Mormon Doctrine, Muslim Doctrine: "There is No God Beside Me"

The Shahada of Islam says, in part, that "there is no God but God." Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was  undoubtedly familiar with Old Testament Christian doctrine, which, similarly, teaches that "there is no God beside me." In essence, Mormons agree with both statements. However, modern revelation, given through a prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, clarifies what these statements mean.

During much of Old Testament history, the worship of idols (false Gods) was prevalent. The prophet of Isaiah spoke out against this false worship, when he taught that "there is no God beside [God]".

Chastizing them who think that idols are of any value to the, Isaiah wrote:

9 ¶They that make a graven ^aimage are all of them vanity; and their ^bdelectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they ^csee not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.

10 Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven ^aimage that is profitable for nothing?

Isaiah reminds them who they should really worship, someone who can actually be of benefit to them.

6 Thus saith the Lord the ^aKing of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the ^bfirst, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

I believe that the Angel Jibril (Christians know him as Gabriel) did appear to Muhammad and revealed to him much of what is now known as the Quran.  I also believe that Jibril revealed to Muhammad that

163. And your Allah is One Allah. There is no god but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

But I like to speculate. And I speculate that Muhammad would love to return to earth from beyond the veil of death and explain what that statement means.

I came across that meaning the other day. Mormons essentially agree with everything that has been written above, except that continuning revelation has given the proper context to statements such as "there is no God but God" and "there is no God beside me."

In a verse from the Book of Moses in scripture known as The Pearl of Great Price, revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith, comes this explanation:

And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the ^asimilitude of mine ^bOnly ^cBegotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the ^dSavior, for he is full of ^egrace and ^ftruth; but there is ^gno God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I ^hknow them all.

In this verse is a multitude of truth. First, it teaches the truth that there really is in one sense "no God" but our Heavenly Father. After all, with our Heavenly Mother, he brought us into existence as his (and her) spiritual posterity. Without him (them), we would not exist. Secondly, the scripture teaches that this God, whom there is no one beside, can (and does) have an "Only Begotten" son, who we know as Jesus Christ, and not violate the maxim that there is no one beside Him. Finally, we learn from this verse of scripture that we were created in the similitude of our Savior Jesus Christ, in that we can also attain Godhood in some future reach of eternity, but that that potential also does not violate the truth that "there is no God beside" Him, without whose creative powers we would never have existed.

This all is something that I think, with great introspection, Mormons and Muslims can agree on.