The Difference Between Polytheists and Monotheists in Islamic Theology
From the previous explanations, it has already become clear that any truly polytheistic act makes a person's Islam impossible. Whoever does not purify his worship and obedience entirely and serves others alongside the one Creator cannot, for many reasons, be regarded as a Muslim.
In summary, it can be said that the polytheist does not fulfil the following fundamental theological principles and characteristics, which are essential for the realization of monotheism:
- He does not fulfil ikhlas, the purification of deeds for Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
- He is not a hanif and does not follow the hanifiyyah, which is used in Islamic sources to describe monotheism.
- He does not follow the original teaching of Abraham (millatu Ibrahim), which is also mentioned and explained multiple times in the Qur'an.
- He does not fulfil the fundamental theological principle of al-kufru bi-t-taghut, which describes renouncing idols, tyrants, and everything that is worshiped besides Allah.
These four points will be examined and clarified individually in the following chapters.