Leadership is a
pre-condition for any system to operate in a systematic fashion. Be it a
family, educational institution, any organization or a country, all these are
guided by a leader. For every creation in this world, there is a creator. There
is no poetry without a poet. There is no art without an artist. The nature with
its rapturous beauty and wonders, endless space, the orderly change over from
day to night, the sun and moon, the orderly movements of the planets, the
meticulous change of seasons, the mind boggling creation of the human body, the
cooperation and coordination among the various organs teaches us something.
What could that be?
Is the argument that such
an amazing and intelligent universe originated on its own or by chance acceptable?
Any random creation cannot operate so methodically and precisely without
planning and proper leadership. There is an artist behind this stunning
creation of art. HE is indeed the world’s greatest artist! We call him GOD.
“And your Allah is one
Allah. There is no GOD but HE, most gracious, most merciful. Behold! in the
creations of the Heaven and Earth; in the alternation of the night and the day;
in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the
rain which Allah sends from the skies; and the life which HE gives therewith to
an Earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that HE scatters through the
Earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their
slaves between the sky and the Earth;- here indeed are signs for a people that
are wise.” (Holy Quran 2:163,164)
Attributes of GOD
What are the attributes /
qualities of such a GOD who has the capacity for such a wonderful creation? He
cannot be a human. Nor can he be an animal or a plant. HE cannot be an
inanimate object like a Sun or a Moon. The entire creation operates under a
regulated framework. And any creation that operates under such a regulated
framework cannot create another entity on its own. Hence that which is
responsible for such a marvelous creation has to be something other than such
regulated entities. It must also be possessing very different attributes from
these regulated entities and capable of operating independent of them. Such a great
power can only be called GOD. The Holy Quran clearly outlines the attributes of
such a GOD.
“Say – HE is Allah, the
one and only; Allah the Eternal, Absolute; HE begetteth not nor is he begotten;
And there is none like unto HIM.” (Holy Quran 112:1-4)
“Allah – there is no GOD
but HE – the living, the self-subsisting, the eternal, No slumber can seize Him
nor sleep.” (Holy Quran 2:255)
The Prophets who were very
close to GOD have only spoken to GOD but have never claimed to have seen HIM. Hence
these Prophets have never ever attempted to describe GOD for us to visualize
HIM. Hence they directed us to worship a formless GOD.
GOD is ONE
If a group or a
corporation or a country has more than one leader, then such an entity would
not function efficiently and effectively. There would be lot of confusion.
Hence for this grand universe, there has to be only one leader or a Master.
Therefore, GOD is ONE. In his command there is no role for anyone else. This is
emphasized in the Holy Quran.
“If there were, in the
heavens and earth, other Gods besides Allah, there would have been confusion in
both.” (Holy Quran 21:22)
“No son did Allah beget,
nor is there any God along with him; If there were many Gods, behold, each God
would have taken away what he had created, and some would have lorded it over
others. Glory to Allah. He is free from the sort of things they attribute to
HIM!” (Holy Quran 23:91)
All things in the universe
– humans, plants, animals, sky, and planets are all inter-dependent. When all
these are being made to act in an orderly fashion by one force or power,
obviously there cannot be separate Gods for each of these.
The Holy Quran names such
a GOD as Allah. The meaning of the Arabic word Allah is God. This word was in
usage in Arabia even before Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) time. Even non-Muslims in
Arabia referred to God as Allah during those times. The beauty of the word
Allah is that it does not have a gender or a plural. Hence it is a unique word
that cannot be categorized as a male or female. God cannot also be referred to
in the plural. Hence the Holy Quran uses this word to refer to God.
God has 99 holy names. We
can also call him using those. Each of those names refers to one of his
qualities. For example, we can see a few of them.
AR-RAHMAN – the most beneficent
AR-RAHIM – the most merciful
AL-MALIK – the sovereign Lord
AL-KHALIQ – the creator
AS-SALAM – the source of peace
AL-GHAFFAR – the forgiver
AR-RAZZAQ – the provider
AL-ADL – the just
One of the most often used
holy name for God is ‘Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim’ which means ‘In the name of
Allah, the most gracious and most merciful’. Before we commence anything, we
need to recite this holy name. Each chapter in the Holy Quran starts with these
lines. This is also the first dialogue in the Holy Quran.
God’s compassion is
manifest in many ways. He created humans as the pinnacle of his creation. In
addition, he has given them all types of capabilities and talents, means of
living, guidance for living and sent prophets to exemplify his teachings. These
are examples of his compassion. Humans are also being pardoned for their
omissions and commissions if they feel remorse and seek his forgiveness. HE
does forgive them due to his immense compassion.
“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.” (Holy Quran
39:53)
The merciful GOD is also
just. A person, who commits sins wantonly and without repenting for it,
continues with his sinful activities, would be punished by GOD in this world
and on the Day of Judgment.
“Behold! They Lord did
declare that he would send against them, to the Day of Judgment, those who
would affect with grievous penalty. They Lord is quick in retribution, but HE
is also oft-forgiving, most merciful.” (Holy Quran 7:167)
Hence we need to worship
only such a noble and only GOD. You can approach HIM directly. You don’t need
anyone else or any recommendation to approach HIM. HE is very near you!
“When My servants ask thee
concerning me, I am indeed close to them: I listen to the prayer of every
suppliant when he calleth on Me; Let them also, with a will, listen to my call,
and believe in Me: that they may walk in the right way.” (Holy Quran 2:186)
God can be known in two
ways. One is to understand his creations, think about them and then realize his
presence. The second way is to understand and realize him through the
scriptures revealed through the prophets.
