Research Report

THE MOSLEM

DOCTRINE OF GOD:


An Essay on the Character and Attributes of Allah

According to the Koran and Orthodox Tradition.


by


Samuel M. Zwemer


1905


This web document is copyright © 2006 by The Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute. All rights reserved.


Biographical Sketch of the Author
Samuel M. Zwemer (1867-1952)
(from the introduction)
 
Dr. Samuel M. Zwemer was a missionary for many years in lands regions west and northwest of the Persian Gulf, including Bahrain where two of his daughters are buried. He learned Arabic, became a master of the Moslem philosophy. He loved the Mohammedans and worked constantly to evangelize the Moslem world.

Dr. Zwemer was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London. In 1929 he was appointed Professor of Missions and the History of Religion at Princeton University, a position he held to retirement in 1938. Following retirement he taught courses at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Missionary Training Institute and at Biblical Seminary in New York City.

Note: See the Columbia International University biography of Samuel Zwemer for further information.

CONTENTS.


I. THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH  15
 015  016  017  018  019  020  021  022

Importance of these words -- Gibbon's verdict-- Value of this creed to the Moslem -- Sources for the idea of Deity -- The ethical value of such Monotheism -- Various views.

II. ALLAH, THE DIviNE ESSENCE  23
 023  024  025  026  027  028  029  030  031  032  033

Significance of the word Allah -- Allah among the pagan Arabs -- The Beit Allah -- The Hanifs -- Testimony of the monuments -- Monotheism in the Koran -- The idea of God's essence -- Silence of tradition -- Ghazzali's definition -- Mohammed's idea of the Unbegotten -- The Commentaries.

III. THE NINETY -- NINE BEAUTIFUL NAMES OF ALLAH 34
 034  035  036  037  038  039  040  041  042  043  044  045  046

These really attributes -- The Moslem's rosary -- List of these names -- The Holy -- The All-Compelling -- Moslem idea of Divine Justice Of Truth -- "The mothers of the attributes" -- The word Rabb -- The two hundred and one names of Mohammed.

IV. ALLAH'S ATTRIBUTES ANALYZED AND EXAMINED  47
 047  048  049  050  051  052  053  054  055  056  057  058  059  060  061  062  063

Their effect on the Moslem mind -- Division and classification -- Those that describe His Unity -- Mercy -- Power -- The Avenger -- The moral attributes -- Holiness of God ignored -- The Koran doctrine of Sin -- Kinds of sins -- Terms used -- No distinction between the ceremonial and the moral law -- Proof from tradition -- Sin not a serious matter -- The punishment of sin -- Allah not bound by a standard of justice -- ls Allah unchangeable?  -- Justice of Allah -- The chief attritbute -- God's omniscience purely physical -- His power -- He does not sleep -- Real Unity of God absent -- The Koran idea of holiness -- The Pantheism of force -- The idea of the mystics -- Views of other sects -- Allah the light of the world.

V. THE RELATION OF ALLAH TO HIS WORLD  64
 064  065  066  067  068  069  070  071  072  073  074  075  076

The fundamental idea in Moslem theology -- Palgrave as a critic of Islam -- His famous characterization of Allah -- The Absolute and Omnipotent Monad -- He is jealous of His creatures -- Wahabi teaching orthodox -- Moslem idea of Creation -- Koran texts -- Contradictions -- the days of creation -- God the author of evil -- The universe not infinite -- Creation of the pen -- The throne of God -- How God sits -- Speculation and orthodoxy -- Renan's opinion -- Allah leads men astray -- No hope in Islam -- One-sided idea of God  -- God above us, with us, in us.

VI. MOHAMMEDAN IDEAS OF THE TRINITY  77
 077  078  079  080  081  082  083  084  085  086  087  088  089  090  091  092

The negative side of the Moslem idea of God -- Clark's remark on this aspect of false religions -- The two foci of Moslem controversy -- The idea of the Trinity fundamental and essential -- Koran references to the doctrine -- Misapprehension of true Trinity -- The testimony of the commentaries  -- How they differ and why -- Indirect references in the Koran -- Shirk -- Are Christians polytheists?  -- The Christology of the Koran -- The person of Christ -- His birth -- The denial of Christ's divinity  -- And the Atonement -- Hatred of the Cross -- Christ's place in heaven -- The Holy Spirit is the Angel Gabriel -- Was Mohammed ignorant of true Christian teaching concerning the Trinity? -- The Collyridians -- Intercourse with Christians -- Yemen Christianity -- Abyssinian -- Koelle's conclusion -- Could Mohammed read and write?

VII. PREDESTINATION VS. FATALISM  93
 093  094  095  096  097  098  099  100  101  102  103  104  105  106

The importance of this doctrine in Islam's idea of God -- Distinguished from Christian teaching -- Terms used -- Koran passages -- El Berkevi's summary -- Tradition on this topic -- Pre-existence of souls -- Adam and Moses -- The salvation of infants -- Fatalism of the Greeks -- Of Islam -- "Allah katib" -- "Inshallah" -- "El-ha'mdu-lillah" -- Moslem idea of prayer -- The fundamental difference between Calvinistic and Moslem doctrine of the decress -- Allah not love -- No Fatherhood -- The Moslem hell -- Source of these ideas -- The Talmud  -- Story of the angel of death -- Other views of Predestination -- The orthodox view widespread -- Barren of ideas.

VIII. THE COMPLETED IDEA AND ITS INSUFFICIENCY  107-120
 107  108  109  110  111  112  113  114  115  116  117  118  119  120

The Moslem idea of God compared with that of Christianity -- The true standard -- Mohammed's ascent to heaven -- Four elements wanting -- No Fatherhood -- The lack of love in the Moslem religion -- Mysticism a revolt -- The distorted idea of justice -- The law in Islam -- Lack of harmony in Allah's attributes -- The results of such Monotheism -- Islam's ideal of ethics -- The Moslem idea of God is sterile -- The Christian Trinity -- No compromise is possible -- The only True God and Jesus Christ.




ILLUSTRATIONS.



High resolution images are available for download here.

Page
Click for plate at 100 ppi
facing page 2


Talisman from a Moslem Book on the Names of Allah.

Facing page 12


Analysis of Islam as a System
Developed from its Creed.