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Allah
The Creator And Lord Of The Universe
by Dr. M. Amir Ali, Ph.D.
Allah is the name of the true One God in the Arabic language. In the
Hebrew language His name is Eloh, Elohim for respect. It is well known
that when a word is borrowed from one language to another it’s
spelling and pronunciation is often altered. It is, therefore, reasonable
to say that Eloh and Allah are names of the same Deity of Abraham believed
by the three monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Islam is the most rigorously monotheistic religion among the three dedicated
to the worship of Allah, never seen by a human eye.
Who is Allah? The translation of verses from the Qur’an are given
to answer this question. References of the verses are given in brackets,
the number before the colon represents the Surah (chapter) and the following
number represents the verse number.
Allah, the One Only
"Proclaim: Allah is One. Allah is Eternal. He neither begets
nor was begotten." (112:1-4)
"Nothing is like unto Him." (42:11)
"If there were therein Gods besides Allah, then verily both
(the heavens and the earth) would have collapsed into disorder and
chaos. Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, transcendent beyond
all they ascribe unto Him." (21:22)
"Sight can never reach Him; His sight reaches all things."
(6:103)
"And proclaim: Praise be to Allah, Who has not taken unto Himself
a son, and Who has no partner in the Sovereignty, nor has He (need
for) any protecting friend through dependence. (17:111)
"Allah! There is no God save Him." (3:2, 2:255)
"Is there any God beside Allah? Nay, but they are folk who ascribe
equals (unto Him)! (27:60).
"Is there any God beside Allah? Nay, but most of them know not."
(27:61)
Attributes of Allah
Muslims talk about ninety-nine attributes of Allah; a few are given
in the following verses of the Qur’an.
"And He is the Mighty, the Wise. His is the Sovereignty of the
heavens and the earth; He gives life and He gives death; and He is
able to do all things. He is the First and the Last, and the Outward
and the Inward; and He is the Knower of all things." (57:1-3)
"Allah is He, other than Whom there is no deity. He knows (all
things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Allah
is He, other than Whom there is no deity; the Sovereign, the Holy
One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith,
the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the
Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute
to Him. He is Allah the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms
(and Colors). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: Whatever is
the heavens and on earth, do declare His Praise and Glory; and He
is exalted in Might, the Wise." (59:22-24)
"Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither
slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. Unto Him belongs whatsoever is in
the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedes
with Him save by His permission? He knows that which is in front of
them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of
His knowledge save what He will. His throne includes the heavens and
the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime,
the Tremendous." (2:255)
"The Originator of the heavens and the earth!" (6:101)
"The Beneficent, the Merciful: Owner of the Day of Judgment.
(1:3-4)
"Say: Call upon Allah, or call upon Ar-Rahman: by whatever name
you call upon Him, (it is well): For to Him belong the Most Beautiful
Names." (17:110)
"And you seek the Grace of Allah: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful." (73:20)
"The revelation of this Book is from Allah, Exalted in Power,
Full of Knowledge, Who forgives sin, accepts repentance, is strict
in punishment, and has a long reach (in all things). There is no god
but He: to Him is the Final Goal." (40:2-3)
Allah the Creator
"Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the
earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and We made every living
thing from water? Will they not then believe?" (21:30)
[In this verse ‘We’ belongs to imperial language, not
of plurality. In the Qur’an, Allah uses ‘I’, ‘Me’
‘We’ and ‘Us’ for Himself.]
"And He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun
and the moon. They float each in an orbit… And from among His
signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Prostrate
not to the sun nor to the moon, but prostrate to Allah Who created
them, if you (really) worship Him." (21:33, 41:37)
"He has created man: He has imparted unto him articulate thought
and speech. [At His behest] the sun and the moon run their appointed
courses; the stars and the trees prostrate themselves [before Him].
And the skies has He raised high, and has devised [for all things]
a measure, so that you [too, O men,] might never transgress the measure
[of what is right]: weigh, therefore, [your deeds] with equity, and
cut not the measure short! (55:3-9)
"It is Allah Who created everything in the best of form…It
is He Who created and perfected all things." (32:7, 87:2)
"It is Allah Who created life and death that you may prove yourself
worthy in your deeds." (67:2)
"Such is Allah, your Lord. There is no god except Him, the Creator
of all things, so serve Him. And He takes care of all things."
(6:102)
"He is the Cleaver of the daybreak, and He has appointed the
night for stillness, and the sun and the moon to run their appointed
courses: [all] this is laid down by the Will of the Almighty, the
All-Knowing. (6:96)
"Allah is He Who created seven heavens and of the earth a similar
number. Through the midst of them (all) descends His command: that
you may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allah
comprehends all things in (His) knowledge." (65:12)
"He it is Who has made the sun a [source of] radiant light and
the moon shining [surface], and has determined for it phases so that
you might know how to compute the years and to measure [time]. None
of this has Allah created without [an inner] truth. Clearly does He
spell out these messages unto people of [innate] knowledge."
(10:5)
"Allah has indeed made all things in heaven and earth subservient
to humankind; it is all from Him. Lo! Herein verily are portents for
people who reflect." (45:13)
Allah, the Sustainer, the Cherisher, the Lord (Al-Rabb)
"All praise is due to Allah Alone, the Lord [the Sustainer,
the Cherisher] of the worlds." (1:2)
"Everything We have created and prescribed for its measure,
its character and destiny…No creature creeps on earth but Allah
provides for it its sustenance. He knows its purpose and destiny.
For it is He Who prescribed them in His eternal order…The sun
rises and sets traversing its orbit exactly as the Almighty, the All
Knowing has ordained. And the moon passes regularly through its phases,
returning to its original thin crescent form. Neither sun nor moon
overtakes the other; neither night nor day deviates from their preordained
courses. Each moves in the orbit Allah has ordained for it. (54:49,
11:6, 36:38-40)
In the Qur’an, the name Allah is used more than 2,600 times and
His attribute, Al-Rabb (the Lord, the Cherisher, the Sustainer), has
been used over 1,000 times.
Allah Revealed the Truth – Option Given
"We revealed to you the Book in truth, that you may proclaim
it to the world. Whoever decides to be guided by its guidance does
so to his own credit. Whoever rejects its guidance does so to his
own discredit and you are not a warder over them." (39:41)
"Let there be no compulsion [or coercion] in religion: Truth
stands out clear from error; whoever rejects evil and believes in
Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks.
And Allah hears and knows all things." (2:256)
"And say: The Truth [has now come] from your Lord: let, then
him who wills, believe in it, and let him who wills, reject it."
(18:29)
"And if your Lord willed, all who are in the earth would have
believed together. Would you [Muhammad] compel men until they are
believers?" (10:99)
"No person is responsible for the guilt of another. To every
person belongs the merit or demerit of what he had wrought… Allah
does not charge a person with more than he can bear. Therefore, to
everyone belongs the credit or discredit which he had personally earned."
(53:38-39, 2:286)
"Whoever guides himself by Our revelation does so to his own
credit. Whoever goes astray does so to his own peril. Nobody will
be responsible for another’s deeds, and We will not judge but
after a messenger sent [to proclaim and warn] … Whoever does
good will have that good reckoned for him. Whoever does evil will
have that evil marked against him. Your Lord commits no injustice
to His servants." (17:15, 41:46)
"Say: You are not accountable for our crimes; nor are we for
the evil you do… On the Day of Judgment, no person will of any
avail to another, neither for good nor for ill. Those who committed
injustice will be assigned to the Fire which they denied." (34:25,42)
"Say: Are those who know equal with those who know not? But
only men of understanding will pay heed." (39:9)
"There is not an animal in the earth nor a flying creature flying
on two wings, but they are community like unto you. We have neglected
nothing in the Book. Then unto their Lord they will be gathered."
(6:38)
"Allah has made what is in the heavens and on the earth subservient
to you… And He has made subservient to you the sun and the moon,
predetermined in their orbits, and the day and the night… It
is Allah Who made you His trustees on earth… Can you not see
that Allah made all that is on earth subservient to you?" (14:33,
31:29, 35:39, 22:65)
Allah was the God-in-Chief of the Pagan Arabs
"If indeed you ask them (the pagan Arabs) who has created the
heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon (to His Law),
they will certainly reply, ‘Allah’… And if indeed you
ask them Who it is that sends down rain from the sky, and gives life
therewith to the earth after its death, they will certainly reply,
‘Allah!’" (29:61,63; similar message is found in 31:25;
39:38; 43:9)
"And those unto whom they (the pagan Arabs) call instead of
Him (Allah) possess no power of intercession, … And if you ask
them who created them (gods of the pagans and pagans themselves),
they will surely say, ‘Allah!’" (43:86,87)
Fabrications against Islam
In 1990, one of the most anti-Islam demagogues, named Robert Morey,
published an anti-Islam book in which he claimed that Allah is the name
of the moon-god, therefore, Islam is another old pagan religion. The
claim that Allah is the moon god did not exist before the publication
of Robert Morey’s book in 1990; apparently he is the originator
of this idea. Allah is the name of the originator of the Universe who
has a variety of names in various languages. "Moon-god" has
existed in many animist societies but it is Morey who combined two into
one and the same deity. Others, like Jack Chic of Chick Publications
of California and a few additional Islam-haters have picked up the Morey
fabrication of moon-god, and are publishing tracts, brochures, flyers
and comic books distributing them by the millions all over the world.
These Islam-haters subscribe to the Nazi belief that if a lie is spoken
loud enough and spoken repeatedly, it will be believed. Thus, Robert
Morey, Jack Chick and others like them are disciples of the Nazis and
are not ashamed of using the scare tactics of McCarthyism. Muslim leaders
have met both of them and asked for the proof of their allegations;
they had none but refused to cease their propaganda of lies and deception.
For documentary evidence of Robert Morey’s fabrication of "Allah,
the moon-god", see on Internet "Islamic Awareness" by
Shabbir Ally.
Any intelligent reader, however much he may be ignorant of Islam, can
see from the above quoted sixty plus verses of the Qur’an, that
the moon is one of the creations of Allah. The moon is a tiny part of
Allah’s universe.
Arab Christians and Arab Jews believe in Allah
Arabs include Christians and Jews who speak Arabic language as their
mother tongue. In the Arabic language Bible the name "Allah"
is written wherever "God" appears in the English language.
The Arabic language Bible printed in the U.S. uses the name, Allah,
on the first page of Genesis. Does this mean that the Christians also
believe in "Allah, the moon-god" of Robert Morey and Jack
Chic?
An Appeal
The reader of this brochure is requested to distribute this brochure
to the widest possible audiences. Photocopies may be made and distributed
to American people. You may obtain printed copies of this brochure and
other brochures about Islam from the III&E for a small donation.
Islam-haters are trying to widen the gap between the Muslims and their
non-Muslim American brethren. The goal of anti-Islam demagogues is to
create hate against the Muslim minority in the non-Muslim majority of
America. Would you, as a decent human being allow it happen? The reader
of this brochure is requested to bridge the gap between fellow Americans
of different faiths by participating in the education of the American
people about the correct faith of the Muslims.
Additional Reading
- Muhammad Asad, translator, THE MESSAGE OF THE QUR’AN,
Dar al-Andalus Limited, 3 Library Ramp, Gibralter.
- Abdullah Yusuf Ali, translator, THE HOLY QUR’AN, Text,
Translation and Commentary, Amana Corporation, 4411 41st Street, Brentwood,
MD 220722.
- Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, translator, THE GLORIOUS QUR’AN,
various publishers.
- Zafar Ishaq Ansari, translator, TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING THE QUR’AN,
English rendering of Tafhim al-Qur’an by Sayyid Abul A’la
Mawdudi, The Islamic Foundation, Leicester, U.K.
- M. Amir Ali, A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF ISLAMIC BELIEFS &
PRACTICES, The Institute of Islamic Information & Education
(III&E), Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
- Brochures and booklets published by the III&E
- There are many Internet sites. See www.iiie.net
and links to others.
- Isma’il Raji al Faruqi, TAWHID: ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THOUGHT
AND LIFE, International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), Herndon,
Virginia, U.S.A.
- Hammudah Abdalati, ISLAM IN FOCUS, American Trust Publications,
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.
- Suzanne Haneef, WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM AND MUSLIMS,
Library of Islam, Des Plaines, Illinois, U.S.A.
E-mail your comments to amirali@ilaam.net
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