Quran Garden

Session 276

Chapter 2

Verse 255

Allah: there is no god but Him, the Ever Living, the Ever Watchful. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him. Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they do not comprehend any of His knowledge except what He wills. His seatencompasses the heavens and the earth; it does not weary Him to preserve them both. He is the Most High, the Tremendous. (Chapter 2: Verse 255)

              We start with the phrase “Allah: there is no god but Him.”  God is the ever-present.  Everything around you points to his presence: From the majestic moon and stars, to the beauty of plants, animals, and the exquisite creation of people.  Look at the largest star or the smallest atom: each is working to perfection in an orderly manner.  The fine arrangement of crystals in gemstones, the intricate geometry of individual snowflakes, and everything in existence points to the absolute existence of a creator.     

God informed us of some of his names; the most prominent of these names is Allah.  When you hear someone say Allah, your mind exclusively recalls God the creator.  God, however, did not share with us all of His names; We know this fact from the supplication of our beloved prophet Muhammad.  He –peace be upon him- taught us say the following whenever we feel any sadness or grief in life: “Dear God, I am your servant, son of your servants, within your hand is my fate, and your judgment is my destiny.  I ask you by any name you named yourself with, whether you revealed it in your book, or taught it to one of your creation, or kept it in the knowledge of the unseen, to make the Quran the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, and the relief of my sorrow, sadness and grief.” 

Most of God’s names that He revealed to us are descriptive attributes such as the All-Hearing, the All-Merciful, and the Almighty.  You may note that we as humans share some of these attributes.  You and I have the ability to hear, the ability to see, and the ability to show mercy.  But God’s attributes are of absolute perfection.  You may be able to see, but is your sight like God’s? Of course not.  You are alive and present.  Is your presence like God’s?  No.  He says in the 11^th verse of chapter 42:

There is nothing whatever like Him.

              Some of God’s names have antonyms or opposites; Names that indicate an action and its opposite such as the Giver and the Taker, The Enricher and the Withholder.  Take note that these types of names and attributes are actions that affect God’s creation.  He enriches us and withholds from us; He gives us life and causes us to die.  The rest of God’s names are His alone.  They are descriptions of Himself, and thus they do not have opposites.  He is The Majestic, the Almighty, and the Most High with no antonyms.  The name that combines all God’s attributes of perfection is: Allah. 

Thus, God started this verse with His name: Allah.  Then He immediately gave us the most critical attribute: “there is no god but Him.”  The first part of the phrase excludes everyone from being a God or deity, and the second part of the phrase affirms that God alone is the deity and no one else.  What should you learn from this statement? You should learn to first clear your heart from any distraction and purify it before you turn to God and receive His love.

Since the beginning of time, God has loudly and repeatedly announced: ‘Allah: there is no god but Him.’  He is the creator, and He is the sustainer.  Let’s take a moment to think about creation: If someone else had created the universe, then where are they? If someone else created, didn’t they hear God’s repeated announcements? If they did not hear then they are not suitable to be Gods.  If they heard and did not challenge the announcement, again, they are not suitable to be Gods.  Allah says:

Say: "Had there been other gods with Him, as they assert, they would surely have sought a way against the Lord of the throne." (17:42)

The fact that God and God alone proclaimed to be the creator of the universe and no one challenged Him is evidence that ‘there is no god but Him.’  Say for example that you are sitting with a group of friends in a room and you found a wallet on the floor.  You held it up and asked: “does this wallet belong to any of you?”  No one claimed the wallet.  A few minutes later, one of the people who left earlier came back and said: “I was here earlier and I think I left my wallet behind.  It is brown with tan stitching.”  Since everyone heard your message, and no one but this person claimed the wallet, then the wallet is his and his alone.   

This brings us back to the phrase: ‘Allah: there is no god but Him.’  God supported His message with Prophets, miracles and heavenly books.  Let’s look at the false Gods people set for themselves over the ages.  People worshiped idols, they worshiped the sun and the moon, and they worshiped trees, stones, and much else.  Did any of those false Gods send a miracle, a prophet or a book?  Did the sun ask its worshipers to do such and such or avoid such and such? The answer is No.  God, on the other hand, claimed creation and supported His claim over and over again.  Thus, the statement: ‘Allah: there is no god but Him’ is self-evident and it is further supported by a procession of prophets, messengers, heavenly books and miracles. 

“Allah: there is no god but Him” is the only deity to be worshipped.  But what is the true meaning of worship? By definition, worship means to obey God’s commands and avoid His prohibitions.  Hence, when God says: ‘do’ then I must do, and when He says: ‘do not do’ then I must not do. 

Keep in mind that God only asks you to do what is well within your ability.  Some people try to confine worship to rituals such as prayer, fasting, going to the Hajj pilgrimage and giving the Zakat almsgiving.  We answer that worship in Islam encompasses all aspects of life.  Yes, faith, prayer, fasting, Hajj and Zakat are the foundation of Islam, but they are not the whole of Islam.  Performing the rituals of worship alone is like laying a foundation with no building on top.  The purpose of laying a foundation is to build a building.  God says in the 61^st verse of chapter 11:

‘My people, worship God. You have no god other than Him. It was He who brought you into being from the earth and asked you to thrive in it’

In order to thrive on earth, we need to work. 

We ask the people who claim that worship is only prayers and fasting: How long do your prayers take each day? An hour at the most? How about fasting? A month out of the year?Hajj?A few days out of your life? What do you plan to do with the rest of your time?  Perhaps the more important questions to ask are: Can you pray without clothes? Can you break your fast without bread and vegetables? If our only purpose in life is to do the rituals of worship, then who will make us clothes, farm the land and bake bread? We answer that since you and I cannot pray without food and without clothes, then making food and making clothes is a requirement of worship.  The believing man or woman who farms the land is performing an act of worship.  The truck driver who delivers grains to the mill is performing an act of worship.  The same goes for the baker, store owner and street cleaner.  God says:

O you who believe, when the call to prayer is made on the day of congregation, hasten to remember God, putting aside your business. ––that is better for you, if only you knew––  then when the prayer is finished, disperse in the land and seek out God’s bounty. Remember God often so that you may prosper. (62:9,10)

Take note that God did not only order you to pray your Friday congregation prayers, but He also ordered you to go out and earn a living after the prayer is done.  Both are acts of worship and obedience to Allah.  It is your duty as a believer, not only to work, but to excel at your job.  All of your actions in life should fall under the banner of: ‘Allah: there is no god but Him.’