Page 40 - The Worst Slander: Idolatry

38 THE WORST SLANDER: IDOLATRY

They do not appreciate Allah with His true measure.
Allah is All-Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Hajj: 74)
This same logic applies to all of Allah's other titles that
He manifests or causes to be reflected by members of His
Creations. In considering these entities, one must be aware
that these titles belong only to Allah and that what we see
in other people are merely manifestations of them.

The starting point of idolatry

The false approach of attributing an identity to Allah's
Creations by regarding them as beings in their own right
who are independent of Allah leads to idolatry. Allah's
wealth, beauty, might, and glory do exist, but those upon
whom He bestows them do not actually possess them and
are not the originators of them; nor do they or their posses-
sions exist in any way that is independent of His existence.
People who do not understand this often admire or fear
those who apparently possess such attributes, believing
that they are somehow independent of Allah.
This mistaken view is the starting point of idolatry. As we
will see in later chapters, such an attribution underlies all
forms of shirk and idolatrous attitudes. True believers must
build their faith on monotheism (the Oneness of Allah) and
avoid ascribing any equals to Him. Therefore, all people
must constantly remember that they are indebted to Allah
for whatever they possess and have been brought into
being only through Allah's will. He can keep them alive or
not, as He wills, and bestows whatever attributes He wills
upon any member of His Creation.