An essay donated by Kile Jones

"The Character of God in the Qur'an"

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Abstract:

Islam is a God centered religion. Being such, it focuses intently upon the character and attributes of God, Allah, and falls prostrate in awe of them. To Islam Allah has numerous attributes, some metaphysical and some moral, which are seen in the titles given to Allah in the Qur'an and the philosophical framework that binds them together. To the Muslim Allah’s character is seen all around them, in nature, in humanity, but centrally in the Qur'an. The Qur'an is the Muslims sole authority on the nature of Allah and the world. Therefore, mere conjecture or speculation will not suffice to describe Allah. Only in understanding the Qur'an do we understand Allah sufficiently. So then a systematic layout of the attributes of Allah, as described in the Qur'an, is essential to properly understand what is at the center of Islam, Allah Himself. Due to time only essential attributes of Allah will be discussed here.

Allah’s unity:

Central to Islamic teaching is the doctrine of self-subsistent unity, that is, that ontologically Allah is one person, essence, and being. He is not, as Christians believe, three persons, but rather one tightly connected person. Usual explicit descriptions of Allah’s oneness connect with the denial of any plurality in His being:

Similarly the first clause if the Islamic creed, the shahada, states "There is no God but God". This pronouncement of a strictly monotheistic faith and monopersonal God stem from Mohammad’s polytheistic surroundings and form the very crux of Islamic theology proper. As John Noss notes:

"This is the most important article in Muslim theology. No statement about God seemed to Muhammad more fundamental than the declaration that God is one, and no sin seemed to him so unpardonable as associating another being with God on terms of equality."

In protection of this sacred doctrine Islam pronounces it a shirk (i.e. blasphemy) to think, believe, or state that there is more than one God, or that there is a plurality of persons within the Godhead. Dr. Farah puts it simply:

"The orthodox Muslim conception of God may be summed up as follows: God is one; He has no partners; Singular, without any like Him; Uniform, having no contrary; Separate, having no equal; Ancient, having no first."

Allah’s sovereignty:

To Islam, Allah is the primary cause of all events that have, are, and will ever take place. From Allah come fixed immutable decrees that are necessarily actualized in the world. Allah is the sovereign ruler over history and the unfolding of the future. Here the Qur'an speaks clearly:

From such passages Muslim theology concludes that both good and evil proceed from the divine will. They find no problem in determinism, but rather an uplifting of Allah beyond the limitations of contingent beings. From this stems the famous Islamic maxim "If Allah wills" (Arb. Insha’ Allah). On determinism Ibn Warraq comments:

"Taqdir, or the absolute decree of good and evil, is the sixth article of the Muhammadan creed, and the orthodox believe that whatever has, or shall come to pass in this world, whether it be good or bad, proceeds entirely from the Divine Will, and has been irrevocably fixed and recorded on a preserved tablet by the pen of fate."

The Islamic view of predestination is central to understanding the character of Allah for it is one of the separating virtues that distinguish Him as God and as the only being that is truly free to do as He pleases. To attempt to establish any law or moral principle to explain the reasons for Allah’s actions is to limit Allah and make Him subordinate to something higher than Himself. Voluntarism permeates Muslim morality while essentialism is left in the ruins as a great shirk.

Allah’s omniscience:

While the active side of Allah’s decrees is His sovereignty, the passive side is His omniscience. Part of His character is that He knows all things, past, present, and future. This is another characteristic of Allah that separates Him from His creation. In the mind of Muslims Allah is not in time, but transcends it; He is timeless. He is not limited by the boundaries of time or affected by their change; He is atemporal and sees time as an ever present now. The Qur'an mentions Allah’s omniscience many times:

Allah’s omniscience is what Mohammed used to encourage the unbelievers to faith and the believers to piety. It is one of Allah’s great metaphysical qualities; one that determines our realm of understanding and exceeds it infinitely. Of the ninety-nine names given to Allah in the Qur'an is the "All-Knowing (Arb. Al Alim), and the Muslim praises his God for having such an aspect.

Allah’s omnipotence:

Closely related to sovereignty is Allah’s omnipotence, that is, His all-powerfulness. The Qur'an speaks frequently of Allah’s power being displayed in nature and His ability to do as he pleases, which implies the power to do so. Numerous Qur'anic titles are given to Allah which speak of His power:

He is called,

To clarify, Muslim theologians adhere to Allah’s ability to do only what is logically possible. Islamic theology does not believe that Allah could do what is by nature impossible, like create a rock that He could not lift, or create a god greater than Himself. Allah is bound to His own nature but is free to do whatever is possible for Him to do. This attribute is one of exaltation and veneration within Muslim theology and practice, as Dr. Gorder notes: "The all powerful majesty of God is the guiding principle that helps Muslims understand God's actions."

Allah’s eternality:

Another attribute of Allah is His eternality, that is, His eternal existence. To Islam, Allah never had a beginning and will never have an end. He is uncaused and necessary. As far as His aseity is concerned, He is impassible, which means it is impossible for Him to ever not be. Allah is called Al Samad, which means "The Eternal" and is venerated for His eternality. In Allah’s eternality and infinity contain every logical possibility, of which this world is one, as Seyyed Nasr points out:

"God is also the Infinite, containing the "possibility" of all things in Himself; for ‘unto God belong the treasures (khaza’ in) of the heavens and the earth’ (LXIII, 7-8). The root of all things is contained in the Divine Nature by virtue of this infinitude, which is also the cause of that irradiation and creativity that is the origin of the universe."

Regarding divine eternality Surah 112 succinctly states: "Say, ‘It is God, unique, God the Eternal, not begetting or begotten, not having any equal"

Allah as Revealer:

One of the attributes of Allah that differentiate Him from other ideas of God is that He reveals Himself. He is seen in nature and in the pinnacle of creation, man, but chiefly in His direct contact with the prophets He chose. Islam teaches that Allah has revealed Himself to every nation (Surah 13:36) but that over the course of time only four of these revelations of Allah were kept, namely, the Law of Moses (tawrat), the Psalms of David (zabur), the Gospel of Jesus (injil), and chiefly, the Qur'an. Of these revelations the Qur'an is seen as the final and authoritative one that superseded the others. It perfectly reflects the eternal word of Allah that is kept on tablets in heaven (Surah 43:3) guarded by angels (Surah 85:21-22). Allah is seen is graciously giving man what He did not deserve but nonetheless what He gave to Mohammed:

Muslims view the Qur'an as the infallible word of Allah following what the book says of itself:

Allah reveals Himself to man out of sheer grace but it must be understood that what is understood of revelation is that it is only a description of effects that Allah has upon the world. It could never be univocally communicated between Allah and man because Allah is utterly transcendent and indefinable.

Allah’s love and light:

On top of the various metaphysical attributes of Allah there are moral ones. Love and light are descriptions of Allah that are more personal than those discussed before and must be addressed in order to comprehensively understand Him. The Qur'an reveals more than some cosmic force that exercises power and is unconcerned for His creation. On the contrary Allah is seen as one who desires justice and displays mercy in the creation of the world and the revelation of Himself. In the Qur'an Allah is seen as protecting His people, caring for them, and being concerned for them, He is called "He who loves" (Al Wadud). This special love of Allah is seen in the Qur'an many times, one simple mentioning is in Surah 5:54 which says:

This special love is specifically directed towards those who surrender to Allah (Muslims), while unbelievers experience only common love.

Allah’s light is that majestic effect that gives light to all other created things. It is that spiritual understanding of Allah as the source of all illumination and goodness. It reminds Muslims that Allah has directed them into His light and onto the true path of faith. It is the comfort of Allah, the guidance of Allah, and the spiritual emanation that produces awe. The Qur'an states:

Conclusions:

In conclusion, the Qur'an describes Allah in many ways, some that produce fear and some that inspire worship. Allah is the center of the Qur'an and the Islamic faith and His characteristics are thought upon frequently in practice. To Muslims Allah is one, sovereign, omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, and reveals Himself as loving and illuminating. The Qur'an is His revelation, Mohammed His prophet, Islam His people. In response to this Muslims repeatedly say "There is no God but Allah".