Allah's Punishment

The true balance of an Islamic life is established by having a healthy fear of Allah as well as a sincere belief in His infinite forgiveness and mercy. Islam views that a life without fear of Allah leads to sin and disobedience. On the other hand believing that one has sinned so much that Allah will not possibly forgive you, can lead to feelings of despair. In light of this, Islam teaches that only misguided people despair of their Lord's Mercy.

Allah created the universe, bestowed human beings with a privileged position within it and left the world to function under the laws that He has decreed for it. Allah constantly observes to what level people appreciate the life He has given them and how they behave in the environment He has placed them in. Allah allows the universe to exist for a certain length of time. At the end of this time, following portents of the end of the world as we know it, mankind will be brought in front of Allah for Judgment and man will be rewarded or punished according to his good or bad deeds.

Human beings have also been created weak and regularly fall into sin. This is the nature of the human being as created by Allah in His wisdom. In Islam though, the avenue of repentance is always open to every human being. So much so that Almighty Allah loves the repentant sinner as He alone is the All-Forgiving Most Merciful. For those individuals and nations who consistently rebel against Allah's divine law, Islamic belief holds that inevitably there will be consequences.

Throughout the Quran, Allah describes numerous past nations who rejected Divine guidance and were subsequently destroyed. These stories serve as warnings to humanity of the consequences of rebellion against the commandments of Allah. The punishment may come in a variety of different ways. It could take the form of a flood or earthquake or perhaps in the form of new diseases that have never been seen before. The emergance of the AIDS virus, for example, has reached epidemic levels in some African countries. This may well be an example of a new disease that has arisen as lewdness and promiscuity has increased in open rebellion of the natural Divine Laws.

"And how many a city which was unjust have We shattered and produced after it another people. And when its inhabitants perceived Our punishment, at once they fled from it."
(Quran, The Prophets 21: 11-12)

"...Truly, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest"
(Quran, The Thunder 13:28)

Allah's Names and Attributes

Allah has the most magnificent names and perfect attributes such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, The All-Wise, The Knowing and The Lord of the Universe.

No one shares His Divinity, His Names or Attributes. Nothing is like Him. He is the Creator. He is neither created, nor is He a part of His creation. He is All-Powerful and absolutely Just. There is no other entity in the entire universe worthy of worship other than Him. He is The First and The Last and Everlasting. He was present when there was nothing in existence and will be present when nothing else remains. He is The Supreme, The Sovereign and The Law Giver. It is only He Who is capable of granting life and death.

We know from Holy Quran that Allah has many excellent and exceptional names. Allah tells Muslims to supplicate to Him, choosing the most suitable name when praying to Him. In doing so Muslims glorify and prayise Allah.

"Allah has the Most Excellent Names, so supplicate Him with them..."
(Quran, The Heights 7:180)

"He is Allah, the Creator of all, the Maker of all, the Fashioner of all, His are the most beautiful names, Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (Quran, The Gathering 59:24)

LOOK HERE please:

http://www.islamic-information.com/html/Allah%27s%20name%5B1A%5D.JPG

Allah's Generosity

Such is Allah's generosity that not only is a person rewarded many times over for doing a good deed but even has one good deed recorded jus for having the intention of doing the good deed. Moreover, if someone intended to do a bad deed but did not actually carry it out, than Allah will reward them with a full good deed in their account. Allah is so generous that if someone intended a bad deed and than carried it out, than only one bad deed is written into their account.

Say: "O People of the Scripture (the Jews and Christians), come to a word that is equitable between us and you; that we shall worship none but Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead Allah." But if they turn away, than say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims (submitting to Him)."

(Quran, The Family of Imran 3:64)

Allah's Mercy

Islam asserts that Allah alone is the Most Merciful to all of His creation. Many verses of the Quran relate specifically to Allah's mercy. Muslims begin recitation of the Quran by declaring that Allah is the Most Merciful. Allah's name, Ar-Rahmaan - The Most Merciful, is mentioned in the first verse of the opening chapter of Quran.

"In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful."
(Quran, The Opening 1:1)

Such is Allah's love and mercy that even those who fall short of living according to His guidance, may have their sins forgiven even by an act of kindness, coupled of course with correct belief in Allah. Propher Muhammad (p) narrated a story about a prostitute who was forgiven her sins by Allah for providing water to a thirsty dog.

Allah's Messenger (p) said, " A prostitute was forgiven by Allah, because, passing by a panting dog near a well and seeing that the dog was about to die of thirst, she took off her shoe and tying it with her head cover she drew out some water for it. So, Allah forgave her because of that."

(Recorded in Saheeh Bukhari)

"...My mercy extends to all things. That (mercy) I shall ordain for those
who do right and practise regular charity and those who believe in Our (Allah's)
signs;-"

Allah's Knowledge (2nd part) - Knowledge of the Unseen

Allah alone has knowledge of the unseen. Indeed none in the creation has this knowledge except Allah alone. We have no need of this knowledge and should not speculate to learn about the unseen by using horoscopes, fortunetellers and so forth. Allah tells us in the Quran:

"And with Him are the keys of the unseen (all that is hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in the clear record."
(Quran, Cattle 6:59)

Only Allah alone has knowledge of the hour of reckoning when every soul will be held to account for the life they spent on earth. This knowledge has been kept with Allah alone and no-one else knows the time of the hour. Allah in his mercy has given certain signs as part of the revelation to show that the time is near but the specifics of the actual time are with Allah alone.

"Indeed, Allah (alone) has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted."
(Quran, Luqman 31:34)

Allah's Knowledge (1st part)

"Verily, your Lord is the All-Knowing Creator."
Quran, The Rocky Tract
15:86)

Islamic belief is that Allah has complete knowledge of everything. Allah's knowledge is perfect and all-encompassing. No action takes place in the whole universe except by His will. He has power over all things and He is able to do everything. He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind and the Most Beneficent. We learn of Allah's total knowledge of everything in many verses in the Quran. One of Allah's names is 'The All-Knowing' as mentioned in the following verse of the Quran:

"It is Allah who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof
(i.e. seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and earth), that you
may know that Allah has power over all things and that Allah surrounds all
things in (His) Knowledge." Quran, Divorce 65:12

When Muslims say that Allah is "with us" , they do not mean He is with us in person. In fact Allah is not inside nor subject to His creation, Allah is with us by His knowledge, sight and hearing. He knows everything that we do and He watches all of us extremely closely.

"And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the sea (were ink with which to
write), with the seven seas behind it to add to its (supply), yet the words of
Allah would not be exhausted. Verily Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Quran,
Luqman 31:27

What Does Allah Look Like?

A fundamental belief of Muslims is that Allah has no form or shape that we can comprehend. Allah does not look like His creation and we are not created in the form of Allah, nor do we make forms with our own hands and worship them claiming them to be Allah. Allah gives us certain information in the Quran about Himself, but rather than spend months and years debating the exact description of His form, this information is only given to us in an attempt for us to have an understanding - the exact details however, are known to Allah alone. Allah is Perfect and His Image is Majestic and beyond what we can comprehend. In a very simple and comprehensive verse of the Quran, Allah tells us about Himself...

"... There is nothing like unto Him and He is the One that hears and sees
(all things)."

Quran, Consultation 42:11

Allah - WHO IS ALLAH?

Say, "He is Allah,
(who is) One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge.
He neither
begets nor is He born,
Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
(Quran, Purity (of faith) 112:1-4)

Allah is arabic name for God and is used by Arabic speakers. In Islam is the most important concept is the fact that Allah is One and nothing shares His attributes. He has no partners, no parents or offspring and is the ultimate Creator of the universe. He is the One who was the beggining and will continue after the end as we know it. The same Creator that has been worshipped throughout time as the Originator of the universe.
Allah has created all things with a design and purpose. Included in this is the creation of the Heavens and the Earth and all of mankind, starting with the very first humans, namely, Prophet Adam and his wife Eve (known in Arabic as Hawa). Throughout time, people started to deviate from the worship of Allah and started to create idols and worship these as partners or intercessors with Allah.

To Begin in the 'NAME OF ALLAH'

The entire religion of Islam is based on the idea of getting closer to Allah. So there is an emphasis in Islamic tradition to begin everything with Allah's name by using the Arabic phrase, 'Bismillah' which means 'In the name of Allah'. Muslims, when referring to the name of Allah, often add the words 'Subhana-hu-wa-Ta-ala' after it, meaning 'Glorified and Exalted is He' as a sign of reverence.
Allah is considered genderless, however there is no appropriate word to express this in the English language, so Allah is commonly referred to as a 'He'. Muslims also tend to use many other phrases in their daily lives that contain the word Allah, for example:

Allahu Akbar - Allah is the Greatest.
Bismillah - In the name of Allah.
Insha'Allah - If Allah wills.
Ya Allah - Oh Allah.
Ma sha'Allah - Look at what Allah has willed!
Subhan Allah - Glory be to Allah.
Al-Hamdu li-llah - All praise be to Allah.
Jazak Allahu khayran - May Allah reward you well with goodness.

Pilgrimage (HAJJ)

The annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj) represent the fifth pillar of Islam. It is an obligation only for those who are physically and financially able to do so. In a show of true 'multi-culturalism' over two million people travel to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe providing, a unique opportunity for people of different nations, languages, colour and race to meet one another. The annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month (Dhul Hijjah) of the Islamic year. Pilgrims wear simple garments that strip away distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal before Allah. The rites of the Hajj which are of Abrahamic origin include, going around the Kaaba seven times and walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa. The pilgrims will also stand together on the wide plains of Arafat outside Makkah and join in prayer for Allah's forgiveness in what is regarded as a prelude of the Day of Judgment. The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, Eid al Adha, which is celebrated in Muslim communities everywhere with prayers and giving to the poor and needy.