Divine Attributes in the Qur’an: 1. Unity

English Us

Divine Attributes in the Qur’an: 1. Unity

6419 1 share 0

The Unity of God is one of the most important principles of Islam. Although the Qur’an sometimes speaks about and presents arguments about the existence of God, the main emphasis of the Qur’an is put on the attributes of God, especially His unity and mercy. The Qur’an considers the existence of God to be a very obvious fact, whose acknowledgement requires more straightforward contemplation than complicated philosophical arguments.
Even the pagans believed in God, but they were polytheists in the sense that they did not deny the existence of God as the Creator, but argued that the idols were a means to reach him, saying:

We do not worship them [idols] except for them taking us closer to God”.

The Qur’an considers the existence of God to be a very obvious fact, whose acknowledgement requires more straightforward contemplation than complicated philosophical arguments. Even the pagans believed in God, but they were polytheists in the sense that they did not deny the existence of God as the Creator, but argued that the idols were a means to reach him

The idea of the unity of God is asserted in many different ways. Among them, are two attributes that explicitly indicate His oneness.

Wahid

Wahid (واحِد): Literally meaning “one”. This is applied to God 21 times in the Qur’an, such as in the following verse:

وَإِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ ۖ لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنُ الرَّ‌حِيم
Your god is the One God, there is no god except Him, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful. (2:163)


Ahad

Ahad (اَحَدُ): Literally meaning “one”. This is applied to God once, in the verse below. The difference between Ahad and Wahid is that the former is used for something that is one and at the same time indivisible, something that has neither partner nor part. 1

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّـهُ أَحَدٌ
“Say, ‘He is God, the One.” (112:1)

 

1. Shomali, Mohammad Ali & Mahnaz Heydarpoor, The image of God in Quran, p.14.

Related Post

Human Glory; The Story of Feeding in Sura al-Insan

Human Glory; The Story of Feeding in Sura al-Insan

Both Hasan and Husayn were sick. when the Prophet, along with a group of his com...

A Brief Biography of the Sixth Imam; Ja'far al-Sadiq (as)

A Brief Biography of the Sixth Imam; Ja'far al-Sad...

During the 34 years of imamate of as-Sādiq (a.s.) greater possibilities and a mo...

The signs of the Hour (Resurrection day)

The signs of the Hour (Resurrection day)

In the discourse of the scholars, based on the Qur'an, there is an issue known a...

Lady Fatima Ma’sumah (S.A.)

Lady Fatima Ma’sumah (S.A.)

Hadrat Fatima Ma’sumah (S.A.), the Blessed and the Gracious Divine Lady among th...

Hasad (Destructive Jealousy), Sickness of The Soul and Heart

Hasad (Destructive Jealousy), Sickness of The Soul...

You don't like a person because he/she possesses some thing you imagine to be go...

What Non-Muslims Say About Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam

What Non-Muslims Say About Muhammad, The Prophet o...

This is a collection of short quotations from a wide variety of Non-Muslim notab...

How can we explain the verses which ascribe bodily attributes to God?

How can we explain the verses which ascribe bodily...

There is a group of attributes mentioned in the Qur'an and Hadith like attributi...

Comments

Please share your comments with us.

0 Comments

Blog Categories

IslamPlus Events Article Ahlulbayt View