God

As Bertrand Russell puts it, Knowledge is of two kinds - knowledge of things and knowledge of truths. This dichotomy exists in religion as well as in science. For instance, to the scientist who regards biological evolution as a scientific fact, there are two aspects to be considered. One is related to the organic part of species and the other relates to the law of evolution which is inherently and covertly operative in the continuing process of change among the species.

The concept of God is naturally embedded in the minds of people. It is however covered with veils of confusion. One of the major obstacles faced by many a men in accepting the concept of a Universal God is that they cannot see Him and therefore do not have a rational argument to prove the existence of God. They believe in the direct or observable argument or primary rationalism and not the unseen or inferential argument or secondary rationalism. This is contrary to the fact today.

Tawheed is the essence of Islam. Tawheed is an Arabic term which means ‘oneness’ and ‘unity.’ In Islamic terminology it means the oneness of God. It is a fundamental doctrine of Islam referring to the oneness of God in all it meanings. Thus the declaration that ‘there is no God but Allah’ is called Tawheed. God has no partner (sharik), He exists by Himself. Nothing can rival Him as a source of power or love. There is no one worthy of worship other than God. He is not an abstract concept.

Fundamental to the religious structure of Islam is the concept of tawheed, or monotheism. As the seed is to tree, so is tawheed to Islam. Just as the tree is a wonderfully developed extension of the seed, so is the religious system of Islam a multi-faceted expression of a single basic concept. For monotheism in Islam does not mean simply belief in one God, but in God’s oneness in all respects. No one shares in this oneness of God.