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The `arabic word Allah literally means; The
God. The first part "al"(means "THE") and the second part "lah"(comes from ilah the
arabic word for "god") When Islaam came to Arabia, Arabs had many gods in the Ka`bah
. But they knew about 'allah' and considered this god as illahu illahitinaa
(The God of our gods.) If you would ask them "who is the god who created the
universe"? they would say "God," as God in the Qur'an relates;
Who is this God anyway?
Therefore, the People of Arabia knew of God. So, now
that we have covered that the pre-Islamic Arabia knew of God, let us
ask if this god in `arabic called "allah" is the same God of those
Monotheists before Muslims. The answer is yes. There were both Jewish
and Christian Arabs in Arabia long before Muhammad's Prophethood.
It is very interesting to note that both people used the same word
for their God. Did the Jews and Christians of Arabia had a problem
with Prophet Muhammad about his God? No! History reveals that both
people accepted his God to be their own God.
Does Man Know God?
Yes, Man naturally knows God. In the Qur'an, we are taught that God
brought Man from the past and the future and let them witness Him.
You're probably thinking "How come I don't remember this?" That is a valid
point, however, if God let you remember this, you would never do anything evil
or against God nor would you exercise your gift, the Freedom of Choice. Therefore, in
order to be fair to Satan, or the Devil, God had to make you forget and bring you to
Earth with your free will to choose between good or evil.
Is God a God of Mercy or a God of Vengeance?
God is Waddud(loving, 85.14) and Ra'hiim(Merciful, the first
verse of every chapter in the Qur'an) and is Ra'uuf(Kind, 57.9) - That is God; a
Loving, Merciful, and Kind God. But, more than anything, God is a Justful God(illah ul 'haqq)
And because He is a Just God, God perished Nations on the account of what they did.
But for the sincere, one realises that even in that there is the most Mercy; for the
communities which they oppressed, misguided, and so on and so forth. Many humans
accuse God of being a god with no mercy, but that is just human capacity talking.
If God caused Hitler to die, is God a god with no mercy? How about a Nation of five
hundred Hitlers? A thousand? Five thousand? What is a whole nation came together
to oppress specific people? Is God then so not merciful? If God was a god who tolerates
oppression, God would not be a Just God. Could you have worshipped such god?
What does God look like?
The Creator looks like something the created being cannot withstand in Earth neither in real nor in memory.
A Prophet in the Qur'an asks to see God, the guy gets the following answer;
Why did Moses, a chosen man who God chose above all men who lived in his time to
carry out His plan for His people, asks God to see Him? Same reason you are thinking
it. The Human being is created curious. God has full of attributes in the Qur'an, but
none sees Him, nor is there any story of anyone ever seeing Him. But, the following
should put your curiousity to 'see' God to sleep;
Like with Moses, the earth will have to crumble to pieces before you ever see your
Lord. So, what God looks like nobody knows except God. Who is ALLAH and who is God?
[29.61] And if you ask them, Who created the heavens and the earth
and made the sun and the moon subservient, they will certainly say, God.
Whence are they then turned away?
[29.63] And if you ask them Who is it that sends down water from the
clouds, then gives life to the earth with it after its death, they will
certainly say, God. Say: Praise be to God. Nay, most of them
do not understand.
[31.25] And if you ask them who created the heavens
and the earth, they will certainly say: God. Say: Praise be to God;
nay! most of them do not know.And when your LORD brought forth from the children of Adam, from their backs, their descendants, and made them bear witness against their own souls: "Am I not your LORD?" They said: "Yes! We bear witness;" Lest you should say on the Last Day: "Surely we were heedless of this." 7:152
[7.143] And when Moses came at Our appointed time and his Lord
spoke to him, he said: My Lord! Show me (Thyself), so that I may look upon Thee.
He said: You cannot (bear to) see Me but look at the mountain, if it remains firm
in its place, then will you see Me; but when his Lord manifested His glory to the
mountain He made it crumble and Moses fell down in a swoon; then when he recovered,
he said: Glory be to Thee, I turn to Thee, and I am the first of the believers.
Nay! when the earth is made to crumble to pieces, and
your Lord comes and (also) the Angels in ranks, and hell is made to appear on that day.
On that day shall man be mindful, and what shall being mindful (then) avail him?(89; 21-22)