15. Is God holy?

The Torah or Pentateuch contains the book of Leviticus. The great verses of this book reveal the holiness of God. Leviticus 11 verse 44 and chapter 19 verse 2 gives us the Commandment of God: ‘You must be holy because I, the Lord your God am holy.’ The priests in Leviticus were commanded in chapter 10 verse 9: ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink before going to the Tabernacle. If you do, you will die. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation. You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. You must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses.’ This book of Leviticus, one of the five books of the Torah teaches modern day Christians that they are required by God to seek to be holy, and bring the holiness of God’s presence into the common things they deal with every day, and to shun the profane. Profanity has no place in God’s presence. The third, seventh and tenth commandments in Exodus 20 warn us not to practice profanity.

In the Qur’an surah Al Hashr ayah 23 it states that ‘Allâh is He; than Whom there is no other god, The Sovereign, the Holy One, The Source of Peace, The Guardian of Faith, The Preserver of Safety, The Exalted in Might, The Irresistible and Supreme, Glory to Allâh! Above the partners, they attribute to Him.’

In addition to the above we read in surah 62 Al Jumu’ah ayah 1 ‘Whatever is in the heavens and on earth doth declare, The Praises and Glory of Allâh – the Sovereign, the Holy One, exalted in Might, the Wise.’ Allâh is holy, declares the Qur’an. What does Islâm teach about Allâh’s holiness? What does holy mean in Islâm?