The concept of monotheism or tawheed is fundamental to the religious structure of Islam. 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. Monotheism in Islam does not simply mean – belief in one God, but oneness in God in all respects. No one shares in this oneness of God.

Therefore, the philosophy of Islam is explicitly that of monotheism. It is true that the Sufi system has incorporated monistic concepts. This is in fact a deviation from the original Islam, and is held by the majority of Islamic scholars to be an incorrect interpretation and not truly representative of Islam. Other presentations of Islam which figure in the books produced in the later period of Islam are also based on personal interpretations and hence do not have the status of sacred books. In Islam, only the Qur’an and Sunnah (the Prophet’s words and deeds) enjoy the status of the only authentic sources, and it is to them that we must turn if we are to have a true appreciation of the essence of the religion.

The mainstay of Islam is its monotheism — tawheed — belief in the oneness of God in the complete sense of the word. God is One and has no partner. He created all things and has complete control over the universe. We should serve Him and submit to Him alone. Though He cannot be seen, He is so close to us that He hears and answers us when we call upon Him. Indeed belief in an intermediary link with God is alien to the Islamic religious system, which is called shirk (associating others with God), it is deemed to be an unpardonable offence.

According to the Qur’an, God in Islam is not a symbol, but a reality. God is not a kind of working hypothesis on which to found a religious system. On the contrary, God in Islam is a real and independent personality. He is alive and self-sustaining, self-perpetuating. He has knowledge and takes decisions, rewards and punishes. He is the Controller and Sustainer of human history.

The chapter of the Qur’an, Al-Ikhlas (Purity) sums up in a few terse words the unity of the Godhead. Say:

God is One, the Eternal God. He begot none nor was He begotten. None is equal to Him.