Tawhid

Tawhid is the concept in Islam that only one God exists, who is unique and has no equal. Also, since God is the only creator, there is no room for lesser gods or deities, which are therefore false and do not exist.

Tawhid is an essential part of Islam and must be accepted for anyome to become a Muslim.

The concept has many implications. Since God is the only power, both good and bad flow from God. Whatever good or bad occurs to an individual, both should be accepted by the individual since they come from God. Since God is the only power worth worshipping, relying on any other source for help is not allowed.

The Qur'an explains the nature of God in Chapter 112:
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; None is born of Him, nor is He born; And there is no one like him.

Associating any other thing or person as being comparable to God is called shirk in Islam. Unlike every other sin in Islam, God wil not be forgive it unless a person repents on Earth. The Qur'an can also be interpreted as telling Muslims to not follow the idea of the Trinity, the concept that most Christians use in explaining God.Al-Faruqi, Ismail. Al Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life. International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1982, Virginia.  Since the Trinity views God as being made up of three different parts, many Muslims view that as believing in more than one god (shirk).

On the other hand, Christians say that they view the Trinity as making up one god and so they do not believe in more than one god. The Qur'an also states that Jesus did not claim to be anything more than a human being, but in most types of Christianity, he is part of the Trinity. According to Muslim scripture, Jesus claimed to be a prophet who had been chosen by God, which is different from his divine status in the Trinity.

References

Category:Islamic theology