An Introduction to the Hidden Treasures of Islam — Page 365
365 Specimen of Writing In the Holy Quran God describes His attributes thus: Proclaim: He is All a h, the Single; All a h, the Self Existing and Besought of all. He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him (112:2-5). This means that our God is One in His Being and in His Attributes. No other being is eternal and everlasting and self- existing like His Being, nor are the attributes of any being like His attributes. A person's knowledge needs a teacher and yet is limited. God's knowledge needs no teacher and is unlimited. A person's hearing is dependent upon air and is limited, but God's hearing is inherent and is unlimited. A person's sight is dependent upon the light of the sun or some other light and is limited, but God's seeing is by His inherent light and is unlimited. The power of man to create is dependent upon some matter and needs time and is limited. God's power to create is neither dependent on any matter nor does it need time and is unlimited. All His attributes are without equal and as He has no equal in His Being, no one is His equal in His attributes. If one of His attributes were to be defective, all His attributes would be defective and therefore his Unity cannot be established unless He were without any equal in His attributes as He is without any equal in His Being. He is not anyone's son, nor is anyone His son. He is Self-Sufficient and needs neither father nor son. This is the Unity which the Holy Quran teaches and which is the basis of our faith. ( Lecture Lahore , pp. 8-9, R uha n i Khaz a’ in , vol. 20, pp. 154-155) We cannot say how many such cycles the world has gone through and how many Adams may have appeared in their own times, but it is certain that, since God is the Eternal Creator, the world must also be eternal as a species, though not in its forms and manifestations. Here, too, the Christians have erred, for they believe that God was eternally idle before He created heaven and earth some six thousand years ago. Surely no sensible person would accept this. But the Holy Quran tells us that God is the Eternal Creator Who, if He so wills, may