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.
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."
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."
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 treat the people of Faith like the people of Sin?
What is the matter with you? How judge you?" (68:34-36)
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.
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.
[Note that what is meant above applies ONLY to those people who die in a state wherein they are associating others with God. The repentance of those who yet live is acceptable to God if He wills. - MSA of USC]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 outside him causes him to continue to exist, which means that he must be self-sufficient. And if the 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.
"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 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)
The Quran summarizes this argument in the following verses:
And Why, were there gods in
earth and heaven other than God, they (heaven and earth) would surely go to
ruin." (21:22)
"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)
"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 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 of the idolaters.'" (6:76-79)
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." Foremost among those mental states 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 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:
"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)
"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)
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