Short answer: Allah is the Arabic word for God, the one and only God who created everything. In Islam, Allah has no partner, no son, no parents and no equal. He is not part of His creation and nothing is like Him. He is the Most Merciful, the All-Knowing and the All-Powerful, and only He deserves worship. Allah is not a special "Muslim god": Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews also call God Allah. In English the word is spelled Allah, and in Arabic it is written الله.
The word Allah: meaning, spelling and pronunciation
- Spelling. The standard English spelling is Allah, with a double l and an h at the end. In Arabic it is four letters: alif, lam, lam, ha (ا ل ل ه), written الله.
- Pronunciation. Say it "al-LAAH", with the stress on the long second syllable and a full, heavy double l. After an "i" sound, as in bismillah, the l becomes light. Both are rules of tajweed.
- Meaning. Many Arabic grammarians said it comes from al-ilah, "the God", the one who alone is worshipped. Others, such as al-Khalil ibn Ahmad, said it is a proper name not taken from any other word. Either way, it refers only to the one true God.
- No plural, no gender. Unlike the word "god", Allah has no plural and no feminine form. The Quran refers to Allah as "He" because that is how Arabic grammar speaks of God, not because Allah is male.
- Used by Arab Christians. Arabic Bibles begin Genesis with "In the beginning Allah created the heavens and the earth", and Arab Christians pray to Allah. The word is related to the Aramaic Alaha and the Hebrew Eloah.
How the Quran describes Allah
When people asked the Prophet ﷺ to describe his Lord, this short surah was revealed. He said it is equal to a third of the Quran (Sahih al-Bukhari 5013), because it sums up who Allah is:
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿١﴾ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ ﴿٢﴾ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ﴿٣﴾ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ ﴿٤﴾
Qul huwal laahu ahad Allah hus-samad Lam yalid wa lam yoolad Wa lam yakul-lahu kufuwan ahad
(1) Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One, (2) Allah, the Eternal Refuge. (3) He neither begets nor is born, (4) Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
Quran 112:1-4 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Ikhlas
The greatest verse of the Quran (Sahih Muslim 810) is a portrait of Allah's life, knowledge and power, known as Ayat al-Kursi:
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ﴿٢٥٥﴾
Allahu laaa ilaaha illaa Huwal Haiyul Qaiyoom; laa taakhuzuhoo sinatunw wa laa nawm; lahoo maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ard; man zal lazee yashfa'u indahooo illaa bi-iznih; ya'lamu maa baina aydeehim wa mww khalfahum wa laa yuheetoona bishai'im min 'ilmihee illaa bimaa shaaa'; wasi'a Kursiyyuhus samaawaati wal arda wa laa ya'ooduho hifzuhumaa; wa Huwal Aliyyul 'Azeem
Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
Quran 2:255 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Baqarah
What Allah is not
فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًۭا وَمِنَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ أَزْوَٰجًۭا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌۭ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ ﴿١١﴾
Faatirus samaawaati wal ard; ja'ala lakum min anfusikum azwaajanw wa minal an'aami azwaajany yazra'ukum feeh; laisa kamislihee shai'unw wa Huwas Samee'ul Baseer
[He is] Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you from yourselves, mates, and among the cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
Quran 42:11 · Sahih International · Read Surah Ash-Shura
That one line, "There is nothing like unto Him", is a rule for everything Muslims say about Allah. So, in Islam:
- Allah is not a man, an animal, an idol, a force of nature or an image. He cannot be drawn or pictured.
- Allah has no son, no wife, no parents and no partners (112:3, 6:101).
- Allah is not part of the world and the world is not part of Him. He created it from nothing.
- Allah does not tire, sleep, forget or die (2:255, 20:52).
- Allah has no beginning and no end: "He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing" (57:3). So the question "Who created Allah?" does not apply: He is the Creator, not a created thing.
Imam Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi, a Hanafi scholar of the 4th Islamic century whose short creed is studied in all the Sunni schools, begins: Allah is One, without partner; nothing is like Him; nothing can overpower Him; there is no god but Him. He adds that the six directions do not contain Him as they contain created things.
The names of Allah
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا، مِائَةً إِلَّا وَاحِدًا، مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ
Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. Whoever learns them by heart (and lives by them) will enter Paradise.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2736; Sahih Muslim 2677 · narrated by Abu Hurayrah · sahih
Each name tells you something about Him: ar-Rahman, the Entirely Merciful; al-Ghafur, the Forgiving; al-Khaliq, the Creator; al-Wadud, the Loving; as-Salam, the Source of Peace. The end of Surah Al-Hashr gathers many of them together:
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ ۖ هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٢٢﴾ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْخَٰلِقُ ٱلْبَارِئُ ٱلْمُصَوِّرُ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ﴿٢٤﴾
Huwal-laahul-lazee laaa Ilaaha illaa Huwa 'Aalimul Ghaibi wash-shahaada; Huwar Rahmaanur-Raheem Huwal-laahul-lazee laaa Ilaaha illaa Huwal-Malikul Quddoosus-Salaamul Muminul Muhaiminul-'aAzeezul Jabbaarul-Mutakabbir; Subhaanal laahi 'Ammaa yushrikoon Huwal Laahul Khaaliqul Baari 'ul Musawwir; lahul Asmaaa'ul Husnaa; yusabbihu lahoo maa fis samaawaati wal ardi wa Huwal 'Azeezul Hakeem
(22) He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. (23) He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him. (24) He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
Quran 59:22-24 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Hashr
Learn all of them, with meanings and audio, on the 99 names of Allah.
Allah's mercy
Every surah but one opens with Allah's mercy: "In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful". The Prophet ﷺ said that when Allah created creation, He wrote in a book with Him: "My mercy prevails over My wrath" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3194; Sahih Muslim 2751). He also said Allah made mercy in a hundred parts and sent down only one of them to the world, and by that one part all creatures are kind to one another, even a mother animal lifting her hoof away from her young; the other ninety-nine He kept for the Day of Judgement (Sahih Muslim 2752).
يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي، وَأَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا ذَكَرَنِي
Allah, the Exalted, says: I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me.
Sahih al-Bukhari 7405; Sahih Muslim 2675 · narrated by Abu Hurayrah · hadith qudsi · sahih
Read more about His forgiveness in Does Allah forgive all sins?
Is Allah far away?
Allah is above His creation, exalted over everything, yet He is near to everyone who calls on Him, with His knowledge, hearing and help:
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ﴿١٨٦﴾
Wa izaa sa alaka 'ibaadee 'annee fa innee qareebun ujeebu da'wataddaa'i izaa da'aani falyastajeeboo lee walyu minoo bee la'allahum yarshudoon
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.
Quran 2:186 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Baqarah
"And We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein" (50:16). No priest, saint or go-between is needed to talk to Allah. Anyone can raise their hands and make dua, in any language, at any time.
Tawheed: believing in Allah as One
The belief in Allah's oneness is called tawheed, and it is the first thing a Muslim declares in the shahada: there is no god but Allah. Teachers often explain it in three parts:
- One in lordship: Allah alone creates, owns, provides for and runs the universe.
- One in worship: only Allah is prayed to, bowed to and relied upon.
- One in His names and attributes: His names and qualities are perfect and unlike those of anything created.
Hanafi and other classical creeds express the same belief as Allah being one in His essence, His attributes and His actions. The opposite of tawheed is shirk, giving any of Allah's rights to someone else. Read the full explanation on tawheed, shirk and kufr.
How do Muslims come to know Allah?
- Through His signs in creation: "Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding" (3:190).
- Through His words, the Quran, where He describes Himself. Start with Surah Al-Ikhlas and Ayat al-Kursi.
- Through His names, learning what each one means and calling on Him by them (7:180).
- Through worship and remembrance: prayer, dua and phrases such as SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah and Allahu Akbar.
FAQ
How do you spell Allah?
In English, Allah: A, double L, A, H. In Arabic it is written الله, made of the letters alif, lam, lam and ha. It is pronounced "al-LAAH", with a heavy double l.
Is Allah the same as God?
Allah is the Arabic word for God. Muslims use it for the one God who created everything, the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and Arabic-speaking Christians use the same word in their Bibles. Muslims and Christians describe God differently on points such as the Trinity.
Is Allah male or female?
Neither. Allah is not like His creation and has no gender. The Quran uses "He" because that is how Arabic refers to God, and Allah has no feminine form.
Who created Allah?
No one. Allah is the Creator, not a created thing. The Quran calls Him "the First and the Last" (57:3): He has no beginning and no end.
Where is Allah?
The Quran says Allah rose over the Throne (20:5) in a way that befits Him, and that He is with His servants by His knowledge wherever they are (57:4). Classical Sunni creeds, such as that of al-Tahawi, add that He is not contained by space as created things are.
What does Allahu Akbar mean?
Allahu Akbar means "Allah is the Greatest", greater than anything we can think of. Muslims say it to begin the prayer, in the adhan and at moments of joy or wonder.
Sources
- Quran 2:186, 2:255, 3:190, 6:101, 7:180, 20:5, 20:52, 42:11, 50:16, 57:3-4, 59:22-24 and 112:1-4, translation by Sahih International.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2736, 3194, 5013 and 7405.
- Sahih Muslim 810, 2675, 2677, 2751 and 2752.
- Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi, al-Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah, opening articles and the article on the six directions.
- On the word Allah: Sibawayh, al-Kitab; al-Zajjaj and later lexicographers, as summarised in Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab, entry a-l-h.
Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English translation by Sahih International. Hadith gradings are those of the hadith scholars named; where a hadith number is not given, the collection and narrator are cited instead.