Download Islam: Belief in One God

1.1 Tawhid – the oneness of Allah
The first and most important pillar of Islam is the ‘Shahadah’ or ‘Kalimah’ –
the declaration of faith, ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his
messenger.’
The Islamic name for God is Allah and Muslims believe in only one God
(monotheists) who is eternal and the source of all creation. The Arabic term
‘Tawhid’ refers to the oneness of God – there is only one God and no other gods should be worshipped
(idolatry). Muslims believe that Allah is:
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Omnipotent:
Omniscient:
Omnibenevolent:
God is all-powerful
God is all-knowing
God is loving and kind
‘This is Allah, Your Lord! There is no God but He, the creator of all
things. Worship Him; He has the power over all things. No vision can
grasp Him, but His grasp is over all things; He is above all
understanding, yet He is aware of all things.’ (Qur’an 6:102-103)
Allah is so great he is beyond human understanding. Muslims hear and repeat the words ‘Allahu Akbar’
many times a day. They mean ‘God is the greatest’ and they remind Muslims that God is greater than
anything they can possibly imagine. It is not enough for Muslims to believe that there is only one God. They
must also show this in the way that they live their lives. To show this Muslims must never make anything
more important than God and must serve God alone. This is what the word ‘Muslim’ means: ‘one who has
submitted to God’. In the life of a Muslim, God must always come first.
Muslims believe that Allah is both immanent and transcendent. Immanent means within everything,
transcendent means beyond everything.
According to tradition, there are 99 Names of God and many Muslims will memorise the Names and recite
them in their private prayers. Each name helps them to feel the presence of God. Many of the Names
remind Muslims of God’s greatness, power and authority; others show His concern for human beings.
Allah has provided a guide for Muslims to lead believers on the path to paradise. God has sent a long line
of prophets to teach followers about worship and right behaviour. The last or ‘seal’ of the prophets was
Muhammad (pbuh). Allah also revealed his perfect word which is contained in the Qur’an which forms the
foundation of true worship and right living. Allah has provided everything necessary for human needs and
will judge all people at the end of time. Allah is also extremely merciful and will forgive those followers who
are truly sorry for their sins.
Muslims should live with a constant awareness of Allah’s presence (Taqwa) and this belief should affect
every aspect of a Muslim’s life.
Exam Question
(a) What is tawhid?
(2)
Allah: the Arabic name for God