Skip to content

Reading settings

Text size

Easier reading

More space between lines and letters, plain font for headings, no italics.

Calm mode

No moving backgrounds or animations; softer images.

Save data

No background video and no card photos: good on a slow or capped connection.

Saved on this device only. Nothing is sent to us.

The Word

One word,
and the One it names

“Allah” is the Arabic word for God. Arabic-speaking Christians pray to Allah, a rabbi wrote it in his Torah a thousand years ago, and its family includes the Hebrew Elohim and the Aramaic Alaha that Jesus (peace be upon him) spoke.

▶ Start: Allah around the world Continue All episodes

In this series

3 minEpisode 1: Allah around the worldThe word travels: in Arabic prayer everywhere, and into languages and faiths you might not expect.

10 minEpisode 2: Before 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 minEpisode 3: Allah 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 minEpisode 4: Our Father, who art in heavenOne God, whom Christians know as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and whom Arabic-speaking Christians call Allah.

4 minEpisode 5: Christians 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 minEpisode 6: Christians who disagreedMost Christians, for most of history, have confessed one God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

4 minEpisode 7: The family tree of the wordFrom the oldest written language to Arabic: one ancient root for “god”.

4 minEpisode 8: Allah: One, and like nothingThe One God, Creator of all, known through His Names and His signs.

4 minEpisode 9: The One called “the Name”Hear, O Israel: the One God, whose own Name is not spoken aloud.

4 minEpisode 10: What does “Allah” mean?Short answer: God. More exactly, the God. Here is the word's story.

4 minEpisode 11: Myth or fact?Ten things people say about the word “Allah”, checked against the evidence.

2 minEpisode 12: Honoured or dishonouredWhat each faith teaches about using God's Name in vain, and how the way we live honours it.

4 minEpisode 13: There's no picture of GodIn Islam, nothing in creation looks like God, so there is no picture of Him, and never has been.

4 minEpisode 14: Four lines. Fifteen words.Asked to describe God, the Qur'an answered in four short lines.

4 minEpisode 15: A rabbi's Arabic TorahA thousand years ago, the greatest Jewish scholar of his age wrote “Allah” about 1,650 times.

2 minEpisode 16: Same word, different mouthsThe names of God in Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic, and the Names of Allah they echo.

11 minEpisode 17: Paul's letters in Arabic, 867 CEThe earliest dated Arabic Bible manuscript we know of was finished in Damascus in the month of Ramadan. On its pages, God is Allāh.

5 minEpisode 18: Who is God to each of us?Jews, Christians and Muslims each speak of the God of Abraham.

5 minEpisode 19: Allah around the worldWho says “Allah”, or a close cousin of the word? Christians, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs, from Malta to Malaysia. Tap a light.

5 minEpisode 20: The word on the church wallThe oldest dated Arabic inscription naming God is on a church.

Begin with these

The WordWhat does “Allah” mean?One word, its root and its family: Elohim, Alaha, Allah.

The WordOne GodFour lines, fifteen words, a third of the Qur'an.

The WordWhy there's no pictureWhat does Allah look like? Nothing you have seen.

The WordDo Christians and Jews say “Allah”?A church in 512, a rabbi's Torah, a London choir today.

The WordAllah around the worldFrom Maltese Alla to Wolof Yàlla and the Sikh scripture.

The WordMyth or fact?Moon gods, Hallelujah and the 'Allah Upanishad', checked.

Three faiths, one God of Abraham

Each faith in its own words, then side by side.

The WordWho is God to each of us?God in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, each in its own words.

The WordSame word, different mouthsShalom and as-Salām, Raḥum and ar-Raḥmān: the real parallels.

The WordThe Name, honoured or dishonouredWe can all do better: what each faith says.

Objects and deep dives

The WordThe family tree of the wordFrom Akkadian ilum to Arabic Allāh, in one picture.

The WordThe word on the church wall512 CE: the oldest dated Arabic inscription naming God.

The WordA rabbi's Arabic Torah“Know, O Israel: Allah is our Lord, Allah the One.”

Watch

Films and documentaries on the word, the faith and its history.

filmThe MessageThe classic telling of the birth of Islam, made so that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is never seen or heard, only felt through those around him.1976 · 178 · Moustapha Akkad (dir.); Filmco International · Widely available to stream or buy

Trailer ▶F-ILM

filmAr-Risalah (The Message, Arabic version)The same story filmed again, scene for scene, with an Arab cast: a lovely way to show the Arabic of Allah in its own voice.1976 · 206 · Moustapha Akkad (dir.); Arabic-language version · Widely available to stream or buy

Trailer ▶F-ILM

subscriptionseriesThe ChosenA Christian series about the people around Jesus (peace be upon him): Christian faith in its own words.2019 · 60 · Dallas Jenkins (creator); 5&2 Studios · Widely available to stream or buyShows prophets as people, as its makers chose; labelled here, never pictured by us.

FreefilmThe Ten CommandmentsThe grand Hollywood telling of Moses (peace be upon him), the Exodus and the Law at Sinai.1956 · 220 · Cecil B. DeMille (dir.) · Widely available to stream or buyShows prophets as people, as its makers chose; labelled here, never pictured by us.

FreeseriesJesus of NazarethThe most loved screen life of Jesus (peace be upon him), still shown every Easter: Christian faith in its own words.1977 · 97 · Franco Zeffirelli (dir.); ITC / RAI · Widely available to stream or buyShows prophets as people, as its makers chose; labelled here, never pictured by us.

filmBen-HurA prince wronged and enslaved learns that mercy is stronger than revenge.1959 · 212 · William Wyler (dir.); MGM · Widely available to stream or buyShows prophets as people, as its makers chose; labelled here, never pictured by us.

paiddocuseriesThe Story of God with Morgan FreemanMorgan Freeman travels the world asking how every faith answers the biggest questions, including who God is.2016 · 3 seasons x ~45 min · National Geographic; Revelations Entertainment · Widely available to stream or buyShows prophets as people, as its makers chose; labelled here, never pictured by us.

not currently availabledocuseriesThe Life of Muhammad (BBC Two, Rageh Omaar)A respected BBC journalist tells the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) carefully, with scholars of many backgrounds.2011 · 3 x 60 min · Mentorn Media for BBC Two; presenter Rageh Omaar · Not on UK services per ScreenSearch; unofficial YouTube uploads only

not currently availabledocuseriesIslam: Empire of FaithA calm, beautifully shot history of how a faith of mercy and learning spread from Arabia to Spain, India and Istanbul.2000 · 3 x 55 min · Gardner Films for PBS; narrated by Ben Kingsley · Not on UK services; DVD import; unofficial YouTube uploads

FreedocumentaryMuhammad: Legacy of a ProphetTells the Prophet (peace be upon him)'s story through ordinary American Muslims living it today - a gentle bridge for a general audience.2002 · 117 min · Kikim Media and Unity Productions Foundation (UP · UPF site / Kanopy (libraries); not on UK subscription services

Trailer ▶F-ILM

not currently availabledocumentaryInside MeccaFollows three pilgrims - from South Africa, Texas and Malaysia - on Hajj, so outsiders see what the journey means.2003 · 56 min · National Geographic Television; dir. Anisa Mehdi · Not on UK services; Plex listing; NatGeo clip on YouTube

Deeper into the word

An ancient manuscript, the word before Islam, the word beyond Islam, and Christians who disagreed.

History · c. 100 BCE to 610 CEBefore 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. What they meant by it is a careful story.

Around the world · Sikh, Bahá'í, Maltese, IndonesianAllah 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.

History · Christianity's own storyChristians who disagreedMost Christians, for most of history, have confessed one God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some did not. This is their story, told fairly, beside the teaching of the churches.

Object · Sinai Arabic 151 · Damascus, 867 CEPaul's letters in Arabic, 867 CEThe earliest dated Arabic Bible manuscript we know of was finished in Damascus in the month of Ramadan. On its pages, God is Allāh.

How people recognise a Creator

The instinct for God, the philosophers, one Creator beyond Abraham, and the High God.

A hub · Instinct, reason, wonder, the world's peoplesHow people recognise a CreatorLong before anyone heard a sermon, people looked at the sky and asked who made it. This is where we gather the ways human beings have come to recognise a Creator, and the questions honest people still ask.

Sikh · Hindu · Zoroastrian · Ancient EgyptOne Creator, beyond AbrahamIn Punjab, India, ancient Iran and on the banks of the Nile, people have spoken of one source of all things in their own words. Here they are, in those words, with the differences left in.

Anthropology · Peoples of the worldThe High GodFrom the Australian outback to the Kenyan highlands, many peoples have spoken of a supreme Maker above all other spirits. What anthropologists found, what they argued about, and what is still unsettled.

Qur'an 30:30 · Romans 1:20 · Mind and beliefThe instinct for GodThree faiths say the knowledge of a Creator is planted in us. Psychologists have spent thirty years testing what children and adults intuit. Here is what each side says, and what it can and cannot tell us.

Plato to Kant · Reason and wonderThe philosophers' GodFor 2,400 years thinkers have tried to reason their way to the source of everything. A Greek, a Persian, a Jew from Córdoba, a Muslim from Tus and an Italian friar walked much of the same road. Here is where it led, and the strongest objections.

Watch more: One word, and the One it names

8 films and talks, chosen for this page. They play here.

Beautiful Names of Allah (Part 2): The Name "Allah"
Yasir Qadhi · 14 min
Dr Yasir Qadhi on the Name "Allah".
Tafsir Surat al-Fatihah 6: Meaning of the name Allah ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 3rd July 2014
Yasir Qadhi · 16 min
Is Allah God? | Prof. Miroslav Volf
Emir-Stein Center · 9 min
Prof Miroslav Volf: is Allah God? A Christian theologian answers.
The Lord's Prayer | Arabic
St Luke's Kentish Town · 1 min
St Luke's Kentish Town: the Lord's Prayer in Arabic.
Jewish, Muslim and Christian Arabic: Dr Esther-Miriam Wagner
WoolfInstitute · 8 min
What Is the Difference between God and Hashem?
Jewish Learning Institute · 46 min
Why do some Jews write the name of God as 'G-d' rather than God?
United Synagogue · 2 min
United Synagogue: why some Jews write "G-d".
How Similar Are Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic?
Langfocus · 22 min
Langfocus: Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic, the languages of Elohim and Alaha.
More films and talks on F-ILMWatch free