Concept of God In Islam

Concept of God In Islam

Introduction
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, as in “gods,” or made feminine, as in “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 ArabicThe 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 Qur’an, which is considered to be the essence of the unity or the motto of monotheism. This is chapter 112, which reads:” In the name of Allah, 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 and is not loving and kind. Nothing could be farther from the truth than this allegation. It is enough to know that, with the exception of one, each of the 114 chapters of the Qur’an 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 kind than a mother to her dear child”.
On the other hand, God is also Just. Hence, evildoers and sinners must have their share of punishment, and the virtuous must have God’s 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 should not receive similar treatment from their Lord as people who oppress and exploit others their whole lives. Expecting similar treatment for them would amount to negating the very belief in the accountability of man in the Hereafter and thereby negate all the incentives for a moral and virtuous life in this world. The following Qur’anic verses are very clear and straightforward in this respectVerily, for the Righteous are gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord. Shall We then treat the people of Faith like the people of Sin? What is the matter with you? How judge you?
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 concepts that God rested on the seventh day of creation, that God wrestled with one of His soldiers, that God is an envious plotter against mankind, and that God is incarnate in any human being are considered blasphemy from the Islamic point of view.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 that 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 that God will never forgive, despite the fact that He may forgive all other sins.
The Creator must be of a different nature from the things created because if He is of the same nature as they are, He will be temporal and will therefore need a maker. It follows that nothing is like Him. If the maker is not temporal, then he must be eternal. But if he is eternal, he cannot be caused, and if nothing caused Him to come into existence, nothing outside Him causes Him to continue to exist, which means that he must be self-sufficient. And if He does not depend on anything for the continuance of His own existence, then this existence can have no end. The Creator is therefore eternal and everlasting: “He is the First and the Last”.
He is Self-sufficient or Self-subsistent, or, to use a Qur’anic 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 its repository” (11:16).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 Qur’an 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 Qur’an 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 yourself 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 saw 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 saw 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 one of the idolators” (6:76-79).
The Believer’s Attitude
In order to be a Muslim, that is, 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 called Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah, is not enough. Many of the idolators knew and believed that only the Supreme God could do all this. But this was not enough to make them Muslims. To tawhid ar-rububiyyah, one must add tawhid al-’uluhiyyah. That is, one acknowledges the fact that it 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 that 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”.Foremost among those mental stated is the feeling of gratitude towards God, which could be said to be the essence of ibada (worship).
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 Qur’an 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 Qur’an:” 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 the 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 Almighty, the All-Wise” (59:22-24).” There is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, nor 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 it is for you. God is only one God. Glory be to Him — (He is) above having a son” (4:171).


Belief in God
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=49


Faith in the Unity of God

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/tawheed/mautaw1.html



God’s Love in Islam
http://www.beautifulislam.net/tellmemore/god_and_love.htm#love







Whom Must We Worship ?
http://sultan.org/articles/wmww.html


The Purpose of Life by Khalid Yaseen , Why We Are Created?
http://www.sultan.org/articles/purposeoflife.htm
Allahu Akbar (Allah is Greater)
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=391
Greatness of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=237
The Oneness of Allaah - Islam Question and Answer :
http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/13532
Hadith : Oneness, Uniqueness of Allah
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/093.sbt.html






Discussion with a Christian: The Oneness of God is the message of Jesus andall the Prophets, peace be upon them:
http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/12628


Was Jesus Perfect God and Perfect Man at the Same Time?
http://www3.sympatico.ca/shabir.ally/new_page_26.htm


Is Jesus the same as God ?
http://jamaat.net/muh-christ/intro.html


How did Christianity become mixed with polytheistic beliefs?:
http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/12634


What Is His Nature? (God In Christianity) By Naji Al-Arfaj (PDF)
http://www.sultan.org/books/WhatisHisnature.pdf


The God That Never Was
http://jamaat.net/gtnw/god.html
Oneness of God (Allah) : The Solution to the Trinitarian Controversy
http://www.wefound.org/allah.htm



God Allah - Allah - NOT
a Moon God
http://godallah.com/moon_god.php


Allah’s Names and Attributes in the Qur’an

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/introduction/wasiti/taimiyah_5.html



Allah’sNames and Attributes in the Sunnah
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/introduction/wasiti/taimiyah_6.html
Al-Hafeedh, One of Allah’s Beautiful Names
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=244


Al-Lateef, One of Allah’s Beautiful Names
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=195






Meanings of “Ar-Raheem”, “Ash-Shakoor” and “Al-`Adheem”
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=72



http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=68
Allah as “WE” in Quran:
http://www.islam101.com/tauheed/AllahWE.htmOn the Hadeeth Naming the 99 Names of Allah

Becoming Muslim Miss Mas'udah Steinmann (England)

Miss Mas'udah Steinmann (England)

No other religion professed by a large community have I found so comprehensible and encouraging. There seems no better way towards tranquility of mind and contentment in life, no greater promise for the future after death.
The human being is part of a whole; man cannot claim more than being just a particle of creation in its magnificent perfection. As such, he can only fulfill his purpose of living by carrying out his function in relating himself to the whole and to other living parts. It is the harmonious relationship between the parts and the whole that makes life purposeful, that can bring it nearest to perfection, that helps a human being to achieve contentment and happiness.
What place does religion occupy in this relationship between Creator and creation? Here are some people's opinions on religion.
"A man's religion is the chief fact whith regard to him; the thing a man does practically believe ... the thing a man does practically lay to heart, and know for certain, concerning his vital relations to this Universe, and his duty and destiny there ... that is religion."(Carlyle Heroes and Heroworship)
"Religion is the sense of ultimate reality of whatever meaning a man finds in his own existence or the existence of anything else."(G. K. Chesterton Come To Think Of It)
"Religion a daughter of hope and fear explaining to ignorance the nature of the Unknowable."(Ambrose Bierce The Devil's Dictionary)
"The body of all true religion consists to be sure, in obedience to the will of the Sovereign of the world, in a confidence in His declarations, and in imitation of His perfection."(Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France)
"All religion relates to life, and the life of religion is to do good."(Swedenborg, Doctrine Of Life)
"Every man, either to his terror or consolation, has some sense of religion."(James Harrington, Oceana)
At one time or another every human being is confronted with the Unknown, Incomprehensible, with the purpose of his existence. Questioning himself he creates a belief, a conviction --- 'Religion' in its widest sense.
Why do I consider Islam as the most perfect religion?
First and foremost, it acquaints us with the Whole, the Creator: 'In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful; Say: He, God, is one, God is He on Whom all depend; He begets not, nor is He begotten; and none is like Him" (Al-Qur'an, 112:1-4). "To God is your return and He is Possessor over all things" (Al-Qur'an, 11:4). "I, God, am the best Knower" (Al-Qur'an, 2:1). Again and again throughout the Qur'an we are reminded of the Oneness of the Creator, "Indivisible", "Eternal", "Infinite", "Almighty", "All-Knowing", the "All Just", the "Helper", the "Merciful", the "Compassionate". So the Whole becomes a reality; again and again we are asked to establish a satisfactory relationship between Him and us; "Know that God gives life to the earth after its death. We have made messages clear to you that you may understand" (Al-Qur'an. 57:17). "Say I seek refuge with the Nourisher of mankind" (Al-Qur'an, 114:1).
One might argue that in order to recognize and believe in God and to live happily in a community it is necessary to believe in Divine messages. Does not a father guide his children? Does he not organize his family's life so that it may live together harmoniously?
Islam claims to be the only true religion that rehabilitates the truth of its predecessors. It claims that the guidance provided by the Qur'an is clear, comprehensible and reasonable. By guiding our way towards achievement of a satisfactory relationship between the Creator and the created it brings about a co-operation between physical and spiritual forces enabling us to equalize internal and external forces in order to be at peace within ourselves --- the most important factor to establish a harmonious state between one living part and another and an important condition towards our striving for perfection.
Christianity stresses the spiritual side of life; it teaches a love that puts a heavy burden of responsibility upon every Christian. The perfect love is doomed to failure if its achievement does not lie within the reach of human nature and contradicts reason and understanding. Only someone who has a deep knowledge of human conflicts and combines it with sympathy, understanding and a sense of responsibility may come near to the perfection of the Christian principle --- and, even, then, he will have to bury his reason with his love. S. T. Coleridge says in his Aids To Reflection: "He who begins by loving Christianity better than Truth will proceed by loving his own sect of Church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all."
Islam teaches us to respect God, to submit to His laws entitling and encouraging us to use our reason as well as our emotions of love and understanding. The commandments of the Qur'an, the message of God for His creatures, regardless of race, nation or social standard.
"Say: O people, the Truth has indeed come to you from your Lord; so whoever goes aright, goes aright only for the good of his own soul; and whoever errs, errs only against it. And I am not a custodian over you."(Al-Qur'an, 10:108).
No other religion professed by a large community have I found so comprehensible and encouraging. There seems no better way towards tranquillity and contentment in life, no greater promise for the future after death.
From "Islam, Our Choice"