Thoughts About Creator!

A galaxy, a beautiful creation of Allah light years from earth

Who has created me? Some force, yes. Although we are doing different things but how were we enabled to do these. How does it happen that a sperm and egg make human that lives more than 50 years and is more than 5′ tall? The only contribution that we do is that of helping the process by creating the conditions that are suitable for that process to happen.

A gardener turns seeds into trees by planting seeds, giving these plant food, water and natural sunlight. But he does not create a seed. He also does not know why a seed becomes a rose plant and why not apple plant. Modern science helps us to know some of these things by evaluation, research and continuous development, but can it turn a dead man into a living one or create a spirit?

We create machines, metals, items, buildings and many other items of daily use. Where did the material for these comes from? Was plastic bottle possible if there were no hydrocarbons? Was the fast development of world possible if there was no oil? What if there was no oxygen or water? How can we create any animal such as a cat? No.

For all these things, what contribution do we have in their making. None! We are just users of these natural resources as we found these after birth.

Astronomy brings us the information about a star 40 light years away. It means that if we travel at speed of light then we shall take 40 man years to reach that star. It shows us the size of the universe. How much big is it? Where are the boundaries? We don’t know, yes, really.

We realize that whenever we do any thing, we need to manage. Whether it is a hotel, a company, Wal Mart or military, there is a heirarchy of people to do management at different levels in the organisation.What is the organisation which is without management. Even in that case, there are processes built-in to the system that do the regulation.
So, how is the world around us is running? What makes earth revolve around sun? Why earth does not fall on sun? Why sun is the star for us and not any other? Why a pigeon has very sweet habits, never bites and a Mayna gets angry very quickly? I want to imagine that the earth is running without a system but can’t do that. There must be some force that is doing it. If that force is the driving energy, then what is the impact on us? We get sunshine, water, vegetables, fruits and so much of other things in life including our families.

So, in this way, that force is making us possible to live, enjoy and share life with others. It has its great contribution that makes it possible for us first to be born, grow, live and then die. Even death is a blessing, for if people remained alive for 1000 years, how much boring would be the earth and the earth would have been full of people, having deaths by starving as there would not be food for so many. Another way of thinking is that death enables us to meet our creator, the force that created us and see by ourselves what were we not able to see in the physical world.

This force created two components of us: spirit, the driving force and the body, the biological machine that follows the spirit’s instructions. People having near death experiences have explained that after death they could hear and see everything but could not participate in any actions because their physical being was non-existent.

After death, spirit remains and the physical body gets converted into earth, where it originally came from. Spirit lives forever and gets its rewards and punishments depending on deeds it has done in the physical life. Afterlife, it gets rewards such as living in an environment that we would like to live forever and punishment we would want to escape without a second passed. Talking about punishments, how about a punishment where you are given a body, then put the body into fire, get the body 100 degree burnt and molten flesh converted into ashes, then replacing ashes with another fresh body to burn, melt and convert into ashes again and the process repeats itself for a period that is only determined by that force that created us. Can you imagine the pain? Very difficult, isn’t it? Due to pain, the brain will be overloaded by the pain signals and shall go into unconsciousness, but may be that force will not allow that to happen. In that case, it will be even more painful.

But if you have done good deeds, He has rewards for you. You can believe that He, the only one you can truly trust, will keep giving you all it has forever and wherever you are. And, whenever someone gives you so much, why not let Him know that we believe in what he stands for and perform what he wants from us. Is it difficult, may be, but compared to what he has given us, it is nothing.

Thank you my force, my creator, for all you have given me till now and for whatever you will give later!

I don’t want to say that “May God please make me…”, it tells me that for every of my actions, I put the responsibility on God. Let me be responsible for my actions as far as He has enabled me to do these. My force, my creator, My God, I believe in you and what you have done for me till now and I shall make sure that I shall keep your principles high even when there will be mounting difficulties, your trust on me intact and my following of you as you want. With it My God, My Allah, I also request that although you have given me everything that I could not think of, I still need you give to me more of your blessings and forgive my shortcomings and any mistakes till I am alive in the physical world.

Islamic Belief and Rationality

To have faith in a creator is considered by many as equal to following something blindly. The rise of science and technology in the last 50 years has resulted in many people abandoning their religious beliefs and adopting the faith of science which concludes there is no need for a creator.

Names such as Richard Dawkins a staunch atheist regularly ridicules those who believe in a creator and look upon any person who believes in Allah سبحانه وتعالى as effectively contradicting the very make-up of a human being. Scientists as well as those who are smitten by the discoveries in the scientific world have over the years developed a number of theories which for them proves there is no such thing as a creator. These theories or arguments can be categorized as follows:

Scientific theories - based around the fact that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has never been seen, heard or touched so how could He exist, and all things are just different forms of atoms (matter) so there is no need for a creator.

Moral arguments - such as how could a creator exist and create so much evil, corruption, vice, wars and unhappiness in the world? Surely Allah سبحانه وتعالى would be all the good things such as love, peace and mercy.

Logical arguments - The ideas developed from logic include, if Allah سبحانه وتعالى is all powerful could he create a stone heavy enough that he couldn't lift and other questions such as can Allah سبحانه وتعالى create a wall even he couldn't climb.

Cult theories - These theories include that we may live in a matrix, aliens could have created us or even the devil may have created us.

Before looking at these arguments it must be understood that all of them are designed to try and prove that there is no need for a creator.


The limitations of science

There is no doubt, the development of science over the last 200 years has led to the creation and invention of technology and research which would have been unimaginable to all those in the 18th century. The genetic make-up of humans, the discovery of DNA, the motor vehicle etc are just some of the success stories of scientific development. However many who are mesmerised by science have tried to use it to suggest there is no creator. This is a complete misuse of science; this can be seen if we look at how science concludes facts.

The scientist would carry out an experiment in a laboratory and would subject the thing under study to various conditions such as extreme heat or cold and then see how it reacts in comparison to how it would react in its normal environment. From this, facts would then be concluded. Hence science can not experiment with those things which are intangible such as ideas, laws, history, behaviour and those things beyond the universe. This is because all these things are not tangible. You cannot take them into a laboratory and heat them or freeze them. Therefore it is impossible for science to experiment with Allah سبحانه وتعالى as Allah سبحانه وتعالى cannot be experimented with.

Many scientists argue there is no need for a creator as everything we see in the universe such as planets, humans, stars etc are just different forms of matter. They are just atoms which are arranged in a particular way and when a human dies as an example, they turn into dust which is another form of matter. However it is physically impossible for anything to change from one state to another on its own. Water cannot change into steam on its own, and ice cannot turn into liquid on its own. Both of these need something else to make the transition. For water to transform into steam it requires heat, and for ice to turn into liquid it requires a certain amount of cold. For transformation to occur any amount of heat or cold is not enough, but a specific amount is needed i.e. steam will not be generated from water unless the heat is 100 degrees; 80 degrees will not generate steam. Why will this only occur at 100 degrees? Why not at any other temperature? This is because the water, the heat and the steam have no will on deciding things. The rule of changing from water to steam at 100 degrees was imposed on them - they had no choice; if they did then they could transform at any temperature, not only at 100 degrees. This shows that it is wrong to suggest things are merely matter or atoms as something other then them is laying rules and controlling things, this can only be the creator.


Good and bad

Many believe that it's not your belief in Allah سبحانه وتعالى or following a religion that makes you a good person. Rather it's if you have good morals such as honesty, love, peace, mercy etc, and if these are the best morals then how could Allah سبحانه وتعالى allow so much oppression, wars, disease and disasters in the world? Surely this proves there is no creator?

This argument has a number of problems as it assumes Allah سبحانه وتعالى is like a human who has morals and it assumes humans created such attributes, hence Allah سبحانه وتعالى must have them aswell. If Allah سبحانه وتعالى was like a human then it means Allah سبحانه وتعالى would grow old and die one day no different to humans. This would be ridiculous to believe. Placing the blame for the existence of problems around the world is even more ridiculous as all of them are man-made. WWI was started by Britain as Germany was threatening Europe. WWII was again started by Britain along with Russia and France due to Hitler expanding Germany. The Iraq war was started by the US due to Oil. The war in Kashmir was effectively created by the British as they gave a majority Muslim land to India, and finally the problems in the Middle East were created by Britain who imposed Israel upon the people of Palestine. The oppression around the world is created and maintained by humans not Allah سبحانه وتعالى.


It must be logical....

The people who raise logical arguments in no way prove that Allah سبحانه وتعالى does not exist. Rather they raise circular arguments which go nowhere. Whether Allah سبحانه وتعالى can lift a stone, fly, climb etc in no way proves he doesn't exist. These questions in themselves are wrong as there is no correct answer to them whichever way you answer them. They are the same as asking, is Germany the largest continent in the world? Obviously it is not. However this means Germany is a continent just not the largest. The problem here is the question asked was wrong as it contradicted the definition of Germany which is that it's a country in Europe. Similar to this would be to ask, can the cat speak Chinese? Answering yes is irrational and answering no would mean the cat cannot speak Chinese but it can speak. Again the question was wrong as it assumes cats can speak.

Hence logical arguments are in fact illogical as they contradict the definition of what a creator is. So lifting, climbing, throwing etc are attributes of humans. How can humans use their attributes to describe Allah سبحانه وتعالى? This would be the same as one of us creating a drink, giving it a colour and taste and then the drink imposing restriction and rules for us. The created does not affect the creator.


Cult theories

One would think, with the development of science that more and more people would conclude that the signs in the world show us that there is a creator. However unfortunately more and more people are beginning to believe in the weird and wonderful. Keanu reeves film about the struggle of Neo against some supernatural force called the Matrix which controls everything raised the possibility that life as we see it may not be what it seems. Some, such as a group of scientists in the US called clonaid, even say that humans were created by aliens.

The problem here lies with the method of thinking, which is anything and everything is possible; there is no such thing as an ultimate truth. This type of thinking is encouraged in the West, as critical thinking is healthy and ensures only the strangest theories would remain as they can withstand the test from any suspect thinker. However ideas such as ‘we come from alien's' etc are physically not provable or cannot be verified by anyone who claims them. There is no evidence whatsoever of a Matrix. In fact you will never know whether the writer of this article is a human or some alien. Such thinking is irrational and in fact keeps you from ever believing in conclusive things which can be verified.


Islam and the mind

By using our mind and senses of touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight which most humans have we can asses everything around us and conclude nothing in the universe exists on its own. All of them whether the leaf on a tree, plants, computers, cars etc rely on other things to work and survive and all of them are restricted by universals laws which they cannot go beyond. This indicates that they could not have created themselves and they cannot live forever due to their reliance on other things for their existence, which means there must be something other than them that brought them into existence. The creator cannot have any of the attributes of the created as this would place the creator in a situation of being created.

When the correct process of thinking is used it is inevitable that all people would come to the conclusion of a creator. It is only deviant thinking that has allowed evolutionary ideas to gain mainstream attention. The Islamic belief is a rational belief built upon the mind. Over 60% of the Qur'an discusses Allah's creations and orders all to think about the created. There are many verses in the Qur'an that ask all humans to think and ponder:

أَمْ خُلِقُوا مِنْ غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ أَمْ هُمُ الْخَالِقُونَ

أَمْ خَلَقُوا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بَل لَّا يُوقِنُونَ

"Or were they created out of naught? Or are they the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but they are sure of nothing!" [At-Tur , 52: 35-36]

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ

"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of Night and Day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding." [Al-Imran, 3:190]

Through the use of the rational method we can conclude the correct theories from the completely irrational theories.

Introduction to Islam

Islam is a Semitic religion, which has over one billion adherents all over the world. Islam means "submission to the will of God". Muslims accept the Qur’an, as the word of God revealed to His last and final prophet, Mohammed (peace be upon him). Islam states that Allah sent messengers and prophets throughout the ages with the message of Unity of God, and accountability in the Hereafter. Islam thus makes it an article of faith to believe in all the earlier prophets, starting with Adam, and continuing with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John and Jesus amongst many others (may peace be on them all).

CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

CONCEPT OF GOD

• The Most Concise Definition of God
• Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of theology
• What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?
• By what name do we call God?
• God does not take human form:
• God does not perform ungodly acts:
• God only performs Godly acts:
• Philosophy Of Anthropomorphism
• The Creator prepares the instruction manual
• Allah chooses Messengers:
• Each attribute of God is unique and possessed by Him alone:
• Unity of God
• Tawheed

The Most Concise Definition of God

"Say: He is Allah,
The One and Only.
"Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.
"He begets not, nor is He begotten.
And there is none like unto Him."
[Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependent on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependent on Him.

Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of theology:
Surah Ikhlas (Chapter 112) of the Glorious Qur’an, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’ in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means study. Thus Theology means study of God and to Muslims this four line definition of Almighty God serves as the touchstone of the study of God. Any candidate to divinity must be subjected to this ‘acid test’. Since the attributes of Allah given in this chapter are unique, false gods and pretenders to divinity can be easily dismissed using these verses.

What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?
India is often called the land of ‘god-men’. This is due to the abundance of so-called spiritual masters in India. Many of these ‘babas’ and ‘saints’ have a large following in many countries. Islam abhors deification of any human being. To understand the Islamic stand towards such pretenders to divinity, let us analyze one such ‘god-man’, Osho Rajneesh.

Let us put this candidate, ‘Bhagwan’ Rajneesh, to the test of Surah Ikhlas, the touchstone of theology:
The first criterion is "Say, He is Allah, one and only". Is Rajneesh one and only? No! Rajneesh was one among the multitude of ‘spiritual teachers’ produced by India. Some disciples of Rajneesh might still hold that Rajneesh is one and only.
The second criterion is, ‘Allah is absolute and eternal’. We know from Rajneesh’s biography that he was suffering from diabetes, asthma, and chronic backache. He alleged that the U.S. Government gave him slow poison in prison. Imagine Almighty God being poisoned! Rajneesh was thus, neither absolute nor eternal.
The third criterion is ‘He begets not, nor is He begotten’. We know that Rajneesh was born in Jabalpur in India and had a mother as well as a father who later became his disciples.
In May 1981 he went to U.S.A. and established a town called ‘Rajneeshpuram’. He later fell foul of the West and was finally arrested and asked to leave the country. He came back to India and started a commune in Pune which is now known as the ‘Osho’ commune. He died in 1990. The followers of Osho Rajneesh believe that he is Almighty God. At the ‘Osho commune’ in Pune one can find the following epitaph on his tombstone:
"Osho – never born, never died; only visited the planet Earth between 11th December 1931 to 19th January 1990."
They forget to mention that he was not granted visa for 21 countries of the world. Can a person ever imagine ‘God’ visiting the earth, and requiring a visa to enter a country! The Archbishop of Greece said that if Rajneesh had not been deported, they would have burnt his house and those of his disciples.

4. The fourth test, which is the most stringent is, "There is none like unto Him". The moment you can imagine or compare ‘God’ to anything, then he (the candidate to divinity) is not God. It is not possible to conjure up a mental picture of the One True God. We know that Rajneesh was a human being, having two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth and a white flowing beard. Photographs and posters of Rajneesh are available in plenty. The moment you can imagine or draw a mental picture of an entity, then that entity is not God.

Many are tempted to make anthropomorphic comparisons of God. Take for instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the famous body builder and Hollywood actor, who won the title of ‘Mr. Universe’, the strongest man in the world. Let us suppose that someone says that Almighty God is a thousand times stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger. The moment you can compare any entity to God, whether the comparison is to Schwarzenegger or to King Kong, whether it is a thousand times or a million times stronger, it fails the Qur’anic criterion, "There is none like unto Him".
Thus, the ‘acid test’ cannot be passed by anyone except the One True God.
The following verse of the Glorious Qur’an conveys a similar message:

"No vision can grasp Him
But His grasp is over
All vision: He is
Above all comprehension,
Yet is acquainted with all things."
[Al-Qur'an 6:103]

By what name do we call God?
The Muslims prefer calling the Supreme Creator, Allah, instead of by the English word ‘God’. The Arabic word, ‘Allah’, is pure and unique, unlike the English word ‘God’, which can be played around with.

If you add ‘s’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Gods’, that is the plural of God. Allah is one and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If you add ‘dess’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Goddess’ that is a female God. There is nothing like male Allah or female Allah. Allah has no gender. If you add the word ‘father’ to ‘God’ it becomes ‘God-father’. God-father means someone who is a guardian. There is no word like ‘Allah-Abba’ or ‘Allah-father’. If you add the word ‘mother’ to ‘God’, it becomes ‘God-mother’. There is nothing like ‘Allah-Ammi’, or ‘Allah-mother’ in Islam. Allah is a unique word. If you prefix tin before the word God, it becomes tin-God i.e., fake God. Allah is a unique word, which does not conjure up any mental picture nor can it be played around with. Therefore the Muslims prefer using the Arabic word ‘Allah’ for the Almighty. Sometimes, however, while speaking to the non-Muslims we may have to use the inappropriate word God, for Allah. Since the intended audience of this article is general in nature, consisting of both Muslims as well as non-Muslims, I have used the word God instead of Allah in several places in this article.

God does not become a human being:
God does not take human form:
Some may argue that God does not become a human being but only takes a human form. If God only takes a human form but does not become a human being, He should not possess any human qualities. We know that all the ‘God-men’, have human qualities and failings. They have all the human needs such as the need to eat, sleep, etc.

The worship of God in human form is therefore a logical fallacy and should be abhorred in all its forms and manifestations.

That is the reason why the Qur’an speaks against all forms of anthropomorphism. The Glorious Qur’an says in the following verse:

"There is nothing whatever like unto Him." [Al-Qur'an 42:11]

God does not perform ungodly acts:

The attributes of Almighty God preclude any evil since God is the source of justice, mercy and truth. God can never be thought of as doing an ungodly act. Hence we cannot imagine God telling a lie, being unjust, making a mistake, forgetting things, or having any such human failings. Similarly God can do injustice if He chooses to, but He will never do it because being unjust is an ungodly act.


The Qur’an says:

"Allah is never unjust In the least degree." [Al-Qur'an 4:40]

God can be unjust if He chooses to be so, but the moment God does injustice, He ceases to be God.

God does not make mistakes

God can make mistakes if He wants to, but He does not make mistakes because making a mistake is an ungodly act. The Qur’an says:

"…my Lord never errs." [Holy Qur'an 20:52]

The moment God makes a mistake, he ceases to be God.

God does not forget

God can forget if He wants to. But God does not forget anything because forgetting is an ungodly act, which reeks of human limitations and failings. The Qur’an says:

"…my Lord never errs, nor forgets." [Al-Qur’an 20:52]

God only performs Godly acts:

The Islamic concept of God is that God has power over all things. The Qur’an says in several places (Al -Qur’an 2:106; 2:109; 2:284; 3:29; 16:77; and 35:1):

"For verily Allah has power over all things"

Further, the Glorious Qur’an says:

"Allah is the doer of all that He intends." [Al-Qura'n 85:16]

We must keep in mind that Allah intends only Godly acts and not ungodly acts.

PHILOSOPHY OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM
Many religions at some point believe, directly or indirectly, in the philosophy of anthropomorphism i.e. God becoming a human. Their contention is that Almighty God is so pure and holy that He is unaware of the hardships, shortcomings and feelings of human beings. In order to set the rules for human beings, He came down to earth as a human. This deceptive logic has fooled countless millions through the ages. Let us now analyze this argument and see if it stands to reason.

The Creator prepares the instruction manual

Suppose I manufacture a video cassette recorder (VCR). Do I have to become a VCR to know what is good or what is bad for the VCR? What do I do? I write an instruction manual: "In order to watch a video cassette, insert the cassette and press the play button. In order to stop, press the stop button. If you want to fast forward press the FF button. Do not drop it from a height or it will get damaged. Do not immerse it in water or it will get spoilt". I write an instruction manual that lists the various do’s and don’ts for the machine.
Holy Qur’an is the instruction manual for the human being:
Similarly, our Lord and Creator Allah (swt) need not take human form to know what is good or bad for the human being. He chooses to reveal the instruction manual. The last and final instruction manual of the human beings is the Glorious Qur’an. The ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for the human beings are mentioned in the Qur’an.
If you allow me to compare human beings with machines, I would say humans are more complicated than the most complex machines in the world. Even the most advanced computers, which are extremely complex, are pale in comparison to the myriad physical, psychological, genetic and social factors that affect individual and collective human life.
The more advanced the machine, greater is the need for its instruction manual. By the same logic, don’t human beings require an instruction manual by which to govern their own lives?

Allah chooses Messengers:

Allah (swt) need not come down personally for giving the instruction manual. He chooses a man amongst men to deliver the message and communicates with him at a higher level through the medium of revelations. Such chosen men are called messengers and prophets of God.
Some people are ‘blind’ and ‘deaf’:
Despite the absurdity of the philosophy of anthropomorphism, followers of many religions believe in and preach it to others. Is it not an insult to human intelligence and to the Creator who gave us this intelligence? Such people are truly ‘deaf’ and ‘blind’ despite the faculty of hearing and sight given to them by Allah. The Qur’an says:
"Deaf, dumb, and blind,
They will not return (to the path)." [Al-Qur'an 2:18]

The Bible gives a similar message in the Gospel of Matthew:

"Seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." [The Bible, Matthew 13:13]

A similar message is also given in the Hindu Scriptures in the Rigveda.

"There maybe someone who sees the words and yet indeed does not see them; may be another one who hears these words but indeed does not hear them." 1
[Rigveda 10:71:4]

All these scriptures are telling their readers that though the things are made so clear yet many people divert away from the truth.

Attributes of God:

To Allah belong the most beautiful names:
The Qur’an says:

"Say: Call upon Allah, or
Call upon Rahman:
By whatever name you call
Upon Him, (it is well):
For to Him belong
The Most Beautiful Names."
[Al-Qur'an 17:110]
A similar message regarding the beautiful names of Allah (swt) is repeated in the Qur’an in Surah Al-A’raf (7:180), in Surah Taha (20:8) and in Surah Al-Hashr (59:24).

The Qur’an gives no less than ninety-nine different attributes to Almighty Allah. The Qur’an refers to Allah as Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious), Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful) and Al-Hakeem (All Wise) among many other names. You can call Allah by any name but that name should be beautiful and should not conjure up a mental picture.

Each attribute of God is unique and possessed by Him alone:

Not only does God possess unique attributes, but also each attribute of Almighty God is sufficient to identify Him. I shall clarify this point in detail. Let us take an example of a famous personality, say Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong is an astronaut. The attribute of being an astronaut possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not unique to Neil Armstrong alone. So when one asks, who is an astronaut? The answer is, there are hundreds of people in the world who are astronauts. Neil Armstrong is an American. The attribute of being American possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not sufficient to identify him. So when one asks, who is an American? The answer is, there are millions of people who are American. To identify the person uniquely we must look for a unique attribute possessed by none except that person. For example, Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the moon. So when one asks, who was the first man to set foot on the moon, the answer is only one, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly the attribute of Almighty God should be unique. If I say God is the constructor of buildings, it is possible and true, but it is not unique. Thousands of people can construct a building. But each attribute of Allah is unique and points to none but Allah. For example, God is the creator of the universe. If someone asks who is the creator of the universe, the answer is only one, i.e. Almighty God is the Ultimate Creator. Similarly, following are some of the many unique attributes possessed by none other than the Creator of the universe, Almighty Allah:

ALLAH (الله) The God
Al Rahman (الرحمن) The All Beneficent
Al Rahim (الرحيم) The Most Merciful
Al Malik (الملك) The King, The Sovereign
Al Quddus (القدوس) The Most Holy
Al Salam (السلام) Peace and Blessing
Al Mu'min (المؤمن) The Guarantor
Al Muhaymin (المهيمن) The Guardian, the Preserver
Al 'Aziz (العزيز) The Almighty, the Self Sufficient
Al Jabbar (الجبار) The Powerful, the Irresistible
Al Mutakabbir (المتكبر) The Tremendous
Al Khaliq (الخالق) The Creator
Al Bari' (البارئ) The Maker
Al Musawwir (المصور) The Fashioner of Forms
Al Ghaffar (الغفار) The Ever Forgiving
Al Qahhar (القهار) The All Compelling Subduer
Al Wahhab (الوهاب) The Bestower
Al Razzaq (الرزاق) The Ever Providing
Al Fattah (الفتاح) The Opener, the Victory Giver
Al Alim (العليم) The All Knowing, the Omniscient
Al Qabid (القابض) The Restrainer, the Straightener
Al Basit (الباسط) The Expander, the Munificent
Al Khafid (الخافض) The Abaser
Al Rafi' (الرافع) The Exalter
Al Mu'izz (المعز) The Giver of Honor
Al Mudhill (المذل) The Giver of Dishonor
Al Sami' (السميع) The All Hearing
Al Basir (البصير) The All Seeing
Al Hakam (الحكم) The Judge, the Arbitrator
Al-'Adl (العدل) The Utterly Just
Al Latif (اللطيف) The Subtly Kind
Al Khabir (الخبير) The All Aware
Al Halim (الحليم) The Forbearing, the Indulgent
Al 'Azim (العظيم) The Magnificent, the Infinite
Al Ghafur (الغفور) The All Forgiving
Al Shakur (الشكور) The Grateful
Al 'Ali (العلى) The Sublimely Exalted
Al Kabir (الكبير) The Great
Al Hafiz (الحفيظ) The Preserver
Al Muqit (المقيت) The Nourisher
Al Hasib (الحسيب) The Reckoner
Al Jalil (الجليل) The Majestic
Al Karim (الكريم) The Bountiful, the Generous
Al Raqib (الرقيب) The Watchful
Al Mujib (المجيب) The Responsive, the Answerer
Al Wasi' (الواسع) The Vast, the All Encompassing
Al Hakim (الحكيم) The Wise
Al Wadud (الودود) The Loving, the Kind One
Al Majid (المجيد) The All Glorious
Al Ba'ith (الباعث) The Raiser of the Dead
Al Shahid (الشهيد) The Witness
Al Haqq (الحق) The Truth, the Real
Al Wakil (الوكيل) The Trustee, the Dependable
Al Qawiyy (القوى) The Strong
Al Matin (المتين) The Firm, the Steadfast
Al Wali (الولى) The Protecting Friend, Patron, and Helper
Al Hamid (الحميد) The All Praiseworthy
Al Muhsi (المحصى) The Accounter, the Numberer of All
Al Mubdi' (المبدئ) The Producer, Originator, and Initiator of all
Al Mu'id (المعيد) The Reinstater Who Brings Back All
Al Muhyi (المحيى) The Giver of Life
Al Mumit (المميت) The Bringer of Death, the Destroyer
Al Hayy (الحي) The Ever Living
Al Qayyum (القيوم) The Self Subsisting Sustainer of All
Al Wajid (الواجد) The Perceiver, the Finder, the Unfailing
Al Majid (الماجد) The Illustrious, the Magnificent
Al Wahid (الواحد) The One, the All Inclusive, the Indivisible
Al Ahad (الاحد) The One, the Unique
Al Samad (الصمد) The Long, the Impregnable, the Everlasting
Al Qadir (القادر) The All Able
Al Muqtadir (المقتدر) The All Determiner, the Dominant
Al Muqaddim (المقدم) The Expediter, He who brings forward
Al Mu'akhkhir (المؤخر) The Delayer, He who puts far away
Al Awwal (الأول) The First
Al Akhir (الأخر) The Last
Al Zahir (الظاهر) The Manifest; the All Victorious
Al Batin (الباطن) The Hidden; the All Encompassing
Al Wali (الوالي) The Patron
Al Muta'al (المتعالي) The Self Exalted
Al Barr (البر) The Most Kind and Righteous
Al Tawwab (التواب) The Ever Returning, Ever Relenting
Al Muntaqim (المنتقم) The Avenger
Al 'Afuww (العفو) The Pardoner, the Effacer of Sins
Al Ra'uf (الرؤوف) The Compassionate, the All Pitying
Malik al Mulk (مالك) (الملك) The Owner of All Sovereignty
Dhu al Jalal wa al Ikram (ذو الجلال و الإكرام) The Lord of Majesty and Generosity
Al Muqsit (المقسط) The Equitable, the Requiter
Al Jami' (الجامع) The Gatherer, the Unifier
Al Ghani (الغنى) The All Rich, the Independent
Al Mughni (المغنى) The Enricher, the Emancipator
Al Mani'(المانع) The Withholder, the Shielder, the Defender
Al Ahad (الاحد) THE ONE
Al Nafi' (النافع) The Propitious, the Benefactor
Al Nur (النور) The Light
Al Hadi (الهادئ) The Guide
Al Badi (البديع) Incomparable, the Originator
Al Baqi (الباقي) The Ever Enduring and Immutable
Al Warith (الوارث) The Heir, the Inheritor of All
Al Rashid (الرشيد) The Guide, Infallible Teacher, and Knower
Al Sabur (الصبور) The Patient, the Timeless

So when one asks, "Who is ‘Ar-Raheem’, (the Most Merciful)?", there can only be one answer: "Almighty Allah".

One attribute of God should not contradict with other attributes:

Besides the attribute being unique, it should not contradict other attributes. To continue with the earlier example, suppose somebody says that Neil Armstrong is an American astronaut who was the first human to set foot on the moon and was an Indian. The attribute possessed by Neil Armstrong of being the first man to set foot on the moon, is correct. But its associated quality of being an Indian, is false. Similarly if someone says that God is the Creator of the Universe and has one head, two hands, two feet, etc., the attribute (Creator of the Universe) is correct but the associated quality (in the form of human being) is wrong and false.

All attributes should point to the one and same God:

Since there is only one God, all the attributes should point to one and the same God. To say that Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut who first set foot on the moon, but he was born in 1971 is wrong. Both these unique qualities belong to one and the same person, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly to say that the Creator of the universe is one God and the Cherisher is another God is absurd because God possesses all these attributes combined together.

Unity of God
Some polytheists argue by saying that the existence of more than one God is not illogical. Let us point out to them that if there were more than one God, they would dispute with one another, each god trying to fulfill his will against the will of the other gods. This can be seen in the mythology of the polytheistic and pantheistic religions. If a ‘God’ is defeated or unable to defeat the others, he is surely not the one true God. Also popular among polytheistic religions is the idea of many Gods, each having different responsibilities. Each one would be responsible for a part of man’s existence e.g. a Sun-God, a Rain-God, etc. This indicates that one ‘God’ is incompetent of certain acts and moreover he is also ignorant of the other Gods’ powers, duties, functions and responsibilities. There cannot be an ignorant and incapable God. If there were more than one God it would surely lead to confusion, disorder, chaos and destruction in the universe. But the universe is in complete harmony. The Glorious Qur’an says:
"If there were, in the heavens
And the earth, other gods
Besides Allah, there would
Have been confusion in both!
But glory to Allah,
The Lord of the Throne:
(High is He) above
What they attribute to Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 21:22]

If there were more than one God, they would have taken away what they created. The Qur’an says:

"No son did Allah beget,
Nor is there any god
Along with Him: (if there were
Many gods), behold, each god
Would have taken away
What he had created,
And some would have
Lorded it over others!
Glory to Allah! (He is free)
From the (sort of) things
They attribute to Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 23:91]

Thus the existence of one True, Unique, Supreme, Almighty God, is the only logical concept of God.

TAWHEED
Definition and Categories:

Islam believes in ‘Tawheed’ which is not merely monotheism i.e. belief in one God, but much more. Tawheed literally means ‘unification’ i.e. ‘asserting oneness’ and is derived from the Arabic verb ‘Wahhada’ which means to unite, unify or consolidate.

Tawheed can be divided into three categories.

1. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah
2. Tawheed al-Asmaa-was-Sifaat
3. Tawheed al-Ibaadah.
A. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah (maintaining the unity of Lordship)
The first category is ‘Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah’. ‘Ruboobeeyah’ is derived from the root verb "Rabb" meaning Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher.
Therefore ‘Tawheed-ar-Ruboobeeyah’ means maintaining the unity of Lordship. This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah (swt) alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. He created or originated all that exists out of nothing. He alone is the sole Creator, Cherisher, and Sustainer of the complete universe and all between it, without any need from it or for it.

B. Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes):

The second category is ‘Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat’ which means maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes. This category is divided into five aspects:

(i) Allah should be referred to as described by Him and His Prophet
Allah must be referred to according to the manner in which He and His prophet have described Him without explaining His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings.

(ii) Allah must be referred to as He has referred to Himself
Allah must be referred to without giving Him any new names or attributes. For example Allah may not be given the name Al-Ghaadib (the Angry One), despite the fact that He has said that He gets angry, because neither Allah nor His messenger have used this name.

(iii) Allah is referred to without giving Him the attributes of His creation

In a reference to God, we should strictly abstain from giving Him the attributes of those whom He has created. For instance in the Bible, God is portrayed as repenting for His bad thoughts in the same way as humans do when they realise their errors. This is completely against the principle of Tawheed. God does not commit any mistakes or errors and therefore never needs to repent.

The key principle when dealing with Allah’s attributes is given in the Qur’an in Surah Ash-Shura:

"There is nothing
Whatever like unto Him,
And He is the One
That hears and sees (all things)."
[Al-Qur’an 42:11]
Hearing and seeing are human faculties. However, when attributed to the Divine Being they are without comparison, in their perfection, unlike when associated with humans who require ears, eyes, etc. and who are limited in their sight and hearing in terms of space, time, capacity, etc.

(iv) God’s creation should not be given any of His attributes
To refer to a human with the attribute of God is also against the principle of Tawheed. For example, referring to a person as one who has no beginning or end (eternal).

(v) Allah’s name cannot be given to His creatures
Some Divine names in the indefinite form, like ‘Raoof’ or ‘Raheem’ are permissible names for men as Allah has used them for Prophets; but ‘Ar-Raoof’ (the Most Pious) and Ar-Raheem (the most Merciful) can only be used if prefixed by ‘Abd’ meaning ‘slave of’ or ‘servant of’ i.e. ’Abdur-Raoof’ or ‘Abdur-Raheem’. Similarly ‘Abdur-Rasool’ (slave of the Messenger) or ‘Abdun-Nabee’ (slave of the Prophet) are forbidden.

C. Tawheed al-Ibaadah (maintaining the unity of worship):

(i) Definition and meaning of ‘Ibadaah’:
‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ means maintaining the unity of worship or ‘Ibaadah’. Ibaadah is derived from Arabic word ‘Abd’ meaning slave or servant. Thus Ibaadah means servitude and worship.

(ii) All three categories to be followed simultaneously.
Only believing in the first two categories of Tawheed without implementing Tawheed-al-Ibaadah is useless. The Qur’an gives the examples of ‘Mushrikeens’ (idolaters) of the Prophet’s time who confirmed the first two aspects of Tawheed. It is mentioned in the Qur’an:

"Say: ‘Who is it that
Sustains you (in life)
From the sky and from the earth?
Or who is it that
Has power over hearing
And sight? And who
Is it that brings out
The living from the dead
And the dead from the living?
And who is it that
Rules and regulates all affairs?’
They will soon say, ‘Allah’.
Say, ‘Will you not then
Show piety (to Him)?’ "
[Al-Qur’an 10:31]

A similar example is repeated in Surah Zukhruf of the Glorious Qur’an:

"If thou ask them, Who
Created them, they will
Certainly say, ‘Allah’: how
Then are they deluded
Away (from the Truth)?"
[Al-Qur’an 43:87]
The pagan Meccans knew that Allah (swt) was their Creator, Sustainer, Lord and Master. Yet they were not Muslims because they also worshipped other gods besides Allah. Allah (swt) categorised them as ‘Kuffaar’ (disbelievers) and ‘Mushrikeen’ (idol worshippers and those who associate partners with God).
"And most of them
Believe not in Allah
Without associating (others
As partners) with Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 12:106]
Thus ‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ i.e. maintaining the unity of worship is the most important aspect of Tawheed. Allah (swt) alone deserves worship and He alone can grant benefit to man for his worship.

SHIRK

A. Definition:The omission of any of the above mentioned categories of tawheed or deficiency in the fulfillment of any criteria of Tawheed is referred to as 'shirk'.(Please note that the Arabic word 'Shirk' has the same sound as in the English word 'ship' and not as in the English word 'shirk',which means 'to evade'

‘Shirk’ literally means sharing or associating partners. In Islamic terms it means associating partners with Allah and is equivalent to idolatry.
B. Shirk is the greatest sin that Allah will never forgive:

The Qur’an describes the greatest sin in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives not
That partners should be set up
With Him; but He forgives
Anything else, to whom
He pleases; to set up
Partners with Allah
Is to devise a sin
Most heinous indeed."
[Al-Qur’an 4:48]

The same message is repeated in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives not
(The sin of) joining other gods
With Him; but He forgives
Whom He pleases other sins
Than this: one who joins
Other gods with Allah,
Has strayed far, far away
(From the Right)."
[Al-Qur’an 4:116]

C. Shirk leads to hell fire:

The Qur’an says in Surah Ma’idah:

"They do blaspheme who say:
‘Allah is Christ the son
Of Mary.’ But said Christ:
‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord
And your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods with Allah –
Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire
Will be his abode. There will for the wrongdoers
Be no one to help."
[Al-Qur’an 5:72]

D. Worship and Obedience to none but Allah:

The Qur’an mentions in Surah Ali-’Imran:

Say: "O people of the Book!
Come To common terms
As between us and you:
That we worship none but Allah;
That we associate no partners with Him;
That we erect not, from among ourselves,
Lords and patrons other than Allah."
If then they turn back,
Say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least)
Are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will)."
[Al-Qur’an 3:64]

The Glorious Qur’an says:

"And if all the trees on earth were pens
And the Ocean (were ink), with seven Oceans behind it
To add to its (supply), yet would not the Words
Of Allah be exhausted (In the writing): for Allah
Is Exalted in power, Full of Wisdom."
[Al-Qur’an 31:27]
Our analysis of Concept of God in various Religion shows that monotheism is an integral part of every major religion of the world. However, it is unfortunate that some adherents of these religions violate the teachings of their own scriptures and have set up partners to Almighty God.

An analysis of the scriptures of various religions, reveals that all scriptures exhort mankind to believe in, and submit to One God. All these scriptures condemn the association of partners to God, or the worship of God in the form of images. The Glorious Qur’an says:
"O men! Here is
A parable set forth!
Listen to it! Those
On whom, besides Allah,
You call, cannot create
(Even) a fly, if they all
Met together for the purpose!
And if the fly should snatch
Away anything from them,
They would have no power
To release it from the fly.
Feeble are those who petition
And those whom they petition!"
[Al-Qur’an 22:73]
The basis of religion is the acceptance of Divine guidance. A rejection of this guidance has serious implications for society. While we have made great strides in science and technology, true peace still eludes us. All ‘isms’ have failed to provide the much vaunted deliverance.

The scriptures of all major religions exhort mankind to follow that which is good and eschew that which is evil. All scriptures remind mankind that good will not go unrewarded and evil will not go unpunished!

The question we need to address is, which of these scriptures provides us with the correct ‘instruction manual’ that we need to regulate our individual and collective lives?

I hope and pray that Allah guides all of us towards the Truth (Aameen).