Key beliefs in IslamNature of God

Allah is the Arabic word used by Muslims for God. All Muslims believe that Allah is the one true God, and only Allah is worthy of worship. Muslims believe that, as the supreme being who created and sustains the world, Allah should be treated with the utmost respect and given praise.

Tawhid

Tawhid is the word used to express the Islamic belief in the oneness of Allah (God). Muslims believe that there is only one God, who is not divided in any way into parts: Allah Himself witnesses that there is no God except Him (Surah 3:18)

Affirming the belief that Allah is the one and only God forms the first part of the Shahadah.

Shirk

Shirk means believing in more than one God or holding up anything or anyone as equal to Allah. This would also include claiming that God can be divided into parts or persons. For example, Muslims could never accept the Christian doctrine of the Trinity or any form of polytheism. Muslims believe that shirk is the worst of all sins.

The characteristics of Allah

The opening surah of the Qur’an, called the Surah Al-Fatihah, tells Muslims that Allah is:

1. the Most Beneficent, which means the most loving
2. the Most Merciful
3. the Lord of everything that exists – in Arabic, Alamin
4. the only one worthy of worship
5. the only owner of the world and everything in it, and the only ruling judge
6. the only divine source of help and guidance
7. one who blesses people who follow him and please him, and punishes people who do not

Additionally, Muslims believe that Allah is:

• Transcendent – Allah is above and beyond everything that exists in the world.
• Fair and just – Allah judges everyone equally.
• Immanent – Allah is close to every human and exists in all things on Earth. The Qur’an states that God, having created human beings, knows what his [each person’s] soul whispers to him, and [is] closer to him than [his] jugular vein (Surah 50:16).
• Theomnipotentcreator – The Qur’an states that Allah is the originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is (Surah 2:117).
• Forgiving.

Muslims believe that Allah has shown 99 characteristics (sometimes called attributes) to human beings to help them better understand his nature, eg “He is Wise” or “The Great Forgiver”. Muslims call these attributes the 99 names of Allah. Some Muslims use subhah when praying to remember these names.