By: Uzma Saeed
The Oneness of God, Prophets, and the Quran: The Foundation of Islam
We, humans, love to complicate simple concepts and designs and turn them into something different. While this may be beneficial in many cases as it does lead to discoveries and innovation, as far as religion is concerned, it would be counterproductive. The basic need for a religion is to guide ordinary humans by principles and morals in their day-to-day lives. Since humans are very different in terms of intelligence, religious beliefs have to be simple enough for all to easily understand.
People who look into Islam are amazed by the simplicity of the belief system; the Oneness of God, following prophets who had exemplary character, and the belief in Quran which remained unchanged throughout centuries.
The Confusion About God
Is God one or many? Is God a man or someone beyond the way we compartmentalize concepts?
Let’s say God is a man; then does he have the same needs and weaknesses as us humans like eating to survive? If a human is deprived of food, that person dies. So what happens to God if He doesn’t eat? Every one of us realizes the importance of sleep in our lives. If we don’t sleep at all, death may be quicker than starvation. Even short-term sleep deprivation is enough to cause harm to us. So now the question is if God is deprived of sleep, what happens to Him?
I guess where I am taking the reader is, it is not logical for God to be like us i.e. humans who have so many needs and limitations. And let’s say that God does not need to eat or sleep, then the argument of God being anything like a man falls apart.
Strength in Numbers?
There is strength in numbers. So for example, 10 protesters vs. 200 protesters against injustice would exert more pressure. However, would we apply that very principle to God too which would mean that one God is not enough to handle the universe and its affairs? Maybe that is the reason why some religions have mythology about different Gods for different domains; if one God controls knowledge, the other controls wealth, etc.
Imagine going to 10 different gods for 10 different things. And what if they get jealous and punish the man for going to the other god and not coming to him/her alone, although that very god or goddess has control over a very small domain?
The Importance of God’s Perfection
When it comes to God, believing in His perfection is of utmost significance. Why else would we need a God if He is just another version of a human with limited foresight and deficient power to run the entire world? This in itself is problematic to say that One God Alone was capable enough to create an entire universe from nothing but is deficient to manage it fully all by Himself.
It’s simple and logical to believe in an All Perfect God who does not get overwhelmed nor does He need help from any other source or entity as He is the source of All powers. He is the All-Powerful, All-Knowledgeable, All Sustainer; One Whose control extends to all domains and the entire universe.
Concept of Trinity
I analyze this concept not from theological evidence but from a logical perspective. If God is three, how can God be One; He can be either three or one. If they share equal power i.e. 100%, then it is bound to create conflict at some point as a law of nature. If the concept is that the three Gods never have conflict, then are they lacking in free will? It is but natural to disagree and every powerful man or entity will have a different approach to the same problem. So how is it possible for the three Gods to agree on everything all the time?
Had there been three Gods there would be immense chaos on earth because the Gods could not agree on different matters among themselves and the resulting power struggles among them. So even a trivial matter may have a conflicting approach from Gods; for example whether they want the rain to pour down from the sky or to make it a sunny day would be enough of a contention. A quick glimpse into Greek, Roman, and Hindu mythology does give us an idea of a world where the Gods were divided and the power struggle was a norm. Don’t we humans have enough disagreements among ourselves that we need Gods to start fighting?
Son of God?
With Christmas approaching, how many of our Christian brothers and sisters will sit down to question their belief in Jesus as the Son of God? There is a valid reason for that too and it is often held against Islam. It is argued that Islam does not provide a solid guarantee for salvation whereas in Christianity the belief that “Jesus died for our sins” is all that is needed to have a free lifestyle where the definition of sin is so lax that it is leading to moral decay on a societal level.
If Jesus (peace be upon him) was a son of God, then how can he die as a man? Does that mean God himself died? If Jesus (peace be upon him) did not die for he is God, then where is the sacrifice? So logically the question arises whether Jesus (peace be upon him) lived as God or died as a man. If both these conditions are true, then there was no sacrifice as God knew that if He sacrifices His son as a man on earth, he will still live as God in the heavens.
The Divinity of Jesus and Adam
If only this was the one problem with trinity but there is another bigger problem. The coming of Jesus (peace be upon him) on earth was relatively a newer event in terms of the beginning of mankind on earth. Man has been around for millions of years and the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) was almost 2000 years ago. The question here is if the humans born and died before Jesus (peace be upon him) never knew of him nor believed in him as a source of salvation, then what will happen to them? Instead of Adam (peace be upon him) as the first man on earth, it should have been Jesus (peace be upon him) as salvation depended on him, not Adam (peace be upon him). Did God overlook these few minor details?
It is so much simpler to know that Jesus (peace be upon him) was a man and a mighty Prophet of One God. If his birth without a father makes him divine then Adam (peace be upon him) with no father or mother should have a share of divinity as well.
Simplicity of God
The perfection of Islam lies in the fact that God is One Alone worthy of worship. It cannot get simpler than that. Oneness of God takes care of our spiritual need to worship an entity that is All Powerful and also removes all the drama of Gods fighting within themselves to exert more control.
God creates what He wills and gives power to whom He wills. Jesus (peace be upon him) was given miracles just like other prophets. Did Jonas (peace be upon him) not survive in the belly of a whale? Did Ibrahim (peace be upon him) not saved from burning in the raging fire?
We have to stop and challenge our beliefs to see if indeed we are on the right path. One God alone is so relieving from the distress of worshiping many gods as only then can we truly appreciate His Perfection, love Him the way He deserves and abide by His laws.
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