'Alî ibn Mehdî ibn Mutlak al-Timîmî
The concept of monotheism is at the core and heart of the
Islamic religion. If one wants to know what is Islam about, one should, before anything else,
begin with this topic.
But before we start our investigation of monotheism in Islam, let us first define Islam.
Islam
Islam
is an Arabic word comprising of two meanings. The first meaning is to submit or surrender
unto God, God in Arabic being Allah. The second meaning is purity. Hence, Islam means a
pure submission or surrendering unto God alone. Thus an adherent to Islam, or a Muslim, is
an individual who has submitted or surrendered purely to the will of God and to no one else.
For this reason, there are two ideas antithetical to Islam: (1.) an unwillingness to submit to
God in the first place; or (2.) an impure submission to God, where one submits to both God
and someone/something else. This is the general meaning of Islam.
With this brief definition of Islam, it is important to understand that Islam teaches that all of
God’s prophets were Muslims. Indeed the very first human, Adam (who himself was a
prophet), and his wife, Eve, were Muslims. Moreover, all the generations that succeeded
them were also Muslims in this general sense. Namely, that they all submitted unto God and
God alone by obeying His will and laws and directing all their worship to Him alone.
From this, we see that Muslims do not accept – as is popular within certain circles of
sociology and religion – that human beings developed only at a late date the concept of
monotheism.[1] Advocates of this belief argue that humans were initially animistic perceiving
natural phenomena as living beings and extending to those imagined beings worship.
Monotheism, they further argue originated first among the Jews. And they further claim it
was from the Jews that monotheism spread to other peoples who incorporated this idea into
their religious traditions. Muslims, as I mentioned, do not believe this to be true. The
worship of others with or besides God, Muslims hold, appeared post the first human
communities.
Why worship God?
At this point someone might ask, why worship God? First we worship God because of His
perfection. Everything in the universe praises God and fulfils God’s will.
Moreover, we Muslims believe that Islam, that is to worship God alone, is humanity’s natural
and original state. Not to submit to God and God alone is to deny the very essence of being
a human. Our existence here on earth is not without purpose. Our presence here on earth
has a meaning much more than merely enjoying a few material pleasures while we spend out
our allotted days. Rather, we believe that we have been placed on earth for a purpose. It is
inconceivable for us Muslims that an all-wise God who has created everything with such
perfection and placed such order in the universe would at the same time not have a purpose
for our existence here on earth. This purpose we find in the Qur’an is to worship God. God
says in one Qur’anic ayat:
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I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. (The
Qur’an 51:56)
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While in another ayat, God asks:
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Thinkenth man that he is to be left aimless. (The Qur’an 75:36)
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This latter ayat dispels the idea that we humans have been left “aimless,” that is without
purpose.
Now of course, in nature we find creatures who unlike human beings do not possess free
will. These creatures fulfill God’s will by following their instincts. But we human beings,
however, have an ability to choose between doing good or evil. We have the choice between
accepting God’s message or rejecting it.
The prophets
While it is true that the very first human beings, as we said, remained upon Islam for
generations, later deviation from this natural state arose. For this reason, out of His mercy,
God spoke directly to certain men instructing them to be His emissaries or messengers to
humanity.
Regarding these prophets, Muslims believe that they are human beings. Hence in their
essence, these prophets are no different than any one of us. They become hungry and have
to eat; they become thirsty and have to drink, they suffer pain, they become ill, and like all
human beings they eventually die. Where the prophets do differ from us is in character for
they are the best of humanity. There is no fault in their character. For this reason God
selects them and speaks to them with the aim of instructing humanity and to give us glad
tidings if we choose to follow God’s instructions and guidance and warns us of the doom in
this world and the hereafter if we choose to forsake God’s instructions and guidance. As a
result these messengers attempt to correct any deviations that appeared among humanity in
beliefs or society. The greatest deviation being the loss of the natural state of Islam.
A brief history of prophethood and revelation
We believe that the first messenger sent to humanity was the prophet Noah who is also
recognized in both Jewish and Christian tradition. He is thought to have lived in that part of
the world, which we refer today to as Iraq. Noah called humanity to the worship of God
alone after humanity began worshipping idols. These idols were conceived as representations
of intermediaries who were believed stood between man and God. Noah’s people would
seek to please these individuals by various acts of worship so that in turn these individuals
would intercede on their behalf with God. Although Noah invited his people back to their
natural state of worship of God alone, Noah’s people persisted in their idolatry and rejected
both Noah and the message he bore. God then in His anger destroyed humanity with the
great flood. Humanity was wiped out with the exception of those few humans who were
saved with Noah. The few survivors with Noah and their subsequent descendents remained
upon monotheism. However after a passage of some time, the length of which is known to
God alone, idolatry once again crept back into the beliefs and practices of humanity.
Once deviation re-appeared, God continued to send prophets to every people. Among these
prophets was Abraham. After Abraham, prophethood continued among his progeny. Both
of Abraham’s sons, Ishmael and Isaac were prophets. Isaac’s son, Jacob, who was known as
Israel, was also a prophet, as was Jacob’s son, Joseph. From the seed of Jacob, or the
children of Israel, other prophets appeared. Among these prophets were Moses, Aaron,
David, and Solomon. Whenever a prophet among the children of Israel died, God would
select another to replace him until prophethood culminated among the children of Israel
with Jesus the son of Mary. Jesus, Muslims believe, was like all other prophets sent by God
to call his people to the worship of God alone and the fulfillment God’s commandments.
The surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. The
Messiah (himself) said:
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O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and
your Lord. Lo! whoso ascribeth partners unto Allah, for him Allah hasth
forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evil-doers there will be no
helpers. They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three: when
there is no God save the One God. If they desist not from so saying a
painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve. (The Qur’an, 5:72-
75)
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Finality of prophethood and the culmination of revelation
Then following Jesus, prophethood as a whole culminated with Muhammad. Muhammad
was sent to the whole of humanity in the year 570, according to the Christian calendar, some
1,400 plus years ago. The prophet Muhammad too called people to worship God alone.
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Say (O Muhammad): O mankind! If ye are in doubt of my religion, then
(know that) I worship not those whom ye worship instead of Allah, but I
worship Allah who causeth you to die, and I have been commanded to be of
the believers. (The Qur’an, 10:105)
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Therefore in the message he brought from God, Muhammad was no different from any of
the previous prophets but in two aspects. First he was different is in that while the previous
prophets were sent to their specific peoples alone; the prophet Muhammad was sent to all of
humanity.
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Say (O Muhammad): O mankind! Lo I am the messenger of Allah to you all
– (the messenger of) Him unto whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the
heavens and the earth. There is no God save Him, He quickeneth and He
giveth death. So believe in Allah and His messenger, the Prophet who an
neither read nor write, who believeth in Allah and in His Words, and follow
him that haply ye may be led aright. (The Qur’an, 7:158)
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Secondly, after the prophet Muhammad, there will be no other prophet; and after the
revelation sent to him, there is no further communication from God. His message had to be
thus applicable for all of humanity and for the rest of time. Muslims still obey the Prophet
and seek to pattern their lives according to his.
Moreover with the sending of the prophet Muhammad, the laws that the previous prophets
came with are no longer applicable. While it is true, as we have seen, that all the prophets
had a common message but each had a distinct law. Hence, since God sent the prophet
Muhammad to the whole of humanity it no longer became permissible to follow the
previous laws, like the law of the Torah given to Moses or the law of the Gospel given to
Jesus the son of Mary. With the sending of the prophet Muhammad, it has now become
incumbent upon all human beings to believe in him and his message and obey him. He is the
final prophet who was sent for all humanity.
The Prophet Muhammad as many observers of human history have said is the most
influential person on humanity and the course of human history. If we do not at least accord
him that status, we nonetheless would have to concede that he was among the most
influential individuals on humanity. There is a famous book written by Michael Hart where
he lists the 100 most influential people in human history and wherein which he accords the
number one position to the prophet Muhammad.[3] While another author who wrote on the
intellectual development of Europe has said that the prophet Muhammad has had more
influence on individual human beings than any other human being in history.
Evidence for Muhammad’s prophethood
If we look at his message we find he announced that he was selected by God, that God
spoke to him, and through him God informed humanity that we must follow and obey
Muhammad for their guidance in this world and their salvation in the hereafter. These are
merely claims in of themselves, so how do we know that these claims are true? How do we
know that Muhammad is truly a prophet?
God supports prophets in proving the validity of their claims by many means among them
are miracles. We know the truthfulness of the prophet Muhammad by these miracles. We
also know the truthfulness of his message by the fact that his message confirms the previous
revelations. We also know his truthfulness by the fact that he is mentioned in the previous
scriptures. And we know the veracity of these claims by the virtue of his character and the
character of his community.
Judgment Day
This is in a nutshell the Islamic belief. God created humanity to worship Him and when
humanity deviates from the purpose of their existence God sends to them prophets calling
them to return back to God’s guidance.
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We said: Go down, all of you, from hence; but verily there cometh unto you
from Me a guidance; and whoso followeth My guidance, there shall no fear
come upon them neither shall they grieve. But they who disbelieve, and deny
Our revelations such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein.
(The Qur’an 2:38-39)
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When life on earth comes to an end and humanity will be resurrected to stand before God
for judgment; the primary question asked of people will be did they worship God alone or
not? This is why Muslims believe that the worship of others with God or refusing to submit
and worship God is the only sin that is unpardonable by God.
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Lo! Allah forgiveth not that a partner should be ascribed unto Him. He
forgiveth (all) save that to whom He will. Whoso abscribeth partners to
Allah, he hath indeed invented a tremendous sin. (The Qur’an 4:48)
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And your Lord hath said: Pray unto me and I will hear your prayer. Lo! those
who scorn My worship, they will enter hell, disgraced. (The Qur’an 40:60)
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Now if someone was to enquire what is the Islamic faith? Then what I have just summarized
would be the answer. As for the other aspects of Islam like the five daily prayers, the
obligatory charity, the fast of the month of Ramadan, the pilgrimage to Makkah or Islam’s
social order; then all of these matters stem from that faith. For this reason entrance into the
Islamic religion consists of the mere declaration there is no god worthy of worship but God
(Allah) alone and Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Monotheism in Islam
Now the Muslim concept of monotheism, or tawhid to use the Arabic term, consists of two
aspects: (1.) a monotheism in one’s beliefs, and (2.) a monotheism in one’s deeds.
Regarding monotheism in one’s beliefs, Muslims maintain that one must negate from God
any imperfection or fault that is ascribed unto His being, attributes, actions, words, or
wisdom. For this reason, Muslims will negate that God has any son or daughter; or that he
takes a wife; or that he needs sleep or food; or that he would die. All these qualities of
imperfection that indicate a need or an inherent weakness, Muslims will negate from God.
At the same time, Muslims will affirm unto God all attributes of perfection.
God is all knowing. In the Qur’an, God informs us that not a leaf drops from a tree but that
God knows it. God knows what is in the wombs of women, not just the sex of the child,
male or female. But God knows, will that child be born healthy? How will that child’s life
turn out? How long will that child live? What that child will face in life? God hears and sees everything. There is no sound or object hidden from Him. God is all wise. Hence nothing that God says or does but it is for a great wisdom. God is merciful; mercy being God’s nature. But at the same time, God is severe in punishment.
God is one in his being. He is not a duality, trinity, or plurality. Likewise, Muslims believe
that God cannot be approached via an intermediary. When praying, we should direct our
prayers directly to God. There is no intercessor – neither angel, prophet, or righteous person
– among us to whom one should pray, so then that individual would in turn pray to God on
our behalf. This is the Islamic view of monotheism as it pertains to beliefs.
As for monotheism in one’s acts, Muslims direct all their acts of worship to God alone. For
this reason, when Muslims pray they do not pray to the prophet Muhammad asking him to
forgive their sins or take care of any worldly need, like health for those who are ill, wealth for
those who are under economic duress, and the like.
Monotheistic religions
Perhaps some of you in order to fulfill a humanities requirement have taken a course in
world religions where it is not uncommon to hear the characterization of the three great
monotheistic religions of the world, meaning by that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Likewise in the United States, religious groups will often engage in interfaith meetings where
statements like these are floated around, often receiving the approval of all. Indeed, just one
month ago here in the United States, there was a parliament of world religions were notions
of religious equivalency were extend even to paganistic religions.
[4] As a result, both the
popularity of these ideas and a desire of many to better know other religions leads us to
discuss this topic. Also as I will discuss that this idea of three great monotheistic religions is
an idea that Islam rejects. Muslims believe that the only truly monotheistic religion is Islam
and that Judaism and Christianity while originally monotheistic are no longer so.
Judaism and Christianity
As I began my lecture, it is often said there are three great monotheistic religions in the
world: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Following this brief exposition, we can now see why
Islam sees itself alone, in exclusion to all other religions, as monotheistic and why Islam sees
Judaism and Christianity as no longer monotheistic.
The Jews can no longer be considered monotheistic because they no longer believe God to
be prefect. If you look into Jewish writings[5], you will find various imperfections attributed to
God. For example, in the Torah it is mentioned:
After creating the universe in six days, God rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:2-
3)<sup class=reference>[6] Here is an attribution of weakness to God.
After seeing humanity’s wickedness on earth, God became remorse for creating
humanity. (Genesis 6:5-6)[7] Here is an attribution of ignorance of the future to God.
While Christians occupy the other extreme by raising a human being, specifically Jesus the
son of Mary, to the status of the Divine.[8] So Islam stands in between these two extremes,
those who attribute faults to God and those who raise humans to the status of the Divine.
And both Jews and Christians are guilty of believing in some of the prophets in exclusion to
others; the Jews denying the prophethood of both Jesus and Muhammad9; while the
Christians denying the prophethood of Muhammad. Moreover even with those prophets in
whom they believe, they have attributed to them all sorts of monstrosities that would default
them from being prophets. Among these calumnies:
The prophet Noah is accused of drunkenness (Genesis 9:21)[10 ]
The prophet Lot is accused of having incestuous unions with his two daughters
resulting in the origins of the Moabites and the Ammonites (Genesis 19: 30-8)
David is accused of arranging the death of a companion to marry that man’s wife.
The prophet Solomon is accused of idolatry. (I Kings 11:1-11)
Muslims on the other hand believe that the prophets were perfect in their character and they
are models that we follow. Moreover these reports are an evidence of the tampering that has
occurred in the previous scriptures. Hence the Muslims even though they believe in the
previous scriptures, they say that these scriptures have since their time of revelation been
altered. And hence the Torah of today is not the Torah given to Moses; and the Gospel
given to Jesus son of Mary is not any one of the four gospels that are found today. The
Qur’an being guides final scripture has been preserved from any change occurring. It
remains the very same scripture that was revealed to the prophet Muhammad one thousand
and four hundred and thirty three years ago.
With this I would like to conclude my remarks and open the floor for questions.
