Ishaq ibn Mansour said to Abu Abdullah [Ahmad ibn Hanbal]: we come across some people who were playing dice and chess, should we give them salam? He said: these people are not worthy that they should be given salam.

? جامع المسائل | لابن تيمية ٣٢٧/٧

Tawhīd is the basis on which the religion is upon. Every aspect of religion comes after tawhīd. Without tawhīd there is nothing in religion, no prayer, no zakat, no fasting, no Hajj, nor jihad or anything else. And the evidence for this is the saying of Allāh:

{ فَمَن يَعمَلُ مِنْ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٍ فَلَا كُفْرَان لِسَعْيِه وَإِنَّا لَهُ كاتِبون } ."
So whoever does righteous good deeds while he is a believer (in the tawhīd of Allah), his efforts will not be rejected. Verily! We record it in his Book of deeds.

Surah Anbiya:95

You were not created for fanā; you were created for baqā !

Al-Awzā’ī said: I heard Bilāl bin Sa’ad say:

O People! Verily you were not created for fanā (to be extinct), however you were created for baqā (for survival)! You will transfer from one land to another land, just as you transferred from the loins to wombs, and from wombs to this dunyā, and from the dunyā to graves and from the graves to the area of standing (Day of Judgment) and from that area to eternity in Paradise or Fire.’

[az-Zuhdul-Kabīr]

{ اصبروا يا أهل السنة والإيمان }
Patience O people of sunnah and Eamam
" أهل التوحيد والإسلام "

People of Tawhīd and Islam

اصبروا فإن موعدكم الجنة :
Patience: for you is Jannah!

﴿يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنُوا اصبِروا وَصابِروا وَرابِطوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُم تُفلِحونَ﴾[آل عمران: ٢٠٠]

O believers! Patiently endure, persevere, stand on guard,1 and be mindful of Allah, so you may be successful.

﴿وَإِن كانَ طائِفَةٌ مِنكُم آمَنوا بِالَّذي أُرسِلتُ بِهِ وَطائِفَةٌ لَم يُؤمِنوا فَاصبِروا حَتّى يَحكُمَ اللَّهُ بَينَنا وَهُوَ خَيرُ الحاكِمينَ﴾[الأعراف: ٨٧]

If some of you do believe in what I have been sent with while others do not, then be patient until Allah judges between us. He is the Best of Judges.”

﴿قالَ موسى لِقَومِهِ استَعينوا بِاللَّهِ وَاصبِروا إِنَّ الأَرضَ لِلَّهِ يورِثُها مَن يَشاءُ مِن عِبادِهِ وَالعاقِبَةُ لِلمُتَّقينَ﴾[الأعراف: ١٢٨]

Moses reassured his people, “Seek Allah’s help and be patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah ˹alone˺. He grants it to whoever He chooses of His servants. The ultimate outcome belongs ˹only˺ to the righteous.”

﴿وَأَطيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسولَهُ وَلا تَنازَعوا فَتَفشَلوا وَتَذهَبَ ريحُكُم وَاصبِروا إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصّابِرينَ﴾ [الأنفال: ٤٦]

Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute with one another, or you would be discouraged and weakened. Persevere! Surely Allah is with those who persevere.

قال الشيخ العلامة الإمام محمد بن عبد الوهاب التميمي النجدي رحمه الله :

The great Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab ah Tamimi ah Najdi Rahimahullah said:

اعلم رحمك الله أنه يجب علينا تعلم أربع مسائل:

Know, and may Allah have mercy on you, upon you is obligatory to know four issues.

الأولى: العلم.
First: knowledge

وهو معرفة الله، ومعرفة نبيه، ومعرفة دين الإسلام بالأدلة.

It is knowing Allah, knowing His Prophet, and knowing the religion of Islam with evidence.

الثانية: العمل به.

Second: Acting on it

الثالثة: الدعوة إليه.

Third: Inviting to it

الرابعة: الصبر على الأذى فيه.

والدليل قوله تعالى: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ﴿وَالعَصرِ۝إِنَّ الإِنسانَ لَفي خُسرٍ۝إِلَّا الَّذينَ آمَنوا وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ وَتَواصَوا بِالحَقِّ وَتَواصَوا بِالصَّبرِ﴾[العصر: ١-٣]

And the evidence is the saying of Allah: In the name of Allah, the most beneficent and the most merciful. By the ˹passage of˺ time!. Certainty man is in loss. Except for those who have believed, and do good deeds, and urge to what is right and towards patience.

قال الشافعي رحمه الله : لو ما أنزل الله حجة على خلقه إلا هذه السورة لكفتهم.

Shafi'i Rahimahullah said:

If Allah has not send down any other surah except for this as Hujjah, it would have been sufficient.

وقال البخاري رحمه الله : باب العلم قبل القول والعمل. والدليل قوله تعالى: ﴿فَاعلَم أَنَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاستَغفِر لِذَنبِكَ وَلِلمُؤمِنينَ وَالمُؤمِناتِ وَاللَّهُ يَعلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُم وَمَثواكُم﴾[محمد: ١٩]
فبدأ بالعلم، قبل القول والعمل .

Al Bukhari Rahimahullah said: In chapter Knowledge before actions and speech: the evidence is the saying of Allah: So, know ˹well, O Prophet,˺ that there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Allah. And seek forgiveness for your shortcomings1 and for ˹the sins of˺ the believing men and women. For Allah ˹fully˺ knows your movements and places of rest ˹O people˺. He began with knowledge before speech and actions.

( الأصول الثلاثة }‌‌

The three fundamentals

فاعلم أنه لا إله إلا الله واستغفر لذنبك

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah said:

If you attain forgiveness with tawhīd, then you attain richness and happiness.

Al fatwa 56/1

It is known from the text that seeking forgiveness or Isthiqfaar increases you in wealth. As Allah mentions in Surah Nuh:

فَقُلْتُ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارًۭا

saying, ‘Seek your Lord’s forgiveness, ˹for˺ He is truly Most Forgiving.

يُرْسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًۭا

He will shower you with abundant rain

وَيُمْدِدْكُم بِأَمْوَٰلٍۢ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ وَيَجْعَل لَّكُمْ أَنْهَـٰرًۭا

supply you with wealth and children, and give you gardens as well as rivers

〰〰 ملة إبراهيم حنيفا ☝️ 〰〰

(وَمَنْ يَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ ۚ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ) [البقرة: 130]

(وَقَالُوا كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَىٰ تَهْتَدُوا ۗ قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ) [البقرة: 135]

(قُلْ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ ۗ فَاتَّبِعُوا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ) [آل عمران: 95]

(وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۗ وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا) [النساء: 125]

(قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ) [الأنعام: 161]

(ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ أَنِ اتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ) [النحل: 123]

On the authority of ‘Adi Ibn Hatim (رضي الله عنه), it is reported that He heard the Messenger of Allāh (تعالى) (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) reciting this Qur’anic verse: {They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allāh…

Abu Hanifah said: “‘When I say something, which contradicts Allāh (تعالى)’s Book, discard my saying and adhere to Allāh (تعالى)’s Book.’ Some people said: ‘What if it contradicts the saying of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم )?’ He said: ‘Discard my saying…

[1] Fitnah: polytheism and to disbelieve after one has believed in Allāh (تعالى), or a trial or a calamity or an affliction or to set up rivals in worship with Allāh (تعالى), etc [2] Narrated Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه): The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم )…

The saying: am amazed at those people who know that a Sanad (i.e, Chain of Transmission) is authentic and yet, in spite of this, they follow the opinion of Sufyan,’ is a way of denying this act of theirs and he (Imam Ahmad) showed that this act of theirs can…