Publisher's Synopsis
Islam's core message calls people to single out Allah in worship. This is the central teaching that Allah consistently sent to humanity through His prophets and messengers عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّلَام, including His last Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
While there are other aspects in which Allah is to be singled out-such as in His Lordship and His Names and Attributes-it is the aspect of worship (Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah) that has historically been the area where most people have disagreed and deviated. This is the focus that led to rebellion against the prophets and became the core of their call to their people. The essence of the Qur'an revolves around this matter. It calls mankind to single out Allah in worship and reject anything that contradicts this principle. All the commands and prohibitions reinforce this core message. The Qur'an narrates the honor and reward for those who embrace it and warns of the disgrace and punishment for those who reject it. In essence, it establishes and reinforces the concept of worshiping Allah alone from multiple perspectives, leaving no room for compromise. Every prophet was sent with the mission to call their people to worship Allah alone and to reject anything worshiped besides Him. Numerous verses in the Qur'an testify to this, signifying that the message of the prophets was one, even though there were differences in their laws. Regardless of the religion or belief system-be it Judaism, Christianity, idol worship, fire worship, or the worship of angels or prophets-any act of worship directed to anyone or anything other than Allah was outright rejected. The prophets consistently called people to abandon all such forms of worship and direct their devotion exclusively to Allah. As Allah says in the Qur'an:"You alone we worship, and You alone we implore for help." (Surah Al-Fatiha: 5) The prophets were not only messengers of this truth but also role models who embodied its essence. They stood firm in their call to worship Allah alone and warned against associating partners with Him. They gave glad tidings of rewards for those who followed their teachings and stern warnings of evil consequences for those who turned away. This was the essence of their message and the purpose of their lives as Allah's Prophets and Messengers. The Qur'an contains numerous verses that establish Allah's exclusive right to be worshiped. Some of these include:
Your Ilah is One. (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:163)
Do not take any other ilah. (Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:51)
Whoever does so will never succeed. (Surah Al-Mu'minun 23:117)
There was never any other ilah. (Surah Al-Isra 17:42)
All messengers taught this. (Surah An-Nahl 16:36) It was for this reason that Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَام separated from his people and declared himself free and having nothing to do their practices, rather he rejected them completely. And in his story is a great lesson for all, especially as Allah جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ made him a role model and an example for all generations to come.
