The Purpose of Sending Prophets – Tawhid

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) created jinn and humankind solely to worship Him.

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْاِنْسَ اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”(Surah Adh-Dhariyat, 56)

The purpose of worship is for created beings to truly know Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), to increase their knowledge of Him, and to attain certainty). The creation of the universe is a means to facilitate this exalted goal.

On this journey toward the ultimate purpose, the principle of Tawhid (Oneness of Allah) is of utmost importance. Without Tawhid—or with deviation from it—all deeds become meaningless. Therefore, the belief in Tawhid must be deeply understood and thoroughly applied in daily life.

Tawhid means to truly believe that the only Creator, the sole Absolute Being, the sole Sovereign, the only Owner of all affairs, and the only One with absolute power in the universe is Allah Almighty. It means fulfilling the requirements of this belief, organizing and living one’s life accordingly. This principle is the central cause, consciousness, and ideal of Islam. Everything related to religion is built upon this strategic foundation. Gathering around guides and spiritual mentors is, in essence, a means to achieve this very goal.

اللّٰهُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ...“ Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Suwhatever is in the heavens and stainer of all existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is on the earth...”(Surah Al-Baqarah, 255)

In line with this, the Qur’an clearly emphasizes that the purpose of sending prophets was to establish Tawhid:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ“ We did not send any messenger before you but We revealed to him, ‘There is no deity but Me, so worship Me.’”(Surah Al-Anbiya, 25)

وَاسْأَلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رُسُلِنَا أَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ دُونِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ آلِهَةً يُعْبَدُونَ“ And ask those of Our messengers whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint gods to be worshipped besides the Most Merciful?”(Surah Az-Zukhruf, 45)

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللّٰهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ“ Indeed, We sent a messenger to every nation, saying: ‘Worship Allah and avoid false gods (taghut).’”(Surah An-Nahl, 36)

The opposite of Tawhid is Shirk (associating partners with Allah). True Tawhid is only possible by completely avoiding all forms of Shirk. This is why the declaration of Tawhid begins with “Lā...” as in "Lā ilāha illā Allāh," meaning that affirming Allah’s divinity requires first denying all false gods.

Accordingly, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was commanded to convey Tawhid and forbid Shirk:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا جَاءَكَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتُ يُبَايِعْنَكَ عَلٰى أَنْ لَا يُشْرِكْنَ بِاللّٰهِ شَيْـًٔا...“ O Prophet! When believing women come to you pledging not to associate anything with Allah... accept their pledge and ask Allah to forgive them. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”(Surah Al-Mumtahina, 12)

accordance with this command, the Prophet ﷺ would emphasize the rejection of Shirk as a primary condition for those pledging allegiance (bay‘ah). To a group who came to pledge, he said:

“Give me your pledge that you will not associate anything with Allah, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill your children, nor slander anyone with a false accusation, nor disobey me in what is right.”(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Faith, Hadith 11)

Therefore, all Islamic movements and services that follow the path of the Prophet ﷺ must be fundamentally built upon the cause of Tawhid. All teachings, activities, and practices must strictly adhere to the Qur'an and Sunnah, respect the principle of Tawhid, and avoid any language or behavior that could lead to misunderstanding or open the door to Shirk.

Otherwise (may Allah protect us), deviation from the true purpose and direction may occur.

There is a fine line between guidance (irshad) and corruption (ifsad). Attempting guidance without following the Qur’an, without respecting the Sunnah, using superstitions or teachings contrary to revelation—especially with elements of Shirk—may (Allah forbid) mislead entire communities.

The true path is not to excessively exalt spiritual guides or ascribe to them divine attributes. Rather, it is to follow them respectfully and lovingly, benefit from the knowledge and spiritual insight granted to them by Allah, and turn sincerely to Allah, the One of Absolute Greatness, through their example. It must never be forgotten: even a spiritual guide (murshid) is a servant of Allah and is bound by the limits of what has been permitted to him.

May Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) grant all humanity and the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ the ability to reach true Tawhid and to become among the people of pure Tawhid.

With peace and blessings.

Sources: Ibn Hisham, Sira: 2/84; Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat: 1/222; Tabari, Tarikh: 2/238; Ibn Sayyid, Uyūn al-Athar: 1/163; Halabi, Insan al-‘Uyūn: 2/174–175