Allah (s.w.t) is the Arabic word for ‘God’ and is the Creator and the only Divine Being that Muslims worship.
He is regarded by Muslims as their Sustainer, Helper and Guide. Muslims believe Allah (s.w.t) is free from all impurity, physically and multiplicity.
That is why there is no plural of the word Allah (s.w.t) and Muslims submit to Him as the only God.
Allah (s.w.t) is the Arabic word for ‘God’ and is the Creator who Muslims worship.
Allah (s.w.t) has given Muslims 99 names to refer to Him by.
He is regarded by Muslims as their Sustainer, Helper and Guide. Muslims believe Allah (s.w.t) is free from all impurity, physicality and multiplicity. That is why there is no plural of the word Allah (s.w.t) and Muslims submit to Him as the only God.
Today, Muslims continually reaffirm their commitment to Allah (s.w.t) in several ways:
1. One of the most important ways is to say as part of the declaration of faith (al-Shahadah) ‘La ila ha Illallah’ (There is no God but Allah (s.w.t).
2. Muslims also begin their prayer with ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great) symbolising that Allah (s.w.t) is beyond all material things and cannot have a partner.
3. Even in times of happiness or distress, Muslims call out to Allah (s.w.t) by reciting various phrases, or by using his beautiful names.
4. By always being aware of Allah (s.w.t) in one’s life, a Muslim tries to base his/her life on submission to One God and tries his/her best to implement noble attributes such as Mercy and Peace in society.
Allah (s.w.t) is the Arabic word for ‘God’ and is the sole Divine Being who Muslims worship.
He is regarded by Muslims as the Creator of the universe, their Sustainer, Helper and Guide, amongst many other things.
This is why Muslims have been instructed to attribute 99 beautiful names to Allah (s.w.t) (known as ‘asma al-husna’) such as Rahim (Merciful) to Wali (Protector).
Muslims believe Allah (s.w.t) is the same God of the Christian and Jewish tradition (although Islam does not accept the Christian and Jewish understandings of God entirely) and as such, is sometimes known as the ‘Monotheistic God’ or ‘Abrahamic God.’ The Islamic understanding of God is that He is free from all impurity, physicality and multiplicity. That is why there is no plural of the word Allah (s.w.t) and why Muslims submit to Him as the only God.
Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w) message in Arabia during 610 – 632 AD was based on this principle of Oneness of God (Tawhid). The central problem with the Arabian society at that time, particularly Makkah, was idol-worship. The Makkans used to attach great importance to statues, large and small. They believed these idols were gods who were able to influence their lives positively and negatively. They kept many of their prominent idols in the holy house, the Kaaba.
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) preached that this kind of worship was false and was known as polytheism. He showed how the idols could be broken, could not create or destroy things or affect people’s lives. Instead, he informed people that there is actually only One God, Allah (s.w.t), who is the sole Creator and Sustainer of all living and non-living things. People soon began to reflect on Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w) words and after some time the Prophet, along with his cousin and son-in-law Imam Ali (a.s) (son of Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w)uncle, Abu Talib) began to break the idols in the Kaaba.
As He is the Creator of all things, having no creator, it is impossible to describing Him, therefore inquiring "what He is" has no meaning; the way for creations such as humans to understand Allah is through his attributes such as His Existence, Might, Knowledge, Wisdom, Mercy and His being the Creator of everything. "Do not think about Allah," said Imam `Ali, "rather, think about what Allah has created, for thinking about Allah only increases one's bewilderment."
Today, Muslims continually reaffirm their commitment to Allah (s.w.t) in several ways:
1. One of the most important ways is to say ‘La ila ha Illa llah’(There is no God but Allah (s.w.t)), which is the statement any human being must say to become a Muslim.
2. Muslims also begin their prayer with ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great) symbolising that Allah (s.w.t) is beyond all material things and cannot have a partner. Even in times of happiness or distress, Muslims call out to Allah (s.w.t) through various phrases or by using his beautiful names.
3. By always being aware of Allah (s.w.t) in one’s life, a Muslim tries to base his/her life on submitting to One God and does his/her best to implement Godly attributes such as Mercy and Peace in society.
For Muslims, worshipping One God is crucial as it frees them from false beliefs and attachments to beings or objects which either have no value or may be a source of misguidance. Consequently, Muslims consider the importance of Oneness of God as a positive belief for the individual and humanity as a whole.