The Supreme Leader’s View of Monotheism

The Supreme Leader’s View of Monotheism
23/10/2010

Part one: Monotheism and the world view behind it

Idiomatic meaning of monotheism
Reasons for the existence of God
The position of wisdom in theology
The essential foundation of Islam
Monotheism in the Islamic world view
The position of creatures in the monotheistic ideology of Islam
Creation from the perspective of a monotheist
Man in the Islamic world view
The secret behind the survival of monotheistic thought

Part two: People who deny monotheism

Degeneration of humanity
Polytheism in ignorant communities
Polytheism in Islamic communities
The necessity of identifying the meaning of polytheism
Factors that cause polytheism
Rejecting claims of being children of God
The reason behind materialistic people's rejection of monotheism
The reason behind the tendency towards materialism
Obeying Satan
Does God love some people more than others?

Part three: The effects of a monotheistic world view

Instances of worship
Worshiping God and Satan
A monotheistic society
Characteristics of an Islamic society
The effect of monotheism on the economic structure of society
The effect of monotheism on the ethics of society
The effect of monotheistic thought on the structure of an Islamic society
The root of freedom in Islamic culture

Monotheism, equality of rights among human beings

Monotheism, equality of rights among human beings
The condition for salvation
The paradise for monotheists
Monotheism in the political system
Broad perspective
No fear for monotheists
Dealing with taghut in a monotheistic manner
Monotheistic responsibilities in life
Being prepared to defend monotheistic thought

The Supreme Leader’s View of Monotheism

Part one: Monotheism and the world view behind it

Idiomatic meaning of monotheism

According to Quranic culture and teachings, monotheism is the belief that the Exalted One has created the world and man and that He is controlling creation, laws of nature and daily lives of human beings.

Monotheism is the belief that the complex, amazing and orderly system of creation – including galaxies, nebulas, great celestial black holes, innumerable planets and millions of planetary systems as well as tiny cells that make up living creatures and tiny chemical combinations that make up matter – is the result of a higher thought, wisdom and power and that it was not an accident that gave rise to this system. There is so much order in this great, diverse and complex system that thousands of laws have been extracted so far. This is because when there is inviolable order, it is possible to extract absolute natural laws from that order. This belief is acceptable to any healthy mind and any wise and thinking person who does not make impulsive decisions or prejudgments. This higher thought and wisdom and this great, endless and indescribable power that has given rise to this amazing and complex system is not an idol built by man, a limited human being who claims to be God or a legendary or mythical character. Rather, it is the Powerful and Eternal One – referred to as "God" in different faiths – whose characteristics are inferred from His signs. Therefore, He is the One whose existence can explain the power, will and organization behind this great and complex structure. He is also the One whose existence can prove that the Unique and Indescribable Designer is not a mortal being or the worthless things that is built by man. "He is Allah, besides Whom there is no god: The King, the Holy, the Giver of peace, the Granter of security, Guardian over all, the Mighty, the Supreme, the Possessor of every greatness. Glory be to Allah from what they set up (with Him). "

Monotheism means freedom of man from worshipping and obeying anything and anybody except God. It means breaking free from the domination of human systems. It means breaking the spell of fear of satanic and material powers. It means relying on the endless powers that God has bestowed on human beings and required them to make use of these powers as an inviolable obligation. It means having faith in the divine promise of victory for the oppressed against the oppressors and arrogant powers – on condition that they rise up, fight and resist. It means relying on God's mercy and not fearing the possibility of defeat. It means courting the hardships and dangers that lie in the way of divine promises and threaten human beings. It means considering the hardships as divine challenges and remaining hopeful about the definite ultimate victory. It means setting one's sights on the higher goal – namely, saving human societies from all kinds of oppression, discrimination, ignorance and polytheism – and seeking compensation from Allah the Exalted for the individual failures suffered on the path of God. In summary, monotheism means being connected to the endless ocean of divine power and wisdom and rushing towards the higher goal with hope and without anxiety. All the dignity and glory that have been promised for human beings will only be achieved in the presence of this faith and this clear and deep understanding of monotheism. In the absence of an appropriate understanding of monotheism and in the absence of ideological and practical commitment to monotheism, none of the divine promises for human beings will be fulfilled.

Reasons for the existence of God

One of the foundations of self-knowledge – self-knowledge in the sense of further knowledge of God – is that one should become familiar with one's self and weaknesses and with one's heartfelt love and needs. There is something in the hearts of people that point to the existence of God. What is it? It is the need to search for God, divine love and divine attraction. This is in the hearts of all of us. Even materialistic people have this feeling. But unaware people do not know what it is.

The fact that people run after attachment, affection and attraction is rooted in attraction to God, but this feeling is not strong enough in the hearts of unaware and ignorant people, and they do not understand this point.

The position of wisdom in theology

Monotheism is not limited to acknowledging the existence of the Almighty One. This is only the surface of monotheism. Deep monotheism is a boundless ocean in which God's saints were immersed. Monotheism is a very great realm. But even in this great realm Muslims, faithful people and monotheists have been demanded to move forward relying on wisdom, acumen and thinking. Wisdom and thinking can indeed help people move forward. Of course in different stages wisdom is equipped and fed with the light of the revelations, knowledge and teachings of God's saints. However, it is wisdom that moves forward. One will not get anywhere in the absence of wisdom.

The essential foundation of Islam

Whatever hardships and misfortunes that plaque the lives of Muslims and Muslim nations is the result of failure to live in the shade of monotheism. Monotheism is not just a mental concept. It is a real-world entity and a set of guidelines for life. It tells Muslims how to behave towards friends and enemies, how to behave in society and how to live. Some people think that having faith in monotheism is only related to afterlife. This is while having faith in monotheism is the factor that this world and this worldly life is based on.

The more Muslims move towards monotheism and worship of God, the more liberated they will be from different kinds of taghut [government that is not sanctioned by God]. Serving God is not consistent with serving others.

Monotheism in the Islamic world view

All schools of thought have a particular view, interpretation and perception of the world. This particular way of viewing the world and its quality is called a world view.

Monotheism is part of the Islamic world view. It is part of the Islamic ideology. Monotheism is like the soul of all Islamic rules. It is like the invisible air that fills all parts of the structure which is known as Islam. It is like clean and fresh blood that circulates in the veins of Islam or religion. This blood can be found in all tiny veins of Islam. You cannot find one single Islamic rule that is not imbued with monotheism in one way or another.

Islam believes that every element of the world – from tiny to big creatures and from the lowest levels of creation to the most dignified, powerful and thinking creatures called human beings – has been created by a very great power. There is a Truth that is beyond what people can see, beyond what the keen eyes of experimental sciences can observe and beyond all phenomena that is available to human senses. This Truth is superior, higher and more dignified than all the phenomena of the world, and all the phenomena in the world are the result of the power of this Truth. This superior Power is called "God" or "Allah". Therefore, the world is a reality that is not independent. It has not created itself. It is not the result of self-generation. Rather, a powerful hand has created these different phenomena, and the more advanced human knowledge becomes, the more these phenomena are manifested. The life of this Power has not been bestowed on It, and Its knowledge has not been learnt. This Power has full control over the world. What is the relationship between this Power and the elements of the world?

When the elements of the world are created, do they continue their existence the way a baby does? This is not the case. The elements of the world depend on this Power for every moment of their existence. And all creatures are created by this Power and are Its servants. This Power can control everything. It has created everything according to a particular order. It has created everything according to accurate laws of nature, and these laws are being discovered today by science.

In the Islamic world view, monotheism means that the world has a Creator. In other words, the world has a pure and sublime soul. The world has a Creator, and all elements of this world are the servants of that Creator, and the Creator has full control over these elements.

The position of creatures in the monotheistic ideology of Islam

The pure monotheistic ideology of Islam says that all creatures and objects have been created by a powerful hand. Everything and everybody are the servants of that Power. They are controlled by that Power. They must obey that Power. Nobody is allowed to bow to anyone except that Power, and nobody is allowed to force other people to bow to them. Just as people are not allowed to force other people to prostrate before them, they are not allowed to prostrate before other people. This is because in both cases their actions are against the truth.

Creation from the perspective of a monotheist

When a person becomes a Muslim, everything becomes a means to achieve a vast world – not the world after death, but the world of one's own thought and ideology which is as vast as God. Everything is a means to enable human beings to gain God's satisfaction. Worldly life, wealth, wellbeing and love lose their value for monotheists. They become valuable only when they can serve a divine cause. But when this love, wealth, position, life, child and honor cannot help a monotheist to fulfill his obligations or serve the cause of God, then they lose all their value.

Man in the Islamic world view

In the Islamic world view, man is considered to enjoy numerous talents. From an Islamic perspective, man can make indefinite progress in the arena of knowledge and unveiling the secrets of creation. He can make indefinite progress in passing through spiritual stages. He can go further than angels. He can reach the peaks of perfection in terms of different capabilities. If he worships God and obeys Him, these paths will be opened up in front of him. And if he obeys other people instead of God, his wings will be clipped, and he will no longer be able to fly. In all fields of knowledge, monotheism appears on the path of people and they become familiar with it. The early Muslims who developed a tendency towards monotheism in spite of the prevalent ignorance and polytheism of that era gained so much freedom that the doors of knowledge were opened up for them. They took the lead and the rest of humanity followed them into the realm of knowledge. Today the world and humanity owe their knowledge to Islam and to the monotheism of the early Muslims who were first to step into the realm of knowledge.

The secret behind the survival of monotheistic thought

There were many people throughout history who were opposed to the rule of God and monotheism on earth. How did divine prophets manage to overcome their enemies throughout history? How did the Children of Israel [Israelites] manage to rule the entire world in spite of all the pressure that was exerted on Moses, Shoaib, Joshua and Aaron? How did the Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.) – who was fighting single-handedly against the ignorant people of his time – manage to establish a government in Medina? How did he manage to spread monotheism to the entire world and create a new movement in history through his government? How did the Islamic Revolution succeed in spite of the opposition of the east and the west? How did the Islamic Revolution succeed in spite of the fact that it did not have a single supporter other than peoples in the entire material world? The secret behind the survival of monotheistic thought throughout history and the victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution is that there are some people among God's servants who are prepared to lay down their lives for the sake of this goal and this ideal. It is all due to the spirit of seeking martyrdom. If it had not been for the spirit of seeking martyrdom and if it had not been for the lives laid down for a lofty goal, neither the Islamic Revolution nor the Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.) would have achieved victory. Monotheism would not have achieved any success throughout history. This is why Allah the Exalted has set a precondition for all divine prophets and all divine faiths: "Surely Allah has bought of the believers their lives and their property for this, that they shall have the garden". [The Holy Quran, 9: 111] It is the spirit of seeking martyrdom that helps nations achieve victory.

Part two: People who deny monotheism

Degeneration of humanity

Polytheism is the biggest sin that an individual or society can commit. Allah the Exalted forgives all sins except polytheism. "Surely Allah does not forgive that any partner should be associated with Him, and forgives what is besides that to whomsoever He pleases." [The Holy Quran, 4: 48] In spite of the seriousness and magnitude of polytheism, there are many people in the world who commit this sin. This is due to the fact that unlike many other kinds of sins, various forms of this sin are not always familiar to people. Therefore, polytheism has been divided into two categories in Islamic narrations: Manifest and hidden. As a result, polytheism can be found in both ignorant and Islamic communities.

Polytheism in ignorant communities

In ignorant communities, everything is polytheistic. Every action of the people is contaminated with polytheism in such communities. This is because ignorant and non-Islamic communities are ruled by those who steer the movement of those communities towards non-divine entities. And this is why the rulers and all the people who follow them are in fact moving towards fire and annihilation.

In a polytheistic society, whenever a discussion is started about the relationship between the people and the Power that dominates the world, it naturally leads to discord among the people of that society – each of them goes after a particular god. A society that is built on the foundations of polytheism creates an unbridgeable gap and an impenetrable wall between its people.

Polytheism in Islamic communities

There may be polytheism in Islamic societies even if they are ruled by agents of God. The first instance of polytheism in an Islamic society – or a society that wants to be Islamic – appears when the officials of that society are prepared to approve and implement non-divine rules due to certain considerations or due to indifference or a pessimistic attitude towards the future, Islam and Muslims. This is an instance of polytheism – an instance of great polytheism. When the people who rule a Muslim society – which has been established in the name of Islam – are prepared give up God's rules for their interests, an instance of polytheism appears in that society: "They purchase not a trifling gain at the price of the revelations of Allah." [The Holy Quran, 3: 199] In spite of being populated by Muslims, this society is dominated by an instance of acute polytheism.

The necessity of identifying the meaning of polytheism

Imam Sajjad (a.s.) said, "The caliphs of the Umayyad dynasty let the people achieve faith, but they did not let them acquire knowledge of polytheism. This was because they wanted to prevent the people from recognizing polytheism in case they [the Umayyads] decided to promote it among the people." The Umayyad caliphs used to let religious scholars and the Infallible Imams (a.s.) speak about daily prayers, hajj, zakat, fasting, worship and the divine rules about these things. They used to provide them with the freedom to speak to the people about monotheism and prophethood, but they did not let anybody teach the people anything about the meaning of polytheism and its instances and manifestations. This was because if the people had learnt these things, they would have realized immediately that their rulers were polytheists. They would have realized that the rulers of the Umayyad dynasty were guiding them towards polytheism. They would have realized immediately that the rulers of the Umayyad dynasty were not sanctioned by God and that they were fighting against Him. They would have realized immediately that if they obeyed them, they would in fact become polytheists. This was why they did not let the people become familiar with the teachings related to polytheism.

Factors that cause polytheism

Allamah Majlesi (r.a.) says in the 44th volume of Bihar al-Anwar, "On the surface, the Quranic verses about polytheism are related to idols. But deeper meanings and interpretations point to oppressive rulers – those who called themselves caliphs in the name of righteousness and ruled Islamic communities. Next to the Infallible Imams (a.s.), these oppressive rulers claimed that they had a right to rule Muslim communities." Their claim was an instance of polytheism because the Infallible Imams (a.s.) were the representatives of God on earth, and they used to speak the words of God. Because the rulers considered themselves as God's representatives and claimed that they had a right to be an Imam, they were in fact idols and taghut. And everybody who obeys such people has in fact become a polytheist.

Rejecting claims of being children of God

What is bestowed on the people by the Holy Quran as religious beliefs is what plays a role in fulfilling divine goals. And what is rejected as corrupt beliefs is what plays a role in corruption of society. Rejection of corrupt beliefs means rejecting an avenue of corruption in society. According to sura Yunus, ayah 68, "They say: Allah has taken a son (to Himself)." Christians, Jews and polytheists of Quraysh, Arabia and other places would say that Allah the Exalted had chosen a child for Himself. Some people would say that God had a daughter. Others would say that He had a son. Yet others would say that He had both a son and a daughter. Some people would say that God had only one child. Others would say that He had an infinite number of children. These claims meant that there was somebody in the world who was not God's servant, but His child. Jews used to call Prophet Aziz "Aziz ibn Allah", which meant that they believed Prophet Aziz to be the son of God. They wanted to say that all creatures were God's servants, but Prophet Aziz was not. They claimed that Prophet Aziz was His son. Christians used to say the same thing about Christ. Similarly, the polytheists of Arabia used to say that Lat, Manat and Uzza were the daughters of God. The polytheists of Rome and Greece also attributed many children to God. All of them believed in this. That is to say, they divided creation into three camps: The camp of God, the camp of God's servants and creatures – considered to be submissive to Him – and the camp of God's children. Believing in the existence of a middle ground between God and human beings will lead to certain instances of corruption. This is in fact a pretext to let God's servants serve Him as well as His partner.

The reason behind materialistic people's rejection of monotheism

A faithful person believes that there is a superior and greater truth beyond what can be seen on the surface of things, and if it had not been for that truth, these phenomena would not have happened. Materialistic people say that they cannot be committed to anything other than what they can see. They say, "In spite of all our efforts at laboratories, we have not been able to find a sign of the entity that monotheists talk about." Materialistic people of the modern era believe that there is no other truth beyond matter. In fact they say these things because they have been intellectually and spiritually frustrated by the divine school. They believe that managing the lives of human beings, administering justice and eliminating discrimination are not possible unless through a materialistic school of thought. Therefore, they turn their back on the divine school of thought.

If a study were conducted about the intellectual state of those who believe in one of the –isms of modern world, the results would show that denying this truth is not because they are stubbornly opposed to God. These people either do not have a convincing rational reason for the existence of God, or they cannot accept the reasons for the existence of God. Often there is no rational reason for the other side of the argument either. There has never been any reason against the existence of God. There is nobody who presents a reason against the existence of God. Since the beginning of time up until today, not even a single person among all materialistic people of the world has said, "I will present a reason and prove that God does not exist." They just say, "Everybody is saying a different thing in this regard. It has not been proven to me that God exists." Or they say, "I did not understand or accept the reasons for His existence." The Holy Quran refers to the same thing: "They only conjecture". [The Holy Quran, 45: 24] They are just after thought and conjecture, otherwise they cannot reject the existence of God through reasoning.

The reason behind the tendency towards materialism

The reason behind the tendency towards materialist schools of thought is that materialists think that materialistic schools of thought are better able to manage the world. They say materialistic schools of thought are better able to eliminate oppression, discrimination, inequality and tyranny. Materialistic people say that religion is not able to do these things. Why do they say religion is not able to do these things? Because they do not know anything about the common conception of religion except what they have observed about the traditional and imitative conception that ordinary people have. To be brief, they do not have any information about religion. If they were asked what religion is, they would simply name a number of religions and say, "These things are like an opiate. They are equal to oppression. They cannot help solve the problems that people suffer from." It goes without saying that when one is faced with this kind of reasoning, the best and the most appropriate response is to say, "Yes, if you find a religion that copes with oppressors, cooperates with tyrants, fails to side with the oppressed even for a moment, fails to help solve the problems that people suffer from and does not have the slightest contribution to the future of the people, you can act as our representative and reject that religion wherever you find it. Do not accept that religion even for a moment because if religion has a divine orientation, it cannot be like that."

Obeying Satan

"And most surely the devils suggest to their friends that they should contend with you. And if you obey them, you shall most surely be polytheists." [The Holy Quran, 6: 121] The devils and the embodiments of evil inspire their friends, their allies and the members of their camp to challenge you. The devils and the embodiments of evil and corruption encourage their agents, companions, allies, and the members of their camp to debate with you, tease you and challenge you. What is your obligation when faced with Satan's companions? "If you obey them, you shall most surely be polytheists." Obeying Satan – that is, the core of evil against the Merciful One – causes people to become polytheists. Satan is against God. Obeying Satan or obeying the companions of Satan – namely, its mercenaries, the tools of its actions, its friends, the members of its camp and its servants – causes polytheism. "And if you obey them, you shall most surely be polytheists."

Does God love some people more than others?

"And the Jews and the Christians say: We are the sons of Allah and His beloved ones." [The Holy Quran, 5: 18] The Jews said that they were the sons of God and His friends. In response to their claims, Allah the Exalted points out one of their crimes. Allah the Exalted asks them why they murdered His messengers if they were His friends and relatives. "Why then did you kill Allah's Prophets?" [The Holy Quran, 2: 91] Allah the Exalted asks them why they killed His chosen servants. The Jews claimed that they were the children and relative of God and that they deserved special privileges. Islam says this claim is wrong. In another ayah, Allah the Exalted says, "Say: O you who are Jews, if you think that you are the favorites of Allah to the exclusion of other people, then invoke death If you are truthful." [The Holy Quran, 62: 6] God told them, "If you really believe you are close friends and relatives of God, then pray for death so that you are freed from this unstable life and join your beloved God who is your friend and relative." Then He says, "But they will never invoke it." [The Holy Quran, 62: 7] God says the Jews would never pray for death.

Part three: The effects of a monotheistic world view

Instances of worship

Sometimes people worship somebody and consider them to be sacred and to enjoy supernatural powers. For example, throughout history some people used to worship some idols or saints. At first, sanctity and spiritual respect appear to be the signs of worship. For example, Christians consider Christ and his pure-hearted mother (may God's greetings be upon them) to have some kind of sanctity. They kneel in front of the statues of Christ and Mary, and they cry and worship them. Worship is not just bowing, prostrating and praising as a sign of heartfelt respect. Worship does not just consist of praying or holding up one's hands with humility. There are some other things that can be called worship in the second sense of the word. What is the second sense of the word "worship"? Worship also means obeying. Obeying somebody in an independent and unconditional way is the same as worshiping them.

According to the Quranic culture, obeying anyone or anything other than God – including political and religious power, internal factors like human passions and carnal tendencies, and external factors like a woman, a person who is unduly respected or a friend – is the same as worshiping them. Anybody who obeys someone or something is in fact worshiping them.

Worshiping God and Satan

Imam Jawad (a.s.) said, "Whoever pays full attention to a speaker becomes his servant." The scope of worship is much wider – not only does it include obeying, but it also includes paying undivided attention to somebody. Does this mean we should avoid paying attention even to truthful comments? The above-mentioned hadith continues, "And if the speaker speaks the words of God, then the listener is the servant of God." If the speaker has full attention of his audience and is speaking the words of God, the people who are listening to him with full attention and concentration are in fact worshiping God. "And if the speaker speaks the words of Satan, then the listener is the servant of Satan." But if the speaker speaks the words of Satan and his words go against the logic and philosophy of divine thought, his audience are in fact obeying and worshiping Satan as they listen to him. Basically, the speaker himself is Satan. From a Quranic perspective, the speaker is Satan itself, not its representative or mouthpiece.

A monotheistic society

When monotheism enters a society, all servants of God in that society become connected. In a monotheistic society, all people – with different skin colors and from different races and social backgrounds – are relatives. When people are connected to the Origin and Creator of the world and to the Almighty Custodian who has full control over all phenomena in the world, they are connected to the same origin and receive help and assistance from the same source. This is the inevitable result of faith in monotheism. From this monotheistic perspective, it is not just human beings who are connected to one another. Rather, all elements of the world, all animals, all things, the heaven, the earth and all other things are connected to one another as well as to human beings. Therefore, everything that a human being can see, feel and perceive is a world and a constellation placed in a wholesome world and a safe environment.

Characteristics of an Islamic society

"Islamic society" means a society in which worship of God prevails among all members of that society. In other words, an Islamic society is a society in which the general course is based on God's orders. Devotion of a society is manifested in a number of things. If these things are seen in a society, the members of that society are God's servants and the society itself is a divine system.

First, this Islamic society should be ruled by God's servants, not His enemies. Taghuts [rulers and governments not sanctioned by God] should not dominate this society. Those who demand that people obey them instead of God, those who want people to serve them like Nimrod, Pharaoh and other taghuts of history, and the people whose hearts are not familiar with God – these people must not dominate this society. It is God's servants who should rule this Islamic society.

Second, divine rules should be practiced in that society. The people should observe the rules of God, not rules that are rooted in the passions, carnal desires or faulty judgments of human beings. The legal framework of that society should be determined by the Holy Quran and divine rules.

Third, justice should be administered in that society because a society in which there is oppression is not a divine society.

Fourth, the members of that society should be treated with respect. The people of that society should be considered honorable. Human beings should not be considered as tools. In that society human beings should be viewed as managers and the best creatures of the world, not as creatures that should only be fed to work. That society should not be indifferent to whether or not its members are capable of understanding things and whether or not the hearts of its members are enthusiastic about lofty goals. Human beings should be honored in that society. The ayah "And surely We have honored the children of Adam" [The Holy Quran, 17: 70] is not just a ceremonial gesture. It is a principle. It is a foundation of an Islamic society. A community in which this principle is not practiced is not an Islamic society. A community in which the people are humiliated, a community in which powerful individuals make the people follow their whims and a community in which the people are not allowed to think, acquire knowledge, choose their path and make efforts on the divine path they have chosen – these are not Islamic communities.

Fifth, there should not be any discrimination in an Islamic society. Being white or black and Arab or non-Arab and being a member of a certain tribe, family or social class should not be grounds for discrimination. Human beings should simply be treated as human beings, and privileges should be granted on the basis of piety. And all these signs were present in the early years of Islam.

Sixth, jihad in the way of God is among the signs of an Islamic and divine society. A society in which there is no jihad and no efforts are made for the sake of God cannot be an Islamic society.

The effect of monotheism on the economic structure of society

In a monotheistic society, everybody should benefit from social facilities. This does not mean that everybody should have the same amount of money in a monotheistic society. Money should not be distributed equally. Rather, it is the facilities and opportunities that should be distributed evenly. Some people are hardworking, and some other people are lazy. If somebody works harder, he earns more money, and it is not right to give his earnings to other people so that everybody has the same amount of money. Rather, it is the opportunities for studying, training and working that should be distributed evenly among the people of a monotheistic society. Opportunities are distributed evenly among the people of a monotheistic society.

The effect of monotheism on the economic structure of society is that it necessitates creating a state of balance in society, not a state of equality. At the beginning of his caliphate, Imam Ali (a.s.) said that God has required ulama not to tolerate hunger of the oppressed and gluttony of oppressors. This duty was the reason why Imam Ali (a.s.) accepted to be the caliph. This is the most obvious duty of an Islamic economic system, and the economic issues of Islam are inferred on the basis of this duty. This state of balance is the result of faith in God. It goes without saying that the situation of society would be different if there were no God, if this world did not have an owner beyond human beings and if human beings could own whatever they gained relying on their power.

A monotheistic perspective on the financial issues of a monotheistic society is one of the most important requirements. According to the Holy Quran, "And give them of the wealth of Allah which He has given you." [The Holy Quran, 24: 33] Whatever human beings have belongs to God. All wealth is from God, which is held in trust. Whatever people own has been bestowed on them by God, and it should be returned to Him. This is a necessity for the monotheistic ideology.

The effect of monotheism on the ethics of society

In a monotheistic society, the way the people think and their attitude towards their religious brothers, other people and their own personal life is different from the norms in materialistic systems. They live in the presence of God. They ask God to fulfill their needs. They love Him. They Fear Him. They seek refuge in Him. They consider themselves as His servants. They feel they love His servants. They do not oppress His servants, and they do not envy them. All the virtues mentioned in books of ethics result from faith in God. Faith in God forms the foundations of Islamic ethics.

The effect of monotheistic thought on the structure of an Islamic society

There is a remarkable and fundamental issue that is basic to the discussions of social issues of Islam. Paying attention to this issue can help people understand all social issues in Islam. The fundamental question is: What effects do monotheistic and Islamic beliefs have on the social structure of an Islamic society? In other words, what is the difference between the general structure of a faithful society and that of a society whose people do not believe in God? Is faith in God limited to accepting the existence of God without letting it affect one's behavior? Is faith in God limited to accepting the existence of God without engaging in daily prayers, fasting and avoidance of dishonesty? Is faith in God irrelevant to the form and system of the society one lives in? Or should faith in God be reflected in the social life of faithful and monotheistic people? There is no doubt that the purpose of faith in God is not just to improve the hearts and minds of people. Rather, faith in God means building a world that is appropriate for this belief. Having faith in monotheism and in God affects both political and economic systems of a monotheistic society. It also affects the ethical principles of every member of a monotheistic society. A society whose people have faith in God should be ruled by a religious government. That is to say, Islam, sharia and Islamic rules and regulations should govern the life of the people. And those who practice these regulations in a monotheistic society should be the most qualified people in that society. First, they should know sharia and Islamic rules better than anybody else. They should have complete mastery over sharia and divine rules. Second, they should have the capability to avoid sins and deliberate diversion and mistakes – that is, the same thing that is known as "justice" in Islamic culture.

The root of freedom in Islamic culture

The monotheistic world view is the root of freedom in Islamic culture. The principle of monotheism – with its deep, subtle and accurate meanings – guarantees freedom of man. That is to say, anybody who has faith in the oneness of God and believes in monotheism must allow people to be free. The first thing that all divine prophets used to do was to invite people to obey God and avoid taghut and non-divine people who wanted to shackle and enslave human beings. "Serve Allah and shun Evil" [The Holy Quran, 16: 36] Therefore, Islamic freedom is based on monotheism. The spirit of monotheism is to reject serving anyone except God. The root of freedom in Islam is the personality and inherent value of human beings who are not prepared to serve anyone except God. In fact the root of man's freedom is monotheism and knowledge of God. In Islamic culture, free human beings cannot obey anyone but God.

Monotheism, equality of rights among human beings

Monotheism, equality of rights among human beings

The meaning of God's order is not the same as the meaning of the Book. Of course God's order is in His Book. However, the Book is one thing, and God's order is quite another. God's order is what He has announced to His servants. Allah the Exalted has provided a set of general guidelines for the life of human beings. That is to say, God has specified a framework, and human beings have to move on within this framework. What is this framework? This framework is what all divine prophets used to promote among people. It is the same thing that is inferred from Islamic principles – namely, monotheism, respect for human beings and equality in terms of such things as rights, nature and rules. It is this framework that evolves throughout history, and it is a movement, an order and an agreement between God and His servants.

What is it that taghuts do? They change this state of affairs. God calls people to monotheism. God asks people to worship Him, not each other. But taghuts step in and change this state of affairs. They encourage people to worship God's servants in one way or another. God invites people to respect and value human beings, and this was the basis of God's plan. But taghuts base their plans on humiliation of man. Today in the materialistic western culture, people feel the existence of a void in their daily lives that can only be filled by God. This is because they have strayed away from their original nature, and they have been changed. Non-divine plans make human beings forget God. This is not to say that non-divine plans make people forget the name of God or the existence of a truth called God. They may even appear to have faith in God. What they forget is the right of God – that is to say, they do not know the position of God in society.

The condition for salvation

Salvation is the deliverance that has been promised by the Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.): "Say there is no god but Allah, and you will achieve salvation." Salvation from wrong thought, bad behavior, attachments, shackles and millstones that hang from people's hands, heads, necks and hearts, and then salvation from oppressive powers that oppress human beings. That is to say, if a people with perfect thoughts, minds, hearts and beliefs are ruled by an oppressive, colonial, exploiting or autocratic power, they have not achieved perfect salvation. Perfect salvation is salvation that affects the heart, mind, behavior, society, politics and spirituality. These kinds of salvation are the goal of religion and monotheism.

The paradise for monotheists

Everything that righteous servants of God do – including their sleep, eating, speech, trade, sport, studying and political and social activities – is in line with their movement towards God. By moving towards this goal, a paradise will be created around human beings, a paradise which is the result of human beings’ emotions and willpower being in line with the natural course of creation. In this Islamic, monotheistic and spiritual life, there is no contradiction, confrontation and discord. The monotheistic world view creates a paradise within human beings.

Monotheism in the political system

Monotheism means that man must not worship anybody except God. Anything other than God is taghut and is the opposite of God. Therefore, whenever obedience to man is in line with obedience to God in the political system of a country, it is appropriate. And whenever it is obedience to anything other than God, it is wrong. Basically, this is the foundation of an Islamic system.

Polytheistic thoughts – or more precisely, satanic and taghuti thoughts – affect personal and social behavior of people and the way a social system is formed. Taghut is another word for Satan. Satan means a force that creates evil, corruption and deviation. Taghut means “rebel”, which is the same as evil, corruption and deviation. And taghuti forces are satanic thoughts.

Broad perspective

A monotheist is broadminded. A monotheist is liberated from being narrow-minded and short-sighted. A monotheist does not say, "I was defeated in this arena" or "our camp is forced to retreat in this arena." A monotheist does not accept defeat. He knows that the territory of monotheistic thought is as vast as the life of humanity. The vision of a monotheist is not limited to material things and insignificant needs. When a monotheist takes a look around him, apart from material needs, he sees tens and hundreds of needs that are among the greatest and the most important needs of human beings. His attention is not focused solely on insignificant needs. When a monotheist takes a look around him, he sees the future as extremely vast. A monotheist does not believe that the world is finite. This is because he sees this world as connected to the hereafter. He considers this world and the hereafter as two sides of the same entity. He does not consider death to be the end of this path. Rather, he sees death as a door and a passageway that leads to a vaster world. These are the characteristics of monotheism. Death is the end of everything for a person who is not a monotheist – no matter how selfless he is and no matter how interested he is in noble human ideas. This is while for a monotheist, death is the beginning of another life in a more interesting and more pleasant environment. If a materialistic person is truly selfless, he will be prepared to step into what he believes to be nonexistence. But it is easier for a monotheist – even one who is far less selfless than a materialistic person – to drop himself into what a materialistic person believes to be nonexistence. This is because a monotheist does not believe in what a materialistic person calls nonexistence. He thinks of death as another state of human life.

No fear for monotheists

The most important psychological effect of monotheism on human beings is that it causes monotheists not to fear the enemies on the path of God, on the path of fulfilling their obligations and on the path of what they consider to be the purpose of their existence. Addressing faithful people, the Holy Quran says on several occasions, "So do not fear them, and fear Me." Somebody who fears God will not fear anybody else. Fear will be removed from the heart of anybody who is a monotheist and believes in the power of God. It is fear that takes this world and the hereafter away from the people who have them. The fear of poverty causes people to avoid making chartable donations. The fear of hardships causes people to humiliate themselves, commit crimes and cause tragedies. The fear of losing their life causes people to take the life of other people or ruin their social life.

Dealing with taghut in a monotheistic manner

The envoy of the Muslim army entered the glorious Sassanid palace. The envoy who was wearing tattered clothes stepped into the palace of such a great political power. Did he feel afraid? Not at all. After all, when an unimportant person meets a great and powerful person, he tries his best to form some kind of relationship with that powerful person and get close to him, even if through flattery and expression of fear or humility. Was that what happened? Not at all. The envoy walked towards the throne. Allegedly, he even put his foot on Yazdgerd's throne because he saw that Yazdgerd would not come to him and take the letter. He was carrying a message. Others stepped forward to take the letter from him, but he refused to give it to them and said that he would only hand it to Yazdgerd himself. And Yazdgerd would not stand up and go to the Arab, so the envoy had to step forward and give it to him. He went up to Yazdgerd's throne and handed the letter to him. The king of Persia asked, "Why did you come here?" He replied, "I am here to liberate people from worshiping God's servants and lead them towards worshiping God, and to liberate them from the restrictions of this world and lead them towards the vastness of this world and the hereafter." He told Yazdgerd that he had come to liberate the people living in different parts of the country from worshiping him and his governors and commanders.

Monotheistic responsibilities in life

First and foremost, faith in every thought and creed must be based on conscious knowledge of them. Unquestioning and blind faith is not acceptable. Second, faith must be accompanied by responsibilities. What people are required to have faith in is definitely something that brings about a personal or social responsibility – a responsibility that may be related to humanity or its destiny. Monotheism is a kind of awareness that bring about obligations and responsibilities for human beings.

The responsibilities that monotheism puts on the shoulders of faithful people are considered to be the biggest, the heaviest and the most significant responsibilities among all Islamic and religious obligations.

The first responsibility is that worship and obedience is restricted to God only. The second responsibility that monotheism puts on the shoulders of its followers is to establish a monotheistic and classless society – a society in which people are not separated from one another on the basis of rights and privileges, a society in which all people live under the same legal roof, a society in which everybody moves in the same direction and enjoys the same facilities and rights.

Being prepared to defend monotheistic thought

Throughout history, there has always been a confrontation between justice and injustice, and this confrontation is not something that is particular to the modern world. The confrontation between good and evil is the result of the confrontation between justice and injustice. Allah the Exalted says, "And had there not been Allah's repelling some people by others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques would have certainly been pulled down." [The Holy Quran, 22: 40] Using the power that they receive from reliance on God and the material sources of power, some groups of people in the world should check other groups of people who spread corruption on earth. As a result, the war between good and evil has been a constant throughout history. The difference between divine faiths and non-divine thoughts is that from the perspective of divine faiths the war [between justice and injustice] is something that is fought for the sake of God. It is not a blind act. It is not a purposeless and futile act that is done with the aim of achieving power. The war is considered to be jihad in the way of God. It was due to this reason that during his ten-year rule in Medina, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) fought about 70 wars with polytheists and the enemies of Islam. During this ten-year period, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) did not have a moment of peace. And it was due to this reason that the Islamic civilization, culture and ethics continued as a movement in history. It is absolutely clear and natural for taghuts of the world not to let even a single righteous movement remain in the world. It is natural for them to want to uproot this movement. Divine and monotheistic thought is like a sweet-smelling flower that will be destroyed if it is left undefended. When one believes that fighting in the way of God – which is in fact an attempt to defend divine and spiritual values – is a necessity, meeting the requirements of this war becomes another necessity. The principle that Muslims should prepare themselves to fight in the way of God is mentioned in the Holy Quran as well. "Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies of Allah and your enemies." [The Holy Quran, 8: 60]

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