Uluuhiyyat and Rubuubiyyat

     In verse 43-87, it is said that polytheists themselves say that Allah is the Creator. They believed in Allah, yet associated different gods with Him for different purposes, mainly in their concept of Rubuubiyat. They also failed to comprehend the Oneness of Uluuhiyyat and Rubuubiyyat. It was beyond their comprehension that Allah is independent of any assistance and need and not limited by numbers, quantities, dimensions, properties, availability, processes, phenomena, etc, for creation, evolution and development, whether physical or metaphysical. They had no clear concept. Confusion compounded their widespread ignorance, individual and tribal arrogance and conjecture corrupted their culture, poetry, proverb, thought and all action.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) is asked to tell them that the Sustainer-Cherisher-Provider is Allah.

"Say: 'Who gives you sustenance from the heavens and the earth?' "Say: it is Allah." 34-24

Allah was known as Supreme, but not Sole Deity in Arabia before Muhammad (Peace be upon him)'s mission. It was the most tedious task for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to proclaim Him as the One Unique God. He proclaimed God as the Creator of all existence (khalq), the Controller of nature, and the Bestower of its fruits, the Transcendent Sovereign Lord, and on the Last Day He will judge mankind (Qiyaamah). The Quran stresses God's Unity (Tauhiid) and makes polytheism (shirk) the supreme, unforgivable sin. Dualism, Trinity and all forms of Polytheism in belief and action, were thus condemned.

Imam Jaffar Sadiq and Imam Musa Kazim said that when one is completely surrounded by dangers in hopelessness, he calls upon God from his heart. In extreme situations of danger, e.g., when Abrahah attacked, the pagans of Mecca invoked Allah.

In polytheistic practices, not only different gods for different functions and phenomena in nature have been carved out, but by use of different terminology and myopic religious views, a separate God has been assigned to different people e.g., Muslims, Christians, Jews, etc. Due to lack of clear understanding of pure monotheism, Christians and Jews, particularly in the West, did not hesitate to designate Allah as the 'God of Muslims', as if different and separate from 'their God'!

God is Allah

Maurice Bucaille, in his famous book The Bible, the Quran and Science, (pp.111-113), refers to the document produced by the Office for Non-Christian Affairs at the Vatican under the title Orientations for a Dialogue between Christians and Muslims (Orientations pour un dialogue entre Chretiens et Musalmans), which calls for changing general Christian view about Islam. Again under the title Emancipating ourselves from our worst prejudices (Nous liberer de nos prejuges les plus notables), it refers to certain "set judgements that are all too often and too lightly made about Islam.. One extremely important view of this kind is the attitude which leads people to repeatedly use the term Allah to mean the God of the Muslims, as if the Muslims believed in a God Who was different from the God of the Christians. Al-laah means the Divinity in Arabic: it is a single God.. for the Muslims, Al-laah is none other than the God of Moses and Jesus."

This document stresses this fundamental point in following terms:

"It would seem pointless to maintain that Allah is not really God, as do certain people in the West! The conciliar documents have put the above assertion in its proper place. There is no better way of illustrating Islamic faith in God than by quoting the following extracts from Lumen Gentium:

"The Muslims profess the faith of Abraham (Peace be upon him) and worship with us the sole merciful God, who is the future Judge of men on the Day of Reckoning

"The Vatican document points out the following: 'Allah is the only word that Arabic-speaking Christians have for God."

Similar efforts continue even today. This is all the more urgent because many church pews are empty in Europe as people turn to spiritual fads, secularism or simple indifference to religion altogether. "Faith itself is under siege". Brussels Cardinal Godfried Danneels, further said: "There is only one important thing in the Church and in the world, that's to keep alive the idea of God and the spiritual nature of the human being and the world."

Some Roman Catholic cardinals in Europe want Muslims as future allies against a challenge confronting both their religions - the godless nature of modern life. Some cardinals are stressing the need to work with Islam, which is the second religion in much of Europe. They also see this as a contribution to peace both at home and in the Islamic world. "Christians and Muslims who live together should try to meet and dialogue to refute the talk about a clash of civilisations," Milan Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi said, urging Italians to get to know the Muslims in their midst.

Pope Benedict XVI met leaders of Muslim community on April 25, 2005. He welcomed progress in Christian-Muslim dialogue. He said that Catholic Church wanted to continue "building bridges of friendship" with all other religions. The new leader of the Roman Catholic Church, who was inaugurated as the 265th pope, was speaking after he received leaders of other faiths in the first private audience of his pontificate: "I am particularly grateful for the presence in our midst of members of the Muslim community, and I express my appreciation for the growth of dialogue between Muslims and Christians, both at the local and international level," he said. ('Pope meets delegation of Muslims', Vatican City, Dawn, 26.4.2005)

Continuity of the Message of Monotheism

All Prophets (Peace be upon them) brought one and the same Message, from the same One God, which applies to all peoples. Tauhiid in worship-obedience always remained the basic issue and dispute between Prophets (Peace be upon them) and polytheists, which emanates from lack of understanding of the latter, about the very monotheist concept of Allah, which is central to belief in revelation, Here-after and all ingredients of the Faith and the Diin.

"And who believe in the Revelation sent to you, and sent before you, and have the assurance of the Hereafter." 2-4

Oneness of All Power and the Most Beautiful Best Names

The Name Allah comprehends all the Most Beautiful Best Names and Attributes, all together. The Quran uses the terminology Asmaa-ul Husnaa. It is for the sake of explanation that they are separately mentioned as Essence, Attributes and Qualities. Ali (may Allah be pleased with Him said that Allah's Attributes are not separate from His Name. In all these aspects, He is the Same One.

It is included in the meaning of Allah that He is the Only One Alone Who is worthy, aught to be and should be obeyed, worshiped, and feared with complete devotion and duty in all sincerity, and Who Commands and can compel for and receive worship. The concept is naturally imbued in the very nature of creation. Perplexity and wonder are inherent in all His Words and Works. In critical conditions one invokes Him out of his inner psychological and inherent urge. Awe and glorification of His Majesty are inbuilt in nature, with natural tendency to submit to Allah.

"Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah; For, without doubt, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction." 13-28

He has Power to command and compel all His creation into submission-obedience and to establish order and organization in the universe. All creations are manifestations of His wondrous works, which are in no way comparable to His Own Being. He is un-encompassable. He is perplexing beyond comprehension.

There is repetition of the term Allah in verse 112-2, immediately after its mention in verse112-1. Prof Karar Hussain quoting Taliqani, explains that in verse 112-1 Allah has been mentioned as Ahad, reflecting Unity of His Essence, whereas in verse 112-1, it repeats His High Exalted Name, Allah, to reinforce emphatically the Oneness of His Attributes that He is the Same One Allah as As-Samad, also. (Prof. Karar Husain, Quran jo Mutaa-li-o, (Study of Quran) pp.84-85)

Note: The Part, titled 'Allah', in the book, 'The Gateway to the Quran', by Shahzado Shaikh, provides detailed discussion on comparative religion and God.

Also see Appendix-3.