The Muslim Doctrine Of God Part 1 Dr Samuel Zwemer

Among all the religions of the world there is none that has a shorter  creed than Islam;none whose creed is so well known and so often repeated.The whole system of Mohammedan theology and philosophy and religious life is summed up in seven words:La ilaha Allah,Mohammed rasul Allah. "There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is Allah's apostle."-on these two phrases hang all the laws and teaching and morals of Islam.The logical development of Islam took place after the death of Mohammed in two ways:by the interpretation of the Koran and by the collection (or invention) of a mass of so called tradition.The former is what Allah revealed by means of a book;the latter is what allah reveald by a man,Mohammed.Both revelations have well-nigh equal authority and both rest thier authority on the Kalimet or creed of seven words.The accompanying analysis shows this relation.
Gibbon characterizes the first part of the Moslem's creed as "an eternal truth"and the second part as a "necessary fiction." Concerning the latter statement  there is no dispute,but whether we can admit the former depends altogether on the character of the being of whom it is affirmed that he displaces all other gods.If Allah's nature and attributes are in any way distorted or are unworthy  of Diety ,then even the first clause of the briefest of all creeds is false. "Becuase Mohammed taught the unity of God it has been hastily concluded that he was a great social  and moral reformer as well.But there is no charm in the abstract doctrine of the unity of god to elevate humanity.The essential point is the character attributed to this one God." Gibbon.It is therefore,not superfluous to inquire both from the Koran and from orthodox Tradition what Moslems mean by asserting God's unity and what character they ascribe to their only ,true God.For there is no doubt that they themselves emphasize nothing so much as this part of thier system.By repeating these words,the infidel turns Moslem . By this creed the faithful are called to prayer five times a daily.

The  Koran is never weary of reitering the formula which expresses God's unity,and the one hundred and twelfth Surah, specialy devoted to this subject,is so muslims say,equal in value to one-third of the book .