Discover Islam: Basic Concepts : Allah

 

 

 

 

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Allah

[Beliefs] [Declaration] [Effect]

The most important and fundamental belief required of a Muslim is the belief in the ONENESS OF ALLAH (called Tawheed in Arabic). It implies that everything on this earth is created by the Almighty Allah, who is the Sole Sustainer of the Universe and the Sole Source of its Guidance.

"Allah" is the proper name for the one and only Almighty God. The word Allah has no linguistic derivation or derivatives (singular-plural, masculine-feminine, infinitive-verb form, etc.) (Click here for the origin of the word.)

 

Beliefs

Allah is ONE.
 
He alone is worthy of worship and none besides Him is worthy of worship.
 
He has no partners in any form.
 
Nothing is hidden from Him. He knows even the thoughts that go into a person's mind.
 
He is the most powerful. He is the Sole Superpower on Earth and elsewhere.
 
He created the earth, the skies, the sun, the moon, the stars, the angels, humans beings, and the whole universe.
 
He gives life and causes death.
 
He gives sustenance to all creation.
 
He does not eat, drink or sleep.
 
He is forever and will be forever.
 
He was not created by anyone.
 
He does not have any parents, wife, sons or daughters.
 
He does not depend on anybody. All depend on Him.
 
Nobody resembles Allah, and He resembles none.
 
He is pure from all faults.
 
He has no eyes, nose, body, or form like human beings or any other creation.

(Click here for the names and attributes of Allah)

 

Declaration of Faith

The primary duty of a Muslim is to declare his/her faith. This is done by sincerely declaring and believing in the heart the statement:


La ilaaha illallaah  Muhammad-ur-rasoolullaah
There is no god except Allah; Muhammad is Allah's messenger.

 

Effect on Human Life

The belief in the above declaration has far-reaching effects on a person's life:

The one who accepts and acknowledges the existence of Allah, the Almighty, understands that the sole purpose of life - at every step and in every sphere of it - is nothing other than to worship, serve, and obey the Creator and Sustainer.
 
A believer in the oneness of Allah surrenders himself/herself completely to the will of Allah and becomes His true servant and subject. Allah has created all that is in the earth and the heavens for the service of mankind. When a person surrenders himself to Allah's commands, he gains rights over all other creations in the universe.
 
It produces in the believer a high degree of self-respect and confidence. He knows that he depends on none but Allah for the fulfillment of all his needs. He firmly believes that Allah alone has the power of providing all his requirements and no one else has any power to do good or harm to him without the will of Allah.
 
This belief makes a believer humble and modest -- neither arrogant or haughty. He is fully aware that everything belongs to Allah and he gains control over the rest of creation only by being a true subject of Allah.
 
Belief in the oneness of Allah makes one dutiful and upright. The believer knows that he must carry out the commands of his Creator to succeed in this life and the life hereafter.
 
It makes one contented. He does not become worried because he knows that Allah will take care of all his needs.
 
It makes a person brave and courageous. It removes from his mind the fear of death or concern for safety.
 
A believer in Allah consciously feels himself to be part of the whole universe. This belief broadens his horizon and his outlook expands.
 
It produces in a believer strong determination, patience and perseverance. The believer becomes single-minded and dedicates himself to seeking the pleasure of his Creator.
 
The most important effect of the belief in Allah is that it makes a person obey and observe Allah's commands. A believer is sure that Allah knows and sees everything and he cannot escape Allah's ever-watchful eye for a single moment. In fact, Allah is nearer to him than his/her own jugular vein. So, a true believer does not commit a sin either secretly or in the darkness of night because he has the firm conviction that Allah sees everything all the time. The result of this is the creation of a community and society where the rights of all creation are respected and upheld as they should be.

 

A believer in the oneness of Allah seeks the pleasure of Allah by making his belief and action go together as much as possible. Belief without practice has no place in Islam. In short, a believer strives to fulfill the rights of Allah, the rights of His creation, and the rights of one's own self.

 

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Last modified 08/12/05 09:45 AM - Connecticut Council of Masajid, Inc.