Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | THE NATURE OF GOD AND FAITHThen follows a verse that summarizes, in powerful and succinct Words, the basicprinciples of the Islamic faith, citing those attributes of God that most aptly assert themeaning and significance of the basic Islamic principle of tawĥīd: the oneness of God.“God: there is no deity but Him, the Ever-Living, the Eternal Master of all. Neither slumbernor sleep overtakes Him. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is therethat can intercede with Him, except by His permission? He knows all that lies open beforethem and all that lies hidden from them; whereas they cannot attain to anything of Hisknowledge save as He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and thepreservation of both does not weary Him. He is the Most High, the Most Great.” (Verse 255)Every one of these attributes reflects a fundamental aspect of the universal Islamicview of the world. Although the subject matter of this verse would normally beexpected to fall within the themes of the Qur’ānic parts received by the Prophet inMakkah, we do find that on several occasions, parts received in Madinah also coverthese most important aspects of Islam. For the overall Islamic system to beunderstood and appreciated, the fundamentals have to be established and firmlyimplanted in the minds of the believers.In our commentary on Sūrah al-Fātiĥah, we pointed out the crucial importance ofclearly and fully appreciating the significance of God’s attributes. The religious anddoctrinal confusion preceding the advent of Islam was almost entirely due tomisinterpretation or distortion of God’s position and attributes. Not until Islam hadpresented its clear view were the concept and identity of God distinguished frommyth and superstition and from the blurred philosophical polemics that hadenshrouded them.The sūrah most clearly and unequivocally states: “God: there is no deity but Him...“This statement clearly and definitively distinguishes the Islamic concept of God fromthat of the Trinity, adopted and advanced by Christian church councils long afterJesus, and from the pagan beliefs of the ancient Egyptians who confused God withthe sun and recognized the existence of lesser gods beside Him.’This clear and uncompromising concept is the foundation of Islamic belief and ofthe whole Islamic system of life. It defines the object of worship and submission forall, so that man submits to none other than God, who alone should be worshipped,obeyed and revered. It gives rise to the principle that God alone should be the sourceof law and legislation for human life on this earth. The laws and rules that peoplemay lay down should derive from those that God has laid down. This would in turnimply that values and concepts originate with God and that all ethics, traditions andmoral systems must be judged in relation to them.The verse describes God as “the Ever-Living, the Eternal Master of all”. This implies aself-generating, self-sustaining being that is unique and independent of everythingelse. It is also a being without a beginning or an end, totally outside the dimension of343