In Thy Name We Live
Episode 20: Al-Ahad (The Only One)
In the name of Allah (God), The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful. All Prayers and Blessings of Allah be upon our master, the most noble Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).
Today we will be talking about another of Allah’s beautiful names; one that is alive in every person’s heart when born. It is incorporated in life of Muslims, and their Islam is only accepted if they believe in it. It is Allah’s name “The Only One”.
This name denotes that Allah is One and has always been One. There is no second to Him; He has no partners, and there is nothing and no one bearing resemblance to Him. Allah says what can be translated as, “There is not anything like Him (whatsoever), and He is The Ever-Hearing, The Ever-Beholding,”(TMQ, 42:11).
Allah’s name “The One” (Al-Waahid) tells us that He has no partners. Allah’s name “The Only One” (Al-Ahad) tells us that He has no similitude. Both lead us to understand the beautiful testimony of Islam which is: there is no God to be worshipped but Allah. This is the emblem of today’s episode.
Today’s episode addresses two groups of people. The first group consists of those who doubt that The Only One, glorified be He, manages everything in the universe. We want them to look at the evidence of the Oneness of Allah in the universe. The second group is that of the believers who testify the Oneness of Allah, but do not understand its implications in life. We want them to reach the level of sincerity and devotion (Ikhlas), as wanted by the Qur’anic chapter that holds that name.
The name “The Only One” is mentioned once in the Qur’an in Surat al-Ikhlas. In the starting verse Allah says what can be translated, “Say, ‘He is Allah, The Only One’” (TMQ, 112:1). Although a small chapter of 4 verses, it is valued as one third of the Qur’an. The name “The One” is mentioned 15 times in the Qur’an, 6 of them alongside Allah’s name “The Superb Vanquisher”.
What is the evidence that He is “The Only One”? Proof of this is the homogeneity present in creation. We can see that evident in the fact that reproduction always occurs between a male and a female gametes, in humans, animals and plants. All creatures have a respiratory system that exchanges gases with the surrounding environment. If there had been more than one god, each would want to compete with the other, resulting in different forms of creation.
Another piece of evidence is the unity of universal laws. Aging occurs to everything; from minute living creatures, to humans, to gigantic stars. Humans start growing from birth until senility and death, and the process does not reverse. Even cells have a life cycle that ends in apoptosis or cell death. Matter exerts gravitational forces that apply to celestial bodies as well as to subatomic particles. Processes occur in the universe in a gradual fashion. Sunrise and sunset, the birth and death of stars, the gestation of a fetus in a womb, all follow stages. There is no haphazardness or spontaneity in these occurrences. Another example of the unity of universal laws is the shape and the direction of rotation of celestial objects in a counterclockwise direction. This applies to electrons as well. All move in a predetermined course.
Is it not also evidence that the universe was created in a way to give you life? We inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide which plants use, returning oxygen. The cooperation between the sun, the seas, the wind and gravity brings us rain. We use the stars during the night as guidance. Symbiosis between the organisms around us occurs in perfect harmony. Thus, you yourself are a sign of His existence.
If there were more than one god, then man would be torn in his obedience to them. The universe would be governed by haphazard rules. The case is different, as there is only one god. The whole universe abides by His laws.
This episode is important for us believers, as we may have forgotten the meaning of the Oneness of Allah, and the great value of such a chapter as Al-Ikhlas that entails the meaning of His Oneness. We may have forgotten the suffering that our master Bilal (RA) had to endure just for saying Allah’s name “The Only One, The Only One” and how the hairdresser of Pharaoh’s daughter was killed with her children for this testimony of Islam. The Prophet was able to smell their beautiful scent filling the sky for that great word she died for. A man on the Day of Judgment with 99 records of sins, each stretching as far as the eye can see, is saved by a single card, on which is written, “There is no god to be worshipped but Allah.”
In an attempt to prevent Ammar Ibn-Yasir from testifying that there is no god to be worshiped but Allah, the rejecters of faith used to burn coal until it blazed, then force Ammar to lie on it until the grease of his back melted and extinguished the burning coal. He then used to go to the Prophet (SAWS) unable to stand straight.
There was an imam (leader in prayer) who used to follow any Surah he recites with Surat al-Ikhlaas in each raka’a (one unit of Islamic prayer). The Prophet (SAWS), when knowing that, asked him about the reason. The man answered that he loved this surah for including the name and attributes of Allah. The Prophet (SAWS) told the man that Allah loved him for that. This Surah equals one third of the Noble Qur’an.
When the Prophet (SAWS) heard a man saying, “I pray to You, for You are Allah, the Only One, Allah, The Everlasting Sovereign, who has not begotten and has not been begotten, and to Him none could be co-equal,” the Prophet (SAWS) commented that he had supplicated with Allah's greatest name.
For one of the battles, Mu'awaya Ibn-Mu'awaya Al-Muzni was so ill that he could not join the army. After it had return on a cold night, Jibril (AS) (Gabriel) went to the Prophet (SAWS) and awakened him. He told him that there were two rows of angels awaiting him outside to pray Mu'awaya’s funeral prayer. Mu'awaya deserved this because he loved Surat al-Ikhlaas and used to read it every day and night.
How should we apply Allah's name “the One” to our life? Make all your words, deeds, movements and stillness for the sake of The Only One. Do not seek a witness in the whole universe but Allah. Allah says what can be translated as, “Say, “Surely my prayer, and my rites, and my living, and my dying are for Allah, The Lord of the worlds.” (TMQ, 6:162).
Enjoy your life, but seek Allah's satisfaction in whatever you say and do. Live happily with your children, and raise them to bring the victory of Islam. Be like Maryam's (AS) “Mary’s” mother when she said what can be translated as, “…Lord! Surely I have vowed to you what is in my belly in dedication; so (graciously) accept (it) from me. Surely You, (Ever) You, are The Ever-Hearing, The Ever-Knowing” (TMQ, 3:35).
Allah does not accept a deed unless it is done for his sake, so in order to be rewarded, your intentions have to be to please Allah. A scholar once said, “Whoever remains loyal to Allah for 40 days, springs of wisdom manifest in his heart, face and tongue.”
Omar Ibn-Abdul-Aziz used to evoke the right intention in his heart before moving one step forward. Solaiman Ibn-Abdul-Malik said on his deathbed, “I will perform something in which Satan has no share”. He appointed Omar Ibn-Abdul-Aziz as governor.
During a battle, the Muslims were not able to penetrate a fortress. An ordinary Muslim man began to dig a tunnel without the knowledge of anyone in the army every night until he could pass through it and open the fortress gate. Consequently, the Muslims were victororious. The man agreed to reveal himself to the commander provided that he did not offer him a monetary award or reveal his name to anyone, including the Caliph, as he refused to substitute worldly benefits for Allah's reward.
Khaled Ibnul-Waleed was a skilful army commander. When Omar Ibnul-Khattab discharged him, he exerted even more effort in the army. When he was asked about that he said, “I conquered The Levant for Allah's sake, not for Omar's.”
Zayn-al-'Abdeen Ibn-Ali used to leave food outside his countrymen's homes every night. No one knew who used to do this until he died, when they missed the food. When performing the ritual of washing him after death, they found a black line on his back, marked by the sacks of flour and rice he used to carry on his back.
In the end, you are required to do two things: renew your faith by repeating that there is “no god to be worshiped but Allah”, and to be loyal to it during the following ten days.
