It is in the understanding of the holiness of God that we find one the most striking differences between YHWH and Allah. Any dictionary or encyclopedia of the Bible will include a long entry on holiness, with discussion of the holiness of God. Yet it is a remarkable fact that McAuliffe's Encyclopedia of the Qur'an (2001"2004), which reflects the very latest scholarship in Quran research, includes no entry for holy or holiness.
The internet encyclopedia Wikipedia includes extensive articles and references on points of Islamic theology: for example the entries on Jesus, sin and creation include Islamic sections. However, as at April 2006, Wikipedia's entry on holiness included no reference to Islam.
Holiness in the Bible
Holiness seems an unimportant, almost incidental, concept in Islam, whilst in both Judaism and Christianity it is absolutely centre-stage. In the Bible, YHWH is above all holy and, what is more, God's people are called to be holy in order to be like him:
YHWH said to Moses, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: "Be holy because I, YHWH your God, am holy.'" (Leviticus 19:1"2)
To approach God is to encounter his holiness:
"Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.' (Leviticus 10:3)
Holiness functions in the Bible as a conceptual bridge which explains what it means to approach God and come into his presence. The "most holy' place was the space where God dwells, enthroned above the Ark of the covenant, and the "holy place' was separated off from this by a curtain:
Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Put the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place. (Exodus 33"34)
Notice that the closer one moves to the presence of God, the more the holiness increases.
The famous story of Moses and the burning bush makes clear this link between God's presence and holiness. The ground was holy, because God was present in that place:
When YHWH saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:4"6)
Later, Mount Sinai was to be made off limits to the people of Israel as holy (Exodus 19:23) because God's presence was dwelling on its heights. Then later, when the temple was established, it was holy as the dwelling place for God, and the city surrounding it was also designated as holy:
The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. (Psalm 11:4)
" the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. (Psalm 46:4)
The Spirit of YHWH is by his very nature holy " as the Spirit of YHWH is the living presence of God, and to encounter this presence is to engage with God's holiness, hence the appropriateness of the title "Holy Spirit'.
The saving work of God causes them to be consecrated or sanctified, that is, to "be made or become holy':
Then you will remember to obey all my commands and will be consecrated [lit. "be holy'] to your God. I am YHWH your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am YHWH your God. (Numbers 15:40)
Holiness in Islam
In contrast to the hundreds of references to the holiness of YHWH in the Bible, in the Quran Allah is referred to as holy only twice. Al Quddus ("the Holy') is listed among Islam's ninety-nine Beautiful Names of Allah, but forty-six of the ninety-nine names appear more frequently in the Quran than Al Quddus.
The things that are more usually termed "holy' in the Quran and hadiths are land, battles, certain times, and the Quran itself. This reflects the idea that certain objects or places are sacred, being set apart for a religious purpose. This understanding underpins the significance in Islam of "sacred sites' such as Mecca and Medina.
What is striking about the Quran's references to holy objects and places is that they are not connected to a fundamental conception of Allah's inherent holiness, or his indwelling presence, such as is found in the Bible. Mecca is holy to Muslims, not because Allah is holy and Allah dwells in Mecca, but because by divine decree Mecca has been set aside to be a place of devotion and religious observance for Islam.
When we carefully study the Quran, and compare it to the Bible, we can conclude that the concept of the holiness of Allah is not central in Islam. Holiness is not one of the governing ideas of Islam defining the very nature of Allah, and it is marginal to the core concerns of Islamic doctrine. If every reference to holiness was removed from the Quran, the Islamic faith would be barely touched, but if the same were to be done with the Bible, it would be absolutely gutted.
In the Bible, the people of God are called saints, an expression which means "holy ones', dedicated and consecrated to YHWH. In contrast, in Islam believers are known as Muslims, which means "submitters'.
There is an important difference between holiness and submission. In Islam submission is not an attribute of Allah, but only of his slaves. Human submission is matched by Allah's dominance. In Biblical faith, however, human holiness is a way of participating in God's own holy nature. The concept of submission emphasizes the otherness of God from humanity, the concept of holiness emphasizes God's identification with his creatures: "You shall be holy, for I YHWH your God am holy.' (Leviticus 19:2, a call renewed in 1 Peter 1:13"16)
