The Difference Between the Foundation of Islam and the Laws Built Upon It

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The Arabic word for monotheism is tawhid, which linguistically means “to unify” or “to make one.” In Islamic theology, the term tawhid means “to affirm the oneness of Allah” – in His names, attributes, and actions, or in worship and obedience to Him. Tawhid is therefore the foundation of the message of all prophets عليهم السلام, the pure monotheism. It is synonymous with the declaration of faith “la ilaha illa-llah.”

Without a doubt, prayer, Zakat, fasting in Ramadan, and the pilgrimage are also important and significant institutions of Islam. However, monotheism serves as the foundation upon which these acts are built.

The distinction between the foundation and the laws built upon it becomes particularly clear in the following points.

The Possibility of Excuse Due to Ignorance

According to the unanimous understanding of the early Muslim scholars who sought to preserve an authentic narrated creed, Islam upholds the principle of excuse due to ignorance – although, clearly, this cannot be applied to every conceivable situation, which will be further discussed later in this book.

Regarding prayer, Zakat, obligatory fasting, and pilgrimage, it must be noted in this context that a person can certainly be excused if his ignorance is recognized and theologically justifiable. For instance, someone who does not know the source text that makes these religious obligations mandatory – because the text has never reached him or has not been conveyed in an understandable form – is considered excused.

In contrast, it is inconceivable how someone could be a Muslim while being entirely unaware of the fundamental meaning of the word Islam. This represents a major distinction from the other mentioned obligations.

Moreover, it is self-evident that the practice of Islam must be intentional and conscious. How could a person have the necessary intention and awareness if he does not even know the fundamental meaning of Islam itself?

The Differences in Legal Rulings Among the Various Prophets عليهم السلام

The rituals, laws, commandments, and prohibitions – the legal systems of the individual prophets عليهم السلام – differed in many aspects according to Islamic teachings. However, monotheism as the foundation remained always the same and did not differ in any way between the various prophets and their communities. This fundamental doctrine, also referred to as “the general Islam” (al-islamu l-'amm), has always been unified from the very beginning.

This fact is highlighted in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in al-Bukhari, as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «أَنَا أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، وَالْأَنْبِيَاءُ إِخْوَةٌ لِعَلَّاتٍ، أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ شَتَّى وَدِينُهُمْ وَاحِدٌ»

The prophets are like the children of different mothers from the same father. Their mothers are different, but their din is one.

The word din is often described in English as religion or a comprehensive way of life. In this statement, however, it refers to the foundation and essence – namely, monotheism.

Likewise, this point is emphasized in Qur'an verse³² 5:48 (sura al-Ma'idah). In the Qur'anic exegesis (tafsir, pl. tafasir) of Ibnu Abi Hatim³³ and at-Tabari³⁴, it is explicitly narrated from the earliest scholars in their explanation of this verse that the legal systems and rulings differed, but the foundation of religion – monotheism – was always one.

Thus, Ibnu Abi Hatim, or at-Tabari, narrated from Qatadah:

عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، قَوْلَهُ: {لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا} [المائدة: 48] قَالَ: الدِّينُ وَاحِدٌ وَالشَّرَائِعُ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ

It is narrated from Qatadah regarding the verse: “To each of you We prescribed a law and a method.” He explained: “The din is one, and the legal systems are different.”

After that, the following statement is also narrated from Qatadah as an explanation:

عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، قَوْلَهُ: {لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا} [المائدة: 48] يَقُولُ: سَبِيلًا وَسُنَّةً، وَالسُّنَنُ مُخْتَلِفَةٌ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ شَرِيعَةٌ، وَلِلْإِنْجِيلِ شَرِيعَةٌ، وَالْفُرْقَانُ شَرِيعَةٌ، يُحِلُّ اللَّهُ فِيهَا مَا شَاءَ وَيُحَرِّمُ مَا شَاءَ، لِيَعْلَمَ مَنْ يُطِيعُهُ مِمَّنْ يَعْصِيهِ، وَالدِّينُ الَّذِي لَا يُقْبَلُ غَيْرُهُ التَّوْحِيدُ وَالْإِخْلَاصُ الَّذِي جَاءَتْ بِهِ الرُّسُلُ

[…] and the din, apart from which no other will be accepted, is tawhid and ikhlas, with which the messengers were sent.

Here, he explicitly states that all prophets were united in tawhid, that is, in their understanding of monotheism.

Apart from this, this early tafsir scholar mentioned another important point in the previously cited statement, which will be further clarified later in this book and should therefore already be consciously noted here.

Qatadah explains that monotheism consists of implementing what is known as ikhlas, meaning the exclusive worship of Allah سبحانه وتعالى³⁵. This single statement from one of the earliest tafsir scholars is in itself entirely sufficient to establish this point. However, due to the importance of this matter, further clarification will follow later.

It also becomes clear from the cited narration that the legal rulings of the various messengers were not immutable due to their differences. The commandments and prohibitions could vary in form and nature. Furthermore, a law that was valid for one messenger and his community could be completely abrogated. However, this does not apply to all rulings, as there were certainly matters that remained universally consistent by the consensus of all prophets – such as the clear injustice of harming another person in terms of his life, property, and honour, or adultery and other matters. Scholars of Islamic history have repeatedly pointed out this aspect of the immutability of certain fundamental principles.

The Fact that the Call is First Made to Tawhid and Only Thereafter to the Individual Rituals, Commandments, and Prohibitions

Al-Bukhari narrates from Ibnu 'Abbas رضي الله عنه:

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ بَعَثَ مُعَاذًا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ فَقَالَ ادْعُهُمْ إِلَى شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ هُمْ أَطَاعُوا لِذَلِكَ فَأَعْلِمْهُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ افْتَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ خَمْسَ صَلَوَاتٍ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ فَإِنْ هُمْ أَطَاعُوا لِذَلِكَ فَأَعْلِمْهُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ افْتَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَدَقَةً فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ تُؤْخَذُ مِنْ أَغْنِيَائِهِمْ وَتُرَدُّ عَلَى فُقَرَائِهِمْ.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sent Mu'adh رضي الله عنه to Yemen and said to him: “Call them to the testimony of la ilaha illa-llah³⁶ and that I am the Messenger of Allah.

If they obey you in this, then teach them that Allah has obligated upon them five prayers in the day and night. If they obey you in this, then teach them that Allah has made a monetary charity obligatory upon them, which is to be taken from their wealthy and returned to their poor.”

In another narration of the same hadith, it is stated:

فَلْيَكُنْ أَوَّلَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ عِبَادَةُ اللَّهِ فَإِذَا عَرَفُوا اللَّهَ فَأَخْبِرْهُمْ ...

So let the first thing you call them to be the worship of Allah alone. If they then recognize Allah, then teach them...

And in another narration:

فَلْيَكُنْ أَوَّلَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى أَنْ يُوَحِّدُوا اللَّهَ تَعَالَى ...

So let the first thing you call them to be that they affirm the oneness of Allah³⁷…

The command of tawhid/monotheism and the call to it precede prayer, Zakat, and everything else. Likewise, according to Islamic sources, shirk/polytheism is always the first thing that is prohibited.

This is evident in many places in the Qur'an:

It is also repeatedly explained in the Qur'an that every prophet first called his community to monotheism:

In the Qur'an, the frequent repetition of this verse demonstrates that every prophet عليه السلام conveyed this message to his people.

___________

These aforementioned facts clearly illustrate the distinction between the foundation of Islam, tawhid, and the rituals, commandments, and prohibitions built upon it.

A fourth point can be added to this: the fact that laws, in general, were all revealed more or less at a later time. If it were essential in Islam for a person to know and implement all these matters, the delay in the revelation of individual laws would be inconceivable.

In summary, the following points can be mentioned:

1. The possibility of excuse due to ignorance
2. The differences in laws among the various prophets
3. The fact that the call to tawhid comes first, and only after that the individual rituals, commandments, and prohibitions
4. The fact that laws, in general, were all revealed more or less at a later time