A.
POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH'S BEING:
1. ALLAH IS TIMELESS AND ETERNAL.
Allah has always existed and will always exist. Unlike us and all His creation, Allah has neither a beginning nor end. Allah is:
Timeless (Qadeem).
Eternal (Azali).
Will always be (Abadi).
Will always remain to be (Baqi).
What all this means is that Allah was there, is there, and will be there. Allah will be, even if time and space were not there and will not
be there.
Allah (swt) existed long, long before He created us. He existed long before He created the earth and all living things on it. Allah existed
long before He created the sun and the moon, and before He created the stars and the angels.
There has always been Allah,
There is always Allah, and
There will always be Allah.
When we are born, we begin our lives from that moment. So, as you can see, we have a beginning. Everything created by Allah Almighty has a
beginning.
But Allah Himself does not have a beginning. Allah has always been, long before the universe was
created by Him. Allah is constant, and He has always been and will always be.
When we grow old, we eventually die, and that is the end of us on earth. Some of us will die even before we get old. This also happens
to the trees and the animals. There is an end to everything. But Allah Almighty is different from us and He has no end. Allah (swt) does not die.
Allah continues as He is and as He has been, without any change. That is why Allah is constant. Allah is Eternal, He is the Creator, the Powerful,
the Mighty.
2. ALLAH IS OMNIPOTENT (QAADIR).
Allah (swt) is All-Perfect and through this quality Allah is capable of doing anything He wants and wills to do. Allah's absolute
capability, the capability of doing anything is called Omnipotence (Qudrah).
Incapability is a defect. Allah is above all defects. Allah's omnipotence is total and unlimited, and His capability is unrestricted and
perfect.
Allah is Supreme, and He can do anything He wishes to. As can be seen, Allah Almighty has already created all of us including everything on
earth. Allah is very, very powerful. He is the most powerful Being ever. Everything lies at the mercy of His gentle hands and at His own wish.
3. ALLAH IS ALL-KNOWING (AALIM).
Allah knows everything in absolute terms. Everything that goes on in the universe is within His grasp of knowledge. He also knows all
that is in our hearts, what we think, and what we say, and He knows all about what we do and intend to do. His knowledge of everything is total.
Nothing escapes Allah's attention. We therefore stand before the Almighty completely exposed.
Allah's knowledge is vast and limitless. It is such that if all the water on earth were made into ink and used it to write Allah's
knowledge, it would be quite insufficient to register His knowledge, insufficient for the task!!
If we compare all of what we know to what Allah Almighty knows, our knowledge will be: only like a drop of water in the oceans. Allah's
knowledge is the size of the oceans put together and more if we compare it to ours which is like a drop!
Ignorance is a defect, and a defect is an imperfection. Being All-Perfect, Allah is not ignorant. Allah is All-Knowing, and He knows both
the obvious and the unseen (Al-Ghayb).
When Allah (swt) wishes to create something, He is able to do it because He knows how to. Allah is able to make whatever He wants because
His knowledge is so very, very great.
Allah (swt) not only knows how to create so many things but He also knows all about us, everyone of us, all the time. He knows where we
go, how we think, how we feel and what we do. He knows everything that goes on in the world all the time.
We cannot hide anything from Allah Almighty because He knows all about our secrets, including what we think. Allah knows what is in our
minds, our thoughts, and anything we hide!
4. ALLAH IS EVER-LIVING (AL-HAYY).
Naturally Allah is always alive. His power, capability, and knowledge cannot exist except in a living Being. If Allah has always and
will always exist, and He is all-knowing and Omnipotent, then He, of course, is ever-alive.
5. ALLAH IS THE WILLING (AL-MUREED).
Whenever Allah decides to do something, He will do it. Whatever He wills, He will fulfill and execute. Therefore Allah's willing is His
enacting, and this is final and absolute. This is called his Will (Iraada).
To sustain the universe Allah's Will is constantly activated in accordance with the needs of the universe.
A Muslim is a person who admits to the Will of Allah, and who commits himself to it, and submits to it. In other words, a Muslim admits,
commits and submits to the Will of Allah.
It was through Allah's Will that He
wanted to create the universe. He did not have to, but it was Allah Himself who wished to do so, and so He did.
When He wants to bring about
something, Allah Almighty:
First:
He Wills it,
Then:
He Creates it,
Then:
He Makes and Shapes it as He wishes.
When Allah wished to make man, He
created him from the elements of the earth, clay! Allah (swt) has made man so well. See how great Allah is. And how able He is. Allah's Will has
no limits, and He can do anything, anytime, anywhere.
6. ALLAH IS THE PERCEIVER (MUDRIK).
Allah is always aware of everything. He is constantly aware of our feelings, our actions and all the minutiae that everyone does, all at the
same time. He is closer to us than even our jugular vein. Allah is aware of everyone and everything on earth and in the universe, all at the same
time.
a. Allah is the All-Seeing (Al-Baseer)
which means He can see us yet we cannot see Him. Allah does not have eyes like ours to see with, and He does not need light to see with. His way of
seeing is completely different from the way we see.
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Allah (swt) can see all that we do, all the time. Allah can also see everything in the world at the same time.
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Allah can see us wherever we go, wherever we hide. He
can see whatever we do. So, we cannot be sneaky or cheat, because Allah can see it. That is one reason to be sincere, do good, and be good, because
Allah can see everything. We cannot hide anything from Him, and we ought to have that in mind.
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Allah can see us, but we cannot see Him. Allah is always by us all the time, yet we cannot see Him. Allah is just too powerful for anyone to
be able to see. Prophet Musa (Moses) once wanted to see Allah. When Allah (swt) showed the reflection of His glory, Prophet Musa fell down immediately
and fainted. It was too much for Musa to see Allah. Allah, through His mercy, made us know about Him indirectly, through His religion, and we know
He is with us and around us all of the time.
b. Allah is the All-Hearing (Al-Samee'i)
which means He can hear us, whether we say something or intend to say it. Allah does not have ears like ours and does not need sound waves to hear
with, yet He can hear everyone on earth and the universe, all at the same time!
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Allah can hear everything happening in the world, all at
the same time. Imagine, Allah (swt) can hear everyone, at the same time, all over the world. He knows how everyone feels, and He also knows the
secret thoughts in our minds and people's minds all at the same time.
c. Allah is the Omnipresent (Al-Haadhir)
which means that He is ever-present, everywhere, be it on earth or in the universe. He has always been present and will always be. His presence is
absolutely essential, otherwise the universe would perish. We feel Allah's presence, thus we perceive Him. He is active in maintaining and
sustaining us and everything around us, and if this were withdrawn even for a fraction of a second everything perishes.
7. ALLAH IS THE MASTER OF THE WORD (MUTAKALLIM).
Allah (swt) speaks to us indirectly, yet He does not have a mouth like ours. He speaks to us by making us feel Him and His presence.
Allah spoke to Prophet Musa directly, but that was without Him being seen, and just a reflection of His glory at mount Sinai made Musa faint.
Allah speaks to us too, but He does not have a tongue like ours, and unlike us He does not have a mouth to speak with. He sent Angel
Jubra'eel (Gabriel) to speak to the Prophets, to deliver His Message. Angel Jubra'eel taught all the Prophets the Guidance (Directives) of Allah.
Allah is merciful, and He made us able to talk, and express our minds. He gives us everything we need. He loves us a great deal. He does
not speak to us directly, but He makes us feel Him. If we want to speak to Him, Allah can always hear us. If we pray to Him, He will always hear us
and see us, and He will respond to our prayers if He wishes to. Our communication with Him is indirect.
8. ALLAH IS THE TRUTH (AL-SAADIQ).
Allah is the Truth and He always speaks the truth. Whatever Allah says is the truth without any false statements or being contrary to
facts. Being All-Perfect, Allah speaks only truthful facts, and this is true perfection.
B.
NON-POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH'S BEING
1. ALLAH DOES NOT HAVE A PHYSICAL BODY (LAA-JISM).
Allah Almighty does not have a body. A body is a material thing that needs maintenance and sustenance, while Allah is self-sustaining. A
body consists of elements and is limited in space, bound by surface, and fills a given space. A body is a creation of Allah for us, and has its
numerous imperfections and limitations. Allah does not have a body. He is unlimited, and He is Self-existing and Self-sustaining.
No one knows how Allah Almighty looks. Allah is very different from us. He does not look like us and we don't look like Him.
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Allah does not have a face like ours.
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Allah does not have eyes like ours.
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Allah does not have ears like ours.
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Allah does not have hands and feet like ours.
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Allah does not breathe or eat like we do.
2. ALLAH IS NOT COMPOSED OF CONSTITUENTS (LAA-TARKEEB).
Allah does not depend on anything. An object will depend on what it consists of. This will expose the object to many liabilities and
weaknesses. Allah is the All-Perfect Being, and He is not composed of and does not consist of any constituents.
3. ALLAH IS NOT CONTAINED (LAA-MAKAAN)
Allah is above all requirements. He does not need an abode nor does He have a body like us. We exist within time and place, but Allah
(swt) needs neither, since He created time and space. Allah is not limited and He is everywhere.
4. ALLAH DOES NOT INCARNATE INTO ANYTHING (LAA-HULOOL).
Allah does not assume bodies nor enter into any. Allah is above all wants, and He is not limited by any shape or form. He does not,
therefore, enter any shape or form.
5. ALLAH DOES NOT COALESCE (LAA-ITTIHAAD).
Allah Almighty is Singular and One, His entity is One. He does not coalesce or become united or merge into any other entity. Whatever
has been created is an object; consequently, it is mortal and dependent on Him. Allah Almighty has not been created, and He is completely
independent. The Creator will not and cannot merge or coalesce with the created.
6. ALLAH CANNOT BE SEEN (LAA-RU'YA).
Our eyes see the color and shape of an object. An object has form, shape, and is limited in space. Allah Almighty does not have a body,
and He is not bound by space, nor does He have a shape. He cannot be seen by us, but He can be felt and perceived by us. Our eyes can see physical
things like matter; that is the reason we cannot see Allah because He does not consist of matter, and He does not have a body.
7. ALLAH IS NOT SUSCEPTIBLE TO CHANGE.(Laa
Qubool lil-Hawaadith).
While we change and things around us change, and while change is part of our lives and the universe we live in, Allah Almighty does not
change. He is constant, fixed, unchangeable, and has always been so. He continues to be the same. To be changeable is a sign of imperfection, we
can improve or deteriorate, but Allah is All-Perfect, therefore He is constant, unchanging and unalterable.
8. ALLAH'S BEING AND HIS
ATTRIBUTES ARE ONE AND THE SAME (Sifaat).
All of Allah's attributes are His self. The attributes are not additions but an integral part of Allah's self. This has been dealt with
above.
FORMULA OF TAWHID
There is no Deity but Allah
This is the fountainhead of Islam, it focuses on Allah as the Lord, the Sustainer, the Creator, the One to be worshipped and obeyed. It
puts Allah (swt) in the limelight as the sole Being to be worshipped, loved, feared, and obeyed. The formula of Tawhid puts all there is about Islam
in a few words. It has a deep meaning and enormous appeal in the hearts of Muslims.
PRACTICAL BEARINGS ABOUT TAWHID
Tawhid is the mainstay of our lives. It gives all people a focal point, the point being the Lord Himself! and from Him an invisible bond
goes to the hearts of His subjects. Thus all Muslims have a great thing in common, a system of convergence toward the point, the One Creator, Allah.
This is how all human creation is linked together, and this in itself will free humans from falling prey to their own wishes and desires, to
their own likes and dislikes.
Allah is Omnipresent. Allah's ever-presence creates a feeling in us to constantly watch and self-discipline ourselves. We are to try our
best to follow Allah's guidelines, to try to please Him, and to be of service to Him. Allah is the dispenser of justice for all, and He has complete
control over everything. Allah is the only prop of the weak, therefore no man should ever despair in his weakness.
Tawhid is not only a converging point of individuals to Allah, but also it is a converging point of the whole Muslim community to Allah.
WHAT DOES ALLAH WANT FROM US?
Allah (swt) wants us to be pure and righteous. If we are righteous Muslims, we do good deeds and stop evil, and we therefore become good,
pious people. Allah wants us to know about Him accurately. That is why He has a religion called Islam. Through Islam, Allah taught us to purify
ourselves and become good people. Through Islam, Allah wants us to remember Him at all times. Through Islam, Allah taught us to pray to Him and
worship Him and to avoid the words of Sheitan (Satan) since Sheitan tempts us to do evil.
Allah wants us to be kind, pure-hearted, and to be doers of good deeds. He wants us to speak the truth, not to cheat, and to be
straightforward. Allah wants us to be trustworthy and to keep our word. Allah wants us to be kind to people, to be loving to our parents, brothers,
sisters, neighbors, and to all other people. That is one reason why Allah taught the Prophets, and Muhammad (pbuh) in particular, all about Islam.
If we follow Islam, Allah will be pleased with us, and He will reward us accordingly. If we follow Sheitan we will do evil and we will
displease Allah and make Him angry. Allah's punishment can be severe. If we follow Islam sincerely, Allah will grant us contentment on earth, and He
will reward us with Paradise (Heaven) after we die. We will live peacefully forever in Heaven and be very happy there.
