Transcending Idola Fori : The ontological identity of the God of Islam
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Dr Abul Khair Choudhury (Moijing Mayum)
We, the people of Manipur—the Meiteis, the Meitei Pangals, and our brethren in the hills—have lived as neighbors for centuries. Our histories are interwoven like the threads of a Moirang Phee; we share the same river systems, the same economic struggles, and the same destiny. Yet, despite this physical proximity and millennia of coexistence, a profound epistemological gap exists between our communities. While we are intimately familiar with each other’s festivals and cuisine, we often remain strangers to the foundational metaphysics of each other’s faith.
For too long, the theological understanding of our neighbors has not been derived from their scholars or authentic scriptures, but from what the philosopher Francis Bacon termed IdolaFori (The Idols of the Marketplace). These are the illusions and fallacies that arise from the imprecise exchange of words and unverified hearsay in the public square. In our context, this ‘marketplace’ serves as a hub for Doxa (popular opinion) rather than Episteme (true knowledge). It is a space where complex spiritual convictions are often reduced to caricatures, fostering systemic misunderstanding.
As a Meitei Muslim who has found spiritual conviction within the fold of Islam, I feel an intellectual and moral imperative to bypass these Idola Fori and present the “True Identity” of the Creator (Allah) to my brothers and sisters. This exposition is not an attempt at proselytization, but an invitation to intellectual discourse—to understand how a Muslim perceives the Divine Reality, based not on conjecture, but on the rigorous theology of the Quran.
The Architecture of Monotheism: Beyond Numerical Oneness
The common lay understanding of Islam is restricted to its monotheistic claim of “One God.” However, philosophically, this is a simplification. The Islamic concept of God is anchored in Tawhid. Linguistically meaning “to make one,” theological Tawhid is not merely a rejection of polytheism in a numerical sense; it is an assertion of the absolute uniqueness of the Divine Essence in every dimension of existence.
To comprehend the Islamic worldview, one must deconstruct Tawhid into its three constituent pillars
Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (Oneness of Lordship): This dimension addresses the metaphysics of causation. In Islamic cosmology, God is not the passive “Clockmaker” of Deistic philosophy who created the universe and abandoned it to the laws of nature. Rather, He is Al-Qayyum (The Self-Subsisting Sustainer). We uphold the doctrine of Continuous Creation, meaning that the universe is not a static machine but a dynamic act of Divine Will. If God were to withdraw His Will for a nanosecond, the atomic cohesion of reality would dissolve. He is the sole ontological source of all existence.
Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness of Worship): This dimension relates to human teleology and liberty. If there is only one Sustainer (Rububiyyah), then logically, only He implies the right to ultimate devotion. Islam posits that man is homo adorans (a worshipping being); if he does not worship the Absolute, he will inevitably worship the finite—be it power, materialism, superstition, or the ego. The declaration La ilahaillallah is an act of liberation, freeing the human consciousness from servitude to created phenomena and anchoring it solely to the Infinite.
Tawhid al-Asmawa-Sifat (Oneness of Names and Attributes): Who is this God? Is He an abstract force? Islam answers that God possesses a “Personal” reality defined by ninety-nine names (AsmaulHusna), such as Al-Adl (The Just) and Al-Rahman (The Merciful). However, a crucial epistemological caveat exists: “There is nothing unto like Him” (Quran 42:11). We affirm these attributes without anthropomorphism—He hears without ears, sees without eyes, and exists beyond the constraints of space-time.
Epistemology: The Primordial Covenant
A prevalent misconception in the public sphere is that faith is antithetical to reason. On the contrary, the Quran exhorts humanity to use ‘Aql (intellect) over 750 times. But beyond empirical logic, Islam appeals to a metaphysical memory known as the Covenant of Alast (Ahd al-Alast).
The Quran (7:172) delineates a pre-existential event where the souls of all humanity were brought before the Creator, who asked, “Am I not your Lord?” to which every soul testified, “Yes, we bear witness.”
This implies that the knowledge of God is encoded in the human Fitrah (innate disposition).
(To be contd)
We, the people of Manipur—the Meiteis, the Meitei Pangals, and our brethren in the hills—have lived as neighbors for centuries. Our histories are interwoven like the threads of a Moirang Phee; we share the same river systems, the same economic struggles, and the same destiny. Yet, despite this physical proximity and millennia of coexistence, a profound epistemological gap exists between our communities. While we are intimately familiar with each other’s festivals and cuisine, we often remain strangers to the foundational metaphysics of each other’s faith.
For too long, the theological understanding of our neighbors has not been derived from their scholars or authentic scriptures, but from what the philosopher Francis Bacon termed IdolaFori (The Idols of the Marketplace). These are the illusions and fallacies that arise from the imprecise exchange of words and unverified hearsay in the public square. In our context, this ‘marketplace’ serves as a hub for Doxa (popular opinion) rather than Episteme (true knowledge). It is a space where complex spiritual convictions are often reduced to caricatures, fostering systemic misunderstanding.
As a Meitei Muslim who has found spiritual conviction within the fold of Islam, I feel an intellectual and moral imperative to bypass these Idola Fori and present the “True Identity” of the Creator (Allah) to my brothers and sisters. This exposition is not an attempt at proselytization, but an invitation to intellectual discourse—to understand how a Muslim perceives the Divine Reality, based not on conjecture, but on the rigorous theology of the Quran.
The Architecture of Monotheism: Beyond Numerical Oneness
The common lay understanding of Islam is restricted to its monotheistic claim of “One God.” However, philosophically, this is a simplification. The Islamic concept of God is anchored in Tawhid. Linguistically meaning “to make one,” theological Tawhid is not merely a rejection of polytheism in a numerical sense; it is an assertion of the absolute uniqueness of the Divine Essence in every dimension of existence.
To comprehend the Islamic worldview, one must deconstruct Tawhid into its three constituent pillars
Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (Oneness of Lordship): This dimension addresses the metaphysics of causation. In Islamic cosmology, God is not the passive “Clockmaker” of Deistic philosophy who created the universe and abandoned it to the laws of nature. Rather, He is Al-Qayyum (The Self-Subsisting Sustainer). We uphold the doctrine of Continuous Creation, meaning that the universe is not a static machine but a dynamic act of Divine Will. If God were to withdraw His Will for a nanosecond, the atomic cohesion of reality would dissolve. He is the sole ontological source of all existence.
Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness of Worship): This dimension relates to human teleology and liberty. If there is only one Sustainer (Rububiyyah), then logically, only He implies the right to ultimate devotion. Islam posits that man is homo adorans (a worshipping being); if he does not worship the Absolute, he will inevitably worship the finite—be it power, materialism, superstition, or the ego. The declaration La ilahaillallah is an act of liberation, freeing the human consciousness from servitude to created phenomena and anchoring it solely to the Infinite.
Tawhid al-Asmawa-Sifat (Oneness of Names and Attributes): Who is this God? Is He an abstract force? Islam answers that God possesses a “Personal” reality defined by ninety-nine names (AsmaulHusna), such as Al-Adl (The Just) and Al-Rahman (The Merciful). However, a crucial epistemological caveat exists: “There is nothing unto like Him” (Quran 42:11). We affirm these attributes without anthropomorphism—He hears without ears, sees without eyes, and exists beyond the constraints of space-time.
Epistemology: The Primordial Covenant
A prevalent misconception in the public sphere is that faith is antithetical to reason. On the contrary, the Quran exhorts humanity to use ‘Aql (intellect) over 750 times. But beyond empirical logic, Islam appeals to a metaphysical memory known as the Covenant of Alast (Ahd al-Alast).
The Quran (7:172) delineates a pre-existential event where the souls of all humanity were brought before the Creator, who asked, “Am I not your Lord?” to which every soul testified, “Yes, we bear witness.”
This implies that the knowledge of God is encoded in the human Fitrah (innate disposition).
(To be contd)