ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Islam In The Bible God Ali (1988:76a-79a) presents an Islamic concept of God. He expresses this in eight positive metaphysical attributes and eight negative ones. The positive attributes are Qadir, the Almighty; Aalim, the All-Knowing; Mudrik, the Ever­Perceiving; Hayy, the Ever-Living; Mureed, the All­ Independent in will and action; Mutakallim, the Creator of Speech; and Sadiq, the Ever-Truthful.

The negative attributes are Murakkab, compound; Makan, accommoda­tion; Holool, incarnation; *Maryee,*visibility; Ehtiyaj, need; Shirkat, association; Mahaile hawadis or Tagha'iyyar, change; and Sifate-zaid, addition of qualities. The negative attributes cannot be attributed to God. The final negative attribute, addition of qualities, forbids conceiving of the positive attributes as separable from the essence of God.

Finally, according to All, God is a being consistent and not arbi­trary, whose essential attribute is justice. What is necessary to understand from a Christian point of view is that God in Islam is not conceived in terms of personhood or number, but as indefinably one. The doctrine of the Trinity and the deity of Jesus are clearly rejected by Muslims. The very first words of the Bible are `In the beginning God'. The first and central issue of the Bible is God.

The beliefs and practices involved with this issue are therefore fundamental. It is no use going on to establish other beliefs and practices before this issue is settled. Fortunately the Bible is clear and consistent on this matter. The most important thing happens to be the thing expressed most clearly. It is also true that there are in existence beliefs and prac­tices relating to God which did not exist at the time when the Bible writers were writing.

It must not surprise us then that these matters are not dealt with in the Bible at all. Throughout much of the Bible the issue is whether one must worship the God of the Bible uniquely, or whether it is permissible to worship other gods as well from time to time. The Bible clearly states that the God of the Bible must be worshipped uniquely. No others may be worshipped.

One of the main ways this is brought out is by the affirma­tion that God is one, or that there is only one God, the God of the Bible. The text with the highest claim to authority in the Bible is the ten commandments.