1. Who is Allah(SWT): The biggest misconceptions that many non-Muslims have about Islam have to do with the word “Allah.” For various reasons, many people have come to believe that Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews. This is totally false, since “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for “God” - and there is only One God. Let there be no doubt - Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus - peace be upon them all. However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have different concepts of Almighty God. For example, Muslims - like Jews - reject the Christian beliefs of the Trinity and the Divine Incarnation. This, however, does not mean that each of these three religions worships a different God - because, as we have already said, there is only One True God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to be “Abrahamic Faiths”, and all of them are also classified as “monotheistic.” However, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and mixing them with man-made ideas. First of all, it is important to note that “Allah” is the same word that Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use for God. If you pick up an Arabic Bible, you will see the word “Allah” being used where “God” is used in English. This is because “Allah” is a word in the Arabic language equivalent to the English word “God” with a capital “G”. Additionally, the word “Allah” cannot be made plural, a fact which goes hand-in-hand with the Islamic concept of God. It is interesting to note that the Aramaic word “El”, which is the word for God in the language that Jesus spoke, is certainly more similar in sound to the word “Allah” than the English word “God.” This also holds true for the various Hebrew words for God, which are “El” and “Elah”, and the plural or glorified form “Elohim.” The reason for these similarities is that Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic are all Semitic languages with common origins. It should also be noted that in translating the Bible into English, the Hebrew word “El” is translated variously as “God”, “god” and “angel”! This imprecise language allows different translators, based on their preconceived notions, to translate the word to fit their own views. The Arabic word “Allah” presents no such difficulty or ambiguity, since it is only used for Almighty God alone. Additionally, in English, the only difference between “god”, meaning a false god, and “God”, meaning the One True God, is the capital “G”. Due to the above mentioned facts, a more accurate translation of the word “Allah” into English might be “The One -and-Only God” or “The One True God.” More importantly, it should also be noted that the Arabic word “Allah” contains a deep religious message due to its root meaning and origin. This is because it stems from the Arabic verb ta’allaha (or alaha), which means “to be worshipped.” Thus in Arabic, the word “Allah” means “The One who deserves all worship.” This, in a nutshell, is the Pure Monotheistic message of Islam. Suffice it to say that just because someone claims to be a “monotheistic” Jew, Christian or Muslim, that does not keep them from falling into corrupt beliefs and idolatrous practices. Many people, including some Muslims, claim belief in “One God” even though they’ve fallen into acts of idolatry. Certainly, many Protestants accuse Roman Catholics of idolatrous practices in regards to the saints and the Virgin Mary. Likewise, the Greek Orthodox Church is considered “idolatrous” by many other Christians because in much of their worship they use icons. However, if you ask a Roman Catholic or a Greek Orthodox person if God is “One”, they will invariably answer: “Yes!.” This claim, however, does not stop them from being “creature worshipping” idolaters. The same goes for Hindus, who just consider their gods to be “manifestations” or “incarnations” of the One Supreme God. Before concluding… there are some people out there, who are obviously not on the side of truth, that want to get people to believe that “Allah” is just some Arabian “god” and that Islam is completely “other” - meaning that it has no common roots with the other Abrahamic religions (i.e. Christianity and Judaism). To say that Muslims worship a different “God” because they say “Allah” is just as illogical as saying that French people worship another God because they use the word “Dieu”, that Spanish-speaking people worship a different God because they say “Dios” or that the Hebrews worshipped a different God because they sometimes call Him “Yahweh.” Certainly, reasoning like this is quite ridiculous! It should also be mentioned, that claiming that any one language uses the only the correct word for God is tantamount to denying the universality of God’s message to mankind, which was to all nations, tribes and people through various prophets who spoke different languages. I would like to ask my readers about the motives of these people? The reason is that the Ultimate Truth of Islam stands on solid ground and its unshakeable belief in the Unity of God is above reproach. Due to this, Christians can’t criticize its doctrines directly, but instead fabricate things about Islam that aren’t true so that people lose the desire to learn more. If Islam were presented in the proper way to the world, it surely might make many people reconsider and re-evaluate their own beliefs. It is quite likely that when they find out that there is a universal religion in the world that teaches people to worship and love God, while also practicing Pure Monotheism, would at least feel that they should re-examine the basis for their own beliefs and doctrines. 2. The Oneness of Allah(SWT): Allah subhanahu wa taala said in the Qur’an: Laysa kamithlihi shay’. Surat 42 ayat 11 means: {Nothing resembles Him (Allah) in any way.} This means that Allah, does not resemble any of His creations. It was related that a group of Jews came to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and said: “O Muhammad, describe to us your Lord Whom you worship.” Then Suratul-Ikhlas (was revealed, and Prophet Muhammad said, “This is the description of my Lord.” The questioning of the Jews was with the intent of mockery and not to seek the knowledge. The answer of the Prophet, indicates that Allah is attributed with attributes, and just as Allah Himself does not resemble His creation, His Attributes do not resemble the attributes of the creation. Allah is attributed with all the proper perfection, and He is clear from all the attributes of imperfection. Allah subhanahu wa taala, said in the Qur’an: Wa lillahil-mathalul-ala. Surat 16 ayat 60 means: {Allah has the perfect Attributes that are not similar to the attributes of others.} Everything other than Allah is created (i.e., this entire universe). Allah is the only One attributed with Eternity. That is, Allah has no beginning and likewise His Attributes are eternal, without a beginning. The attributes of other than Allah are created; they change from one state to another. Allah is clear of change. He is the One Who creates changes in His creations, but He does not change. He is the One Who creates development in His creations, but He does not develop. It is helpful to look at the following phrases to understand this subject of Tawhid (Creed). Allah is Eternal; He has no beginning. All the creations have a beginning. Allah created them. Allah is Everlasting; He has no end. It is mentally possible for all the creation to end. The Attributes of Allah are eternal and everlasting; they have no beginning or end. The attributes of the creation are created. They have a beginning and it is mentally possible for them to end. The Attributes of Allah do not change, develop, or transform, because those processes belong to the attributes of the creation. The attributes of the creation change, develop, and transform from one state to another, because Allah is their Creator. Allah is the Creator of the world and what is in it. He is the Creator of good and evil. He is the Creator of the actions of the slaves, and He is their Sustainer. The creations do not create good or evil. They do not create any of their actions. The one who cuts an apple is not able to put it back together as it was. Allah is One with no partners to Him. He is One in His Self, Attributes, and Actions. The creations are of many different shapes and colors. Even the same kind of fruit can be either sweet or sour. Yet the creations still resemble each other in many aspects. Allah is not a body; He does not have a size, and does not occupy space. The creations have sizes and places in which they reside. Allah does not need the creation. The creations are in need of their Creator; they are in need of Allah. Allah is the only One Who deserves to be worshipped. No one is God but He. The creations do not deserve to be worshipped, because they are weak and are in need of their Creator. The creed of the Muslims is that Allah is unlike the creations. Imam al-Junayd, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “Tawhid is to differentiate between the Eternal and the created.”
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 14:30:59 +0000
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