Same God, Arabic word
Arabic-speaking Christians pray to Allah too. Open an Arabic Bible and the first verse reads فِي الْبَدْءِ خَلَقَ اللهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
The word is a close cousin of Alaha in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, and Eloah in Hebrew.
One, and only One
The heart of Islam is tawhid, God's oneness. This short chapter of the Quran sums it up, and Muslims recite it constantly:
Say, “He is God, the One. God, the Eternal Refuge. He has no child, nor was He born. And there is nothing comparable to Him.”
Quran 112:1–4
So in Islam, God is not part of creation, never becomes a human being, and has no partners or children. “There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing” (42:11). He doesn't need anything from us. We need Him.
Close, merciful and listening
That doesn't make God distant. Muslims pray to Him directly, in any language, at any time.
When My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the prayer of the one who calls on Me.
Quran 2:186
Every chapter of the Quran but one opens with the words “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
The Prophet ﷺ said: “When God created all things, He wrote in His Book, which is with Him above the Throne: ‘My mercy prevails over My anger.’”
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
Say, “My servants who have wronged yourselves, do not despair of God's mercy. God forgives all sins. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
Quran 39:53
Knowing Him by His names
The Quran and the Prophet ﷺ describe God by many names, traditionally counted as ninety-nine. Here are six of them:
- الرحمنAr-RahmanThe Most Merciful
- الودودAl-WadudThe Loving
- الغفورAl-GhafurThe Forgiving
- السلامAs-SalamThe Source of Peace
- النورAn-NurThe Light
- الحكيمAl-HakimThe Wise
Quran quotes are English translations of the meaning, adapted from Saheeh International and M.A.S. Abdel Haleem. Tap a reference to read the verse in Arabic with other translations.