14. Notes on God, Tawheed, Sifa 9/08/25
Big Themes Discussed in Class
From last week: discussion centered on God’s existence and arguments for/against it; focusing on how to phrase arguments and the overall takeaway.
Emphasis on distinction between philosophy/religion discussions and the Muslim scholarly approach; higher studies will cover more on tawhid and related topics.
Today’s focus: tawheed (the oneness of God) and, specifically, the Sifa (attributes) of God as presented in the Hawi text; plan to go line-by-line through the text.
Thematic progression: establish five foundational principles about God that will underpin all later discussions.
Cosmological Arguments and Infinite Regress (Summary of the Discussion)
Infinite regress argument: If there is an event caused by another event ad infinitum, there is no first cause, which leads to impossibility; thus, there must be an uncaused cause.
Creation from nothing: The idea that zero plus zero plus zero leads to nothing; change from nothing to something is argued as impossible.
Self-creation: The universe creating itself would require its own existence prior to creation; this is incoherent and implies an external cause.
External cause: If something is created by something, that thing would be constrained by time; to avoid infinite regress, there must be a necessary external cause that is not created.
Classical theistic conclusion: There is a single, uncaused First Cause (God) who brings the universe into being.
Thought experiment: imagine two all-powerful gods with opposite intentions (e.g., one wants daytime, the other nighttime) vs. other configurations; logical outcomes show contradictions if more than one all-powerful deity exists.
Scenario analysis example: Day vs. night
Possible outcomes with two gods each desiring a different state, and why each outcome leads to logical collapse (both true, neither true, or a single true state). The conclusion: mutual exclusivity and all-powerfulness make it logically incoherent to have two independent all-powerful beings.
Qur’anic reference used in support: if there were two gods, the skies and the earth would be in chaos; Qur’an references discussed include Surat 21: 22 as a supporting illustration of monotheism and the problem of multiple deities.
Key takeaway: Multiple all-powerful deities are logically impossible; there must be a single creator whose will determines creation.
Tawheed: The Oneness of God (Three Core Aspects)
Tawheed means oneness of God in three aspects:
1) God’s essence (Dhat): He is one in His essence; there is no partner or equal to God.
2) God’s attributes (Sifat): The attributes belong to God (e.g., mercy, eternality, being without partners). Some attributes are unique to God; others may be reflected in creation but not in the sense of equality with God.
3) God’s actions (Af’aal): Divine actions are solely attributable to God (e.g., creation of the universe from nothing) with no participation by others.
Core question: How do we know? Evidence from revelation and rational argument support tawheed; the Qur’an emphasizes monotheism (e.g., the negation of partners for God).
The Qur’anic rationale for tawheed includes the idea that multiple gods would lead to chaos; a thought experiment with two all-powerful beings demonstrates the logical necessity of a single creator.
The relationship to the sahaba and Makkah context: reinforcing the oneness of Allah amid a society with many gods.
The Doctrine of Nothing Is Like Him (Tanzih)
Key claim: Allah is utterly unlike anything in creation; there is nothing comparable to Him.
Implications:
Allah is beyond any created form or conception—even beyond human imagination; imagining God as a creature is incorrect.
This doctrine confines human understanding and protects God from being equated with any created thing.
It underpins the uniqueness and perfection of God; nothing can overpower or impair Him, and nothing can be like Him in essence, attributes, or actions.
Line-by-line approach to Hawi will reinforce this doctrine, starting with line 1 (God is one and without partner) and continuing to line 2 (nothing is like Him).
Practical note: This concept shapes how we interpret all other theological statements; it underlines why we should avoid anthropomorphism or any attempt to limit God to human-like traits.
The speaker emphasizes that this is among the most foundational points in Islamic theology and a recurring reference point for later discussions.
Shirk (Associating Partners with God): Three Levels
Shirk in Dhat (essence): attributing to another being an essence identical to God’s essence; e.g., supposing there is another entity with the same divine essence.
Shirk in Sifat (attributes): attributing to someone else the same divine attributes (e.g., claiming another being is all-mercy or all-knowing in the same ultimate sense as God).
Shirk in Af’al (actions): attributing divine actions to others (e.g., claiming two beings created the universe together, or that someone else is the sole cause of creation alongside God).
Additional concept: Shirk related to worship (to deify or attribute divine status to a non-God). The moment something is worshiped as God-like, it becomes an object of worship, which constitutes major shirk.
Examples and explanations from class:
Attributing God’s attributes to creatures (e.g., body, time, space) is a form of shirk because these are creation-associated traits.
Some attributes (e.g., mercy, knowledge) can be reflected in humans, but not in the same absolute way as God; these reflect God’s mercy and knowledge, not equality with God.
There is a distinction between essential attributes unique to Allah and those that can be reflected in creation without implying equality with God.
The instructor emphasizes that major shirk is a serious violation of tawheed; the argument against any form of other-god relationships rests on maintaining the oneness and transcendence of God.
Line-by-Line Approach and the Hawi Text (Methodology)
The Hawi text is structured so that each line/dua contains a core point; the student should extract one primary point per line.
Example methodology described by the lecturer:
Line 1: Core point is "God is one without partner."
Line 18: Core point is "God’s omnipotence." The instruction: read and label as "Line 18, God’s omnipotence."
The goal: by the end of parsing, every line yields a core point (often a single word or two), which will form the backbone of your understanding.
Rationale: instead of parsing every word, focus on the core thesis of each line to avoid unnecessary detail while retaining essential meaning.
The plan as you progress: later lines will expand beyond the simple core, requiring you to cite a few supporting points or evidence; the overarching principles will remain the anchors.
The five core principles to keep in mind as you parse:
Line 1: God is one (no partners).
Line 2: God’s transcendence ( — Tanzih).
Line 3: God’s omnipotence.
Line 4: Nothing can overpower or incapacitate God; divine perfection.
Line 5: There is no deity besides Him (no partners, no rivals).
Dangers of over-interpretation: don’t get lost in minutiae; anchor your interpretation in these five principles and how they recur throughout the text.
Sifa: Essence, Attributes, and Actions (Three Types)
Threefold classification of God’s attributes:
Dhat (Essence): attributes or characteristics that would imply something about the divine essence itself; Shirk in Dhat would mean equating a creature with God at the level of essence.
Sifa (Attributes): attributes that God possesses that may or may not be mirrored in creation; e.g., Mercy, Knowledge, Power. Some attributes are unique to God (eternality, pure transcendence), while others can be reflected in creation as per creation’s reflection of the divine.
Af’al (Actions): divine actions, exclusive to God (e.g., creation, sustaining the universe from nothing).
Shirk and Sifa: the risk is misattributing equality to creatures in one of these three domains, which would violate tawheed.
Important nuance: some divine attributes have analogical reflection in humans, but never in the same absolute sense as God. For example, mercy can be shown by humans, but not in the same all-encompassing way as God’s mercy.
Some specific points highlighted in class:
Eternality and nothing is like Him are exclusive to God.
Knowledge and other communicable attributes can be reflected in creation, thanks to God giving humans such faculties; these do not imply equal divinity.
The practical outcome: when talking about God’s attributes, be precise about which attributes are exclusive to God and which can have analogical, limited manifestations in creation.
Quranic Evidence and Theological Justification
Key Qur’anic themes referenced in class:
There is no sharik (partner) for God; this negation is a recurring theme in Qur’anic argumentation for tawheed.
Laysa kamithlihi shay'in (There is nothing like unto Him) as a foundational statement about divine nature; it supports the Tanzih doctrine.
If there were multiple gods, the universe would be in chaos; this is illustrated with thought experiments and is reinforced by Qur’anic verses such as Surat 21: 22.
Application to further study: future class sessions may include line-by-line Qur’anic evidence to illustrate how the Hawi text aligns with revealed sources.
Reflections and Practical Implications
Ethical and philosophical implications:
The oneness and transcendence of God shape how Muslims view creation, ethics, and epistemology (how we know things).
Recognizing God’s uniqueness guards against idolatry and anthropomorphism; this has implications for worship and religious practice.
Practical exam preparation:
For the midterm, expect to be given a line with a translation and be asked for the core point and how the author uses surrounding lines to argue the point.
You may be asked to identify how the five foundational principles serve as the overarching framework for subsequent discussions.
Real-world relevance: understanding tawheed influences how one views science, philosophy, and daily life; it provides a framework to assess claims about divinity and the natural world.
Summary of the Five Foundational Points Introduced in the Lecture
Five overarching points introduced in the Hawi-based discussion:
1) God is One; no partners.
2) God is unlike creation (nothing is like Him; He is transcendent).
3) God is absolutely powerful; nothing can overpower Him.
4) God is perfectly complete; nothing imperfect can be attributed to Him.
5) There is no god besides Him (no other deity).
These principles anchor all subsequent discussions about God’s nature, attributes, and actions.
Preparation Tips for the Next Classes and Exams
Adopt the line-by-line approach: for each line, identify the core point (a single word or phrase) and remember how subsequent lines contextualize or support it.
Memorize the five foundational points; they will be referenced repeatedly as you analyze later lines and discussions.
Be ready to discuss how certain attributes are exclusive to God (essence and some actions) versus those that can be reflected in creation (some attributes).
Practice with the thought experiments used in class (e.g., two all-powerful gods) to sharpen arguments about tawheed and monotheism.
Review Qur’anic verses that support tawheed and the dissimilarity of God from creation; be prepared to cite verses like Surah 21:22
Notable Metaphors, Examples, and Scenarios Used in the Discussion
Two gods with opposite intents (e.g., Day vs Night) to illustrate why multiple all-powerful beings lead to logical contradictions.
The Day/Night exclusivity example to demonstrate that logically, one state must prevail, and two all-powerful beings with conflicting desires cannot both realize their outcomes.
“Mother giving birth to herself” as a parable for self-creation, highlighting the incoherence and the need for external causation.
The idea that God can reflect certain divine attributes in humans (e.g., mercy, knowledge) while maintaining divine exclusivity for attributes like eternality and ultimate power.