EVIDENCE: ALLAH IS A CREATED BEING AND NOT THE ALMIGHTY GOD
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Servant of Jesus Christ
Max Shimba Ministries Org ©2015. All rights reserved.
Abstract
This article critically examines Islamic descriptions of Allah as found in the Qur’an and authentic Hadith, analyzing anthropomorphic attributions such as face, garments, throne, hands, feet, and other bodily characteristics. Through detailed textual analysis, the article argues that such descriptions are fundamentally incompatible with the traditional concept of the Almighty God who is transcendent, incomparable, and uncreated. The work concludes by questioning the coherence of the Islamic portrayal of Allah in light of monotheistic theology.
Introduction
This subject is of profound significance for all who seek to understand the Islamic conception of God (Allah) and whether it aligns with the notion of the Almighty Creator or reveals Allah as a contingent, created being. Many Muslims assert that Allah is unlike any creature. However, Islamic texts repeatedly attribute human and creaturely characteristics to Allah. This study provides a critical exploration of such attributions as evidence that Allah, as described in Islamic sources, possesses features of created beings.
1. Allah Possesses a Face Like Created Beings
Qur’anic Evidence
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Surah Al-Baqarah (2:115):
“Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah.”
This verse serves as a direct reply to those who deny that Allah possesses a face. Is not having a face a characteristic of human beings and creatures?
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Surah Al-Qasas (28:88):
“Everything will perish except His Face.”
Again, Allah openly affirms that He possesses a face, like created beings.
2. Allah Wears Garments Like Created Beings
Hadith Evidence
A Qudsi Hadith states:
"Pride is My upper garment, and majesty is My lower garment."
If Allah is said to wear garments, does this not imply that He possesses a body like other creatures? This constitutes a significant theological problem.
In another Qudsi Hadith, Allah says:
“My servant draws near to Me with nothing more beloved to Me than the religious duties I have imposed upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks.”
Here, Allah admits to having ears, hands, eyes, and feet.
3. Allah Sits on a Throne Like Created Beings
Qur’anic Evidence
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Surah Al-Haaqqah (69:17):
“And the angels will be on its sides, and eight will, that Day, bear the Throne of your Lord above them.”
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Surah Al-Buruj (85:15):
“Owner of the Throne, the Glorious.”
If Allah possesses a throne, what purpose does it serve? Does Allah sit upon it as humans do? If He sits, does He have legs and feet like humans? If so, He is not different from created beings.
Consider also Surah Al-Haaqqah (69:44-45):
“And if he (Muhammad) had made up about Us some [false] sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand.”
This indicates that Allah has a right hand. If Allah has a right hand, does He not also have a left? And if so, does He not also possess a mouth? Clearly, the doctrine that Allah is entirely incomparable becomes difficult to sustain.
4. Allah Has Hands Like Created Beings
Qur’anic and Hadith Evidence
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Surah Az-Zumar (39:67):
“They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal, while the earth entirely will be within His grip on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be folded in His right hand.”
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Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:64):
“The Jews say, ‘Allah’s hand is chained.’ May their hands be chained and cursed for what they say. Rather, both His hands are extended; He spends as He wills.”
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Surah Ya-Sin (36:83):
“So exalted is He in whose hand is the realm of all things, and to Him you will be returned.”
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Surah Al Imran (3:26):
“Say, ‘O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.’”
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Surah Sad (38:75):
“[Allah] said, ‘O Iblis, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My hands?’”
Hadith literature further confirms these anthropomorphic descriptions, including traditions where Allah descends to the lowest heaven, stretches out His hands, and engages in conversations with prophets using His own hands.
5. Allah Has Feet and Soles Like Created Beings
Hadith and Classical Commentary
Islamic sources, including Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Tafsirs by Tabari, Ibn Kathir, and Suyuti, record narrations about Allah’s foot and sole.
Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet said:
“Paradise and Hell argued... Thus Allah said to Paradise: ‘You are My mercy, through you I show mercy to those I will.’ And He said to Hell: ‘You are My punishment, through you I punish whom I will.’ Each will be filled, but Hell will not be satisfied until Allah places His Foot in it. Then it will say, ‘Enough, enough.’”
If Hell will only be satisfied when Allah puts His Foot in it, does this not suggest Allah has a literal foot and is thus a being with form?
6. Concluding Reflections
From the above evidence, it becomes apparent that, as depicted in the Qur’an and Hadith, Allah is described in fundamentally anthropomorphic terms: He possesses a face, wears garments, sits on a throne, has hands, feet, and even bodily actions. This stands in sharp contrast with the biblical and classical philosophical view of God as wholly transcendent, immaterial, and utterly unlike His creation. The inescapable conclusion is that the Islamic conception of Allah, by its own scriptural testimony, renders Him a being not essentially different from created things.
Final Questions to Muslim Readers
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If Allah is not a human or a created being, why does He repeatedly describe Himself using creaturely attributes?
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Why does Allah respond to Hell with His foot rather than with a word of authority alone?
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If Allah requires a throne and has bodily members, how does this not make Him a created being?
May God bless you as you earnestly seek the truth.
In His service,
Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Servant of Jesus Christ
Max Shimba Ministries Org ©2015. All rights reserved.
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document for academic and educational purposes.
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