☪ Who is Allah? ☪

Who is Allah?

“…Verily I am Allah: there is no god but I: so serve me (only) and establish regular prayer for My Remembrance.” (Koran: V 20:14)

Allah is the Arabic name of “The One and Only True God,” the proper name of the One who created the heavens and the earth. Arabic speaking Jews and Christians also call God by the name Allah. For a Muslim, Allah is the greatest and most inclusive of names for God, denoting The One who is adored in worship, The One who created all that exists. The Koran mentions ninety-nine beautiful names for Allah such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, the Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the Universe, The First, The Last and others.

Allah is the Creator of all human beings. He is the God for the Christians, the jews, the Muslims, the Buddhist, the Hindus, the Atheists, and all human beings, whether they believe in Him or not. Muslims worship Allah, put their trust in Him, and seek His help and His guidance.

The concept of monotheism (known as tawheed in Arabic) is the single most important concept in Islam. Monotheism points to the first of the Ten Commandments, and in Islam everything is built upon the oneness of Allah. Islam calls humanity away from worship of any part of creation to the worship of The One and Only True God. No act of worship or devotion has any meaning or value if the concept of monotheism is in any way compromised.

Due to its importance, the concept of monotheism (divine unity and singularity) must be properly and fully understood. For ease of discussion, monotheism can be looked at from the following three perspectives:

The Oneness of Allah in His Lordship (Omnipotence)

The Devotion of All Worship to the One God Alone.

The Uniqueness and Oneness of God in His Names and Attributes.

This breakdown is by no means the only way to approach the subject that Allah is one and unique, but it allows the topic to be easily analyzed and discussed.

The Oneness of Allah in His Lordship (Omnipotence)
The oneness of Allah in His Lordship means that Allah, The Originating Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, has absolute and perfect mastery over the universe. He alone is The Creator of all things. He alone causes everything to happen. He is The One who provides all sustenance and who determines all life and death. He is The Powerful, The Omnipotent, absolutely perfect and free from any defect. No one shares in His dominion. None can resist His decree. He is The One who created each of us from a single cell and made us into what we are. He is The One who created over a hundred billion galaxies and every electron, neutron, and quark contained within them, keeping all that exists and all the laws of nature in perfect measure. Not a leaf falls from a tree without His permission. Everything is kept in a precise record.

He is far greater than our imagination. He is so powerful that for anything to be created He simply says to it “Be”, and it is. He created time, space, and all the known and unknown worlds, yet He is not part of any them. Most faiths recognize that The Creator of the universe is one, without partner. Islam includes the knowledge that Allah is not a part of His creation and none of His creation shares in His power.

“…Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and the angels, and those having knowledge (also give this witness); (He is always) maintaining His creation in Justice: There is no god but He, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” (Koran: V 3:18)

“…The Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you mates from yourselves and for the cattle (also) mates. By this means He creates you (in the wombs). There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer. (Koran: V 42:11)

“…Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) gods besides Allah, then verily both would have been ruined. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above what they attribute to Him! (Koran: V 21:22)

In Islam, to believe that any of Allah’s creation shares in His power or attributes is considered polytheism and disbelief. Examples of such false beliefs would be to consider that fortune-tellers. or astrologers can predict the future; Only the Divine. The All Aware, said that only He posses the knowledge of the future. Only the Divine of the future. Only the Divine can give divine help. No being except Allah has the ability to give divine help or divine guidance. Belief that good luck charms and talismans have any power is a form of polytheism. These concepts are renounced in Islam.

The devotion of all worship to The One God Alone
Only Allah, the Appreciative, is to be worshipped. This is proclaimed by all the Prophets and Messengers of Islam who were sent by Allah throughout the ages, and is the core belief of Islam. Allah tells us that the purpose of creation of humanity is to worship Him alone. The purpose of Islam is to call people away from the worship of creation and to direct them toward the worship of The Creator alone.

“…I have only created the Jinns (Devils) and men, except that they should worship me (Alone).” (Koran: V 51:56)

Allah created humans with an inmate, natural inclination toward the worship of Him alone. Satan, on the other hand, does his utmost to get people to turn away from monotheism, enticing mankind to worship of creation (idolatry). Most people have a tendency to focus their devotion on something they can visualize, something imaginable, even though they have an instinctive knowledge that The Creator of the universe is far greater than their imaginations. Throughout human history, Allah sent a succession of Prophets and Messengers to call people back to worship of The One and Only True God. Due to the allure of Satan, people repeatedly deviated to the worship of created beings (idolatry and polytheism).

“…O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Satan: If any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will (but) command what is shameful and wrong: and were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, not one of you would ever have been pure: but Allah does purify whom He pleases: and Allah is One Who hears and knows (all things).” (Koran: V 24:21)

“…Satan said: “O my Lord! Because You have put me in the wrong, I will make (wrong) fair-seeming to them on the earth, and I will put them all in the wrong – except your servants among them, sincere and purified (by Your grace).” (Koran: V 15:39-40)

“…I will take of Your servants a portion marked off; I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by Allah.” (Koran: V 4:118-119)

“…Surely Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his adherents that they may become companions of the Blazing Fire.” (Koran: V 35:6)

Allah created human beings to worship Him alone. In Islam, the greatest possible sin is to worship anything or anyone other than Allah, even if the worshipper intends to get nearer to Allah by offering devotions to another being. Allah, The Sufficient, does not need intercessors or intermediaries. He hears all of our prayers and has complete knowledge of everything that happens. At the same time, Allah does not need our worship, but He says that is pleasing to Him. He is completely independent of all things.

“…O mankind! It is you that have need of Allah: but Allah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of all praise. If He so pleased, He could blot you out and bring in a New Creation. Nor is that (at all) difficult for Allah. (Koran: V 35:15-17)

All creation is dependent upon Him. If every person in the world were to come together to worship only Allah, it would not benefit Allah in the least. It would not add an atom’s weight to His majestic dominion. Conversely, if all creation abandoned the worship of Allah, it would not decrease His dominion in the least. By worshiping Allah, we benefit our own souls and fulfill the noble purpose for which we were created. Allah has no needs; He is the Eternal, The Absolute.

Worship is not just traditional religious ceremonies or practices. The concept of worship is inclusive. Changing a diaper, honoring and caring for one’s parents, as well as picking up a piece of broken glass from the sidewalk – all can be forms of worship if they are done with the primary intent to please Allah. If any sort of gain, be it wealth, job, power, or recognition, becomes more important than pleasing Allah, even if it is a form of polytheism.

The Uniqueness and Oneness of Allah in His Names and Attributes
The Uniqueness and Oneness of Allah in His names and Attributes indicates that Allah does not share in the attributes of created beings, nor do they share in any of His. Allah is unique in every way. He cannot be limited in any way, for He is The Creator of Everything. Allah, The Most Greatest says,

“…Allah! There is no God but Him, The Ever Living, The One who sustains and protects all that exist. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the hereafter. And they will never encompass anything of His knowledge except that which He wills. The pedestal of His throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is The Most High, The Supreme.” (Koran: V 2:255)

In Islam it is forbidden to attribute to Allah characteristics of His creation. The only attributes that may be ascribed to Allah are ones He revealed Himself in the Koran or those used by the Prophet to describe Him. Many of Allah’s names and attributes seem to have equivalents on the human level, but this is the only a reflection of human language. Allah’s attributes, like Allah Himself, are unlike anything in our experience. For instance, Allah has divine knowledge of human beings. Allah’s knowledge is unlimited (omniscient, The All Knowing). It is neither learned nor acquired. Allah’s knowledge encompasses all things without experiencing increase or decrease. Human Knowledge, on the other hand, is acquired and limited. It is constantly changing, increasing and decreasing, and subject to forgetfulness and error.

“…There is nothing like Him, and He is the One who hears and sees (all things).” (Koran: V 42:11)

Allah, The Irresistible, has divine will. The human being also has a will. Allah’s will always come to pass. Like His divine knowledge, His will encompasses all things that Allah wants to come to pass in creation – past, present and future. Human will, on the other hand, is merely an intention, a desire. It can only come to pass if Allah wills it to happen.

Human attributes cannot be ascribed to Allah. All human attributes are limited. Allah has no gender, weakness, or deficiency. Allah is beyond the human and creation attribute of gender. Here we have used the pronoun “He” only because there is no gender-neutral pronoun in English/Semitic languages, and it follows the conventions of English usage. When the royal “We” is used in the Koran to refer to Allah, it is for respect and in no way implies plurality. To ascribe to Allah attributes of created things is a form of polytheism. It is likewise a form of polytheism to ascribe to created things attributes that belong to Allah alone. For instance, anyone who believes that any other than Allah is The All Wise or All Powerful has committed the sin of polytheism.

“…Glory is to Him, and supremely exalted is He above what they set up (with Him)!” (Koran: V 10:18)