GOD IN THE QUR'AN

How is God described in the Qur’an?

Central to a Muslim’s beliefs is the belief in One God – Allah. Allah is the same God as the ‘One God’ of both Christian and Jewish traditions. A Muslim learns about God or Allah from the Qur’an (also spelled Koran) - the holy book of Muslims. The following are only a few of the many attributes of God described in the Qur’an.

God, The One (Al-Wahid)

The first attribute – God is One, is the most fundamental. This concept is explained in the chapter of the Qur’an entitled Ikhlas or “Purity”.

Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah is Eternal and Absolute. He neither begets, nor is He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him. (Chapter 112)

The two major sins in Islam are to deny the existence of God and to associate partners with God - Allah.

A Muslim declares her/his belief by pronouncing:

There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.

God, The Creator (Al-Khaliq)

As one reads the Qur’an, s/he is constantly reminded that God is Al- Khaliq (The Creator). Allah is the Creator of “all that is in the heavens and in the earth”. All of creation depends on Allah. However, Allah is independent of His creation.

God, Lord and Sustainer (Al-Rab)

The first chapter of the Qur’an is called Al-Fatiha or “The Opening”. It begins with praise for God, the “Lord of the worlds”. A Muslim learns that Allah is the only One who is able to sustain the creation.

God, Most Compassionate and Most Merciful (Al-Rahman, Al-Raheem)

Allah is Most Compassionate and Most Merciful because after giving us life, He sustains and nurtures us by providing the basic necessities of food, water, shelter, air and sunshine. He also gave us the means to cope with our environment and to live in harmony with nature - blessing us with reason, sight, hearing, communication skills and intelligence.

Before starting anything, a Muslim is taught to say

Bis milla ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
In the name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

God, Most Forgiving (Al-Ghafoor)

Muslims are taught that all human beings will undoubtedly makes mistakes – some worse than others. So, when it comes to confessing one’s sins and shortcomings, Muslims are asked to seek forgiveness directly from God, rather than through a mediator, such as a priest or other spiritual leader.

In the Qur’an, God says that He is happy to forgive His servants when they repent.

God is Most Just (Al-Adl)

Muslims are comforted by the knowledge that God will be the ultimate Judge on the “Day of Judgment” and will reprimand those who were unjust in this life while compensating the victims of injustice.

God has No Gender

Although God is referred to with the pronoun “He” when discussed in the English language, it is clearly understood by Muslims that God has no gender. The gender specific pronouns are but one of the many limitations of language. The Arabic word and name for God - “Allah”, suggests neither male nor female gender. For example, the Qur’an says that God does not “slumber or sleep” (2: 255), God knows everything, but is not physically present with us.