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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Principles of Faith (Usul al-Din) Divine Unity (Tawhid) Divine Unity refers to the belief that Allah is One. He is not composed of parts and attributes, because any composed being is in need of parts and the one who composes it. Also, it is impossible for the being that is in need to give existence to itself, let alone give existence to one other than itself.

Divine Unity is also the belief that Allah has no partners in Divinity or in His attributes.[^1] We will now explain some proofs of Divine Unity: First Proof If there were numerous gods then for each one of them to be a god, it would require them to share Divinity. Each one of them requires distinction from the other to confirm duality. Thus, each one would be composed from what they both share and in what they both differ.

Second Proof Existence of more than one god, without distinction, is impossible. Distinction is a cause of absence of what the other god may have of perfection. The one lacking perfection is in need. Therefore, the chain of need must end at the Self-Sufficient in essence from all dimensions. Otherwise, it would necessitate for all possible beings to be nonexistent, because the one that does not possess existence, cannot give it.

Third Proof Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, is present without limitation. As ‘Ali (as) says: Limitation and end do not apply to Him, [^2] because every limited being is composed of essence and the limitation of that essence. The limitation of essence would mean absence of perfection, which is in addition to that essence. Thus, this composition is the worst of its types, as composition can be between two existing things or between one existence and one nonexistence.

The supposed composition would be between an existence and a nonexistence. However, all types of compositions are impossible for Allah, the Exalted. The existence which has no limitation must be One for which a second cannot be conceived, because conceiving a second to Him would necessitate limiting Him. A limitation is composed of existence and nonexistence. Every composed is in need of what it is composed of. Therefore, association in Divinity ends in making the god in need of nonexistence.

The Glorified Allah is Unique in essence and attributes. Hence, He has no second to Him, neither confirmed nor conceived. Fourth Proof Indeed, the unity in the system of all parts of the universe, and in the universe as a whole, proves the Oneness of the Creator.