Monotheism is the central principle of Islam. Tahwid means the unity or oneness of God; there is no other God but Allah, and this belief is proclaimed five times daily as the believers are called to prayer with these words:
God is most great. I testify that there is no God but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer, come to revelation, God is most great! There is no God but Allah.
Allah is the one and only god, unapproached by other divinities and unlike all others in the strength of his creative power. All life, in fact all creation, is the responsibility of Allah alone. His nature is described in many ways and by many names, one of the most beautiful as "light."
Allah is the light of the heaven and the earth .... His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp
is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (The lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive
neither of the East or the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light, Allah guided unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things. (This lamp is found) in houses which Allah hath allowed
to be exalted and that His name shall be remembered therein. Therein do offer praise to Him at noon and evening. (24:35)
Islam also recognize the significance and contributions of prophets who preceded Muhammad. From the beginnings of human history, Allah has communicated with his people either by the way of the prophets, or by written scriptures:
Lo! We inspire thee as We inspired Noah and the Prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon and as We imparted unto David the Psalms. (4:164)
Twenty-eight such prophets are mentioned in the Koran as the predecessors of Muhammad, who is believed to have been the last and greatest of all of Allah's messengers. Muhammad is given no divine status by Muslims, even though he was the one chosen to proclaim Allah's message of salvation in its
perfected form and final revelation; in fact, Muhammad took great care to see that he was not worshiped as a god.
The creation of the universe and all living creatures within it is the work of Allah; harmony and balance in all of creation was ensured by God. In addition to humans and other creatures on the earth, angels exist to protect humans and to pray for forgiveness for the faithful. Jinn are spirits who may be good or bad, and forces known as "the unseen" exist on a level unknown to humans.
Men and women are given a special status in the pattern of the universe, since Allah has endowed them with the ability to know and react to him better than any living creatures. They can choose to obey, or to reject Allah's will and deny him. Allah's message includes the belief in a Day of Resurrection when people will be held responsible for their actions and rewarded or punished accordingly for eternity.
Geographic imagery played an important role in the Prophet's description of heaven and hell: both are depicted in a manner that calls forth an immediate reaction from people living in the desert. Those who have submitted to Allah's law - the charitable, humble, and forgiving - and those who have preserved his faith, shall dwell in a Garden of Paradise, resting in cool shades, eating delectable foods, attended by "fair ones with wide, lovely eyes like unto hidden pearls," and hearing no vain speech or recrimination but only "Peace! Peace!" This veritable oasis is far different from the agonies of the desert hell that awaits the unbelievers, the covetous, and the erring. Cast into a pit with its "scorching wind and shadow of black smoke," they will drink boiling water and suffer forever.
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