Who is Allah?

"Allah" is simply the Arabic word for God, the same word Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians use when they pray. It is not the name of a foreign or tribal deity. Allah is the one and only Creator of the heavens, the earth, and you. There is nothing like Him, and He shares His divinity with no one.

The most central teaching in Islam is Tawhid, the oneness of God. It means that God is single, undivided, and unique. He was not born and He gives no birth. He needs nothing and no one, while everything that exists depends entirely on Him. To worship Him alone, with no partners, is the very heart of Islam.

Yet Allah is not distant or cold. The Quran reminds us again and again that He is Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, the Most Compassionate and the Most Merciful. His mercy is said to outweigh His anger. He is nearer to you than your own jugular vein, He hears every quiet prayer, and He loves to forgive those who turn back to Him.

In one short chapter, Surah Al-Ikhlas, God describes Himself with perfect simplicity. These four verses summarise who Allah is in words a child can memorise and a scholar can ponder for a lifetime. They are among the first lines many new Muslims learn by heart.