Islam is a monotheistic religion; its followers, or Muslims, believe in one god, Allah and a series of Messengers from Prophet Adam (Peace be upon him) to Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him). Islamic beliefs are based upon the Qur’an, the Holy Book of Muslims revealed to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), which is the word of God.
Distinguished Scholar Dr. Zakir Naik has summarized the basis of the Islamic beliefs and the following argument has been derived from his works. Muslims prefer calling the Creator of the universe and everything in it, Allah, instead of ‘God’. The Arabic word, ‘Allah’, is untainted and distinctive, unlike ‘God’, which can be used in various situations. By adding an S it becomes gods, by adding -mother or –father it becomes godmother or godfather, et cetera. The Qur’an provides us with ninety-nine (99) different names of Allah e.g. Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious), Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful) and Al-Hakeem (All Wise) among several more.
Not only does God possess unique attributes, but each attribute of Almighty God is sufficient to identify Him, e.g. a famous personality, say Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong was an astronaut. Stating that being an astronaut was an attribute of Neil Armstrong is correct but it is not solely an attribute Neil Armstrong for there are hundreds of people in the world who are astronauts. Neil Armstrong was also an American. The attribute of being American is possessed by Neil Armstrong but it is inadequate, for there are millions of people who are American. To identify the person uniquely we must look for a unique attribute possessed by none except that single person. For example, Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the moon. So when one asks, who was the first man to set foot on the moon? The answer is only one, i.e. Neil Armstrong.
Intellectual Inquiry and Islam
Similarly every attribute of Almighty God should be unique. Saying that God is the constructor of buildings, it is possible and true, but not unique. Thousands of people can construct a building. But each attribute of Allah is unique and points to none but Allah. For example, God is the creator of the universe. If someone asks who the creator of the universe is, the answer is only one, i.e. Almighty God is the Ultimate Creator. Similarly, following are some of the many unique attributes possessed by none other than the Creator of the universe, Almighty Allah:
”Ar-Raheem”, the Most Merciful
”Ar-Rahman”, the Most Gracious
”Al-Hakeem”, the Most Wise
So when one asks, “Who is ‘Ar-Raheem’, (the Most Merciful)?” there can only be one answer: ”Almighty Allah”.
Moreover, the scriptures of all major religions of the world urge mankind to pursue that which is good and shun that which is evil. All scriptures promise mankind that good will not go unrewarded and evil will not go unpunished. What we need to know is, which of these scriptures provides us with the correct ‘instruction manual’ that we need to regulate our individual and collective lives? Thus the only answer is the Qur’an, the only unadulterated Holy Scripture, a source of guidance for all matters of life.
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