Who is Allah? Delving Into the Qu’ran for Answers

Who is Allah?

Across monotheistic religions, it is believed that the universe has one sole creator, one God. In Islam, God is referred to as Allah. He is the highest being in the universe who expects praise and worship from the humans and jinn He created. The Qur’an contains hundreds of ayahs also known as verses, describing Allah. The most recurring characteristics of the God it describes is compassionate, merciful, all-knowing, and all-powerful.

God is first and foremost the creator of the universe.(Qur’an 7 188-189, 40:64-65). Not only did he create it but he sustains it, without him there would be nothing (Qur’an 2:115, 2:255) Oftentimes, the Qur’an states that God is incomparable to anyone or anything else in the universe. He is “the first and the last,” (Qur’an 28:70) meaning that the universe began with God and it will end with Him also. The Qur’an does not compare Allah because it is impossible for him to be compared (Qur’an 112-1-4). It is evident that He is of a completely different entity than the things which He created and for that reason must be worshipped at all times. Allah, created every living thing from water and He created humans from clay. The Qur’an constantly emphasizes the oneness of God in the way that he is perfect in the way humans and other creation can never be. Because he is the creator, there can only be one, otherwise that would imply there is an outside entity that created God. However, the Qur’an cannot be more explicit that God is unique and the one and only creator of the universe. For this reason, it is considered blasphemy in the Islamic tradition for anyone to represent God in any way, whether visual or metaphorically.

The Qur’an describes God as being compassionate and merciful. In fact, every chapter begins with Bismillah which means, “In (or with) the name of Allah, who is Beneficent and Merciful.” This is very significant because of its recurrence. It reminds the reader at the beginning of each chapter that God is merciful, and it becomes imprinted in the reader’s mind. Why is God merciful? Although there are many verses in which God is described as merciful in the Qur’an, the most important example is creation. God did not create humans to benefit him in any way. Man’s mere existence is an example of God’s mercy. To be able to experience life in all its fullness and vitality is a great pleasure to which humans owe Allah according to the Qur’an. Moreover, daily life blessings are due to God’s mercy (Qur’an 35:1-3, 79:27-33). Man is constantly blessed by God with good health, good fortune, nourishment, and much more. The Qur’an explains that there are countless miracles from God, humans are just so ungrateful that they take these blessings for granted (Qur’an 10: 5-6, 13:2-4). God is also merciful because although he could show his wrath to humans, which is what they deserve for their disobedience to them, he instead continues to bestow blessings on them. For the sin that humans commit, God’s would be rage would be unimaginable. Instead he forgives humans and continues to love them and even offers a promise of an eternity of happiness. This is a very interesting attribute that is unique to the Islamic God. No human is capable of exhausting Allah’s trust because he is perfectly forgiving. His mercy towards humankind despite humans’ disobedience is another reason humans must deem Allah worthy of all praise (Qur’an 22: 64-65).

In the Qur’an, God is constantly described as “all-knowing” and “all-powerful.” There is no way to deceive God because he knows everything past, future, and present. (2:255, 3:26-27, 31: 26-34). Perhaps the Qur’an is so repetitive of this trait so that man will know that nothing can be hidden from God. He knows what humans are thinking, and he can read people’s hearts. God also knows things that humans cannot even begin to comprehend. The concept of eternity itself and why humans have what it takes to be leaders above all other creation is still unbeknownst to humans. God knows however, because he chose humans knowing they are capable of ruling earth. God also knows things that even the angels do not know. For instance, when Iblīs refused to kneel before Adam, he said it was because he did not think man was capable of being rulers because they were merely made of clay (Qur’an 7:12-13). God created angels who were perfect in their worship and seemed more suitable for the job however, God still chose man (Qur’an 2:30-38). It is incomprehensible why he would make such a decision. Not even the angels know the reason behind it, but the according to the Qur’an all creation should trust in this decision because God is all-knowing (34:1-3).

Although God is all-knowing and can see all, the Qur’an states that God is impenetrable (2:115, 34:1-3). No human even knows what God looks or sounds like. Even Muhammad who is God’s prophet, was not revealed God’s image. All that is known about God is that he is the creator of the universe and all things in it, and what his nature is based on his revelations to Muhammad and his actions in the universe (2:163-164). The Qur’an does not describe where God originated from, or if there are other entities like him beyond time and space. All that the Bible says on the matter is that God is the beginning and the end. Moreover, God is said to be everywhere at once and knows humans’ every thought and action, but humans never know what God is thinking or where God is. For this reason, it is such a leap of faith to those who believe in him because he is not tangible or manifest. Yet according to the Qur’an he is not an idea or metaphor either. The Qur’an explains that everything is proof of a living God. Just because humans cannot see him does not mean he does not exist. This life is just a test, to determine where humans will go in the after-life. If God were to reveal himself in all his glory to all humans, undoubtedly everyone would obey and worship him. Instead humans are left to their own free-will to decide whether or not they will choose to see everyday miracles as proof of God’s existence.

Another attribute of God according to the Qur’an is also that he is just. (Qur’an 3:18). The Qur’an constantly refers to Judgement Day in which God will judge over man to decide his fate for eternity. Because God is so just, every action a human makes deserves a consequence whether it is good or bad. Moreover, those of his creation which are loyal and genuinely repent of their sins are promised riches in heaven. While those who continuously sin and do not worship God will also receive their punishment on Judgement day (80:17-32, 50:20-26, 41:37-40). The Qur’an does not portray an image of a forgiving grandfather when it comes to God. Instead, it emphasizes that God is forgiving but he is just which means punishment will be received for those sins which go unrepented.

The Qur’an also describes an all-knowing God (59:22, 61:1, 27: 73-75). God is the overseer of everything that occurs in the universe, therefore there is nothing that escapes Him (2:163-164, 3:189-191). His knowledge is perfect and complete and he never seeks evidence or answers. He knows the ultimate truth behind human kind. There is something about the human species that sets them apart from all other creations, God knows what it is even though humans do not. He also knows everything that is seen and unseen, and is everywhere at once. It is overwhelming for the human mind to comprehend that God knows everything since there is so much that goes on in everyday life. It is hard to imagine that God can know every detail, no matter how irrelevant it may seem. Compared to God’s knowledge of every concept however large, minute, or abstract, man knows so little. Imagine that even the smartest man in the world does not even begin to measure up to Allah’s all-knowingness.

The nature of God is that he is absolute, nothing and no one is like Him. God is perfect and whole according to the Qur’an. Unlike the pagan gods who chase after their desires similar to man, God is the highest entity that created mankind and is therefore separate from the worldly desires and emotions man possesses. This is the central belief to Allah’s nature which is what makes Islam a monotheistic religion. There are no other gods or godlike beings (Qur’an 40:64-65, 59:22, 40:64-65). It is actually sinful to believe that there are other gods according to the Qur’an (Qur’an 2:21-22). If there were more than one god, that means power would be shared between however many gods there are. Allah however, is the reigning authority and uncompromising in power. He created man so that man would worship Him and Him alone. God’s nature is essentially oneness; it is the core of the Islamic faith. To believe in Allah one must admit that he or she accepts Him alone as Lord and Savior. The Qur’an states that He is worthy of all praise, not some, not most, but all praise which implies that no other being or entity is worthy of praise and worship.

One of the Qur’an’s main purposes is to testify to the existence and character of God. In the Islamic faith, it is not just a book. It is the actual word of God (45-1-6). Therefore, whatever is in the Qur’an is meant to be understood as a direct testament of who Allah is and whatever answers he wants humans to have are in there. Overall, the Qur’an describes Allah as the one and only merciful, Omni powerful, all-knowing God in the universe. Repetition is the most important tool in recognizing which characteristics are God’s most prominent.