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قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Say, "He (is) Allah, the One.
Allah, the Eternal, the Absolute.
Not He begets and not He is begotten.
And not is for Him equivalent any [one]."
[Al-Quran 112]
Allah warns us against His Nafs:
لَّا يَتَّخِذِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ فِى شَىْءٍ إِلَّآ أَن تَتَّقُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ تُقَىٰةًۭ ۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسَهُۥ ۗ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمَصِيرُ ٢٨
Believers should not take disbelievers as guardians instead of the believers—and whoever does so will have nothing to hope for from Allah—unless it is a precaution against their tyranny. And Allah warns you about Himself. And to Allah is the final return.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Let not believers take disbelievers as allies [i.e., supporters or protectors] rather than believers. And whoever [of you] does that has nothing [i.e., no association] with Allāh, except when taking precaution against them in prudence.[1] And Allāh warns you of Himself, and to Allāh is the [final] destination.
— Saheeh International
[1]When fearing harm from an enemy, the believer may pretend as long as his heart and intention are not affected.
قُلْ إِن تُخْفُوا۟ مَا فِى صُدُورِكُمْ أَوْ تُبْدُوهُ يَعْلَمْهُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ ٢٩
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Whether you conceal what is in your hearts or reveal it, it is known to Allah. For He knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And Allah is Most Capable of everything.”
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Say, "Whether you conceal what is in your breasts or reveal it, Allāh knows it. And He knows that which is in the heavens and that which is on the earth. And Allāh is over all things competent.
— Saheeh International
يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ مَّا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَيْرٍۢ مُّحْضَرًۭا وَمَا عَمِلَتْ مِن سُوٓءٍۢ تَوَدُّ لَوْ أَنَّ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَهُۥٓ أَمَدًۢا بَعِيدًۭا ۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسَهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ رَءُوفٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ ٣٠
˹Watch for˺ the Day when every soul will be presented with whatever good it has done. And it will wish that its misdeeds were far off. And Allah warns you about Himself. And Allah is Ever Gracious to ˹His˺ servants.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
The Day every soul will find what it has done of good present [before it] and what it has done of evil, it will wish that between itself and that [evil] was a great distance. And Allāh warns you of Himself, and Allāh is Kind to [His] servants."
— Saheeh International
[Al-Quran 3:28-30]
Allah explicitly mentions His Nafs, and warns us against His Own Nafs. Since the word nafs is variously translated, instead of retaining the word 'Nafs' or translating it as 'Soul', therefore the clarity is not readily visible.
There is no nafs like Allah's Nafs:
Allah is the Fatir, meaning separator. Allah has created humans from a single nafs which He separated and created their pair, through which they procreated. This fact is explicitly stated in Q4:1, Q6:98, Q7:189, and Q39:6. Then, in Surah ash-Shuraa, we read:
فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًۭا وَمِنَ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ أَزْوَٰجًۭا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌۭ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ ١١
˹He is˺ the Originator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you spouses from among yourselves, and ˹made˺ mates for cattle ˹as well˺—multiplying you ˹both˺. There is nothing like Him, for He ˹alone˺ is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
[He is] Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you from yourselves, mates, and among the cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like unto Him,[1] and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.[2]
— Saheeh International
[1]See footnotes to 17:1.
[2]There is no similarity whatsoever between the Creator and His creation in essence, in attributes or in deed.
[Al-Quran 42:11]
Allah is the Fatir (Separator) of the skies and earth. The word for originator or inventor is 'Badee', and the word for creator is 'Khaliq'. The root of word 'Fatir' lends itself to words meaning separation, tearing, etc. Q42:11 is describing the quality of Allah as the Separator of the Skies and Earth; the Appointer of our spouses from our nafs, and the appointer of the cattle's spouses from their own nafs, through which He multiplies us all. Then, the ayat states that there is nothing like Allah, He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
This means it is explicitly stating that there is no nafs like Allah's Nafs.
Allah's Nafs is unique.
Allah is the One and Only Ilah.
There is no other Ilah.
So, we read in Surah Aal-e-Imran:
شَهِدَ ٱللَّهُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمِ قَآئِمًۢا بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ١٨
Allah ˹Himself˺ is a Witness that there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him—and so are the angels and people of knowledge. He is the Maintainer of justice. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him—the Almighty, All-Wise.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Allāh witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge - [that He is] maintaining [creation] in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
— Saheeh International
إِنَّ ٱلدِّينَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمُ ۗ وَمَا ٱخْتَلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعِلْمُ بَغْيًۢا بَيْنَهُمْ ۗ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ ١٩
Certainly, Allah’s only Way is Islam.[1] Those who were given the Scripture did not dispute ˹among themselves˺ out of mutual envy until knowledge came to them.[2] Whoever denies Allah’s signs, then surely Allah is swift in reckoning.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
[1] i.e., full submission to the Will of Allah.
[2] No community split into believers and disbelievers until they received the knowledge given by their prophet.
Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allāh is Islām. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allāh, then indeed, Allāh is swift in [taking] account.
— Saheeh International
[Al-Quran 3:18-19]
There is no divine family:
وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ٱلْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ ۖ وَخَرَقُوا۟ لَهُۥ بَنِينَ وَبَنَـٰتٍۭ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۢ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ١٠٠
Yet they associate the jinn[1] with Allah ˹in worship˺, even though He created them, and they falsely attribute to Him sons[2] and daughters[3] out of ignorance. Glorified and Exalted is He above what they claim!
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
[1] Jinn are another creation of Allah, made of “smokeless fire,” and inhabit a realm parallel to our own. Like us, they have free will and can choose guidance or disobedience.
[2] i.e., “Jesus” in Christian belief.
[3] i.e., “the angels” in pre-Islamic Arab tradition.
But they have attributed to Allāh partners - the jinn, while He has created them - and have fabricated for Him sons and daughters without knowledge. Exalted is He and high above what they describe.
— Saheeh International
Allah informs us even more explicitly that His Nafs has no companion nafs, and therefore no progeny:
بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُۥ وَلَدٌۭ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُۥ صَـٰحِبَةٌۭ ۖ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍۢ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ ١٠١
˹He is˺ the Originator of the heavens and earth. How could He have children when He has no mate? He created all things and has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of everything.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion [i.e., wife] and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing.
— Saheeh International
ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ خَـٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ فَٱعْبُدُوهُ ۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَكِيلٌۭ ١٠٢
That is Allah—your Lord! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. ˹He is˺ the Creator of all things, so worship Him ˹alone˺. And He is the Maintainer of everything.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
That is Allāh, your Lord; there is no deity except Him, the Creator of all things, so worship Him. And He is Disposer of all things.
— Saheeh International
لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ ١٠٣
No vision can encompass Him, but He encompasses all vision. For He is the Most Subtle, All-Aware.[1]
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
[1] No one is able to see Allah in this world, but there is extensive evidence in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet (ﷺ) that the believers will be able to see their Lord on the Day of Judgment.
Vision perceives Him not,[1] but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle,[2] the Aware.[3]
— Saheeh International
[1]See footnote in 6:18.
[2]Perceptive of the most precise and unapparent matters and the intricacies of all affairs. Also, He who benefits His servants in indiscernible ways.
[3]In the life of this world. The people of Paradise will be able to see Allāh in the Hereafter. See 75:22-23.
[Al-Quran 6:101-103]
Allah is the inventor / originator (badee | بَدِيعُ) of the skies and earth. He has created everything. Since He does not have a female companion, He also does not have any progeny. There is no divine family, no divine lineage, no gods and goddesses. Allah is the one and only true God.
Consistency of the Scriptures
Allah's Nafs has no partner, no mate [Q6:101]. He is unique in His Nafs [Q42:11].
In the Bible, we read that God created humans in His Image, to rule upon all creatures (Genesis 1 26-27-28).
In The Quran, we read, the nature/separation (Fitrat) of Allah upon which He has natured/separated humans (fatara-anNaas) [Q30:30].
So, the message is consistent within the scripture, and across the scriptures:
- Allah is One and Only,
- Unique in His Nafs
- There is no creature like Him
- Humans have been natured upon Allah's Fitrat.
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Last updated on: November 19, 2024
