The short answer
Allah is the Arabic name Muslims use for the one God, the Creator they worship. Who is Allah in the Quran? Surah Al-Ikhlas 112 says He is One, the Eternal Refuge of all; He does not beget, nor was He begotten; and none is comparable to Him. Ash-Shura 42:11 adds: "Nothing is as His likeness."
ٱللَّهُ
What does the word Allah mean?
Allah is the name Muslims use for God in Arabic: the name of the one God they worship. Where the word itself comes from is a question classical scholars differ on. The Quran commentator al-Qurtubi (died 671 AH) sets out both answers without settling it. He does so in his tafsir on the Basmala, "In the name of Allah" (Al-Fatihah 1:1) 6:
- Derived: the name comes from another word, such as ilah (god) or aliha (to worship).
- A proper name: it is not formed from another word, and its al- (the) may not be dropped.
| View | Who held it, and what they said, as al-Qurtubi reports |
|---|---|
| Derived | Held by "many of the people of knowledge". The grammarian Sibawayh reports from the grammarian al-Khalil that its root is ilah, with al- in place of its first letter; Sibawayh's own choice was the root lah. The grammarians al-Kisa'i and al-Farra' said bismillah means bismi al-ilah. Others took it from aliha, so that it means the One sought in worship. |
| A proper name | A group including the jurist al-Shafi'i, Abu al-Ma'ali, the hadith scholar al-Khattabi, the theologian al-Ghazali and al-Mufaddal; it is also reported from al-Khalil and Sibawayh. Al-Khattabi's evidence: Arabic says ya Allah (O Allah), and "O" does not come before the al- that only means "the". |
The opening words of the Basmala have their own lesson: Bismillah.
Who is Allah in the Quran?
Surah Al-Ikhlas, in full:
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ
Ash-Shura 42:11 says:
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
Ayat al-Kursi
Ubayy ibn Ka'b, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, asked him which verse of the Book of Allah that he had with him was the greatest. Ubayy said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet asked again, and Ubayy answered with the opening words of this verse. The Prophet struck him on the chest and said: "By Allah, may knowledge be a joy to you" (Sahih Muslim 810, graded sahih).
1AuthenticSahih Muslim 810
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
The end of Surah Al-Hashr
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ ۖ هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْخَـٰلِقُ ٱلْبَارِئُ ٱلْمُصَوِّرُ ۖ لَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
What are the names of Allah?
The Quran says Allah has al-asma' al-husna, "the fairest names" in our translation of 7:180, and says to call on Him by them:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا
Al-Hashr 59:22 to 24, quoted above, call Him by these words, then say: "His are the most beautiful names" (59:24).
| Arabic | Said | In our translation (adapted from Pickthall) | Verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ | ar-raḥmān | the Beneficent | 59:22 |
| ٱلرَّحِيمُ | ar-raḥīm | Merciful | 59:22 |
| ٱلْمَلِكُ | al-malik | the Sovereign Lord | 59:23 |
| ٱلْقُدُّوسُ | al-quddūs | the Holy One | 59:23 |
| ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ | as-salām | Peace | 59:23 |
| ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ | al-muʾmin | the Granter of Security | 59:23 |
| ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ | al-muhaymin | the Guardian | 59:23 |
| ٱلْعَزِيزُ | al-ʿazīz | the Mighty | 59:23 |
| ٱلْجَبَّارُ | al-jabbār | the Compeller | 59:23 |
| ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ | al-mutakabbir | the Supreme | 59:23 |
| ٱلْخَـٰلِقُ | al-khāliq | the Creator | 59:24 |
| ٱلْبَارِئُ | al-bāriʾ | the Originator | 59:24 |
| ٱلْمُصَوِّرُ | al-muṣawwir | the Fashioner | 59:24 |
The ninety-nine names
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one, and whoever keeps count of them (ahsaha) will enter Paradise (Sahih al-Bukhari 2736, graded sahih).
Sahih al-Bukhari 2736
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمَا مِائَةً إِلاَّ وَاحِدًا مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ
inna lillāhi tisʿatan wa tisʿīna isman, miʾatan illā wāḥidan, man aḥṣāhā dakhala l-jannah
Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one; whoever keeps count of them will enter Paradise.
2AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 2736
In Sahih Muslim 2677, graded sahih, the wording is "whoever memorises them" (hafizaha), and it adds that Allah is witr (single) and loves what is witr.
3AuthenticSahih Muslim 2677
The hadith scholar al-Nawawi (died 676 AH), commenting on Sahih Muslim 2677, reports the agreement of the scholars that it does not limit Allah's names to ninety-nine. Its point, he says, is that whoever keeps count of these ninety-nine enters Paradise 7.
Neither hadith lists the names. The list of ninety-nine that people share comes from a longer narration, Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3507. It is graded differently. One grading we found calls it sahih and two scholars' remarks defend its chain. The other verdicts grade it weak, and some say the list was, or may have been, added by a narrator rather than spoken by the Prophet. The doubt is about the list, not the names: several of them, such as ar-Rahman and al-Quddus, are in Al-Hashr 59:22 to 24 above.
Where does belief in Allah come in Muslim faith?
Belief in Allah is the first of the six articles of faith. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, reported the hadith of Jibril (the angel Gabriel, peace be upon him). Asked about iman (faith), the Prophet named six things to believe in, beginning with Allah (Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih):
- 1Allah
- 2His angels
- 3His books
- 4His messengers
- 5The Last Day
- 6The decree, its good and its bad
5AuthenticSahih Muslim 8
More of the hadith is in What is Islam?
What is tawhid?
Tawhid is the belief that Allah is one. The word shares the root w-h-d, which Ibn Faris's dictionary of word roots says points to being single and alone (al-infirad) 8.
Al-Tahawi introduces his creed, al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah, as the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah (the people of the Sunnah and the community) on the school of the jurists Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani. It opens with a section on the tawhid of Allah 9:
إن الله واحد لا شريك له، ولا شيء مثله، ولا شيء يعجزه، ولا إله غيره. قديم بلا ابتداء، دائم بلا انتهاء، لا يفنى ولا يبيد، ولا يكون إلا ما يريد. لا تبلغه الأوهام، ولا تدركه الأفهام، ولا يشبه الأنام، حي لا يموت، قيوم لا ينام
How do Muslims speak about Allah's attributes?
Ash-Shura 42:11 and al-Tahawi's creed speak of Allah's attributes (sifat). The verse above names Him the Hearer, the Seer, in the line that says nothing is like Him. Al-Tahawi writes that He has always had His attributes, before He created anything 9.
How particular attributes are explained is a longer subject, for a later lesson with its own sources.
Who do Muslims worship?
Say a colleague asks who Muslims pray to. The short answer: Muslims worship Allah alone. The Quran says:
وَٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا۟ بِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا
In the Arabic, "serve" translates u'budu, from the same root as 'ibadah, worship.
Asked about Islam in the same hadith of Jibril, the Prophet began with the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih). Its words, one by one, are in Shahada: meaning, Arabic and context.
Do Muslims believe in God?
Yes. Muslims believe in one God, and Allah is the name they call Him by. The testimony of faith (the shahada) begins "there is no god but Allah", and Ayat al-Kursi makes the same statement: "Allah! There is no deity except Him" (Al-Baqarah 2:255).
Where do I go from here?
- 1What is Islam? The Muslim religion explainedStart here
- 2Shahada: meaning, Arabic and contextThe testimony of faith
- 3The five pillars of Islam explainedWhat Muslims do
- 4Al-Fatihah: what you recite in every prayerThe opening surah
The whole route is on Start at Alif. For your own questions of belief, ask a scholar you trust.
Someone at school once asked me in the playground, "Who is Allah?" My answer was clumsy and mostly about what Allah is not. I still think about how to answer that question simply and well.
Try it: four questions
Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1Which surah opens with "Say: He is Allah, the One"?
Answer: Al-Ikhlas. Al-Ikhlas 112:1.
2Asked about iman (faith), which article did the Prophet name first?
Answer: Allah. Belief in Allah comes first of the six in the hadith of Jibril, Sahih Muslim 8, graded sahih. Source 5
3In Sahih al-Bukhari 2736, whoever keeps count of how many of Allah's names will enter Paradise?
Answer: Ninety-nine. Ninety-nine, "one hundred less one" (graded sahih). Source 2
4Where does the list of ninety-nine names that people share come from?
Answer: Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3507, graded differently. A longer narration, graded differently. Source 4
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
Asked by the Prophet which verse of the Book of Allah was the greatest, Ubayy ibn Ka'b answered with Ayat al-Kursi, and the Prophet struck his chest and said, may knowledge be a joy to you.
Sahih Muslim 810 Book 6, Hadith 313
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 2
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one, and whoever keeps count of them (ahsaha) will enter Paradise.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2736 Book 54, Hadith 23
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 3
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said Allah has ninety-nine names, whoever memorises them (hafizaha) will enter Paradise, and Allah is witr (single, odd) and loves what is witr; one narrator's wording has 'whoever keeps count of them' (ahsaha).
Sahih Muslim 2677 Book 48, Hadith 5
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 4
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said Allah has ninety-nine names and whoever keeps count of them will enter Paradise, followed by a list of names beginning 'He is Allah, besides whom there is no god, ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim'; this longer narration with the list is graded differently.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3507 Book 48, Hadith 138
Graded differently. Here is who graded it which way:
- SoundAl-Suyuti
- WeakDarussalam, Al-Albani, Ibn Baz, Ibn Taymiyya, Al-Shawkani, Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut
- Other remarksAl-Tirmidhi, Al-Bayhaqi, Al-Hakim
See each grading in full, with its wording and where it was given
Scholars disagree about this hadith. Here is how each graded it, so you can follow the scholar you trust.
- Da'if: Darussalam (as shown on sunnah.com)
- غريب (gharib: known through one chain; he adds that Safwan ibn Salih is trustworthy and that, of the reports naming the names, he knows a sahih chain only for this one): Al-Tirmidhi, Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3507 (as on sunnah.com and dorar.net)
- ضعيف بسرد الأسماء (weak, with the list of names): Al-Albani, Da'if al-Tirmidhi 3507 (as listed on dorar.net)
- ضعيف (Da'if): Al-Albani, Hidayat al-Ruwat 2228 and Da'if al-Jami' 1945 (as listed on dorar.net)
- صحيح (Sahih): Al-Suyuti, al-Jami' al-Saghir 2351 (as listed on dorar.net)
- مدرج عند أهل التحقيق، ليس بثابت عن النبي (inserted, according to the careful scholars; not established from the Prophet): Ibn Baz, Majmu' Tafsir al-Shaykh Ibn Baz 9/365 (as listed on dorar.net)
- ليس من كلام النبي (the list is not the Prophet's words): Ibn Baz, Majmu' al-Shuruh al-Fiqhiyya 111/33 (as listed on dorar.net)
- حفاظ أهل الحديث يقولون هذه الزيادة مما جمعه الوليد بن مسلم عن شيوخه (the hadith masters say this addition is something al-Walid ibn Muslim compiled from his teachers): Ibn Taymiyya, al-Fatawa al-Kubra 2/380 (as listed on dorar.net)
- في إسناده مقال (its chain has been criticised): Al-Shawkani, Nayl al-Awtar 2/108 (as listed on dorar.net)
- رجاله ثقات، وأعل بالاضطراب واحتمال أن يكون التعيين مدرجا من بعض الرواة، وبالوقف (its narrators are trustworthy, but it has been faulted for inconsistency, for the possibility that the naming was inserted by some narrators, and as stopping at the companion): Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut, Takhrij Sahih Ibn Hibban 808 (as listed on dorar.net)
- تفرد بالرواية مع ذكر الأسامي الوليد بن مسلم (al-Walid ibn Muslim alone narrated it with the names): Al-Bayhaqi, al-I'tiqad 56 (as listed on dorar.net)
- العلة فيه عندهما أن الوليد بن مسلم تفرد بسياقته بطوله وذكر الأسامي فيه ولم يذكرها غيره، وليس هذا بعلة (the defect in it, for al-Bukhari and Muslim, is that al-Walid ibn Muslim alone narrated it in full with the names; and this is not a defect): Al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak 41 (as listed on dorar.net)
- 5
In the hadith of Jibril, a man asked the Prophet about Islam, and he answered: to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, give zakat, fast Ramadan and make Hajj to the House if you are able to find a way to it; asked about iman (faith), he answered: to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and the decree, its good and its bad.
Sahih Muslim 8 Book 1, Hadith 1
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 6
Al-Qurtubi calls Allah the greatest and most comprehensive of His names and reports that some scholars held it to be the Greatest Name, borne by no one else. He reports two views: that the name is derived (from ilah, as Sibawayh reports from al-Khalil, which al-Kisa'i and al-Farra' said bismillah means, bismi al-ilah; Sibawayh's own choice being the root lah; or from aliha, to worship), held, he says, by many of the people of knowledge; and that it is a proper name whose al- may not be dropped, held by a group including al-Shafi'i, Abu al-Ma'ali, al-Khattabi, al-Ghazali and al-Mufaddal and reported from al-Khalil and Sibawayh, with al-Khattabi's evidence from ya Allah. He does not settle it here.
Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Qurtubi (d. 671 AH), al-Jami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an (Tafsir al-Qurtubi), as published on the King Saud University Quran site, Surat al-Fatiha, on the Basmala (verse 1), issues 20 and 21 Read on 23 October 2026. Record: scholarly-qurtubi-allah-name.
- 7
Al-Nawawi reports the agreement of the scholars that the ninety-nine names hadith does not limit Allah's names: it does not mean He has no names besides these ninety-nine; its point is that whoever keeps count of these ninety-nine enters Paradise.
Abu Zakariyya Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (d. 676 AH), al-Minhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, 2nd edition, Dar Ihya' al-Turath al-'Arabi, Beirut, 1392 AH (shamela.ws numbering follows the print), vol. 17, p. 5, Kitab al-Dhikr, bab fi asma' Allah ta'ala wa fadl man ahsaha, on hadith 2677 Read on 23 October 2026. Record: scholarly-nawawi-names-not-limited.
- 8
The root w-h-d is one root that points to being single and alone (al-infirad); al-wahid is the one who is alone.
Ahmad ibn Faris (d. 395 AH), Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lughah, ed. 'Abd al-Salam Muhammad Harun, 2nd edition, Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi, Cairo, 1389 to 1392 AH / 1969 to 1972 (shamela.ws numbering follows the print), vol. 6, pp. 90 to 91, entry 'whd' Read on 23 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnfaris-wahd-root.
- 9
Al-Tahawi introduces his creed as the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah (the people of the Sunnah and the community) on the school of Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, and opens it on the tawhid of Allah: one without partner, nothing like Him, no god other than Him, eternal and everlasting, not resembling created beings, living and sustaining; he goes on that Allah has always had His attributes before His creation. The English is our translation.
Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tahawi, al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya (Matn al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya), text as edited and checked by Husayn Sa'd Fuqara, published on Arabic Wikisource, Introduction, and the first section, 'al-Iman billah ta'ala' (belief in Allah) Read on 23 October 2026. Record: scholarly-tahawi-tawhid.
- Q
Quran Arabic and English for Al-Ikhlas 112:1 to 4, Al-Baqarah 2:255 and Al-Hashr 59:22 to 24; clauses of Ash-Shura 42:11, Al-A'raf 7:180 and An-Nisa 4:36; the word Allah from Al-Ikhlas 112:1; and the names in the table, each from the verse named beside it.
Tanzil Project Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
Next
- Ayat al-Kursi: meaning and ArabicSurah lesson
- The names of Allah: meaning and learning guideGuide
- The six articles of faith explainedGuide
- The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him: who he wasLife and sources
- Start at AlifThe hub
- Tawhid explainedBelief
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