Quran Garden

Session 346

Chapter 3

Verse 18

God bears witness that there is no god but Him, as do the angels and those who have knowledge, upholding justice. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

(Chapter 3: Verse 18)

In the previous verses, Allah taught us the characteristics of those who are mindful of Him.  They affirm their faith, ask for forgiveness, and seek God's protection from hellfire.  They are patient, truthful, devout, and charitable.  They arrange the affairs of their day to spend the night in God's company. 

All these qualities are fruit of 'There is no god but Allah.' Allah wants everyone to reap these marvellous rewards, thus, He did not leave it to you and me to reach the conclusion 'There is no god but Allah.'.  Allah filled our universe with evidence of His existence and His ultimate power. Doesn't this serve to prove that there is no God but Him? Moreover, Allahtestified that there is no God but Him, and He is sufficient as a witness.  He says:

God bears witness that there is no god but Him, as do the angels and those who have knowledge, upholding justice. There is no god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

(Chapter 3: Verse 18)

The phrase 'bears witness 'means to testify and share knowledge.  Allah testified that there is no deity except Him before any other creation witnessed the Oneness of His Divinity.  He testified to His oneness before He created the angels and before He created those who have true Knowledge.  Thus, the testimony 'God bears witness that there is no god but Him' is the strongest of testimonies and the pure essence of monotheism.  And there is strong evidence to support it.  Listen to the following verse:

He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth, and when He decrees something, He says only, 'Be,' and it is. (02:117)

If God had not witnessed to Himself that there is no god but He, the He could not have proclaimed that 'when He decrees something, He says only, 'Be,' and it is.' Let's clarify.  The moment God says 'be,' it means that He has full knowledge that there is no other God who can say 'do not be.' Allah wants to reassure you that there is no god but He, so you have peace in your heart that He is in full control, and there is no one to contradict Him.  He says:

God has never had a child. Nor is there any god beside Him- if there were, each god would have taken his creation aside and tried to overcome the others. May God be exalted above what they describe! (23:91)

One of God's names is 'the Believer.' What does the Almighty believe? He believes that there is no god but Him, and He is the One who owns and controls everything with no one to oppose Him. 

Similarly, it was not enough for our beloved Muhammad to be the first believer in God, he, peace be upon him, also had to believe that he is the messenger of God.  There were many occasions where Muhammad would joyfully say: 'I bear testimony that I am the messenger of God.' If he did not bear witness to his Prophethood, how could he risk delivering God's message to others?

There was a wise woman at the time of the Prophet who correctly understood the value of bearing witness to one's self.  It was her glimpse into the Prophet's belief that caused her to accept Islam.  Listen to her story.  This woman, who was a disbeliever, lived close to the Prophet.  She used to see a group of believing men as guards surrounding the Prophet and protecting him from the disbelievers at all times. Then, one day, she saw Muhammad dismissing all his guards for good.  She was surprised and wondered what happened.  A neighbor told her that the following verse was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.  God says:

Messenger, proclaim everything that has been sent down to you from your Lord- if you do not, then you will not have communicated His message- and God will protect you from people. God does not guide those who disbelieve. (5:67)

This wise woman thought to herself.  These armed men were guarding the Prophet's life, yet he sent them home for good after receiving the verse that stated, 'God will protect you from people.' Even if Muhammad had managed to deceive everyone around him with Islam, he would not risk his own life based on a lie.  The woman realised that Muhammad truly believed in God, truly believed in his own Prophethood, and put down his personal safety as proof.  No one goes as far as putting his or her life on the line for a lie.  She rushed to the Prophet and said: 'I testify that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of God.'

Allah testified to His oneness before He created the angels, and before He created those who have true Knowledge.  Allah is in no need for the testimony of humans, angles, or any other beings.His testimony is that of the self for the self.  The angels are true firsthand witnesses as they saw no other than God.  They have never received any orders from anyone but Allah. 

The verse continues with 'and those who have knowledge.'The people of knowledge are those who take time to look and contemplate the overwhelming evidence that such a magnificent and exquisitely managed universe must have a creator.  Their intellect confirmed the authenticity of the testimony of the angels and the Almighty. Take note that those who take time to contemplate God's signs in the universe gain a high status as God has associated them with the angels in this verse.

Here is another simple way to look at God's oneness.  Allah has repeatedly declared loud and clear: 'God bears witness that there is no god but Him.' Either this is true, and thus the matter ends, or it is not.  If this is not the truth, then we ask: where are the true gods? Didn't they hear the challenge? Why did they remain silent as Allah took away the universe from them and said: I alone am the Creator? If these gods did not hear the challenge from Allah, then they are not fit to be gods.  And if they heard but did not act, then again, they are not suited to be gods.  Thus, the case of lordship and deity belongs to God alone until a plaintiff comes forward to contradict Him.  Till then, the statement "there is no god but Him" remains the ultimate truth supported by ample evidence, Prophets, messengers, and heavenly books.