Who is Allah?

Know Your Creator

 

The Quran defines Allah in a very simple manner. The four verses of the Surah Ikhlas of Quran defines Allah as:

Verse	Transliteration	Translation
بِسۡمِ اِ۬للَّهِ ا۬لرَّحۡمَٰنِ اِ۬لرَّحِيمِ ۝‎	Bismi l-lāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm(i)	In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
قُلۡ هُوَ ا۬للَّهُ اَحَدٌ ۝١‎	¹ Qul huwa l-lāhu ’aḥad(un)	Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “He is Allah—One ˹and Indivisible˺;
اَ۬للَّهُ اَ۬لصَّمَدُ ۝٢‎	² ’allāhu ṣ-ṣamad(u)	Allah—the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺.
لَمۡ يَلِدۡ وَلَمۡ يُولَدۡ ۝٣‎	³ Lam yalid walam yūlad	He has never had offspring, nor was He born.
وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُؤًا اَحَدٌۢ ۝٤‎	⁴ Walam yaku n-lahū kufu’an aḥad(un)	And there is none comparable to Him.”1

 

Let’s understand these verses in more depth:

 

Verse 1: He is Allah – One & Indivisible

 

The word Allah is the name specific to God in the Arabic language. Qur’an defines Allah as one. During the time of Prophet Muhammad (Peace & Blessings upon Him) people of Arab believed in three gods: al-Lat, al-Uzza & Manat. This verse negates any kind of polytheism & idolatry. As Allah says:

“Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah, they both would have been ruined. So exalted is Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.”

Here Allah means that if the universe had more than one God, then they will be fighting with each other for dominance. In other religions, we can see this happening as one God fights & wages war against the other God in cases of disagreements.

Allah has no partners, associates, or helpers. Worship is directed solely to Allah, for He is the Only One worthy of worship. As Allah says in Surah al-Isra:

“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him.”

 

 

Verse 2: Allah—the Sustainer needed by all.

 

Allah has been referred to as The Eternal Refuge, The Self-Sufficient, The Absolute, and the One on Whom all depend and to Whom all creation turns to for fulfillment of their desires and needs, by different translators of the Quran.

Therefore, while the whole world is dependent upon Allah for fulfillment of its needs, He is in need of no one. As mentioned in Surah an-Naml:

“Truly my Lord is Free of all Needs, Supreme in Honour!”

 

Verse 3: He has never had offspring, nor was He born.

 

This verse states that Allah was not born and he never gave birth. In other words, he has no beginning and no end.

Allah has created everything, but he himself was not created by any higher power.

Many religions associate partners with God and sons & daughters with God. However, this particular verse of Surah al-Ikhlas leaves no room for any uncertainty in this regard.

As in Surah al-An’am, Allah says:

“[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion and He created all things? And He is, of all things, knowing.”

 

Verse 4: And there is none comparable to Him.”1

 

The last verse of this Surah declares that Allah is beyond comparison. In other words, there is nothing comparable to Him in nature and attributes. There is none in the entire universe, nor ever was, nor ever be, who is equal to Allah. He is Unique in every aspect. In Surah ash-Shurah, Allah says:

“There is nothing like Him.”

Thus, this Surah gives a brief account of the unity of Allah and the perfection of His attributes. The importance of Surah al-Ikhlas is so much that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) made it equal to one third of the Quran.

 

References:

1.     The Quran 21:22 (Surah al-Anbya)

2.     The Quran 17:23 (Surah al-Isra)

3.     The Quran 27:40 (Surah an-Naml)

4.     The Quran 06:101 (Surah al-An’am)

5.     The Quran 42:11 (Surah ash-Shurah)