A question I got asked by a catholic student for their school project:
1. What do you believe about God?
In order to answer this question, I’m going to give you the translation of the 114th chapter in the Quran and tell you its context with accompanying commentary. I’ve taken this out of a book on the exegesis of the Quran by one of our greatest scholars of exegesis and his name was Ibn Kathir.
Basically in Islam we have rigorous chains of narration for everything that happened at the time of the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. So we’d say so and so said that so and so said that the prophet peace be upon him said/did x,y,z we call this in general haddith- which I’m sure you learnt in class by now J So the names in the chain of narrations I’m going to give may be unfamiliar to you, but it’s necessary because it gives a proper more fuller context to the explanation of the chapter.
Imam Ahmad recorded from Ubbayy bin Ka’b that the idolators said to the Prophet peace be upon him. “O Muhammad! Tell us the lineage of your Lord”. So Allah revealed the 114th chapter of the Quran in order to answer their question which translates as follows:
Say: He is Allah, Absolute Oneness,
Allah, the Everlasting Sustainer of all.*
He begets not, nor was He begotten
And none is comparable to Him.
*The word that translates “the everlasting, sustainer of all” in Arabic is said as “As Samad” which emphasises the meaning of the next verse which is He begets not, nor was He begotten. Because there is nothing that is born except that it will die and there is nothing that dies except that it leaves behind inheritance and indeed Allah does not die and He does not leave behind any inheritance. The last verse emphasises that there is none similar to Him, none equal to Him and there is nothing at all like Him.
Ikrimah said “When the Jews said “We worship Uzayr the son of Allah” and the Christians said “We worship the Messiah the son of Allah: and the Zoroastrians said “We worship the sun and the moon” and the idolators said :we worship idols” Allah revealed to His messenger peace be upon him “Say He is Allah, Absolute Oneness” Meaning He is the One the Singular who has no peer no assistant no rival no equal and none comparable to Him, This word in Arabic (Al-Ahad) cannot be used for anyone in affirmation except Allah the Mighty and Majestic because He is perfect in all of His attributes and actions.
Concerning His saying “Allah the Everlasting Sustainer of all”, "As Samad" Ikrimah reported that Ibn Abbas may Allah be pleased with him said this means the One who all of the creation depends on for their needs and their requests “Ali bin Abi Talha reported from ibn Abbas may Allah be pleased with him, He (Allah) is the Master who is perfect in his sovereignty the Most Noble Who is perfect in His nobility the Most Magnificent Who is perfect in His magnificence the Most Forbearing who is perfect in His forbearance the All Knowing who is perfect in His Knowledge and the Most Wise who is perfect in all aspects of nobility and authority. He is Allah Glory be unto Him. These attributes are not befitting to anyone other than Him. He has no coequal and nothing is like Him, Glory be to Allah the One the Irresistible.
A short excerpt from Imam Al tahawiy’s manual on our Islamic Belief.
“Allah is One. He has no partner, nothing is like Him, nothing incapacitates Him, and there is no god besides Him.
He forever was, without beginning and will forever remain without end.
He neither perishes nor passes away, and nothing is except what HE wills.
Imagination cannot reach Him, understanding cannot grasp Him and creatures do not resemble Him. He is alive never dies and all-sustaining never sleeps.
He creates without need, provides without effort, slays without fear and resurrects without difficulty.”
And Allah knows best.
