adminIT is a known fact that every language has one or more terms that are used in reference to God and sometimes to lesser deities. This is not the case with the Arabic language and the word Allah. Allah is the personal name of the One True God.
Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has no plural or gender and this shows its uniqueness when compared with the word God which can be made plural (as in Gods) or even feminine (as in Goddess). It is interesting to notice that “Allah” is the personal name of God in both the original Aramaic (the language of Jesus- peace be upon him) and the sister language of Arabic.
The One True God
The One True God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with God. To a Muslim, Allah is The Almighty, Creator, Sustainerand Cherisher of the universe, Who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked by his companions about Allah; the answer came directly from God Himself in the form of a short chapter of the Holy Qur’an, which is considered to be the essence of the unity of the God-head or the motto of monotheism. This is chapter 112 which reads: “Say (O Muhammad) He is Allah the One (and Only) God, Allah is the Unique, who has not begotten, nor has He been begotten, and none is comparable unto Him!” (Ch112)
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 grave sin which God will never forgive, despite the fact He may forgive all other sins.
Misconceptions
Some non-Muslims allege that God in Islam, or Allah, is a term referring to a cruel God who demands to be obeyed fully and that 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 Qur’an begins with the verse: “In the name of Allah (God), the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate”.
But Allah is also Just. Hence evildoers and sinners must have their share of punishment; whilst the virtuous and righteous must get of His bounties and favours. Actually Allah’s 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 from their Lord – God Almighty. Expecting similar treatment for them will amount to negating the very belief in the accountability of man and the Hereafter and thereby negating all the incentives for a moral and virtuous life in this world. The following verses of the Holy Qur’aan 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 do you judge?” (Ch68: v 34-36)
God is Self-Existing and Self-Sufficient
Islam rejects characterising God (Allah) in any human or material form or depicting Him as favouring 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 favour through virtue and piety only.
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-existent and 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.’
The Believer’s Attitude
In order to be a Muslim i.e. surrender oneself to God Almighty, it is necessary to believe in the Oneness of God, in the sense of His being the only Creator, Preserver, Nourisher, etc. But this belief alone is not enough. Together with this, what must be added is for one toacknowledgethe fact that it is God Almighty alone who deserves to be worshipped, and thus abstain from worshipping any other thing or being. Any being created by God Almighty or any object manufactured by humans CANNOT be deserving of worship in any way whatsoever.
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 the 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 true faith. The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) 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 Almighty at all times, which could be said to be the essence of Ibadah (worship).
A True Believer loves, and is grateful to God Almighty for the bounties He bestows upon him, being aware of the fact that his good deeds, whether mental or physical, are far from being proportionate to all the Divine favours and bounties. However, he is also always anxious lest God Almighty should punish him, here or in the Hereafter for any of his wrong doings. He, therefore surrenders himself to Him and serves Him with great zeal and humility. One cannot be in such a mental state without being mindful of God Almighty almost all the time.
Remembering God is thus the life force of faith, without which it fades and withers away.The Holy Qur’an promotes this feeling of gratitude by highlighting the attributes of Allah (God Almighty) very frequently.
For further information on Islam or a free copy of the Holy Qur’aan, please contact:MajlisulUlama Zimbabwe, Council of Islamic ScholarsPublications Department,P.O. Box W93, Waterfalls, HarareTel: 04-614078 / 614004, Fax : 04-614003 e-mail: [email protected]
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