THE ONE GOD

Belief in the One God, the Creator and Lord of the heavens and the earth, is the first basic article of faith in Islam. But in order for any of us to have a correct understanding of God, we must first arrive at an answer to our earlier question, Who and what is He?

THE NATURE AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

The following verses from the Holy Qur’an provide us with an understanding of the nature and attributes of God, the Most High. And the Describer is none other than God Himself, who has informed us about His own exalted Self in these words:

God-there is no deity except Him, the Living, the Eternal. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. to Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth. Who is the one who can intercede in His Presence except by His permission? He knows what is in front of them and what comes after them, and they do not grasp anything of His knowledge except as He wills. His Throne extends throughout the heavens and the earth, and He does not tire of guarding them; and He is the Most High, the Almighty. (2:255)

He is God, besides whom there is no god, Knower of the Unseen and the Visible; He is the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. He is God, besides whom there is no god, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Guardian, the Preserver, the Almighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glorified be God above the partners they attribute to Him! He is God, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner. To Him belong the most beautiful Names, and He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (59:22–24)

From these verses, we should easily be able to grasp that the Reality of God, the Creator and Ruler of all things, is great and exalted beyond human power to imagine or comprehend. For Almighty God, our Lord, is not some superhuman, bearded father-figure, a glorified man who sits on the clouds and orders creation by a wave of his physical hand. Rather, He is a totally unique, partnerless, transcendent Being who is not bound by any of the limitations of created beings. He does not possess a physical form or physical characteristics. He had no beginning and will have no end, nor does He have a father, mother, wife or children, or any other kind of ‘kinship’ with the beings He has created. As He proclaims,

He is God, the One, the Self-Sufficient. He does not beget nor is He begotten, and there is nothing comparable to Him. (112:1–4)

Originator of the heavens and the earth — how can He have a son while He has no mate?5 And He created all things, and He is well-aware o fall things. (6:101; also 72:3)

They say, “God has acquired a son.” Glory be to Him -He is free of all needs! To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth.

(10:68; also 2:116)

Thus, God Himself informs us that He is the All Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Wise, Most Merciful Lord, the Originator, Fashioner, Sustainer and Ruler of all things in existence. He knows the most detailed workings of each atom of His creation, of every single part of the universe, all the secrets of life and death, and everything there is to know about ourselves, mankind. And He sustains and keeps everything in creation functioning according to His infinitely wise plan and laws. His is ultimate wisdom, power, skill and artistry.

To God belongs the sovereignty in the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is in them, and He is powerful over all things. (5:120/5:123 in some translations)

Hence, it is clear that God Almighty is not like anything else, for only He is the Creator and all else is created. But even though, as Creator, He is totally unique and not to be compared with any of His creatures, nonetheless He is with His creation, all of it. At every single instant, “He is with you wherever you are. And God is Seer of whatever you do” (57:4). He knows the innermost secrets of our bodies, minds and hearts, and nothing whatsoever about us is hidden from Him.

We created the human being and We know what his lower self whispers to him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein. (50:16)

And no deed do you do without Our being witness, es over you while you are engaged in it. Nor does an atom’s weight in the earth or in the sky, nor what is less or greater than that, escape your Lord, but is [inscribed] in a clear record. (10:61; also 34:03)

At the same time, God Almighty is the possessor of the most exalted attributes, possessing all of them to the highest degree of perfection. Thus, as He is merciful and just, He is infinitely, endlessly merciful and just; since He is seeing, hearing and knowing, He is most perfectly, totally seeing, hearing and knowing; absolutely, unlimitedly powerful, and at the same time infinitely loving and tender. He is the Gracious, the Forbearing, the Forgiving; He is the All-in-All.

That is God, your Lord. There is no deity except Him, the Creator of all things; therefore, worship Him. And He is the Guardian of all things. (6:102)

As the Sovereign and Lord, it is for Him to make any rules or laws that He deems suitable for His creatures. At the same time, because He is all-wise and all-knowing, any rules He makes for them are for their own good. He is the One who is accountable to no one but to whom all His servants are accountable. He did not create the universe and the creatures in it, including mankind, as a recreation or sport. Rather, He created them for the most perfect and just ends. And He created us, mankind, for a very special, high and extraordinary destiny.

• Suzanne Haneef, Islam: The Path of God, pages 25–28 (PDF Version)

Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God

Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, Who has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. He is the true God, and every other deity is false. He has the most magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity, nor His attributes.

God is One and Unique

God is the Self-existent Who was not given life, cannot be caused to die or brought back to life by anyone else. God is eternal, without beginning or end, and is thus a Unique Being who has no equal. This is a clear statement by Allah/God describing Himself to humanity without any room for confusion. God is One and is exalted above everything He creates 👇

another translation of Surah Al-Ikhlas in English and Arabic:

The Quran answers such questions as where we came from, why we exist and what we should do. This Book describes the existence, the unity, the power and the mercy of God. The Quran speaks of God, and introduces God as the Merciful, the Creator and the Forgiver. The description of God is the most important message of the Quran.

in order to worship God, we have to know Him well otherwise we may form a distorted concept of Him and then go astray. God is nothing like a human being or like anything that we can imagine and he is the only one worthy of worship.

فَاطِرُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ أَزْوَاجًا يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

Allah is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs from the cattle. He makes you expand in this way. Nothing is like Him. And He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

— Quran 42:11

Unlike other religions, Islam is not named after its founder or the community of its birth. Islam is an attributive title that signifies obedience to God, the Creator of the Universe. One of its main beauties is that it acknowledges the complete perfection, greatness and uniqueness of God with absolutely no compromises. This is reflected in Islam’s pure teachings of the attributes of God.

-1- God is One and Unique:

God has no partners, no equals and no rivals.
God has no father, mother, sons, daughters or wives.
God alone is worthy of all worship.

-2- God is the All-Powerful:

God has full authority and power over all things.
Obedience to God does not increase His Power, nor does disobedience decrease His power.

-3- God is the Most High:

-There is nothing above or comparable to God.
The attributes of God do not resemble that of His creation.
No part of God is present in anyone or anything.

-4- God is Perfect:

God does not have any human limitations, such as resting on the seventh day after He created the universe.
God always maintains attributes of perfection and does not do anything to compromise this perfection such as “becoming a man” as claimed by other religions. God does not do ungodly acts, so if God became man and took on human attributes, he would, necessarily, no longer be God.

you want to read about Islam?

i recommend you to read these two books of Suzanne Haneef:

-1- What Everyone Should Know About Islam and Muslims (PDF)

-2- Islam: The Path of God (PDF)

Suzanne Haneef is an American Muslim.

feel free to contact me. Thank you.

Salam 😊 Peace