Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) 41: The Perfect Concept Of God (SWT)

Islamic Perspectives - Muslim Journals

Arab News & Information - By Adil Salahi

I am one of millions and millions who believe in God Almighty, praise Him, acknowledge His glory and enjoy His blessings and grace. I have known God Almighty through Muhammad, the Arab Prophet (peace be upon him). I read the Qur’an, the book Muhammad delivered as God’s message to mankind, and I studied Muhammad’s life and history. As a result, I have found my heart and soul responding to his call. I became one of countless masses who have accepted God as the Lord of the universe, Islam as a faith and Muhammad (peace be upon him) as God’s Prophet and messenger.

There were people who had no idea of God, but Muhammad gave them inner light and led them to a clear knowledge of their Lord. There were others who had wrong ideas of God, imagining that He had a son or partners who acted as intermediaries, but Muhammad presented mankind with the clearest idea of God’s absolute oneness, showing clearly that God has no son, daughter, partner, counterpart or equal of any sort: “Have they chosen protectors other than Him? God alone is the Protector of all; He is the One who gives life to the dead; and He has power over all things. Whatever the subject of your disputes, the final word belongs to God. Such is God, my Lord. In Him have I placed my trust, and to Him do I always turn. He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. He made mates for you from among yourselves, just as He made mates for animals, so that you will multiply. Nothing bears even the slightest comparability to Him. He alone hears all and sees all. His are the keys of the heavens and the earth. He gives abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure to whomever He wills. He has full knowledge of everything. (42: 9-12)

Muhammad’s knowledge of God is perfect, unequalled by anyone who has ever lived or will ever live, because it is based on a vision that could never fade. A Muslim who follows Prophet Muhammad’s example realizes that his knowledge of God has special characteristics that are clearly reflected in his discourse. It is clear, true, warm, penetrative, free of ambiguity and affectation.

Human discourse must have a certain degree of warmth in order to achieve its desired effect. When Muhammad speaks of God, whether in hope or fear, the very words have a strong impulse, flowing emotion and high warmth. Whether you read his words or listen to them, your heart will be properly affected and you will feel the greatness of God, the Lord of all worlds.

I attended once a lecture on astronomy, in which figures and distances were quoted in unimaginable numbers. I felt myself to be very tiny. Then I looked at the ground beneath my feet, and tried to fathom what is below the soil. I then realized that I know and see but little. I thought: ‘If we were to know what is hidden inside the earth on the line that penetrates across from this point below me to the opposite apparent point on the other side, how much will we discover?” Then I remembered God’s description of Himself in the Qur’an: “(He is) the Lord of Grace, established on the throne of His almightiness. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth, as well as all that is between them, and underneath the soil. If you say anything aloud, then (know that) He knows all that is secret, as well as all that is yet more hidden. (He is) God; there is no deity other than Him. His alone are all the attributes of perfection.” (20: 5-8) The brightness of the highest star is the same as the little grain in the depth of the earth with regard to God’s knowledge. Both are entered in a clear and accurate record.

I felt a strong emotion of veneration toward the Supreme Creator, but my usually expressive words at first fell short, and then were blocked. My Lord then inspired me to say some phrases to express my emotion. These are quoted in a Hadith in which Ali describes the Prophet’s prayers. It includes: “... When he bowed, he said: ‘My Lord, I bow to You, believe in You and submit to You. My hearing, eyesight, brain, bones and nerves all bow before You’. When he lifted his head, he said: ‘May God listen to whoever praises Him. My Lord, praise is due to You, as much as would fill up the heavens, the earth, all in between and whatever You may wish beyond these’. Then when he prostrated himself in sujood he said: ‘My Lord, to You I prostrate myself; in You I believe; and to You I sumbit myself. My face is in prostration before the One who created and fashioned it, and gave it its hearing and eyesight. All glory belongs to God, the best of all creators’”.

Such an address to God embodies the meaning of perfect Godhead and perfect submission to Him.

 

 

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