The Noble Qur’an, 3: 132.

132. WaateeAAoo Allaha waalrrasoola laAAallakum turhamoona
132. And obey Allah and the Messenger so that Mercy is bestowed upon you.

Indeed, as a Muslim one is always obliged to obey Allah and His Messenger at all times and regardless of the circumstances. There will of course be people who are ignorant of this injunction, preferring instead to side with those who are against everything that Islam stands for. They are not willing to recognise that where Islam is concerned, it is without any doubt the religion par excellence, a way of life that is the religio naturalis of mankind.

Certainly Islam exhorts to the worship of Allah and obeying His Messenger as well as clearly stipulating that one should always be reminded of the errors of the previous ummahs. While religious tolerance is always a priority in the Islamic discourse and its relation with other religions, one should also be aware that Islam is clear on its criticisms of other theisms that contradict its own weltanshaaung (world-view), that the worship of a half-naked man swinging from a cross is a gross error and an affront against the attribute of the Almighty. In a similar vein, Islam rejects the ethno-centric discourse and the ideology of a “chosen people” as found in some major world religions, idols and idol-worship and other theisms that contradict the divine injunction of tawhid, pure monotheism.

Insha’allah in another opportunity I shall talk about what is tawhid and its implementation in thought and life. Most of the discussion will be based on Dr. Ismail al-Faruqi’s treatise on tawhid, a work which should certainly be shared with all.