Allah (الله) is the Supreme Name: the proper name of God, the Unique, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. All other sublime Names — Ar-Rahmān, Al-Malik, Al-Quddūs… — are connected to it: one says "Ar-Rahmān is one of the Names of Allah," never the opposite. Mentioned more than 2,700 times in the Quran, this Name alone carries the heart of Muslim faith: divine unity, the tawhīd.
What does Allah mean?
According to the majority of linguists, the name Allah derives from the root alif-lām-hā' (أ ل ه), which expresses divinity and worship: it combines the definite article al- and ilāh (divinity) — "THE divinity," the one beside which nothing deserves to be worshipped. This unique Name designates:
- The Proper Name of God: it has neither plural, nor feminine, nor equivalent — reflecting the nature of the One it names, without associate or likeness.
- The Name that encompasses all attributes: to say "Allah" is to designate in a single word the One who is at once the Merciful, the Mighty, the Wise, the Just.
- The Name of worship: ilāh means "the one who is worshipped"; the Name Allah proclaims that He alone is worthy of it — this is the meaning of the testimony lā ilāha illā Allāh.
Allah in the Qur'an
Surah Al-Ikhlas, which the Prophet ﷺ described as equivalent to one-third of the Qur'an, summarizes the doctrine of Divine Oneness:
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ
« Say: "He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Self-Sufficient Master upon Whom all depend." » (Surah Al-Ikhlas, 112:1-2)
And when Allah addresses Mūsā (Moses) in the sacred valley:
إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي
« Verily, I am Allah! There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance. » (Surah Tā-Hā, 20:14)
The Verse of the Throne (Āyat al-Kursī, 2:255) also opens with this Name: « Allah! There is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence » — the most eminent verse of the Qur'an according to the saying of the Prophet ﷺ.
Living with the Name Allah Daily
1. Purify Your Worship: al-Tawhīd
To know this Name is to worship none but Him: to pray only to Him, to hope only in Him, to truly fear only Him. Tawhīd is not an abstract idea — it is a liberation: the heart that belongs to Allah alone ceases to be enslaved by creatures, possessions and the eyes of others.
2. Keep Dhikr Alive
The repetition of Allah's Name in the taught formulas — SubhānAllāh, Alhamdulillāh, Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Allāhu akbar — polishes the heart and brings it peace: "It is by the remembrance of Allah that hearts find peace" (Surah Ar-Ra'd, 13:28).
3. Act in Consciousness of Him
He who knows that "Allah" designates the Living One who sees, hears and provides, works with integrity even without a witness, and endures trials without breaking: he knows to Whom he belongs and to Whom he returns.
Invocation with the Name of Allah
The Prophet ﷺ heard a man invoke in this manner and declared that he had asked Allah by His Greatest Name: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
"O Allah, I ask You by the fact that I testify that You are Allah: there is no deity except You, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master upon whom all depend, who has not begotten and has not been begotten, and there is none comparable to Him." (reported by Abū Dāwūd and At-Tirmidhī)
Frequently Asked Questions about the Name Allah
Is « Allah » one of the 99 Names?
Allah is the Supreme Name to which all others are connected: the 99 Names are « the Names of Allah ». Most scholars place it at the head of the list, as the proper Name that encompasses all attributes of perfection.
Is « Allah » the same word as « God »?
« Allah » is the Arabic word designating God, the Unique: Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews used it before Islam and still use it today. But in the Muslim faith, this Name carries a particular purity: it excludes any trinity, any filiation, and any association.
What does « lā ilāha illā Allāh » mean?
« There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah »: this is the first part of the testimony of faith. It denies any false deity, then affirms the exclusive worship of the one true God — it is the key to Islam.
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