Allah is the Arabic word for God: the one, eternal Creator of the heavens and the earth, who has no partner, no child and no equal. Muslims worship Allah alone, and Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use the same word for God in their prayers and scriptures. In Islam, Allah is not a tribal or separate deity but the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
For many people the word sounds foreign, so it can seem to name a different being. This guide explains where the word comes from, how the Quran describes Allah, what Muslims believe God is not, and how His many names in Islam fill out the picture.
Key takeaways
- "Allah" (الله) is the standard Arabic word for God, and most linguists trace it to al-ilah, meaning "the God," according to Britannica and other reference works.
- Surah al-Ikhlas (Quran 112:1–4) gives the Quran's shortest definition of Allah: One, the Eternal Refuge, neither begetting nor begotten, with no equivalent.
- The Prophet Muhammad said Surah al-Ikhlas equals a third of the Quran, a hadith recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 5013.
- The Quran states that God has "the best names" (Quran 7:180), and a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 6410 speaks of ninety-nine of them.
- Islam teaches that nothing resembles God: "There is nothing like unto Him" (Quran 42:11).
- Arabic Bibles used by Christians, such as the widely read Van Dyck translation, use "Allah" for God from the first verse of Genesis.
What does Allah mean?
Allah (Allah, الله) means "God" in the full, singular sense: the one true God, as opposed to any god. Classical Arabic grammarians and modern linguists generally explain it as a contraction of al- ("the") and ilah ("god" or "deity"), so the word carries the sense of "the God." Britannica describes Allah as the standard Arabic word for God, used by Arab Christians as well as Muslims.
The word is related to the names for God in other Semitic languages. Hebrew uses El and Eloah, and Aramaic and Syriac use Elah and Alaha. The family resemblance reflects the shared roots of the Abrahamic faiths and their languages.
Why the word Allah has no plural or gender
The ordinary Arabic noun ilah (god) can be made plural (aliha, gods) and can take a feminine form. The word Allah does neither. In Arabic it is never pluralized and never made feminine, and Muslims see this as fitting: the word points to one God only, who is beyond male and female.
When the Quran uses "He" for Allah, this follows Arabic grammar, which has no neuter pronoun. Muslim theologians are clear that God has no gender and no body.
Is Allah a name or a title?
Both senses are present. For Muslims, Allah is the proper name of God, the name that gathers all of His other names. The Quran often begins a list of God's attributes with "He is Allah," and then describes Him as the Merciful, the Sovereign and the Wise.
At the same time, Allah is simply how Arabic says "God." An Arab Christian praying in church and a Muslim praying in a mosque both use it. So in English, translating "Allah" as "God" is accurate, and Quran Universe uses the two words interchangeably, as most English translations of the Quran do.
How does the Quran describe Allah?
The Quran describes God mostly through His actions and attributes, rather than through images. Three passages are especially central, and Muslims recite them often.
Surah al-Ikhlas: the shortest description
The 112th surah is four short lines, and it is often called the Quran's definition of God.
Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
As-Samad, translated "the Eternal Refuge," describes the One to whom everything turns in need while He needs nothing. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said this surah equals a third of the Quran (Sahih al-Bukhari 5013). Our guide to the four Quls explains how Muslims recite it daily for protection.
Ayatul Kursi: the Living, the Sustainer
Verse 255 of Surah al-Baqarah, known as Ayatul Kursi, describes God as "the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence," who is never touched by drowsiness or sleep, who owns everything in the heavens and earth, and whose knowledge has no limit. It pictures a God who is constantly and personally holding creation in being.
The end of Surah al-Hashr: a cluster of names
The closing verses of Surah al-Hashr list more of God's names in a row than any other passage in the Quran.
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.
The verse before it adds that He is "Knower of the unseen and the witnessed" and "the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful" (Quran 59:22). The verse after it names Him the Creator, the Inventor and the Fashioner, and ends: "to Him belong the best names" (Quran 59:24).
A God who is near
Alongside majesty, the Quran stresses closeness. When people asked the Prophet about God, the answer came directly:
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.
Muslims pray to Allah directly, with no priest or intermediary. Anyone can call on Him at any time, in any language.
What Allah is not in Islamic belief
Islamic belief about God is often explained through what must be denied of Him, as well as what is affirmed. This keeps the idea of God free from human projection.
- No son and no partner. "Allah has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity" (Quran 23:91). This is the main point where Islam differs from the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, discussed in is Allah the same God Christians and Jews worship.
- No human form. The Quran says "There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing" (Quran 42:11). God hears and sees, but not as creatures do.
- No weakness. He does not sleep, tire, forget or need anything. Ayatul Kursi says the preservation of the heavens and earth "tires Him not."
- No rivals in worship. Prayer, sacrifice and devotion belong to God alone. Worshipping anything beside Him is called shirk, the gravest sin in Islam, explained in our guide to tawheed.
Sunni theologians summed this up in a principle: affirm what God affirms of Himself, deny what He denies, and do not ask "how" about His attributes. The approach avoids both stripping God of His attributes and picturing Him like a creature.
Allah's attributes through His Names
The fullest way Muslims come to know God is through His names. The Quran instructs: "And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them" (Quran 7:180). A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (6410) adds that Allah has ninety-nine names, and whoever "counts" or preserves them will enter Paradise.
Each name reveals a different facet. Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem speak of His vast and particular mercy. Al-Khaliq is the Creator. Al-Ghafur is the One who forgives again and again. Al-Wadud means the Most Loving. Together they balance majesty with mercy and power with gentleness.
| Theme | Example names | What they teach |
|---|---|---|
| Mercy | Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem, Ar-Ra'uf | God's mercy comes before His anger and covers all creation |
| Creation | Al-Khaliq, Al-Bari', Al-Musawwir | God brings everything into being and shapes it |
| Knowledge | Al-Alim, Al-Khabir, As-Sami' | Nothing is hidden from Him, not even a thought |
| Power | Al-Aziz, Al-Qadir, Al-Qahhar | Nothing can resist or overrule His will |
| Oneness | Al-Wahid, Al-Ahad, As-Samad | He is One, unique and needed by all |
You can browse all of them, with meanings and the verses where they appear, on our 99 Names of Allah pages. If you want to memorize them, our step-by-step guide on how to learn the 99 Names of Allah sets out a ten-week plan.
Do Arab Christians use the word Allah?
Yes. Arabic-speaking Christians have called God "Allah" since before Islam, and they still do. Arabic Bibles, including the 19th-century Van Dyck translation that remains widely used in Arab churches, use "Allah" in the first verse of Genesis: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Arab Christians speak of Allah al-Ab, "God the Father."
This shared word does not erase real differences in belief, especially about Jesus. But it does show that "Allah" is not the name of a foreign god. It is what Arabic speakers of several faiths call the God of Abraham. The Quran itself makes this point when it tells Muslims to say to Jews and Christians, "our God and your God is one" (Quran 29:46).
Read the verses about Allah on Quran Universe
The best way to understand who Allah is in Islam is to read how the Quran speaks of Him. Start with Surah al-Ikhlas, then read Ayatul Kursi and the end of Surah al-Hashr, each with word-by-word meaning and Tafsir Ibn Kathir. For a wider introduction to the faith, see what is Islam.
Frequently asked questions
What does the word Allah mean?
Allah is the Arabic word for God. Most scholars explain it as a contraction of al-ilah, "the God," so it refers to the one true God rather than to any god. It has no plural and no feminine form in Arabic, and Muslims understand it as the proper name that gathers all of God's other names and attributes.
Is Allah a name or a title?
It works as both. For Muslims, Allah is God's proper name, used to open lists of His attributes in the Quran, such as "He is Allah, the Creator." It is also the ordinary Arabic word for God, which is why Arab Christians and Jews use it too. Translating Allah as "God" in English is accurate.
Is Allah the same as God?
In language, yes: Allah is the Arabic word for God. In belief, Muslims hold that Allah is the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus, the same Creator Jews and Christians worship, though Islam understands Him as strictly one without a Trinity. Christians themselves hold different views on this question, which we cover in a separate guide.
How do you write Allah in Arabic?
Allah is written الله in Arabic script. It is formed from the letters alif, two lams and ha. In the Quran and in careful writing it is often shown with a small mark above the double lam to indicate its stress and its long vowel. It is pronounced with a deep, full "l" sound in most contexts.
Does Allah have a gender?
No. Islamic theology holds that God is neither male nor female and has no body. The Quran uses "He" because Arabic has no neuter pronoun and grammatically masculine forms are the default. Muslim scholars stress that "There is nothing like unto Him" (Quran 42:11), so human categories such as gender do not apply to God.