1.1 Concept of Allah in Islam It is a known fact that every language has one or more terms that are used in reference to ALLAH and sometimes to lesser deities. This is not the case with Allah. Allah is the personal name of the one true ALLAH. 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 ALLAH in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and a sister language of Arabic. The One true ALLAH is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with ALLAH. To a Muslim Allah are the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) was asked by his contemporaries about Allah; the answer came directly from ALLAH 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 ALLAH, the Merciful, and the Compassionate. Say (O Muhammad) He is ALLAH the One ALLAH, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone. Some non-Muslims allege that ALLAH in Islam is a stern and cruel ALLAH who demands to be obeyed fully. He is not loving and kind. Nothing can be further 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 ALLAH, the Merciful, and the Compassionate. In one of the sayings of prophet Muhammad (PBUH) we are told that ALLAH is more loving and kinder than a mother to her dear child. But ALLAH is also just. Hence evildoers and sinners must have their share of punishment and the virtuous His bounties and favours. Actually ALLAHs attribute of Mercy has full manifestation in His attribute of Justice. People suffering throughout their life for His sake and people oppressing and exploiting other people all their life should not receive similar treatment for that 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 Straight forward in this respect. Verily, for the Righteous are gardens of Delight, in the 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? (68:34-36). Islam rejects characterizing ALLAH 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 unique usage of Allah as a personal name of ALLAH is a reflection of Islams emphasis on the purity of the belief in ALLAH which is the essence of the message of all ALLAHs messengers. Because of this, Islam considers associating any deity or personality with ALLAH as a deadly sin which ALLAH 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 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. ALLAH is the Creator of everything. He is the guardian over everything. Unto Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. No creature is there crawling on the earth, but its provisions rests on ALLAH. HE knows its lodging place and its repository. ALLAHs 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 moments thought shows that this is not feasible. The Oneness of ALLAH The Quran reminds us of the falsity of all alleged ALLAHs. To the worshippers of man-made objects it asks: Do you worship what you have carved yourself or have you taken unto you others beside Him to be your protectors, even such as have no power to protect them? 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 those that set. When he saw moon rising, he said, This is my Lord. But when it set him 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 greatest But when it set he said, O my people, surely I quit that you associate partners to Him. I have turned my face to Him who originated the heavens and the earth, a man of pure faith. I am not of the isolators (6: 76-79) The Believers Attitude In order to be a Muslim i.e., to surrender oneself to ALLAH, it is necessary to believe in the oneness of ALLAH, 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 ALLAH could do all this. But that was not enough to make them Muslims. To Tawhid ar-rububiyyah one must add Tawhid aluluhiyyah i.e., one acknowledges the fact that it is ALLAH alone who deserves to be worshipped, and thus abstains from worshipping any other thing or being. Having achieved this knowledge of the one true ALLAH, man should constantly have faith in Him, and should allow nothing to induce him to deny truth. When faith enters a persons heart, it causes certain mental states which result in certain actions. Taken together these mental states and actions are the proof for true faith. The Prophet said, Faith is that which resides firmly in the heart and which is proved by deeds. Foremost among those mental states is the feeling of gratitude towards ALLAH, which could be said to be the essence of ibada (Worship). The feeling of gratitude is so important that a nonbeliever is called kafir, which means one who denies a truth and also one who is ungrateful. A believer loves, and is grateful to ALLAH 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 favours, he is always anxious lest ALLAH 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 ALLAH. Remembering ALLAH 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 ALLAH very frequently. We find most of these attributes mentioned together in the following verses of the Quran: He is ALLAH; there is no ALLAH but He. He is the Knower of the unseen and the visible; He is the All-merciful, the All-compassionate. He is ALLAH; there is no ALLAH but Him. He is the King, the All-holy, the All-peace, the Guardian of Faith, the All-preserver, the All-mighty, the All-compeller, and the All-sublime. Glory be to ALLAH, above that they associate! He is ALLAH, the Creator, the Maker, and the Shaper. To Him belongs 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 ALLAH but Him, 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 ALLAH but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only the Messenger of ALLAH, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in ALLAH and His Messengers, and say no, Three. Refrain; better is it for you. ALLAH is only one ALLAH. Glory be to Him - that He should have a son. (4:171)
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 09:39:16 +0000