Before Adam was created Allah knew man was weak, and the Often-Forgiving is willing to pardon all our shortcomings even if they are as tall as mountains, except for one deed: the injustice of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
La ilaha illa Allah... a few words that may occasionally slip off our tongues, but these few words have the ability to move mountains, raise the best of nations, and its absense will lead to an end of this world.
To complete Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) Allah's Names and Attributes need to similarly understood via the concept of Tawheed: He alone has the most perfect of names and qualities, and is not like the creation.
Ages and ages ago, long before we were born, before human civilization, before the dinosaurs, even before the universe was formed, and anything else that was created there was our Lord, Allah subhana wa ta’ala.