What do Muslims believe about God?

While most religions share a belief in God, there are differences in terms of belief ABOUT God. Some religions teach that God is One, but that there are many lesser gods that are all manifestations of the One God. Some teach that God is One, but He is divided into parts. Some teach that God is One, but He is IN everything or He IS everything. Some religions teach that God is One, but you need to go through intermediaries, such as idols, saints, or priests, to reach Him. Islam is different. In Islam, we believe that God is One. No buts. No exceptions. There is only One God, One Owner of everything, and none has the right to be worshiped but Him. This believe in the Oneness of God is called Tawhid, which comes from the word "Wahid," meaning "One."

Of course, this is not the only thing Muslims believe about God. There are many important characteristics or attributes that belong to Allah, more than I can mention here . We actually have what is called the 99 names of Allah, a list of descriptive titles belonging to God. For example, Allah is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Eternal, the All-Knowing, the All-Seeing, the Peace, the Light, the Guide, the First, the Last, the Almighty, the Forgiving, the Loving, the One. There are two attributes, however, that should be discussed in greater detail, namely "the Just" and "the Merciful," because understanding how these two names compliment each other will allow for a clearer and deeper understanding of Islam in general.  Allah is Just and Fair, so we know that Allah will never place a burden on anyone more than they can handle, that whatever we do in life, good or bad, we will be held responsible for it, and that nothing will be missed or ignored or left out. Everything will be taken into account. At the same time, the Mercy of Allah is unimaginably vast. There are actually two names of Allah in Arabic that contain the word Rahma, or  Mercy. They are Al Rahman and Al Raheem, and they can be roughly translated as the Most Merciful and the Ever-Merciful. So even if we do wrong, even if we make mistakes, even if we mess up again and again and again, Allah in His Mercy is always ready to forgive us and give us another chance. All we have to do is ask. Simple.

Of course, we're only scratching the surface here, but keep studying Islam, keep praying and thinking, keep contemplating the world around you,  and you will continue to learn more and more about Allah.

"Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah . Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'"

(Qur'an 39:53)

Who is God?

As Muslims, we understand that there is no god but God, and there is nothing that compares to Him. He is the Creator, and He is not, nor does He ever become, part of His creation.

We often hear people say, "I don't know if I really believe in God, but I do believe in a Higher Power." Many people hesitate to say "God" because, for them, the word conjures the image of an old man with a long white beard and robe, floating on a cloud. You've probably seen this guy in renaissance art. This Zeus looking character is NOT God. God is not an old man or a young man or a spirit or a ball of energy or a statue or any physical thing. He is the Eternal Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists, He is One with no partner, He has power over all things, and none has the right to be worshipped but Him. Doesn't that make a lot more sense?

"In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Ever-Merciful

Say, 'He is Allah, One,
Allah, the Self-Sufficient Eternal Refuge.
He does not beget and He is not born,
and there is nothing comparable to Him.'”

(Qur'an 112:1-4)

Why do Muslims use the name Allah for God?

Only a relatively small percentage of Muslims speak Arabic as their first language, yet Muslims around the world use the same word for God: Allah. But why? Why not just use the word for God in our own languages? One reason is that, since the Quran was revealed in Arabic, and Arabic is used by Muslims multiple times a day in prayer, the word has something of a unifying quality for Muslims. No matter where we're from, no matter what language we speak, Allah is one word we can all understand. While there is nothing wrong with using other words for God, most Muslims are accustomed to using the word Allah, and many prefer to use the word Allah over the word for God in their own language. However, a deeper reason that many cite is the unique quality of the word Allah. Look at English word God. We spell it with a capital G and it means the One True God, but make it a lower case g and it could be referring to Zeus, Ganesh, Thor, or anything that people worship. Since capitalization does not come across in speech, there is no way to distinguish between God and... god. If you add an s it becomes gods plural, and it can become male or female, god or goddess. In contrast, the Arabic words for god and God are two different words. Lowercase god is ilah and capital God is Allah, so when you say Allah there is no confusion. On top of that, the word Allah is unlike most Arabic words in that it cannot be made plural nor take gender. So when you say "Allah" there is no doubt that you are talking not about one of many gods, but about the One and Only God, not a man or a woman but the Creator of men and women, capital G-o-d, God.


"And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them."
-Qur'an 7:180

Who is Allah?

Some people mistakenly think that Allah is the "god of the Muslims," and a few even like to claim that Allah is an Arabian moon god, but the word Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. Every language has a word for God, and Arabic is no exception. If you have any doubt, you can check an Arabic translation of the Bible, you will find that it uses the word Allah. In fact, since Arabic is a Semitic language like Hebrew, the language of the Torah, and Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus (pbuh), you'll find that the words for God in those languages, El in Hebrew and Alaha in Aramaic, are very similar to the word Allah. This just goes to show that Allah is the same One God, the Creator of the Universe, loved and worshiped by all of God's prophets.


"He is Allah , the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner;
to Him belong the best names."
-Qur'an 59:24

Dawah Opportunities: Thanksgiving

Assalaamu 'alaikum sisters and brothers. It's that time again! If you live in the US then you know Thanksgiving is only a few days away.  And what's the best thing about thanksgiving? Turkey dinner? Nope. Pumpkin pie? Nope. I'm talking about opportunities for dawah!

Huh? What? How is Thanksgiving a dawah opportunity?


Well, Thanksgiving is all about giving what? Thanks! And who loves to be thankful? Muslims! So take the opportunity to start a conversation about being thankful, and by doing so, share Islam! Like this...

Steve: Hey Abdullah! How's it going?
Abdullah: Hey Steve! Happy Thanksgiving!
Steve: Uh Thanksgiving isn't for another few days.
Abdullah: Not for me. I'm Muslim. In Islam, every day is Thanksgiving!
Steve: What do you mean? You eat roast turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy every day? That's not very healthy bro.
Abdullah: Well, maybe not that part. Just the part about giving thanks.
Steve: Oh yeah. I forgot about that part.
Abdullah: I think a lot of people do.
Steve: Who are we even thanking anyway?
Abdullah: Well, as Muslims, we believe it's important to always give thanks, to your friends, your family, definitely your parents, and above all, to God.
Steve: Oh. Wait, this might sound like a dumb question but... Muslims believe in God? I thought you believed in "Allah."
Abdullah: Haha that's not a dumb question. Actually, Allah is the Arabic word for God. It's the same God though. The Creator of the Universe.
Steve: Oooh ok that makes sense actually.
Abdullah: What do you say we continue this conversation over some pumpkin pie and masala chai?
Steve: That sounds great!

See? You just have to get the conversation started, and it's so easy! And I'll make it even easier inshaAllah. I have a video called "Thanksgiving & Islam: Who Are We Thanking?" If you share it on your Facebook wall with all of your friends, and they share it, and so on, inshaAllah it'll reach so many people and we can ALL share in the hasanat! I even have a picture to promote the video which you can use as your default pic on Facebook during this holiday time inshaAllah. Now go do the dawah inshaAllah!


Assalaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.



Every day is a day to give thanks. Share your AHL moments at ahlmoments.com. Remember Allah. Then remember us.

Hey! I know you! You're that Dawah Addict guy!

Bismillah,

Assalaamu 'alaikum! So, if you like the videos on the Dawah Addict channel, here's some news you'll like insha'Allah. I've started  a new, second channel! It's called "That Dawah Addict Guy" and insha'Allah it's going to allow me to post more videos and more different kinds of videos. Want to know more? Just watch the video insha'Allah!

AHL Moments

Assalaamu alaikum guys and gals!


So, I'm very excited. Ask me why. Oh, why, you ask? It's because I just created a brand new website called AHL Moments, and it's already becoming a hit, AHL!


So what's it all about, you ask? Well, with the growth in popularity of "FMyLife.com" and similar sites, I find people constantly complaining about the difficult situations they face, highlighting the negative and ignoring the positive. Not only do they emphasize their misfortunes, but they conclude with FML (which stands for "F My Life"). Seriously, do we even think about how messed up that is? Do we ever take a second and think, "How does this constant expression of negativity effect my outlook on life?" I wanted to provide people with an alternative to FML, an outlet to express their frustrations, as well as their happiness, in a way that's actually uplifting, rather than detrimental, to their emotional, psychological, and spiritual well-being. That's how AHL was born.


As you might have guessed, AHL stands for alhamdulillah (Al-Hamdu-Lillah) which for those who don't know means "Thankful Praise belongs to God" in Arabic. While it comes from the Islamic tradition, the phrase can be used by anyone, whether you're Jewish, or Christian, or if you don't really have a set religion. What is unique about this phrase is that it is meant to be used in response to both pleasing and displeasing circumstances in our lives, the idea being that, whether things are going well or not so well, I will stay positive and ALWAYS give thanks and praise to the Creator.


The Prophet Muhammad (saws) is reported to have said, "Wondrous are the affairs of the believer. There is good for him in every affair, and that is only so for the believer. When something pleasing happens, he is thankful, and that is good for him. When something displeasing happens, he is patient, and that is good for him." So when you live your life with AHL on your mind, good is good and bad is good, and you can begin to look at every moment as an opportunity to remember God, to be thankful, and to be patient, and God is the ultimate goal.


So please help by sharing www.ahlmoments.com with your friends. If you'd like to share your own story on the site, check out the Submit a Moment page. Just follow the quick and easy instructions and you'll be on your way insha'Allah!


Jazakum Allahu khair for your help in bringing this site to the world. I'm very excited about it's growth so far AHL and I look forward to seeing what we can do with it together, insha'Allah.