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Components of Monotheism
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Meaning
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Implications
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Unity of Lordship
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God is the only Absolute One and The First in the universe. He
alone creates, sustains and maintains creation without any need
from it or for it.
(39:62)
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All other entities including supernatural
beings like angels and Jinns (demons) belong to His creation.
Live or dead beings like Jinns, angels,
prophets and saints are not partners to God in creation, destruction
or preservation of the universe.
Godhead cannot be divided into parts as in the case of trinity
in Chrisitanity or Hinduism, which in
effect leads to God’s creative, destructive and preservative powers delegated to
different gods.
Atheistic philosophies, including Communism, Hindu philosophy of
Advaita, and some strains of Sufism, are repudiated as they directly
or indirectly negate the very existence of God.
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All things that happen is solely upon His predestination.
(37:96, 8:17)
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Superstitions about good-luck charms, zodiacal signs or omens of
bad luck etc should be shunned as they cannot affect God’s plan.
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Unity of Allah’s names and attributes
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Allah's attributes should be taken in the same and
obvious meaning in language, but in the absolute sense free of human
deficiencies. |
For example, when Quran says that Allah gets 'angry'
it does mean 'anger' in the usual meaning; but with the qualification
that this anger is not like human anger. |
| Allah should be referred only by the attributes He has referred
to Himself. |
For example, God cannot be called "The
Angry", even though Quran does say God gets angry, as it is
not an attribute taught by Islam.
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Only Allah is "The creator", "The sustainer",
“The First”, “The Everliving”, “The giver
of Life”, “All-seeing”, “All-hearing”, "All-Aware",
"Having knowledge of the unseen and future" ..and
so on.
(42:11, 39:62, 55:26)
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Dead saints, prophets, jinns or angels
are not "all-seeing" or "all-hearing" or "all-aware".
The universe is not self-made, without beginning or eternal as atheists
believe. Life didnt originate on its own as Darwinism says. Clergy
(example Shia Imams) are not “infallible” or possess knowledge of
the unseen like God. Fortune tellers and soothsayers should not
be visited....and so on.
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Human deficiencies cannot be attributed to Allah.
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Allah will not “take rest”, or “repent” as Bible says, or take
form as idolaters believe.
Idolatry and such portrayals of God should be shunned.
God cannot be conceived as a “spirit” or any such unauthentic
concepts.
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Allah's names cannot be given to men in the definite form
unless preceded by the prefix "Servant of (abd)".
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For example one shall not be named ar-Raheem (The Most
Merciful), but rather Abd ar-Raheem (The slave of the Most
Merciful).
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Unity of Allah’s worship
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Only Allah should be worshipped.
(51:56, 16:36)
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Other deities, either fictitious or real like Jinns, should not be worshipped or supernatural help (help
from the unseen) sought from them, even if there is some practical
benefit by that.
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Prayers should be made only directly to Allah. (2:186,
21:66, 7:194, 39:3)
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Dead saints and others should not be prayed to, assuming them as
intercessors.
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Worship includes even emotions like love, trust and fear which
should be principally directed to God. (2:165, 9:13, 5:23,
3:31, 25:43)
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Nothing like love for life, money, family, one's desires or ego
should come in the way of one's submission to God.
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Allah is the sole moral law giver. (5:44)
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Clergy, secular leaders or man-made ideologies should not be given
the status of moral law givers or allowed to breach divine law.
(It also follows that Muslim countries should implement Shariah)
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The intention of worship should be solely seeking Allah’s pleasure.
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Acts of worship should not be done to be seen and praised
by people.
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