Who is Allah?

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Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript

Checked

Myth
or fact?

Ten things people say about the word “Allah”, checked against the evidence.

Folio from a Qur'an Manuscript. Unknown maker. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Rudolf M. Riefstahl, 1930 · CC0 1.0

The Word · Myth or fact?

Next: So where do you look? →

Myth

“Allah was a moon god.”

The idea began with a German writer in 1901 and was popularised in the 1990s. Specialists reject it. In pre-Islamic poetry the moon is something Allāh made.

Myth

“Hallelujah contains Allah.”

Hallelujah is Hebrew hallelu-Yah, “praise Yah”, a short form of God's name in Hebrew. A different name, praising the same God.

Overstated

“Jesus said ‘Allah’.”

Jesus (peace be upon him) spoke Aramaic. His word for God was Alaha: a close cousin of Allah, not the Arabic word itself.

Misleading

“Allah is a name unrelated to God.”

Muslims treat Allah as God's proper name, and it is also simply the Arabic word for God, used by Christians and Jews.

Myth

“The Allah Upanishad proves the Vedas foretold Allah.”

The text is real but not ancient: it was written in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century.

Myth

“Allah appears over 1,000 times in the Sikh scripture.”

It appears 38 times, which is remarkable enough.

Fact

“Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians call God Allah.”

Saadia Gaon's Torah, Arabic Bibles, Maltese Catholics and churches across the Middle East.

Fact, as a family

“Allah is Akkadian ilum.”

Akkadian ilum, Hebrew El, Aramaic Alaha and Arabic Allāh share one ancient root.

Myth

“Before Islam, Allah was unknown.”

Desert inscriptions invoke Allāh before Islam (41 times in one corpus), and poets spoke of Him as Creator.

Myth

“Muslims worship the Kaaba.”

Muslims face the Kaaba in prayer, as one direction for everyone. They pray to God alone.

Sources: Sinai 2019; Al-Jallad 2022; Monier-Williams; Raghavan 1966; BaniDB count of the Guru Granth Sahib.

Keep going

60 sec
The WordWhat does “Allah” mean?One word, its root and its family: Elohim, Alaha, Allah.
5 min
The WordOne GodFour lines, fifteen words, a third of the Qur'an.
5 min
The WordWhy there's no pictureWhat does Allah look like? Nothing you have seen.

Watch and listen

Documentaries and short films on the word and its story.

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
Shows prophets
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.
F-ILM
Shows prophets
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.
F-ILM
Shows prophets
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.
F-ILM
Shows prophets
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.
F-ILM
Shows prophets
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.
F-ILM

Watch more: Myth or fact?

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

  • Is Allah God? | Prof. Miroslav Volf

    Emir-Stein Center · 9 min

    Prof Miroslav Volf: is Allah God? A Christian theologian on a common question.

  • The Gods of Pre-Islamic Arabia

    ReligionForBreakfast · 31 min

    ReligionForBreakfast: the gods of pre-Islamic Arabia, and where Allah fits.

  • Religion in Pre-Islamic Arabia

    Let's Talk Religion · 23 min

    Let's Talk Religion: religion in pre-Islamic Arabia.

  • Tafsir Surat al-Fatihah 6: Meaning of the name Allah ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 3rd July 2014

    Yasir Qadhi · 16 min

  • 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

  • More films and talks on F-ILMWatch free