More than a quarter of the world population is Muslim, one of the largest religions in the world next to Christianity. Allah : the Creator of the heavens and the earth. But Who is Allah and what does His name mean? Read on below to find out.
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What does the name “Allah” mean?
The word ‘Allah’, literally translated from Arabic, means ‘the one true god worthy of worship’. Many people confuse the term God with Allah, but according to Islam there is enough difference. When we talk about God, there are various derivatives including gods or goddesses. In the case of Allah, it is only one creator of the heavens and the earth without any derivatives. He has no gender and does not depend on anything, everything that comes after Him depends on Him. The reason we use Him is out of respect. In addition, in the Qur’an you can sometimes read the word ‘We’ when God speaks, but that is the royal we.
Who is Allah?
Islam is a monotheistic religion, where it is believed that there is one God. Allah is the only true God (not 3 in 1 like Christianity). According to Islam, the message of Allah is literally recorded word for word in the Quran, the holy book of the Muslims.
The Quran from about 1000 years ago is exactly the same as today. The evidence can be found in a museum of England (Birmingham). This Birmingham specimen is estimated to be 1380 years old.
If you want to go to Paradise after your life on earth, according to Islam you must first believe in Allah. Allah will then judge you according to how you have lived on earth. This mainly concerns your actions and your intentions. In verse 255 of surah Baqarah (Ayatul kursi) you can read what the power of Allah is. Also consider verse [2:117]. Allah only has to say ‘be’ and then it happens. That is the Power of Allah.
(He is the) Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decides a matter, He simply says to it: “Be”, and it comes to be.
How great is Allah?
Our little brains cannot comprehend what the Power of Allah is. We can make an effort to reason the magnitude of all that has been created. According to a hadith, if you throw a ring in the Sahara, the ring represents the 7 heavens and the Sahara represents the kursi of Allah. After the kursi of Allah you have the Throne of Allah. The video below explains it well:
Allah in the Quran
Allah, according to the Qur’an, is unique with perfect attributes, he cannot be compared with anyone else and has several other names (the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah). Each name stands for a specific character trait of God. Some of the Beautiful Names of Allah are “The Merciful”, “Ar-Raḥmān”, “The Most Merciful” or “Ar-Raḥīm” and more. According to the Quran, Allah is the judge of mankind. Allah, according to the Qur’an, is not only All-Seeing, but Allah is also All-Knowing and All-Hearing. Allah has no beginning and has no end. He is beginningless and endless. He cannot be grasped in time or space. He is the Creator of time, space and matter. So He’s of a totally different order that we can’t really imagine.
Allah is just and forgives. In addition, Allah was not born and Allah has no children. A small surah in the Qur’an which despite its length is regarded as 1/3 of the Qur’an: surah Ihlas [Qur’an 112]. This Surah descended when the Makkans asked who Allah is. And Allah said the following:
- Say, “The truth is that Allah is One.
- Allah is Besought of all, needing none.
- He neither begot anyone, nor was he begotten.
- And equal to Him has never been any one.”
As you can see the surah is very short compared to many other surahs. Let’s think about that. So short and yet so powerful.
In other religions, images of God are sometimes made. But our sight cannot seize God as becomes clear in the following verse:
Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted. (6:103)
Everything we think about what He looks like is false because no one has seen Him and no one is equal to Him.
The Messengers of Allah
The messengers conveyed the word of Allah to the people. Some well-known messengers of Allah were His last prophet Muhammad , but also Adam, Abraham, Moses, Noah and Jesus. The very first prophet of Allah is Adam (as). According to Islam, no image should be made of Allah, nor of His messengers.
Allah in Christianity
In addition to Islam, the word “Allah” is also used to refer to God. Arabs also call God Allah. According to the Arabic vocabulary, the word Allah is the only name for God. Societies with a Roman Catholic background also call God ‘Allah’. According to the Bible, Christians in the pre-Islamic period went to the “Kaaba” more often.
Allah in Judaism
In Judaism we see many common characteristics when we talk about Allah. According to the Jews, Allah brings the same message as the Biblical Elohim or the Hebrew Eloah. It is clear that Allah is not only found in the Muslim community, but also in Christianity, Judaism, among the Arabs and several other Islamic areas.
The Attributes of Allah
Allah has several remarkable qualities which are described below:
- Existence (al-Wujud): It is essential to believe in the existence of Allah, as Allah also exists without a beginning, an end or a place.
- Eternity (al-Qidam): Allah is eternal, there is no beginning or end to His existence. In this world nothing is eternal except Allah.
- Eternity (al-Baga): As a Muslim, you must believe that the existence of Allah is eternal and will not end.
- Unity (al-Wahdaniyyah): Allah is One and has no partners.
- Non-Resemblance to Creation (al-Mukhalafatu lil-hawadith): Allah does not exhibit appearances equivalent to creation.
- Non-neediness of others (al-Qiyamu bin-nafs): Allah does not need others and can exist without them.
And so there are still 93 Beautiful Names of Allah.
Who created Allah?
A Creator itself cannot have been created, then the Creator would only be a Creature. So in this case, the Creator would also have someone above him with more power. Allah is the only Creator and He was not created Himself. He existed before the beginning of time and created everything within 6 periods. The question of who created Allah is irrelevant. He has created life and death for his creatures, causing people to make the mistake of thinking the same way about the Creator.
Does God exist?
We are often asked the question does God exist? Think about the following.
Suppose person A arrives with a painting. He claims that the painting originated from itself. No one would believe person A, because we automatically assume that the painting has a maker. The question of who made the painting is therefore irrelevant because we know that the painting cannot arise on its own. The painting is made by a painter or a maker.
If we look at the universe, it is a lot more complex/larger than a painting and there is even more reason to assume that there is only one Maker who made everything happen.
Also think about the DNA. How can information organize itself? Compare it to computer software. Allah is the maker of everything we see (and don’t see) and all constants and variables are so perfectly fine-tuned and in complete control and power of Allah.
