THE ONENESS OF ALLAH

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only Allah, the Eternal, Absolute. He begets not, nor is He
begotten. And there is none like Him.” Holy Qur'an (112:1-4)

During the time of ignorance in the pre-Islamic period (Jahiliyah), polytheists used to worship
idols which they themselves made out of iron, stone, wood and other materials. They believed
that the idols themselves had the ability to provide, give benefit and inflict harm. They would
offer presents or carry out sacrifices for their idols, whom they asked to meet their needs. For
instance, the sick would ask to be cured, the poor for sustenance and childless couples for a
child.

The people at that time were polytheists, who worshipped other than Allah; Who thus sent
Prophet Muhammad [s]1 to bid them to stop adoring idols and tell them that these statutes
were merely stones, which could neither benefit nor harm them.

The above-mentioned surah (chapter) of the Holy Qur'an was sent down to explain to people
that the only god whom they should worship is the One God and there is no god save Him. It is
He alone Who creates, provides, gives life and causes death, and it is He towards Whom people
should turn for help.

Indeed Allah is not like any other creature; He has neither father nor mother, nor wife nor
children. It is people who are in need of a father, mother and children because they themselves
are created and have needs to produce young. Some are similar to others, but Allah the Creator
is One and has no equal.

None of Allah's creatures are like Him. He, Who alone is Ever-Lasting and All-Powerful. It is He
Who creates, provides and knows everything, no one can be characterised with such great
attributes except Him. It is He alone Who deserves praise, obedience, and thanks.

WHO IS MUHAMMAD PEACE BE UPON HIM

He was the final prophet of Islam, born in Mecca around the year 570. He was the man who,
according to Islamic tradition, was given the Word of God by the angel, Gabriel, the one destined
to restore Islam to the world, and the most important human figure in history to over 1.6 billion
Muslims worldwide.

Yet, despite this, most Americans know very little about him.

There are many misconceptions which surround the significance of Muhammad. Some think that
he created the religion of Islam. Others see him as a violent warlord. Many of these
misconceptions arose from Western philosophical and theological frameworks, through which
the story of Muhammad has filtered on its way to the Western public.

He was the final prophet of Islam, born in Mecca around the year 570. He was the man who,
according to Islamic tradition, was given the Word of God by the angel, Gabriel, the one destined
to restore Islam to the world, and the most important human figure in history to over 1.6 billion
Muslims worldwide.

Yet, despite this, most Americans know very little about him.

There are many misconceptions which surround the significance of Muhammad. Some think that
he created the religion of Islam. Others see him as a violent warlord. Many of these
misconceptions arose from Western philosophical and theological frameworks, through which
the story of Muhammad has filtered on its way to the Western public.

In reality, Muhammad was none of these things. What he was, in fact, was a humble messenger
—a man of and unlimited compassion with a strong sense of justice.

At age 35, Muhammad was a respected figure in Mecca, made popular through his sense of
fairness. According to Islamic tradition, he arbitrated a dispute between the tribes which set his
reputation on high. These tribes argued over which should have the opportunity to place a holy
stone in the corner of a newly built shrine. Rather than advocating for a single tribe, Muhammad
placed his cloak upon the ground, with the stone in the middle, and had a representative from
each tribe lift a corner of it, raising the stone to the top of the wall.

When Muhammad was around 40 years old, he began to experience visions and hear mysterious
voices. Seeking solitude in a cave called al-Ḥirā, an angel appeared as a man before him,
commanding him to “recite”. Muhammad replied that he could not recite, and the angel
grabbed him and commanded him to recite:

"Proclaim! in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who

Created man, out of a clot of congealed blood:

Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,–

Who taught by the pen–

Taught man that which he knew not."

With this, process of the divine revelation of the Quran began.

When the angel proclaimed that “Thou art the messenger of God and I am Gabriel,” Muhammad
fled the cave, thinking that he had been accosted by an evil spirit. He ran down the
mountainside, and as he did, the angel, Gabriel, appeared in its true form in the sky above him,
filling the entire sky, which had become green—now the official color of Islam.

When he returned home from this terrifying experience, he told his wife, Khadījah, of what
happened. Believing him immediately, she sent for her cousin, Waraqah, who was a Christian of
great religious wisdom.

"Muhammad began to teach others what was revealed to him, beginning with his family, and
then his friends, and after a few years, to his community."

Muhammad related his story to Waraqah, who confirmed that Muhammad had been chosen as
a prophet of God.
That was it. His fate was cemented, whether he liked it or not.

Muhammad receive his second revelation shortly thereafter, and then more and more, both
through the words of Gabriel, and through direct revelations within his own heart and mind.

These revelations would be slowly recorded over the course of 23 years and bound up into
Islam’s holiest text—the Quran.

Muhammad began to teach others what was revealed to him, beginning with his family, and
then his friends, and after a few years, to his community.

From this small circle, Islam began to quickly grow, but most wealthy and influential Meccans
rejected the message of Muhammad. This new religion, based on a single, monotheistic God and
totally opposed to idolatry, threatened their ability to trade amongst the polytheistic peoples.

Over time, the danger to Muhammad and his followers increased, and the rulers of Mecca began
to exert pressure on him to turn aside from his path. When this opposition reached a peak,
coinciding with the deaths of several people close to Muhammad, including his wife,
Muhammad’s resolve was sorely tested. All felt hopeless.

However, one night, Muhammad underwent another revelation—this one completely

transformative. While sleeping, Muhammad was taken by Gabriel and ushered through the
celestial spheres, all the way to the Divine Presence of God. There, he recieved a great store of
divine knowledge and prayers and met earlier prophets such as Jesus and Moses. This
experience is now known as the Nocturnal Ascent.

Bolstered by this revelation, Muhammad was invited to settle in the oasis of Yathrib—an eleven
days journey—by those who had heard of his leadership and sense of justice. Yathrib, however,
was torn by war between its two tribes.

Muhammad meant for the society of Medina to be the model for all subsequent generations—it
was a society based on social justice, unity, and peace.

His society, however, was under constant threat from the Meccans, and was marched upon by an
army of 1,000 in 624. Muhammad mustered 313 Muslims to fight at a place called Badr,
promising all those who were killed in the battle martyrdom and a place in paradise. Despite the
great disadvantage, the army of Muhammad triumphed. This was the first of many victories that
would eventually end in a truce with Mecca.

Muhammad began to send out letters to the world leaders of his time, inviting them to accept
Islam, but noting that none should be under compulsion to do so.

By 631, Muhammad brought about the end of the “age of ignorance,” as Muslims called the pre-
Islamic age in Arabia. Uniting the Arabs for the first time in history beneath the structure of
Islam, Muhammad succeeded in creating a society that was ruled not by tribal bonds, but by the
bond between man and God.

In June of 632, Muhammad fell suddenly ill, dying three days later. He was buried in his home,
and his tomb is now the holiest place in Islam after the Kaʿbah. The legacy of Islam—his life’s
goal—was achieved, and his words and deeds are now read by billions.

JESUS MESSIAH SON OF MARY

Jesus, Mary, and the angel Gabriel are all in the Quran (as are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses,
and a bunch of other Bible characters).

Muslims believe that Jesus (called "Isa" in Arabic) was a prophet of God, was born to a virgin
(Mary), and will return to Earth before the Day of Judgment to restore justice and to defeat al-
Masih ad-Dajjal ("the false messiah"), also known as the Antichrist. All of which may sound
pretty familiar to many Christians.

Mary (called "Maryam" in Arabic) has an entire chapter in the Quran named for her — the only
chapter in the Quran named for a female figure. In fact, Mary is the only woman to be
mentioned by name in the entire Quran: As noted in the Study Quran, "other female figures are
identified only by their relation to others, such as the wife of Adam and the mother of Moses, or
by their title, such as the Queen of Sheba." Mary is mentioned more times in the Quran than in
the entire New Testament.

Just as with all the other prophets, including Mohammed, Muslims recite, "Peace be upon him"
every time they refer to Jesus.

The name "Jesus, son of Mary" written in Arabic calligraphy, followed by "peace be upon him."
‫بلل الدويك‬

Muslims believe that Jesus performed miracles: The Quran discusses several of Jesus's
miracles, including giving sight to the blind, healing lepers, raising the dead, and
breathing life into clay birds.

The story of Jesus's birth as told in the Quran is also the story of his first miracle, when
he spoke as an infant in the cradle and declared himself to be a prophet of God. Here's
the story:

And remember Mary in the Book, when she withdrew from her family to an eastern
place. And she veiled herself from them. Then We [God] sent unto her Our Spirit [the
angel Gabriel], and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man. She said, "I seek
refuge from thee in the Compassionate [i.e., God], if you are reverent!" He said, "I am
but a messenger of thy Lord, to bestow upon thee a pure boy."

She said, "How shall I have a boy when no man has touched me, nor have I been
unchaste?" He said, "Thus shall it be. Thy Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me.’" And [it is thus]
that We might make him a sign unto mankind, and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter
decreed.

So she conceived him and withdrew with him to a place far off. And the pangs of
childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date palm. She said, "Would that I had died before
this and was a thing forgotten, utterly forgotten!" So he called out to her from below her,
"Grieve not! Thy Lord has placed a rivulet beneath thee. And shake toward thyself the
trunk of the date palm; fresh, ripe dates shall fall upon thee. So eat and drink and cool
thine eye. And if thou seest any human being, say, ‘Verily I have vowed a fast unto the
Compassionate, so I shall not speak this day to any man.’"

Then she came with him [the infant Jesus] unto her people, carrying him. They said, "O
Mary! Thou hast brought an amazing thing! O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not an evil
man, nor was thy mother unchaste." Then she pointed to him [Jesus]. They said, "How
shall we speak to one who is yet a child in the cradle?"

He [Jesus] said, "Truly I am a servant of God. He has given me the Book and made me
a prophet. He has made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and has enjoined upon me
prayer and almsgiving so long as I live, and [has made me] dutiful toward my mother.
And He has not made me domineering, wretched. Peace be upon me the day I was
born, the day I die, and the day I am raised alive!"

That is Jesus son of Mary— a statement of the truth, which they doubt.

So although Muslims do not believe that Jesus is the son of God — an important
distinction between Muslim and Christian views of him — Muslims do revere Jesus as an
important prophet.

I TESTIFY THAT NONE DESERVES A RIGHT TO BE WARSHIPPED IN TRUTH BUT

ALLAH. I TESTIFY THAT MUHAMMAD SON OF ABDALLAH PEACE BE UPON HIM IS
A SERVANT, A MESSANGER AND A SEAL OF PROPHESY OF ALLAH. NO PROPHET
TO BE SENT WITH A NEW DOCTRINE AFTER HIM. I TESTIFY THAT JESUS
MESSIAH SON OF MARY IS A SERVANT, A PROPHET, A MESSANGER OF ALLAH,
A SPIRIT FROM HIM DESCENT ON TO MARY THE VIRGIN AND HIS WORD ( BE!
AND HE WAS), IF YOU SAY ,BELIEVE AND ACT BY THIS, YOU ARE A MUSLIM.