Module 02: The Islamic View of God

When Islam speaks about the sovereignty of Allah, it means that God possesses absolute, unrestricted authority over all reality. Nothing exists independently of Him, nothing acts outside His will, and nothing limits His power.

In Islam, the 99 Names of Allah (al-asmāʾ al-ḥusnā, “the most beautiful names”) are titles and attributes drawn from the Qur’an and early Islamic tradition. Muslims consider learning these names a fundamental act of worship (dhikr).

Shirk means “association” or “sharing.” In Islamic theology, it refers to associating anything with God in a way that compromises His absolute oneness (tawḥīd).

Tawḥīd in Arabic means “making one,” “unifying,” or “affirming oneness.” It comes from the Arabic root w-ḥ-d, which carries the idea of oneness, singularity, and unity without division.

Allah is the Arabic word meaning “the God.” Linguistically, it comes from the Arabic noun al-ilāh, which means “the deity.”

Module 2 explains the Islamic view of God by presenting Allah as the one, singular, uncreated, and incomparable God who is completely distinct from creation. It introduces the central doctrine of tawḥīd, the absolute oneness of God, and explains that Islam sees this as the foundation of all true belief, worship, law, and morality. The module also explains shirk, the gravest sin in Islam, as any act that compromises God’s unique status by associating partners or rivals with Him.