In the world, then there must be a Great Force in action to keep everything in order.
Concept of God in Islam
Who is above Us All (He is above Us all, no one is above Him)? Who can Only Help Us? And is there for Us Always when we need Help!
The question of God’s existence has preoccupied men’s minds for many centuries. Those who believe in God seem to agree that the limited finite human intelligence cannot prove the existence of the infinite boundless God. It can only illustrate or demonstrate his existence to the satisfaction of the curious human mind.
Those who deny God claim to rely on science, philosophy, or special theories of knowledge. Their arguments are sometimes inapplicable, sometimes irrelevant, always complex, and often incomprehensible. However, the developed mind will find its way to Allah. Failure to find the way does not mean that there is no way. Denial of reality does not make it unreal.
As we look around in our environments, we see that every family has a head: every school has a principal, every city or town has a mayor; every province or state has a premier/governor, and every nation has a head of state. Moreover, we know beyond doubt that every beautiful art is the creation of some great artist. All this is obvious, yet it does not satisfy the hunger for knowledge and the curiosity of man about the great things in the world. One often wonders at the beauties of nature with its scenic charm and marvels; the almost endless horizons in the sky and their far-reaching expansions; the ceaseless succession of day and night in the most orderly manner; the course of the sun, the moon, and the great stars; the world of animate and inanimate objects, the continuous process and evolution of man, generation after generation. One often wonders because one would like to know the maker and maintainer of all these things with which we live and which we immensely enjoy.
Can we find an explanation of the great universe? Is there any convincing interpretation of the secret of existence? We realize that no family can function properly without a responsible head, that no city can prosperously exist without sound administration, and that no state can survive without a chief of some kind.
We also realize that nothing comes into being on its own. Moreover, we observe that the universe exists and functions in the most orderly manner and that it has survived for hundreds of thousands of years. Can we, then, say that all this is accidental and haphazard? Or can we attribute the existence of man and the whole world to mere chance?
If man were to come into being by accident or by sheer chance, his entire life would be based on chance, and his whole existence would be meaningless, and no rational being would leave his existence at the mercy of fluctuating chance. Every reasonable human being tries to make his life as meaningful as possible and set for himself a model of conduct according to some design. Individuals, groups, and nations do plan their course of action. And every careful plan produces some desired effects. The fact of the matter is that man does engage in the planning of one sort or another and can appreciate the merits of good planning.
Yet man represents only a very small portion of the great universe. And if he can make plans and appreciate the merits of planning, then his own existence and the survival of the universe must also be based on a planned policy. This means that there is a Designing Will behind our material existence and that there is a Unique Mind in the world to bring things into being and keep them moving in order. The marvelous wonders of our world and the secrets of life are too great to be the product of random accident or mere chance.
In the world, then there must be a Great Force in action to keep everything in order.
In the beautiful nature, there must be a Great Artist who creates the most charming pieces of art and produces everything for a special purpose in life. This Force is the strongest of all forces, and this Artist is the greatest of all artists. The true believers and deeply enlightened people recognize this Artist and call Him Allah (His True and Real Name) or God. They call Him God because He is the Creator and the Chief Architect of the world, the Originator of life and the Provider of all things in existence. He is not a man because no man can create or make another man. He is not an animal, nor is He a plant. He is neither an idol nor is He a statue of any kind because none of these things can make itself or create anything else. He is not a machine. He is neither the sun nor is He the moon or any other star, because these things are controlled by a great system, and are themselves made by someone else. He is different from all these things because He is the Maker and Keeper of them all. The maker of anything must be different from and greater than the thing which he makes. We also know that nothing can come to life on its own and that the marvelous world did not create itself or come into existence by accident. The continuous changes in the world prove that it is made and everything which is made must have a maker of some sort.
The Maker and Sustainer of the world, the Creator of and Provider for man, the Active Force and Effective Power in nature are all one and the same, and that is known to be Allah or God. This is the secret of all secrets and the Most Supreme of all beings. The Qur’an, the True Book of God says:
Belief in God and His great power alone can provide mankind with the best Possible explanation of many mysterious things in life. This is the safest way to true knowledge and spiritual insight, the right path to good behavior and sound morals, the surest guide to happiness and prosperity.
Once man believes that God exists he must know His attributes and names. Generally speaking every perfection and absolute goodness belong to Him, and no defect or wrong applies to Him. In specific terms, one should know and believe the following:
- God is only One, has no partner or son, and neither gives birth nor is He born. He is eternally besought by all and has no beginning or end, and none is equal to Him (Qur’an)
- He is the Merciful and the Compassionate, the Guardian and the True Guide, the Just and the Supreme Lord, the Creator and the Watchful, the First and the Last, the knowing and the Wise, the Hearing, and the Aware, the Witness and the Glorious, the Able and ‘ the Powerful. (Qur’an example)
- He is the Loving and the Provider, the Generous and the Benevolent, the Rich and the Independent, the Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the Appreciative, the unique and the Protector, the Judge, and the Peace. (Qur’an example)
Each one of these names and attributes of God is mentioned in various places in the Qur’an. We all enjoy the care and mercy of God Who is so Loving and Kind to His creation. If we try to count His favors upon us, we cannot, because they are countless (Qur’an)
God is High and Supreme, but he is very near to the pious thoughtful people; He answers their prayers and helps them. He loves the people who love Him and forgives their sins. He gives them peace and happiness, knowledge and success, life and protection. He welcomes all those who want to be at peace with Him and never rejects any of them. He teaches man to be good, to do the right and to keep away from the wrong. Because He is so Good and Loving. He recommends and accepts only the good and right things. The door of His mercy is always open to any who sincerely seek His support and protection. (Qur’an)
The Love of God for His creatures is immense and beyond human imagination. We cannot measure or count His favors. He creates us and takes good care of us, not only from the time of our birth onward but even long before that. He makes us in the best form of creation and gives us all the senses and faculties that we need for our growth. He helps us when we cannot help ourselves, and provides for us and for our dependents. He creates in man the mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good and righteous, the feelings and sentiments to be kind and humane.
By His mercy, we gain true knowledge and see the real light. Because He is Merciful He creates us in the most beautiful shape and provides us with the sun and the moon, the land and the sea, the earth and the skies, the plants and the animals. He is the Creator of all these things and many others for our benefit and use. He makes things that are of service to us in this life, and gives man dignity and intelligence, honor and respect because man is the best of all created things and is God’s viceroy on earth.
The mercy O God gives us hope and peace, courage and confidence. It enables us to remedy our griefs and sorrows, to overcome our difficulties and obtain success and happiness. Indeed, the mercy of God relieves the distressed, cheers the afflicted, consoles the sick, strengthens the desperate, and comforts the needy. In short, the mercy of God is active everywhere all the time in every aspect of our lives. Some people may fail to recognize it only because they take it for granted. But it is real and we can feel it with our hearts and appreciate it with our minds.
The Loving Merciful God never forgets us or lets us down or ignores our sincere calls upon Him. By His Mercy and Love He has shown us the Right Way and sent to us messengers and teachers, books and revelations – all are meant for our help and guidance. The last Messenger from God is Muhammad (PBUH), and the most genuine existing book of Allah is the Qur’an. From the traditions of Muhammad (PBUH) and the teachings of the Qur’an, we learn about the Forgiving God. If a person commits a sin or does something wrong, then he is violating the law of God, committing a grave offense against God and abusing his own dignity and existence. But if he is sincere and wishes to repent, regrets his wrong deeds and wants to return to God, faithfully seeks pardon from God and honestly approaches him, then God will certainly accept him and forgive him. Even those who reject God or his Oneness are assured of forgiveness, should they realize there erroneous attitude and resolve to come back to God. In this connection the Qur’an says:
“God forgives not that partnership should be set up with him; but He forgives anything else, to whom he pleases and; to set up partners with God is to devise a sin most heinous indeed.” (Al-Nisa’ 4: 48)
“Say oh my servants who have transgressed against their souls! despair not the mercy of God: for God forgives all sins: for he is most forgiving, most merciful. Turn to your Lord ( in repentance ) and submit to him, before the penalty comes on you; after that, you shall not be helped. And follow the best of the courses revealed to you from your Lord, before the penalty comes on you on a sudden while you perceive not!” (Al-Zumar 39: 53)
In return for all these great favors and kindness, God does not need anything from us, because He is the needless and the independent. He does not ask us to pay him back, for we cannot reward him or value his immeasurable favors and mercy. What He commands us to do, however, is only to be good, to be thankful and to be appreciative, to follow his recommendations and in force his law, to be the proper manifestation of his goodness and excellent attributes, to be his honest agents and true representatives on earth.
He does not want to enslave us because he is the One who grants us dignity and honor. He does not wish to subjugate us because He is One who emancipates us from fear and superstitions. He does not desire to humiliate us because He is the One who creates us and exalts our ranks above all other beings. So whatever rules and prescriptions He passes unto us are designed for our own benefit and good. They are meant to help us enjoy our lives with one another in Peace and Kindness, in brotherhood and co-operation. They are destined to make us attain his most pleasant company and adopt the surest approach to Eternal Happiness in life after death.
There are various ways to know God and there are many things to tell about him. The Great wonders and impressive marvels of the world are like open books in which we can read about God. Besides, God, Himself comes to our Aid through the many messengers and revelations He has sent down to man. These messengers and revelations tell us everything we need to know about God. So by reflecting on nature, by hearing the words of the messengers, and by reading the Divine revelations we can gain most convincing knowledge about God and find the Straight Path to Him.
The aforesaid discussion brings forth the following facts:
There is God. He is ONE.
- He is the creator, sustainer, and provider of this universe
and there are no partners unto Him.
- He is the One and the Only One who can guide us in the
Right Path in all walks of our life. It is in following His
guidance the success and salvation of man, Here and in
the Hereafter lies says the Qur’an:
“Allah Himself bears witness that there is no God but He and likewise do the Angels and the men possessed of knowledge bear witness in truth and justice that there is no God but He the Almighty the All-Wise” (Aal `Imran 3:18)
“Say, ‘God’s guidance is the (only) Guidance And we have been directed to submit ourselves to the Lord of the Worlds” (Al-An`am 6:71).
Now it is the duty of every one of us to acknowledge Him, acquire the Knowledge of His guidance and lead a life of complete submission to His guidance.
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Taken with slight editorial modifications from Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI), 481 Coventry Road, Birmingham B10 OJS UK.