Oneness Of God In Islam

The doctrine of tawhid, the oneness of God is regarded as the most fundamental tenant of Islam. Discuss the oneness and existence of God in Islamic theology.

The Arabic word Tawhid, stems from the word ‘Wahhada’ which means to unite, unify or consolidate. The first of the five pillars of Islam, the shahadah, is a profession of faith, in which Muslims profess their belief in no god but Allah, and that Allah sent Muhammad as his messenger with his word, the Qur’an, to the people of earth. The shahadah is the first words uttered into the ear of a new born child and all one must do to become a Muslim is recite the shahadah three times in front of a witness. In these two rituals, we see how highly regarded this profession of faith is within the

One of the main arguments proposed by the Qur’an in its assertion of the oneness of God, is in the perfect order in which the world has been created. Verse 21 Chapter 22 of the Qur’an affirms this idea arguing that “If in them (heaven and earth) there were other gods than Allah, they would have fallen into chaos” Here we see the argument that nature could not possibly operate in such a coherent and orderly manner if there were more than one source of authority. Along with providing evidence for the concept of Tawhid, the Qur’an also donates several chapters to stressing its importance, nowhere more so than in Verse 4 chapter 48 where it states “Allah will not forgive any associating of other gods with Him; but He will forgive the lesser sins to whomsoever He wills. Whoever associates aught with Allah, has perpetrated a very grave sin.” Here we see the merciful nature of Allah being demonstrated but we also witness how gravely the sin of shirk is regarded within the Qur’an. Allah’s merciful nature is also extremely important to acknowledge in this sense. The Qur’an often uses the title al-Rahman, the merciful one, which is one of ninety-nine names used within the Qur’an to describe the diverse attitudes of Allah. Muslims often view the beauty and symmetry of the world around them as a visible manifestation of the merciful nature of God and believe that it has been created in such a way so that

The most concise definition of God which exists in the Qur’an comes in chapter 112, Surah Iklas, in which God is described as “He is Allah, The One and Only. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him." 112: 1-4. This definition is used as the cornerstone of Islamic theology. The word assamad which translates as eternal can only be used to refer to God, whose existence is regarded as eternal, unlike that of humans which is seen as being a temporary existence. The passage also demonstrates that God is not dependent on anyone or anything, but all is dependent on him. . In relation to God’s physical form, the Qur’an frequently refers to God “as perceiving senses similar to human ones (sight, hearing, etc.) and of experiencing emotion” as humans would. This anthromorphic description of God leads many Muslims to question how a god who is meant to be so far above human existence still perceives the world in the same way as we do. Jamal J. Elias, a scholar of Religious Studies argues that these anthropopathic and anthropopsychic conceptualisations, (which present a God who thinks and feels in human ways) are almost inevitable within a religion which focuses on a loving and caring God, as “for us to interact with God, He