Al-Ikhlas

See ayat 4 for tafseer.

See ayat 4 for tafseer.

See ayat 4 for tafseer.

The first verse of this Sūrah — in response to the repeated questions that had been raised by various peoples and individuals concerning the attributes of the Lord — declares: "Say: He is God, the One and Only" "قُلْ هُوَ اللهُ أَحَدٌ". Allāh is the proper name of God, and the import of the Imām's statement is that through this single word, allusion is made to all His attributes of majesty and beauty — which is precisely why it has been designated the Greatest Name (ism al-a'ẓam) of God. This name is not applied to any being other than God, whereas God's other names each allude to one of His attributes of beauty or majesty and are generally applicable to others as well — such as Raḥīm, Karīm, 'Ālim, Qādir, and so forth. In its essential and original sense, it carries a descriptive meaning — being originally derived from walaha, meaning "bewilderment," for intellects are bewildered before His sacred being. As is transmitted in a tradition from Amīr al-Mu'minīn 'Alī (peace be upon him): "اللهُ مَعْنَاهُ الْمَعْبُودُ الَّذِی یَأْلَهُ فِیهِ الْخَلْقُ وَیَؤُولُ إِلَیْهِ وَاللهُ هُوَ الْمَسْتُورُ عَنْ دَرْکِ الْأَبْصَارِ الْمَحْجُوبُ عَنِ الْأَوْهَامِ وَالْخَطَرَاتِ" "Allāh means the worshipped One before Whom creation is bewildered and to Whom it returns. Allāh is the One concealed from the perception of eyes and veiled from the thoughts and imaginings of creatures." (Ref: Biḥār al-Anwār, Vol. 3, p. 222) It has also at times been understood as derived from ilāhah (rhyming with 'ibādah, meaning worship), with the original form being al-ilāh — meaning "the sole true object of worship." However, as stated, whatever its original root may be, it subsequently assumed the form of a proper name and points exclusively to that being Who is comprehensive of all attributes of perfection and free from every form of deficiency and imperfection. This sacred name is repeated approximately one thousand times in the Holy Qur'an — no other name among God's sacred names appears so frequently in the Qur'an. It is a name that illuminates the heart, bestows strength, energy, tranquility, and peace upon the human being, and immerses him in a world of light and purity. As for the word aḥad — it is also derived from the root of waḥdah (unity), and for this reason some have interpreted aḥad and wāḥid as carrying the same meaning, holding that both allude to that being Who is utterly matchless and peerless in every respect: unique in knowledge, peerless in power, incomparable in mercy and compassion — in sum, matchless in every dimension. Others hold the view that there is a distinction between aḥad and wāḥid. Aḥad is applied to that being which does not admit of multiplicity — neither externally nor in the mind — and therefore cannot be counted and does not enter into enumeration. This is in contrast to wāḥid, for which the conception of a second and third is possible, whether externally or in the mind. (Ref: al-Mīzān, Vol. 20, p. 543) However, this distinction is not particularly consistent with the contexts of usage in the Qur'an and traditions. Some also hold that aḥad alludes to the simplicity of God's essence in contrast to external or rational constituent parts (genus and differentia, quiddity and existence), while wāḥid alludes to the uniqueness of His essence in contrast to external multiplicities. In a tradition, Imām al-Bāqir (peace be upon him) is reported to have stated that aḥad means a singular unique being, and aḥad and wāḥid carry the same meaning — a uniquely singular being with no likeness or equal. And tawḥīd is the acknowledgment of His uniqueness, oneness, and singularity. In the same tradition it is further stated: wāḥid is not a number — rather, wāḥid is the foundation of numbers, for number begins with two. On this basis, "Allāhu Aḥad" — meaning "that God Whose being the intellects are unable to comprehend and Whose qualities they are incapable of encompassing" — signifies that He is singular in divinity and transcendent above the attributes of creation. (Ref: Biḥār al-Anwār, Vol. 3, p. 222) Both wāḥid and aḥad are applied to God's sacred being in the Holy Qur'an. It is noteworthy that in Tawḥīd of al-Ṣadūq, it is recorded that during the Battle of Jamal, a Bedouin stood up and asked: "O Amīr al-Mu'minīn, do you say that God is wāḥid? And what is the meaning of wāḥid?" People immediately attacked him from all sides saying: "O Bedouin, what a question is this! Do you not see how absorbed Amīr al-Mu'minīn is in the concerns of battle?" Amīr al-Mu'minīn (peace be upon him) declared: "Leave him as he is — for what he desires is the very same thing we desire from this enemy group. He is asking about Divine unity, and we too are inviting the opponents to the declaration of Divine unity." He then declared: "O Bedouin, when we say that God is wāḥid, it can have four meanings — two of which are not valid for God and two are valid and correct. The first invalid meaning is numerical unity — that is, to say He is one and not two. This is not permissible for God, because its implication is that a second can be conceived for Him but does not exist. Whereas indisputably, for the infinite being of the Most High, no second can be conceived at all — for that which has no second does not enter into enumeration. Do you not see that God has declared those who said 'inna Allāha thālith thalāthatah' (God is the third of three) to be disbelievers? The second invalid meaning of wāḥid is specific unity — as when we say 'so-and-so is one of the people.' This too is not valid for God, for God has no genus or species. Its implication is likening Him to others, and He is exalted far above every form of comparison and likening. As for the two meanings that are valid and truthful regarding God: the first is that it be said God is wāḥid — meaning that nothing in the universe resembles Him. Yes, our Lord is thus. The second is that it be said our Lord is aḥad al-ma'nā — meaning His being is indivisible, neither externally, nor in the intellect, nor in imagination. Yes, the Almighty God is thus." (Ref: Biḥār al-Anwār, Vol. 3, p. 306, Tradition 1) In sum, God is wāḥid and aḥad and unique and singular — not in the sense of numerical or specific or generic unity, but in the sense of essential oneness. In clearer terms, the meaning of His oneness is that He has no likeness, equal, or resemblance of any kind. The proof of this is also clear and evident: He is a being Who is unlimited from every dimension — and indisputably, two unlimited beings from every dimension are inconceivable. For if two beings were to exist, both would become limited — one would lack the perfections of the other and the other would lack the perfections of the one. This point merits careful reflection. In the subsequent verse, regarding this uniquely sacred being, it declares: "He is a God that all those in need turn to": "اللهُ الصَّمَدُ". For the word ṣamad, a great many meanings have been recorded in traditions and in the statements of exegetes and lexicographers. Al-Rāghib in al-Mufradāt states: ṣamad means a master and great one toward whom people direct themselves for the accomplishment of their affairs. Some have said ṣamad means that which is not hollow inside but is completely full. In Maqāyīs al-Lughah it is recorded that it has two primary roots: one in the meaning of intention and purpose, and the other in the meaning of firmness and solidity. And the reason God is called ṣamad is that servants direct their intention toward His threshold. Perhaps for this reason, the following several additional meanings are also recorded for ṣamad in lexical works: a great being of utmost magnificence; a being toward whom people bring their needs; a being surpassed by nothing; a being that remains eternal and everlasting after the extinction and annihilation of created things. It is for this reason that Imām Ḥusayn ibn 'Alī (peace be upon them both) enumerated five meanings for ṣamad in a tradition: the being of supreme lordship and chieftainship; the being that is eternal, pre-eternal, and everlasting; the being that possesses no inner cavity or hollow; the being that neither eats nor drinks; and the being that never sleeps. (Ref: Biḥār al-Anwār, Vol. 3, p. 223) In other formulations it is recorded: ṣamad means a being that is self-subsistent and in need of nothing other than itself; a being in which there is no change, corruption, or becoming; and as transmitted from Imām 'Alī ibn al-Ḥusayn (peace be upon them both): ṣamad means a being that has no partner, for whom the preservation of anything is not difficult, and from whom nothing remains concealed. (Ref: Biḥār al-Anwār, Vol. 3, p. 223) Some have also said: ṣamad is applied to that being that whenever it wills something, it says "Be" and it immediately comes into being. In a tradition it is recorded that the people of Basra wrote a letter to Imām al-Ḥasan (peace be upon him) inquiring about the meaning of ṣamad. The Imām replied: "In the name of God the Compassionate the Merciful. Do not discourse on the Qur'an without knowledge — for I heard my grandfather the Messenger of God PBUH & His Pure Progeny say: one who speaks without knowledge shall have to dwell in the Fire in the place designated for him. God Himself has explained ṣamad: 'lam yalid wa lam yūlad wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan aḥad' — He neither begat nor was begotten, and no one is equal or comparable to Him. Yes, the Lord ṣamad is that which came into being from nothing and is present in nothing and situated upon nothing. He is the creator and originator of all things, bringing all things into existence through His power. Those He created for extinction shall perish by His will, and those He created for permanence shall remain through His knowledge. This is the Lord ṣamad." (Ref: Majma' al-Bayān, Vol. 10, p. 565) And finally in another tradition, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥanafiyyah asked Amīr al-Mu'minīn 'Alī (peace be upon him) about ṣamad, and he replied: "The interpretation of ṣamad is that He is neither an attribute nor a body, neither has He any likeness nor any equal, neither form nor representation, neither limit nor bounds, neither locus nor place, neither state nor being thus, neither here nor there, neither full nor empty, neither standing nor sitting, neither stationary nor moving, neither dark nor luminous, neither carnal nor psychical. Yet no place is empty of Him and no location contains Him. He has no color, does not fit within human hearts, and has no scent. All these things are negated from His sacred being." (Ref: Biḥār al-Anwār, Vol. 3, p. 230, Tradition 21) This tradition clearly indicates that ṣamad carries an exceedingly comprehensive and broad meaning — negating from His sacred being every kind of quality belonging to created things. For specific and limited names, as well as body, color, scent, place, rest, motion, quality, limit, and similar things — all of these are the attributes of contingent and created beings, and indeed mostly the attributes of the material world. And we know that God transcends and surpasses all of these. Recent scientific discoveries have revealed that all things in the material world are composed of extremely tiny particles called atoms. The atom itself is composed of two principal components: a central particle (nucleus) and electrons revolving around it — and remarkably, there is a vast distance between the nucleus and the electrons (though this is proportional to the size of the atom). So great is this distance that if it were eliminated and a body were completely compressed, it would become so small as to be astounding. For instance, if the atomic distances in a human body were eliminated and it were completely compressed, it might assume the form of a particle barely visible to the eye — yet still equal in weight to the entire human body (such a particle might weigh, say, 60 kilograms). Some scholars, drawing upon this scientific discovery and noting that one meaning of ṣamad is a being that is not hollow inside, have concluded that the Qur'an intends through this expression to negate every form of corporeality from God — for all bodies are composed of atoms and atoms are internally hollow. This verse may thus constitute one of the scientific miracles of the Qur'an. However, it must not be forgotten that among lexicographers, ṣamad primarily means a great being toward whom all those in need direct themselves and who is perfect in every respect — and apparently all the other meanings and interpretations recorded for it ultimately return to this original sense. In the subsequent verse, refuting the beliefs of the Christians, Jews, and Arab polytheists — who attributed sons or fathers to God — it declares: "He neither begat anyone nor was He begotten from anyone": "لَمْ یَلِدْ وَلَمْ یُولَدْ". The Christians held the doctrine of the Trinity (tathlīth) — Father God, Son God, and Holy Spirit. The Christians called Christ the son of God, and the Jews regarded Ezra ('Uzayr) as His son: "وَقَالَتِ الْیَهُودُ عُزَیْرٌ ابْنُ اللهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِیحُ ابْنُ اللهِ ذٰلِکَ قَوْلُهُمْ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ یُضَاهِؤُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللهُ أَنَّى یُؤْفَکُونَ" (al-Tawbah: 30) The Arab polytheists also held that the angels were God's daughters: "وَخَرَقُوا لَهُ بَنِینَ وَبَنَاتٍ بِغَیْرِ عِلْمٍ" (al-An'ām: 100) From certain traditions it appears that tawallud (being born or begetting) in the verse "لَمْ یَلِدْ وَلَمْ یُولَدْ" carries a broad meaning, negating every form of proceeding of material and subtle things from that sacred being, and every proceeding of that sacred being from material or subtle things. As in that same letter in which Imām al-Ḥusayn (peace be upon him) wrote to the people of Basra interpreting ṣamad, the clause "لَمْ یَلِدْ وَلَمْ یُولَدْ" is interpreted as follows: "lam yalid" means that nothing issued from Him — neither any material thing like a son, nor all those things that issue from created beings (such as milk from a mother's breast), nor any subtle thing like the soul, nor various states such as dreams and thoughts, grief and happiness, laughter and weeping, fear and hope, longing and boredom, hunger and satiation, and so forth. God is exalted far above anything issuing from Him. And He is equally exalted far above being born of any material thing — such as a living being emerging from another living being, grass from the earth, water from a spring, fruit from trees, and subtle things from their sources: sight from the eye, hearing from the ear, smell from the nose, taste from the mouth, speech from the tongue, knowledge and recognition from the heart, and the spark of fire from stone. (Ref: Biḥār al-Anwār, Vol. 3, p. 224) According to this tradition, tawallud carries a broad meaning encompassing every form of proceeding and one thing resulting from another — and this is in reality the secondary meaning of the verse, while its first and apparent meaning is the one stated at the outset. Moreover, the secondary meaning is fully comprehensible through an analysis of the first — for if God has no son, the reason is that He is pure and transcendent beyond material accidents, and this same meaning applies to all material accidents as well. This point merits careful reflection. Finally, in the last verse of this Sūrah, bringing the discourse on God's attributes to its consummate conclusion, it declares: "And there is absolutely no equal or counterpart to Him": "وَلَمْ یَکُنْ لَهُ کُفُواً أَحَدٌ". (Explanatory Note: Aḥad is the subject of kāna and kufuwan is its predicate.) Kufuw originally means "counterpart" or "equal in standing and worth" — thereafter applied to every form of likeness and similarity. According to this verse, all the accidents of created beings, all the attributes of existents, and every form of deficiency and limitation are negated from His sacred being. This is that very tawḥīd al-dhātī wa'l-ṣifātī (unity of essence and attributes) that stands in contrast to the numerical and specific unity alluded to at the beginning of this Sūrah. On this basis, He has no likeness in His essence, no equal in His attributes, and no parallel in His actions — He is utterly matchless and peerless in every respect. Amīr al-Mu'minīn 'Alī (peace be upon him) declares in the Nahj al-Balāghah: "لَمْ یَلِدْ فَیَکُونَ مَوْلُوداً وَلَمْ یُولَدْ فَیَصِیرَ مَحْدُوداً وَلاَ کُفْءَ لَهُ فَیُکَافِئَهُ وَلاَ نَظِیرَ لَهُ فَیُسَاوِیَهُ" "He begat no one that He should Himself be begotten, and He was not begotten that He should become limited. He has no equal that could match Him, and no counterpart can be conceived for Him that could become His equivalent." (Ref: Nahj al-Balāghah, Khuṭbah 186) And this is a most excellent interpretation that expounds the loftiest subtleties of Divine unity. May God's peace be upon you, O Amīr al-Mu'minīn.

Divine unity — meaning the uniqueness and oneness of the personal God and the absence of any partner or likeness to Him — is established not only through transmitted proofs and Qur'anic verses but also through numerous rational arguments, a portion of which we present here in brief. 1. Burhān-i Ṣirf al-Wujūd (The Argument of Pure Existence) Its summary is as follows: God is absolute existence and for Him there is no condition, restriction, or limit. An existence of this kind shall certainly be unlimited — for if it were limited, it would necessarily be contaminated with non-existence. But that sacred being whose existence subsists by itself shall never entail non-existence and nothingness, nor is there anything external that could impose non-existence upon it. On this basis, it shall not be bounded by any limit. On the other hand, it is inconceivable that two unlimited beings could exist in the universe — for if two beings were to exist, each of them would necessarily lack the perfections of the other. That is, the perfections of the other would not be present in it. On this basis, both would become limited — and this itself constitutes a clear proof for the uniqueness and oneness of the Necessarily Existent. This point merits careful reflection.

2. Burhān al-'Ilmī (The Scientific Argument) When we cast our gaze upon this vast and expansive universe, we initially observe the world in the form of scattered and disparate existents — the earth and sky, the sun, moon, and stars, and various kinds of plants and animals. But the more deeply we reflect, the more we observe that the components and particles of this universe are so interconnected and intertwined with one another that collectively they form a single organized whole, and a series of definite and fixed laws governs this world. The more human knowledge and science advances, the more the cohesion and unity of the components of this universe becomes evident and manifest — to the extent that at times the observation of a single small example (such as an apple falling from a tree) becomes the occasion for the discovery of a great law that governs the entire universe of existence, as in the case of Newton and the law of gravity. This unity of the system of existence, the laws that govern it, and the cohesion and oneness among its constituent parts all indicate that its Creator is one and unique.

3. Burhān al-Tamānu' (The Philosophical-Scientific Argument) The second argument that scholars have advanced for the uniqueness and unity of God's essence — and to which the Qur'an provides guidance in verse 22 of Sūrah al-Anbiyā' — is the burhān al-tamānu' (the argument from mutual prevention). He declares: "لَوْ کَانَ فِیهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلاَّ اللهُ لَفَسَدَتَا فَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا یَصِفُونَ" "If there were in the heavens and the earth gods other than the one and only God, both would have fallen into ruin and disorder. So glory be to God, the Lord of the Throne, far above what they attribute to Him." That is: had there been other gods alongside the one God in the heavens and earth, the heavens and earth would have been corrupted and the order of the universe thrown into disarray. That God Who is the Lord of the Throne is therefore exalted and pure far beyond their descriptions. A detailed explanation of this argument under the heading of "burhān al-tamānu'" has already been presented in Vol. 13, p. 286.

This is yet another proof for establishing Divine unity — for if there were two Necessarily Existent beings in the universe, both would necessarily have to be sources of bestowal and grace (manba'-i fayḍ). For it is not possible for an infinitely perfect being to be miserly in its illumination and bestowal — since the absence of bestowal constitutes a deficiency for a perfect being, and its being All-Wise demands that it convey its grace to all. This grace has two branches: fayḍ-i takwīnī (ontological grace) in the world of creation, and fayḍ-i tashrī'ī (legislative grace) in the world of guidance. On this basis, if there were multiple gods, it would have been necessary for prophets and messengers to come from them as well, conveying their legislative grace to all. Amīr al-Mu'minīn 'Alī (peace be upon him) states in the testament addressed to his noble son Imām al-Mujtabā (peace be upon him): "وَاعْلَمْ یَا بُنَیَّ أَنَّهُ لَوْ کَانَ لِرَبِّکَ شَرِیکٌ لَأَتَتْکَ رُسُلُهُ وَلَرَأَیْتَ آثَارَ مُلْکِهِ وَسُلْطَانِهِ وَلَعَرَفْتَ أَفْعَالَهُ وَصِفَاتِهِ وَلٰکِنَّهُ إِلٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ کَمَا وَصَفَ نَفْسَهُ" "O my son! Know that if your Lord had a partner, his messengers and representatives would also have come to you, and you would have observed the traces of his dominion and sovereignty, and you would have become acquainted with his deeds and attributes. But He is one solitary God, just as He has described Himself." (Ref: Nahj al-Balāghah, Testament to Imām al-Mujtabā — Letters, Letter 31) All of these constitute proofs for the uniqueness of His essence. As for the proof that His sacred being is entirely free from every form of composition and constituent parts — this is clear and evident. If He possessed external constituent parts (ajzā'-i khārijiyyah), He would naturally be in need of them, and neediness is inconceivable for the Necessarily Existent. And if by "rational constituent parts" (ajzā'-i 'aqliyyah) is meant the composition of quiddity and existence, or of genus and differentia — this too is impossible. For the composition of quiddity and existence is a consequence of being limited, whereas we know that His existence is unlimited. And the composition of genus and differentia is a consequence of possessing a quiddity — but that being which has no quiddity also has neither genus nor differentia.

Generally, four types of Divine unity (tawḥīd) are enumerated: 1. Tawḥīd al-dhāt (Unity of Divine Essence): (as elaborated above). 2. Tawḥīd al-ṣifāt (Unity of Divine Attributes): That is, His attributes are not separate from His essence, nor are they separate from one another. For instance, our "knowledge" and "power" are two distinct attributes that are accidents superimposed upon our essence — our essence is one thing and our knowledge and power are other things. Similarly, knowledge and power in us are separate from one another: the center of our knowledge is our soul, while the center of our physical power is our arms and muscles. But in God, His attributes are neither additional to His essence nor separate from one another. Rather, He is a being that is entirely knowledge, entirely power, and entirely eternal and everlasting. Were it otherwise, the necessary consequence would be composition — and if He were composite, He would be in need of His components. And a being in need of something can never be the Necessarily Existent. 3. Tawḥīd al-af'āl (Unity of Divine Actions): That is, every existence, every movement, and every occurrence in the world ultimately returns to the sacred being of God — He is the Cause of all causes and His sacred being is the First Cause of all causes. Even the actions that proceed from us are in one sense His actions — for it is He Who has granted us power, volition, and freedom of will. Accordingly, while we are the agents of our own deeds and answerable and accountable for them, in one sense God is the ultimate agent — for everything we possess comes from Him alone: "لاَ مُؤَثِّرَ فِی الْوُجُودِ إِلاَّ اللهُ" — "There is no effective cause in existence other than God." 4. Tawḥīd dar 'ibādat (Unity of Worship): That is, only He is worthy of worship and nothing other than Him deserves to be worshipped — for worship must be rendered to a being that is absolute perfection and perfect absoluteness, Who is self-sufficient from all, the Bestower of all blessings, and the Creator of all existents. These attributes cannot be gathered together in any being other than His sacred essence. The true and fundamental purpose of worship is to attain nearness to this being of absolute and boundless perfection and to reflect His attributes of beauty and majesty within one's own soul — the consequence of which is turning away from desire and passion, and directing oneself toward the refinement and cultivation of the self. This goal and objective is not attainable without the worship of Allāh — Who is that very absolute perfection.

There are also many types of tawḥīd al-af'āl (unity of Divine actions), of which we allude here to the six most important: 1. Tawḥīd al-khāliqiyyah (Unity of Creatorship): As the Qur'an declares: "قُلِ اللهُ خَالِقُ کُلِّ شَیْءٍ" — "Say: God is the creator of all things." (al-Ra'd: 16) Its proof is also clear — when it has been established through the preceding arguments that the Necessarily Existent is one and that everything other than Him is contingently existent, it follows on this basis that the creator of all existents must also be one. 2. Tawḥīd al-rubūbiyyah (Unity of Lordship): That is to say, the Manager, Administrator, Nurturer, and Organizer of the system of the universe is God alone. As the Qur'an declares: "قُلْ أَغَیْرَ اللهِ أَبْغِی رَبّاً وَهُوَ رَبُّ کُلِّ شَیْءٍ" — "Say: shall I seek a lord other than God, when He is the Lord of all things?" (al-An'ām: 164) Its proof too lies in the unity of the Necessarily Existent and the unity of the creator in the universe. 3. Tawḥīd al-tashrī' wa'l-qānūnguzārī (Unity of Legislation): As the Qur'an declares: "وَمَنْ لَمْ یَحْکُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللهُ فَأُولٰٓئِکَ هُمُ الْکَافِرُونَ" — "Those who do not judge by what God has revealed are the disbelievers." (al-Mā'idah: 44) For when we have established that the Administrator and Manager is He alone — it is indisputably clear that no capacity for legislation can exist in other than Him, since other than Him has no share in the administration of the universe and therefore cannot enact laws in harmony with the system of creation. 4. Tawḥīd dar mālikiyyah (Unity of Ownership): Whether it be "real ownership" — that is, ontological dominion over something — or "legal ownership" — that is, juridical dominion over something — both belong exclusively to God. As the Qur'an declares: "وَلِلّهِ مُلْکُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ" — "To God belongs the sovereignty and ownership of the heavens and the earth." (Āl 'Imrān: 189) And He also declares: "وَأَنْفِقُوا مِمَّا جَعَلَکُمْ مُسْتَخْلَفِینَ فِیهِ" — "Spend from those properties in which God has made you His vicegerent." (al-Ḥadīd: 7) Its proof also lies in the unity of creatorship — for when He is the creator of all things, naturally the ownership of all things also belongs exclusively to His sacred being, and accordingly every form of ownership must have its source in His ownership. 5. Tawḥīd al-ḥākimiyyah (Unity of Governance): Human society undoubtedly requires government — for collective life is impossible without it. The division of responsibilities, the organization of programs, the implementation of management, and the prevention of transgressions are possible only through governance. On one hand, the fundamental freedom of human beings demands that no person has the right to govern over another except with the permission of the original Owner and true Sovereign. This is precisely why we regard every government that does not ultimately derive from Divine governance as illegitimate — and why we recognize the legitimacy of governance, after the Prophet PBUH & His Pure Progeny, only for the Infallible Imāms, and after them for the qualified jurist (faqīh-i jāmi' al-sharā'iṭ). It is of course possible that people grant someone permission to govern over them — but since the unanimous agreement of all individuals in an entire society is ordinarily not achievable, such a form of governance is practically impossible. (Explanatory Note: On this basis, if a government is determined by the vote and majority opinion of the people, it is necessary that it be implemented through the qualified jurist — so that it may acquire Divine legitimacy.) It should not be forgotten that tawḥīd al-rubūbiyyah pertains to the world of creation ('ālam al-takwīn), whereas the unity of legislation and governance pertains to the world of revelation ('ālam al-tashrī'). The Holy Qur'an declares: "إِنِ الْحُکْمُ إِلاَّ لِلّهِ" — "Sovereignty and governance belong to God alone." (al-An'ām: 57) 6. Tawḥīd al-ṭā'ah (Unity of Obedience): That is, in all the world, the station of being necessarily obeyed belongs exclusively to the sacred being of God, and the legitimacy of obedience to every other authority must derive from this same source — such that obedience to it too shall count as obedience to God. Its proof is also clear: when sovereignty is exclusively His, then being obeyed is also exclusively His. It is for this very reason that we regard obedience to the Prophets, obedience to the Infallible Imāms, and obedience to their successors as a reflection of obedience to God alone. The Qur'an declares: "یَا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا أَطِیعُوا اللهَ وَأَطِیعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِی الْأَمْرِ مِنْکُمْ" — "O you who believe, obey God and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you." (al-Nisā': 59) Each of the above discussions requires very extensive elaboration and exposition — they have been presented here concisely so as not to depart from the exegetical discussion. O Lord! Keep us steadfast upon the path of Divine unity throughout our entire lives. O Lord! The branches of polytheism are as numerous as the branches of monotheism — and without Your grace, deliverance from polytheism is impossible. Make us the recipients of Your grace. O God! Keep us alive in monotheism, grant us death in monotheism, and resurrect us in the reality of monotheism. آمین یا ربّ العالمین Āmīn, O Lord of all the worlds.