The literal meaning of Allah is "the one who is unique" and there is none like Him. He is the one and only God to Whom worship (or obedience) is due; all other things or beings that we can think of are His creatures and in no way comparable to Him. He is Eternal, without beginning and end, Absolute, not limited by time or place or circumstance. He is dependent on no person or things, but all ersons and things are dependent on him. He is full of knowledge of all things. God has power over all things and comprehends all things to His knowledge. He does not beget any son or daughter, nor is He a son of anybody. He is not like any other person or thing that we know or can imagine. His qualities and nature are unique. He is also invisible.

By now, we know the proper name of God as Allah. Therefore, from now on we should refer to Him with His proper name Allah.
 
 

It is sufficient to mention here that the reason behind the creation of the universe and mankind is best known to Allah alone. However, some people refer to a tradition from the last prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which says: Allah was a sealed treasure. When He wished to be discovered, He brought into being the whole creation. Allah, when wishes to create something, He simply says "Be" and it comes into existence as He wishes.

Allah has created the heavens, the earth and what is in between them in six periods of time. The heavens and the earth were first joined together, then Allah clove them asunder. He then got every living thing out of water. He turned to heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth: "Come willingly or unwillingly!" They said: "We come in willing obedience". Thus, the heavens and the earth, once they were formed, submitted them to the divine orders.

The Angels, the Jinns (Demons) and the Human beings are also the creations of Allah, the Almighty. It should be known that before the emergence of man, Allah's creation comprised the Angels and Jinns.

The angels are formed of light. They are invisible to man. The angels need no spouses. they have to procreate none. They are free from sexual urge and hunger. They are constituted such that they neither err nor commit any sin. Their sole occupation is to sing the hymns of Allah. They are free from baser appetites. They never disobey Allah. They do whatever they are directed to do. Only Allah knows their numbers.

Jinn is a definite species of living beings. They are created out of the fire free from smoke. They are also invisible to man (the arabic word "Jinn" means hidden). In terms of creation, they are much like the angels, but unlike them, the Jinns have male and females, they can get married and bear children. However, it should be mentioned here that they are not merely a hidden force or spirit, they are personalized beings who enjoy a certain free will and thus will be called to account. They and their animals also eat.

Allah created the Jinns before he created man. Allah creted the Jinns to serve Him. According to some traditions Allah sent them on earth to inhibit it. He also chose guide or warner from among the Jinns, from time to time to guide them. As they were given free will, some of them later disbelieved in Allah and rejected His guidance.

According to the traditions there are three type of Jinns. They are (i)  Those who can fly (the giants of those are known as 'Ifrit'),  (ii) Those who live in remote locations and abandoned/vacant houses,  and (iii) Those who live in the shape of snakes, dogs, cats etc (usually in black colours). There are good and evil individuals among the Jinns.

It has been mentioned already that Jinns were also sent to earth long before Adam and Eve were sent. They were living on earth and also following the guidance of God through their messengers. The following story dates back to a much earlier time before Adam and Eve were sent on earth. At some point the Jinns forgot Allah and started fighting each other and creating chaos on earth. A Messenger was sent to them for guidance, but they did not listen to him. Being fade up with the unruly Jinns, the Messenger prayed to Allah to destroy the Jinns. Then Allah sent Angels from the heaven to destroy them. When the angels came to earth, they started killing the Jinns and at some point they came across a very beautiful baby boy of the Jinns. According to some religios history books, the name of the boy was Aazazil. They were amazed and thought that it is cruel to kill that innocent boy. They were hesitating to kill the baby boy. They prayed to Allah so that He permits them not to kill the boy. Allah accepted their prayer and told them that they did not know what He knew about the boy. The angels stopped killing the Jinns and they took the baby boy of the Jinns to heaven, leaving the remaining Jinns on earth. (The descendents of those Jinns and human beings now live on earth).

The baby boy was taken to heaven and there he grew up and became very pious. Later on, by dint of his virtuous deeds, he achieved high distinction among the angels. He used to spend his time singing the hymns of Allah. Although he was one of the Jinns, he was thus able to earn a high position in the group of angels and eventually he became the leader of the angels.

Allah has created Hell and Paradise (Heaven) to punish or reward His servants in the life after death, for the actions of His servants in their worldly life.

It is a house of fire. Allah has created Hell to punish His unfaithful servants. It has seven gates. A special class of sinners is assigned to each of these gates. The ways of sins are numerous, and if they are classified into seven, each of them points to a gate that leads to the hell.

It is a place of peace and comfort. Allah has created Paradise (Heaven/Garden) to reward His faithful servants. It has eight gates. It has gardens and fountains of clear floating water. Everybody there will remain cheerful. There will be no sense of toil or fatigue, and joy will last for ever.

One day Allah, who is very wise, decided to create a man to worship Him. Allah said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerant on earth". The angels said (with their limited knowledge): "Are you going to create someone who will spoil the earth and make mischief and bloodshed? We are worshipping You and Praising You!" He replied: "I know what you do not know".

Want to read the true story of Adam and Eve (Haowa) ? Then click on True Story of Adam and Eve