Tawhid and the Nature of God

The belief everything fits around

Tawhid is usually translated as the oneness of God, and students often learn it as the first item in a list. It is better understood as the belief every other belief has to fit around. Muslims believe that God is one, with no partner and nothing comparable to God. Once that is fixed, everything else has to be worded so as not to disturb it. The characteristics Muslims give to God are stated in ways that keep the oneness intact. Angels are held to be created beings, not lesser gods. If you can say WHY a belief is worded as it is, rather than only what it says, you are answering at the top band.

Words for the oneness of God

Six terms used throughout this topic. Each describes what Muslims believe rather than making a claim.

What Tawhid means

Which of these best expresses what Muslims mean by Tawhid?

• That God is one, with no partner and nothing comparable to God
• That Muslims worship one God rather than several, unlike some other traditions
• That God has sent one final prophet whose message completes the earlier ones
• That all Muslims should remain united as a single worldwide community

Characteristic to meaning

Near and beyond at once

Immanence and transcendence sound as though they cannot both be true, and that impression is the thing to clear up. Muslims hold both, and an answer that presents them as alternatives has misunderstood the belief.

What would contradict it

Select the TWO statements that Muslims would regard as contradicting Tawhid.

• That God shares power with another being who acts independently
• That something created could be treated as comparable to God
• That God is both merciful and just at the same time
• That God is beyond being fully understood by human beings

Why the wording is careful

Look at how each belief in this topic is phrased and you will notice the same care. God is described as having no partner, rather than simply as the only one worshipped. Angels are described as created beings who carry out what God commands, rather than as powers of their own. Nothing created is described as comparable to God. None of this is accidental. Each phrasing is chosen so that the oneness is not disturbed, and an answer that explains that connection is doing more than repeating a definition.

Angels and the decree

The nature of God, in a paragraph

Muslims believe that God is one, with no partner and nothing comparable, and this belief is called _____. Associating anything with God as a partner is _____, which Muslims regard as the gravest error. God is held to be all-powerful, which is described as _____, and also all-good towards creation. Muslims believe God is present and at work within the world, which is _____, while also being beyond the world and beyond full human understanding, which is _____. Both are held together rather than chosen between.

Order the answer

These five sentences form one paragraph explaining what Muslims believe about the nature of God. Put them into the order that works.

• Muslims believe that God is one, with no partner and nothing comparable to God.
• This belief, called Tawhid, shapes how every other belief about God is expressed.
• God is held to be all-powerful and all-good, and also merciful and just towards people.
• Muslims believe God is present and at work in the world, and beyond it at the same time.
• Because nothing created is held to be comparable, none of these descriptions divides God.

An answer, marked

Question: explain Muslim beliefs about the nature of God. Model answer: Muslims believe that God is one, with no partner and nothing comparable to God, a belief known as Tawhid. This belief shapes how everything else about God is expressed. Muslims describe God as omnipotent, meaning all-powerful, and as beneficent, meaning good and generous towards creation. God is also held to be merciful towards those who turn back to God, and just, meaning that every person will be treated fairly. Muslims believe God is immanent, present and at work in the world, and at the same time transcendent, beyond the world and beyond full human understanding. These are held together rather than chosen between, because nothing said about God is allowed to suggest that God is divided or has a partner. Notice two things. Every sentence says what Muslims believe rather than stating it as fact, and the last sentence explains WHY the beliefs are worded as they are, which is what lifts an answer above a list.

What Muslims believe about angels

Which statement best reflects what Muslims believe about angels?

• They are created beings who carry out what God commands
• They are lesser gods who share some of the power that God holds
• They are righteous people who have been rewarded after their death
• They are a way of speaking about good actions rather than real beings

Which sentence contradicts Tawhid

Three of these sentences state Muslim beliefs accurately. Select the ONE that would contradict Tawhid.

• Muslims believe God is beyond full human understanding.
• Muslims believe angels act only on what God commands them.
• God shares authority over creation with a second being of equal power.
• Muslims believe God is merciful towards those who turn back to God.

Which belief is at issue

Each item below is about one of the beliefs in this topic. Identify which, as an analyst would, without deciding whether it is true.

• A student writes that Muslims believe nothing created can be compared to God. Which belief is this expressing?
• Another student writes that because God knows all things, what happens has already been decreed. Which belief is that?
• A student says immanence and transcendence cannot both be held, so Muslims must choose. What is the problem with that?
• An exam question asks you to explain Muslim beliefs about God. What lifts an answer to the top band?

Explain the oneness of God

Explain what Muslims believe about the nature of God, and why Tawhid shapes the way those beliefs are expressed.

• State what Muslims mean by Tawhid, in a sentence that attributes the belief rather than asserting it
• Explain two characteristics Muslims give to God, saying what each one means
• Explain why immanence and transcendence are held together rather than chosen between
• State what Muslims believe angels are, and why that belief keeps the oneness of God intact
• Explain how al-Qadr follows from what Muslims believe about God knowing all things
• Finish by explaining why the wording of these beliefs is careful, using Tawhid to explain it