Repositioning Tawhid as the Foundation of Morality and Spirituality

• Admin

Religion remains one of the strongest forces in human life. Even in the middle of modernity, when science, technology, and digital culture shape the way people think and live, religion has not disappeared from public life. It continues to influence identity, ethics, politics, family life, education, and social relations.

The world’s major monotheistic religions, especially Islam and Christianity, are followed by billions of people across the globe. According to data cited by Inspirasi in 2025, Christianity remained the largest religion in the world, with around 2.2 billion followers, or more than 31 percent of the global population. Islam came second, with around 1.8 billion followers, or approximately 22 percent of the world’s population (Inspirasi, 2025). These numbers show that more than half of the world’s population identifies with religious traditions that believe in One Almighty God.

This reality shows that religion is not a marginal part of human civilization. It is still central. In Indonesia, this is even more visible. As one of the largest Muslim-majority countries in the world, Indonesia places tawḥīd, the belief in the oneness of God, at the heart of religious life. Tawḥīd is not only taught in mosques, schools, and pesantren, but also appears in public discourse, religious ceremonies, educational institutions, and social values.

A 2024 survey by Pew Research Center, discussed by Jonathan Evans in “Where Is the Most Religious Place in the World?”, even identified Indonesia as one of the most religious countries in the world. This should be something to be proud of. A religious society should ideally become a society that values honesty, justice, compassion, humility, and responsibility.

Yet this is where the problem begins. High religiosity does not always produce high morality. Indonesia is religious, but it still faces serious moral and social problems. Crime rates showed an increasing trend in 2025, as reported by Humas Kemenko Polkam RI. At the same time, Statistics Indonesia, through Statistik Kriminal 2024/2025, also recorded an increase in the percentage of citizens who became victims of crime (Badan Pusat Statistik Nasional, 2025).

These problems do not even include corruption, environmental destruction, discrimination, legal manipulation, and gender-based violence. Komnas Perempuan, in its 2025 CATAHU report titled “‘Menata Data, Menajamkan Arah’: Refleksi Pendokumentasian dan Tren Kasus Kekerasan Terhadap Perempuan 2024,” shows that violence against women remains a serious and continuing problem in Indonesian society.

This situation raises an uncomfortable question: why does a deeply religious society still struggle with morality? Why does belief in God not always prevent people from harming others? Why do religious symbols sometimes appear strong, while honesty, justice, and compassion remain weak?

When Religiosity Becomes Merely Symbolic

One possible answer is that religion is often practiced only at the level of symbols. Religion becomes an identity marker, but not always a source of moral transformation. A person may look religious, speak religiously, and display religious symbols, but still fail to embody the ethical values of religion.

In everyday life, piety is sometimes measured by outward appearance. A person may be considered more Islamic because of the clothes they wear, the length of their jilbab, the whiteness of their turban, or the number of religious terms they use in public. Religious identity becomes visible, but its deeper meaning may be lost.

This is not to say that religious symbols are unimportant. Symbols can be meaningful. Islamic clothing, Qur’anic recitation, mosque attendance, and religious expressions can all become part of sincere worship. The problem appears when symbols are separated from morality. When outward religiosity is not followed by honesty, humility, justice, and compassion, religion becomes empty performance.

Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur, often criticized this kind of religious formalism. In his reflections on Pribumisasi Islam, Gus Dur emphasized that Islam should not be reduced to rigid outward forms. Islam must live within culture, ethics, and humanity. Religion should not only be seen in symbols, but also in the way people treat others, defend justice, and show compassion.

This symbolic religiosity can create a crisis of spirituality. A person may perform religious rituals, but still lack inner awareness of God. A person may speak about religion, but still act arrogantly toward others. A person may defend religious symbols, but remain silent in the face of injustice. In this condition, religion becomes loud in appearance but weak in moral substance.

At the same time, social morality also declines. If religion no longer shapes honesty, empathy, responsibility, and justice, then society may become religious in language but poor in ethical practice. This is why tawḥīd needs to be repositioned. Tawḥīd should not be treated only as a theological doctrine to be memorized, but as a foundation for morality and spirituality.

Understanding Tawhid Substantively

Literally, tawḥīd refers to belief in the oneness of Allah. The Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia defines “tauhid” as the belief that Allah is One, or the absolute oneness of God (KBBI, 2026). More deeply, tawḥīd means recognizing that Allah alone is the ultimate source of life, authority, dependence, and devotion.

Musdah Mulia, in Ensiklopedia Muslimah Reformis, explains that tawḥīd is not merely a statement of belief. It is complete devotion to Allah by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions with humility, love, hope, and fear (Mulia, 2020). In this sense, tawḥīd is not only about what a person says with the tongue, but also about how a person lives.

In the history of monotheistic religions, Prophet Ibrahim is often seen as the father of monotheism. He became a model of faith for later prophets, including Prophet Muhammad SAW. Waryono Abdul Ghofur, in Persaudaraan Agama-agama: Millah Ibrahim dalam Tafsir al-Mizan, explains that tawḥīd is central to the millah Ibrahim, the religious path of Prophet Ibrahim that emphasizes the oneness of God and the unity of divine truth (Ghofur, 2016).

Among the Qur’anic chapters that express the essence of tawḥīd, Surah al-Ikhlāṣ holds a special place. This short chapter affirms that Allah is One, Allah is the Eternal Refuge, He neither begets nor is begotten, and nothing is comparable to Him. These statements are not only theological declarations. They also carry ethical consequences.

If Allah alone is absolute, then no human being has the right to act as if they are absolute. If Allah alone is the ultimate source of power, then human power must always be limited by justice and responsibility. If no being is comparable to Allah, then no human being may claim superiority over others in an arrogant and oppressive way.

This is the ethical meaning of tawḥīd. It teaches human beings humility. It reminds people that they are not God. They do not own other people’s lives. They do not have the right to exploit, humiliate, or oppress others. Tawḥīd, when understood deeply, should make a person more humble, more just, and more compassionate.

Tawhid as a Foundation of Morality

Tawḥīd should become the foundation of morality because it changes the way human beings view themselves and others. A person who truly believes in Allah understands that every action is seen by Him. Nothing is hidden from God. This awareness should produce honesty, even when no one is watching. It should produce responsibility, even when there is no social pressure.

Tawḥīd also rejects all forms of human arrogance. If all human beings are servants of Allah, then no one is naturally superior to others. Wealth, position, gender, ethnicity, social class, or religious appearance cannot make someone more valuable in the eyes of Allah unless accompanied by piety and good deeds.

This is why Musdah Mulia connects tawḥīd with human liberation, justice, gender equality, multicultural education, and religious education. In Ensiklopedia Muslimah Reformis, she argues that tawḥīd should become the foundation for freeing human beings from all forms of domination and injustice (Mulia, 2020). Tawḥīd is not only about worshiping Allah, but also about refusing to worship power, wealth, ego, and social status.

In this sense, tawḥīd has a strong social meaning. It teaches that no person should be treated as a god, and no worldly power should be obeyed blindly. A ruler, teacher, religious leader, parent, husband, employer, or community figure must never be placed above moral accountability. Absolute obedience belongs only to Allah.

This understanding is very important in religious education. Religious education should not only teach students to memorize doctrines, verses, and definitions. It should also teach them to become honest, fair, humble, and responsible human beings. Tawḥīd must shape behavior, not only belief. It must influence how people speak, work, lead, study, trade, argue, and interact with others.

Tawhid as a Foundation of Spirituality

Besides morality, tawḥīd is also the foundation of spirituality. True spirituality is not only about ritual performance. It is about inner awareness of Allah. It is about realizing that life has a higher purpose, that the human heart needs guidance, and that worldly success is not the final measure of life.

A person may perform many rituals but still be spiritually empty if those rituals do not produce humility and sincerity. On the other hand, a person who truly understands tawḥīd will see worship as a way to purify the heart and improve character. Prayer should prevent arrogance. Fasting should train self-control. Charity should grow compassion. Qur’anic recitation should deepen wisdom. Hajj should teach equality before Allah.

Gus Dur once stated that tawḥīd and obedience to the sharī‘ah must be manifested in love for fellow human beings. In his view, love for Allah should lead to compassion toward creation. Releasing oneself from excessive attachment to material things and replacing it with love for Allah is one of the highest forms of spiritual awareness (Gus Dur, 1989).

This means that spirituality is not an escape from society. It is not only about personal peace. It must also produce social sensitivity. A spiritually mature person should not be indifferent to poverty, violence, discrimination, corruption, or injustice. If someone claims to love Allah but harms His creation, then something is wrong with that person’s understanding of spirituality.

Returning Tawhid to the Center

The moral and spiritual problems found in society show that tawḥīd has not always been internalized as a living value. It is often taught as a doctrine, but not always practiced as an ethical consciousness. It is memorized, but not always embodied. It is spoken, but not always reflected in action.

This is why tawḥīd must be repositioned. It must return to the center of religious life, not only as a theological formula, but as a source of moral courage and spiritual depth. Tawḥīd should make people more honest, not more arrogant. It should make people more just, not more oppressive. It should make people more compassionate, not more judgmental.

A society that truly believes in tawḥīd should not normalize corruption, violence, discrimination, and exploitation. A person who truly believes in Allah should be afraid to harm others, because every act of injustice is seen by Him. Tawḥīd should awaken the conscience.

In the end, the crisis of morality and spirituality is not caused by the absence of religion, but by the failure to internalize religion deeply. Indonesia may be religious in numbers, symbols, and public expressions. But the real challenge is whether that religiosity can become honesty, justice, empathy, and responsibility.

Tawḥīd reminds human beings that absolute power belongs only to Allah SWT. No human being has the right to dominate others as if they were God. No worldly position, religious symbol, or social authority can replace moral accountability before Allah. When tawḥīd is truly understood, religion will not stop at appearance. It will become a force that purifies the heart, reforms behavior, and builds a more just and compassionate society.

By Siti Muliana, Student of The Ulama Cadre Education Program of Grand Mosques of Istiqlal.