THE declaration that ‘there is no god but God’ is the essence of Islam. It means that God has no partner. He exists by Himself. This is expressed by the Arabic word Tawheed, ‘oneness’ and ‘unity’, which in the Islamic context means ‘the oneness of God’. Nothing can rival God as a source of power or love. He is not an abstract concept. He is always near us; He cares for us, and we owe our existence to Him alone.

Islam establishes a close and direct relationship between the Creator and His creation, in which no mediating power plays any role. God’s absolute unity is reflected in the unity of His creation, in which each individual part is in harmonious conjunction with all of the others. There is nothing remotely like Him. The Quran thus enjoins us:

Say, ‘He is God, the One, God, the Self- sufficient One. He does not give birth, nor was He born, and there is nothing like Him.’ (112: 1-4)

God alone is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, including human beings. He is the sole possessor of powers. He is Omniscient and Omnipotent. That is, although invisible to the naked eye, He knows everything, He sees everything, He has full control over everything.

Monotheism (Tawheed in Arabic) is the doctrine that all power lies in the hands of one God alone; that He alone deserves to be worshipped. It is God alone who fulfills our needs. It is God alone who is behind the functioning of the entire universe.

Here are further verses from the Quran which very clearly state the concept of God:

“Truly your God is but one: Lord of the heavens and of the earth.” (37: 4)

“This is God your Lord; there is no God but He, the Creator of all things; therefore, worship Him alone”. (6: 102)

“Your God is one God; there is no God but He, the Compassionate, the Merciful”. (2: 163)