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The Concept of God
In Islam
It is a known fact that every language has one or more terms that are
used in reference to God and sometimes to lesser deities. This is not the
case with Allah. Allah is the personal name of the One true God. Nothing
else can be called Allah. The term has no plural or gender. This shows
its uniqueness when compared with the word god which can be made plural,
gods, or feminine, goddess. It is interesting to notice that Allah is the
personal name of God in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and a sister language
of Arabic.
The One true God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates
with God. To a Muslim, Allah is the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of
the universe, Who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him.
The Prophet Muhammad was asked by his contemporaries about Allah; the answer
came directly from God Himself in the form of a short chapter of the
Quran, which is considered the essence of the unity or the motto of
monotheism. This is chapter 112 which reads:
"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Say (O Muhammad)
He is God the One God, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor
has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone."
Some non-Muslims allege that God in Islam is a stern and cruel God
who demands to be obeyed fully. He is not loving and kind. Nothing can
be farther from truth than this allegation. It is enough to know that,
with the exception of one, each of the 114 chapters of the Quran begins
with the verse: "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate."
In one of the sayings of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) we are told that "God is more loving and kinder
than a mother to her dear child."
But God is also Just. Hence evildoers and sinners must have their share
of punishment and the virtuous, His bounties and favors. Actually God's
attribute of Mercy has full manifestation in His attribute of Justice.
People suffering throughout their lives for His sake and people oppressing
and exploiting other people all their lives should not receive similar
treatment from their Lord. Expecting similar treatment for them will amount
to negating the very belief in the accountability of man in the Hereafter
and thereby negating all the incentives for a moral and virtuous life in
this world. The following Quranic verses are very clear and straightforward
in this respect:
"Verily, for the Righteous are gardens of Delight, in the Presence of
their Lord. Shall We then reat the people of Faith like the people of Sin?
What is the matter with you? How judge you?" (68:34-36)
Islam rejects characterizing God in any human form or depicting Him
as favoring certain individuals or nations on the basis of wealth, power
or race. He created the human-beings as equals. They may distinguish themselves
and get His favor through virtue and piety only. The concept that God rested
in the seventh day of creation, that God wrestled with one of His soldiers,
that God is an envious plotter against mankind, or that God is incarnate
in any human being are considered blasphemy from the Islamic point of view.
Read About This. The unique usage of Allah as a personal name of God is
a reflection of Islam's emphasis on the purity of the belief in God which
is the essence of the message of all God's messengers. Because of this,
Islam considers associating any deity or personality with God as a deadly
sin which God will never forgive, despite the fact He may forgive all other
sins.
He is Self-Sufficient or Self-Subsistent or, to use a Quranic term,
Al-Qayyum. The Creator does not create only in the sense of bringing things
into being, He also preserves them and takes them out of existence and
is the ultimate cause of whatever happens to them.
"God is the Creator of everything. He is the guardian over everything.
Unto Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth." (39:62, 63)
"No creature is there crawling on the earth, but its provision rests
on God. He knows its lodging place and it repository." (11:6)
God's Attributes If the Creator is Eternal and Everlasting, then His
attributes must also be eternal and everlasting. He should not lose any
of His attributes nor acquire new ones. If this is so, then His attributes
are absolute. Can there be more than one Creator with such absolute attributes?
Can there be for example, two absolutely powerful Creators? A moment's
thought shows that this is not feasible.
The Quran summarizes this argument in the following verses:
"God has not taken to Himself any son, nor is there any god with Him:
For then each god would have taken of that which he created and some of
them would have risen up over others." (23:91)
"And Why, were there gods in earth and heaven other than God, they
(heaven and earth) would surely go to ruin." (21:22)
The Oneness of God The Quran reminds us of the falsity of all alleged
gods. To the worshippers of man-made objects, it asks:
"Do you worship what you have carved yourself?" (37:95)
"Or have you taken unto you others beside Him to be your protectors,
even such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves?"
(13:16)
To the worshippers of heavenly bodies it cites the story of Abraham:
"When night outspread over him he say a star and said, 'This is my Lord.'
But when it set he said, 'I love not the setters.' When he saw the moon
rising, he said, 'This is my Lord.' But when it set he said, 'If my Lord
does not guide me I shall surely be of the people gone astray.' When he
say the sun rising, he said, 'This is my Lord; this is greater.' But when
it set he said, 'O my people, surely I quit that which you associate, I
have turned my face to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth; a
man of pure faith, I am not of the idolaters.'" (6:76-79)
The Believer's Attitude In order to be a Muslim, i.e., to surrender
oneself to God, it is necessary to believe in the oneness of God, in the
sense of His being the only Creator, Preserver, Nourisher, etc. But this
belief - later on called "Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah is not enough." Many of
the idolaters knew and believed that only the Supreme God could do all
this. but that was not enough to make them Muslims. To tawhid ar-rububiyyah
one must add tawhid al'uluhiyyah, i.e., one acknowledges the fact that
is God alone Who deserves to be worshipped, and thus abstains from worshipping
any other thing or being. Having achieved this knowledge of the one true
God, man should constantly have faith in Him, and should allow nothing
to induce him to deny truth.
When faith enters a person's heart, it causes certain mental states
which result in certain actions. Taken together these mental states and
actions are the proof for the true faith. The Prophet said, "Faith is that
which resides firmly in the heart and which is proved by deeds."
The feeling of gratitude is so important that a non-believer is called
'kafir,' which means 'one who denies a truth' and also 'one who is ungrateful.'
A believer loves, and is grateful to God for the bounties He bestowed
upon him, but being aware of the fact that his good deeds, whether mental
or physical, are far from being commensurate with Divine favors, he is
always anxious lest God should punish him, here or in the Hereafter. He,
therefore, fears Him, surrenders himself to Him and serves Him with great
humility. One cannot be in such a mental state without being almost all
the time mindful of God. Remembering God is thus the life force of faith,
without which it fades and withers away.
The Quran tries to promote this feeling of gratitude by repeating the
attributes of God very frequently. We find most of these attributes mentioned
together in the following verses of the Quran:
He is God; there is no god but He, He is the Knower of the unseen and
the visible; He is the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. He is God,
there is no God but He. He is the King, the All-Holy, the All-Peace, the
Guardian of Faith, the All-Preserver, the All-Mighty, the All-Compeller,
the All-Sublime. Glory be to God, above that they associate! He is God
the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful.
All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him; He is the All-Mighty,
the All-Wise." (59:22-24)
"There is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting. Slumber seizes
Him not, neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the
earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His leave? He
knows what lies before them and what is after them, and they comprehend
not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His throne comprises
the heavens and earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is
the All-High, the All-Glorious." (2:255)
"People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, and
say not as to God but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only
the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a Spirit
from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not, 'Three.' Refrain;
better is it for you. God is only one God. Glory be to Him - (He is) above
having a son." (4:171)
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more information, you may send me an email wtoghuj@email.com.
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