The God of Islam is called Allah and is the same God who created heaven and earth, who revealed himself to Abraham and his descendants. It is a personal God who repeatedly is referred to as "The Beneficent, the Merciful". But Muhammad experience of God falls short of a mystic union with Allah. "He always felt himself to be separate and even infinitely removed from God, who spoke to him and sent him messengers, who chided, comforted and commanded him." (Maxime Rodinson, Muhammad, p.80) Sin, fear of punishment, forgiveness and God's mercy is stressed. The word or concept of "love" appears only a few times in man's relationship with God. The unity and absoluteness of God is expressed thus,

" Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begets not, nor is He begotten;
And there is none like unto Him."
Surah 112:1-4)

The Oneness of God was not denied by Christ but confirmed as the "I Am" of God. He said to the Jews, "Before Abraham came to be, I AM." (Jn 8:28) "I Am in the Father and the Father is in me." (Jn 14:11) "I and the Father are one." (Jn 10:30) This means oneness is nature in three "persons". The Father is God, The Son is God and the Spirit is God, but there is only one God.

This is not a solitary unity envisioned by the Old Testament and Muhammad but the unity of three divine and eternal relationships which Christ expressed in human terms as God the Father, Son and Spirit. God is the author of human relationships and in some way they reflect the mystery of the Trinity, therefore, it is proper to speak of God as Father, Son and Spirit.

Muhammad thought of Christ in purely human terms and did not have an understanding of the mystery of the Trinity. Despite this, Muhammad makes a startling statement:

"If (Allah) Most Gracious had a son,
I would be the first to worship."

(Surah 42:81)

There is still a further puzzle in the Koran. Muhammad often used the plural "We" when Allah is speaking. For example, "It is We who created you and gave you shape; then We bade the angels bow down to Adam, and they bowed down; not so Iblis, he refused to be of those who bowed down." Muhammad admits that there are things in his revelations that have a hidden meaning. (Surah 3:3) Only God knows what they mean. It is also strange that the angels should be ordered to bow down to Adam. It would make more sense if the angels were told that would have to bow down to the God in the form of a Man, Jesus Christ.

Surrender to Allah (God)