The Root
GOD: The Root
Who God is, why He is one, what He has created, and how we can keep Him in mind every day.
O people, worship only your Lord—the One who created you and those before you—that you may be saved.
[2:21]Before anything can grow, it needs to have roots. In the same way, everything on this site grows out of one thing, and that is knowing who God is.
If we understand this part correctly, the rest will follow almost on its own. But if we get it wrong, then nothing we build on top of it will hold.
This is not just a way of speaking. God Himself puts knowing Him first, and asking for forgiveness after it: “You shall know that: ‘There is no other god beside GOD,’ and ask forgiveness of your sins.” [47:19] Please notice that knowing is a commandment in this verse, and it is the very first thing we are commanded to do.
This is why we start here, with the root. This section has four pages, and each page answers a different part of the same question, which is who God is.
What This Section Is Not
This section is not a philosophy course, and the Quran does not set out to prove through argument that God exists.
Instead, the Quran does something different. Again and again, it points us to things that anyone can go and look at for themselves, like the night turning into day, the rain falling on ground that was dead, and even our own body, the same body that is reading these words right now.
God then tells us who will be able to see what is there: “In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for those who possess intelligence.” [3:190]
When we look at creation in this way, reverence for God grows in us. After mentioning the colours of the fruits, the mountains, the people and the livestock, God tells us: “This is why the people who truly reverence GOD are those who are knowledgeable.” [35:28]
So this section is here for two reasons. The first is to help us look carefully at what is already in front of us. The second is to find out what God tells us about Himself, in His own words.
The Four Pages
You can read these pages in any order you like. If this whole subject is new to you, the Greatness of God page is the best place to begin.
Greatness of God
This page looks at what God is like, in His own words. We look at the names He gave us, and at what it should mean for the way we live when we realize how small we are in front of Him.
Read moreMonotheism
This page looks at what it means that God is one, and at everything that this rules out. We look at the first commandment, at the argument for one God and not many, and at the kinds of idols that look nothing like statues.
Read moreGod's Creations
This page looks at what God has created, and how all of it is put forward as evidence of Him. We look at water and rain, the animals the Quran mentions by name, our own bodies, and seven things the Quran stated long before people discovered them.
Read moreCommemorating God
This page looks at how we can keep God in mind, even when our day is already full. We look at what remembering God is for, which of His names we can call on, and the prayers that are written out for us to use.
Read moreWhere the Root Leads
Nothing on this site stands on its own. Knowing God is the root, and everything else on the site grows from it.
Knowing God is what turns Submission from just a name we give ourselves into a real decision we make. Once we know there is only One God, choosing Him is the only thing left for us to do.
Knowing God is also what makes our practices more than a routine. Please notice how God gives us the reason for the Contact Prayers (Salat) in the very same verse where He tells us to observe them: “observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) to remember Me.” [20:14]
This is also what the Quran section of this site is for. Every verse quoted on these pages can be looked up there, so you can read it in its place in the Quran.
So please take your time with this section, and come back to it as often as you need. These four pages are not a course to get through quickly. They are what everything else on this site is standing on.
Questions People Ask
Why are we here at all?
We are here to worship God. God tells us this Himself, in His own words: “I did not create the jinns and the humans except to worship Me alone.” [51:56] God also tells us that this life was set up to show which of us would do better: “The One who created death and life for the purpose of distinguishing those among you who would do better.” [67:2] So this life is short, and it is a test. And God tells us what worship does for us. It brings us closer to Him [73:8], and “by remembering GOD, the hearts rejoice” [13:28]. So worshipping God is the reason we were created, and it is also what brings us closer to Him and gives our hearts joy.
If God already knows everything, what is the point of a test?
The test is not there to tell God anything He does not already know. It is there so that our choices are on the record, and it is clear that we made those choices ourselves. God tells us that He created death and life to distinguish “those among you who would do better” [67:2]. This distinguishing is real, even though God already knows how it will turn out. God also answered this objection in advance. Every human being was asked directly, and every one of them answered: “Yes. We bear witness.” [7:172] The verse also tells us the reason for this, which is so that nobody could claim afterwards that they were unaware. So the test is there for our sake, so that our choices are our own and on the record, and not to inform God of anything.
Why start with God instead of with what we are supposed to do?
Because any practice done for the wrong god counts for nothing, and God Himself puts knowing Him first. The order comes from God: “You shall know that: ‘There is no other god beside GOD,’ and ask forgiveness of your sins.” [47:19] So first we come to know, and then we ask for forgiveness. The warning that comes with this is very serious. Our works are nullified by idol worship, and God gives this warning even to His own messenger [39:65]. This is why getting the first thing right is so important, because it is what makes everything we do after it worth doing.
Where the Quran Starts With God
Here are eight verses that hold this section together, all in one place, so you can come back and read them again.
You shall know that: "There is no other god beside GOD," and ask forgiveness of your sins and the sins of all believing men and women. GOD is fully aware of your decisions and your ultimate destiny.[47:19]
Knowing God comes first, and God gives it to us as a commandment.
Proclaim, ‘He is the One and only GOD. The Absolute GOD. Never did He beget. Nor was He begotten. None equals Him.’[112:1-4]
Everything about who God is, summed up in four short lines.
Such is GOD your Lord, there is no god except He, the Creator of all things. You shall worship Him alone. He is in control of all things.[6:102]
Who God is, and what follows from that for us.
I did not create the jinns and the humans except to worship Me alone.[51:56]
Why we are here, in one line, told to us by God Himself.
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for those who possess intelligence.[3:190]
Where we can look to find the signs of God.
We created the human, and we know what he whispers to himself. We are closer to him than his jugular vein.[50:16]
How near God is to us, told to us by God Himself.
When My servants ask you about Me, I am always near. I answer their prayers when they pray to Me. The people shall respond to Me and believe in Me, in order to be guided.[2:186]
God is near, and He answers our prayers when we pray to Him.
The One who created death and life for the purpose of distinguishing those among you who would do better. He is the Almighty, the Forgiving.[67:2]
What this life is for, which is to show who among us would do better.
Four Pages, One Subject
These four pages look at who God is, that He is one, what He has created, and how we can keep Him in mind. You can start with whichever question brought you here.
Learn, then live it
Every page on this site follows the same five steps, so reading always turns into growing.
Growth Prompt
Before going any further, please take a moment to think about the question below, and then write your answer down. This is where our growth starts.
When did I last think about God out of love rather than need?
Keep growing
Every topic on this site connects to the others. Here is where this page leads next.