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The Supreme Being created this universe for the manifestation of His Majesty and Glory but kept Himself hidden and veiled from the eyes of His creation. He inculcated an urge in the human mind and soul to know their True Creator who is the Only One Absolute Being without any partner or associate.
He assigned man as His vicegerent and equipped him with reason, intuition, as well as other capabilities to differentiate between right and wrong, and told him to worship the Lord of Unity, glorify Him and seek His Pleasure through complete submission to His will, thus fulfilling his assigned purpose in this universe.
In Islam, the entire faith of Muslims rests on the doctrine of the Unity of God who is Absolute and Indivisible.
The human journey started with the first prophetic call of Hazrat Adam (as), and it was the declaration of the existence of One God. After Hazrat Adam (as) the history of the next generations reveals that all the Messengers of God carried the same message of the ‘Oneness’ of God, but from time to time people deviated from the right path. It was hard for them to believe in the One Unseen God. They wanted material proof of His Existence and insisted on seeing Him with their own physical eyes. When a Subtle and Unique Being could not be visible to them, under the influence of awe-inspiring objects of nature they started worshipping trees, the sun, the moon and stars, trees, or whatever attracted them and looked powerful. God Almighty warned them through His Messengers and numerous Signs to worship the Omnipotent, Gracious, Merciful, Absolute and One Single God, Who is not only the Creator but the Destroyer too, but even after repeated warnings when they did not listen. Ultimately, they were destroyed like the nations of Sodom and Gomorrah.
All the previous sacred Scriptures give evidence of One God who is Singular and Independent, but the influence of materialism and other temporary attractions polluted the ignorant human minds, and they went far away from their True Creator. But even in the dark times of worshipping self-created idols, those who were True Believers in Tauhid (Oneness of God) did not falter in their faith and remained firm in their belief.
Today the followers of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam believe in the concept of Monotheism i.e., One God who is Infinite and Eternal. The followers of these religions may differ in their opinions and interpretations, but they know very well that all roads lead to one destination: that destination is the Lord of Unity.
Christianity asserts the Oneness of God but at the same time advocates in the Holy Trinity: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, i.e., God is one in essence and three in persons. Christians believe in compound unity. In this regard, the Holy Bible says, “For there is One God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1).
Another Biblical verse states “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (2).
Jews believe in One God called YHWH, the God of Israel, who is Absolute, One, Personal and Transcendent. He is called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through the Prophet Moses (as), He delivered the Israelites from slavery and gave them His Law in the form of Ten Commandments.
In the Holy Bible, it is stated, “This is what the Lord says, Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first, and I am the last, apart from Me there is no God.” (3).
In Islam, the entire faith of Muslims rests on the doctrine of the Unity of God who is Absolute and Indivisible. Because God Himself is Absolute Unity, He likes unity in His Creation so that harmony and goodness should prevail. He is Unitarian and Universal and possesses infinite attributes; He manifests to humanity through 99 of these main attributes. In the Muslim world there is no concept of Godhead. He is Unique, and nothing can be compared with Him. He is Eternal, Infinite, Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent, to name but a few attributes, but this Beautiful Being is beyond the comprehension of the mere human mind. Reasoning plays a large part in knowing the Supreme Power, but occasionally, when it fails, intuition comes forward and plays its role. He is neither matter nor spirit, but something quite different that cannot be compared to anything of the Universe. He can only be recognized through His attributes, signs, intuition, and Divine knowledge given to the Messengers through the angels.
He is “al-Ahad” as well as “al-Wahid”. About His being “al-Ahad” God makes it clear in the Holy Qur’an, “Say, He is Allah, the One; ‘Allah, the Independent and Besought of all. He begets not, nor is He begotten; ‘And there is none like unto Him’” (4).
“Al-Ahad” means He is unique and matchless in attributes. His Oneness is incalculable, numerically speaking. He is One and has no father, mother, son, or any other associate. “Al-Wahid” also refers to the Oneness of God. In essence and by nature He is a Unique entity and Singular without any helper or partner. His Oneness in the sense of Wahid is described in the following verse of the Holy Qur’an: “Verily, Allah is the One Only God. Far is it from His Holy ness that He should have a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth” (5).
The foundation of Muslim belief is built on monotheism and associating partners with the Oneness of God (shirk) is strictly forbidden. Shirk is a form of practicing idolatry and whether it is open or concealed, major or minor, it is a major and unforgivable sin.
In the same way, one’s ego i.e., pride in one’s self, is also a form of shirk. It is also shirk when instead of pleasing God and having firm faith in His Mercy and Graciousness, man, starts pleasing other resourceful people for his own pleasure, benefit and gains. He falters in his faith and starts running towards fake divinities, pirs (spiritual guide), faqirs (religious mendicant), and forgets his True Creator who is the real Sustainer, Compassionate, All-powerful and Resourceful. Man forgets that his Creator is a Living God (Al-Hayy) and is always there for all His creation: He listens to them, talks to them and takes care of them.
It is not only the people of previous generations but even now in this present era, people go on asking questions about the existence of the Supreme Being. God Almighty eradicates their doubts by saying in the Holy Qur’an, “And when My servants ask thee about Me, say, I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So, they should harken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way” (6).
The Lord of Unity created a diverse universe, but within this diversity, He likes to have unity and harmony. For the promotion of peace and harmony He revealed the Holy Qur’an that comprises complete guidance, warnings, and commands for the unity and well-being of all of humanity for all time. Among His Signs, the cosmos is an example of beautiful unity in diversity. Intellect, as well as intuition, reveal that there is a Supreme Mover and Ultimate Cause who is moving each celestial body in its assigned orbit, otherwise deviation from it will cause destruction. Every blade of grass, a tiny insect, and all living and inanimate objects of natural creation are manifest and brilliant examples of One Supreme, Unique and Single Power that is working behind them.
Sir Isaac Newton wrote that this most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and domain of an intelligent and Powerful Being.
Referring to the existence and working of a supreme power, Dr. Irving William Knoblauch Professor of Natural Sciences, Michigan State University U. S. A., says: “I believe in God […] because I do not think mere chance could account for the emergence of the electrons and protons or for the first brain. I believe in God because to me Divine Existence is the only logical explanation for the things as they are” (8).
The monotheistic concept of Islam is against polytheism or pantheism because these ideologies associate partners with the Absolute One God. In pantheism, there is no distinction between God and Universe. Every object is identified with Him. Polytheism is belief in many gods. Each of them will have his own plan and course of action to rule the universe. The conflicting mode of action will create chaos and affect the harmony of the universe.
In this regard, the Holy Qur’an states, “If there had been in them (the heavens and the earth) other gods besides Allah, then surely both would have gone to ruin. Glori_ed then be Allah, The Lord of the Throne above what they attribute” (10).
The Lord of Unity, the Unique and Singular Being, the Ultimate Cause of all the things is a Beautiful Great Mystery that is beyond the understanding of the human mind. He seems to be living far away, but He is so close to man that whenever man calls Him, He listens and answers him and knows all his open and secret actions. He is the All-Knowing, All-Powerful, Gracious and Merciful Absolute Being.
The article appears in the Fall 2019 issue.
References
1. The Holy Bible, Timothy (2:5)
2. The Holy Bible, Matthew (29:9)
3. Isaiah (4:6), New International Version (NIV)
4. The Holy Qur’an (112:4)
5. The Holy Qur’an (4:172)
6. The Holy Qur’an (2:187)
7. Our Solar system and Steller universe (Ten popular Lectures) By Charles Whythe
8. Scientific book Evidence of God in expanding Universe by Charles Wythe (p. 131). Charles Griffer Co., LMT, London )
9. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
10. The Holy Qur’an (21:23)
Last modified: April 2020
