Some people believe that Muslims worship a God  that is different from the one worshipped by Christians and Jews. This might be due to the fact that Muslims often refer to God as “Allah”. This concept is false, since “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for the One true “God” Who created the universe and all humanity. Let there be no doubt – Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus (). However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have different concepts of Almighty God. For example, Muslims – like Jews – reject the Christian beliefs of the Trinity and the Divine Incarnation. This, however, does not mean that each of these three religions worships a different God – because, as we have already said, there is only One True God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to be “Abrahamic Faiths”, and all of them are also classified as “monotheistic.” However, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and – 28 – mixing them with man-made ideas. Islam calls upon people to return to the one true God and to worship and obey Him alone. Islam teaches that God should be approached without  ntermediaries.

That is because the merciful all-knowing God is completely in control of everything that exists and that He can bestow His grace and mercy on His creatures as He pleases; therefore no intercession, atonement or incarnation is necessary. Arabic speaking people of all religions refer to God as “Allah”. For example, if you pick up an Arabic translation of the Christian Bible you will see the word “Allah” where “God” is used in English. Therefore, Allah is not the god of only the Muslims, but the same God worshipped by all monotheistic faiths. This idea that “Allah” is different from “God” is illogical since it is tantamount to saying that the French worship a different “god” because they use the word “Dieu”, that Spaniards worship a different “god” because they say “Dios” or that the Hebrews worshipped a different “god” because they called Him “Yahweh”! The Qur’an, which is the divine scripture of Muslims, was revealed in the Arabic language, so Muslims use the word “Allah” for “God”, even when they are speaking other languages. A more literal translation of “Allah” into English might be “the oneand- only God” or “the one true God”.  It should be clearly understood that what Islam is primarily concerned with is correcting  umankind’s  concept of Almighty God. What people are ultimately going to be held accountable for at the end of Day of Judgment is not whether they preferred the word “Allah” or the word “God”, but what their concept of Him is. The true concept of God is clarified only within the message revealed by Him.

The last message sent by God, or Allah, is the Qur’an.

2) The Qur’an uses the word ‘We’ when quoting Allah. Does that mean that Muslims believe in more than one God?

Islam adheres to uncompromising monotheism. It teaches that God is One and indivisible. In the Qur’an, God often refers to Himself as “We”. But it does not mean that there is more than one God. The reference of God to Himself as “We” in many  Qur’anic verses is necessarily understood in the Arabic language to denote power and grandeur, as opposed to the more intimate singular form, “I”, used in specific instances. In some languages there are two types of plural form. One is related to quantity and used to refer to two or more persons, places or things. The other kind of plural is one of majesty, power and distinction. For example, in proper English, the Queen of England refers to herself as ‘we’. This is known as the ‘royal  plural’. Rajeev Gandhi, the ex-Prime Minister of India used to say in Hindi, “Hum dekhna chahte hain”. “We want to see.” ‘Hum’ means ‘we’, which is again a royal plural in Hindi language. Similarly, when God refers to Himself in the Qur’an, He sometimes uses the Arabic word ‘nahnu’, meaning ‘We’. It does not indicate a plurality of number but the plurality of power and majesty. The oneness of God is stressed throughout the Qur’an. A clear example is in this short chapter:

Say: He is Allah [who is] One; Allah is He on Whom all depend. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent. [112:1-4]

3) The Qur’an says that Allah is merciful and that  He gives severe punishment. So is He forgiving or is He vengeful?

The Qur’an mentions many times that God is the Most Merciful. In fact, all except one of the 114 chapters of the Qur’an begin with Bismillaahir- Rahmaanir-Raheem, which means, “I begin with the name of God, the Entirely Merciful and the Especially Merciful”. These two descriptions of God are sometimes translated as “The Compassionate, the Merciful”; however in Arabic grammar, both names are an intensive form of the word “merciful”. Rahmaan means merciful to all creation, and justice is part of this mercy. Raheem means merciful especially to the believers and forgiveness is part of this mercy. A complimentary and comprehensive meaning is intended by the use of both of them together. In addition, Allah speaks of His forgiveness throughout the Qur’an. In fact, God’s mercy and forgiveness have been mentioned together more than 70 times in the Qur’an. Allah repeatedly reminds us saying: And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful But He also gives severe punishment to those who deserve it. Allah told Prophet Muhammad

Inform My slaves that it is I Who am the Forgiving, the Merciful, and that it is My punishment which is the [most] painful punishment. [15:49-50]

Allah is just, and His justice necessitates that He  reward those who obey and serve Him and punish those who disobey and rebel against Him. If Allah did not punish the sinful, wicked and evil people who deserve to be punished, it would not be justice. When punishment for wrongdoing is certain, it serves to deter potential offenders. In contrast, if Allah forgave everyone and punished no one, there would be no reason for legislation, ethics or even morality. Life on earth would be chaotic and nothing short of anarchy. True justice, with its true rewards and just penalties can only be found with Allah, and that is what He has promised in the Qur’an:

We shall place the scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so no soul will be dealt with unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We to take account. [21:47]

Allah forgives all those who repent and correct themselves at any stage in their lives, and He has invited all people to His abundant forgiveness and mercy:

Say: ‘O My slaves who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful. And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped. And follow the best of what was revealed to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you suddenly, while you do not perceive. [39:53-5]

 

 Some believe that Muslims worship Muhammad. Is this true?

Muslims do not worship Muhammad  in any way. They believe that he was the last messenger sent by Allah and like all His other prophets and messengers, he was a human being. However, some people mistakenly assume that Muslims worship Muhammad and this is one of the reasons that Muslims were erroneously called “Mohammedans”. Muhammad, like Jesus, never claimed divine status. He called people to worship Almighty Allah alone, and he continually emphasized his humanity. In order to prevent his deification, Prophet Muhammad always said to refer to him as “Allah’s slave and messenger”. He said:

‘Do not adulate me as the Christians adulated Jesus son of Mary. I am Allah’s slave and messenger.’ (Bukhari)

Muhammad was chosen to be Allah’s final messenger and to communicate His message to us, not only in words, but also as a living example of its practical application. Muslims love and respect him because of his impeccable and upright moral character and because he conveyed the truth from Allah – which is the pure monotheism of Islam.

Muslims strive to follow the great example of Prophet Muhammad  but do not worship him in any way. Islam teaches Muslims to respect all of Allah’s prophets and messengers. However, respecting and loving them does not mean worshipping them. Muslims know that all worship and prayer must be directed to Allah alone. In fact, the worship of Muhammad – or anyone else – along with, or instead of, Almighty Allah is considered an unpardonable sin in Islam. Even if a person claims to be Muslim but worships or prays to anything other than God, it invalidates one’s claim to Islam. The Declaration of Faith makes it clear that Muslims must worship Allah alone.

 Is Islam fatalistic?

Most Muslims find it rather odd that their religion, which strikes a remarkable balance between faith and deeds, are sometimes accused of being “fatalistic”. Perhaps this misconception came about because Muslims are known to say “All praise is due to Allah” whenever anything good or bad happens. This is because Muslims know that everything comes from God, the Creator of the universe, and occurs by His will. Thus, a Muslim worries less about material matters and views earthly life in a proper perspective. A true Muslim relies completely on Allah and knows that whatever happens is always – 35 – for the best, whether one recognizes it or not, so one graciously accepts whatever cannot be changed. This does not mean that Muslims should simply await destiny and take no action in life. On the contrary, Islam demands action and effort to change every undesirable situation. To be more precise, action is a required part of one’s faith. If human beings did not have the ability to act, it would be unjust for Allah to expect them to do and to avoid certain things. Far from being “fatalistic”, Islam teaches that man’s main obligation in life is to act and exert effort in obedience to God. Islam teaches that human beings should take positive action in this life and supplement it with prayer. Some people are lazy and careless and then blame the negative result on destiny or fate. Some even say that, if Allah had willed, they would not have sinned or committed crimes. All of these arguments are completely erroneous, because Allah has taught us how to live and has ordered us to always do what is right. Allah has not ordered us to do anything that we are unable to do or prohibited anything that we cannot avoid, because His justice is complete and perfect. Each individual is held responsible within the limits of their ability and not beyond it.