I received the following question: Who is Allah (SWT)? An important and interesting question.

First things first! What does “SWT” stand for? SWT stands for Glorified and Exalted Be He.

Then we need to know who Allah is. Allah is the name of God in Arabic. It is used by both Arab Muslims and Christians alike. The word Allah is pronounced as “AL-Lah.” Both L’s are pronounced (spoken) as the letter first “L” in the word [MULITIPLE]. This is how we say the name. Allah comes from the Aramaic word “Elah” which means God. The Aramaic Language is the language spoken by Jesus. It is believed that Jesus spoke Aramaic and maybe Hebrew.

Now who is Allah? Why don’t we let Allah, the Almighty tell us about himself? As we mentioned before Muslims usually start anything they do with “Bismil Lah, AlRahman, AlRaheem” which is translated to “In the Name of Allah, the most gracious (compassionate) the most merciful”. The pagans (Arabs) asked Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who is your God? The revelation descended with these verses,

“Say (O Muhammad) “He is Allah, the One (1) Allah, the Self Sufficient Master (Who all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks)) (2) He begets not, nor was He begotten (3) And there is none coequal or comparable to Him (4)” [Quran 112: 1 – 4].

In simple words, He is the One and only One. He is the one to whom people submit and ask Him what they need. He never gave birth nor was he born (from any other) and He has no equivalent whatsoever. Muslims will never mention the name of Allah in their talk without following his Glorified name with something in line with these words “Glorified and Exalted Be He”.

In another verse, Allah describes Himself by,

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as (if there were) a niche and within it a lamp, the lamp is in glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east (i.e. neither it gets sun-rays only in the morning) nor of the west (i.e. nor it gets sun-rays only in the afternoon, but it is exposed to the sun all day long), whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself), though no fire touched it. Light upon Light! Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. And Allah sets forth parables for mankind, and Allah is All-Knower of everything.” [Quran 24: 35]

Allah describes himself as the light of the heavens and earth. He gave an example so our minds could comprehend the likeness of Him. From this verse, we can see that Allah is above all his creatures physically [He is in the Heavens] and spiritually.

In another verse in the Quran, Allah, the Almighty said,

“Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. [This Verse 2:255 is called Ayat-ul-Kursi.] [Quran 2: 255]

A detailed description of the Almighty that requires no explanation. He is the Creator of all creatures. The Maker, the best of makers He is. We also notice that God praises Himself, not out of arrogance, but because He is the Almighty. He is the One who knows best about Himself. He is the Most Able to describe Himself.

There is much more we know about God because He told us about Himself. In the Quran Allah also says,

“He is Allah than Whom there is La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He) the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah! (High is He) above all that they associate as partners with Him (23) He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify Him. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. (24)” [Quran 59: 23-24].

Allah in Islam has his name, Allah, and also has other names that are descriptive of his abilities and actions. These two verses contain some of the names of Allah. Allah is the King. The King of what one may ask? Kings rule. Kings own. Kings have power, servants (the angels), and hegemony over their kingdoms. Allah, the Almighty is the King of His creation. That is Allah is the Ruler of everything because He is the One who brought to existence everything. Allah is also the Holy. Of course, this is a natural description of God. He is the Holiest. Truth is there is nothing Holy in Islam other than God, the Almighty Himself. He is the One who is free of all defects. Would it be proper to worship a God who has a defect of any type? How would he be able to create if he is unable to fix himself? The God who is worthy of worship is the God who is Full, Complete, and Free of any defect.

Then God describes Himself again,

“Say, ‘O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and take (strongly) sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and humble whom You will. In Your hand is all good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.’” [Quran 3: 26]

Nothing could be more heart-touching than this verse (and all the previous ones). He is the One who gives kingdom (i.e. leadership) to whom He wants and He is the One who takes vigorously the kingdom or leadership. We notice in this verse a beautiful lesson. Leadership is given easily, but it is hardly surrendered peacefully!

When God, the Almighty talks about his creation he talks about some of the signs that He has created. For instance, the Big Bang theory has been hinted at in the Quran in the following verse,

“Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them? And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?” [Quran 21: 30].

It is so clear proof that Prophet Muhammad has never lied about receiving the sacred revelation from God, the Almighty, for how would an illiterate Bedouin know about this fact that we could only know recently? Not only this incredible fact, but if we read the Quran more we will see this verse that is so clear that no comment is even required to explain it. The Quran says,

“With power did We construct the heaven. Verily, We are Able to extend the vastness of space thereof.” [Quran 47:51].

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