A lot of people, when someone commits shirk or something similar, immediately say, “Oh, he was ignorant (jahil), he didn’t know, he wasn’t aware.” They try to find any excuse for him.

But when someone commits a sin, they label him a fasiq and completely cut him off. No one talks to him anymore. But in reality, Tawheed is far more important and valuable. It’s what we should base our wala’ and bara’ on.

I just wanted to share this thought I had: when it comes to the adhkar—the morning and evening remembrances, the ones after salah, before sleep—we have so many authentic ahadith that talk about the huge reward for doing these, like saying SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, etc.

We read these ahadith and accept them without question. But do we ever reflect on why they carry such great rewards? We often accept them because they’re easy and align with our desires. But the reality is, these adhkar are powerful because they remind us of Allah—they renew and reinforce our Tawheed.

This proves the high status of Tawheed. Many people act like sins are worse than shirk, but that’s not true. Someone might drink alcohol or commit zina, and despite how evil that is, he remains a Muslim—as long as he still has Tawheed. Allah may punish him or forgive him. But if a person falls into major shirk or kufr, even if he stays at home praying all day, he is outside the fold of Islam—his deeds are worthless in the Hereafter.

As an example, today, many people swear by other than Allah. But the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever swears by other than Allah has committed kufr or shirk.”
(Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood – authentic)

This is considered minor shirk, yes, but it’s still serious. And sadly, people take these acts lightly, while they blow up sins to a much greater degree.

So again, why are the adhkar so emphasized? Why are they so highly rewarded? Because they connect you with Allah—this is Tawheed. That’s the point. It’s proof that Tawheed holds the greatest value.

Even if a person were to commit every sin—drink every day, commit zina with ten women every day, and so on—if he still believes in Tawheed, he is a Muslim. Allah might forgive him or punish him. We don’t know. But if someone is a disbeliever, and spends the whole day in devotion to a false god, then all of that is meaningless in the sight of Allah.

This shows the supreme value of Tawheed. And no, this is not to say, “Go commit sins.” Of course not. Sins are dangerous. Some of the Salaf said: “Sins lead to shirk, just as sickness leads to death.”

So we must protect ourselves from sin. Stay away as much as possible. Take precautions. And when we do fall—as every one of us will—we must repent. As the Prophet ﷺ said (even though there is some discussion about the chain of narration):

“All of the children of Adam commit sins, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.”

So don’t underestimate your Tawheed.
Don’t lose your Tawheed.
Don’t do anything that contradicts your aqeedah.
Then protect yourself from sin and fitan—because this is part of protecting your Tawheed. Sins will eventually affect your heart and your faith.

I said I’d keep this short, so I’ll end it here.
Subhanak Allahumma wa bihamdik, ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk.