Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: S. H. M. Jafri, The Origins and Early 

Development of Shia Islam (London and New York: 

Longman, 1979); Wilferd Madelung, The Succession to 

Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate (Cambridge: 

Cambridge University Press, 1977); Abu Jafar Muham-

mad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari. Trans-

lated by C. E. Bosworth et al. (Albany: State University 

of New York Press, 1985–).

Allah

The Arabic term Allah is the main one used for the 

unique deity worshipped in the Islamic religion. 

It is a contraction that literally means “the God” 

(Arabic: al-ilah), and it occurs about 2,700 times 

in the q

Uran

 alone. Belief in only one god who is 

all-powerful and merciful and who has no partners 

or equals is the most important Islamic doctrine, 

and Muslims constantly express it in their wor-

ship, religious 

mUsic

, and visual arts. For example, 

the 

shahada

, the first pillar of Islam, requires 

that Muslims testify “There is no god but God 

(Allah).” This phrase is repeated in daily 

prayers

and is written on 

mosqUe

s, banners, and post-

ers in all Muslim communities. Among the most 

important statements about God in the Quran are 

those found in the chapter entitled “Sincerity” (Q 

112) and in the “Throne Verse” (Q 2:255), which 

states, “Allah! There is no god but he, the living, 

the everlasting. He neither rests nor sleeps.” The 

monotheistic ideal also dominates Islamic 

theol

-

ogy

, 

philosophy

, law, and even its historical vision. 

On the basis of the Quran, 

hadith

, and religious 

doctrine, Muslims believe that Allah is the same 

god worshipped by Jews and Christians. It should 

also be noted that Arabic-speaking followers of 

Judaism and Christianity in the Middle East use 

the word Allah for God, although their theologies 

differ from those of Muslims.

Historical evidence indicates that Allah was 

the name of an ancient Arabian high god in a 

pantheon of other gods and goddesses like those 

found in other ancient Middle Eastern cultures. 

Worshipping him as the only real god may have 

started before the seventh century in Arabia, but 

it was in the Quranic revelations delivered by 

m

Uhammad

 as the prophet of Islam between 610 

and 632 that the monotheistic ideal received its 

first clear expression among a

rab

 peoples. In the 

Quran, Allah is portrayed as the creator of the 

universe who brings life and death, never sleeps, 

and knows, sees, and hears everything. He is both 

eternal and infinite, and unlike the ancient gods, 

he does not have parents or children. This belief 

also rejects Christian notions of God as a father 

and  J

esUs

 as his son. In the Quran, God com-

mands human beings to remember him and to 

submit to him, but he also shows them his kind-

ness and compassion. He sends prophets such as 

a

braham

, m

oses

, J

esUs

, and Muhammad to guide 

people to salvation. He can reward them for their 

faith and good deeds and punish them for their 

infidelity and sins. As master of J

Udgment

  d

ay

,

he will resurrect the dead at the end of time and 

hold them accountable for what they did in their 

lives, which means that he can either let them 

enter the gardens of 

paradise

 or send them to the 

Fire

 of hell.

According to the prevailing opinion in Islam, 

God cannot be completely known or perceived by 

the human mind or the senses; rather than being 

close by, he stands at great distance from his cre-

K  34  

Allah

---

ation. He also cannot be represented in a picture 

or statue, which is considered to be 

idolatry

.

However, he can be partially known through the 

Quran, which is his speech, and the “signs” he 

provides in nature and the course of history. He 

can also be known through his qualities, many 

of which are described in the 99 

names

 

oF

  g

od

.

Muslims through the centuries have nonetheless 

sought to bridge the gap between God and cre-

ation with intermediary figures such as 

angels

, 

prophets, and 

saints

. Among the Shia, imams 

(revered descendants of Muhammad’s family) 

play this role. An important part of the Islamic 

mystical tradition understood the universe to be 

the result of emanations of light from God, which 

were embodied most fully by the p

erFect

  m

an

.

Some mystics believed this to be the idealized 

Adam or Muhammad and that those with true 

spiritual insight might therefore come to know 

God through this reality. Others anticipated a 

mystical vision of God in the course of a spiritual 

ascent or in the afterlife.

See also 

anthropomorphism

; 

aya

; F

ive

 p

illars

; 

monotheism

; 

prophets

 

and

 

prophecy

.