بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Allah’s Name to commence with, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Beliefs related to Allah Almighty and His attributes
Among many Islamic beliefs here are some of the basic and foundational beliefs of Islam regarding faith in Allah Almighty:
Belief: Allah almighty is one as stated in the Holy Quran: قل هو الله احد. (Say you (O Beloved!) he is Allah he is one.) Para 30 surah 112 Verse No. 1 and والهكم اله واحد. لا اله الا هو. (And your god is one god (i.e., Allah) there is no god except him). (Parah:2 Surah: 2, Verse No: 163)
No one shares him neither in essence nor in attributes, nor in actions, nor in commandments, nor in names. His existence is necessary and non-existence is impossible. He is Qadeem (always existed/ eternal) and he is Abadi (will always exist) as stated in the Holy Quran: كل شيء هالك الا وجهه (everything is perishable except His being) (Parah:20, Surah: 28, Verse No: 88)
Only He is the one who deserves to be worshipped. As stated in the Holy Quran: يا ايها الناس اعبدوا ربكم الذي خلقكم (Oh people! Worship your God (Allah) who has created you) (Parah:1, Surah: 2, Verse No: 21)
Belief: He is needless, does not need anyone, and all the world needs him as stated in the Holy Quran: الله الصمد (He is independent) Parah:30, Surah: 112, Verse No: 2
Belief: It is intellectually impossible to understand his being as intellectual encompasses what is understood and nothing or no one can encompass Him (i.e., Allah almighty).
Belief: Attributes of Allah Almighty are different than his being but can never be separated from him.
For example, the fragrance of a flower is the attribute of a flower which is found with a flower but we don’t call this fragrance a flower nor we can call it separate from a flower.
Belief: Just as His (Allah Almighty’s) being is eternal, His attributes are also eternal.
Belief: His (Allah Almighty’s) attributes are not creatures and not under his ability/power.
Belief: Except has been and his attributes everything is perishable (i.e., they did not exist before they came to exist later).
Belief: Whoever calls or believes that attributes of Allah almighty as a creature or they didn’t exist before and came to exist letter is a Kafir or misguided.
Belief: Whoever believes anything of the world as eternal (i.e., existed before, exists now, and will exist later) or doubts its existence as perishable is a Kafir (Disbeliever).
Belief: He is not anyone’s father nor the son, nor there is a wife for him, whoever ever calls him a Father or son or proves a wife for him is a Kafir (Disbeliever) as Allah almighty states in the Holy Quran: لم يلد ولم يولد (He has no offspring, nor is he born from anyone) (Parah:30 Surah: 112, Verse No: 3) rather whoever says this is possible is a Kafir (Disbeliever) and is misguided.
Belief: He is alive himself and everyone’s life is in his hands he can make alive whoever and whenever, and can make dead anyone whenever he wants. As said in the holy Quran: هو الحي القيوم (He is alive on his own) (Parah: 3, Surah: 2, Verse No:255)
Belief: He can do every possible thing, nothing in possible things is out of his power. As he states in the Holy Quran: ان الله على كل شيء قدير (undoubtedly Allah can do everything).
Belief: What is impossible is not within the power of Allah Almighty because “IMPOSSIBLE” is that which can never exist no matter what the circumstances are.
If something is within Allah Almighty’s power, it can not be considered “IMPOSSIBLE”. For example:
Another God is impossible, meaning it can never come into being. If it were within Allah Almighty’s power it would be possible, which contradicts the idea of “impossibility”, thus, not considering the existence of another God as impossible is to deny the “ONENESS” of Allah Almighty.
Likewise, God’s annihilation is impossible, if the annihilation of God were within Allah Almighty’s power, it would become possible, and the one whose annihilation is possible is not God.
From the above two examples, it is understood that believing in Allah Almighty’s power over the “IMPOSSIBLE” is the denial of His divinity.
Belief: Everything in Allah Almighty’s power does not need to actually exist, but it only needs to be possible even if it has never come to exist. For example:
Before the invention of airplanes, our ancestors never imagined that humans could fly. If you had asked them about it in their era, they would have said it was impossible because their understanding was limited to the knowledge of their era.
However, this limitation does not apply to Allah Almighty. His knowledge is not restricted by time or circumstances. He knows everything from the beginning to the end, and all that is visible or hidden from us.
Belief: He encompasses all the perfections, and excellence and is free from flaws or deficiencies. It is IMPOSSIBLE for Him to have any shortcomings or defects.
Furthermore, anything that lacks perfection or contains deficiencies is also IMPOSSIBLE for Him. For example: Attributes such as Lying, Cheating, Betrayal, Cruelty, Ignorance, Immorality, and other such flaws are completely IMPOSSIBLE for Allah Almighty.
Claiming that Allah Almighty has the power to lie, implyng that he could lie, is to falsely equate the “IMPOSSIBLE” with the “POSSIBLE” rather is to reject the divinity of Allah Almighty and to understand that Allah Almighty’s inability to perform IMPOSSIBLE makes His power incomplete is fundamentally incorrect.
Belief: The self attributes of Allah Almighty are:
- Life
- Power
- Hearing
- Seeing
- Speech
- Knowledge
- Will
However, His hearing, seeing and speaking are not dependent on physical organs. Like ears, eyes, or a tongue as these are bodies. And Allah Almighty is free from all physical forms. He hears even the faintest sound, sees even the smallest details beyond what a microscope can detect and his hearing and seeing are not dependent on these factors. He sees and hears everything that exists.
Belief: Like Allah’s other attributes his speech is eternal not creation. Imam Azam and other scholars (may Allah be pleased with them) declared those who believe the Holy Quran is a creation as KAFIR (Disbeliever). A stance proven by the Companions (Sahaba) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Here are some foundational beliefs I’ve shared, with more to come. Stay tuned to deepen your understanding and strengthen your faith in Allah Almighty.
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