V. Proof That Only Allah

V. Proof That Only Allah

Deserves Worship

Here is an obvious fact: Allah is the sole Creator and Sustainer of everything. This makes Him the only one deserving of your worship. It‘s really that simple. Supplication, for example, is an act of worship, where the individual direct his heart to Allah and ask his needs. Allah instructs in the Qur‘an to call Him,

And your Lord says: Call on Me and I will answer your prayer. (Qur‘an 40: 60)

The question then arises as to why people direct their worship to created objects, such as idols. The fact is, the idol has no power of its own, and anything which results from that act of worship only comes about through the permission of Allah. Hence, if a person prays to an idol and his prayers are answered, it is not the idol which actually answered his prayers but Allah. Similarly, prayers to Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), Buddha, Krishna, Saint Christopher, Saint Jude or to Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him), are not answered by them, but are answered by Allah. Consequently, prayer directed to anyone or thing other than Allah is of no avail

The same applies for all acts of worship like prayers, charity and fasting. All have to be directed to Allah alone.

The prophets were very explicit in their teachings that only Allah is to be worshipped, and that they themselves were sent to teach this very message. They claimed neither fame nor status, and never once did they teach the people to direct acts of worship to them. Instead, the prophets warned their people against doing just that. For example,

Islam teaches that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was a human being who was created by Allah in a miraculous way. He was born of a mother, Mary, without a father and he worshipped Allah. He was not God (Allah), nor was he the son of God. He was not one of three manifestations of God as Christians say, nor was he the son of a prostitute as some Jews have said. He told his people (the tribes of Israel) to worship Allah alone. He did not tell people to worship either himself or his mother. Furthermore, the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) did not worship himself when he worshipped: he worshipped Allah alone

However, those who claim to be the followers of Jesus Christ actually do something other than what he taught: they worship Jesus himself. Others worship Mary, claiming she is the mother of Allah. If Jesus did not instruct them to worship him or his mother, how can one

do this very act and yet claim to be following his message?

Allah says in the Qur‘an:

Surely, they have disbelieved who say: Allah is the Messiah (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary). But the Messiah said: O Children of Israel

worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Verily, whoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode, and for the wrongdoers (polytheists), there are no helpers. (Qur‘an 5: 72)

Allah also says in the Qur‘an that He will ask Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) on the Day of Judgment regarding the Christians‘ worship of him and his mother:

O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you tell people: Take me and my mother as gods besides Allah? Then he [Jesus] will say: Glory be to You, I could never say what I had no right to say. If I had said it, You would have known it, You know what is within myself, but I do not know what is within Yourself. Verily, You alone are the Knower of the unseen. I did not say to them except what You commanded me: to worship Allah, my Lord and

your Lord; and I was a witness over them as long as I was among them, but when You raised me up, You were the observer over them, and You are the witness over all things. (Qur‘an 5: 116 - 117)

Prophet Jesus was given life, was born from a woman‘s womb, and was circumcised. He felt hunger, pain, and weariness. Since all these attributes are those of human beings and not those of God (Allah), it is clear that Jesus was not God (Allah).

Similarly, Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles into the Hindu religion practiced in India. He did not claim to be God, nor did he suggest to his followers that he be worshipped. Yet, today most Buddhists have made him their God and they prostrate themselves before idols representing his likeness. Furthermore, over the ages, in the supposedly monotheistic religions like Judaism and Christianity, followers have allowed a select few human beings to be accorded the status of a law-giver where those laws are in direct contradiction to Allah‘s Laws, as has become the case with their rabbis and church officials. This is a form of creature-worship. Allah mentions:

They took their rabbis and monks to be their lords besides Allah. (Qur‘an 9: 31)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) explained this verse to mean that by unquestioningly obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their desires, without being ordered by Allah, they have given these rabbis and priests the status of deities. In brief, from the perspective of the object worshipped, all religions today [except Islam] invite people to the worship of creation, in one form or another!

It shall be noted that some (non-Muslim) people

incorrectly label Islam as ―Mohammedanism‖. This phenomenon exists because it is tempting to elevate Muhammad to a status far above his teachings, as in the case of all other religions. This is ironic since his very message was the negation of equating man (any man) with Allah. Islam teaches that Muhammad was a human messenger, who, including himself, is required to worship Allah rather than to be elevated to the status of Allah and be worshipped. Muhammad was a messenger and a slave10 for Allah, and that is all.

Allah‟s attributes show that He alone deserves worship.

He is One, without relatives; He has no father, son, mother or wife. He is the Eternal Absolute. He neither gives birth, nor is He born, and there is nothing like Him. He is perfect in His knowledge, in His power, in His will, in His mercy and in all His other attributes. Allah is all-powerful and perfect, while human beings are weak and imperfect. That is how He defined Himself and how all prophets defined Him.11 Therefore, it is only befitting that one directs all acts of worship to the One who fits this description. Worshipping anything else would be futile.

Another proof is that Islam teaches that every soul is imbued with the awareness of Allah and a natural inclination towards worshipping Allah alone. In the Qur‘an, Allah explained that when He created Adam (peace be upon him) He caused all of Adam‘s descendants to come into existence and then He took a pledge from all of them saying:

Am I not your Lord? To which they all replied: Yes, we testify to it. (Qur‘an 7: 172)

Allah then explained why He had all of humankind bear witness that He is their Creator and the only true God, the only one worthy of worship:

That is in case you, humankind, may say on the Day of Resurrection: Indeed we were unaware of this.

Allah further elaborated on this point saying:

It is also in case you may say: It was our ancestors, who invented partners with Allah, and we are only their descendants, will you then destroy us for what those liars did? (Qur‘an 7: 172-173)

Therefore, people who associate partners with Allah in worship cannot claim on that day that they had no idea that Allah is the only one who deserves to be worshipped.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reported that Allah has said: <<I created my slaves following the right religion, but devils made them go astray.>>12 Also, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: <<Each child is born in a state of Islam. Then his parents make him a Jew, Christian or a Zoroastrian.>>13 Thus, Islam is the birthright of every human being, since every child is born with a natural belief in the existence of Allah and an

inborn inclination towards worshipping Him alone. Just as the child submits to the physical laws which Allah has imposed on this physical world, in the same way its soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah is the only Lord and Creator. But if his/her parents are following a different path, the child is usually not strong or aware enough to recognize the truth or resist the will of the parents. In such cases, the religion the child follows is one of custom and upbringing. But Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate, will not hold him to account or punish him for following a false religion before he reaches the age of reason and is exposed to the pure message of Islam.

To sum up, one can naturally, without the aid of other human influence, come to the conclusion that only Allah deserves to be worshipped. This conclusion is not confusing or elaborate; it can be arrived at by even the most uneducated