WHO IS ALLAH
Is He a moon god ? An idol of worship ? Or maybe the God of the Arabs or the God exclusively for Muslims ?
To those who are unfamiliar with Islam and its beliefs, often, there has come about many misconceptions about who Allah is. Many of these questions arise with speculation of who Muslims really bow down to. But it’s simple. Muslims worship the One and Only Supreme Deity and the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.
Allah is the proper name for God in Arabic. The only One true God Who has the right to be worshipped. The God of all Prophets and the same God who revealed the Torah to Moses and the Gospel to Jesus; The Psalms to David and the Scrolls to Abraham (peace be upon them all). Allah is Unique. No one and nothing else can be called by His Name. He is of no gender and of no plural.
When the polytheists were inquiring Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about Allah, Allah revealed a short chapter of the Quran to His Messenger (peace be upon him) in response to their question. He said: “Say (O Muhammad): He is Allah, the One. Allah, The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need. He begets not, nor was He begotten; And there is none comparable to Him.” (Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4)
All human beings are born with a natural disposition to believe and submit to One God, with an acknowledgement that there is a higher power, a Creator. But as they grow, they are taught otherwise by society and those around them, deviating them from their natural inclination. Then the concept of God gradually becomes distorted. Either physical human features and qualities are ascribed to God, or divine attributes are ascribed to humans beings, idols, animals….or the Divine is being disregarded altogether. Simply put, Allah is the Creator of all that exists. He has no associates for He is Self-Sufficient and does not depend on anything or anyone for His Existence. Rather, we depend on Him for everything. Nothing is like Him. It is He who gives life and causes death. The One in which all decisions rest. He has power over all things. His Nature is unique and different from all that which exists. He is the Eternal. He is the Ever living, Self-Sufficient and free of all wants and needs. He is Allah. The Lord and Creator of the Universe. He has no beginning and no end. He is Perfect and complete, whereas nothing else is. He is the Omnipotent and the All-Knowing of our affairs. He is the Source of blessings, happiness, goodness and success.
It is Allah in which we seek refuge with, the One Who we call upon when we ask of Him, the One Who we seek His forgiveness when we sin and make mistakes. No intermediary needed. He is the Master of all.
He is the Most Merciful, the Compassionate, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Guide, the Provider……Learning, understanding and living by Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes will allow one to know His Lord and understand his/her purpose in life. To live a life of acceptance and contentment, one must gain a deeper understanding of His Lord. Contemplating on the things in and around him will help us gain a stronger connection to our Lord. When we observe the very unique design of our fingerprints to the perfect structure of the Universe, from the continuous blink of our eyes and beat of our hearts to the non stop rotation of the Earth, from the trees and plants which provide us with the oxygen we need to survive, to the food produced each day to provide for the billions living on earth, to the never ending water supply which is essential for our existence….. who else can sustain, provide, nurture all of creation except Allah. When we fall ill, when harm touches us, when we get into trouble, who else will be our Protector, Guardian, Healer and Guide besides our Lord, Allah. When we fall into sin, mess up in life, make mistakes, and start to lose hope, who else is He who is the Forgiver, the One Who overlooks, the Most Merciful and Compassionate, except Allah.
Knowledge of our Creator is a light that God places in the hearts. It’s a guidance to His slaves. No one has the right to be worshiped except the Creator of all that which exists, Allah. He guides whom He wills and leaves astray whoever refuses to seek the truth. It is He we worship, and it is He we seek help from. He, who we love. He, who we fear and He who we place our trusts in to take care of all our affairs. He is Allah. To Him we belong, and to Him is our Return.
