Muslim Beliefs about the Universe and Human Beings » Tawhid and Sura al-Fatihah: The Nature of Allah

Tawhid: the oneness of Allah

In Ultimate Reality: One God, Many Gods or None you met monotheism, the belief in one God. Islam is a strictly monotheistic religion, and its central belief has its own name: Tawhid.

Tawhid is an Arabic word meaning 'oneness'. Muslims believe Allah is one and unique. He cannot be divided into parts, and he has no partners, no children and no equals. Every Muslim declares this in the Shahadah: 'There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'

Key terms:

• Tawhid: the oneness of Allah. He is one, unique and without partners, children or equals.
• Shahadah: the Muslim statement of faith.
• Sura: a chapter of the Qur'an. There are 114.
• Sura al-Fatihah: 'the Opening', the first sura of the Qur'an.
• Rabb: Lord. The one who creates, owns and looks after everything.

The clearest statement of Tawhid in the Qur'an is Sura 112, called al-Ikhlas ('Sincerity'). It is only four verses long and teaches four things:

• Allah is the One.
• Allah is the one everything depends on, while he depends on nothing.
• Allah has no children and was not born.
• Nothing can be compared with him.

What Tawhid tells Muslims about Allah

Why are Muslims so sure there is only one God? The Qur'an gives a reason: if there were other gods besides Allah in the heavens and the earth, both would have fallen into ruin (Qur'an 21:22). For Muslims, the order in the universe points to one will behind it.

The Qur'an also tells a story about the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). He looked at a star, then the moon, then the sun, and asked whether each could be his Lord. Each one set. Ibrahim said he did not love things that set, and turned to the one who made the heavens and the earth (Qur'an 6:76-79). For Muslims the lesson is that nothing created deserves worship, only the Creator.

Sura al-Fatihah: the opening chapter

Sura al-Fatihah is the first chapter of the Qur'an. It has seven short verses and is a prayer spoken to Allah. Most Muslims know it by heart. It is sometimes called 'the Mother of the Book', because Muslims see it as a summary of the whole Qur'an's message. You will study its place in daily prayer in Salah: Prayer at Home and in the Mosque.

Each line teaches something about the character of Allah:

• 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.' The sura opens with mercy. Muslims say these words, known as the Bismillah, before meals, journeys and other everyday acts.
• 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.' Allah is Rabb of everything that exists, not the God of one tribe or nation. All praise and thanks belong to him.
• 'The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.' In Arabic these names are ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim. Both come from the word for mercy. Many Muslims explain that ar-Rahman is Allah's mercy to all creation, and ar-Rahim is his special mercy to those who believe.
• 'Master of the Day of Judgement.' Allah is just. Muslims believe he alone will judge every person at the end of time.
• 'You alone we worship, and you alone we ask for help.' This is Tawhid put into practice. Muslims worship Allah alone and need no priest to pray for them.
• 'Guide us to the straight path.' Allah is the guide. The last verse asks for the path of those Allah has blessed, not of those who earned anger or went astray.

Beyond the world, yet close to people

Remember that transcendent means beyond the world and immanent means present within it. Muslims believe Allah is both.

• Beyond: the Qur'an says that no vision can grasp Allah, but he grasps all vision (Qur'an 6:103).
• Close: the Qur'an says that Allah is closer to a person than their jugular vein, the large vein in the neck (Qur'an 50:16). It also says that Allah is near and answers the one who calls on him (Qur'an 2:186).

Al-Fatihah shows both sides. 'Lord of the worlds' is far above human beings, yet the sura speaks to him directly as 'you'.

Muslims stress these sides differently. The Qur'an mentions Allah's 'hand' and 'face'. Some Muslims accept these words as they stand without asking how. Many other Sunni scholars, and Shi'a scholars, read them as picture language for Allah's power and presence, so that he is never imagined with a body. Sufi Muslims, who follow the inner, spiritual path of Islam, put great weight on Allah's closeness and on loving him.

The Qur'an says that the most beautiful names belong to Allah (Qur'an 7:180). A hadith speaks of 99 names, such as al-Khaliq (the Creator) and al-Alim (the All-Knowing): each describes one quality of the one God.

Why Muslims make no images of Allah

Because of Tawhid, Muslims do not draw, paint or carve Allah.

• Any image would be false. If nothing is like Allah, no picture could show him.
• An image could be worshipped. Honouring a statue or picture could lead to shirk, which you met in Sin, Unbelief and Shirk in Islam.
• Worship must go to Allah alone. So mosques have no statues. They are decorated with patterns and with calligraphy, which is beautiful writing of words from the Qur'an.

Sunni and Shi'a Muslims agree on this. For Sunni Muslims, belief in Allah's oneness is the first of the six articles of faith. For Shi'a Muslims, Tawhid is the first of the five roots of religion.

Exam-style question

Paper 1 style. Parts (a) and (b) test AO1. Parts (c) and (d) test AO1 and AO2.

(a) Identify three characteristics that religious believers may say God has. [3 marks]

(b) Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about the nature of God in this religion. [4 marks]

(c) Choose one religion. Explain why belief in one God is important in this religion. [6 marks]

(d) 'A God who is far beyond the world cannot also be close to people.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]