasures of each and everything)? And He protects (all), while against Whom there is no protector, (i.e. if Allâh saves anyone none can punish or harm him, and if Allâh punishes or harms anyone none can save him), if you know?” [Tafsir Al-Qurtubî] – [Surah Al Mu’minoon 23:88]

So the true and absolute owner and king is Allaah alone.Attributing ownership of something to others besides Allaah is merely from the point of associating those things with the creation. Allaah has affirmed this type of ownership in His statement:

…or those (houses)to which you possess the keys.[Soorah An-Noor, 24:61]

And in the verse:

…except with their wives or what their right hands possess.[Soorah Al-Muminoon, 23:6]

And there are other texts that show that others besides Allaah have a sense of possession or ownership. However, this possession is not the like ownership of Allaah.It is a limited and restricted possession specific to someone. For example, a particular house that Zayd owns, is not the possession of ‘Amr and vice versa.Further,this ownership is restricted in that people are not allowed to do everything they would like with their wealth or possessions except in a way Allaah permits them.For this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade the wasting of money and Allaah said:

And do not give to the foolish people your wealth that Allaah has made a means of support for you.[Soorah An-Nisaa, 4:5]

This shows that the possessions of people are based upon a restricted and limited ownership. On the contrary, the ownership of Allaah is an absolute and complete ownership. Allaah does with it whatever He wants; He will not be questioned but they will be.Third, as for the controlling of all the affairs, Allaah alone is singled out with this action. He is the One who controls all affairs of the creations. He controls the heavens and earth as He (the exalted) says:

To Him belongs the creation and the command. So blessed is Allaah, the Lord of all creations.[Soorah Al-‘Araaf, 7:54]

This is a complete and all-encompassing control;nothing and no one can prevent or oppose His decision. As for the control of the creation such as a person being in control of his own wealth or children or those in his service –this is a restricted and limited type of control. By this, it becomes clear the truthfulness and correctness of our definition that Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyyah is to single out Allaah alone with the actions of creating (everything), owning (everything), and controlling (everything).

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