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In
theology,
monotheism (from
Greek "one" and "
god") is the belief in the existence of one
deity, or in the
oneness of God. In a Western context, the concept of "monotheism" tends to be dominated by the concept of the god of the
Abrahamic religions and the
Platonic concept of God as put forward by
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.
The concept of monotheism has largely been defined in contrast with
polytheistic religions, and monotheism tends to overlap with other
Unitary concepts, such as
monism.
Whereas monotheism is a self-description of religions subsumed under this term, there's no equivalent self-description for polytheist religions: monotheism asserts itself by opposing polytheism, while polytheism doesn't use the same argumentative device, as it includes a concept of divine unity despite worshipping a plethora of gods. By the same token, monotheistic religions may still include concepts of a plurality of the divine, for example the
Trinity, in which God is one being in three personal dimensions (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). Additionally, Christians believe Jesus to have two natures (divine and human), each possessing the full attributes of that nature, without mixture or intermingling of those attributes. Although Christian theology reserves worship for the Divine, the distinction between worshipping the divine nature of Jesus but not the human nature of Jesus can be difficult for non-Christians (and even Christian laity) to follow.
Christians of a
catholic tradition
venerate the
Saints among them
Mary as human beings that had remarkable qualities, have lived their faith in God to the extreme and
continue to assist in the process of salvation for others.
Origin and development
The word is derived from the
Greek, meaning "single" and meaning "
god". The English term was first used by
Henry More.
The concept sees a gradual development out of notions of
henotheism and
monolatrism. In the
Ancient Near East, each
city had a local patron deity, such as
Shamash at
Larsa or
Sin at
Ur. The first claims of global supremacy of a specific god date to the
Late Bronze Age, with
Akhenaten's
Great Hymn to the Aten (connected to
Judaism by
Sigmund Freud in his
Moses and Monotheism), and, depending on dating issues,
Zoroaster's
Gathas to
Ahura Mazda. Currents of monism or monotheism emerge in
Vedic India in the same period, with for example the
Nasadiya Sukta. Philosophical monotheism and the associated concept of absolute
good and evil emerges in
Classical Antiquity, notably with
Plato (c.f.
Euthyphro dilemma), elaborated into the idea of
The One in
Neoplatonism.
In Islamic theology, a person who spontaneously "discovers" monotheism is called a
ḥanīf, the original
ḥanīf being
Abraham.
Austrian anthropologist
Wilhelm Schmidt in the 1910s postulated an
Urmonotheismus, "original" or "primitive monotheism", a thesis now widely rejected in
comparative religion but still occasionally defended in
creationist circles.
Varieties
Some argue that there are various forms of monotheism, including:
- Henotheism involves devotion to a single god while accepting the existence of other gods. Similarly, monolatrism is the worship of a single deity independent of the ontological claims regarding that deity.
- Theism a term that refers to the belief in the existence of a god or divine being.
- Deism is a form of monotheism in which it's believed that one god exists. However, a deist rejects the idea that this god intervenes in the world.
- Monistic Theism is the type of monotheism found in Hinduis, encompassing pantheism, monism, and at the same time the concept of a personal god
- Pantheism holds that the Universe itself is god. The existence of a transcendent supreme extraneous to nature is denied. Depending on how this is understood, such a view may well be presented as tantamount to atheism, deism or panentheism.
- Panentheism, or Monistic Monotheism, is a form of theism that holds that god contains, but isn't identical to, the Universe. The 'one god' is omnipotent and all-pervading, the universe is part of god, and god is both immanent and transcendent.
- Substance monotheism, found in some indigenous African religions, holds that the many gods are different forms of a single underlying substance.
On the surface, monotheism is in contrast with
polytheism, which is the worship of several
deities. Polytheism is however reconcilable with
Inclusive monotheism, which claims that all deities are just different names or forms for the single god. This approach is common in
Hinduism, for example in
Smartism.
Exclusive monotheism, on the other hand, actively opposes polytheism. Monotheism is often contrasted with theistic
dualism (ditheism). However, in dualistic theologies as that of
Gnosticism, the two deities are not of equal rank, and the role of the Gnostic
demiurge is closer to that of
Satan in Christian theology than that of a
diarch on equal terms with god (who is represented in pantheistic fashion, as
Pleroma).
Early History
In ancient Egypt
Ancient
Middle-Eastern religions may have worshipped a single god within a pantheon and the abolition of all others, as in the case of the
Aten cult in the reign of the
Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten.
Iconoclasm during this pharaoh's rule is considered a chief origin for the subsequent destruction by some groups of idols, holding that no other god before the preferred deity (dually and subtly acknowledging the existence of the other gods, but only as foes to be destroyed for their drawing of attention away from the primary deity).
Other issues such as
Divine Right of Kings may possibly also stem from pharaonic laws on the ruler being the
demigod or representative of the
Creator on Earth. The massive
tombs in the
Egyptian pyramids which aligned with
astronomical observations, perhaps exemplify this relationship between the pharaoh and the heavens.
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is considered to be one of the earliest monotheistic beliefs, but the Zoroastrian definition of monotheism is neither comparable nor compatible with the monotheism of other religions that - in addition to being monotheistic - are also
monist.
In Zoroaster's revelation,
Ahura Mazda is a transcendental and universal god, the one uncreated Creator (standard appellation) and to whom all worship is ultimately directed. However, Zoroaster also perceives Mazda to be wholly good, and that his creation is wholly good. In conflict with creation is
anti-creation, evident in the created world as decay and disorder. Since anti-creation is purely destructive it can't have been created (otherwise it would self-destruct) and hence must - like the Creator himself - be uncreated.
In the
Gathas, Zoroaster doesn't acknowledge any divinity other than Ahura Mazda. However, the hymns of Indo-Iranian religious tradition (of which the Gathas are a part) are always addressed to a specific divinity and those closely associated with him, and in this sense the Gathas are not (necessarily) a denial of the other divinities, but the exhaltation of a specific one. Although not mentioned by name (in the Gathas,
Ahura Mazda is itself an epithet, not yet a proper name), Zoroaster implicitly acknowledges the existence of other
Ahuras "Lords", as in "thou who art the mightiest Ahura and the Wise (
Mazda) One" (
Yasna 33.11). In addition to these lords that are "worthy of worship" (
yazata), Zoroaster also refers to the
daevas as the 'wrong' gods, or 'false' gods, or gods 'that shouldn't be worshipped' and whose followers are to be brought onto the path of righteousness. In later Zoroastrian tradition, the
daevas are demons, but this isn't yet evident in the prophet's own poetry.
Zoroastrianism is thus monotheistic inasfar as all worship is ultimately directed to Ahura Mazda. However, unlike
Zurvanite Zoroastrianism, neither revealed nor present-day Zoroastrianism is monist. At no time did Zoroastrianism preclude the existence or worship of other divinities, which are today considered to be aspects or evidence of creation and hence of the Creator. The invocation of divinities besides Ahura Mazda is however common practice in Zoroastrian tradition, and isn't necessarily either a sign of henotheism (the one extreme interpretation) or the worship of pure abstractions (the other extreme): In the past it was common for an individual, household or clan to adopt a patron divinity and although several attempts have been made to define ancient Zoroastrianism on the evidence of such adoptions - for instance, in inscriptions or in
theophoric names - these are inherently unsuitable for that purpose.
Monotheism in the Vaisnavism
It is often argued that Vaisnavism is one of the earliest impicit manifistations of non exclusive monotheism in the traditions of Vedas.
Svayam bhagavan - (in
IAST) is a Sanskrit term for the original
deity of the Supreme God worshiped across many traditions of the
Vaisnavism as the source of all, the monotheistic absolute Deity.
Within
Hinduism, Krishna is worshiped from a variety of perspectives. However it must be noted that the
Svayam bhagavan concept refers to the Supreme Being of the Orthodox
Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the
Vallabha Sampradaya and the
Nimbarka Sampradaya, where Krishna is worshiped as the source of all other
avatars (including Vishnu). A distinguishing feature of the Vaisnava teachings is that God, Krishna or
Vishnu, is a real person and His variegated creation is also real.
Krishna worshiped in Vaisnava religion as the Supreme came into being as soon as all creatures came into existence.
Brahma was the first Vaisnava.
Shiva Mahadeva is also a
Vaisnava. The ancient Prajapaties are all Vaisnavas.
Narada who is the born child of Brahma, is a Vaisnava. Thus pure monotheistic Vaisnava religion began with the beginning of history. In the recent times man arrived once again at the instinctive monotheism of the Aryans and Vaisnavas.
Abrahamic religions
The major source of monotheism in the modern
Western World is the narrative of the
Hebrew Bible, the source of
Judaism, which was created from the 13th century BCE to the 4th century BCE. Judaism may have received influences from various non-biblical religions present in
Egypt and
Syria. This can be seen by the
Torah's reference to
Egyptian culture in Genesis and the story of Moses, as well as the mention of
Hittite and
Hurrian cultures of Syria in the Genesis story of Abraham.
In traditional
Jewish thought, which provided the basis of the
Christian and
Islamic religions, monotheism was regarded as its most basic belief.
Judaism and
Islam have traditionally attempted to interpret scripture as
exclusively monotheistic whilst
Christianity diverted to a more complex form of
tripartite monotheism, as a result of considering the Holy Spirit to be a part of God, and attributing divinity to
Jesus, a
Judean
Jew, in the first century AD, defining him as the son of God. Thus, "Father, Son and Holy Spirit".
Monotheism in the Hebrew Bible
It is often argued that the
Hebrew Bible takes a position not of monotheism, but of
henotheism. God reveals himself not as the only god, but rather as the god whom Abraham knows. (Gen 15:7) In such a respect, the god of Israel isn't God alone, but the god who was worshipped by Abraham's clan. In this context, the god of Israel is a type of tribal deity, that although was worshipped alone, didn't explicitly exclude the existence of other gods, who were not relevant to them.
In the early Mosaic era, the possibility of other gods is left an open question, although by this stage Israel claims that their god is greater. (Ex 18:11) This same subtle shift is shown in 2 Chr 2:5, and could indicate that Israel understood that the god they recognised was God alone, and other gods were therefore false. This would be
Monotheism in the proper sense of the word. By the time of the prophet Isaiah,
Monotheism is solidly and explicitly accepted. “Thus says the, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the of hosts: "I am the first and I'm the last; besides me there's no god.” (Is 44:6) Thus, the development of the people of Israel to a true
Monotheism, appears to be a gradual process, with the exception of Gen 1:1. It is therefore likely that Gen 1:1 was redacted later than the other examples supplied, and so, the development of
Monotheism comes firstly on a tribal level, and gradually advances to recognition that the god of Israel is the only god. It is into this context that Christianity emerges, and thus Christianity was from the outset
Monotheistic. (John 1:1)
A strictly literal interpretation of Deuteronomy 4:39 excludes the possibility of henotheism. The verse states: "Know this day, and take it to heart, that
the is God in heaven above and on earth below; there's none else." According to the view that Deuteronomy is a late addition to the Five Books of Moses, this would reflect the later adoption of monotheism. However, if Deuteronomy is taken to be part of the original text, as it generally is among those who use it as scripture, this would indicate that the monotheistic concept existed from the time the Torah was composed.
In the west, the
Hebrew Bible has been the
primary source describing how and when Monotheism was introduced into the Middle East and the west. As believed by followers of some of the
Abrahamic religions, it teaches that when
Abraham discovered God (
Genesis 12:1-9
(External Link
) ; 13:14-18
(External Link) ; 15
(External Link) 18
(External Link) ; and 22
(External Link)), he thus became the world's first Monotheist. According to these, until then, in
ancient history all cultures believed in a variety of multiple deities such as in
idolatry, forces and creatures of
nature as in
animism, or in celestial bodies as in
astrology, but didn't know the one and only true
god.
However, the Hebrew Bible teaches that, at
Creation,
Adam and Eve knew God (and so did their descendants) but that over the ages, God and his name were forgotten. This is how one of the most important
Jewish sages,
Maimonides describes the process in his work the
Mishneh Torah:
Jewish view
Judaism is one of the oldest known monotheistic faiths. The best-known Jewish statements of monotheism occur in the
Shema prayer, the
Ten Commandments and
Maimonides'
13 Principles of faith, Second Principle:
is our God, the is one."}}
There has historically been disagreement between the
Hasidic Jews and the
Mitnagdim Jews on various Jewish philosophical issues surrounding certain concepts of monotheism. A similar situation of differing views is seen in modern times among
Dor Daim, students of the
Rambam, segments of
Lithuanian Jewry, and portions of the
Modern Orthodox world toward Jewish communities that are more thoroughly influenced by
Lurianic
Kabbalistic teachings such as
Hasidism and large segments of the
Sepharadi and
Mizrahi communities. This dispute is likely rooted in the differences between what are popularly referred to as the "philosophically inclined" sources and the "
kabbalistic sources;" the "philosophic sources" include such Rabbis as
Saadia Gaon, Rabenu
Bahya ibn Paquda,
Abraham ibn Ezra, and
Maimonides. The "kabbalistic sources" include Rabbis such as
Nahmanides,
Bahya ben Asher, Rabbi
Yitzhak Saggi Nehor, and
Azriel. The
Vilna Gaon is usually granted great respect in modern times by those who side with both views; by the more kabbalistic segments of Judaism he's regarded as a great kabbalist; those who take the other side of the issue regard him as a strict advocate of the people of
Israel's historical monotheism.
The Shema
Judaism's earliest
history,
beliefs,
laws, and
practices are preserved and taught in the
Torah (the
Hebrew Bible) which provides a clear textual source for the rise and development of what is named Judaism's
ethical monotheism which means that:
» (1) There is one God from whom emanates one morality for all humanity. (2) God's primary demand of people is that they act decently toward one another...The God of ethical monotheism is the God first revealed to the world in the Hebrew Bible. Through it, we can establish God's four primary characteristics:
God is supernatural.
God is personal.
God is good.
God is holy. » ...in the study of Hebrew history: Israel's monotheism was an ethical monotheism. Dennis Prager
When Moses returned with the Ten Commandments, the second of those stated that "you shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3), right after the first, which affirmed the existence of God. Furthermore, Israelites recite the Shema Yisrael ("Hear O' Israel") which partly says, "Hear, O' Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." Monotheism was and is the central tenet of the Israelite and the Jewish religion.
The Shema>
| Hebrew |
שמע ישראל יי אלהנו יי אחד |
| Common transliteration |
Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad |
| English |
Hear, O Israel! The is our God! The is One! |
The literal word meanings are roughly as follows:
Shema — 'listen' or 'hear.' The word also implies comprehension.
Yisrael — 'Israel', in the sense of the people or congregation of Israel
Adonai — often translated as 'Lord', it's used in place of the Tetragrammaton
Eloheinu — 'our God', a plural noun (said to imply majesty rather than plural number) with a pronominal suffix ('our')
Echad — 'one'
In this case, Elohim is used in the plural as a form of respect and not polytheism.
Gen.1:26 And Elohim said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Elohim is morphologically plural in form in Hebrew, but generally takes singular agreement when it refers to the god of Israel (so the verb meaning "said" in this verse is vayyomer ויאמר with singular inflection, and not vayyomru ויאמרו with plural inflection), and yet in this case the "our" and "us" seems to create a presumption of plurality, though it may just be God talking to angels and not another god.
Judaism, however, insists that the " is One," as in the Shema, and at least two interpretations exist to explain the Torah's use of the plural form. The first is that the plural form "Elohim" is analogous to the royal plural as used in English. The second is that, in order to set an example for human kings, Elohim consulted with his court (the angels, just created) before making a major decision (creating man).
Christian view
Christians profess belief in one God. Historically, most Christian churches have taught that the nature of God is something of a mystery. Among Early Christians there was considerable debate over the nature of godhead, with some factions arguing for the divinity of Jesus and others calling for a unitary conception of God. These issues of Christology were to form one of the main subjects of contention at the First Council of Nicea.
The First Council of Nicaea, held in Nicaea in Bithynia (in present-day Turkey), convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in 325, was the first ecumenical conference of bishops of the Christian Church, and most significantly resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Nicene Creed. With the creation of the creed, a precedent was established for subsequent 'general (ecumenical) councils of Bishops' (Synods) to create statements of belief and canons of doctrinal orthodoxy— the intent being to define unity of beliefs for the whole of Christendom.
The purpose of the council was to resolve disagreements in the Church of Alexandria over the nature of Jesus in relationship to the Father; in particular, whether Jesus was of the same substance as God the Father or merely of similar substance. St. Alexander of Alexandria and Athanasius took the first position; the popular presbyter Arius, from whom the term Arian controversy comes, took the second. The council decided against the Arians overwhelmingly (of the estimated 250-318 attendees, all but 2 voted against Arius).
Most modern Christian traditions follow this decision, which was codified in 381 and reached its full development through the work of the Cappadocian Fathers. They consider God to be a triune entity, called the Trinity, comprised of the three "Persons" God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the three of this unity are described as being "of the same substance" (ὁμοούσιος). The true nature of the Trinity is held to be an inexplicable mystery.
Some critics contend that the Trinity originated in the Pagan Celtic tradition, in which many gods and goddesses were tripartite, and that its incorporation into Christianity is a corruption of the original doctrines, similar to the adoption of many Pagan gods and goddesses such as Brigid as Christian Saints. Other critics contend that because of the adoption of a tripartite conception of deity, Christianity is actually a form of Tritheism or Polytheism. This concept dates from the teachings of the Alexandrian Church, which claimed that Jesus, having appeared later in the Bible than his "Father," had to be a secondary, lesser, and therefore "distinct" god. This controversy led to the convention of the Nicean council in 325 CE. While this might be the case in various unorthodox (non-Nicene) instances, Christianity is popularly understood as Tripartite monotheism. For Jews and Muslims, the idea of God as a trinity is heretical - it's considered akin to polytheism. Christians overwhelmingly assert that monotheism is central to the Christian faith, as the very Nicene Creed (among others) which gives the orthodox Christian definition of the Trinity does begin with: "I believe in one God".
Some Christian groups eschew orthodox theology, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, followers of Mormonism, and Oneness Pentecostals, the Unitarians, Socinians, and some of the Radical Reformers (Anabaptists), don't teach the doctrine of the Trinity at all. The Rastafarians, like many Christians, hold that God is both a unity and a trinity, in their case God being Haile Selassie.
Islamic view
The Qur'an asserts the existence of a single and absolute truth that transcends the world; a unique and indivisible being who is independent of the creation.
Tawhid constitutes the foremost article of the Muslim profession. To attribute divinity to a created entity is the only unpardonable sin mentioned in the Qur'an.
Bahá'í view
The Oneness of God is one of the core teachings of the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'ís believe that there's one supernatural being, God, who has created all existence. God is described as "a personal God, unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and almighty."
Bahá'ís believe that although people have different concepts of God and his nature, and call him by different names, everyone is speaking of the same entity. God is taught to be a personal god in that God is conscious of his creation and has a mind, will and purpose. At the same time the Bahá'í teachings state that God is too great for humans to fully understand him or to create a complete and accurate image of him. Bahá'u'lláh teaches that human knowledge of God is limited to those attributes and qualities which are understandable to us, and thus direct knowledge about the essence of God isn't possible. Bahá'ís believe, thus, that through daily prayer, meditation, and study of revealed text they can grow closer to God. The obligatory prayers in the Bahá'í Faith involve explicit monotheistic testimony.
Eastern religions
Hinduism
In Hinduism, views are broad and range from, monism, dualism, panentheism and pantheism, alternatively called monistic theism by some scholars, to strict monotheism, see Hindu denominations. Monotheism in Hinduism is known as "Ekanyana" and God Almighty is Ekam (One.)
As one scholar has said, "...Hinduism includes both monism and monotheism. It is misleading to call the Abrahamic religions,"the monotheistic traditions," implying that monotheism is absent from the Eastern traditions. Vedanta includes many monotheistic schools; They may accept the existence of many gods and goddesses, but strongly emphasise the pre-eminence of the Supreme Deity.
Many Hindus, including Smartas, believe in God having three aspects as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Trimurti (also called the Hindu trinity.) and these different aspects are part of one and the same God.
Four major sects of modern Hinduism, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism, all believe in one God but differ in their conceptions. The two primary form of differences are between the two monotheistic denominations of Vaishnavism which conceives God as Vishnu and Shaivism, which conceives God as Shiva. Other aspects of God are in fact aspects of Vishnu or Shiva. Smartas, who follow Advaita philosophy, are monists, and view multiple manifestations of the one god or source of being. Hindu monists see one unity, with the personal gods, different aspects of only one supreme being, like a single beam of light separated into colours by a prism, and are valid to worship. Some of the Smarta aspects of God include Devi, Vishnu, Ganesh, and Siva.
It is the Smarta view that dominates the view of Hinduism in the West. By contrast with Smarta/Advaita belief, Vaishnavism and Shaivism follows a singular concept of God, or panentheistic monotheism or panentheistic monism. A Smarta following the Advaita tradition can select their "Ishta-deva" (God that one prays to most.) This isn't strictly true of other faiths such as Vaishnavism; however, Vaishnavites may stress worship on one aspect of Vishnu such as Rama.
All the Hindu scriptures (The Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita) ultimately stress the one-ness of God and describe God as the Eternal Truth that's birthless, ageless, and omnipresent. Many scholars interpret the verses as either Monotheistic and Pantheistic or a combination of both.
The Rig Veda, the first book of the four Vedas, contains evidence for monotheistic thought. Often quoted are pada 1.164.46c, »
"There is one truth, though the sages know them by many names", Rigveda 1.164.46
Out of the many verse, some other popular verses (Atharva Veda) verse 13.5.20
"He is One and One forever remaineth alone;
Believe it.
There is no second in God"
and the Nasadiya Sukta, dealing with a creator deity, especially verse 10.129.7: »
"He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or didn't form it, / Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not." (trans. Griffith)
Many Hindus believe that God has six attributes. However, the actual number of auspicious qualities of God, are countless, with the following six qualities being the most important.
The number six is invariably given, but the individual attributes listed vary. One set of attributes (and their common interpretations) are:
- Jñāna (Omniscience), defined as the power to know about all beings simultaneously;
- Aishvarya (Sovereignty, derived from the word Ishvara), which consists in unchallenged rule over all;
- Shakti (Energy), or power, which is the capacity to make the impossible possible;
- Bala (Strength), which is the capacity to support everything by will and without any fatigue;
- Vīrya (Vigor), or valour which indicates the power to retain immateriality as the supreme being in spite of being the material cause of mutable creations; and
- Tejas (Splendor), which expresses his self-sufficiency and the capacity to overpower everything by his spiritual effulgence.; (cited from Bhakti Schools of Vedanta, by Swami Tapasyānanda.)
Sikhism
Sikhism is a distinctly monotheistic faith that rose in northern India during the 16th and 17th centuries. Sikhs believe in one, timeless, omnipresent, supreme creator. The opening verse of the Guru Granth Sahib, known as the Mool Mantra signifies this:
»
Transliteration: Ik ōaṅkār(or ikoo) sat nām karatā purakh nirabha'u niravair akāl mūrat ajūnī saibhaṁ gur prasād. » English: One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Timeless One, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace ~
The word "ੴ" is pronounced "Ik ōaṅkār" and is comprised to two parts. The first part is simply: "੧" - This is simply the digit "1" in Gurmukhi signifying the singularity of the creator. Together the word means: "There is only one creator god"
It is often said that the 1430 pages of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib are all expansions on the Mool Mantra. Although the Sikhs have many names for God, they all refer to the same supreme being.
The Sikh holy scriptures refer to the One God who pervades the whole of Space and is the creator of all beings in the whole Universe. The following quotation from the Guru Granth Sahib highlights this point:
VāhiGurū. The word Guru means teacher in Sanskrit Similarly, the name Hari, Raam, Allah, Paarbrahm, Krsna which are names of God are frequently mentioned in the Sikh holy scriptures. The same god of the Muslims, Hindus, etc is known as the Akal Purakh (which means 'the true immortal', i.e God) or Waheguru, the primal being.
It is also stated in Guru Granth Sahib ji that:
Awal Allah Noor Upaya, Kudrat kae sab bandey
ek noor tae sabh jag upjaya, kaun bhaley kaun mandey
Which means that from that god we all are created nobody is above or beneath anyone.
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