Oneness (توحيد)
The most important thing in Islam is the belief in one God, and to avoid setting up partners or comparisons.
سورة النساء ٤٨
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَىٰ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا
Surah An-Nisaa 4:48
Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed.
This is an obvious thing for most, it is the first pillar of Islam, a rule given by Allah. Many may not consider the point beyond that. That is simply the way it is, a belief that we follow. Let us take a moment to consider the matter in more depth…
Allah Allmighty… repeat it slowly in your mind… we are unable to truly understand the meaning of the word… “Allmighty”… how could we? Only He has that power… no one can relate to that. We can relate to feelings of happiness and sadnesss…we know that everyone go through these things no matter who they are. When someone is sad, we aim to comfort them. When someone is happy, we are happy for them. During such points we relate to something we have experienced ourselves.
However, our powers are limited. These are things given to us.
سورة العلق ٧- ٤
الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ
كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ
أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ
Surah Al-Alaq 96:4-7
He Who taught (the use of) the pen,-
Taught man that which he knew not.
Nay, but man doth transgress all bounds,
In that he looketh upon himself as self-sufficient.
Our feelings are affected by these limitations in different ways.
We may discover it sometimes when we hurt ourselves… it causes pain… a wound needs healing. If we feel weak somehow… we feel scared… we are in need of other humans for different reasons. All these emotions and limitations are true for every single human on this planet.
We can even go as far as to understand an animal, because their behaviour is equally based on such limitations. They too experience fear, happiness, anger… a survival instinct. They go about their business according to their needs and even though some of them have a completely different anatomy than humans, we still recognize the fact that they, like us, have limitations.
سورة هود ٦
وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ
سورة الأنعام ٣٨
وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم ۚ مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ
سورة الإسراء ٨٤
قُلْ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَىٰ شَاكِلَتِهِ فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ أَهْدَىٰ سَبِيلًا
Surah Hud 11:6
There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance dependeth on Allah: He knoweth the time and place of its definite abode and its temporary deposit: All is in a clear Record.
Surah Al-An’aam 6:38
There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.
Surah Al-Israa 17:84
Say: “Everyone acts according to his own disposition: But your Lord knows best who it is that is best guided on the Way.”
Much of our understanding of the world is based on our experiences and what we learn from them. “Experience is the best teacher”, as the saying goes. In that sense, experiences makes us able to relate to things, it makes us understand matters more easily. But how can we relate to Allah? What experience can we draw from? How can we compare?
سورة الأنعام ١٠٣
لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ ۖ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ
Surah Al-An’aam 6:103
No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision: He is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things.
There really is no comparison to anything that we know. Consider that even the most honoured servants were in a position of astonishment…
سورة البقرة ٢٦٠
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي ۖ قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا ۚ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
سورة يس ٨٢
إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ
Surah Al-Baqara 2:260
When Abraham said: “Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead, ” He replied: “Have you no faith?” He said “Yes, but just to reassure my heart.” Allah said, “Take four birds, draw them to you, and cut their bodies to pieces. Scatter them over the mountain-tops, then call them back. They will come swiftly to you. Know that Allah is Mighty, Wise.”
Surah Yaseen 36:82
Verily, when He intends a thing, His Command is, “be”, and it is!
سورة الأعراف ١٤٣
وَلَمَّا جَاءَ مُوسَىٰ لِمِيقَاتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِي أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ ۚ قَالَ لَن تَرَانِي وَلَـٰكِنِ انظُرْ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرَانِي ۚ فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّىٰ رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ مُوسَىٰ صَعِقًا ۚ فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Surah Al-A’raaf 7:143
When Moses came to the place appointed by Us, and his Lord addressed him, He said: “O my Lord! show (Thyself) to me, that I may look upon thee.” Allah said: “By no means canst thou see Me (direct); But look upon the mount; if it abide in its place, then shalt thou see Me.” When his Lord manifested His glory on the Mount, He made it as dust. And Moses fell down in a swoon. When he recovered his senses he said: “Glory be to Thee! to Thee I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe.”
With all this in mind… how can we use the term “God” so offhandedly… how can people draw comparisons or label things by such a definition without understanding it? Just consider how our understanding of the universe itself is very limited… so what of its Creator?
سورة الإسراء ٨٥
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
سورة الحج ٣
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَادِلُ فِي اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّبِعُ كُلَّ شَيْطَانٍ مَّرِيدٍ
Surah Al-Israa 17:85
They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: “The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O men!)”
Surah Al-Hajj 22:3
And yet among men there are such as dispute about Allah, without knowledge, and follow every evil one obstinate in rebellion!
The very notion of comparison implies that we actually know Allah in such detail that we can describe something as being similar to Him. No one really can. In the words of Surah Al-An’aam 6:103, He is above all comprehension. Reflect on those words.
In the end we come to the conclusion that the source of all knowledge… true knowledge… is Allah Himself…
سورة النور ٤٦
لَّقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا آيَاتٍ مُّبَيِّنَاتٍ ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
سورة النور ٣٥
اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ ۖ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ ۖ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ ۚ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ ۗ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Surah An-Noor 24:46
We have indeed sent down signs that make things manifest: and Allah guides whom He wills to a way that is straight.
Surah An-Noor 24:35
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light: Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things.