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Tawhid

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tawhid is the concept of God in Islam which says that only one God exists. It says that God is unique and one and He has no equal. It also says that since the God is the only creator, there is no room for lesser Gods or deities. Any lesser gods are therefore false. Tawhid is an essential part of Islam. To become a Muslim it is necessary to accept it. The concept of Tawhid has many implications. Since God is the only power, both good and bad flow from God. So, whatever good or bad occurs to an individual, both are from God and both should be accepted by the individual. Since God is the only power worth worshipping, reliance on any other source for help is not permissible.

The Qur'an explains the nature of God in Chapter 112:

Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; None is born of Him, nor is He born; And there is no one like him.

Associating any other thing or person as being comparable to God is called shirk in Islam. This is the only sin in Islam which cannot be forgiven by God, unless a person turns repentant on Earth. The Koran can also be interpreted as telling Muslims to not follow the idea of the "trinity," the Christian concept for explaining God.[1] Since the trinity views God as being made up of three different parts, many Muslims view this as believing in more than one god (shirk). On the other hand, Christians will say that they view the trinity as making up one God, so it is not believing in more than one god.[2] The Koran also says that Jesus did not claim to be anything more than a human being, while in Christianity he is part of the trinity. According to Muslim scripture, Jesus claims to be prophet chosen by God, different from the divine status he has in Christianity.

References

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  1. Al-Faruqi, Ismail. Al Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life. International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1982, Virginia. 
  2. "Catechism of the Catholic Church - Credo Chart". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2017-12-04.