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88-470: Humility before God is an essential value of Islam , hence Abdullah is a common name among Muslims . However, the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad 's father was Abdullah . The prophet's father died before his birth, which indicates that the name was already in use in pre-Islamic Arabia. It is also common among Mizrahi Jews , especially Iraqi Jews and Syrian Jews . The name is cognate to and has

176-685: A monist image of God by describing the reality as a unified whole, with God being a single concept that would describe or ascribe all existing things: "God is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward; God is the Knower of everything." [Qur'an 57:3 ] All Muslims have however vigorously criticized interpretations that would lead to a monist view of God for what they see as blurring the distinction between

264-458: A derivative reality created out of love and mercy by God's command, " ..."Be," and it is." and that the purpose of existence is to worship or to know God. The Qur'an states that God is transcendent over his creation. It is believed that God created everything for a divine purpose; the universe governed by fixed laws that ensure the harmonious working of all things. Everything within the universe, including inanimate objects, praises God, and

352-399: A few exceptions, agree that God is the origin of the cosmos' existence. However, there is disagreement about how God creates the cosmos and what types of causalities exist. There are three competing models. Most philosophers adhered to a theory of emanation ( fayaḍān ). Most Theologians preferred occasionalism ( iḥdāth ). The third theory, often represented in Islamic mysticism, understands

440-481: A god is both within and beyond the universe ( panentheism ); in it, but not of it; simultaneously pervading it and surpassing it. Jewish theologians, especially since the Middle Ages , have described the transcendence of God in terms of divine simplicity , explaining the traditional characteristics of God as omniscient and omnipotent . Interventions of divine transcendence occur in the form of events outside

528-649: A perfect measure (and ordained its destiny in a precise manner)." And in another verse ( 25:59 ) it is emphasized: "It is He who created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them." The Qur'an states that God is the Rabb al-'Alamin . When referring to God, the Arabic term "Rabb" is usually translated as "Lord" and can include all of the following meanings: "owner, master, ruler, controller, creator, upbringer, trainer, sustainer, nourisher, cherisher, provider, protector, guardian and caretaker." The same term, Rabb ,

616-437: A permanent cessation of Samsara. This assertion was a primary differentiator from the other Sramana teachers during Gautama Buddha 's own training and development. Alternatively, in the various forms of Buddhism—Theravada, Mahayana (especially Pure Land and Zen) and Vajrayana—the notion of transcendence sometimes includes a soteriological application. Except for Pure Land and Vajrayana, the role played by transcendent beings

704-426: A physical body and human form, and being occupied in a place, direction or trajectory. According to the teachings of Islam , God is the creator of the worlds and all the creatures therein. He has created everything in the worlds in accordance with a definite plan and for a particular purpose. There is no shortcoming or defect of any sort in any of his creations. The Qur'an confirms this in the following verses: God

792-424: A thing x from another thing x'. Therefore, God would create the universe in eternity. To further support this argument, emanationists point out against Creation ex Nihilo, that, if God were to decide to create the universe at a certain point in time, God would have a change of mind, affected by something external. Since God is the source of everything, something external could not have affected God. Theologians found

880-456: A transcendent God. Altizer concluded that God had incarnated in Christ and imparted his immanent spirit which remained in the world even though Jesus was dead. It is important that such ideas are understood as socio-cultural developments and not as ontological realities. As Vahanian expressed it in his book, the issue of the denial of God lies in the mind of secular man, not in reality. Critiquing

968-503: A vessel below. This process ultimately continued until the "light" of Godliness was sufficiently reduced to allow the world we inhabit to be sustained without breaking. The creation of this world, however, comes with the consequence that Godly transcendence is hidden, or "exiled" (from the immanent world). Only through the revelation of sparks hidden within the shards embedded in our material world can this transcendence be recognized again. In Hasidic thought, divine sparks are revealed through

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1056-582: Is 17:110 "Call upon Allah, or call upon The Merciful; whichsoever you call upon, to Allah belong the most beautiful Names," and also 59:22-24 , which includes a cluster of more than a dozen Divine epithets." Some Muslims may use different names as much as Allah , for instance "God" in English . Whether or not Allah can be considered as the personal name of God became disputed in contemporary scholarship. In earlier times, Jahm bin Safwan claimed that Allah

1144-521: Is Abdala . The Christian Arabic Bible uses the word Allah for God. Presently in the Middle East , the name is sometimes used by Christians as a given or family name. God in Islam This is an accepted version of this page In Islam , God ( Arabic : ٱللَّٰه , romanized :  Allāh , contraction of ٱلْإِلَٰه al - ’Ilāh , lit. ' the god ' ) is seen as

1232-522: Is a blessed linkage between the creator and his creation where the one creator will sustain the creation by looking after it. This relationship also signifies that since God is the sustainer, he is in need of nothing, and even as he gives, nothing is diminished from his treasury. Many Muslim communities emphasize the "transcendence of God" over local traditions and "allow...little room for mythological stories", although tales about jinn exist in all of them. Muslim theologians and philosophers, with only

1320-468: Is a name God created for himself and that names belong to the things God created. Islam's most fundamental concept is a strict monotheism called tawhid , affirming that God is one and Tanzih ( wāḥid ). The basic creed of Islam, the Shahada (recited under oath to enter the religion), involves لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ أَشْهَدُ أنَّ ( āšhadu ānnā lā ʾilāha ʾilla llāh ) , or "I testify there

1408-466: Is a state of being that has overcome the limitations of physical existence, and by some definitions, has also become independent of it. This is typically manifested in prayer , rituals , meditation , psychedelics and paranormal visions. It is affirmed in various religious traditions' concept of the divine , which contrasts with the notion of a god (or, the Absolute ) that exists exclusively in

1496-716: Is a term most often used in Sikhism to refer to God, the Supreme Being or the creator of all. It means "Wonderful Teacher" in the Punjabi language, but in this case is used to refer to the God in Sikhism . Wahi means "wonderful" (a Middle Persian borrowing) and " Guru " ( Sanskrit : गुरु ) is a term denoting "teacher". Waheguru is also described by some as an experience of ecstasy which is beyond all descriptions. Cumulatively,

1584-616: Is beyond all human concepts of him. So he has no mates and nothing is like him, nor does he beget, nor is he begotten. Nothing – neither matter, nor space, nor time – can restrict or contain him. And this is why his Attributes – his hearing, seeing, knowledge, will, power, creating, and so on – are also beyond anything we can conceive. The same sentiment is expressed in the Qur'anic verse ( 6:103 ) which states: "Vision perceives/comprehends Him not, and He perceives/comprehends (evaluates) all vision." In some interpretations, this verse also asserts that

1672-438: Is constantly changing. Because of that, everything is in a constant process of growth and decay. The prophets and the angels were also integrated into this universalistic understanding of God. According to Heydar Amuli, who also builds on Ibn Arabi's metaphysics, the angels are the representatives of God's beautiful names (and devils of the imperious names of God). Transcendence (religion) In religion , transcendence

1760-494: Is dependent, contingent, temporal, and received from beyond itself, the existence or reality of God is eternal, independent, self-sufficient, and self-existent being who needs no other being for his existence, and consequently exists by and through himself alone. The divine name al-Samad (the supremely independent, self-sufficient being endowed with all the attributes of perfection to which all else turns in need for existence, life, guidance, help, forgiveness, etc.) implies that there

1848-604: Is described and referred to in the Quran and hadith by 99 names that reflect his attributes. The Quran refers to the attributes of God as "most beautiful names". According to Gerhard Böwering , They are traditionally enumerated as 99 in number to which is added as the highest Name (al-ism al-ʾaʿẓam), the Supreme Name of God. The locus classicus for listing the Divine Names in the literature of Qurʾānic commentary

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1936-616: Is described and viewed from diverse perspectives in Hinduism . Traditions such as Advaita Vedanta , in transcendence, view God as the Nirguna Brahman (God without attributes) - the absolute. Other traditions such as Bhakti yoga , in transcendence, view God as being with attributes ( Saguna Brahman ), the Absolute being a personal deity ( Ishvara ), such as Vishnu or Shiva . Waheguru ( Punjabi : ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ , Vāhigurū )

2024-399: Is described as "knowing" and "perfect," God must know Himself perfectly and know that He is the cause of all existence. But in order to have perfect knowledge of a cause, one must also know the effect of the cause. Therefore, God knows every form of existence in past, future, and present. Based on the model of ibn Sina , God knows about the existence of x because of x, whereas humans know about

2112-454: Is either doing good so he will do more of that, or he is doing wrong so he may repent." God's omniscience is the knowledge of all things, whether they are actual or possible or whether they are past, present, or future. It also includes his knowledge of people, places, events, circumstances, etc. God has full knowledge of everything, everywhere, always and from eternity past, and he is fully aware of whatever one thinks, intends, and does, and

2200-478: Is eternal and unchanging, it is likewise self‐existent and infinite. It is self‐existent in that it is not dependent on anything, not even time . According to the Qur'an , God ( Allah ) is omniscient; he eternally knows whatever comes into being, be it universal or particular in character. He has known all things from before the creation of the world. His knowledge of things before their coming into existence and afterwards

2288-419: Is exactly the same. Hence, there is no discovery or surprise with God. Muslim theologians therefore considered that "omniscience" is a necessary and "ignorance" is an impossible property for God. Various Qur'anic verses designate this basic intuition, such as: 3:5 , 6:59 , 65:12 , and 24:35 . Muslims believe that God is the sole source of all creation, and that everything, including its creatures, are just

2376-406: Is in absolute need of Him; the one eternally and constantly required and sought, depended upon by all existence and to whom all matters will ultimately return). 3. He begets not, nor is He begotten (He is Unborn and Uncreated, has no parents, wife or offspring). 4. And there is none comparable (equal, equivalent or similar) to Him. According to Vincent J. Cornell , the Qur'an also provides

2464-469: Is in absolute need of him; the one eternally and constantly required and sought, depended upon by all existence and to whom all matters will ultimately return); he begets not, nor is he begotten (He is Unborn and Uncreated, has no parents, wife or offspring); and comparable/equal to him, there is none. God's absolute transcendence over his creation, as well as his unlimited individuality were asserted and emphasized with support from appropriate quotations from

2552-455: Is in this sense understood as a Muslim . Humans and jinn have to live voluntarily in accordance with these laws to find peace and reproduce God's benevolence in their own society to live in accordance with the nature of all things, known as surrender to God in the Islamic sense. As in the other Abrahamic religions , God is believed to be the creator of the universe. Unique to Islam , there are no intermediaries between God and people. God

2640-521: Is minimal and at most a temporary expedient. However some Buddhists believe that Nirvana is an eternal, transcendental state beyond name and form, so for these Buddhists, Nirvana is the main concept of transcendence. The more usual interpretation of Nirvana in Buddhism is that it is a cessation—a permanent absence of something (namely suffering), and therefore it is not in any way a state which could be considered transcendent. Primordial enlightenment and

2728-453: Is never portrayed in any image . The Quran specifically forbids ascribing partners to share his singular sovereignty, as he is considered to be the absolute one without a second, indivisible, and incomparable being, who is similar to nothing, and nothing is comparable to him. Thus, God is absolutely transcendent , unique and utterly other than anything in or of the world as to be beyond all forms of human thought and expression. The briefest and

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2816-409: Is nevertheless seen as conscious of his creation, with a mind, will, and purpose. Baháʼís believe that God expresses this will at all times and in many ways, including through a series of divine messengers referred to as Manifestations of God or sometimes divine educators . In expressing God's intent, these manifestations are seen to establish religion in the world. Baháʼí teachings state that God

2904-577: Is no deity other than God." Though Muslims believe Jesus to be a prophet, the Trinity and divinity doctrine of Christendom concerning Jesus is rejected and often compared to polytheism . Tawhid constitutes the foremost article of the Muslim profession. The deification or worship of anyone or anything other than God ( shirk ) is the greatest sin in Islam. The entirety of the Islamic teaching rests on

2992-429: Is not part of the universe (i.e. there is no incarnation of God, no "Son of God", etc.) but a power behind all aspects of the universe, only knowable through his creation, signs in nature, metaphorical stories of the prophets, and communicating with his creation via revelations given to prophets . The Qur'an in particular is believed by Muslims to be the verbatim word of God as revealed to Muhammad . Hadith are

3080-527: Is not the enemy of anyone (Nirvair), is beyond time (Akaal), has no image (Murat), is beyond birth and death circulation (Ajunee), is self-existent (Sai Bhang) and possesses the grace of word guru (eternal light) we can meet him (Gurprasaad). Sikhs do not identify a gender for Ek Onkar, nor do they believe it takes a human form. In the Sikh tradition, all human beings are considered equal regardless of their religion, sex, or race. All are sons and daughters of Waheguru,

3168-499: Is realized, "the slave remains the slave, and the Lord remains the Lord". The Qur'an affirms that God does not stand in need of anything outside him, and nothing external to him can affect or influence him in any way. All his creatures are responsible to him and dependent on him. There is no other being to whom he can be responsible or on whom he can be dependent. He has the right to do whatever he wants with his possessions/creatures – it

3256-539: Is related to El and Elah , the Hebrew and Aramaic words for God. It is distinguished from ʾilāh ( Arabic : إِلَٰه ), the Arabic word meaning deity , which could refer to any of the gods worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia or to any other deity. Allah is God's most unique Name, grandly referred to as Lafẓ al-Jalālah (The Word of Majesty). It occurs in the Qur’an 2,697 times in 85 of its 114 suras . God

3344-582: Is shared by none other. To those who do not believe in the Hereafter applies the most evil of attributes, and to God applies the most sublime attribute, and He is the All-Glorious with irresistible might, the All-Wise. Such as that described in the previous three verses ( 16:57-59 ). For the disbelievers in the Hereafter, there is an evil description, or in other words, the most evil attribute (i.e.,

3432-598: Is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian (with power of disposition) over all things. Surely, We have created each and every thing by (precise) measure. Do those who disbelieve ever consider that the heavens and the earth were at first one piece, and then We parted them as separate entities; and that We have made every living thing from water? Will they still not come to believe? The Qur'an also says in verse ( 25:2 ): "and He has created everything and designed it in

3520-536: Is the act of believing and affirming that God (Arabic: Allah ) is one and unique ( wāḥid ). The Qur'an asserts the existence of a single and absolute truth that transcends the world; a unique and indivisible being who is independent of the entire creation. According to the Qur'an, as mentioned in Surat al-Ikhlas : 1. Say: He, Allah, is Ahad (the Unique One of Absolute Oneness, who is indivisible in nature, who

3608-428: Is the aspect of existence that is completely independent of the material universe , beyond all known physical laws . This is related to the nature and power of deities as well as other spiritual or supernatural beings and forces. This is contrasted with immanence , where a god is said to be fully present in the physical world and thus accessible to creatures in various ways. In religious experience , transcendence

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3696-549: Is the only unpardonable sin mentioned in the Qur'an. Muslims believe that the entirety of the Islamic teaching rests on the principle of Tawhid. The Baháʼí Faith believes in a single , imperishable god , the creator of all things, including all the creatures and forces in the universe. In the Baháʼí tradition, god is described as "a personal god, unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, and almighty." Though inaccessible directly, God

3784-406: Is too great for humans to fully comprehend, nor to create a complete and accurate image. In Buddhism , "transcendence", by definition, belongs to the mortal beings of the formless realms of existence. However, although such beings are at 'the peak' of Samsara , Buddhism considers the development of transcendence to be both temporary and a spiritual cul-de-sac which, therefore, does not eventuate

3872-405: Is under God's own total sovereignty. Accordingly, he is not answerable for his actions, due to his wisdom and justice, greatness and uniqueness of Divinity , while all others (jinn, humans, or false deities) are accountable for what they do (and don't do), as God says in the Qur'an: "He shall not be questioned about what He does, but they shall be questioned." While the existence of the creation

3960-748: Is unique in His essence, attributes, names and acts, the One who has no second, no associate, no parents, no offspring, no peers, free from the concept of multiplicity , and far from conceptualization and limitation, and there is nothing like Him in any respect). 2. Allah is al-Samad (the Ultimate Source of all existence, the uncaused cause who created all things out of nothing, who is eternal, absolute, immutable, perfect, complete, essential, independent, and self-sufficient; Who does not need to eat or drink, sleep or rest; Who needs nothing while all of creation

4048-534: Is used in a limited sense for humans as in the "head" of the family, "master" of the house, or "owner" of the land or cattle. The Arabic word "al-'Alamin" can be translated as the "Worlds" or "Universes". There are many worlds, astronomical and physical worlds, worlds of thought, spiritual worlds, everything in existence including angels, jinn, devils, humans, animals, plants, and so on. The "Worlds" may also be taken to refer to different domains or kingdoms within this earthly world, or other worlds beyond this earth. Thus,

4136-465: Is utterly unlike human beings." Al-Tahawi also stated that: "He is exalted/transcendent beyond having limits, ends, organs, limbs and parts (literally: tools). The six directions do not encompass/contain Him like the rest of created things." The six directions are: above, below, right, left, front and back. The above statement of al-Tahawi refutes the anthropomorphist 's dogmas that imagine Allah has

4224-533: The creator and sustainer of the universe, who lives eternally and will eventually resurrect all humans . God is conceived as a perfect, singular , immortal, omnipotent , and omniscient god, completely infinite in all of his attributes . Islam further emphasizes that God is most merciful. The Islamic concept of God is variously described as monotheistic , panentheistic , and monistic . In Islamic theology , anthropomorphism ( tashbīh ) and corporealism ( tajsīm ) refer to beliefs in

4312-477: The yogī , by practice of yoga, disciplines his mental activities and becomes situated in transcendence — devoid of all material desires — he is said to be well established in yoga. The exact nature of this transcendence is given as being "above the modes of material nature", which are known as gunas (ropes) that bind the living entity to the world of samsara (karmic cycle) in Hindu philosophy. Transcendence

4400-423: The "breaking of the vessels," filtering was necessary because otherwise this intense, simple essence would have overwhelmed and made impossible the emergence of any distinct creations. Each filter, described as a vessel, captured the emanation of this creative force until it was overwhelmed and broken by the intensity of God's simple essence. Once broken, the vessel's shards, full of absorbed "divine sparks," fell into

4488-491: The Almighty. In 1961, Christian theologian Gabriel Vahanian published The Death of God . Vahanian argued that modern secular culture had lost all sense of the sacred, lacking any sacramental meaning, no transcendental purpose or sense of providence. He concluded that for the modern secular mind "God is dead", but he did not mean that God did not exist. In Vahanian's vision a transformed post-Christian and post-modern culture

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4576-405: The Christ of faith would be open in a church-community. Thomas J. J. Altizer offered a radical theology of the death of God that drew upon William Blake , Hegelian thought and Nietzschean ideas. He conceived of theology as a form of poetry in which the immanence (presence) of God could be encountered in faith communities. However, he no longer accepted the possibility of affirming his belief in

4664-480: The Last. He is not a formed body, nor a substance circumscribed with limits or determined by measure; neither does he resemble bodies as they are capable of being measured or divided. Neither do substances exist in him; neither is he an accident, nor do accidents exist in him. Neither is he like to anything that exists, nor is anything like to him; nor is he determinate in quantity, nor comprehended by bounds, nor circumscribed by differences of situation, nor contained in

4752-463: The Lord, the first one was brought distinctly and prominently into the devotional system by Guru Nanak, who has made use of this interjection, as in Majh ki Var (stanza 24), and Suhi ki Var , shloka to pauri 10. Sikh doctrine identifies one panentheistic god ( Ik Onkar ) who is omnipresent and has infinite qualities, whose name is true ( Satnam ), is the Creator (Karta Purkh), has no fear (Nirb hau),

4840-401: The Qur'an as follows: (He is) the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them; so worship Him alone, and be constant and patient in His worship. Do you know of any whose name is worthy to be mentioned along with His (as Deity and Lord to worship)? The Qur'anic verse ( 19:65 ), "Do you know of any that can be named with His Name?" emphasizes that as Allah is Unique, His name

4928-458: The Qur'an states: "And when (O Messenger) My servants ask you about Me, then surely I am near: I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he prays to Me." Therefore, according to this verse, God answers all the prayers done sincerely. However, he answers sometimes by giving whatever is asked for, sometimes by giving what is better, sometimes by postponing giving to the afterlife, and sometimes by not giving at all, since it will not turn out in favor of

5016-677: The Qur'anic expression Rabb al-'Alamin really means the "Creator of the Worlds", the "Ruler of the Universes", the "Creator and Sustainer of all the peoples and Universes". The most commonly used names in the primary sources are Al-Rahman , meaning "Most Compassionate" and Al-Rahim , meaning "Most Merciful". The former compasses the whole creation, therefore applying to God's mercy in that it gives every necessary condition to make life possible. The latter applies to God's mercy in that it gives favor for good deeds. Thus Al-Rahman includes both

5104-503: The absolute uniqueness and singularity of God in his essence, attributes, qualities, and acts. As stated in Surat al-Ikhlas : God is Ahad (the unique one of absolute oneness, who is indivisible in nature, and there can be no other like him); God is As-Samad (the ultimate source of all existence, the uncaused cause who created all things out of nothing, who is eternal, absolute, immutable, perfect, complete, essential, independent, and self-sufficient; who needs nothing while all of creation

5192-636: The believers and the unbelievers, but Al-Rahim only the believers. God is said to love forgiving, with a hadith stating God would replace a sinless people with one who sinned but still asked repentance. God's mercy, according to Islamic theology, is what gets a person into paradise. According to a hadith in Sahih Al Bukhari "No one's deeds will ever admit him to Paradise." They said, "Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "No, not even me unless Allah showers me with His Mercy. So try to be near to perfection. And no one should wish for death; he

5280-458: The challenge of "human modes of expression" in attempting to describe the infinite. St. Augustine observed "...[I]t is only by the use of such human expressions that Scripture can make its many kinds of readers whom it wants to help to feel, as it were, at home." The "sense of transcendence" and therefore, an awareness of the "sacred", is an important component of the liturgy. Thus, God is recognized as both transcendent and immanent . Tawhid

5368-415: The creator and the creature, and its incompatibility with the radical monotheism of Islam. In order to explain the complexity of unity of God and of the divine nature, the Qur'an uses 99 terms referred to as "Most Beautiful Names of Allah" (Sura 7:180)[12]. Aside from the supreme name "Allah" and the neologism al-Rahman (referring to the divine beneficence that constantly (re)creates, maintains and destroys

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5456-494: The death of God theology, Joseph Papin, the founder of the Villanova Theology Institute, noted: "Rumbles of the new theology of the 'Requiem for God," (theologians of the death of God) proved to be a totally inadequate foundation for spanning a theological river with a bridge. The school of the theology of the "Requiem of God," not even implementing a "Requiem for Satan," will constitute only a footnote to

5544-468: The dharma are sometimes portrayed as transcendent, since they can surpass all samsaric obstructions. In the Bhagavad Gita , transcendence is described as a level of spiritual attainment, or a state of being open to all spiritual aspirants (the end goal of yoga practice). In this state one is no longer under the control of any materialistic desires and is aware of a higher spiritual reality. When

5632-582: The earth (each with particular features and on ordered principles): He has made for you, from your selves, mates, and from the cattle mates (of their own kind): by this means He multiplies you (and the cattle). There is nothing whatever like Him. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. The Qur'anic verse ( 42:11 ) emphasizes that there is no similarity whatsoever between the creator and his creation in essence, in attributes or in actions, and therefore, God

5720-410: The emanation theory to be unconvincing, because the theory equates God to much with nature, by that, restricting God's freedom. Instead, they propose, God created the world from nothing at a certain point t in time. In response to the emanationists' objection, that for Creation ex Nihilo, a change in the will of God would be required, al-Ghazali explains that God has willed from all eternity, to create

5808-523: The heavens, and transcends spatial and temporal bounds, and remains beyond the bounds of human comprehension and perceptions. Allāh is the Arabic word referring to God in Abrahamic religions . In the English language , the word generally refers to God in Islam. The Arabic word Allāh is thought to be derived by contraction from al - ʾilāh , which means "the god", (i.e., the only god) and

5896-403: The highest attribute, namely, that there is no deity except him, immensely exalted beyond and above all comparison and likeness. So, do not invent similitudes for God (do not liken Him to others to associate partners with Him, for there is nothing similar to Him). Surely God knows and you do not know (the exact truth about Him and the exact nature of things). The Originator of the heavens and

5984-462: The history of theology. . . . 'The Grave of God,' was the death rattle for the continuancy of the aforementioned school without any noticeable echo." Professor Piet Schoonenberg (Nijmegen, Netherlands) directly critiqued Altizer concluding: "Rightly understood the transcendence of God does not exclude His immanence, but includes it." Schoonenberg went on to say: "We must take God's transcendence seriously by not imposing any limits whatsoever, not even

6072-437: The human-like ( anthropomorphic ) and materially embedded (corporeal) form of God, an idea that has been classically described assimilating or comparing God to the creatures created by God. By contrast, belief in the transcendence of God is called tanzih , which also rejects notions of incarnation and a personal god . Tanzih is widely accepted in Islam today, although it stridently competed for orthodox status until

6160-461: The most comprehensive description of God in the Quran is found in Surat al-Ikhlas . According to mainstream Muslim theologians , God is described as Qadim  [ ar ] ('ancient'), having no first, without beginning or end; absolute, not limited by time or place or circumstance, nor is subject to any decree so as to be determined by any precise limits or set times, but is the First and

6248-432: The most vile), which is their ignorance and ingratitude, and their burying alive of newborn girls , despite the fact that they are needed for the purposes of marriage and not allowing women to even inherit property, and their ascribing female gender to angels and claiming that the angels are the daughters of God while so preferring sons for themselves (this is also mentioned in the verses 37:149-155 ); whereas to God belong

6336-473: The name implies wonder at the Divine Light eliminating spiritual darkness. It might also imply, "Hail the Lord whose name eliminates spiritual darkness." Earlier, Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh , Sikhan di Bhagat Mala , gave a similar explication, also on the authority of Guru Nanak . Considering the two constituents of "Vahiguru" ("vahi" + "guru") implying the state of wondrous ecstasy and offering of homage to

6424-464: The one who prays. The way that God answers a prayer depends on his wisdom. Al-Bukhari , in his Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī , narrates a hadith qudsi that God says, "I am as My servant thinks (expects) I am." When Sufis claim union with God, it is not that they become one in essence, rather the will of the Sufi is fully congruent to God. The Sufis are in fact careful to say, no matter what degree of union

6512-462: The performance of commandments or " mitzvot ," (literally, the obligations and prohibitions described in the Torah ). A Kabbalistic explanation for the existence of malevolence in the world is that such terrible things are possible with the divine sparks being hidden. Thus there is some urgency to performing mitzvot in order to liberate the hidden sparks and perform a " tikkun olam " (literally, healing of

6600-468: The physical order ( immanentism ), or is indistinguishable from it ( pantheism ). Transcendence can be attributed in knowledge as well as or instead of its being. Thus, an entity may transcend both the universe and knowledge (is beyond the grasp of the human mind). Although transcendence is defined as the opposite of immanence , the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive . Some theologians and metaphysicians of various religious traditions affirm that

6688-403: The principle of Tawhid. Associating partners in divinity of God is known as shirk and is the antithesis of Tawhid. Although the term is usually translated as "polytheism" into English, the sin is thought to be more complex. The translation 'associating [with God]' has been suggested instead. The term includes denial of attributing any form of divinity to any other thing but God. This includes

6776-663: The realm of natural occurrence such as miracles and the revelation of the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai . In Jewish Kabbalistic cosmology , God is described as the " Ein Sof " (literally, without end) as reference to God's divine simplicity and essential unknowability. The emanation of creation from the Ein Sof is explained through a process of filtering. In the Kabbalistic creation myth referred to as

6864-644: The records of Muhammad's sayings and example, and Hadith Qudsi is a sub-category of hadith, which Muslims regard as the words of God repeated by Muhammad . According to al-Sharif al-Jurjani (d. 816/1413), the Hadith Qudsi differ from the Qur'an in that the former are "expressed in Muhammad's words", whereas the latter are the "direct words of God". Thus, Muslims address/contact God directly in their prayers, supplications and dhikr , and also seek forgiveness and repentance from sins directly from God, as

6952-400: The reins of all things and events are in his power. He knows whatever happens in the universe, down to the fall of a leaf, and he knows all the deeds, thoughts, and intentions of humankind. His appointed angels record these, and people will be called to account for these acts in the other world. His knowledge is eternal in the sense of being timeless, i.e., atemporal. So, since God's knowledge

7040-699: The same meaning as the Hebrew Abdiel and, more commonly, Obadiah . There were two Jewish rabbis in Medina before Islam came; they were Abdullah ibn Salam and Abdullah ibn Shuria. Abdullah ibn Saba was a Yemenite Jew during the spread of Islam. The variant used in the Russian language is " Абдулла́ " ( Abdulla ) (cf. Fedul , which has similar origins), with " Абду́л " ( Abdul ) and " Габдулла́ " ( Gabdulla ) often used in Adyghe . The Spanish variant

7128-548: The self by elevating oneself above others and associating attributes of God with a created being. According to Vincent J. Cornell, the Quran also provides a monist image of God by describing the reality as a unified whole, with God being a single concept that would describe or ascribe all existing things: "He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things." Islam emphasises

7216-541: The senses and intellects cannot fully comprehend God. Likewise, the Qur'an also says: "whereas they cannot comprehend Him with their knowledge." The Hanafi jurist and theologian, al-Tahawi (d. 321/933), wrote in his treatise on theology, commonly known as al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya : "Whoever describes Allah even with a single human quality/attribute, has disbelieved/ blasphemed . So whoever understands this, will take heed and refrain from such statements as those of disbelievers, and knows that Allah in His attributes

7304-518: The tenth century, especially during the Mihna . In premodern times, corporealist views were said to have been more socially prominent among the common people, with more abstract and transcendental views more common for the elite. The Islamic concept of tawhid (oneness) emphasises that God is absolutely pure and free from association with other beings , which means attributing the powers and qualities of God to his creation, and vice versa. In Islam, God

7392-411: The universe), other names may be shared by both God and human beings. According to the Islamic teachings, the latter is meant to serve as a reminder of God's immanence rather than being a sign of one's divinity or alternatively imposing a limitation on God's transcendent nature. Tawhid or Oneness of God constitutes the foremost article of the Muslim profession. To attribute divinity to a created entity

7480-403: The world as the manifestation of a single reality ( maẓhir ). The emanation theory states that 1) the universe has emanated from God since eternity 2) there is a causal mediation between the lower and the higher things (i.e. the lower things do not come directly from God, but from the higher things). God is considered the only necessary existence, the rest of creation as contingent . Since God

7568-487: The world at a certain time t . Additionally, God would not only have created the universe at a time t , but also continues to create the universe in any following moment. A variant of the theory of the manifestation of a single reality can be found particularly in Mulla Sadra , who was inspired by Muhyī d-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī. According to Mulla Ṣadra, only God is eternal and perfect, the universe, including its inhabitants,

7656-534: The world). Until then, the world is presided over by the immanent aspect of God, often referred to as the Shekhinah or divine spirit, and in feminine terms. The Catholic Church , as do other Christian denominations , holds that God transcends all creation. According to Aquinas , "concerning God, we cannot grasp what he is, but only what he is not, and how other beings stand in relation to him." Anthropomorphic depictions of God are largely metaphorical and reflect

7744-437: Was needed to create a renewed experience of deity. Paul Van Buren and William Hamilton both agreed that the concept of transcendence had lost any meaningful place in modern secular thought. According to the norms of contemporary modern secular thought, God is dead. In responding to this denial of transcendence Van Buren and Hamilton offered secular people the option of Jesus as the model human who acted in love. The encounter with

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