Scholars of ‘aqeeda divide tawhid into three aspects: tawhid ar-rububiyyah, tawhid al-uloohiyyah, and tawhid al-asmaa wal sifat.
Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah is the tawhid of Lordship. It pertains to Allah’s right as the Lord, and all that entails–the Creator, the Sustainer.
Tawhid Al-Uloohiyyah is the tawheed of worship. It pertains to Allah’s right to be worshipped, without any partners.
Tawhid Al-Asmaa wal Sifat is the tawheed of Allah’s names and attributes–such as that he is Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim.
Note that denying part or whole of any of the parts of any of these three is shirk.
This division is derived directly from the Qur’an itself. Check it out:
الرَّحْمـنِ الرَّحِيمِ
مَـالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّي
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
Translation: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful. King of the Day of Judgment. You alone we worship, and You alone we seek for help (Surah Fatiha, verse 2-5)1.
If you break these verses down, you will see a correspondance with the three aspects of tawhid.
Rabil ‘Alameen (Lord of the Worlds): Allah’s right to Lordship (Rububiyyah)
Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem, Maliki Yawmid-Deen (The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful, King of the Day of Deen): Allah’s names and attributes (Asmaa wal Sifat)
Iyyaka na’budu wa iyyaka na’sta’een (You alone we worship and You alone we seek for help): Allah’s right to be worshipped (Uloohiyyah).
The same thing happens in Surah Nas. Check it out:
مَلِكِ النَّاسِ
إِلَهِ النَّاسِ
Translation: Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of Humankind. The King of Mankind. The God of Mankind (Surah Nas, verse 1-3)1
If you break these verses down, you will see a correspondance with the three aspects of tawhid.
Rabin-Nas (Lord of Mankind): Allah’s right to Lordship (Rububiyyah)
Malikin-Nas (King of Mankind): Allah’s names and attributes (Asmaa wal Sifat)
Ilahin-Nas (God of Mankind): Allah’s right to be worshipped (Uloohiyyah).
And there are many more examples. These are just two of them.There’s a lot of overlap between Rububiyyah and Asmaa wal Sifat, so in reality, a two-category classification is more accurate. However this method is easier to teach.
May Allah give us a perfect and pristine understanding of Him, unmarred by any false ideologies. Ameen!
(1) Alibhai, Ashiq, trans. Al-Quran. 17 Mar. 2006.
(2) Yasir Qadhi. Lecture. AlMaghrib. Light of Guidance. University of Toronto, Toronto. March 2006.