Allah, the One God of Abraham
Allah and His Names
Who He is in His own 99 Names, what the word Allah means, and how people across the world come to know a Creator.
Scripture
The Torah, the Bible and the Qur'an: each in its own words, and each to listen to.


New · ScriptureThree books, one listening earHear the whole Qur'an recited by Sheikh Abdul Basit, the Torah chanted portion by portion, and the Bible read aloud, with the words on screen.
Open Scripture →The 99 Names, one by one
Each Name as a short series, with its sound
12 minFlashcardsTap a card to turn it over. No scores, no timers: just the Names.
10 minThe Entirely Merciful
12 minThe Especially Merciful
11 minThe King
8 minThe Utterly Pure and Holy
10 minPeace
9 minThe Giver of security and faith
8 minThe Ever-Watchful Guardian over all things
8 minThe Almighty, never overcome
7 minThe Compeller, and the Restorer who mends what is broken
7 minThe Supremely Great, to whom alone greatness rightly belongs
11 minThe Creator, who determines and brings into being
8 minThe Originator who brings creatures into being, distinct and free of flaw
11 minThe Fashioner who gives each thing its formAll 40 →See every episodeThe Word
What “Allah” means, and who says it
3 minAllah around the worldThe word travels: in Arabic prayer everywhere, and into languages and faiths you might not expect.
10 minBefore Islam: the word in the desertNomads scratched it on rocks, Christians carved it over a church door, and poets put it in their verses, long before the Qur'an.
10 minAllah beyond IslamIn a gurdwara in Southall, a church in Malta and a Bible in Jakarta, people say Allah who are not Muslim. Here is where, why, and what is myth.
4 minOur Father, who art in heavenOne God, whom Christians know as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and whom Arabic-speaking Christians call Allah.
4 minChristians and Jews say “Allah” tooYes. Arabic-speaking Christians have no other everyday word for God, and Arabic-speaking Jews used it for over a thousand years.
10 minChristians who disagreedMost Christians, for most of history, have confessed one God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
4 minThe family tree of the wordFrom the oldest written language to Arabic: one ancient root for “god”.
4 minAllah: One, and like nothingThe One God, Creator of all, known through His Names and His signs.
4 minThe One called “the Name”Hear, O Israel: the One God, whose own Name is not spoken aloud.
4 minWhat does “Allah” mean?Short answer: God. More exactly, the God. Here is the word's story.
4 minMyth or fact?Ten things people say about the word “Allah”, checked against the evidence.
2 minHonoured or dishonouredWhat each faith teaches about using God's Name in vain, and how the way we live honours it.
4 minThere's no picture of GodIn Islam, nothing in creation looks like God, so there is no picture of Him, and never has been.
4 minFour lines. Fifteen words.Asked to describe God, the Qur'an answered in four short lines.All 20 →See every episodeThree faiths
God in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, each in its own words
Three faithsGod in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, each in its own wordsOpen →How people recognise a Creator
The instinct for God, the philosophers, and one Creator across the world
How people recognise a CreatorThe instinct for God, the philosophers, and one Creator across the worldOpen →Look it up
Watch more: Allah and His Names
9 films and talks, chosen for this page. They play here.
Who is Allah? in 15 seconds
whoisallah.org.uk · 1 min
Introducing The "Allah’s Names" Ramadan Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman
Yaqeen Institute · 6 min
Yaqeen: Dr Omar Suleiman introduces his series on Allah's Names.
Beautiful Names of Allah (Part 2): The Name "Allah"
Yasir Qadhi · 14 min
Dr Yasir Qadhi on the Name "Allah".
Who Is Allah? | Surah Al-Ikhlas
Cambridge Central Mosque · 1 min
Cambridge Central Mosque: Surah al-Ikhlas in one minute.
How Merciful is Allah to Me? | Allah’s Names | Dr. Omar Suleiman | Ep. 1
Yaqeen Institute · 18 min
Is Allah God? | Prof. Miroslav Volf
Emir-Stein Center · 9 min
Bishop Barron on Who God Is & Who God Isn't
Bishop Robert Barron · 10 min
Rabbi Sacks on Connecting to God & Finding Inspiration | Animation | Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
The Rabbi Sacks Legacy · 3 min
What Is the Difference between God and Hashem?
Jewish Learning Institute · 46 min
- More films and talks on F-ILMWatch free
GlossaryWords from every tradition, in their own terms