GOD IS ONE, AND HIS RELIGION IS ALSO ONE (VERSE NO. 52 - 55)

      Here again polytheism, and in particular DUALISM, has been rejected:ِ

      ``Allah has said:ِ Do not take two Gods. Verily He is only one God.''

      The pagan Arabs had various idols, and yet they believed in Allah as the supreme being and Creator of all. They even worshipped pairs of idols, and took them for male and female, like the two idols that they had settled on top of the two famous hills in Mecca which were named after the two idols as, SAFÄ and MARVEH.

      Some of the commentators have understood this verse to have refered to the Dualism doctrine. Some of the ancient Persians held the doctrine that the universe is under the dominion of two opposing principles; a good and an evil, manifested in the light and darkness. This doctrine is contrasted with monism. Trinity, and pluralism. The Arabs of the Pagan Era did believe in Allah as their supreme God, but they also had the intermediary gods, such as their various idols, in order to conduct all their affairs; and even to intercede with Allah on their behalf.

      The great commentator TABARSI, has a fine touch on the above that:ِ ``Your Lord has ordered you not to worship two deities, and yet you have created so many gods for yourself. Your caprice is an idol, and your vain desires another. Your worldly aims and object have also turned to be your gods; and even you prostrate yourself before another man, as poor and week as yourself!''

ALLAH

      (When Islam was revealed, a more precise and clearer definition of Allah was given, that:ِ

      Allah is the Creator of the whole universe. He is the only one true God. The God of; ABRAHAM, MOSES, JESUS and MOHAMMAD. He is the unconditioned Lord of all things. He is Merciful to all His creatures and to mankind. He guides aright those who submit to Him, and punishes them for their sins.

      Allah is not to be compared to any of His creatures. No image or imagination may be made of Him. Allah has told men what He expects of them, through his prophets, as His SPOKESMEN. Allah demands above all, the recognition of His own ONENESS.

      The greatest sin and oppression is the worship of any other being, real or imaginary alongside Him.

      The old Persian Duality, and the new Christian Trinity, as well as the other pluralities are all rejected, for being inconsistent with Allah's absolute unity. God is far greater than the Man can think of, and at the same time He is nearer to Man than the jugular vein of his neck. Every one can approach God directly in personal prayer, and especially in reciting the Holy Qurän which is the very speech of God.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE)

      The next verse (NO.52) implies that; not only Allah is the owner of the heavens and the earth and whatever is in them, that, to Him belongs the ``VÄSIB'' religion which is pure and permanent. The Arabic VÄSIB, has various shades of meaning, such as, PERMANENT, i.e. continuing or enduring in the same state without marked changed; and, ``PURE'', i.e. absolute, and free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes. Free from moral defilement or guilt. Hazrat Imam Sadiq (AS) has understood VÄSIB to mean VÄJIB, or necessary, essential, and incumbent.

      The ending of the verse alludes to the fact that, no one worths being feared of, except Allah:ِ

      ``Do you then care for any other than Allah?''

      Fear of anyone other than God is considered as some sort of polytheism in Islam. Evil has no power over man of God.

      The only logical fear is that of the wrath of Allah, due to our sins. God is absolute goodness and pure truth, and nothing can come out of goodness but good. He is the only power that can be relied on to relieve our distress.