Allah.
★: Who is Allah?
Allah says in the Noble Qur'an, chapter 2 verse 163: "And your God is One God. There is no deity (worthy of worship) except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful."
You may hear the name “Allah” mentioned very often. But who is Allah? Allah is the name God Almighty has given Himself, as is mentioned many times in the Holy Quran.
In chapter 112, Allah orders: "Say: He is Allah, (the) One; Allah the Eternal Refuge; He neither begets neither is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
"Allah" is the personal name of the One True God. The name “Allah” is unique to God alone, and no other object nor person is allowed to adapt this name. Allah has no plural form nor a gender, unlike the English word “God”, which can be made both plural and feminine as Gods or Goddess.
It is part of the core Islamic beliefs that Allah has no partners in divinity, which includes having no son, and nothing in the universe is similar to Him. Allah is the Originator and Sustainer of the universe, and he created human beings for only one purpose: to worship Him alone. No other creation is worthy of being worshiped.
Why is it important to learn about Allah?
Getting to know Allah and his perfect attributes is of extreme importance in Islam. After all, how can you have complete, unshakable faith in a God you do not know? The more you learn about Allah, His divine names, and His perfect attributes, the deeper your faith becomes. Ibn al-Qayyim, a prominent scholar of Islam, says: “knowing Allah is the foundation of all knowledge.” Furthermore, knowing Allah and discovering his characteristics and attributes inevitably cause you to love Him, which fills your heart with peace, satisfaction, and stability.
Now that we understand that Allah is The one God and recognize the importance of knowing Him, let’s take a deeper look. Who is Allah? What are his characteristics? Does He have other names?
The simplest way to begin understanding who Allah is, is by studying His names, which He revealed to us in the Qur'an and through his Prophet peace be upon him. By describing Himself with different names, Allah has given humanity a glimpse of His essence and greatness. The Qur'an, one might say, is Allah’s self-presentation, where Allah describes himself with rich and diverse vocabulary.
Allah the Almighty has numerous names. Perhaps the most known names are the “ninety-nine” names, which the Prophet peace be upon him emphasized upon, because memorizing and deeply understanding these names is a reason for entering paradise!
The names of Allah are deep, revealing His perfect attributes and characteristics. This is unlike the vague definitions of divinity that other religious traditions define God by.
So, how does Allah the Almighty present Himself in the Qur'an?
One way to answer these questions is to consider the sorts of names that Allah the Almighty gives himself in the Qur'an.
For example, a long list of His names is found in chapter 59: " 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. ❋ 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 ❋ 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."
Allah also says in Chapter 57 verse 3: “He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.”
The Qur’anic verses and their description of Allah are mesmerizing. The sheer magical beauty of the above verses, and many others like these, commands the attention of whoever comes to read them or listen to their recitation. Moreover, the portrayal of Allah as mysterious and obvious, transcendent and immanent, with both anthropic and unimaginable features, as pairs of opposite traits, urges us to try and understand who Allah is, even while realizing that this is an impossible goal. Verily Allah knows how limited our mind is, as we will never be able to fathom all of Allah’s attributes. Nonetheless, just these small glimpses into His divine character are enough to fill one with love and peace.
Let’s take a closer look at some of Allah’s names, as revealed in the Quran:
○ Allah is Al-Wahid Al-Ahad: The One and The Unique, Only One.
He has no partners, no equals, and no rivals. He also has no father, mother, sons, daughters, or wives. He is the Unique and the Only One, worthy of all worships.
From these two names, we understand the divine power and authority of Allah because he is the Only One. If more than one God existed, this would reflect the deficiency in Allah’s power and would have resulted in rivalry between these Gods, which would call for the need of compromises and agreements between these Gods. Hence, it is from Allah’s perfect nature that he is the One and Only, avoiding all these issues.
○ Allah is Al-Qadir Al-Muqtadir: The All-Powerful and All-Authoritative.
He has full authority and power over all things, and everything is completely subservient and dependent on Him alone. Furthermore, obedience to Allah does not increase His Power, neither does disobedience decrease His Power in anyway. His Power and Authority are perfect and complete, unaffected by anything.
○ Allah is Al-‘Alee: The Most High and The Exalted.
There is nothing above or comparable to Allah, and His attributes do not resemble any of His creation. Also, no part of Allah is present in anyone or anything; He is above all His creation.
From His name the Most High and Exalted, we understand how perfect Allah is, as He does not have any human limitations. For example, he does not need to sleep or rest.
○ Allah is Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyoom: The Ever-Living and The Sustainer, The Self-Subsisting.
He will never die, remaining alive for ever, and He is eternally whole and absolute. Allah will never be sick nor harmed.
Allah is also the Sustainer, where His existence is independent of anyone or anything. In fact, everything in existence is dependent on him alone.
○ Allah is As-Salam: The Perfect, The Giver of Peace, and The Bestower of Security.
He is free of any imperfections, and grants tranquility and peace to His believers as Allah is the source of peace and security.
○ Allah is Al-Khaaliq, Al-Musawwir: The Creator and The Fashioner or Flawless Shaper.
He is the creator of everything, creating everything from nothing. His creation is perfect and flawless, in the best fashion and form.
○ Allah is Al-Mui’zz and Al-Muzil: The Honourer and Bestower, and The Dishonourer and Humiliator.
Allah grants honor, esteem, and strength to those He wishes from His believers and humiliates and degrades those who disbelieve and disobey Him.
No one can honor those who Allah disgraces and no one has the power to disgrace those who He has honored. This indicates Allah’s power.
○ Allah is As-Samee’ and Al’Baseer: The All-Hearing and All-Seeing.
He hears and sees everything at all times, and everything is known to him. No one can hide from Allah, as He is aware of everything.
Because of these attributes, everyone always has direct access to worship God, as He hears all who praise and call upon Him. Worshipping Allah indirectly like through idols, statues or other intermediaries; is viewed as compromising Allah's Oneness and purity of worship that He alone, is worthy of.
○ Allah is Al-Hakam and Al-‘Adl: The Judge, Giver of Justice, and the Utterly Just.
Allah is the most wise, impartial, and merciful Judge. He judges everyone based on their own deeds and doings, and everyone is held accountable for their own actions.
He is the most Just when judging, granting His servants who obeyed Him good deeds and paradise, and punishing those who disobeyed Him. Allah does not look at race, wealth, or social class. Instead, your belief, virtue, and piety are what you will be judged and rewarded for.
No one is “born into sin,” which shows Allah’s Just attributes.
○ Allah is Al-Kareem: The Most Generous and The Most Esteemed.
His generosity has no bounds, as He is the most Bountiful and giving. Allah continuously provides His servants with gifts and is also generous in His forgiveness and mercy.
○ Allah is Al-Mujeeb: The Responding One, The Responsive.
Allah is the One who always answers the prayers and needs of His servants when they call for Him. He always hears one’s supplications and responds to them.
○ Allah is Al-Wadood: The Most Loving.
Allah is the most loving and affectionate. His love for us, his servants, is pure and generous. He is the source of all love and kindness.
● Another beautiful name of Allah is “Al-Kabeer”: The Greater One, The Greatest. He is greater than everything! In fact, a common phrase of praise to Allah is “Allahu Akbar.” While the phrase is generally translated as “God is great” or “God is the Greatest,” these translations are not precise. The correct meaning is: “God is Greater.” He is greater than everything and anything! This expression is open to allow the person uttering it to imagine whatever ending best fits their circumstances. "God is greater..." than any sorrow, than any joy, than any worry, than any lust, passion or desire, than any oppressor, etc. If the expression used were Allahu Al-Akbar (God is the greatest), or Allahu Al-Kabir (God is the great One), the expression would become self-contained rather than open-ended and, as a result, it would no longer leave any maneuvering room for our imagination or our thoughts. This shows the greatness of Allah, which urges us to love Him.
● Allah is also Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem: The Beneficent, The Merciful (or the Entirely and Most Merciful).
Have you ever heard about Allah’s mercy?
In the Quran, chapter 6 verse 147, Allah says: “Limitless is your Lord in His mercy…”
God Almighty is full of love and kindness to His creation. All blessings and goodness in this world and the next are clear proofs of His Mercy. Indeed, Islam teaches that God is more merciful toward us than our own mothers. How can it be otherwise when some of God’s names and attributes include:
• The Acceptor of Repentance.
• The Source of Goodness.
• The Compassionate.
• The Forbearing One.
• The Most Gracious.
• The Most Merciful.
These names all indicate that Allah is characterized by mercy, goodness, and generosity. They testify to the vastness and perfection of His Mercy, which He blesses all His creation with. This same creation is addressed by Allah, when He says, “O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as the earth.” Tirmidi in Riyadh Al-Saliheen section 371 Hadith 1886.
Some models of Allah’s Mercy and Blessings:
Guidance through the revelation and divine scriptures and prophets.
From the beginning of creation, man was not left to face the struggles of life alone. Due to God’s Mercy, man received revelation through Prophets, who conveyed and taught it to their people to guide and protect them. The most perfect and merciful of revelations was the Qur’an and the last of the prophets was Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The Qur’an – the final revelation – superseded and abrogated previous revelations and is the ultimate mercy and guidance for mankind. Just as Allah sent Messengers in the past, He also sent mankind a living, perfect and practical example of how the Qur’an’s teachings of mercy and justice should be applied in our daily lives. This was the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) - a mercy to the worlds.
As clarified in the Quran chapter 21 verse 107: “And We (Allah) have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a mercy to the worlds.” The Prophet peace be upon him also reveals: “Allah will not show mercy to them who does not show mercy to others.”
This is all from the Mercy of Allah, Al-Rahman.
Allah is Merciful towards all His creations. His mercy is seen in our daily lives, where we can communicate, work, eat, drink, play, sleep, and do anything we please with ease and comfort. He says in the Quran chapter 28 verse 73: “And out of His Mercy He made for you the night and the day that you may rest therein and (by day) seek from His Bounty and (that) perhaps you will be grateful.”
Having a spouse is another one of Allah’s greatest mercies, for a spouse is a source of tranquility and affection. Allah says in the Qur'an chapter 30 verse 21: “And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who give thought.”
Another picture of Allah’s mercy towards His creation is the fact that he created all humans sinless, and only starts holding us accountable at the age of maturity and decision making. This is in stark contrast to the “Original Sin” concept.
Allah’s mercy can be seen in his generous forgiveness. He forgives our imperfections and sins out of love and mercy, for He knows how weak we are. The fact that believers commit sins does not mean that we should lose hope of Allah’s Mercy or that we have exhausted Allah’s Forgiveness. Allah says in the Qur'an chapter 39 verse 53: “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves (by sining)! Do not despair of the Mercy of Allah: Indeed Allah forgives all sins. Indeed it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
Allah’s Mercy envelops all His creations, not just us humans! Animals and plants are granted Allah’s mercy and blessing, where He provides them with sustenance and offspring. The Prophets peace be upon him reports: "Allah has divided mercy into one hundred parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should trample on it.”
In summary, throughout life, people continually receive Allah’s blessings, be it good health, sight, hearing, nourishment, clean air, children, wealth and countless others. Some use their God-given gifts of intelligence and reasoning to acknowledge these blessings, grasp the purpose of their existence, and thereby submit themselves to Allah. Others, however, do not appreciate the Mercy of Allah toward their own selves, even though He feeds and sustains them despite their disobedience toward Him. They are given mobility, enjoyment, freedom of thought and action, despite their outright denial of Him. Their very existence would not be, were it not for the Mercy of Allah. This all shows how perfect Allah is, and how worthy He is to be worshipped. As Allah says in the Quran chapter 16 verse 18.: “... if you were to try and count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
These are all just glimpses of Allah’s perfect attributes. If we were to discuss all of Allah’s names known to us, we would go on forever. Allah is the most deserving of praise and gratitude. This is even seen in the Quran, which is filled with praise and amazing glorifications of Allah, the God. It is also one of the key points to be noted about Qur'an that after every few verses it reverts back to the praise and the qualities of Allah. He said that you can call Him by any beautiful name. But we can simply say "SubhanAllah", which means "glory be to God". Angels glorified him saying "Subhanaka" or "glory be to you", though every living creature and every single non-living thing of heaven and earth glorifies God by simply living according to the law provided by him.
P.S: The concept of God in Islam is, above all, very satisfying. Submission to The Creator, the only One worthy of Worship. He's The Ruler. The One who takes care of us. The One who created the secular world for us. The One who did not leave us to fend for ourselves. He sustained us with instructions on how to live in this world by revealing Islam on one of us: His Messenger & Slave: Muhammad (peace be upon him). Islam is high on perfection, attaching with it no flaws.
Does this not show how much Allah cares and values His creation? Through Islam we learn, achieve, win, and find guidance till we gain eternal paradise.