Introduction To Islam

The introduction to Islam

Islam is a Semitic religion, which includes over one billion adherents across the world. Islam means "submission to the will of God". Muslims accept the Qur’an, as the word of God revealed to His last and final prophet, Muhammad (ﷺ). Islam states that the Allah sent messengers and prophets for the duration of the ages with the message of Unity of God and responsibility in the Hereafter. Islam thus really makes it an article of faith to believe in all the earlier prophets, starting to Adam, and continuing with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John the Baptist and Jesus among the many others (may peace be on them all).

Theory of God

The absolute most Concise Definition of God

Surah Ikhlas - a touchstone of theology

So what does Islam state about ‘god-men’?

By what title do we called God?

God doesn't take human beings form:

God doesn't perform ungodly acts:

God only does Godly acts:  

Objectives Of Anthropomorphism

The Creator develop the instruction manual

Allah selects Messengers:

Each attribute of God is unique and possessed with Him alone:

Unity of God   

Tawheed

The Most Concise Definition of God
"Say: He is Allah,
The One and Only.
"Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.
"He begets not, nor is He begotten.
And there is none like unto Him."
[Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

The term ‘As-Samad’ is hard to translate. It means that ‘absolute existence’, which can be linked only to Allah (ﷻ), all other existence actually temporal or conditional. It additionally means that Allah (ﷻ) is not dependent on anyone or thing, but all persons and things are depending on Him.


Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of theology:
Surah Ikhlas (Chapter 112) from the Glorious Qur’an, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’ in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means that study. Thus Theology means study of God and also to Muslims this four line meaning of Enormous  God serves as the touchstone of the studies into God. Any candidate to deity must be subjected to this ‘acid test’. Considering that the attributes of Allah given in this chapter are unique, false gods as well as pretenders to divinity can be easily dismissed by using these verses.

                                                                                                                                                    

What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?
India is frequently called the land of ‘god-men’. That is due to the abundance of so-called spiritual masters in India. A majority of these ‘babas’ and ‘saints’ have a large following in lots of countries. Islam abhors deification of any human beings  . To be aware of the Islamic stand towards such pretenders to divinity, let us to analyze one these types of ‘god-man’, Osho Rajneesh.

Let us put this particular candidate, ‘Bhagwan’ Rajneesh, to the test of Surah Ikhlas, the touchstone to theology:

The very first criterion is "Say, He is Allah, one and only". Is Rajneesh one and only? No! Rajneesh was one among the great number of ‘spiritual teachers’ produced by India. Some disciples of Rajneesh may still hold that Rajneesh is one and only.

The 2nd criterion is, ‘Allah is absolute and eternal’. We know from Rajneesh’s biography that he had been suffering from diabetes, asthma, and chronic backache. He alleged about the U.S. Government gave him slow poison in jail. Imagine Enormous  God   poisoned! Rajneesh was therefore, neither absolute nor eternal.

The third criterion is ‘He begets not, nor is He begotten’. We know that Rajneesh grew up in Jabalpur in India and had a mother and a father who later grew to be his disciples.

In May 1981 he went to U.S.A. and established an urban area called ‘Rajneeshpuram’. He later fell foul of the West and was in the end arrested and asked to leave the country. He returned to India and started a commune in Pune which is now referred to as ‘Osho’ commune. He died in 1990. The followers of Osho Rajneesh believe that he's Enormous  God. At the ‘Osho commune’ in Pune one can find the following memorial on his tombstone:

"Osho – never born, never died; only visited the planet Earth between 11th December 1931 to 19th January 1990."

They forget to describe that he was not given visa for 21 countries of the world. Can a person ever consider ‘God’ visiting the earth, and requiring a visa to enter a place! The Archbishop of Greece said that if Rajneesh had not been deported, they would have burnt his house and the ones of his disciples.

4. The fourth test, which is the absolute most stringent is, "There is none like unto Him". The moment you can see right now or compare ‘God’ to anything, he then (the candidate to divinity) is not God. It is not possible to imagine a mental picture of the One True God. We know that Rajneesh was a human beings  , with two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth and a white flowing beard. Photographs and posters of Rajneesh can be found in plenty. The moment you can imagine or bring a mental picture of an entity, then that entity is certainly not God.

Many are tempted to make anthropomorphic evaluations of God. Take for instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the celebrated body builder and Hollywood actor, who won the title of ‘Mr. Universe’, the most powerful man in the world. Let us suppose that somebody says that Enormous  God is a thousand times stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger. As soon as you can compare any entity to God, whether the comparison is to Schwarzenegger or to King Kong, whether it is a thousand times or a million times more powerful, it fails the Qur’anic criterion, "There is none like unto Him".

Thus, the ‘acid test’ can't be passed by anyone except the only True God.

The following verse of the Glorious Qur’an conveys the same message:

"No vision can grasp Him
But His grasp is over
All vision: He is
Above all comprehension,
Yet is acquainted with all things."
[Al-Qur'an 6:103]

                                                                  

By what name do we call God?
The Muslims prefer calling the Supreme Creator, Allah, instead of by the English term ‘God’. The Arabic word, ‘Allah’, is pure and unique, as opposed to the English word ‘God’, which can be played over with.

If you add ‘s’ to the word God, it will become ‘Gods’, that is the plural of God. Allah is one and singular, there is absolutely no plural of Allah. If you add ‘dess’ to the word God, it will become ‘Goddess’ that is a female God. There is absolutely nothing like male Allah or female Allah. Allah has no gender . If you add the word ‘father’ to ‘God’ it becomes ‘God-father’. God-father means somebody who is a guardian. There is no word like ‘Allah-Abba’ or ‘Allah-father’. If you put the word ‘mother’ to ‘God’, it becomes ‘God-mother’. There is nothing like ‘Allah-Ammi’, or ‘Allah-mother’ in Islam. Allah is a unique word. If you prefix tin before the word God, it will become tin-God i.e., fake God. Allah is a unique word, which does not imagine any mental picture nor can it be played around with. Therefore the Muslims like using the Arabic word ‘Allah’ for the Enormous . Sometimes, however, while speaking to the non-Muslims we might have to use the inappropriate word God, for Allah. Since the intended audience of this article is general in nature, consisting of both Muslims and non-Muslims, I have used the word God instead of Allah in several places outlined in this article.

God does not become a human beings  :
God does not take human beings form:  
Some may argue that God does not become a human beings   but only takes a human beings form. If God only takes a human beings form but does not become a human beings  , He should not possess any human beings qualities. We know that all the ‘God-men’, have human beings qualities and failings. They have all the human beings needs such as the need to eat, sleep, etc.

The worship of God in human beings form is therefore a logical fallacy and should be abhorred in all its forms and manifestations.

That is the reason why the Qur’an speaks against all forms of anthropomorphism. The Glorious Qur’an says in the following verse:

"There is nothing whatever like unto Him."  [Al-Qur'an 42:11]

                                                                                  

God does not perform ungodly acts:
The attributes of Enormous God preclude any evil since God is the source of justice, mercy and truth. God can never be thought of as doing an ungodly act. Hence we cannot imagine God telling a lie,   unjust, making a mistake, forgetting things, or having any such human beings failings. Similarly God can do injustice if He chooses to, but He will never do it because   unjust is an ungodly act.

The Qur’an says:

"Allah is never unjust In the least degree." [Al-Qur'an 4:40]

God can be unjust if He chooses to be so, but the moment God does injustice, He ceases to be God.

God does not make mistakes

God can make mistakes if He wants to, but He does not make mistakes because making a mistake is an ungodly act. The Qur’an says:

"…my Lord never errs."  [Holy Qur'an 20:52]

The moment God makes a mistake, he ceases to be God.

God does not forget

God can forget if He wants to. But God does not forget anything because forgetting is an ungodly act, which reeks
of human beings limitations and failings. The Qur’an says:

"…my Lord never errs, nor forgets."  [Al-Qur’an 20:52]

God only performs Godly acts:

The Islamic concept of God is that God has power over all things. The Qur’an says in several places (Al -Qur’an 2:106; 2:109; 2:284; 3:29; 16:77; and 35:1):

"For verily Allah has power over all things"

Further, the Glorious Qur’an says:

"Allah is the doer of all that He intends." [Al-Qura'n 85:16]

We must keep in mind that Allah intends only Godly acts and not ungodly acts.

PHILOSOPHY OF ANTHROPOMORPHISMMany religions at some point believe, directly or indirectly, in the philosophy of anthropomorphism i.e. God becoming a human beings. Their contention is that Enormous  God is so pure and holy that He is unaware of the hardships, shortcomings and feelings of human beings  s. In order to set the rules for human beings  s, He came down to earth as a human beings. This deceptive logic has fooled countless millions through the ages. Let us now analyze this argument and see if it stands to reason.

The Creator prepares the instruction manual
Suppose I manufacture a video cassette recorder (VCR). Do I have to become a VCR to know what is good or what is bad for the VCR? What do I do? I write an instruction manual: "In order to watch a video cassette, insert the cassette and press the play button. In order to stop, press the stop button. If you want to fast forward press the FF button. Do not drop it from a height or it will get damaged. Do not immerse it in water or it will get spoilt". I write an instruction manual that lists the various do’s and don’ts for the machine.

 

Holy Qur’an is the instruction manual for the human beings  :

Similarly, our Lord and Creator Allah (ﷻ) need not take human beings form to know what is good or bad for the human beings  . He chooses to reveal the instruction manual. The last and final instruction manual of the human beings beingsis the Glorious Qur’an. The ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for the human beings beingsare mentioned in the Qur’an.
If you allow me to compare human beings beingswith machines, I would say human beingss are more complicated than the most complex machines in the world. Even the most advanced computers, which are extremely complex, are pale in comparison to the myriad physical, psychological, genetic and social factors that affect individual and collective human beings life.
The more advanced the machine, greater is the need for its instruction manual. By the same logic, don’t human beings beingsrequire an instruction manual by which to govern their own lives?

Allah chooses Messengers:

Allah (ﷻ) need not come down personally for giving the instruction manual. He chooses a man amongst men to deliver the message and communicates with him at a higher level through the medium of revelations. Such chosen men are called messengers and prophets of God.
Some people are ‘blind’ and ‘deaf’:
Despite the absurdity of the philosophy of anthropomorphism, followers of many religions believe in and preach it to others. Is it not an insult to human beings intelligence and to the Creator who gave us this intelligence? Such people are truly ‘deaf’ and ‘blind’ despite the faculty of hearing and sight given to them by Allah. The Qur’an says:

"Deaf, dumb, and blind,
They will not return (to the path)."     [Al-Qur'an 2:18]

The Bible gives a similar message in the Gospel of Matthew:

"Seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."    [The Bible, Matthew 13:13]

A similar message is also given in the Hindu Scriptures in the Rigveda.

"There maybe someone who sees the words and yet indeed does not see them; may be another one who hears these words but indeed does not hear them." 1 
[Rigveda 10:71:4]

All these scriptures are telling their readers that though the things are made so clear yet many people divert away from the truth.

Attributes of God:

To Allah belong the most beautiful names:
The Qur’an says:

"Say: Call upon Allah, or
Call upon Rahman:
By whatever name you call
Upon Him, (it is well):
For to Him belong
The Most Beautiful Names."
[Al-Qur'an 17:110]

A similar message regarding the beautiful names of Allah (ﷻ) is repeated in the Qur’an in Surah Al-A’raf (7:180), in Surah Taha (20:8) and in Surah Al-Hashr (59:24).

The Qur’an gives no less than ninety-nine different attributes to Enormous  Allah. The Qur’an refers to Allah as Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious), Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful) and Al-Hakeem (All Wise) among many other names. You can call Allah by any name but that name should be beautiful and should not conjure up a mental picture.

Each attribute of God is unique and possessed by Him alone:

Not only does God possess unique attributes, but also each attribute of Enormous  God is sufficient to identify Him. I shall clarify this point in detail. Let us take an example of a famous personality, say Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong is an astronaut. The attribute of   an astronaut possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not unique to Neil Armstrong alone. So when one asks, who is an astronaut? The answer is, there are hundreds of people in the world who are astronauts. Neil Armstrong is an American. The attribute of   American possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not sufficient to identify him. So when one asks, who is an American? The answer is, there are millions of people who are American. To identify the person uniquely we must look for a unique attribute possessed by none except that person. For example, Neil Armstrong was the first human beings to set foot on the moon. So when one asks, who was the first man to set foot on the moon, the answer is only one, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly the attribute of Enormous  God should be unique. If I say God is the constructor of buildings, it is possible and true, but it is not unique. Thousands of people can construct a building. But each attribute of Allah is unique and points to none but Allah. For example, God is the creator of the universe. If someone asks who is the creator of the universe, the answer is only one, i.e. Enormous  God is the Ultimate Creator. Similarly, following are some of the many unique attributes possessed by none other than the Creator of the universe, Enormous  Allah:

"Ar-Raheem", the Most Merciful
"Ar-Rahman", the Most Gracious
"Al-Hakeem", the Most Wise

So when one asks, "Who is ‘Ar-Raheem’, (the Most Merciful)?", there can only be one answer: "Enormous  Allah".

One attribute of God should not contradict with other attributes:

Besides the attribute   unique, it should not contradict other attributes. To continue with the earlier example, suppose somebody says that Neil Armstrong is an American astronaut who was the first human beings to set foot on the moon and was an Indian. The attribute possessed by Neil Armstrong of   the first man to set foot on the moon, is correct. But its associated quality of   an Indian, is false. Similarly if someone says that God is the Creator of the Universe and has one head, two hands, two feet, etc., the attribute (Creator of the Universe) is correct but the associated quality (in the form of human beings  ) is wrong and false.

All attributes should point to the one and same God:

Since there is only one God, all the attributes should point to one and the same God. To say that Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut who first set foot on the moon, but he was born in 1971 is wrong. Both these unique qualities belong to one and the same person, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly to say that the Creator of the universe is one God and the Cherisher is another God is absurd because God possesses all these attributes combined together.

Unity of GodSome polytheists argue by saying that the existence of more than one God is not illogical. Let us point out to them that if there were more than one God, they would dispute with one another, each god trying to fulfill his will against the will of the other gods. This can be seen in the mythology of the polytheistic and pantheistic religions. If a ‘God’ is defeated or unable to defeat the others, he is surely not the one true God. Also popular among polytheistic religions is the idea of many Gods, each having different responsibilities. Each one would be responsible for a part of man’s existence e.g. a Sun-God, a Rain-God, etc. This indicates that one ‘God’ is incompetent of certain acts and moreover he is also ignorant of the other Gods’ powers, duties, functions and responsibilities. There cannot be an ignorant and incapable God. If there were more than one God it would surely lead to confusion, disorder, chaos and destruction in the universe. But the universe is in complete harmony. The Glorious Qur’an says:

"If there were, in the heavens
And the earth, other gods
Besides Allah, there would
Have been confusion in both!
But glory to Allah,
The Lord of the Throne:
(High is He) above
What they attribute to Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 21:22]

If there were more than one God, they would have taken away what they created. The Qur’an says:

"No son did Allah beget,
Nor is there any god
Along with Him: (if there were
Many gods), behold, each god
Would have taken away
What he had created,
And some would have
Lorded it over others!
Glory to Allah! (He is free)
From the (sort of) things
They attribute to Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 23:91]

Thus the existence of one True, Unique, Supreme, Enormous  God, is the only logical concept of God.

TAWHEED
Definition and Categories:

Islam believes in ‘Tawheed’ which is not merely monotheism i.e. belief in one God, but much more. Tawheed literally means ‘unification’ i.e. ‘asserting oneness’ and is derived from the Arabic verb ‘Wahhada’ which means to unite, unify or consolidate.

Tawheed can be divided into three categories.

1. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah
2. Tawheed al-Asmaa-was-Sifaat
3. Tawheed al-Ibaadah.

A. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah (maintaining the unity of Lordship)
The first category is ‘Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah’. ‘Ruboobeeyah’ is derived from the root verb "Rabb" meaning Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher.
Therefore ‘Tawheed-ar-Ruboobeeyah’ means maintaining the unity of Lordship. This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah (ﷻ) alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. He created or originated all that exists out of nothing. He alone is the sole Creator, Cherisher, and Sustainer of the complete universe and all between it, without any need from it or for it.

B.  Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes):

The second category is ‘Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat’ which means maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes. This category is divided into five aspects:

(i) Allah should be referred to as described by Him and His Prophet   
Allah must be referred to according to the manner in which He and His prophet have described Him without explaining His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings.

(ii) Allah must be referred to as He has referred to Himself
Allah must be referred to without giving Him any new names or attributes. For example Allah may not be given the name Al-Ghaadib (the Angry One), despite the fact that He has said that He gets angry, because neither Allah nor His messenger have used this name.

(iii) Allah is referred to without giving Him the attributes of His creation

In a reference to God, we should strictly abstain from giving Him the attributes of those whom He has created. For instance in the Bible, God is portrayed as repenting for His bad thoughts in the same way as human beingss do when they realise their errors. This is completely against the principle of Tawheed. God does not commit any mistakes or errors and therefore never needs to repent.

The key principle when dealing with Allah’s attributes is given in the Qur’an in Surah Ash-Shur

"There is nothing
Whatever like unto Him,
And He is the One
That hears and sees (all things)."
   [Al-Qur’an 42:11]

Hearing and seeing are human beings faculties. However, when attributed to the Divine   they are without comparison, in their perfection, unlike when associated with human beingss who require ears, eyes, etc. and who are limited in their sight and hearing in terms of space, time, capacity, etc.

(iv) God’s creation should not be given any of His attributes    
To refer to a human beings with the attribute of God is also against the principle of Tawheed. For example, referring to a person as one who has no beginning or end (eternal).

(v) Allah’s name cannot be given to His creatures
Some Divine names in the indefinite form, like ‘Raoof’ or ‘Raheem’ are permissible names for men as Allah has used them for Prophets; but ‘Ar-Raoof’ (the Most Pious) and Ar-Raheem (the most Merciful) can only be used if prefixed by ‘Abd’ meaning ‘slave of’ or ‘servant of’ i.e. ’Abdur-Raoof’ or ‘Abdur-Raheem’. Similarly ‘Abdur-Rasool’ (slave of the Messenger) or ‘Abdun-Nabee’ (slave of the Prophet) are forbidden.

C. Tawheed al-Ibaadah (maintaining the unity of worship):

(i) Definition and meaning of ‘Ibadaah’:
‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ means maintaining the unity of worship or ‘Ibaadah’. Ibaadah is derived from Arabic word ‘Abd’ meaning slave or servant. Thus Ibaadah means servitude and worship.

(ii) All three categories to be followed simultaneously.
Only believing in the first two categories of Tawheed without implementing Tawheed-al-Ibaadah is useless. The Qur’an gives the examples of ‘Mushrikeens’ (idolaters) of the Prophet’s time who confirmed the first two aspects of Tawheed. It is mentioned in the Qur’an:

"Say: ‘Who is it that
Sustains you (in life)
From the sky and from the earth?
Or who is it that
Has power over hearing
And sight? And who
Is it that brings out
The living from the dead
And the dead from the living?
And who is it that
Rules and regulates all affairs?’
They will soon say, ‘Allah’.
Say, ‘Will you not then
Show piety (to Him)?’ "
  [Al-Qur’an 10:31]

A similar example is repeated in Surah Zukhruf of the Glorious Qur’an:

"If thou ask them, Who
Created them, they will
Certainly say, ‘Allah’: how
Then are they deluded
Away (from the Truth)?"
[Al-Qur’an 43:87]

The pagan Meccans knew that Allah (ﷻ) was their Creator, Sustainer, Lord and Master. Yet they were not Muslims because they also worshipped other gods besides Allah. Allah (ﷻ) categorised them as ‘Kuffaar’ (disbelievers) and ‘Mushrikeen’ (idol worshippers and those who associate partners with God).

"And most of them
Believe not in Allah
Without associating (others
As partners) with Him!"
  [Al-Qur’an 12:106]

Thus ‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ i.e. maintaining the unity of worship is the most important aspect of Tawheed. Allah (ﷻ) alone deserves worship and He alone can grant benefit to man for his worship.

SHIRK
A. Definition:The omission of any of the above mentioned categories of  tawheed or deficiency in the fulfillment of any criteria of  Tawheed is referred to as 'shirk'.(Please note that the Arabic word 'Shirk' has the same sound as in the English word 'ship' and not as in the English word 'shirk',which means 'to evade'

‘Shirk’ literally means sharing or associating partners. In Islamic terms it means associating partners with Allah and is equivalent to idolatry.

B. Shirk is the greatest sin that Allah will never forgive:

The Qur’an describes the greatest sin in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives not
That partners should be set up
With Him; but He forgives
Anything else, to whom
He pleases; to set up
Partners with Allah
Is to devise a sin
Most heinous indeed."
[Al-Qur’an 4:48]

The same message is repeated in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives not
(The sin of) joining other gods
With Him; but He forgives
Whom He pleases other sins
Than this: one who joins
Other gods with Allah,
Has strayed far, far away
(From the Right)."
[Al-Qur’an 4:116]

C. Shirk leads to hell fire:

The Qur’an says in Surah Ma’idah:

"They do blaspheme who say:
‘Allah is Christ the son
Of Mary.’ But said Christ:
‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord
And your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods with Allah –
Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire
Will be his abode. There will for the wrongdoers
Be no one to help."
[Al-Qur’an 5:72]

D. Worship and Obedience to none but Allah:

The Qur’an mentions in Surah Ali-’Imran:

Say: "O people of the Book!
Come To common terms
As between us and you:
That we worship none but Allah;
That we associate no partners with Him;
That we erect not, from among ourselves,
Lords and patrons other than Allah."
If then they turn back,
Say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least)
Are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will)."
[Al-Qur’an 3:64]

The Glorious Qur’an says:

"And if all the trees on earth were pens
And the Ocean (were ink), with seven Oceans behind it
To add to its (supply), yet would not the Words
Of Allah be exhausted (In the writing): for Allah
Is Exalted in power, Full of Wisdom."
[Al-Qur’an 31:27]

Our analysis of Concept of God in various Religion shows that monotheism is an integral part of every major religion of the world. However, it is unfortunate that some adherents of these religions violate the teachings of their own scriptures and have set up partners to Enormous  God.

An analysis of the scriptures of various religions, reveals that all scriptures exhort mankind to believe in, and submit to One God. All these scriptures condemn the association of partners to God, or the worship of God in the form of images. The Glorious Qur’an says:

"O men! Here is
A parable set forth!
Listen to it! Those
On whom, besides Allah,
You call, cannot create
(Even) a fly, if they all
Met together for the purpose!
And if the fly should snatch
Away anything from them,
They would have no power
To release it from the fly.
Feeble are those who petition
And those whom they petition!"
[Al-Qur’an 22:73]

The basis of religion is the acceptance of Divine guidance. A rejection of this guidance has serious implications for society. While we have made great strides in science and technology, true peace still eludes us. All ‘isms’ have failed to provide the much vaunted deliverance.

The scriptures of all major religions exhort mankind to follow that which is good and eschew that which is evil. All scriptures remind mankind that good will not go unrewarded and evil will not go unpunished!

The question we need to address is, which of these scriptures provides us with the correct ‘instruction manual’ that we need to regulate our individual and collective lives?

I hope and pray that Allah guides all of us towards the Truth (Aameen).