Monday 2 January 2012

Invitation to Understanding Islam: Part 2


WHO IS ALLAH?





Is Allah the God of Muslims?
Why are there no pictures or statues of Allah?
Allah is referred to as “Him” is He human-like?
Are there other names for Allah?
Who created Allah?
Does He have a son?
Does Allah have other gods to help Him?
Does Allah need a rest day?
Is Allah the god of Jesus?
If Allah is Compassionate, why is there so much suffering?
If Allah is Merciful, then does He forgive all our sins?

The Lord of Creation
Allah is The Lord of all created things in the seen and unseen worlds.
Everything in Creation worships and submits to Him.
The faith of Muslims in Islam. It means submission to the will of Allah.

No pictures
Allah is beyond the grasp of human vision. He is unlike anything that the human mind can imagine.
Therefore drawing pictures or making statues that represent Him as a human, a semi-human or an animal is unacceptable and considered a major sin in Islam.

Not a guy
If you speak in Englich, you use the words “him” and “she” a lot and it is very easy to give people wrong ideas about God.
The female equivalent for ‘God’ is ‘Goddess’. Some believe that God has female partners. Reducing God to a human family person is unacceptable in Islam.
The Almighty calls Himself “Allah” in The Noble Qur’an.
This Arabic word has no plural and no male or female equivalents.
Oh, by the way, The Almighty is not an old man who posed for Michelangelo!

 
Attributes of Allah
Some books refer to the “99 names” of Allah. These names are attributes of Allah.
Allah is referred to as Merciful. Just and Compassionate. More than 99 attributes of Allah are mentioned in The Qur’an.


Allah is Eternal
Allah is eternal. He was not created. He existed before He created.
His creations need Him but He does not need them for His existence.
Allah dose not have a son or assistants. If He needs the help of others, then He would not be self-sufficient and be in need of a Creator.
Nothing is like Him.
The Creator can not be of the same nature as the things He created. His creations have a beginning and an end.
Allah existed before the beginning and will remain after the end.

Eternally vibrant
The notion that the Almighty needed a rest day after creating the heavens and earth is a human innovation and not the Almighty’s view of Himself.
It is those who were not involved in Creation that are taking the rest!
Created things ‘burn out’. Allah is eternally vibrant.

The One True God
Allah is a proper noun unique to The One True God Who alone deserves all worship.
He is the God of all Prophets that He chose to convey His messege.
Among the well-known Prophets are Noah, Abraham, David, Moses, Jesus and the final Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon them).

The Compassionate
Our suffering is caused by our failure to adhere to what He permitted and refrain from what He has prohibited.
There are times when, for example, we cannot explain why bad things happen to good people.
Allah knows best. We must seek His help in prayer.

The Merciful
In the Qur’an, The Almighty states that He will forgive the sins of the Believers who repent sincerely and do not repeat their sins.
Many will say that they too believe in The One True God but their daily lives are infused with idolatrous practices such as wearing talismans and worshipping statues.
The Almighty declares in The Qur’an tha He will not forgive the worshipping of false gods.


By Dr Y Mansoor Marican, Ph. D

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