The Incoherence of Tawhid (Islamic Monotheism)

A Doctrine of Oneness That Doesn’t Add Up

One of Islam’s most fundamental theological pillars is Tawhid — the concept of Allah’s absolute, indivisible oneness.

“Say: He is Allah, [who is] One.”
— Qur’an 112:1 (w)

Muslims are taught that Tawhid is what makes Islam the purest form of monotheism. No partners, no divisions, no complexity.
But upon close inspection, Tawhid doesn’t hold up to its own claims. In fact, it collapses into incoherence.

The Qur’an presents Allah in ways that blur the lines between oneness, multiplicity, and contradiction.

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🤯 “One God” with Many Faces?

Islam insists that Allah is utterly indivisible — not composed of parts, persons, or emanations.
Yet the Qur’an ascribes multiple distinct attributes and roles to Allah, each of which operates like a separate agent.

Examples:

• The Face of Allah — “Everything will perish except His Face” (Qur’an 28:88)

• The Hands of Allah — “What prevents you from prostrating to what I created with My own hands?” (Qur’an 38:75)

• The Eyes of Allah — “Build the ark under Our eyes…” (Qur’an 11:37)

Does Allah have a literal face, hands, eyes?
Is He a being with parts — or not?
If these are metaphors, why do they behave like independent divine faculties?

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🔁 Allah Referring to Himself as “We”

Throughout the Qur’an, Allah speaks in the plural:

“We created you.” (Qur’an 7:11)
“We sent it down.” (Qur’an 97:1)

The standard excuse? “It’s the royal ‘We.’”
But this explanation dodges the theological tension:

• Why would an indivisible deity mimic plurality in revelation?

• Why risk confusing absolute oneness with royal polyphony?

When “One” sounds like “Many,” clarity collapses.

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🧠 Eternal Attributes = Multiplicity?

Classical Islamic theology claims Allah’s attributes are eternal, just like Allah Himself:

• Al-Hayy (The Ever-Living)

• Al-‘Aleem (The All-Knowing)

• Al-Qadeer (The All-Powerful)

Each attribute is:

• Not Allah Himself

• Not other than Allah

• Eternal and uncreated

So Islam ends up with a multiplicity of eternal entities — knowledge, power, will — that are neither distinct from Allah, nor identical with Him.

That’s not strict monotheism. That’s abstract theological juggling.

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🧩 The Qur’an Itself — An Eternal Attribute?

According to Sunni orthodoxy, the Qur’an is uncreated and eternal — the literal speech of Allah.

But here’s the problem:

• If the Qur’an is eternal, is it separate from Allah?

• If it’s not separate, how can it exist in time and be read aloud, written down, or burned?

Islamic theology tries to say:

“The meaning is eternal, but the letters are created.”

That’s philosophical hair-splitting, not clarity.
You either have one eternal being — or you don’t.

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🧼 Apologist Spin Doesn’t Fix It

“Allah’s attributes are part of His essence.”
→ Then they are parts — which violates indivisibility.

“The ‘We’ is majestic.”
→ A God who claims to be perfectly clear doesn’t confuse majesty with multiplicity.

“These are just mysteries beyond human understanding.”
→ That’s not theology. That’s intellectual surrender.

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🎯 Final Word

Tawhid claims to be the purest form of monotheism — but it’s built on contradictions.

A God who is “absolutely one”:

• Refers to Himself as “We”

• Has multiple eternal attributes that act like semi-independent agents

• Describes His face, hands, and eyes as distinct realities

• Speaks a Qur’an that is eternal but appears in time

This isn’t divine simplicity. It’s philosophical patchwork, sustained by fear of asking honest questions.

And in Islam, asking those questions is exactly what’s forbidden.