What follows is strangely enough harder to find than it should be nowadays. Its a brief but holistic overview of what Muslims believe, and is essentially the framework by which Muslims view the universe and existence. Sure, Muslims believe in the Five Pillars, but knowing that alone doesn’t really capture the essence of Islam. And so, here it is, a brief overview of Islamic theology:
Basically, 99% of Islam is the belief that there is One Supreme Being and Creator that is entirely other than the universe, and upon which the entirety of the universe is dependent. Man was given, and we accepted, the responsibility of intellect and the ability to acquire knowledge of all things. We have the ability to know our universe, as well as to come to know God. Before this life, every human was asked by Allah, our Creator, “Am I not your Lord?” to which we all testified “Certainly.” The memory of this is not with us, but belief in Him is ingrained within our natural disposition.
In addition to this honorable blessing of knowledge, we were given free will, a hefty responsibility that was offered to much else of creation, but they refused to accept it. Now we are placed in this world with one sole purpose, which is to worship God. And the only two things man is responsible for is his free will, and sincerity. Everything is under Allah’s control, but we are told to use this free will to do good works for His sake. And this entails believing in Him (along with His Angels, Books, and Prophets), as well as living life and regulating the Earth as He commanded.
As for who He is, we believe He is One and don’t associate any partners with Him. He was the first and is Ever-Lasting, entirely Self-Sufficient, All-Knowing, the Most Merciful, the Loving, yet also the Just. Any good deed done for the sake of God is worship, whereas good works devoid of belief in Him will carry little weight on the Day of Judgment because we were not asked to just do good. We were asked to fight our lowly selves and desires to do good for His Sake, whereas if you do good without belief in Him then you already received what you were intending when you decided to do the good work. Then after we die, we will be resurrected, and on the Day of Judgment we will be called to account for all of our deeds.
Everything will be taken into consideration justly, so people that had less will be reckoned easier, whereas those who were blessed with more will be asked about how they used each blessing. Then if you believed and your good deeds outweigh your bad, you will enter paradise by Allah’s Grace. But if you die disbelieving, then you will enter hell, abiding therein (either forever or for eons upon eons, a difference of opinions on this). Finally, if you believed but did more bad than good, then you will have to enter hell to be purified but will one day enter paradise, though after a very long time. But as you can see, belief in Allah and not associating any partners with Him is paramount.
Last point, Truth and Knowledge is sent to mankind via messengers and prophets. We believe that Christianity and Judaism were also Islam, i.e. the same religion all calling to submission to God, but we believe that they have been changed by man over time. We also believe in the same prophets, though we don’t believe they were sinful as in Christianity, and also believe Jesus is a prophet and not the begotten son of God. In fact, we believe over 100,000 prophets have been sent to mankind all calling to the worship of the same One God (peace be upon them all). Finally, we believe that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the final messenger of God, and that the Qur’an is the final Word of God sent to mankind and that it will remain unchanged since it’s revelation. If you’re interested, here is a clip of what the Qur’an sounds like:
Whether you’re curious about what Muslims believe or you’re seeking more meaning in your own life, keep seeking knowledge and Truth with a critical and open mind. It can help you on your journey, wherever you want to go.
Monotheism, belief in one God, is the most important and foundational concept in Islam. Muslims believe in one God who created the universe and has power over everything within it. He is unique and exalted above everything He creates, and His greatness cannot be compared to His creation. Furthermore, He is the only one deserving of any worship and the ultimate purpose of all creation is to submit to Him. The Islamic understanding of God is distinct from all other religions and beliefs in various respects since it is based on a pure and clear understanding of monotheism. This essentially captures the concept of God in Islam, which will be further elaborated in this pamphlet.
Muslims often refer to God as Allah. This is a universal name for God and does not refer to an exclusively ‘Islamic’ God. Interestingly, this name is related to the Aramaic and Hebrew names for God, Allaha and Elohim. Therefore, Allah is simply the Arabic name for God which affirms that He is One singular God with no partners or equals. The name Allah cannot be pluralized or limited to a specific gender, which establishes that God is One and that He is unique from everything He creates. Muslims continue to use this original Arabic name for God (Allah) since it perfectly expresses His unique qualities.
God is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe who created everything for a reason. Muslims believe that He created humankind with a simple purpose – to worship Him. He sent messengers to guide people in fulfilling this purpose. Some of these messengers include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace be upon all of them. They all taught a consistent message about God by affirming His greatness as the Creator and guiding people to worship Him alone. This basic concept has always resonated with people’s natural understanding of God. (Click here to learn more about prophets in Islam.)
When the final prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him (pbuh), was asked about God, the answer came directly from God in the holy book of Muslims, the Quran (also spelled ‘Koran’): “Say, ‘He is God the One, God the eternal. He begot no one nor was He begotten. No one is comparable to Him.’” [112:1-4] This is a clear statement by God describing Himself to humanity without any room for confusion. God is One and is exalted above everything He creates and He is capable over all things.
Fully accepting the oneness of God is to accept that He is distinct from everything else. It would not suit God’s majesty and glory to associate the limited attributes of His creation to Him because He is not restricted in any way, while His creation is. He is the First with no beginning and the Last with no end. Everything in the universe was created by His will. He is not confined by space or time and He is the only One who is in control and provides for His creation.
“He is God: there is no god other than Him. It is He who knows what is hidden as well as what is in the open, He is the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy. He is God: there is no god other than Him, the Controller, the Holy One, Source of Peace, Granter of Security, Guardian over all, the Almighty, the Compeller, the Truly Great; God is far above anything they consider to be His partner. He is God: the Creator, the Originator, the Shaper. The best names belong to Him. Everything in the heavens and earth glorifies Him: He is the Almighty, the Wise.” [Quran, 59:22-24]
Pure Monotheism
“God: there is no god but Him, the Ever Living, the Ever Watchful. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him. Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth; it does not weary Him to preserve them both. He is the Most High, the Tremendous.” [Quran, 2:255]
The primary pillar of Islamic belief clearly states that there is nothing worthy of worship except God. Associating partners with God or attributing qualities of lesser beings to Him is considered to be the greatest sin in Islam.
In the past, this often took the form of idol worship or praying to multiple lesser gods. Although this is less common now, the current era has replaced many of the physical ‘idols’ of the past with other contemporary ‘gods.’ Many people today allow passions like entertainment, drugs, relationships or material objects to become the center of their lives. They become so consumed with these things that they submit to whatever will allow them to fulfill their desires. For example, if a drug addict allows their addiction to control their actions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors, causing them to risk their personal safety and the safety of others, that drug has essentially become their god. Likewise, if another person puts a loved one before God by obeying that person even if that causes them to transgress against God’s commands, their loved one has taken precedence over God.
Islam teaches that people should completely submit only to God as He is the only One worthy of their worship. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and everything in it belongs to Him. The Quran points out the faulty thinking of those who worship other than God:
“‘How can you worship things you carve with your own hands, when it is God who has created you and all your handiwork?’” [37:95-96]
The Believer’s Surrender
In order to be a true believer, one must believe in the absolute oneness of God, as the only Creator, Preserver and Nourisher of everything. However, this belief in the true characteristics of God is not the sole condition of true faith; one must also acknowledge that God is the only one who deserves to be worshipped. His commands and guidelines for how to live one’s life should always take precedence over the commands of anything He created. Indeed, He guides humanity to what is best for them in this life and the hereafter and He is All-Knowing and All-Wise.
Having embraced this understanding of God, one should constantly have faith in Him, and should remain steadfast on the truth. When true faith enters a person’s heart, it positively impacts their outlook and behavior. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Faith is that which resides firmly in the heart and which is proved by actions.”
One of the striking effects of faith is a feeling of gratitude towards God. Believers love God and are grateful to Him for the blessings He gives them. They are aware of the fact that their good deeds will never be equal to His divine favors upon them so they are always striving to please Him. Furthermore, sincere believers in God accept that any hardships they face are part of the greater ‘test of life.’ They are patient through times of difficulty and turn to God for assistance. A beautiful characteristic of the believers is that they accept everything God wills and continuously remember Him in all aspects of life. (Read more: Attitude of Gratitude)
Anyone who denies the basic truth of the existence of God is considered ungrateful and a disbeliever. On many occasions in the Quran, God reminds humanity of the disbelievers’ clear misguidance and His complete power over everything:
“Behold! Verily to Allah belong all creatures, in the heavens and on earth. What do they follow who worship as His “partners” other than Allah? They follow nothing but fancy, and they do nothing but lie.” [10:66]
“It is God who has given you the night in which to rest and the day in which to see. God is truly bountiful to people, but most people do not give thanks. Such is God your Lord, the Creator of all things: there is no god but Him. How can you be so deluded? [40:61-62]
In the end, we must understand that our belief or disbelief in God does not affect Him in any way. Believing in Him, worshipping Him, and following His commands will only benefit us because we are in need of His blessings, favors and mercy. On the other hand, He does not need us because He is the Self-Sufficient Creator. However, it is never too late for a person to turn back to God, seeking His guidance and forgiveness by submitting to Him.
“Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped. And follow the best of (the courses) revealed to you from your Lord, before the Penalty comes on you – of a sudden while ye perceive not!” [Quran, 39:53-55]
Why Islam?
If you agree with the basic concepts in this pamphlet, you may still ask why Islam stands out from other religions. The reason is simply that Islam is the final and complete way of life that God revealed to guide humanity. Previous divine messages (such as the ones taught by Abraham, Moses and Jesus) have been lost or altered throughout time. God chose to send Muhammad (pbuh) to deliver His final message, which maintains the core teachings of all the previous revelations. The book sent to Muhammad (pbuh) was the Quran, which was revealed as guidance for all of humanity. Just like the Torah sent to Moses and the Gospel sent to Jesus, the Quran is a guidebook teaching us how to worship God in the purest manner and thereby achieve our purpose in life. The Quran is unique because it has remained preserved in its exact and original form for more than 1,400 years. (Learn more: Preservation of the Quran)
Islam is not a new way of life; rather, it is the final message, which upholds the same essential beliefs that God sent to humanity through all of His messengers. Through this message, God calls on each individual to lead a conscientious life by drawing close to Him and to remain cognizant of their final accountability in front of the one and only God.
“Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth?” [Quran, 57:16]
But "Allah" sounds different than the Hebrew "Yahweh"!
The sections of this article are:
But "Allah" sounds different than the Hebrew "Yahweh"!
How can a title beginning with "the" be a name? Yahweh, also means "the Eternal", which means "Al-Samad" in Arabic. It's just a title!
"Yahweh" wasn't even the first thing GOD Almighty was addressed with in the Bible!
So why then does the Arabic Bible use "Allah" and "Yahweh" for GOD?
Why did Jesus choose to say the Aramaic "Eloi" to the Hebrew speaking people?
This excellent article shows from Hebrew sources that Genesis 1:1 said "Allah". It proved from Hebrew sources with images that GOD Almighty's original Holy Name was indeed "Allah".
Hebrew "Allaah" is the closest word to "Allah" and it means Allah.
One thing that many non-Hebrew speaking Jews and Christians mistake about is the name of GOD Almighty in the Bible. "Yahweh" in Hebrew means "The LORD" or the "The GOD". It is not a name. Let us look at the following quotations from Christian and Jewish resources:
"Judaism teaches that while God's name exists in written form, it is too holy to be pronounced. The result has been that, over the last 2000 years, the correct pronunciation has been lost." (Mankind's Search for GOD, p. 225).
Here we clearly see that the pronunciation for the original name for GOD Almighty had been lost, and the Jews have no idea what the exact pronunciation is from their Holy Scriptures and resources.
"About 3,500 years ago, God spoke to Moses, saying: 'Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: The LORD [Hebrew: YHWH], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you: This shall be My name forever, this My appellation for all eternity.' (Exodus 3:15; Psalm 135:13)" (Mankind's Search for GOD, p.225).
"....the four Hebrew consonants YHWH (Yahweh) that in their Latinized form have come to be known over the centuries in English as JEHOVAH." (Mankind's Search for GOD, p.225).
So the word "YHWH" or "Yahweh" or "Jehovah" is not the ORIGINAL name, but the appellation (title) for the Almighty GOD. This is perfectly fine, because Jews, Christians and Muslims call on to GOD Almighty as "The LORD" or "The GOD", which means "Yahweh" or "Jehovah" in Hebrew and "Al-Rab" in Arabic. "Al-Rab" in Arabic and "Yahweh" in Hebrew and the other translations in all other languages are indeed GOD Almighty's title. But they are NOT His original Name!
Let us look at what Exodus 3:15 and Psalm 135:13 from the NIV Bible say: "God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, `The LORD [Notice that they didn't write Jehovah. "The LORD" in only a title], the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. (From the NIV Bible, Exodus 3:15)"
"Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, through all generations. (From the NIV Bible, Psalm 135:13)"
So as we clearly see from the above Verses from the NIV Bible, the original name for GOD Almighty is not "Yahweh". The title "The LORD" is only a title and a nick name (if you will) that we give to GOD Almighty. But "Yahweh" is definitely NOT THE ORIGINAL NAME for GOD Almighty.
"Allah" on the other hand is a name. It is the name of GOD Almighty. Below, you will see ample proofs from the Aramaic language that the name of GOD Almighty was indeed "Allah".
"GOD" in Arabic and Aramaic sound the same, and it is "Allah".
Jesus peace be upon him spoke Aramaic during his ministry.
"Allah" is GOD's Name, "Elaw" means "GOD" in Aramaic: How can they be the same? I clearly proved from the Noble Quran that "Allah" means the Supreme GOD Almighty in Arabic.
How can a title beginning with "the" be a name?
Beside the crystal clear proofs above about Yahweh or Jehovah being just a title or "appellation" (Exodus 3:15) for GOD Almighty, I would like to raise this simple question, and simple common sense test:
How can any title that begins with "the" be a name?
If I call you "the man", as it is a common slang for a person to be called that here in the US, would that really make your name "the man"?
A Christian just recently told me that in Hebrew, Yahweh not only means "The LORD" or the "The GOD", but it also means "The Eternal" (according to the New Dictionary of the Bible). That's all perfect with me.
The Eternal, Yahweh or Jehovah, means "Al-Samad" in Arabic. Allah Almighty called Himself "Al-Samad" in the Noble Quran (Noble Verse 112:2). I am willing to address Allah Almighty from now on by the "Al-Samad" title (Yahweh in Hebrew) and not by "Allah Almighty" (His Holy Name) if that's going to make Christians understand Islam and embrace it!
How difficult is it to comprehend that a title beginning with "the" can never be a name! Let alone being an original name!
Please visit: "Allah" is GOD's Name, "Elaw" means "GOD" in Aramaic: How can they be the same? I clearly proved from the Noble Quran that "Allah" means the Supreme GOD Almighty in Arabic.
"Yahweh" wasn't even the first thing GOD Almighty was addressed with in the Bible!
Some Christians still insist that GOD Almighty's original Holy Name was Yahweh. They rely on Exodus 3:15 to prove this nonsense. I clearly proved in the section above that "Yahweh" in Exodus 3:15 was only a title and not a name, and it means "The LORD", "The GOD" and the "The Eternal" (according to the New Dictionary of the Bible).
Now, let's assume for a second that "Yahweh" is a name, which is really ridiculous since its English translation starts with "the". This still doesn't prove that GOD Almighty's original name is Yahweh! Exodus 3:15 that Christians are so big on using was revealed to Prophet Moses peace be upon him. How many years are there between Adam and Moses peace be upon them? Probably thousands! If not even millions!
So according to the Christians' logic, GOD Almighty was Nameless from the time of Adam until the time of Moses where He, the Almighty, supposedly had finally found Himself and His identity. Correct? Wrong! That's all a bunch of nonsense!
GOD Almighty's original Holy Name is clearly "Allah" or "Elaw"! Like I said above, when Jesus peace be upon him was put on the cross, he cried to GOD Almighty and said "Eloi", which is derived from "Elaw" or "Allah". He didn't say "Yahwahoi"!
Therefore, any Christian who decides to act stubborn and reject the crystal clear fact that GOD Almighty's original Holy Name was indeed "Allah", because of fearing that it would prove Islam to be the faith of Truth, is guilty of sinning against GOD Almighty!
So why then does the Arabic Bible use "Allah" and "Yahweh" for GOD?
A Christian raised this question: Why do Arabic Bibles used "Yahweh" for GOD, if "Yahweh" wasn't GOD Almighty's original Name?
Well first of all, the Arabic Bible uses both "Allah" and "Yahweh". Please visit this article to see images from the Arabic Bible showing the use of the word "Allah" for GOD Almighty. It is important to know that "Yahweh" is not an Arabic word. Just like "The LORD" is also not Arabic either. The proper translation for "Yahweh" in the Arabic Bible should've been "Al-Samad" for "The Eternal", or "Al-Rab" for "The LORD", depending on which word they wish to choose, since Yahweh means both.
So them inserting the word "Yahweh" in the Arabic Bible is stupid and self-contradicting, because if you choose to call GOD Almighty "Yahweh" in Arabic and force the Hebrew word into Arabic, then you can't call Him "Allah" at the same time! Calling GOD Almighty "Al-Samad" or "Al-Rab" for Yahweh would've been a different thing and contradiction-free.
So my response is: The Arabic theologians need a basic lesson in Arabic and Hebrew!
An addition from brother Yusuf; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him:
"The newest edition by the International Bible Society starts out "fi al-Bid'i khalaqa ALLAH al-samawati wal-ardha." The normal word for God, moreover, is "Allah," in the Christian dialects of Arabic as well as in the Jewish dialects....
"(Brother Yusuf telling a Christian) Who said we aren't? You said "Allah" wasn't the word for God in the Bible. It starts out right at the beginning and continue throughout. And then you select out a single verse, ignoring the rest of the entire Bible, OT as well as NT. The verse you quoted is also rendered in English as Yahweh, not God; so what is your point? We are talking about the normal designation for the One True God.
You ignored, moreover, that this is also the case in the Christian and Jewish dialects of Arabic. It is also the case in the Christian liturgies, as for instance in the Maronite liturgy. What more do you want? God is Allah; Allah is God, and Allah should be translated, not transliterated."
To further prove my point, let us look at Genesis 2:4:
"This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens- (From the NIV Bible, Genesis 2:4)"
So as you can clearly see, "Yahweh" is clearly a title that means "The LORD" and not a Name for GOD Almighty.
Why did Jesus choose to say the Aramaic "Eloi" to the Hebrew speaking people?
Why did Jesus sacrifice Hebrew and spoke the Aramaic "Eloi" despite the fact that the people around him were Jewish and spoke Hebrew? Because Jesus peace be upon him knew that GOD Almighty's Holy Name is Allah, and Eloi (my GOD) is derived from it. The Hebrew "Yahweh" (the LORD or the Eternal) was made mandatory for the Jews only. As shown in the first section of the article, the Jews because of their inability to pronounce GOD Almighty's Holy Name properly were commanded by GOD Almighty to call Him as "The LORD":
"Judaism teaches that while God's name exists in written form, it is too holy to be pronounced. The result has been that, over the last 2000 years, the correct pronunciation has been lost." (Mankind's Search for GOD, p. 225).
Here we clearly see that the pronunciation for the original name for GOD Almighty had been lost, and the Jews have no idea what the exact pronunciation is from their Holy Scriptures and resources.
But the reason why Jesus called unto GOD Almighty in Aramaic, despite the fact that everyone spoke Hebrew and the Law of the Jews was written in the Hebrew language is because Jesus wanted to call GOD Almighty in the Highest and Most perfect form.
Addressing GOD Almighty as "The LORD" or Yahweh would've been only proper to the Hebrew speaking people, the Jews, but not to the Gentiles and all of the non-Jewish people and generations after that.
This excellent article shows from Hebrew sources that Genesis 1:1 said "Allah":
Please visit http://www.bismikaallahuma.org/Polemics/moongod.htm If the site is down, then you can view the article from my site.
Hebrew "Allaah" is the closest word to "Allah" and it means Allah:
The following was given to me by Denis; may Allah Almighty guide him to Islam.
The closest Hebrew word to the Arabic Allaah (alif-lam-lam-ha) would be the Hebrew Allah (alef-lamed-lamed-heh), which is used by Hebrew speaking Muslims, and has been used by Arabic Jews. For examples of the Hebrew equivalent of Bismillaah (which is Bshem Allah) see the following link. That is the closest possible Hebrew word to the Arabic Allah. It is the exact same word, and it has been part of Hebrew for at least 15 centuries (though I do concede it was almost certainly adopted from Arabic).
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