BELIEF IN ALLAH

Belief in Allah, the one and supreme being who created, governs, and is worshipped, is the first and fundamental tenet of faith. In all divine religions, the existence and oneness of Allah (Tawhid) has been the most important tenet of belief. This is because all tenets of faith are based on belief in Allah and the principle of His oneness.

All Islamic scholars who accept that the word "Allah" is the proper name of the supreme being worshipped have described Him as follows in their explanations on the subject: "Allah is the name of the supreme being whose existence is necessary and who is worthy of all praise." The phrase "whose existence is necessary" indicates that the non-existence of Allah is inconceivable, that He does not need another being to create or support Himself, and therefore, that He is the creator and ruler of the universe. The phrase "worthy of all praise" indicates that He is characterized by names and attributes that express perfection and transcendence. The word "Allah" has been used in Islamic texts as the proper name of the true object of worship and the sole creator. Therefore, it has never been used as a name for any other being, and neither in Arabic nor in the languages of other Muslim nations that use this word has any plural form developed.

Belief in Allah is believing that Allah exists and is one, that He is endowed with all superior attributes and is free from all imperfections. In other words, it is knowing and accepting the necessary, permissible, and impossible attributes of Allah. Believing in an all-knowing and all-powerful Allah is the first and primary responsibility of every adult and intelligent person.

Even those who lived during periods when divine religions were interrupted, or those who have no knowledge of any religion, are obligated to believe in one God. Because, with the innate belief in an absolute and supreme power that humans possess, and after witnessing the awe-inspiring order in the universe, they easily arrive at the belief in the existence of a single and unique creator who established this order. The verse, "...Is there any doubt about Allah, who created the heavens and the earth?..." (Ibrahim 13:10), expresses this truth.

Source: DIB, Islamic Catechism, Volume 1, Creed, Fundamentals of Faith, Belief in Allah.

Essential attributes (Zati Attributes) are exclusive to the essence of Allah Almighty and cannot be attributed to any of His creations. The opposites of essential attributes cannot be conceived of in relation to Allah. That is, Allah is free from characteristics that express imperfection, finitude, and deficiency. Because He must be transcendent, these attributes are also called transcendental attributes or negative attributes.

Allah exists; His existence is not from anything else, but is a necessity of His essence. He is the Necessary Being (Wajib al-Wujud), meaning His existence is essential. The opposite of existence, non-existence, is inconceivable in relation to Allah.

The non-existence of God is inconceivable. No matter how far back one goes, a time when He did not exist cannot be conceived or found. Because He is the creator of what we call time. God is not a being that came into existence later. He is an eternal (qadim) being. The opposite of eternity, being created later (hudus), is inconceivable in relation to God.

God has no end. That which is eternal must also be everlasting. The opposite of perpetuity, having an end (fana), is inconceivable in relation to God. No matter how far forward one goes, a moment when God will not exist cannot be conceived. The Quran states the following regarding God's eternal and everlasting nature: "He is the First and the Last..." (Al-Hadid, 57/3); "...Everything will perish except the essence of God..." (Al-Qasas, 28/88).

Every being other than God came into existence later. God does not resemble any created thing in any way. The opposite of this attribute, resemblance and similarity (mushabahah and mumasala), cannot be attributed to God. The Quran states the following regarding this: "...There is none like Him..." (Al-Shura, 42/11).

Oneness (Wahdaniyyah) refers to the uniqueness of Allah in His essence, attributes, and actions; He has no equal, likeness, or partner. The opposite of Oneness, being multiple, having an equal or partner (shirk), is an attribute that is impossible to conceive of in relation to Allah. The Surahs of Ikhlas and Kafirun, along with many verses of the Quran, demonstrate Allah's oneness and uniqueness, rejecting shirk (see Anbiya, 21/22; Isra, 17/42; Zumer, 39/4).

Allah exists by Himself. He does not need a creator, a place, a time, or a cause to exist. Being dependent on another is inconceivable for Allah. The Holy Quran states the following regarding this: "Say: He is Allah, the One, the Self-Sufficient..." (Al-Ikhlas, 112:1-2); "O mankind, it is you who are in need of Allah, and He alone is the Rich and the Praiseworthy." (Al-Fatir, 35:15).

These are attributes that are necessary for His existence and express perfection. The opposites of affirmative (subuti) attributes cannot be attributed to God. These attributes are eternal and everlasting, and unlike the attributes of created beings, they did not come into existence later. They are attributes inherent to His existence. Although there is a similarity in naming, affirmative attributes are in no way similar to the attributes of created beings. Because God's knowledge, power, will... are infinite, absolute, eternal, and everlasting. Those of His servants, on the other hand, are finite, limited, restricted, created later, deficient, and inadequate attributes.

God Almighty is the possessor of life. He is the one who gives life to everything. He possesses eternal and everlasting life. The opposite of the attribute of life, "death" (memât), cannot be attributed to God. Regarding this attribute, the Quran states: "Trust in Allah, the Ever-Living, the Immortal..." (Al-Furqan, 25:58); "And all faces bowed down to Allah, the Ever-Living, the Dominant..." (Taha, 20:111).

God is the All-Knowing. He knows what has happened, what is happening, what will happen, the past, the hidden, and the manifest. God's knowledge is unlike the knowledge of creatures; it neither increases nor decreases. He knows everything with His eternal knowledge. Ignorance, the opposite of the attribute of knowledge, is an attribute that is impossible to attribute to God. Several verses regarding the attribute of knowledge state: "He knows what is in the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls except with His knowledge..." (Al-An'am, 6:59). "Do you not see that Allah knows what is in the heavens and the earth?" (Al-Mujadilah, 58:7).

God is the Hearer. He hears everything that is said, whether secretly, openly, in a whisper, in a low voice, or in a loud voice. He hears directly, without any intermediary or direction. His hearing one thing does not prevent Him from hearing another at the same time. Not hearing and deafness are inconceivable in relation to God.

God Almighty sees everything. Nothing is hidden from God's sight. Allah sees everything, hidden, manifest, bright, and dark. Blindness is inconceivable in relation to Allah. A verse states: "He knows the treacherous glances of the eyes and what the hearts conceal. Allah judges justly. Those whom they worship besides Him have no power over anything. Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing." (Al-Mu'min, 40:19-20).

Allah is the one who wills. What Allah wills happens, and what He does not will does not happen. The Quran states: "Say: O Allah, Owner of the Kingdom! You give the kingdom to whom You will and You take it away from whom You will. You exalt whom You will and You abase whom You will..." (Al-Imran, 3:26). "To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates whatever He wills..." (Ash-Shura, 42:49).

Allah possesses infinite power and might. The opposite of power, which is weakness and inability to do, is inconceivable in relation to Allah. There is nothing beyond His power. Everything in the universe exists through Allah's power and might. According to Allah's power, there is no difference between small and large; everything is the same. There is no difference between creating an atom and creating the universe. Stars, galaxies, the entire universe, all living and non-living beings are clear evidence of Allah's power. The Quran states regarding Allah's power: "...Allah creates whatever He wills. Indeed, Allah is capable of all things." (An-Nur, 24:44-45).

With this attribute, Allah revealed books to His prophets and spoke with some of them. The nature of the eternal attribute of speech is unknowable to us. Regarding this attribute, the Quran states: "And when Moses came at the appointed time (to Mount Tur) and his Lord spoke to him, he said, 'My Lord, show me [yourself], that I may see you...'" (Al-A'râf, 7:143).

The Almighty Allah is the sole creator. With His eternal knowledge, He created everything He willed with His infinite power and might. Creating, providing sustenance, resurrecting, causing death, bestowing blessings, inflicting punishment, and giving form are all results of the attribute of creation. It is stated in a verse: "Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian over all things." (Zümer, 39/62).