Do Muslims Worship the Same God as Jews and Christians?

Introduction

Islam emphasizes a meticulous preservation of the concept of divinity, distinct from the interpretations found in Jewish and Christian traditions. In the Jewish narrative, God is often portrayed with manlike (anthropomorphic) qualities, displaying human-like physical attributes, emotions, and even moral flaws. This depiction includes actions and behaviors that are typically human, such as eating, drinking, expressing sorrow, and engaging in acts that raise moral questions.

Christian theology further anthropomorphizes the divine, portraying God as fully embracing human existence, encompassing all aspects of human life including eating, sleeping, experiencing pain, and ultimately undergoing crucifixion. Christian literature frequently utilizes terms such as "God the Father," "God the Son," "Mary, the Mother of God," and references to a suffering or crucified deity. In juxtaposing these viewpoints, Islam stringently upholds the sanctity of the divine through the tenet of al-Tawhid. This doctrine proclaims the existence of God as an unrivaled, singular entity, transcending earthly comparisons and human characteristics. Islamic theology portrays God as entirely distinct, with an essence, actions, names, and attributes that are peerless, thereby enforcing a rigorous distinction from any human or terrestrial analogies. The Quranic maxim, “There is nothing like unto him,” encapsulates this concept.

God’s otherworldly distinction and grandeur segregate Him from His creations. The Creator and the created are inherently dissimilar, with no possibility of identity, resemblance, or equivalence. God remains the ultimate authority, while creations are perpetually subordinate. This unequivocal demarcation between the Creator and the created is crucial for fostering a relationship imbued with awe, reverence, love, and fear, necessary for a wholesome dynamic between the lawgiver and the law-abiding subjects. Adherence to moral edicts, such as prohibitions against killing, lying, and adultery, requires self-discipline and the regulation of base desires and urges. A profound awareness of the divine’s presence, love, awe, power, and accountability is vital to conform to these moral directives and uphold Taqwa (piety). Depictions of God with human form, emotions, moral shortcomings, and limitations render Him deficient and diminish the requisite awe, respect, love, and fear essential for moral obedience and transformation. Questions arise about the reliability of a deity who, in human form, suffers and cannot defend against oppression, or during periods of perceived inactivity. If humanity can physically overpower the divine, as in certain narratives, then fear, respect, and obedience towards divine authority and laws diminish. This leads to a disregard for divine mandates regarding chastity, modesty, and fidelity, resulting in indulgence in hedonistic pursuits to satisfy carnal desires. A transcendent, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God is imperative for a morally upright and pious life. Hence, Islam approaches its well-defined, systematically structured, and meticulously protected concept of God with considerable caution and sensitivity. The Qur’an seeks to reform and correct what it views as the Judeo-Christian deviations concerning the divine’s otherworldliness, uniqueness, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, absolute names, unparalleled attributes, and supreme authority and power. This method aims to rectify perceived excesses in the Judeo-Christian depiction of the divine regarding His being, actions, attributes, names, and authority, thereby reaffirming God's transcendence and singularity.

We have already discussed several passages of the Qur’an in previous pots that give detailed description of the concept of tawhid in Islamic Scripture without alluding to the aforementioned categories. Here we will expand upon these three aspects of tawhid and what they imply to demonstrate how meticulously the Qur’an has explained and safeguarded the absolute monotheism and divine transcendence of God, and how such an elaborated and transcendental concept of the Deity differs from other faith traditions.

1: Tawhid al-Rububiyyah or Oneness of Lordship: This kind of tawhid means to accept Almighty God as the only Rabb. The word Rabb combines two senses; that of fostering, bringing up, or nourishing, and that of regulating, completing, and accomplishing. The word Rabb signifies fostering of a thing in various stages and conditions until it attains perfection. The modern Quranic exegete Mawdudi quotes many examples from Arabic literature to conclude that the word Rabb entails the following meanings:

“1. One who brings up, rears, fosters or nourishes, or is responsible for doing all or one or more than one of these

2. Guardian, patron; one who supervises or is responsible for carrying out improvements

3. One who occupies a central or focal position, who himself gathers people around himself of his own or around whom people gather of themselves

4. Leader, head, chief, or lord; one whose word is obeyed, and whose supremacy or lordship acknowledged, and who has authority to dispose of men or things

5. Owner and master

The Qur’an has used the word Rabb in all these five senses.

Tawhid al-Rububiyyah, then, means to accept Almighty God not only as the Creator but also the only Sustainer, the Nourisher, the Lord, the Master, the Sovereign, the Supreme authority and the Lawgiver. Therefore, when a Muslim is asked to affirm that, “There is no Deity but One God”, he is being asked to state that there is no other Creator and Sustainer of the universe, no other Ruler nor Law-Giver, no other Reality that can harm or benefit, give or withhold, cause life or death, except with the permission of God Almighty. He creates and sustains creation out of His mercy, without any need for it. Nobody can challenge His sovereignty. He is an exalted Lord who is not accountable to anyone, while everybody else is accountable to Him, “He cannot be questioned for His acts, but they will be questioned (for theirs)” (21:23).

Prevalence of Tawhid al-Rububiyyah

The passages expressing Tawhid al-Rububiyyah prevail throughout the Qur’an with the first Qur’anic revelation itself containing the very core of Tawhid al-Rububiyyah: “Read in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created, created man, out of a clot: Proclaim! and thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He Who taught (the use of) the Pen, taught man that which he knew not” (96:1–5).

The first chapter of the Qur’an, called al-Fatihah, starts with the same message: “Praise be to Allah the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds: Most Gracious, Most Merciful” (1:2–3). The formula “Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds”, occurs 41 times in the Qur’an in addition to its mention in Surah al-Fatihah: “Say: “Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: No partner hath He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who submit to His Will. Say: “Shall I seek for (my) Lord other than Allah. When He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)?” (6:162– 64) “Your Guardian Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then He settled Himself on the Throne: He draweth the night as a veil over the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: and the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) are subservient by His Command. Verily His are the creation and the Command, Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds! (7:54)

Ibn Kathir

Ibn Kathir, drawing from sources such as Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, along with al-Shawkani's narration from Ibn Abi Hatim, interprets the six days mentioned in Qur'an 7:54 not as ordinary earthly days, but as periods defined by a divine timescale, where each "day" equates to a thousand years by human calculation. This interpretation is supported by the Qur'anic verse in 22:47, which states, "A Day in the sight of thy Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning." Both Ibn Kathir and al-Shawkani view this verse as emphasizing the complete dominion, supreme power, and absolute sovereignty of Almighty God, underscoring His exclusive right to govern and dispose of matters as He wills.

The main thrust of the verse is that God after creating the universe did not detach Himself from nor become indifferent to His creation. He effectively rules over the universe as a whole as well as every part of it. All power and sovereignty rest with Him. The universe is not on autopilot as some scientists seem to suggest. It is actively governed and administered by God Almighty. The verse dispels misconceptions of absolute human or cosmic autonomy, independent, automatic evolution and self-governance. Two suppositions come into play when God is divorced from the cosmos. Firstly, beings other than God are considered to have the power to make or mar man’s destiny. Man is bound to turn to these beings in devotion and subservience. The second possibility is for man to consider himself the master of his own destiny. In this case man considers himself independent of and indifferent to any higher being. The vocabulary employed in the verse denotes divine kingship, dominion and sovereignty to dispel these suppositions. The absolute unity and transcendence of God is maintained with regard to authority and sovereignty.

So prevalent is the concept of God’s absolute Sovereignty and Lordship in the Qur’an, so much the focal point, that no reader of the Qur’an can miss it: “Whatever is in the heavens and on earth, declares the Praises and Glory of Allah: for He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: it is He Who gives Life and Death; and He has Power over all things. He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Hidden: and Has full knowledge of all things. He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then He established Himself on the Throne. He knows what enters within the earth and what comes forth out of it, what comes down from heaven and what mounts up to it. And He is with you wheresoever ye may be. And Allah sees well all that ye do. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: and all affairs go back to Allah. He merges Night into Day, and He merges Day into Night; and He has full knowledge of the secrets of (all) hearts. (57:1–6)

2: Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (The Unity of Worship or 'ibadah): To accept and believe that there is no Ilah (deity) other than God Almighty and to worship Him alone is the core of Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah. As mentioned earlier, the word al-Ilah in the Arabic language means the one who is al-ma’luh meaning al-ma¢bud (worshipped.) Worship or al-ibadah means utmost humbleness, extreme self-abasement, humility, submission, obedience, compliance and service to God. Ibn al-Qayyim defines it as, “the perfect love accompanied with total submission.”

Therefore, Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah denotes sincere and unadulterated inner as well as external worship of God, an absolute sense of dependence upon and devotion to Him alone with the exclusion of everything other than Him. This second kind of al-tawhid eliminates all possibilities of associationism, trinitarianism and saintly worship. In spite of the wide range of implications contained in the first category of al-tawhid, firm belief in the Oneness of the Divine Lordship is not sufficient to fulfill the requirements of the Qur’anic concept of tawhid or monotheism. It must be accompanied with a strong faith in the Oneness of Divine worship, devotion, and obedience in order for tawhid to be completed. This aspect of the Qur’anic monotheism is unique to Islam and distinguishes it from the Christian understanding of monotheism. Christianity in its various forms has historically allowed worship of Jesus, Mary and other saintly figures. Islam denounces such worship as an act of shirk or associationism.

Transcendental Monotheism

To fulfil the transcendental monotheism of Islam one has to confess the divine lordship of God as well as one’s worship in submission. This point is substantiated by the fact that the Qur’an vehemently attacked the Makkan belief system as one of associationism dubbing its followers as Mushrikun (polytheists) in spite of their confirming many aspects of the oneness of divine lordship. The Qur’an reports of the polytheists of Makkah that: “If thou ask them, who it is that created the heavens and the earth. They will certainly say, “(Allah)”. Say: “Praise be to Allah.” But most of them understand not. To Allah belong all things in heaven and earth: verily Allah is He (that is) free of all wants, worthy of all praise. (31:25–26)

Makkan Secularism

Now it is interesting to note that the polytheists of Makkah did believe that God was Exalted in Power, full of Knowledge (43:9). Further, they also believed that other natural phenomena like the sun and moon were also the creation of God Almighty, “If indeed thou ask them who created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and moon (to His Law), they will certainly reply, ‘Allah’. How are they then deluded away (from the truth)?” (29:61). They also confessed that God was the only source of rain and cultivation, “And if indeed thou ask them who it is that sends down rain from the sky, and gives life therewith to the earth after its death, they will certainly reply, ‘Allah’! Say, ‘Praise be to Allah!’ But most of them understand not.” (29:63). They also recognized the fact that they owed their own creation to God Almighty, “If thou ask them, Who created them, they will certainly say, Allah: how then are they deluded away (from Truth)?” (43:87). They understood that both sustenance, life, death, and the keys of affairs were all in the hands of God: “Say: “Who is it that sustains you (in life) from the sky and from the earth? Or who is it that has power over hearing and sight? And who is it that brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who is it that rules and regulates all affairs?” They will soon say, “Allah”. Say, “Will ye not then show piety (to Him)?” (10:31)

So, given all this acknowledgement of the Creator why were the Makkans polytheists? Izutsu observes that though the Makkans believed in “Allah as the Creator of the universe, this belief did not play a vital role in their daily life. The occurrence of words like khalq “creation”, khaliq “creator”, bari “originator” etc. in pre-Islamic literature should not mislead us into thinking that the concept of Divine Creation was playing a decisive role in the Jahili Weltanschauung... Unlike the Koranic system in which Allah the Creator governs the entire Weltanshauung Jahiliyyah did not attach great importance to this semantic field... This is tantamount to saying that the idea of Allah’s being the very “source” of human existence, if it was there, meant very little to the minds of the pre-Islamic Arabs. And this is why the Koran tries so hard to bring home to them the very significance of this idea and to awaken them to the grave implication of it.”

Although Allah was conceived of as the divine lord, this fact didn’t really amount to an awful lot for he was very much regarded as a distant God, put aside, relegated to the back burner as it were, in matters of daily life including society’s social, financial and political dealings. God did not interfere in man’s affairs.

Dualistic Dichotomy 

Thus, there existed a clear distinction between what was thought to be religious and what was perceived to be mundane. The dualistic dichotomy of this strange mixture of the sacred and profane was so complete that Allah, as stated, despite being Lord, in fact was not given much of a role to play in the mundane affairs of day to day life. Hence, remote and really preferred out of the way He was relegated to the detached realms of heaven and abstract religious metaphysics. Izutsu elaborates: “In the jahili system, the creative activity of Allah is both the beginning and the end of His intervention in human affairs. He does not as a rule take care of what He has brought into existence just like an irresponsible father who never cares for his children; the task is taken over…by another Being called Dahr. In the Islamic system, on the contrary, creation marks just the beginning of the Divine rule over the created things.”

The conclusion the Qur’an draws from these elaborations is that nobody should worship, devote themselves to, call upon, depend upon, humble themselves or submit to (in the absolute sense of the words) anyone other than Almighty God i.e., not to take any ilah for worship except the Ilah (God): “Take not with Allah another god: or thou (O man!) wilt sit in disgrace and destitution”(17:22). “Take not, with Allah, another object of worship, lest thou shouldst be thrown into Hell, blameworthy and rejected” (17:39). This emphatic concentration upon the purity of worship and devotion to God Almighty, in Izutsu’s opinion, is “undoubtedly the most ‘dramatic’ moment of the whole Koranic Divina Commedia.”

Islamic transcendental monotheism leaves no stone unturned to drive home the fact that it is only Almighty God who is the Ultimate Reality and the ultimate concern of man and his actions. Absolute submission to the moral will of this God and peace with Him and with His creatures is the essence of the Islamic message. This, in short, is “Islam”.

3: Tawhid al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat: As Almighty God is One, Unique, and incomparable in His lordship, sovereignty, and worship, He is also

One and Unique in His names and attributes. In Judaism and Christianity, the conception of God is to a greater or lesser extent bound to the limitations of His creatures.

Islam emphatically proclaims that Almighty God, the Transcendent and Exalted Lord and Sustainer of all that exists, is far above possessing any of the creaturely attributes which have been ascribed to Him by man. He is not bound to any of the limitations of human beings or any other of His creatures. He has neither form nor body, nor corporeal or physical attributes, features, or characteristics. Rather His attributes are infinite and absolute. They are far above any sort of limitations, defects, and deficiencies, such as his having a beginning or an end, begetting or being begotten, having physical dimensions, or having needs such as requiring food, rest, or procreation etc. He is the One Who gives such dimensions and characteristics to His creations, while not sharing them in the slightest degree.

Judeo Christian Compromises

This third dimension of al-tawhid is specifically directed towards Judaic and Christian compromises of the divine transcendence. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam constitute successive moments of Semitic consciousness in their long march through history as carriers of a divine mission on earth. Identifying itself with the original pristine message sent by God to mankind, Islam as the final Revelation, notably protected from scriptural corruption, stands as a corrective element, finding fault with the Jewish and Christian conception and portrayal of God as delineated in the historical documents accepted by the two faiths as scriptures. Islam holds these documents accountable for compromising the divine transcendence and hence committing the most grievous error against the Semitic consciousness, polluting its once pure essence. As detailed in previous chapters, the biblical conception of God is anthropomorphic and corporeal. After criticizing a number of biblical passages portraying God in anthropomorphic terms, al-Faruqi asserts: “Islam also charged that the relation Judaism claimed to bind God to “His People” straight-jacketed Him into granting them favors despite their immorality, their hardship and stiffneckedness (Deuteronomy 9:5–6). A “bound” god, bound in any sense or degree, is not the transcendent God of Semitic consciousness.^”

Equally improper has been God talk in Christianity including the language and terminology used to express creedal prepositions. Although Christianity has never ceased to claim that God is transcendent, nevertheless it has always spoken of Him as a real man, living in this earthly domain, walking and doing all the things men do, including suffering the agonies of death. So, to Christians, Jesus has always been both man and God. This man- God statement is inherently flawed, more of a claim than a logical preposition substantiated by rational arguments or reasonable facts. This being so, Christianity has never been able to systematically articulate the God-man dogma in intelligible terms or take a consistent position on Jesus’ humanity or divinity; and not surprisingly its turbulent history has been fraught with accusations of apostasy and heresy hurled back and forth. This also explains why Christian God language has always been confusing, at best, for confusion sows confusion. When pinned down, every Christian has to admit that the God he/she worships is both transcendent and incarnate. Yet this claim of transcendence to al-Faruqi is “ipso facto devoid of grounds. To maintain the contrary, one has to give up the laws of logic.”

Islam is Different than Judaism and Christianity

In sum, a wide gulf of conceptual differences regarding the doctrine of divine transcendence exists and separates Islam from both Judaism and Christianity. Islam emphasizes that God by very definition of His reality cannot simply be a sort of supernatural or superhuman personality/being, directing   worldly   affairs   from   the   heavens/soaring   clouds   whilst simultaneously sharing in creaturely attributes, needs, and qualities. For God is nothing less than the Creator, Originator, and Fashioner of this vast universe, the One Who keeps it functioning in accordance with His infinite wisdom, knowledge and master plans. God infinitely transcends anything which the human mind can possibly perceive or comprehend, or the senses grasp, imagine, or explain. God is far, far above any similarity or comparability with any of His creatures. This special emphasis upon the Divine transcendence is what the third category of al-tawhid is designated for. God is One in His Names and Attributes. His Names, Actions and Attributes surpass human names, actions and attributes as much as His Being surpasses their beings.

Absolute vs Relative

The Absolute Creator utterly transcends the relative actions and attributes of His creatures. This is implied in the first assertion of the Islamic creed that “There is no god but God”. In addition to being a denial of any associates to God in His worship, rule and judgeship of the universe, it also contains a denial of the possibility of any creature representing, personifying, or in any way or form expressing the divine Being. The Qur’an says of God: “To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: “Be,” and it is” (2:117; 2:163). “There is no God but He, Ever-Living, Ever-Active” (3:2). “May He be glorified beyond any description!” (6:100). “... No sense may perceive Him” (6:103). “... Praised be He, the Transcendent Who greatly transcends all claims and reports about Him” (17:43). As a result of this stringent emphasis upon the divine transcendence, Muslims have been supremely careful never to associate, in any manner possible, any image or thing with the presence of the divine or with their consciousness of the divine. This fact is well reflected in Muslim discourse, speech, and writings concerning the divine. Indeed, Muslims have only ever employed the language of the Qur’an, and its terms and expressions, to present or describe God – the transcendental language and terminology chosen by God Himself in fact to depict Himself in the verses of the Qur’an.

The Qur’an prescribes the fundamental transcendental criterion in the following verses: “There is nothing whatever like unto Him” (42:11). “And there is none like unto Him” (112:4, which we have already had the opportunity to quote and explain in this chapter), and “knowest thou of any who is worthy of the same Name as He?” (19:65). After having established this criterion, the Qur’an represents God as having “the Most Beautiful Names”: “Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god:-Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the justly Proud, Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator, the Fashioner to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (59:22–24)