God says in the Qur'an, Suratul Ikhlas (112):
Truly, if Islam were to be summed up in one short statement, it would, without doubt, be, "La ilaha ila Allah". The most common translation is "There is no god but the God". It is of utmost importance to understand this sentence, which is so simple, and yet which has such depth, and such a wealth of connotations for our daily lives. "La" means "No". It is worth noting that the shape of the word La in 'Arabic is identical to the Hebrew 'Ayn. There are signs in this. The concept of the 'Ayn Sof will be explained more in depth later, but the miracle is that while there is no linguistic relation between these two words, both express the same concept. 'Ayn Sof means "Boundlessness", "Nothingness", "Endlessness", also called the "Lo", a direct cognate of La, "the Not". It is interesting that the concept of zero comes from contributions to mathematics from Indian Sufi's, as the Oneness of God is indeed, in ways, like the concept of Zero. Zero is neither positively nor negatively existent, both of which imply limitations. But likewise, as all the infinite positive and negative possibilities emanate from Zero, all those things which "do exist" and "do not exist" ultimately emanate from God. "Ilah" means a god, or perhaps more accurately, an independently existent "Being".
"Ilah" is related to the Hebrew Eloh, which is pluralized out of respect as Elohim, and both forms are commonly found in the Hebrew scriptures. "Ila" means "Only", as God is indeed the Only. Allah is a combination of "al", the definitive in 'Arabic, and "ilah" as discussed above. The meaning of the term Allah is "the only possible independently existent One". The meaning of the sentence can be read "Not; independently existent One; Only the only possible independently existent One". God is the "la", the "ilaha", the "ila" AND the "Allah". Glory be to God! There are so many layers to these twelve letters.
The opposite of Tawheed is Shirk (literally, attributing of partners, or in this case, other independent beings, beside God), which is the greatest of transgressions and an extreme error in logic. God has explained, in an appeal to our logic, our 'aql, a gift which he has granted mankind:
This is a mentality commonly found among religious people who lay claim to monotheism, among open polytheists and especially among atheists. We should all be aware of this risk by remembrance of the Unity of God, and remembrance that only God is worthy of our worship.
Imam 'Ali explains the doctrine of Tawheed in the first sermon of the Nahjul Balaghah (The Peak of Eloquence) as follows:
"The foremost in religion is the acknowledgement of Him, the perfection of acknowledging Him is to testify to Him, the perfection of testifying to Him is to believe in His Oneness, the perfection of believing in His Oneness is to regard Him as Pure, and the perfection of His purity is to deny Him attributes, because every attribute is a proof that it is different from that to which it is attributed and everything to which something is attributed is different from the attribute. Thus whoever attaches attributes to God recognises His like, and who recognises His like regards Him as two; and who regards Him as two recognises only parts of Him; and who recognises only parts of Him mistook Him; and who mistook Him points to Him; and who points to Him admitted limitations for Him; and who admitted limitations for Him accounts for Him.
Whoever said in what is He, held that He is contained; and whoever said on what is He held He is not on something else. He is a Being but not through the phenomenon of coming into being. He exists but not from non-existence. He is with everything, but not in physical nearness. He is different from everything, but not in physical separation. He acts but without connotation of movements and instruments. He sees even when there is none to be looked at from among His creation. He is One, such that there is none with whom He may keep company or whom He may miss in his absence."
We find written in the Ancient Sanskrit scripture the Rig Veda, a sacred text of Hinduism 1:164:46, "There is one Truth, though the Sages know It by many names." Likewise, the Qur'an says, "Say: Call upon God (Allah) or call upon, the Beneficent (ar-Rahman); whichever you call upon, He has the best names..." In Islam, we see that God has ninety-nine attributes, but these are all just words. These words all point to the same Thing, the Divine. If I say, the Just, and I say, the Merciful, am I speaking of two gods? No. All these ninety-nine attributes point to the same Truth.
While we may perceive these attributes differently, they are actually the same. These words are like fingers, pointing toward the moon. The letters or the sounds are NOT God. The finger is NOT the moon. If several fingers are pointing to the same moon, these are not different moons. Imam Ja'far Sadiq said:
"He is the Lord. He is the One Who is worshipped and He is Allah. When I say Allah, it does not mean establishing the proof for these letters (of the alphabet) like Alif, Lam, Ha (as in Allah), Ra or Ba (as in Rabb, Lord) but I intend thereby the meaning of a Thing and a Thing that is the Creator of all things and the Designer of all things. These letters only refer to the meaning that is called Allah, ar-Rahman (the Beneficent), al-Raheem (the Merciful), al-'Azeez (the Majestic) etc., of the other such names and He is the One Who is worshipped, the Majestic, the Glorious One."
Likewise, God has millions of names, in millions of languages, but there is only one God. "God" is an English word with Germanic roots similar to "Good", as God is "the Good One". (17.110)
In the Atharva Veda, another sacred text of Hindusim, 13:5:20, we find: "He is One and the One forever remaineth alone; Believe it. There is no second in God." But despite these clear references to monotheism in the Hindu scriptures, most Hindus have taken the attributes of God, and given them different personalities.
"Vishnu" means "the all-Pervading one". Brahma means, "the Risen", or "the High", or "the Eminent One". Shiva means, "the Kind", or "the Friendly", or "the Auspicious". There is no problem with these names. They all apply to God. But they all apply to One God. They are not different personalities.
Nor does God have human attributes or anthropomorphic shape (or indeed "shape" at all), for example as he has been portrayed in idols. According to Islam this is an inaccuracy as it limits God to a physical body, and limits God to a time and place, when time and space are but creations of God. As Imam 'Ali explained in the above passage from Nahjul Balaghah, God is all pervasive, and physical separation from (or physical nearness to) God is not possible. To return also to Suratul Ikhlas, "...nothing is like Him."
While most Christians claim that Jesus is a "part" of God, this has an obvious problem, as Jesus denies these very things in the Bible. Matthew 19:16-17:
"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments", and in John, 13:16, he says "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him."
And in Matthew 15:8-9, "…people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
If one worships Jesus Christ, these verses illustrate that Jesus would not approve; In John 8:50, Jesus (a) says, "And I seek not mine own glory: there is One that seeketh and judgeth."
The term "Son of God", if Jesus did say it as there is only one case in the Gospels in which he acknowledges such, has to be understood from a Hebrew background. References to sons of God are mentioned many, many times in the Old Testament. In Job 1:6, the angels are called the sons of God:
Now there was a day when the 'sons of God' came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them."
Similar uses are found in Genesis 6:2 and 6:4. Even in the New Testament, at the end of Jesus' genealogy, in Luke 3:38, the text says:
"Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God."
Consider similarity in the Qur'an's assertion in 3:59, that "Surely the likeness of Jesus is with God as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was."
Remember that 'Arabic is a much more literal language than Hebrew, and the Qur'an's denial of God having a son is not inconsistent with the Biblical metaphors which refer to those closest to God as his children.
The Qur'an even denies that relationship with one's adopted father, in 33:4:
We find a contradiction to the Christian ideas of the Trinity in the Hebrew Bible. For example, Numbers 23:19 says:
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the Son of Man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it?"
Isaiah 43:10-11 says, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."
The Torah contains the equivalent of "la ilaha ila Allah", in the following form:
"Shema (Hear) Yisra'el Israel) YHWH (a name of God) Elohenu (your God/ilah) YHWH echad (one)", "Hear, Israel! YHWH your God is ONE!". Jesus rightly says that this is the most important commandment.
In truth, we find that Tawheed is a universal and obvious truth, and that attempts to deny it do not hold up to the scrutiny of reason and logic. Islam, as a religion of truth, challenges us all to use our reason to seek out truth, not just to follow the ways of our fathers. We find that God does not require of us that we follow the religion we were born into, nor that we pick at random a religion, and follow it out of "blind faith". We have been given the ability to find out the Truth with our Reason, as did the Prophet Abraham:
"And when Ibrahim said to his sire, Azar: Do you take idols for gods? Surely I see you and your people in manifest error. And thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and that he might be of those who are sure. So when the night over-shadowed him, he saw a star; said he: Is this my Lord? So when it set, he said: I do not love the setting ones. Then when he saw the moon rising, he said: Is this my Lord? So when it set, he said: If my Lord had not guided me I should certainly be of the erring people. Then when he saw the sun rising, he said: Is this my Lord? Is this the greatest? So when it set, he said: O my people! surely I am clear of what you set up (with God). Surely I have turned myself, being upright, wholly to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth, and I am not of the polytheists." (6:74-79)
As Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
By Bilal McDaniel
"Say: God is One. God is Whom all depend.
He gave birth to none and none gave birth to Him.
And nothing is comparable to Him."
To further expound, "God is One. There is none besides God, and hence He is the only One on which it is possible to depend. There is none other to depend on, because He is the One and Only, the Originator of all Creation. He does not "beget", or create "outside" of Himself, or create a being which is not dependent on Him. He is not begotten, as He has always been and always will be the Only. Nothing can be like him, for he is All." Truly, if Islam were to be summed up in one short statement, it would, without doubt, be, "La ilaha ila Allah". The most common translation is "There is no god but the God". It is of utmost importance to understand this sentence, which is so simple, and yet which has such depth, and such a wealth of connotations for our daily lives. "La" means "No". It is worth noting that the shape of the word La in 'Arabic is identical to the Hebrew 'Ayn. There are signs in this. The concept of the 'Ayn Sof will be explained more in depth later, but the miracle is that while there is no linguistic relation between these two words, both express the same concept. 'Ayn Sof means "Boundlessness", "Nothingness", "Endlessness", also called the "Lo", a direct cognate of La, "the Not". It is interesting that the concept of zero comes from contributions to mathematics from Indian Sufi's, as the Oneness of God is indeed, in ways, like the concept of Zero. Zero is neither positively nor negatively existent, both of which imply limitations. But likewise, as all the infinite positive and negative possibilities emanate from Zero, all those things which "do exist" and "do not exist" ultimately emanate from God. "Ilah" means a god, or perhaps more accurately, an independently existent "Being".
"Ilah" is related to the Hebrew Eloh, which is pluralized out of respect as Elohim, and both forms are commonly found in the Hebrew scriptures. "Ila" means "Only", as God is indeed the Only. Allah is a combination of "al", the definitive in 'Arabic, and "ilah" as discussed above. The meaning of the term Allah is "the only possible independently existent One". The meaning of the sentence can be read "Not; independently existent One; Only the only possible independently existent One". God is the "la", the "ilaha", the "ila" AND the "Allah". Glory be to God! There are so many layers to these twelve letters.
The opposite of Tawheed is Shirk (literally, attributing of partners, or in this case, other independent beings, beside God), which is the greatest of transgressions and an extreme error in logic. God has explained, in an appeal to our logic, our 'aql, a gift which he has granted mankind:
"If there had been in them any gods except God, they would both have certainly been in a state of disorder; therefore glory be to God, the Lord of the dominion, above what they attribute (to Him)." Qur'an (21:22)
Indeed, if there were two, independently willed, independently existent beings, who were all-powerful, they would limit one another's' power. There could not possibly then, be "Gods" at all. The most obvious form of Shirk is idolatry, by which an object is worshipped as a sort of god, or as a representative of the form of God. Shirk can also be a conception of there being multiple independent beings. One of the most subtle forms of Shirk is that of Self-Shirk, by which one serves only one self, or thinks of one's self, one's nafs (ego/self), as the highest thing to be served, or as an independent being. This is a mentality commonly found among religious people who lay claim to monotheism, among open polytheists and especially among atheists. We should all be aware of this risk by remembrance of the Unity of God, and remembrance that only God is worthy of our worship.
Imam 'Ali explains the doctrine of Tawheed in the first sermon of the Nahjul Balaghah (The Peak of Eloquence) as follows:
"The foremost in religion is the acknowledgement of Him, the perfection of acknowledging Him is to testify to Him, the perfection of testifying to Him is to believe in His Oneness, the perfection of believing in His Oneness is to regard Him as Pure, and the perfection of His purity is to deny Him attributes, because every attribute is a proof that it is different from that to which it is attributed and everything to which something is attributed is different from the attribute. Thus whoever attaches attributes to God recognises His like, and who recognises His like regards Him as two; and who regards Him as two recognises only parts of Him; and who recognises only parts of Him mistook Him; and who mistook Him points to Him; and who points to Him admitted limitations for Him; and who admitted limitations for Him accounts for Him.
Whoever said in what is He, held that He is contained; and whoever said on what is He held He is not on something else. He is a Being but not through the phenomenon of coming into being. He exists but not from non-existence. He is with everything, but not in physical nearness. He is different from everything, but not in physical separation. He acts but without connotation of movements and instruments. He sees even when there is none to be looked at from among His creation. He is One, such that there is none with whom He may keep company or whom He may miss in his absence."
We find written in the Ancient Sanskrit scripture the Rig Veda, a sacred text of Hinduism 1:164:46, "There is one Truth, though the Sages know It by many names." Likewise, the Qur'an says, "Say: Call upon God (Allah) or call upon, the Beneficent (ar-Rahman); whichever you call upon, He has the best names..." In Islam, we see that God has ninety-nine attributes, but these are all just words. These words all point to the same Thing, the Divine. If I say, the Just, and I say, the Merciful, am I speaking of two gods? No. All these ninety-nine attributes point to the same Truth.
While we may perceive these attributes differently, they are actually the same. These words are like fingers, pointing toward the moon. The letters or the sounds are NOT God. The finger is NOT the moon. If several fingers are pointing to the same moon, these are not different moons. Imam Ja'far Sadiq said:
"He is the Lord. He is the One Who is worshipped and He is Allah. When I say Allah, it does not mean establishing the proof for these letters (of the alphabet) like Alif, Lam, Ha (as in Allah), Ra or Ba (as in Rabb, Lord) but I intend thereby the meaning of a Thing and a Thing that is the Creator of all things and the Designer of all things. These letters only refer to the meaning that is called Allah, ar-Rahman (the Beneficent), al-Raheem (the Merciful), al-'Azeez (the Majestic) etc., of the other such names and He is the One Who is worshipped, the Majestic, the Glorious One."
Likewise, God has millions of names, in millions of languages, but there is only one God. "God" is an English word with Germanic roots similar to "Good", as God is "the Good One". (17.110)
In the Atharva Veda, another sacred text of Hindusim, 13:5:20, we find: "He is One and the One forever remaineth alone; Believe it. There is no second in God." But despite these clear references to monotheism in the Hindu scriptures, most Hindus have taken the attributes of God, and given them different personalities.
"Vishnu" means "the all-Pervading one". Brahma means, "the Risen", or "the High", or "the Eminent One". Shiva means, "the Kind", or "the Friendly", or "the Auspicious". There is no problem with these names. They all apply to God. But they all apply to One God. They are not different personalities.
Nor does God have human attributes or anthropomorphic shape (or indeed "shape" at all), for example as he has been portrayed in idols. According to Islam this is an inaccuracy as it limits God to a physical body, and limits God to a time and place, when time and space are but creations of God. As Imam 'Ali explained in the above passage from Nahjul Balaghah, God is all pervasive, and physical separation from (or physical nearness to) God is not possible. To return also to Suratul Ikhlas, "...nothing is like Him."
While most Christians claim that Jesus is a "part" of God, this has an obvious problem, as Jesus denies these very things in the Bible. Matthew 19:16-17:
"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments", and in John, 13:16, he says "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him."
And in Matthew 15:8-9, "…people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
If one worships Jesus Christ, these verses illustrate that Jesus would not approve; In John 8:50, Jesus (a) says, "And I seek not mine own glory: there is One that seeketh and judgeth."
The term "Son of God", if Jesus did say it as there is only one case in the Gospels in which he acknowledges such, has to be understood from a Hebrew background. References to sons of God are mentioned many, many times in the Old Testament. In Job 1:6, the angels are called the sons of God:
Now there was a day when the 'sons of God' came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them."
Similar uses are found in Genesis 6:2 and 6:4. Even in the New Testament, at the end of Jesus' genealogy, in Luke 3:38, the text says:
"Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God."
Consider similarity in the Qur'an's assertion in 3:59, that "Surely the likeness of Jesus is with God as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, Be, and he was."
Remember that 'Arabic is a much more literal language than Hebrew, and the Qur'an's denial of God having a son is not inconsistent with the Biblical metaphors which refer to those closest to God as his children.
The Qur'an even denies that relationship with one's adopted father, in 33:4:
"...nor has He made those whom you assert to be your sons your real sons. These are (but) the words of your mouths..."
In Hebrew, however, father can also refer to the chief of a tribe, one's master, or military superior, as well as an adopted father: To speak of God as our Father is only a metaphor to express that God is our Principal, our Master, our Lord, and He who cares for and protects us.We find a contradiction to the Christian ideas of the Trinity in the Hebrew Bible. For example, Numbers 23:19 says:
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the Son of Man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it?"
Isaiah 43:10-11 says, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."
The Torah contains the equivalent of "la ilaha ila Allah", in the following form:
"Shema (Hear) Yisra'el Israel) YHWH (a name of God) Elohenu (your God/ilah) YHWH echad (one)", "Hear, Israel! YHWH your God is ONE!". Jesus rightly says that this is the most important commandment.
In truth, we find that Tawheed is a universal and obvious truth, and that attempts to deny it do not hold up to the scrutiny of reason and logic. Islam, as a religion of truth, challenges us all to use our reason to seek out truth, not just to follow the ways of our fathers. We find that God does not require of us that we follow the religion we were born into, nor that we pick at random a religion, and follow it out of "blind faith". We have been given the ability to find out the Truth with our Reason, as did the Prophet Abraham:
"And when Ibrahim said to his sire, Azar: Do you take idols for gods? Surely I see you and your people in manifest error. And thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and that he might be of those who are sure. So when the night over-shadowed him, he saw a star; said he: Is this my Lord? So when it set, he said: I do not love the setting ones. Then when he saw the moon rising, he said: Is this my Lord? So when it set, he said: If my Lord had not guided me I should certainly be of the erring people. Then when he saw the sun rising, he said: Is this my Lord? Is this the greatest? So when it set, he said: O my people! surely I am clear of what you set up (with God). Surely I have turned myself, being upright, wholly to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth, and I am not of the polytheists." (6:74-79)
As Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
By Bilal McDaniel
And Allah knows best
