As proof of the Creator’s existence, Quran advances the fact of the very existence of the universe. All studies of the universe show it cannot be sui genesis: some other agent is essential for the universe to have come into existence. This means the choice is not between ‘a universe with God’ or ‘a universe without God’, rather it is between ‘a universe with God’, or ‘no universe at all’. Since we cannot take the latter therefore we are only left with the option of – a universe with God — a condition also necessary for the existence of human beings.

God created man and settled him on the earth. After installing him here, he has kept an unceasing watch over him. Life and death are equally in His hands. Whatever man gains or loses, it is all a matter of the will of God. As the Quran expresses it:

“God; there is no God but He the Living, the Eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. His is what the heavens and the earth contain. Who can intercede with Him, unless by His leave? He is cognizant of men’s affairs, now and in the future. Men can grasp only that part of His knowledge, which He wills. His throne is as vast as the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not weary Him. He is the Exalted, the Immense One.” (2:255).

While tawheed means the oneness of God, it must be stressed that this concept differs radically from pantheistic or animist notions that all the forms of existence are diverse manifestations of one and the same reality. On the contrary, the oneness of God as defined in Islam means there is only one Being of the nature of God. All other things of the universe, physical or non-physical, are the creations of this one God: they are in no respect constituents of, or partners in the divine godhead.

However, in Islamic theology, tawheed does have two aspects to it: tawheed fi-az-Zat and tawheed fi as-Sifat, that is, oneness of being and oneness of attributes. This means that in addition to the fact of there being only one Being who enjoys that status of divinity and possesses divine powers, there is also the fact that no one else can have a share in, or lay claim to God’s attributes. These include the power of creating and sustaining the universe with all its countless bodies in motion: in short, the governing of all the happenings in the heavens and on earth is directly managed by God. No representative or deputy of God has any power — either independent or delegated — over the events of the universe:

“He throws the veil of night over the day. Swiftly they follow one another. It was He who created the sun, the moon and the stars and made them subservient to His will. His is the creation; His is the command. Blessed be God, the Lord of all creatures.” (7:54)

The divisibility of the divine attributes is totally alien to Islam. Just as God is alone in His being, so is He alone in His attributes. In recognition of His uniqueness, the Quran opens with the following invocation:

“Praise be to God, Lord of the universe, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Sovereign of the Day of Judgment. You alone we worship, and to You alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have favoured, and not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.” (1:1-7)

The concept of God handed down to man by the Prophet is one of pure monotheism, that is “There is no god but one God.” This Prophetic concept has been briefly set forth in a short chapter of the Qur’an:

Say: He is God, the One God. The Eternal, Absolute. He does not beget nor was He begotten. And there is none equal to Him (Chapter 112)