What is the Concept of God in Islam?

God is Merciful; Compassionate and Forgiving

Some non-Muslims allege that God in Islam is a stern and cruel God who merely demands to be obeyed fully and a God that is not loving and kind. This allegation is the most farthest from the truth. It is enough to know that 113 of the 114 chapters of the beautiful Qur’an begin with ‘In the name of God, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful’

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

‘Bismillah, Ar Rahman, Ar Rahim’

Allah is Ar Rahman, entirely merciful, with all creation. Ar-Rahman encompasses every type of mercy that Allah has, however Ar Rahim, the Especially Merciful, is a special type of mercy that is more specific and exclusive to the believers only. Interestingly, Ar Rahman has been mentioned in the Qur’an 57 times and Ar Rahim 114 times (114 is double of 57).

God’s Mercy – Rahma

In one of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ we are told that ‘God is more loving and kind than a mother to her dear child’. The womb of a female when she is pregnant is called a raham. This word raham is derived from Allah’s name Ar Rahim, from the root word rahma. A child inside the raham, inside the mother’s womb, is taken care of by the mother in every single way and yet the child is entirely unaware of the love and care that the mother has for her unborn child. This relationship is reflected in the love and care Allah has for his creation and God’s love and care far outweighs that even of the mother for her child.

God’s Mercy – Saved for the Day of Judgment

We cannot comprehend the greatness and extent of Allah’s abundant mercy. Salman Al-Farisi reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, Allah has one hundred portions of mercy. From one portion the creation has been given mercy between them and ninety nine portions are reserved for the Day of Resurrection.” Source: Sahih Muslim 2753

Of all the mercy Allah has, just a mere 1% is utilised throughout the entire life of earth for each and every creation of Allah.

God Upholds Justice

To complement God’s mercy, God is also Just. Hence, evildoers and sinners must have their share of punishment and the virtuous must have God’s bounties and favors. God’s attribute of Mercy has full manifestation in His attribute of Justice.

People who suffer throughout their lives for Allah’s sake should not receive similar treatment from their Lord as people who oppress and exploit others throughout their lives. Expecting similar treatment for each class of people would amount to negating the very belief in the accountability of man in the Hereafter and thereby negate all the incentives for a moral and virtuous life in this world.

‘Indeed, for the righteous with their Lord are the Gardens of Pleasure. Then will We treat the Muslims like the criminals? What is [the matter] with you? How do you judge?’ (68: 34-36)

This Qur’anic verse conveys very clearly God’s Just nature. God does not favour certain individuals or nations on the basis of wealth, power or race. They may distinguish themselves and get His favour through virtue and piety only.

God is Self Sufficient, God is The Creator

The Creator must be of a different nature from the things created because if The Creator is of the same nature as the creation, The Creator would be temporal and would therefore need a maker. It follows that nothing is like The Creator. If the maker is not temporal, then the maker must be eternal. If the maker is eternal, the maker thus cannot be caused. Consequently, if nothing caused Him to come into existence, then nothing outside Him causes Him to continue to exist, which means that He must be self-sufficient. Accordingly, if He does not depend on anything for the continuance of His own existence, then His existence can have no end. The Creator is therefore eternal and everlasting. God; ‘He is the First and the Last’.

God is Al Qayyum – He is Self-Existing, He is Self-subsistent

It is God’s nature to exist and He is free of any dependence on anything else for His existence. God is the One who is the foundation upon which all things exist and the One by whom all things are eternally managed.

‘Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs. To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. And they who disbelieve in the verses of Allah – it is those who are the losers’ (39:62-63).

The Creator does not create only in the sense of bringing things into being, He also preserves them and takes them out of existence. God is the ultimate cause of whatever happens to them.

‘And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register’ (11:6).

The register is our book of deeds, the book of which the Angels are recording every word, action and thought; both good and bad. Our individual books will be brought to us as evidence when we are held to account on the Day of Judgment.

Blasphemy

The concepts that God rested on the seventh day of creation, that God wrestled with one of His soldiers, that God is an envious plotter against mankind and that God is incarnate in any human being have no basis in Islam and are considered blasphemy from the point of view of Islam. (Are there any ayat in the Quran to support each of these statements? Makes them stronger).

Shirk

Shirk includes ascribing partners beside the One True God and the worshipping of idols. Islam considers associating any deity or personality with God as a major sin that is so severe that it is the only sin that God, who is the Most Forgiving, will never forgive.

The unique usage of Allah as a personal name of God is a reflection of Islam’s emphasis on the purity of the belief in the Oneness of God. Oneness is the essence of the message of all God’s messengers right from the very first human, Adam عليه السلام (upon him be peace).

لآ اِلَهَ اِلّا اللّهُ

‘La ilaha illAllah’

The fundamental pillar of faith in Islam is to testify that ‘there is no deity worthy of worship except the One True Almighty God’.

Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) – ‘I am not one of the Idolaters’

To the worshippers of heavenly bodies the Qur’an cites the story of Abraham:

‘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 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 toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah’ (6:76-79).