The following is a part of a paper I wrote for a class on the concept of God, if you’re interested:
Dismayed about the practice of his people in regards to their idolatry he needed to find a way to disprove his people. He waited for the opportune time when they all left the town for a celebration by the riverbank and came to the temple armed with an ax. There were plates of food that were laid out in front of the statues as offerings and he jokingly remarked to the idols, “Why do you not eat? The food is getting cold.” With his ax he demolished all of the statues except the biggest one and hung the axe over the remaining idol’s neck. When the people returned to the town they were stunned to see all their gods broken. They were furious and immediately accused Ibrahim of the act. Ibrahim said, “The biggest of them has done it, ask them if they can speak.” They replied angrily, “You know very well they can’t speak.” Ibrahim then said, “Do you then worship besides Allah, things that can neither profit you, nor harm you? Fie upon you, and upon that which you worship besides Allah! Have you then no sense?” The people fell silent as their minds and reason were agreeing with Ibrahim, but were overtaken by their pride and immediately called for revenge for their Gods. They built a hot fire and placed Ibrahim inside of it. However, Allah says in the Qur’an, “We said to the fire. ‘O fire become cool and peace on Ibrahim.” This beautiful story of faith and the unity of Allah is explained by Allah in the Qur’an in surah Anbiya (21). Ibrahim despite the pressure of his people and family had his heart opened by Allah to true monotheism and true belief in one deity.
A deity, throughout history, has always been something or someone that is obeyed, respected, and worshipped. A deity can also be defined as being supernatural having extraordinary powers and control. It is something men rely on for life, death, and anything in-between. The word God, especially as used in the West, is a very broad and general term. God could for example, apply to anything which might be believed to be divine or the direction of prayer whether it be a chair or a statue. Many scholars of Islam discourage using the English word God to mean Allah for this reason, because Allah can only be Allah and nothing else. The world Allah has exclusivity. The first man Adam, worshipped Allah, and Allah only. In time with shaytan’s deception and misguidance people began to make deity of others besides Allah. Associating partners with Allah or try to undermine His unity is called shirk and is considered the greatest of sins.
The concept of God in Islam is based on three basic principles: the oneness of God, the omniscience of God, and the obligation to obey God. These three aspects are the foundation of the belief in God, or Allah in Arabic. This is not a new concept that came with Islam; instead it is a continuation of the same Abrahamic monotheism that formed the basis of Judaism and Christianity as well. All the Prophets (peace be upon them all) since Adam have all taught the same message of Tauheed, or oneness. Violation of any of these principles results in disbelief. It is important to know who God is and His majesty to gain an understanding of how important He is in our lives. Knowledge of Allah is especially important for the purpose of worship.
The simplest and most clear definition of Allah is the definition He gives about Himself in the Qur’an, “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none comparable unto Him.”(Qur’an 112). The concept of God in Islam could not be explained more clearly. Allah is the only God; He has no partners, creator, or rivals. Allah created and controls the entire universe and everything in it, and there is no one who can challenge Him. Allah is The First and The Last, and there is no one who exceeds Him. Allah is The All-Powerful and all power and change can only come from Him. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to say, “There is no movement or power except by Allah’s will.”
The omniscience of God is described by His immense power and His unique attributes. Allah has ninety-nine names and unequivocal attributes by which He describes Himself in the Qur’an. These are only a small number of His attributes given to try and bring into our human perception the Greatness of Allah. Allah is the epitome of every good attribute; for example, He is The Most Merciful and The Most Gracious. Allah describes Himself in the greatest ayah in the Qur’an, Ayat ul-Kursi, saying, “Allah!, None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever-Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep overtakes Him; To him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them in this world, what will happen to them in the Hereafter, and they will never compass anything of His knowledge except that which He wills His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, The Most Great” (2:255). He is free from human limits and desires; He needs neither food nor sleep. There is nothing that happens in the great expanse of this world that Allah doesn’t have knowledge of. Allah knows what’s best for His slaves and is never unjust. All these ideals are incorporated into the belief that Allah is One and sovereign over everything.
Allah has clearly defined the sole purpose of creation in the Qur’an, “We have created jinn and human beings only that they might worship Me. I do not expect to receive any sustenance from them or that they should feed Me. It is Allah Who is the Sustainer and the Lord of invincible strength (51:56-8).” Similarly, our relationship with Allah is based on obedience and worship. The Muslim testament of faith, “La ilaha ill Allah,” translated: “There is no one worthy of worship except Allah,” establishes our role and purpose. Simply repeating this statement is not sufficient it must be firmly believed and practiced. Obeying Allah’s commands is an essential part of faith and negligence results in disbelief.
