Islamic

monotheism

Sister Uzma 2017

 FORWARD

Bismillahi-Rahmaani-Raheem
(In the Name of Allah the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful).

What is Islamic monotheism (or Tawheed in Arabic)?

Tawheed is defined as: the singling out of Allah in worship, while believing in His
Unique Essence, Attributes and Actions.

Lets analyse this first pillar of Islam commonly referred to as the shahaada (which
basically means to bear witness i.e., to bear witness that there is no deity worthy of
worship except Allah and Muhammad is His Slave [most perfect worshipper] and His
Messenger).

If we look at the first part of the shahaada

There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.

What is a deity?

It is something that is worshipped whether it is Allah, Prophet an Angel or a stone.

What is worship?

It means to utilise the actions of the heart, tongue or limbs or combinations of these and
to direct it to a deity.

When a person directs their worship to other than Allah they have committed an act of
polytheism (shirk in Arabic) i.e., associated a partner in worship with Allah. In Islam this
is the only unforgivable sin if a person dies in that state. To believe in some other deity
other than Allah is also shirk.

Therefore the first part of the shahaada is to reject and disbelieve in all else that is
worshipped except Allah and to worship Him alone.
 Who is Allah?
According to the Pocket Oxford English Dictionary 9th Edition 2001 Allah is the name of
God among Muslims (and Arab Christians).

There are at least 99 acknowledged Names and Attributes of Allah. The name Allah itself
has many elements to it and is considered to be the greatest name of Allah.

The word Allah linguistically cannot be made plural. It cannot be made masculine or
feminine. It is unique, you cannot change it and there is nothing else like it. Allah
basically means the only one to be worshipped.

The following are verses from the Quraan explaining who Allah is.

Say, Have you considered (tell me): if there came to you the punishment of Allah or
there came to you the Hour is it other than Allah you would invoke, if you should
be truthful? No, it is Him [alone] you would invoke, and He would remove that for
which you invoked Him if He willed, and you would forget what you associate [with
Him]. 6:40-41

Say, Have you considered: if Allah should make for you the night continuous until
the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allah could bring you light? Then
will you not hear? Say, Have you considered: if Allah should make for you the day
continuous until the Day of resurrection, what deity other than Allah could bring
you a night in which you may rest? Will you then not see? And out of His Mercy He
made for you the night and day that you may rest therein and [by day] seek from
His bounty and [that] perhaps you will be grateful. 28:71-73
 Misconceptions about what a deity worthy of worship is
Mother nature created everything. Allah is the Creator. The Creator of the
universe, the Creator of man, the Creator of everything. If a person says Mother
nature created him then he affirms there is a creator called Mother nature. Even if
a person claims to be an atheist, they are still affirming a belief in something or some
concept. Belief in science i.e., evolution and all other scientific explanations for the
things that go on around us is a belief in and of itself.

A person should be able to see what they worship. If we take this literally it means
people should worship the sun as it is the greatest thing we can see. But Prophet
Abraham (peace be upon him) refutes this when he was debating with his people, as
seen in the Quraan:

And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth that he
would be among the certain [in faith]. So when the night covered him [with
darkness], he saw a star. He said, This is my Lord. But when it set, he said, I like
not those that set [i.e., disappear]. And when he saw the moon rising, he said, This
is my Lord. But when it set, he said, Unless my Lord guides me, I will surely be
among the people gone astray. And when he saw the sun rising, he said, This is my
Lord; this is greater. But when it set, he said, O my people, indeed I am free from
what you associate with Allah. Indeed, I have turned my face [i.e., self] toward He
who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those
who associate others with Allah. 6:75-78

Consider electricity, your brain, air, germs, etc we do not see them but we know they
exist. The signs of their existence are all around us. We are able to do many things and it
is our brain that controls this. We do not see our brain but we can see what it can do. Take
a look at the universe, it is proof that there exists its Creator. What about a car or picture,
someone had to make them. In relation to the car, someone put it together specifically in
that order to make it more than just metal and plastic. Just because we cannot see
something does not mean it does not exist. If there is creation logically there must be its
Creator.

A deity can have human qualities. Humans are prone to errors. A deity should be
something that is perfect i.e., free from imperfections. For example, a deity should not
need to rest. Allah says in the Quraan:

Allah there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence.
Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the
heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it than can intercede with Him except
by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after
them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills.
His footstool extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires
Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. 2:255
 A deity is everywhere in everything. A deity cannot be in everything, nor would He
be required to be in something to understand it or know about it. For example, to say
that a deity is in your heart or in a human is not befitting for a deity. To say this, a
person is saying that the particular deity is imperfect and does not know everything
and thus must take the form of a human to know about the human and its affairs. If
we assume that that same deity created the human than surely He knows about it.
When a person makes a gadget he does not need to be in it to know how it works.
This concept is illogical. If you ask a child if God is in filthy places he will be
disgusted and say no. It is not befitting to worship something that can be found in
filthy places. In Islam Allah is above His throne. Allah is above creation, completely
separate from it and thus is not surrounded by it. He has absolute knowledge of
everything going on in the universe.

Man and a deity can unite thus having divine attributes. If a person can supposedly
unite with something they are worshipping thus making them have their so-called
divine qualities then that thing is not worthy of worship. This makes them an equal or
better than the deity they are/were worshipping. Islam refutes this. Since Islam
affirms one unique deity Allah. Nothing can be like Him, thus making Allah far
above this association.

A deity can unite with man. A deity should be something that is not like his creation.
He has to be different. Why? Because if the deity was like his creation that means he
would not be the only one worthy of worship as something else is like him and has
those same qualities. Allah says in the Quraan:

Say, He is Allah, [who is] Uniquely One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither
begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent. 112:1-4

These verses can be interpreted as the concise definition of what a deity worthy of
worship should be. If what you worship falls in to the above category then you are
worshipping Allah, as only Allah fits the above definition. Hence only Allah is worthy of
worship.

Who is Muhammad (peace be upon him)

Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the name of a Prophet who rose up in Arabia at
around 610CE. He was unlettered (i.e., could not read or write). Through Divine
guidance and help he managed to change the barbaric ignorant Arabs in to a civilized
respectable world leading nation. Prior to the revelation descending he was considered to
be highly truthful and trustworthy. Even after the announcement of prophethood his
enemies still left their valuables with him. Despite their refusal to accept the truth of the
message he came with they still valued his trustworthiness and honesty. Every aspect of
his life is full of exemplary characteristics. In the Quraan he is referred to as the Mercy
to mankind. This is evident when we see that he conquered Makkah in peace and
everyone who had shown hostility to him and his followers was forgiven. As a result
huge amounts of people accepted Islam there and then.
 What is the Quraan
There are thousands of miracles attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him). The Quraan is the greatest miracle confirming Muhammads (peace be upon him)
Prophethood. It is the last revelation sent by Allah. Since the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) is Allahs last Prophet (Muslims believe in all the previous Prophets sent by
Allah from Adam to Jesus (peace be upon them all)), some of his miracles had to stand
the test of time and the Quraan does just that. There are scientific facts that are stated in
the Quraan over fourteen hundred years ago that have only been discovered in the last
hundred years. The Quraan is the main source of guidance for Muslims and combined
with the authentic teachings (commonly referred to as the Sunnah or way) of Muhammad
(peace be upon him) form the complete manual on how to live life successfully as
dictated by the Creator Allah.

What to do if you want to become a Muslim?

You have to verbally declare your testimony of faith the shahaadah.

Prior to saying the shahaada many things have to take place:

1. The person wishing to become a Muslim must have correct knowledge of what
Islam is. They need to know the pillars of Islam, the pillars of faith and what it
means to be a Muslim.
2. Once they have got the facts, they need to believe it and be certain that it is the
truth.
3. They must then accept it. Once a person realises that Islam is the truth and that
only Allah is worthy of worship they must accept it.
4. They need to repent for their previous un-Islamic actions and submit their will
only to Allah.
5. They need to be obedient and sincere to Allah.
6. They must do the above out of Love for Allah. Once a person truly knows who
Allah is they will undoubtedly have great love for Him.
7. They must reject the worship of everything else.

Once the above conditions have been met, then take a bath then say the shahaada. A
person needs to say Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illAllaahu, wa Ash-hadu anna
Muhammadan abduhu wa Rasooluhu (I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of
worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Slave [most perfect
worshipper] and Messenger).

Becoming a Muslim is life-changing for most people. It is a gradual process. Each person
needs to take the changes step-by-step and you do not have to be perfect to be Muslim.

Allahs Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

If a person embraces Islam sincerely, then Allah shall forgive all his past sins, and
after that starts the settlement of accounts, the reward of his good deeds will be ten
times to seven hundred times for each good deed and an evil deed will be recorded as it
is unless Allah forgives it.

Next steps

Once you have become a Muslim you now need to know how to pray. You can visit your
local mosque, Islamic book store or even ask a Muslim you know and they should be able
to give you some books and even show you how to pray.

May Allah bless us all. Ameen (same as Amen)

Further information

The Quraan English translation by Sahih International;

Sahih Al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim these two are unanimously the most
authentic sources of the teachings of Muhammad (peace be upon him);