Tawheed (The Oneness of Allah)
Q. What is meant by tawheed?
A. Heartily believing in the oneness of Allah and proclaiming it verbally is called tawheed.
Q. How do human beings know that Allah is One?
A. Human wisdom, if true, believes that Allah is One and Omnipresent. That is why great wise men and philosophers believe in the oneness of God. All prophets also unanimously taught tawheed and said that there is none like Allah.
Q. Does the Noble Qur’aan teach tawheed?
A. Yes, the Noble Qur’aan teaches tawheed in the most perfect way. It is the only Book that teaches the oneness of Allah. The previous heavenly books also taught tawheed, but people altered them. To reform this and to preach true tawheed, Allah sent Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and revealed to him the Noble Qur’aan.
Q. Which aayaat (verses) of the Noble Qur’aan prove tawheed?
A. The Qur’aan is full of lessons of tawheed. For instance:
- “And your god is One god; There is no god except Him, the Beneficent, the Merciful.” (Surah 2:163)
- “Allah Himself is witness that there is no god except Him—and the angels and men of learning too—maintaining His creation in justice.” (Surah 3:18)
- “Say: He is Allah, the One.” (Surah 112:1)
Q. What is the personal name of Allah?
A. “Allah.” This is called Ism Dhaat (Personal Name).
Q. What are Allah’s other names, such as al-Khaaliq (The Creator), ar-Raaziq (The Provider), etc. called?
A. These names are called Ism Sifaati (Qualitative Names).
Q. What is meant by Ism Sifaati?
A. Sifaati means qualitative. Allah has many qualities such as Qaadir (All-Powerful), ‘Aalim (All-Knowing), Hayy (Living). Any name that shows Allah’s quality is a Sifaati name.
Example: If a man named Jameel is learned and memorized the Qur’an, he is called ‘Aalim and Haafiz. These are his qualitative names. Similarly, “Allah” is His personal name, and “Khaaliq”, “Qaadir”, “‘Aalim”, and “Maalik” are His qualitative names.
Q. If Allah has only one personal name, “Allah,” then how many qualitative names has He?
A. Allah says in the Qur’an: “Allah’s are the fairest names. Invoke Him by them.” (Surah 7:180)
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Doubtless Allah has 99 names: 100 less one.”