Union of Humanity under Shi'a Azan

Prayer Times in Perth, WA, Australia

Allah

​
                                                                                            Edited by:  Engineer Afsaneh Cooper  


1. Ask Imam Ali: Who is Allah? - Video

2. Almighty Allah's Power and Mysterious Creation of Antarctic - Video 

3. Who is Allah? Oxford University Professor's Lecture - Video

​4. Do Iranians know who is Allah? Do Zoroastrians know who is Allah? Allah is not a Holy Fire to jump over in the last Tuesday nights of each year, Allah is described in this Article:



It is in the nature of everybody to recognize God. Human used to worship idols because of this nature. The need to worship God also is by nature. If we remove ourselves from natural life and keep ourselves too busy with non-spiritual matters, this Godly nature would be covered by ignorance. The need for being with God would be replaced by the daily matters that we use to keep our minds occupied. These "daily matters" are greed for money, promotion, sex and alcohol. When this "natural Godly spirit" becomes polluted by sin, then darkness will shadow the heart. Such a heart cannot receive the enlightenment from God. Light does not pass through a black plate, so is the light of guidance, which does not pass through a dark heart. If a person is meant to be guided by God, he will have an expanded chest towards the truth and will search for his Godly nature that is Islam.

 When he chose to search for the truth, then God will purify his sinful spirit. The guided person will walk in the enlightened path, towards the truth and belief will grow into his heart. Then he can submit himself to Allah's will. Such a person is called "Muslim". Upon the Qur'anic verses, all the prophets including Prophet Jesus were Muslims. The names of "God" in the Old Testament are:

 el-o-heem', el-aw', el-o'-ah, yeh-ho-vaw' (Jehovah), yeh-ho-vee'.The Hebrew word "awb" means chief or father in the Old Testament and is interpreted as meaning God. The Hebrew word "bane" means son or appointed son in the Old Testament and is interpreted as meaning begotten son!

The name of God 6

 In Hebrew:  

ELOHIM = ELOH + IM                    IM = Plural of respect (In Arabic and Hebrew there are two types of plurals. One of numbers and the other of honor as in Royal proclamations. Since the plural of honor is uncommon in the language of the Europeans, they have confused these plurals to denote a plurality in the “godhead”, hence these justification for the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity:  the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost).

YA-HUWA  ELOH-IM = He is Allah

YA = Is a vocative and an exclamatory particle in both Hebrew and Arabic, meaning  Oh!

Huwa = He

YA-HUWA  ELOHIM = Oh He!  ELOHIM

EL = Elah = Eloh = god

Huwa el Elah = HUWA 'L LAH = He God  

In Arabic:  

Ya = Oh

Huwa = Hu = He

Ya  Huwa = Oh he

Huwal lah hu = He is Allah  

Holy Qur'an (112:1)    Say: He is Allah. He is one  

YHWH  or  Yehova  or Yahuwa  all mean the very same thing.  "Y” is changed to “J" because it is the popular pronounciation from the 16th century. The modern equivalent of these three words is "Jehovah".

The above exercise proves that El, Leah, and Elohim are not three distinctly different words. They all represent the single Arabic word Allah. Therefore, the name of God is Allah.  

More than 6000 times the formula "YAHUWA  ELAH" or ya"HUWA  ALAH", or “HUWALLAH” (He is Allah!) occur in the Hebrew manuscripts of the Jewish Bible, commonly called the "Old Testament", by the Christians.

When Christianity spread out into the pagan world, the idea of Jesus as a savior God emerged. This idea was patterned on those already existing, especially upon Mithras (the idol). Osiris (god-father) and Horus (son of the god) were two idols being worshiped by pagans. Christian scholars were influenced by the pagan world in their interpretation of the Biblical texts. The rulers of the ancient world found it easy to control their people by manufacturing  religion for them.  

There are verses in the Bible which shows this influence of the dictatorship, such as: hitting the child with the iron rod, separating the religion from the state, separating the actions and words from the belief, a non questionable belief, discriminating the people who do not believe in this manufactured Bible as being satanic, encouraging people towards narrow minding and superstitious believes, using Jesus as God to tell people what to do because when people get used to imagining the God as human and listen to him, they can imagine the ruler as a god as well and be obedient to him. When people get used to a non questionable belief then they learn not to question the government as well.  

People, who did not accept their family religion and became unbelievers among Christians, were those who noticed the differences between the modern science and the Biblical (manufactured) believes. The huge population of these group is an evidence for "the natural belief of a human being based on Monotheism not the Trinity".The intrapolation of trinity to the Bible, created confusion among Islam and Christianity. This way the rulers tried to stop the people to convert to Islam as was recommended by Jesus. The decision was made to interpret Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) as a false prophet or anti-Christ, by the Christian scholars. In reality, it is wrong. The proof exists in the book of "The Path to our Union in Sprituality", The manuscript can be obtained from:  

www.shubayr.net  

"Allah" is an Arabic name of God , "el-aw' " is a Hebrew name of God. The following article is a search in three Islamic documents for the description of "Allah". 1) Nahj al balagha 2) Al-Kafi 3) The Qur'an .

One of the advantages of Islam over the other religions is the eloquent way of describing God (Allah). By reading this article you will understand the priority of Islam in your mind. You will feel this is the most suitable match with your heart.          

Allah in Islam  

Sermon 183:   Praise be to Allah. He is such that senses cannot perceive Him, place cannot contain Him; eyes cannot see Him and veils cannot cover Him. The coming into existence and their (mutual) similarity proves that there is nothing similar to Him. He is true in His promise. He is too high to be unjust to His creatures. He stands by equity between His creation and practices justice over them in His commands. He provides evidence through the creation of things on His being from ever, through their marks of incapability, on His power and through their powerlessness against death, on His eternity. He is One, but not by counting. He is everlasting without any limit. He is existent without any support. Minds admit of Him without (activity of) senses.  

Things, which can be seen, stand witness to Him without confronting Him. Imagination cannot get round Him. He manifests Himself to imagination with his help of imagination, and refuses to be imagined by imagination. He has made imagination the arbiter (in this matter). He is not big in the sense that His volume be vast and His body be big. Nor is He great in the sense that His limits should extend to the utmost and so His frame be extensive. However, He is big in position and great in authority. I stand witness that Muhammad (S.A.) Is His servant, His chosen Prophet and His responsible trustee. Allah may bless him and his descendants. Allah sent him with undeniable pleas, clear success, and open paths. Therefore, he conveyed the message declaring the truth with it. He led the people on the (correct) highway established signs of guidance and minarets of light, and made Islam's ropes strong and its knots firm.  

Sermon 184:   He who assigns to Him (different) conditions does not believe in His oneness, nor does he who likens Him grasp His reality. He who illustrates Him does not signify Him. He who points at Him and imagines Him does not mean Him. Everything that is known through itself has been created, and everything that exists by virtue of other things is the effect (of a cause). He works but not with the help of instruments. He fixes measures but not with the activity of thinking. He is rich but not by acquisition. Time does not keep company with Him, and implements do not help Him. His Being precedes time. His Existence precedes non-existence and His eternity precedes beginning. By His creating the senses, it is known that He has no senses. By the contradictories in various matters, it is known that He has no contradictory, and by similarity between things, it is known that there is nothing similar to Him.  

He has made light the contradictory of darkness, brightness that of gloom, dryness that of moisture and heat that of cold. He produces affection among inimical things. He fuses together diverse things, nears remote things, and separates things, which are joined together. He is not confined by limits, nor counted by numbers. Material parts can surround things of their own kind, and organs can point out to things similar to themselves. Through them, the Creator manifests Himself to intelligence, and through them, He is prevented from the sight of eyes. Stillness and motion do not occur in Him. And how can that thing occur in Him which He has Himself made to occur, and how can a thing revert to Him which He first created and how can a thing appear in Him which He brought to appearance first. If it were not so His self would become subject to diversity, His Being would become divisible (into parts) and His reality would be prevented from being deemed Eternal.  

If there were front for Him, there would be rear also for Him. He would need re-couping only if shortage could befall Him. In that case, signs of the created would appear in Him, and He would become a sign (leading to other objects) instead of the signs leading to Him. The fact that He cannot have qualities of those created necessitates that things, which affect others, should not affect him. He is that who does not change. The process of setting does not behove Him. He has not begotten any one lest He be regarded to have been born. He has not been begotten otherwise He would be contained within limits. He is too High to have sons. He is too purified to contact women. Imagination cannot reach Him to assign Him quantity. Understanding cannot think of Him to give him shape. Senses do not perceive Him to feel Him. Hands cannot touch Him to rub against Him. He does not change into any condition. He does not pass from one state to another.  

Nights and days do not turn Him old. Light and darkness do not alter Him. It cannot be said that He has a limit or extremity, nor end nor termination; nor do things control Him to raise Him or lower Him, nor does anything carry Him to bend Him or keep Him erect. He is not inside the things nor outside them. He conveys news but not with tongue or vocal. He listens but not with the holes of the ears or the organs of hearing. He says but does not utter. He remembers but does not memories. He determines but not by exercising His mind. He loves and approves without any weakness. He hates and feels angry without any painstaking. When he intends creating someone He says "Be" and there he is but not through voice that strikes (ears) call that is heard. His speech is an act of His creation. His like never existed before this. If it had been eternal, it would have been the second god. It cannot be said that He came into being after He had not been in existence because in that case the attributes of the created things would be assigned to Him, there would remain no difference between them, and Him, and He would have no distinction over them. Thus, the Creator and the created would become equal and the initiator and the initiated would be on the same level. He created the (whole) creation without any example made by someone else and He did not secure the assistance of any one out of His creation for creating it.  

He created the earth and suspended it without being busy, retained it without support, made it stand without legs, raised it without pillars, protected it against bends and curves and defended it against crumbling. He fixed mountains on it like stumps, solidified its rocks, flowed its streams and opened wide its valleys. Whatever He made did not suffer from any flaw, and whatever He strengthened did not show any weakness. He manifests Himself over the earth with His authority and greatness. He is aware of its inside through his knowledge and understanding. He over sways everything of the earth by virtue of His sublimity and dignity. Nothing from the earth that He may ask for defies Him, nor does it oppose Him to overpower Him.  

No swift-footed creature can run away from Him to surpass him. He is not needy towards any propertied person so that he may feed Him. All the things bow to Him and are humble before His Greatness. They cannot flee away from His authority to someone else in order to escape His benefit or His harm. There is no parallel for Him who may match Him and no one like Him to equal Him. He would destroy the earth after its existence, until all that exists on it would become non-existent. However, the extinction of the world after its creation is no stranger than its first formation and invention. How can it be? Even if all the animals of the earth, whether birds or beasts, stabled cattle or pasturing ones, of different origins and species, dull people and sagacious men-all jointly try to create (even) a mosquito they won't be able to bring it into being and will not understand what is the way to its creation. Their wits would be bewildered and strayed. Their powers would fall short and fail, and return disappointed and tired, knowing that they are defeated and admitting their inability to produce it, also realizing that they are too weak (even) to destroy it. In addition, after the extinction of the world Allah would remain alone with nothing else beside Him.  

He would be, after its extinction, as He was before its production without time or place or moment, or period. At this time, period and time would not exist, and years and hours would disappear. There would be nothing except Allah the one, the All-powerful. To Him is the return of all matters. Its initial creation was not in its power; and the prevention of its extinction was () not in its power. If it had the power to prevent, it would have existed forever. When He made anything, of the world, the making of it did not cause Him any difficulty and the creation of anything, which He created and formed, did not fatigue Him. He did not create it to heighten His authority nor for fear of loss or harm, nor to seek its help against an overwhelming foe, nor to guard against any avenging opponent with its help, nor for extension of His domain with its help, nor for boasting (over largeness of His possession) against a partner nor because He felt lonely and desired to seek its company. Then after its creation, He would destroy it, but not because any worry, has overcome Him in its upkeep and administration, nor for any pleasure that would accrue to Him, nor for cumbrousness of anything over Him.   

The length of its life does not weary Him to induce Him to its quick destruction. However, Allah the Glorified has maintained it with His kindness, kept it intact with His Command and perfected it with His Power. Then after destruction He would resuscitate it but not for any need of His own towards it, nor to seek the assistance of any of its things against it, nor to change over from the position of loneliness to that of company, nor from the position of ignorance and blindness to that of knowledge and search, nor from paucity and need towards needlessness and plenty, nor from disgrace and lowliness towards honor and prestige.  

Sermon 177:   Somebody asked Ali Whether he had seen Allah, when he replied, "Do I worship Allah whom I have not seen". Then he inquired, "How have you seen him?" Then Ali replied:

Eyes do not see Him face to face, but hearts perceive Him through the realities of belief. He is near the things but not (physically) contiguous. He is far from them but not (physically) separate. He is a speaker but not with reflection. He intends but not with preparation. He molds but not with (assistance of) limbs. He is delicate but cannot be attributed with being concealed. He is great but cannot be attributed with haughtiness. He looks but cannot be attributed with the sense (of sight). He is Merciful but cannot be attributed with weakness of heart. Faces feel low before His greatness and hearts tremble out of fear for Him.  

Sermon 181:   Praise be to Allah who is recognized without being seen and who creates without trouble. He created the creation with His Might, and receives devotion of rulers by virtue of His dignity. He exercises superiority over great men through His generosity. It is He who made His creation populate the world and sent towards the ginn and human beings His messengers to unveil to for them, to warn them of its harm, to present to them its examples, to show them its defects and to place before them a whole collection of matters containing lessons about the changes of health and sickness in this world, its lawful things and unlawful things and all that Allah has ordained for the obedient and the disobedient, namely Paradise and Hell and honor and disgrace. I extend my praise to His Being, as He desires His creation to praise Him. He has fixed for everything a measure, for every measure a time limit and for every time limit a document.  

Sermon 176:   One condition does not prevent Him from (getting into) another condition, time does not change Him, place does not locate him and tongue does not describe Him. The number of the drops of water, of the stars in the sky, or of the currents of winds in the air are not unknown to Him, nor the movements of the ants on rocks, or the roosting of grubs in the dark night. He knows the places where leaves fall, and the secret movements of the pupils. I stand witness that there is no god but Allah, Who has no parallel, who is not doubted, whose religion is not denied, and whose creativeness is not questioned. My witnessing is like that of a man whose intention is free, conscience is clear, whose belief is pure, and whose weights (of good actions) are heavy. I also stand witness that Mohammad (S.A.) is His servant and His Prophet, chosen from his creation, selected for detailing His realities, picked up for His selected honors and chosen for His esteemed messages. Through him, the signs of guidance have been lighted and the gloom of blindness (misguidance) has been dispelled.  

O' people this world deceives him who longs for it and who is attracted towards it. It does not behave niggardly with him who aspires for it and overpowers it. Allah deprives no people of lively pleasures of life, after enjoying them except because of sins committed by them, because Allah is not unjust to His creatures. Even then, when calamities descend upon the people and pleasures depart from them they turn towards Allah with true intention and heart's feeling He would return them everything that had fled from them and cure all their ills. I fear about you lest you fall into ignorance (that prevailed, before appearance of the Prophet (S.A.). In the past there were certain matters in which you were deflected, and in my view you were not worthy of admiration; but if your previous position could be returned to you then you would become virtuous. I can only strive; but if I were to speak, I would (only) say that Allah might forgive your past actions.  

Sermon 161:   Praise be to Allah, Creator of the people, He has spread the earth. He makes streams flow and grows vegetation on high lands. His firstness has no beginning, nor has His eternity any end. He is the First and from ever. He is the everlasting without limit. Foreheads bow before Him and lips declare His oneness. He determined limits of things at the time of His creating them keeping Himself away from their likeness. Imagination cannot determine Him with limits of movements, limbs, or senses. It cannot be said about Him as to "whence", and no time limit can be attributed to Him by saying "till". He is apparent but it cannot be said "from what". He is hidden, but it cannot be said "in what". He is not a body, which would die nor is He veiled to be contained therein. He is not near things by way of touching nor is He remote from them by way of separation.  

The people's staring by eyes is not hidden from Him, nor the repetition of words, nor the glimpse of hillocks, nor the march of a footstep in the dark night or deep gloom, whereon the shining moon casts its light and the effulgent sun comes in its wake by way of setting and appearing again and again through rotation of time and periods, by the approach of advancing night or of passing away of the running day. He is before every extremity and limit, and every counting and numbering. He is far above what those who regard him limited attribute to Him, such as the qualities of measures, extremities, living in houses and staying in abodes, because limit is meant for the creation and is attributable only to other than Allah. He did not create things from eternal matter nor after ever existing examples but He created whatever He created and then he fixed limits thereto and he shaped whatever He shaped and gave the best shape thereto. Nothing can disobey Him but the obedience of anything is of no benefit to Him. His knowledge about those dead in the past is the same as His knowledge about the remaining survivors, and His knowledge about whatever there is in the high skies is like His knowledge of whatever there is in the low earths.  

O' creature who has been equitably created and who has been nurtured and looked after in the darkness of the wombs with multiple curtains. You were originated from the essence of clay and placed in a still place for a known length and an ordained time. You used to move in the womb of your mother as an embryo, neither responding to a call nor hearing any voice. Then you were taken out from your place of stay to a place you had not seen, and you were not acquainted with the ways of awaiting its benefits. Then, who guided you to eke out your sustenance from the udder of your mother and, when you were in need, appraised you of the location of what you required or aimed at. Alas! Certainly, he who is unable to understand the qualities of a being with shape and limbs is unable to understand the qualities of the Creator and more remote from appreciating Him through the limitations of the creatures.                                    

Sermon 180:   Praise be to Allah to whom is the return of all creation and the end of all matters. We render Him praise on His great generosity, His bright pleas, His growing bounty and His favors, praise that may fulfil His right, pay off His thanks, take (us) near His reward and is productive of increase in His Kindness. We seek His help like him who is hopeful of His bounty, desirous of His benefit, and confident of His warding off (calamities), who acknowledges His grants and is obedient to Him by act and word. We believe in Him like him who reposes hope in Him with conviction, inclines to Him as a believer, humbles himself before Him obediently, believes in His oneness exclusively, regards Him great acknowledging his dignity, and seeks refuge with Him with inclination and exertion. Allah the Glorified has not been born so that someone could be (His) sharer in glory. Nor has He begotten anyone to be inherited after dying. Time and period have not preceded Him.  

Increase and decrease do not occur to Him. However, He has manifested Himself to our understanding through our having observed His strong control and firm destiny. Among the proofs of His creation is the creation of skies, which are fastened without pillars and stand without support. He called them and they responded obediently and humbly without being lazy or loathsome. If they had not acknowledged His Godhead and obeyed Him He would not have made them the place for His throne, the abode of His angles and the terminus for the rising up of the pure utterances and the prayers of the creatures. He has made the stars in the skies by way of signs with which the travelers straying in various routes of the earth get guidance. The gloom of the dark curtains of the night does not prevent the flame of their light, nor do the veils of blackish nights have the power to turn back the light of the moon when it spreads in the skies. Glory be to Allah from whom neither the blackness of dark dusk or of gloomy night (falling) in the low parts of the earth or on high dim mountains is hidden, nor the thundering of clouds in the horizons of the skies, nor the sparkling of lightning in the clouds, nor the falling of leaves flown away from their falling places by storms of hurricanes or by downpour from the sky. He knows where the drops fall and where they stay, where the grubs trail or where they drag themselves, what livelihood would suffice the mosquitoes and what a female bears in its womb.  

Praise be to Allah who exists from before the coming into existence of the seat, the throne, the sky, the earth, the Jinn or human being. He cannot be perceived by imagination nor measured by understanding. He who begs from Him does not divert Him from others, nor does giving away cause Him diminution. He does not see by means of an eye, nor can He be confined to a place. He cannot be said to have companions. He does not create with (the help of) limbs. He cannot be perceived by senses. He cannot be thought of after the people. He spoke to Moses clearly and showed him His great signs without use of bodily parts, organ of speech or uvula. O’ you who is exerting yourself in describing Allah if you are serious then (first try to) describe Gabrielle, Michael or the host of angels who are close (to Allah) in the receptacles of sublimity; but their heads are bent downwards and their wits are perplexed as to how to assign limits (of definition) to the Highest Creator. This is because only those things can be perceived through qualities which have shape and parts and which succumb to death after reaching the end of their ages.  

There is no god but Him. He has lighted every darkness with His effulgence and has darkened every light with the darkness (of death). I advise you, creatures of Allah, to practice fear of Allah who gave you good clothing and bestowed abundance of livelihood on you. If there were anyone who could secure a ladder to everlasting life or a way to avoid death it was Suleiman (Solomon) son of  Daud (David) (peace be upon him) who had been given control over the domain of the ginns and men along with prophethood and great position (before Allah), But when he finished what was his due in food (of this world) and exhausted his (fixed) time the bow of destruction shot him with arrow of death. His houses became vacant and his habitats became empty.  

Another group of people inherited them. Certainly, the by-gone centuries have a lesson for you. Where are the Amalekites and the sons of Amalekites? Where are the Pharaohs and the sons of Pharaohs? Where are the people of the cities of Rass who killed the Prophets, destroyed the traditions of the divine messengers and revived the traditions of the despots? Where are those who advanced with armies, defeated thousands, mobilised forces and populated cities.  

He would be wearing the armor of wisdom, which he would have secured with all its conditions, such as full attention towards it, its (complete) knowledge, and exclusive devotion to it. For him it is like a thing, which he had lost and which he was now seeking, or his need, which he was trying to meet. If Islam were in trouble, he would feel forlorn like a traveler and like a (tired) camel beating the end of its tail and flattening its neck on the ground. He is the last of Allah's pleas and one of the vicegerents of His Prophets.   

Imam Ali:      All praise be to Allah, the One, sought by all, the Unique and the One Who is neither created out of anything pre-existing, who has neither created anything out of that which existed before. But by the Might manifest in everything, and (in this way) all things (came into existence) , because of Him. He has no attribute which can be comprehended, nor has He any limit which can be exemplified. In linguistic embellishment, the tongue is a cripple in describing His attributes. And circumlocution in respect of His attributes leads to a blind alley. The sharpest intellects are blunted (in comprehending) His kingdom. All comprehensive explanation is rendered ineffective in delving deep into His kingdom. Unknown curtains intervene in understanding the lowest level of His hidden knowledge. The keenest insights are totally lost even in comprehending the most superficial layer of His subtleties.   

Thus, hallowed be Allah Who can neither be touched by the most adventurous nor intuition be reached by the deepest insight. Exalted be He for Whom there is no measure of time, no extent of length, and no limit to description. Purified be He Whose beginning has no beginning nor His end any end, nor is there any annihilation after Him. Glorified be He. He is as He has described Himself and the describers cannot reach His descriptions. He delineated the boundaries of all things at the time of their creations and completely banned the possibility of His resembling things or thing resembling Him. Never has He been comprised within things which could describe Him by His being contained into them, nor has He been apart from things which could describe Him by His being separated from them, nor has He been lost from things which could raise the question of His whereabouts. Rather, He, the Glorified, has encompassed the things by His knowledge, strengthened their build and numbered them in His memory. Even things behind the hidden curtains of the atmosphere, the deep slumber which occurs in the hidden darkness, and whatever there is in the high heavens and the low earth are not hidden from Him. For each one of them there is a custodian and a keeper and all things are surrounded by other things and He (Allah) encompasses all things which surround them.  

The One, the Unique, the Besought Whom the passage of time does not change, nor the construction of anything tire. Whatever He willed, He said, "Be" and it was. He started creating whatever He created without there being any precedent for it, and without any fatigue and planning. All the makers of things made those things out of something but Allah made His creation out of nothing. Every scholar acquired knowledge after being ignorant while Allah was never ignorant and never acquired knowledge. He encompassed all things by His knowledge before their creation. Thus, there was no addition in His knowledge because of their coming into existence. His knowledge about them, before their coming into existence, is the same as His knowledge after their existence. He never made things to strengthen His control, nor out of fear of its decay or of its loss, nor to make it helpful against His adversary, nor (to square up the account with a) progressive equal, nor (to equalise with a) dominating partner. Since all of creation is nurtured (by Him) and all are humiliated slaves before Him.  

Glorified be He Who never feels weary in the creation of what He created, nor in upbringing whatever He has created (afterwards), nor did He end creating more than what He has already created because of His inability or slackness. He knew what He created and created what He knew. Whatever He created was not out of deliberating on any new knowledge. Nor does any doubt arise for Him regarding the things He has not created, but (what He created and what He did not) was out of (His) inviolable decision, firm knowledge, and exact command. He made Himself unique in His Lordship, specific in (His) Oneness, earmarked glory and eulogy for Himself, made Himself peerless, in unity, grandeur and sublimity. He remained matchless in praise and exalted in His glory. He is far above parenthood, purified from and sanctified against any feminine touch (i.e.,sexuality).  

He is too Great and too Mighty to seek proximity with any participant. Thus, none is in opposition to Him among the things He has created nor is His equal among His possessions nor is there any partner in His Kingdom. He is the One, the Unique, the Besought of all, the Eternal, the Everlasting, the Lord of space, Who has always been and Who shall always be, the eternally all alone before the beginning of age (time) and after the end of all affairs. He will be neither ended, nor exhausted. In this way do I describe my Lord. Thus, there is no god except Allah. Great is He and how Great! Glorified is He and how Glorified! (All) Mighty is He and how (All) Mighty! He is far too above what the unjust say about Him, far above.  

Imam Husayn:        Verily Allah, the High, Whose name is blessed, Whose remembrance is Sublime, and Whose eulogy is great, is Glorified, Holy, Unique and only One. He has always been and will always remain so. He is the first and the last. He is the revealed and also the concealed. Being the first, He has no beginning. He is the most elevated in His greatness. His pillars (of Greatness) are very lofty and His foundations (of might) are very sound. He is the Great Monarch surpassing in His bounties, Whose eminence is resplendent. The describers of the substance of His attributes are totally helpless in their description. They do not have power to bear the knowledge of His Godliness. Nor can they put Him within any limits. It is because He can never be approached through the criteria of state, condition, quality, kind, manner, mode, fashion and form.  

Imam Ali :  One who saves himself from evil to please Allah is the one who is duly saved (from all perils) and one who obeys Allah is the one who duly obeyed. The one who retains the pleasure of the Creator (Allah), is totally heedless of the displeasure of the creatures; and the one who earns the displeasure of the Creator, is liable to have Allah impose upon him the displeasure of the creatures. The Creator (Allah) can never be described except in the manner in which He has described Himself. How can we describe what cannot be approached by the senses, what cannot be contacted through the imagination, what cannot be encompassed by ideas and what cannot be circumscribed by the eyes? He is far greater than how they describe Him, and is higher than the praise any eulogist can offer Him. He is far in His being near, and He is near in His being far. Hence, in His distance He is near, and His being near He is distant. He himself has originated the whereabouts (of things) so there does not arise any question regarding His whereabouts. It is because of this reason that the question of His being "how and where" does not at all arise."  

Imam Husayn :       All praise is meant for Allah, Who has ingrained in man's nature to eulogise Him, and created them (mankind) with (the nature) to recognise His (Allah's) Lordship. He Who guides mankind towards Himself through His creations and Who argues His being eternal through His bringing the creatures into existence. He has made them resemble each other to prove that there is nothing to resemble Him: He Who has made His signs (creations) as a witness to His Might. His Entity is independent of all attributes. Eyes are prevented from seeing Him. Imagination is incapable of encompassing Him. There is no duration for His being, nor is there any limit for His continuation. The human senses do not encompass Him. No screen (non-understandability) can conceive Him and the only curtain between Him and His creation is nothing but the fact of its being the creation.  

The cause of the screen between the created and the Creator is that what the created can imagine about the Creator is not at all worthy of the Creator. And the attributes not suitable for the Creator are suitable for the created. The other reason (of non-understandability of Allah) is that there is a world of difference between the Creator and the created, the confiner and the confined, the sustainer and the sustained (the Lord and the Lorded over). He is One (in the sense of being unique) not in the sense of an arithmetical figure. He is the Creator not in the sense of being a movement or action (which according to the materialist has resulted into the creation of the universe). He is the All-seeing but not through the instrument (of the eyes). He is the All-hearing but not by means (of the ears). He is a witness but without mutual contact. He is hidden but not in a sense of being behind the curtain. He is manifest and apparent but not in the sense of being distant or far.  

His being eternal is a bar for the flight of fancy, and His being everlasting is a punch in the face of the over ambitious thinker. Penetrating eyes have met with pathetic failure in trying to see the truth about Him. His existence dwarfed and crippled all imagination (in its attempt to grasp Him). Hence whoever described (the entity) of Allah, has (actually) put Him under limits. And whoever put Him under limits, has actually counted (measured) Him. And whoever measured Him, has actually repudiated His Entity. Whoever said where He is, has actually erred (by fixing a location for Him). Whoever said on what He is, has actually vacated Him (from the other place). And whoever said in what He is, has actually included Him in something.  

Imam Musa Kazim (A.S.):  All praise is meant for Allah Who has ingrained His eulogy in human nature. The beginning of the acceptance of religion is the acknowledgment of Allah. And the perfection of acknowledging Him lies in recognising His Unity. And the climax of His Unity lies in the negation of the attributes as being apart (from and independent) of Him. Since each and every attribute indicates its being separate from the entity it is ascribed to, in the same way as the entity is independent of and apart from the attributes ascribed to it. And all this, the entity and the attributes (ascribed to it) prove that they have a plurality (not unity).  

This plurality nullifies their being eternal. Hence whoever ascribes attributes to Allah has actually put limits on Him. And whoever put limits on Him has actually nullified His eternity. Whoever said in what He is, has actually confined Him. Whoever said on what He is, has actually ignorant of Him. Whoever said where He is, has actually vacated Him (from other places). Whoever said what He is, has actually sought to describe and explain Him (His Entity). Whoever said till when He is, has actually confined Him (to a limited time). He was the Knower before there was anything to know, He was the Creator when there was no creation. He was the Lord when there was nothing to lord over. Thus, can our Lord be described and He is higher above them than that which the narrators have narrated about Him (unknowingly).  

Imam Ali (A.S.):  All praise is meant for Allah for Whom there is no death and Whose wonders never come to an end. He exercises His (universal) power every day to create things which did not exist (before), Who does not beget any (claimant) to share in His Glory and Might; Who is not begotten to die and to leave an heir behind. He is beyond all imaginations, hence He cannot be regarded as the Chandelier in a corporal form. He is too far beyond the reach of the sight to leave any impression in the mind about Him.   

He Whose beginning has no beginning nor His end any end or limit; Whom time does not exceed nor any era go beyond. Excess and loss can have no access to Him. He cannot be described in terms of when, what and where. He is hidden amongst the hidden. He is manifest in the mind through His signs and through His wisdom in His creations. When questioned about Him, the prophets did not describe Him in terms of any limit, scope, extent or in terms of constituents. Rather, they described Him in terms of His functions, and they led (people) towards Him through His signs. The thinking of the thinkers dares not deny His existence.  

For there can be no denying the Might of Him Whose creation are heavens and the earth an all that is in and between them, and Who is the Creator of them all; Who is far too different from His creation and nothing resembles Him; Who brought His creations into existence for obedience and worship to Him and gave them strength to do so and rebutted their excuses by arguments. Thus, whoever met his doom did so knowingly and justifiably. It is through His grace that redemption is secured by the redeemed and it is Allah's grace that prevails in this life and the life hereafter. Then, Allah to Whom all praise is due, inaugurated the function of this worldly life with His own praise and wound up the function of this worldly life and the life hereafter with His own praise. As He Himself says: " And justly the issue shall be decided between them and it shall be said, All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all beings." (Qur'an az-Zumar, 39:75)  

All praise is due to Allah Who without having any body has adorned Himself with the robes of greatness and grandeur and has covered Himself with the mantle of awe and reverence without having any corporal form. He occupies the celestial throne unceasingly. He is far above His creation, without being far and without being in mutual contact with them. Neither has He any limit which may end in any limit nor is there any thing like Him for Him to be recognised through, Whoever shows holiness is bound to be humiliated except He (Allah). Whoever magnifies himself is bound to be humbled. All things bow before His greatness and are obedient to His Lordship and Might. The function of the eyes become tired in searching for Him. The imagination of people remained incapable of reaching His attributes. He has been there before the beginning of every beginning of things, and there is no before for Him. He is the last of all and there is no last for Him at all. With His Might He holds sway over all things. He observes all places without making any movement. No touch can ever touch Him nor can any sense ever sense Him. 'It is He Who in heaven is God and in earth is God; He is the All-wise, the All-knowing.' (az-Zukhruf', 43:84).  

Whatever He intended to create He planned for it soundly and correctly without being any example of it before, and also without being tired thereby (in creating whatever He wanted to create). He started whatever He needed to start and made whatever He wanted to make. He intended (creating) two weights, the jinn and mankind so that they should recognise His Lordship on the basis of all these means (of revealed wisdom in His creations referred to above) and be able to obey Him (consciously).  

We eulogise Allah with all praise in their entity for all of His bounties. And we seek guidance from Him in our righteous affairs. Further, we seek refuge from Him against our misdeeds. We solicit His forgiveness for our past sins. We bear witness that there is no god except Allah and verily Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) is His slave and messenger whom Allah has sent as the truthful prophet, and who leads to Allah and guides towards Him. Thus, He rescued us through him to the right path from misguidance and cut off through him from ignorance.  

Hence, 'Whosoever obeys Allah and His messenger has surely won a mighty triumph,' (al-Ahzab, 33:71)  and has secured divine blessings in abundance. And whosoever disobeys Allah and His messenger has surely suffered a manifest loss, and has deserved a humbling chastisement. Hence strive to listen, obey the counsel with sincerity and share the burden with others effectively and gracefully. Help yourself in adhering to the right path and in preventing yourself from wicked deeds. Give to and take from others what is truthful. Cooperate with me (the Imam) by means of these tasks. Seize the stupid oppressor and tie him up by bindings. Counsel the people for good and prohibit them from the evil. Learn to recognise the worth of the illustrious people. May Allah keep you and us secure and steady on the right path and keep myself and yourselves constant in abstaining from evil! From Allah I beg forgiveness for myself and also for you!  

Imam Husayn :       (Sometimes Allah) wills and intends but neither does He like nor approve (of what He wills). Allah willed that nothing should exist except what is (truthful) in terms of His knowledge. And so did He intend. Allah does not like it to be said of Him,"He is the third of the 'trinity' ."(In the same way) Allah never approved of His creatures, being guilty of infidelity.' "   

References  

1) Sermons from:  "Nahjul Balagha" (The Eloquent Manner), by: Imam Ali, 1981,

Imam Ali( A.s.) was the cousin and son-in-law of prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). He was the leader of believers and the editor of the Qur'an.

2) "Al-Kafi" , { Volume One, Al-Usul- part one,3) The book of divine unity (iii) } By: Kulayni, 1980, Publisher: World organization for Islamic services (WOFIS)

3) "The Holy Qur'an", Translated by M.H. Shakir. 

4) "Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible", by: James Strong,S.T.D.,LL.D., Riverside book and Bible house, Iowa falls,Iowa 50126                                                                          

5)  "The Meaning of the dead sea scrolls", by: A.Powell Davies, Published by Frederick Muller LTD in 1957 printed in Great Britain by Billing and sons LTD. Guild Ford and London.

* You can borrow it from your local library.                                                                

6)  "What is His name?" by Ahmed Deedat.