Introduction
At the heart of Islam lies belief in God.
The core of the Islamic creed is bearing witness to the
phrase, La illaha illa Allah, “There is no true deity deserving worship
but God.” The testimony to this belief, called tawhid, is the axis
around which all Islam revolves. Moreover, it is the first of the two
testimonies by which a person becomes a Muslim. Striving after the realization
of that oneness, or tawhid, is the core of Islamic life.
For many non-Muslims, the term Allah, the Arabic
name of God, refers to some distant and strange deity worshipped by the Arabs.
Some even think it to be some pagan “moon-god”. However, in Arabic, the word Allah
means the One True God. Even, Arabic speaking Jews and Christians refer to
the Supreme Being as Allah.
Finding God
Western philosophers, Eastern mystics as well as today’s
scientists attempt to reach God in their own way. Mystics teach of a God who
is found through spiritual experiences, a God who is part of the world and
resides within His creation. The philosophers seek God through pure reason and
often speak of a God as a detached Watch-Maker with no interest in His creation.
A group of philosophers teach agnosticism, an ideology that holds that one can
neither prove nor disprove God's existence. Practically speaking, an agnostic
asserts he must be able to perceive God directly in order to have faith. God
has said:
“And those who are devoid of knowledge say: ‘Why does not God
speak unto us or why is not a [miraculous] sign shown to us?’ So said the
people before them words of similar import. Their hearts are all alike...” (Qur'an
2:118)
The argument is nothing new; people in the past and
present have raised the same objection.
According to Islam, the correct way of finding God is
through the preserved teachings of the prophets. Islam maintains that the
prophets were sent by God Himself throughout the ages to guide human beings to
Him. God says in the Holy Qur'an that the correct path to belief is to reflect upon
His signs, which point to Him:
“…Indeed, We have made all the signs manifest unto people who are
endowed with inner certainty.” (Qur'an 2:118)
Mention of God’s handiwork occurs often in the Qur'an as
the locus of divine revelation. Anyone who sees the natural world in all its
wonder with open eyes and an open heart will see the unmistakable signs of the
Creator.
“Say: Go all over the earth and behold how [wondrously] He has
created [man] in the first instance: and thus, too, will God bring into being
your second life – for, verily, God has power to will anything.” (Qur'an 20:29)
God’s handiwork is also present within the individual:
“And on earth there are signs [of God’s existence, visible] to
all who are endowed with inner certainty, just as [there are signs thereof]
within your own selves: can you not, then see?” (Qur'an 51:20-21)
The beauty and complexity of our universe. The Cone Nebula pictured
by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. (AP Photo/NASA)
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