The Name ‘Allah’

Date September 12, 2008

Allah

It is He (Allah) Who is the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) in the heaven and the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) on the earth [Zukhruf 43:84]

Allah hath not chosen any son, nor is there any god [ilaah] along with Him; else would each god [ilaah] have assuredly championed that which he created
[Al-Mu'minoon 23:91]

Lexical interpretations:

The name Allah is originated from “ilaah”. In the aayah above, He said “there is no? ilaah along with Him”. There is no ilaah along with Him meaning there is no one that should be worshipped with Him. Also, there is no other Creator, Sustainer, Lawgiver, and so on. Whatever does not have these Names and Attributes cannot be an ilaah even if it is worshipped; it is only another creation.

Its root is “aliha ya’lahu”, which means to be bewildered. When the slave of Allah realizes His Greatness, Majesty, and other attributes, he will be the most unlikely to turn his heart towards anyone else. [Ibnul Atheer]

The root of ilaah is “wilaah”, in which the?waw was changed to a hamza as in some other Arabic words. The meaning of wilaah is that all of the creation turn to Him for their needs, to keep away harm, and retreat to Him when frightened.

  • All of the following words: ilaaha, ulooha, and uloohiyya mean ‘ibaada, i.e, to worship. Regarding the following aayah:

Wilt thou suffer Moses and his people to make mischief in the land, and flout thee and thy gods (aalihatak)? [A'raaf 7:127]

Abdullah Ibn Abbaas RA used to recite the aayah as, “and flout thee and thy worship (ilaahatak),” because Pharoah was actually worshipped. For this reason, the action is referred to in this recitation as “ilaaha” (Of course, the first recitation listed is the most common and famous recitation) [Ibn Seedah].

An Additional proof is the statement of Pharoah: I know not that ye have a god (ilaah) other than me [Qasas 28:38]

The original form of the Name Allah is “al-ilaah”. This was stated by the grammarian and linguist Seebawayh and most of his students. [Ibnul Qayyim]. The hamza was dropped due to the common usage in the language, thereby the name became Allah. [Ibn Barree]

Please note: Repeating the name Allah by itself is not something found in the sharia. Rather, the remembrances [adhkaar] that are found in the sharia mention the name along with other words of praise and glory.

Some examples:

  • “Whoever says subhaanAllahi wa bihamdihi 100 times in a day, his sins will be forgiven even if they were like the froth of the ocean” [Agreed upon]
  • “There are two phrases which are light upon the tongue, heavy in the scale, and beloved to Ar-Rahmaan: subhaanAllahi wa bihamdihi, subhaanAllahil ‘adheem” [Agreed upon]
  • “Four phrases are most beloved to Allah, and it doesn’t matter which one you start with: subhaanAllah, alhamdulillah, laa ilaaha illAllah, and Allahu akbar” [Muslim]

The most beloved names to Allah are the names Abdullah and AbdurRahmaan, as found in the saheeh hadith. Ibnul Qayyim explained in Zaad al Ma’aad (2/340):

As far as a name is related to the one that is named by it and affected by it, the names that Allah loves most are the names related to the Attributes that He loves most, like Abdullah and AbdurRahmaan. He loves that one would join worship to the names Allah and Al-Rahmaan more than than joining it to other names like Al-Qaahir and Al-Qaadir… This is because the relationship between the worshipper and Allah is one of absolute worship and absolute mercy from Him. It is by His Mercy that the worshipper exists, and everything related to his existence is due to Allah’s Mercy. He created and made the worshipper to exist in order that He is worshipped alone, loved, feared, hoped in, revered, and glorified. Then [the person] becomes a worshipper of Allah, worshipping Him because the name Allah means that He should be worshipped, and because of the impossibility that this meaning could be given to anyone else.?Allah’s mercy overcame His anger[as mentioned in the hadith], so He loves the name AbdurRahmaan more than the name AbdulQaahir.

The name Allah is the most comprehensive name because it contains the meanings present in all other names. Every other name signifies some specific attribute but not necessarily other attributes. However, the name Allah indicates that due to the fact that He has all these names and attributes, He alone is deserving to be worshipped. All other names explain and detail the attributes of Allah.

Whenever other names are mentioned, they are are listed as “among the names of Allah”. For example, “Al-Rahmaan, Al-Raheem, and Al-Ghaffaar are among the names of Allah”. No one says “Allah is one of the names of Al-Rahmaan.”

Allah Himself said: “Allah’s are the most beautiful names. Invoke Him by them.” [7:180]

All of the Messengers invited the people to the fact that only Allah deserves to be worshipped: “And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, ‘There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.’” (21:25)

Some ayaat that mention that only Allah deserves to be worshipped; that He is the only ilaah:

And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.(2:163)

Allah - there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. (2:255)

Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. (3:2)

There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.(3:6)

Allah witnesses that there is no deity except Him, and [so do] the angels and those of knowledge - [that He is] maintaining [creation] in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (3:18)

That is Allah , your Lord; there is no deity except Him, the Creator of all things, so worship Him. And He is Disposer of all things. (6:102)

Follow, [O Muhammad], what has been revealed to you from your Lord - there is no deity except Him - and turn away from those who associate others with Allah . (6:106)

And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.(9:31)

Allah - there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best names.(20:8)

Indeed, I am Allah . There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance. (20:14)

Your god is only Allah , except for whom there is no deity. (20:98)

And do not invoke with Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him. (28:88)

O mankind, remember the favor of Allah upon you. Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the heaven and earth? There is no deity except Him, so how are you deluded?(35:3)

That is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of all things, La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), where then you are turning away (from Allah, by worshipping others instead of Him)! (40:62)

He is the Ever-Living; there is no deity except Him, so call upon Him, [being] sincere to Him in religion. [All] praise is [due] to Allah , Lord of the worlds.(40:65)

So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except Allah (47:19)

And Allah knows the best.

Category Posted in 99 Names of Allah

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