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Concept of Allah
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Concept of Allah The whole structure of Islam is based upon the conception of the oneness of Allah (Tauhid). It is from this paramount conception that all other principles and injunctions of Islam flow. Take away this conception and the whole structure of Islam would crumble. If this conception were wrong, man's behavior would be bound to be affected adversely. Once this paramount conception is admitted, then many important and relevant questions as to the relationship of man with Allah arise. For instance, what is the law of Allah's pleasure for the conduct of man, a rational animal on earth? How does He desire to shape man's conduct and destiny in his life? Without a clear answer to these questions, it is meaningless to merely affirm Allah's existence.The East does not believe in Allah like some people in the West, whose conception is that Allah is nothing more than a mere Creator, and having created the universe, He has retired to the 7th Heaven leaving man free to do as he pleases. If this conception were admitted, than it would be very difficult to distinguish between good and evil, justice and injustice, because if moral standards and ethical values have no relation with God, who created us, then they are no more than mere ideas based on expediency and shaped only by our social necessities. "In Prosperity Gold, In Adversity God" We hear the name of Allah repeated, humbly and submissively, by Western statesmen and politicians, war lords, and diplomats, in times of calamity, distress and wars. According to them, Allah seems to serve equally the national and imperial interests of both the belligerent sides. And once their purpose is served and the sword has been put in its scabbard, then they revert to the homilies and the Sermon on the Mount. Such a role can never be the role of God; His All-powerful, All-Just and All-Merciful position has been reversed to suit the devil's work. How can man be the master whose causes Allah is called up to serve? Such an attitude is open disbelief in God. If we truly believe in God, as we should and are bound to under the Divine Law, then we must take Him not merely as the Creator of the world but also as its Guide and Sustainer. And it is we, therefore, who must serve the cause of Allah for we are His servants and he is our Master. This is universally recognized by all the great religions of the world. It is we who ought to seek His mercy and follow His will to shape our conduct and destiny in life. All our loyalty to other worldly causes is misplaced and misdirected. Sovereignty of Allah But how can we know Allah's Will with our limited intelligence? According to Islam, Allah has revealed His will through His many chosen Prophets in every nation from time to time ever since He created the world, and has given the people express commands to do some things and abstain from others. Through His revelations in Qur’an, He has shown us how our individual and collective lives should be shaped to win His pleasure and our own peace, happiness and salvation. He has not left guidance to the whims of any worldly leaders or the so-called sovereign people to be determined by counting of heads and votes. In Islam, SOVEREIGNTY BELONGS TO THE ALMIGHTY GOD AND GOD ALONE. No people can usurp His sovereignty and if they attempt to do so, they are rebels against God.Therefore the life of man and woman in Islam is an act of devoted worship of Allah and complete surrender to His will. The simple rituals of prayers and the related acts of Islam, are merely outward worship. If they are not supplemented by a concentrated effort at living in accordance with the Divine will and commands, the life of humans becomes a meaningless and fruitless affair. Therefore Islam's social and political aspects are not excluded from the sovereign authority of Allah as the Western civilization would like our modern society's conduct to be. To those who would worship anything possessing the attributes of power and force, Islam says: "Do not bow down before the rivers, the mountains, the sun and the moon, for none of these and other forces of nature has the least power to do you injury or benefit you without the will of Allah whose partial and incomplete manifestations they are." No other authority than the Authority of Allah is worthy of obedience in its own right. All obedience is therefore subject to the final and absolute loyalty to Allah and His commands as revealed in the Holy Qur’an through the Holy Prophet . Obedience to other authorities can be rendered only in so far as
their commands do not go against or contradict the Divine commands. The doctrine of the
oneness of Allah has, therefore, the greatest significance in Islam.
A Muslim cannot, by mere vote of the majority, change even an iota of the legal and moral precepts of the Holy Qur’an which says: "Obey God, obey the Prophet , and obey those who are in authority from amongst yourselves, but
if there is difference of opinion (either amongst yourselves or with those who are in
authority over you), turn to Allah and the Prophet
for decision."
Thus Allah and the Prophet are the
final arbiters in all matters of dispute whether social, political or economic. This, in a
nutshell, is the Message of Islam and peace which the Chishti Order of Hazrat Khwaja
Muinuddin Chishti was deputed, by a Divine decree, to preach to the people for the past
860 years. His own life and work are an outstanding example of divine inspiration and of
an amazing miracle for those who have a keen eye to see through them objectively and
dispassionately.
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