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The first part of the Muslim confession of faith
(the Shahada) is the basis for the concept of God in Islam. The Muslim
bears witness that: "There is no god but God". or "no
divinity but the (one) Divinity". The revealed Scripture of Islam, the
Qur'an, is like a vast commentary on this simple statement, drawing from it
all its implications for human life and thought.
This conception of the Deity is strictly
monotheistic and unitarian. God alone has absolute being, totally independent
and totally self-sufficient. Whatever exists or ever could exist does so by
His will. He has no "partner" either in creating the universe or
in maintaining it in existence. He is not only the "First Cause"
hut also ultimately, the only cause, and He is Himself uncaused. The Qur'an
tells us: "Say: He is Allah. One, the utterly Self-sufficient: He
begets not neither is He begotten, and there is nothing that is like unto
Him". It tells us also that: "When He wills a thing to be. He but
says unto it - Be!; and it is".
A further implication of the first part of the
Shahada is that there can be no power, force or agency in the heavens or on
earth which is independent of God. Everything that exists -and everything
that happens-is subject to His control; there is nothing that can compete
with Him or that escapes His grasp, nothing that does not bear witness to
His creative power and majesty. "The seven heavens and the earth and
all that is therein praise Him", says the Qur'an. "And there is
not a tiling that does not hymn His praise, though you understand not their
praise". In the Islamic view, it is impossible for the human mind to
form an adequate conception of God as He is in His eternal and absolute
being. The creature cannot comprehend the Creator. According to the Qur'an,
"No (human) vision encompasseth Him, yet He encompasseth (all)
vision".
But Islam does not demand blind belief. The
Qur'an tells us a great deal about the nature of the Divine, and it
describes God by a number of terms-called "The most beautiful
Names" - which help us to understand Him. The Qur'an tells us:
"Allah, there is no god but He, the Living, (the eternally
Self-subsistent. Slumber overtakes Him not, nor sleep. To Him belong all
that is in the heavens and all that is upon earth. Who is there than (can)
intercede with Him except by His leave? He knows what is before them and
what is behind them, and they comprehend naught of His knowledge save what
He pleases. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He is
not wearied by preserving them; and He is the Most High, the Immense".
He is Al-Ahad. "the One", absolute
unity. This is in sharp contrast to the Christian conception of the
Trinity. The One cannot be divided, nor can it be diminished or
"humanised" by incarnation in any created form.
God does not become His own creature, in fact He
does not "become" anything: because He is the God.
The Qur'an describes Him also as Al-Ala.
"the Most High", totally transcendent in relation to His own
creations and therefore infinitely beyond all that we might attempt to
associate with Him.
He is Al-Aziz. "the Almighty", and
Al-Jabbar", for there is no one and nothing that could possibly resist
His power, which governs and regulates all existence in accordance with a
predetermined measure. It follows that there is no earthly power that is
not derived from Him, no strength nor any virtue that is not loaned to us
by Him: and no one can help us except by His will, nor can anyone harm us
unless He permits them to do so (in which case this harm is a trial to be
horne with patience).
He is called Al-Haqq, "the Truth" (or
"the Reality"), and to deny Him is to be far distant from truth
at every level of experience. The Arabic word Al-kafirun, and this word
suggests a deliberate act of "covering", in other words, those
who deny Him whose name is "the Truth" have "covered"
their own understanding with an opaque covering so as not to see what is
ultimately self-evident. In so doing they have shut out the light, for
another of His names is Al-Nur. "Light". These are they whom the
Qur'an describes as the "blind", for "Allah is the Light of
the heavens and the earth". In Islam everything is derived from the
divine nature and therefore from the "names" by which God has
made Himself known, and it He were not "Light" there could be no
light any where, whether intellectual or physical.
Nothing escapes His knowledge, not even our most
secret thoughts, for He is Al-Alim. "the Omniscient" who knows
every thing in the heavens and the earth, and Al-Khabir. "the
All-Aware" from whom nothing is hidden. He is Al-Shahid, "the
Witness" and. as such. He is described also as Al-Basir. "the
Seer", and al-Sami'. "the Hearer". "Who is the Owner of
hearing and of sight'.'" asks the Qur'an. and it answers:
"Allah!" We see only what is before our eyes, with their very
limited range, but no limit is set to His vision; we hear only sounds that
are either very loud or very close to us, but He hears everything.
"And with Him are the keys of the Invisible", says the Qur'an.
"None but He knoweth them. and He knoweth what is in the land and the
sea. Not a leaf falls but He knoweth it, nor a grain amidst the darkness of
the earth . . . ".
He is Al-Awwal. "the First" before
whom there is nothing, and Al-Akhir. "the Last", after whom there
is nothing; but He is not only at the beginning and at the end of time, for
He is also Al-Zahir, "the Outward", present behind all the
shifting scenes we perceive in the world around us, and Al-Batin, "the
Inward", for it is His power that moves and motivates all that exists.
He is not only Al-Khaliq, "the
Creator", who gives each separate thing the light of existence by His
command "Be!", but He is also Al-Musawwir who "shapes"
it in accordance with the nature He wishes it to have, for everything in the
world has its purpose and is moulded to serve that purpose.
When creatures have been brought into existence
and fashioned in accordance with the divine purpose, they are not abandoned
and left to fend for themselves.
Two very particular "names" stand at
the very centre of the Islamic concept of God. These are Al-Rahman and
Al-Rahim. Both are derived from the Arabic word for "Mercy",
Rahma, which is closely related to the word for "womb" and
therefore carries with it implications of creativeness and fecundity. In
one of the inspired sayings in which God spoke to mankind through the
Prophet Muhammad - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him -(pbuh) we are
told that His "Mercy" takes precedence over His
"Wrath".
There are different opinions as to the exact
distinction between the names Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim (which are placed at
the beginning of all but one of the chapters of the Qur'an). The former is
usually translated as "the Merciful" and the latter as "the
Compassionate". It is said that Al-Rahman describes God as He is in
His eternal nature and that everything is brought into existence through
the overflowing of this innate "Mercy", while the latter Al-Rahim
refers to the blessings He pours out upon His creatures.
In whatever way we translate these words, the
essential concept is not in doubt. God is infinitely merciful, first in
giving us life and the means to enjoy life, secondly in caring for us and
satisfying our legitimate needs. This
concept is amplified by other divine names
contained in the Qur'an. God is described as Al-Karim, "the
Generous", and as Al-Wadud, "the Loving-Kind"; He is also
al-Razzaq, "the Provider" who nourishes us both spiritually and
physically.
Despite this outpouring of mercy, we still go
astray, for man - as the Qur'an tells us - was "created weak",
and our situation might seem hopeless if God were not Al-Tawwab, "the
Relenting", who never tires of turning back to His creatures when they
turn to him in repentence. He is Al-Ghaffar, "the Ever-Forgiving",
and Al-'Afu, "the Effacer (of sins)". Whatever people may do in
the course of their lives they have the opportunity to seek this
forgiveness so long as they have breath, but the opportunity is lost when
death comes and, after that, they are judged for what they are or for what
they have made of themselves. So the Qur'an says: "O My servants who
have damaged your own selves, despair not of the Mercy of Allah. Truly
Allah pardons all sins. Truly He is the most Forgiving, the most Merciful.
So turn unto your Lord repentant and surrender unto Him before the
punishment comes upon you; then ye will not be helped".
But "sinning" and "going
astray" would have no clear meaning if God had not shown His creatures
the right way, the "straight path" as it is called in the Qur'an.
One of His names is Al-Hadi, "the Guide". We are assured that He
has never left any nation or any group of people without guidance; to each
He has sent a "messenger" to deliver them a "message"
of hope and guidance and to instruct them as to how to follow the 'straight
way" which leads to Paradise and, ultimately, to Al-Ridwan, the
"Good Pleasure" or "Satisfaction" of God Himself. These
divine "messages" have been clothed in the language and
thought-patterns of the people to whom they were addressed so as to be clear
and unambiguous, and the "messengers" who have been the
instruments of this guidance have been men like other men, though in every
way better than others.
Inspite of their clarity, these
"messages" have again and again been rejected by many of those to
whom they were addressed, and it is precisely this freedom to reject the
truth that distinguishes man from the other creatures who share the earth
with us - the animals, the birds and the fishes. They follow by instinct
the way set before them, the law of their species, but mankind has the
unique freedom either to follow the "straight path" consciously
and deliberately or to turn away from it and follow the dictates of
self-will. Man alone has been given a mind capable of understanding the truth,
a will capable of choosing the path of truth, and a heart inclined by its
very nature to love the truth.
"For each of you have We appointed a divine
Law and a way of life". says the Qur'an; "Had Allah so willed. He
could have made you one people: but, so that He may try you by that which
He has bestowed upon you. (He has willed otherwise). So compete in doing
good. To Allah you will all return, and He will inform you regarding that
wherein you differ". In terms of this and other similar verses, it is
entirely possible for Muslims to accept the idea that the pre-Islamic religions
were at least partial statements of the One Truth, adapted to time and
place and to the spiritual needs of different peoples.
The Muslim however believes that the message
brought by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) completes the vast structure of
revelation and provides a final synthesis, after which there is nothing
more to be said. Judaism and Christianity are both "monotheistic"
religions, but Muslims consider that the Jews falsely appropriated the
universal Truth, claiming it as the property of one single people, while
the Christians distorted it through the doctrines of the Trinity and the
Incarnation. In the Islamic view, the "message" transmitted
through Muhammad (pbuh) represented, not a completely new religion, but a
corrective to the falsifications and distortions which had taken place and,
at the same time. an uncompromising re-assertion of the pure doctrine of
the One God.
According to the Islamic concept. God demands of
us three things. The first is a constant awareness of Him, even in the
midst of our worldly activities. This awareness is expressed in two words
which constantly recur in the Qur'an. Taqwa is commonly translated either
as "fear of God" or "God-consciousness"; both translations
are acceptable, since we cannot be truly "conscious" of Him
without experiencing a profound sense of awe which results in a healthy
fear of displeasing Him or offending against His laws. The Arabic word
Thikr. meaning both "mention" and "remembrance", has a
more devotional connotation, and we are assured that God is present with us
when we "remember" Him or "mention" His name, although
Islam lays a great emphasis on the divine transcendence, the Qur'an speaks
on many occasions of the "closeness" of God to His believing
servants: "He is with you wheresoever you may be", and "we
are closer to Him (man) than his jugular vein". We read also in the
Qur'an that "it is in the remembrance Thikr of Allah that hearts find
rest".
Secondly. He demands of us that we should obey
His commandments. which are in no way arbitrary; whether we know it or not,
they are for our own good and are, therefore, an aspect of the divine
Mercy. Their purpose is to maintain a healthy balance both within the human
personality and in society and, at the same time, to provide a stable
framework for human living. In Islam God is the only Legislator or
Lawgiver. We cannot legislate effectively for ourselves since our laws
would inevitably be designed in accordance with our short-term desires.
From the commands and prohibitions contained in the Qur'an and from the
teachings and example of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is derived the
Shari'ah, the Law which governs every aspect of the Muslim's life on earth.
Finally, since we are by nature weak and
inclined to sell-indulgence. God demands of us sincere repentance when we
have failed to live up to what He requires of us. Muslims recognise that
our weakness, however much we may deplore it, has a positive aspect, for if
we were strong we would tempted to see ourselves as self-reliant little
"gods" quite independent of our Creator. Being weak by nature we
soon find that we cannot rely either upon ourselves or upon other people,
and this obliges us to turn to Him whom the Qur'an describes as Al-Wakil,
"the Utterly Reliable". "There is no power and no strength
except with Allah", according to one of Muhammad's (pbuh) favourite
sayings.
The unfolding of human destinies, obedient or
disobedient, as the case may be, takes place against a meaningful
background. In the Islamic view, God creates nothing without a purpose.
"Do you not see", says the Qur'an, "that Allah hath created
the heavens and the earth with (and by) the Truth?" The whole universe
is filled - like a great picture-book – with "signs" which bear
witness to its Creator and which remind us, if we have pure hearts and
seeing eyes, of His power. His majesty and His beauty. The Qur'an tells us:
"Indeed, in the heavens and the earth are signs for believers, and in
your creation and in all the beasts that He has scattered upon the earth
are signs for people whose faith is sure; and in the difference of night
and day and in the provision that Allah sendeth down from the heavens and
there by quickeneth the earth after her death - and in the ordering of the
winds - are signs for people of understanding".
This serves to emphasise an essential element in
the Islamic conception of God. Our existence and the existence of the whole
universe around us are proofs of God, and this is cogently expressed in
another passage from the Qur'an: "We shall show them Our signs on the
horizon and within themselves until it is clear to them that this is the
Truth.
Does not your Lord suffice you, since He is
witness over all things? And so -are they still in doubt about the meeting
with their Lord? Does He not indeed encompass all things?"
To sum up: the God of Islam is transcendent, the
all-powerful and all knowing Creator and Lawgiver, though at the same time
infinitely merciful, generous and forgiving. Man, His creature and His
servant into whom He has breathed something of His spirit, stands before
Him without intermediary or intercessor, meeting Him through prayer during
this brief life on earth and meeting Him face-to-face when life is over.
In Islam, God does not embody Himself in any
human being or make Himself accessible through idols and images. He is what
He is, absolute and eternal, and it is as such that the Muslim worships
Him.
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