There is Only One God – Allah
Oneness of Allah, or Tawheed, is the foundation of Islam and one of the essential articles of faith. The best known expression of the Oneness of Allah is that contained in laa ilaaha illallaah. It is made up of four words. These words, which are commonly translated as ‘There is no god but Allah’, convey the meaning that there is nothing which deserves to be worshipped except Allah. It is the confession which, when combined with Muhammadur-Rasoolullaah, admits a person into the fold of Islam. Oneness of Allah, according to the Qur’an, means that Allah is One in His Person, One in His Attributes and One in His actions. His Oneness in His actions implies that no one can do the actions which Allah has done, or which He may do! The principle of Oneness of Allah is beautifully summed up in one of the shortest and earliest surahs of the Qur’an – al Ikhlaas.
Allah is the only God. He is the Creator of everything and everyone. No one is like Him. No one shares His Power. He created men, women, the angels, the jinns, the heavens, the earth, the animals, vegetables and fruits, and everything else.
Humans are the best of His creation. Humans and jinns are created to worship Him. He is the Creator. He is the Sustainer and the Nourisher of the universe. He is the Sustainer of people. He is the Giver of guidance to them. He gives meaning and life to everything. He is the Light of the heavens and the earth. He guides to His Light whomever He wills.
Allah is the Lord and Master of the universe. He is the Rabb of the universe. We should, therefore, worship only Allah as our Lord. We should obey Him. As Allah is the only One Who provides for us and He Alone is our Protector, we should seek only His help. Above all, He should be praised and thanked for all the bounties that He provides. His bounties are all scattered around us. Just as a child turns to his mother for nourishment, so human beings should turn to their Lord and Sustainer for help and protection.
Allah sent many messengers to guide people. He sent messengers to teach them good things and to forbid them from doing evil things. Allah’s Last Messenger is
Prophet Muhammad (). Allah gave Books to His Messengers. Prophet Muhammad () was given the Qur’an. The Qur’an is Allah’s Last Book. It is Allah’s final message. We should follow the message of the Qur’an. We should follow the teachings of the Prophet ().
- Answer the following questions.
1 . What is Tawheed?
- What does it mean when we say that Allah is One in His actions?
- Why should we seek Allah’s help?
- Fill in the blanks.
1 . Tawheed is one of the essential articles of
- is the best of creation.
- Allah’s last Messenger is .
- Do-It-Yourself
Read the text again and as you read along, underline the attributes of Allah when you come across them.
Allah has Knowledge of all Things
Allah created the heavens and the earth. He created all things that are in the heavens and the earth.
Allah has knowledge of everything. He gives life and causes death. He has power over all things.
He is the First and the Last. He has knowledge of all things. He knows what goes into the earth and what comes out of it. He knows what comes down from heaven and what goes up into it. He is with us in His Knowledge wherever we are – Allah sees what we do.
Allah knows what is good for us and what is bad for us. He wants us to eat and drink things that are best for our health. Allah provides the foods
and drinks from heavens and the earth. Foods and drinks are gifts from Allah. Most foods and drinks are good for us. Such foods and drinks are permitted [Halaal] by Allah. We should eat good food provided by Allah and be thankful to Him. If we are thankful to Allah He will increase His blessings for us!
Answer these questions:
1 . From the lesson, write down at least five things that Allah knows.
- From where does Allah provide food and drink?
- What happens if we are thankful to Allah?
Ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem
According to a hadeeth, Allah’s Messenger () said, ‘There are ninety-nine names of Allah; whoever recites them will enter Paradise.’ [Al-Bukharee and Muslim]
These names are known as Al-Asmaa’ al-Husnaa [The Most Beautiful Names]. These names express the Attributes of Allah. They lend us the proper understanding of our relationship with our Creator. They also help us shape our lives accordingly.
However, the most repeated names of Allah are ar-Rahmaan (The Most Compassionate) and ar-Raheem (The Most Merciful). They form part of Bismillaah with which all the surahs of the Qur’an, except Surat at-Tawbah (surah nine), begin with. Both these words come from the root word ‘rahima’. It means to show mercy. Thus these attributes of Allah are often translated as the Most Merciful Most Compassionate Beneficent Most Gracious, Mercy Giving, or the Caring. However, these translations do not convey the full meaning of the terms. They do not show the deep differences between the meaning of ar-Rahmaan and ar-Raheem.
The word ar-Rahmaan shows overflow, outburst and strong feeling. While the word ar-Raheem denotes permanence and everlasting qualities of mercy. Hence, ar-Rahmaan is the One whose mercy is overflowing, whereas ar-Raheem is the One whose Mercy is continuous and permanent.
We live in Allah’s Mercy. His Mercy and knowledge cover everything. Were it not that Allah is Forgiving and Merciful, our acts of disobedience would have destroyed us.
Allah is Most Kind and Most Merciful. If we commit a sin or make a mistake and feel sorry, He forgives us. He rewards us for our good actions many times over.
Answer the following :
- Bring out the differences between these two attributes of Allah – ar-Rahmaan and ar-Raheem.
- Why do you think Allah forgives us when we turn to Him after committing sins?
- Complete the following sentences.
1 . There are names of Allah.
- The most repeated names of Allah are and. We live in Allah’s
