Editing Allah

{{Short description|Arabic word for God}}
{{About|the Arabic word for God|the Islamic conception of God|God in Islam|other uses|Allah (disambiguation)}}
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[[File:Allah3.svg|thumb|right|The word 'Allah' in ''[[thuluth]]'' [[Islamic calligraphy|calligraphy]]]]
{{Allah}}
'''Allah''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|l|ə|,_|ˈ|ɑː|l|ə|,_|ə|ˈ|l|ɑː}} {{respell|A(H)L|ə|,_|ə|LAH}};<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/allah "Allah"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/allah|title=Allah|work=[[Oxford Learner's Dictionaries]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2024-03-18|title=Definition of ALLAH|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Allah|access-date=2024-04-08|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en}}</ref> {{langx|ar|الله}}, {{IPA|ar|ɑɫˈɫɑːh|IPA|Ar-allah.ogg}}) is an Arabic term for [[God]], specifically the [[God in Abrahamic religions|God of Abraham]]. Outside of the [[Middle East]], it is principally associated with [[God in Islam|Islam]] (in which it is also considered the proper name), although the term was used in [[pre-Islamic Arabia]] and continues to be used today by Arabic-speaking adherents of any of the [[Abrahamic religions]], including [[God in Judaism|Judaism]] and [[God in Christianity|Christianity]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/faithgod.html|title=God|work=Islam: Empire of Faith|publisher=PBS|access-date=18 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327034958/http://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/faithgod.html|archive-date=27 March 2014}}</ref><ref>"Islam and Christianity", ''Encyclopedia of Christianity'' (2001): Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews also refer to God as ''Allāh''.</ref><ref name="gardet-allah">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/allah-COM_0047|title=Allah|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam Online|first=L.|last=Gardet|access-date=2 May 2007|editor1-first=P.|editor1-last=Bearman|editor2-first=Th.|editor2-last=Bianquis|editor3-first=C.E.|editor3-last=Bosworth|editor4-first=E.|editor4-last=van Donzel|editor5-first=W.P.|editor5-last=Heinrichs|publisher=Brill Online}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Allah|dictionary=Merriam-Webster|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allah|access-date=25 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420121231/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allah|archive-date=20 April 2014|author=Merriam-Webster}}</ref> It is thought to be derived by contraction from ''[[Arabic definite article|al]]-[[Ilah|ilāh]]'' ({{Lang|ar|الاله|rtl=yes}}, {{Literal translation|the god}}) and is linguistically related to God's names in other [[Semitic languages]], such as [[Aramaic]] ({{Lang|arc|ܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ|rtl=yes}} {{Transliteration|arc|ʼAlāhā}}) and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] ({{Lang|he|אֱלוֹהַּ|rtl=yes}} {{Transliteration|he|ʾĔlōah}}).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year=2006|title=Allah|encyclopedia=The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia|publisher=[[Routledge]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=isDgI0-0Ip4C&q=ilah|editor=Oliver Leaman|page=34|isbn=978-0-415-32639-1|author=Zeki Saritoprak}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|author=Vincent J. Cornell|title=God: God in Islam|editor=Lindsay Jones|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Religion|edition=2nd|publisher=MacMillan Reference USA|volume=5|year=2005|page=724}}</ref>

The word "Allah" now conveys the superiority or sole existence of [[Monotheism|one God]],<ref name="Robin304">{{cite book|author=Christian Julien Robin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GKRybwb17WMC&pg=PA304|title=Arabia and Ethiopia. In The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity|publisher=OUP USA|year=2012|isbn=978-0-19-533693-1|pages=304–305}}</ref> but among the [[Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia#Role of Allah|pre-Islamic Arabs]], [[Creator deity|Allah was a supreme deity]] and was worshipped alongside lesser deities in a [[Pantheon (religion)|pantheon]].<ref name="auto">{{cite encyclopedia|author=Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow|title=Allah|encyclopedia=The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend|publisher=Facts on File|year=2004|page=53|isbn=978-1-4381-2685-2}}</ref> Many Jews, Christians, and [[early Muslims]] used "Allah" and "al-ilah" synonymously in [[Classical Arabic]]. The word is also frequently, albeit not exclusively, used by [[Bábism|Bábists]], [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼís]], [[Mandaeans]], [[Christianity in Indonesia|Indonesian Christians]], [[Christianity in Malta|Maltese Christians]], and [[Sephardic Jews]],<ref name="Britannica">
"Allah." [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica</ref><ref name="EncMMENA">Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa, ''Allah''</ref><ref>Willis Barnstone, Marvin Meyer ''The Gnostic Bible: Revised and Expanded Edition'' Shambhala Publications 2009 {{ISBN|978-0-8348-2414-0}} page 531</ref> as well as by the [[Gagauz people]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities|author=Carl Skutsch|year=2005|publisher=Routledge|page=480}}</ref>

==Etymology==
{{further|Ilah}}
[[File:Component letters in Allah.svg|thumb|240px| The Arabic components that make up the word "Allah": {{ordered list |[[Aleph#Arabic|alif]] |[[Hamza#Hamzat al-waṣl (ٱ)|hamzat waṣl]] ({{lang|ar|همزة وصل}}) |[[lām]] |lām |[[shadda]] ({{lang|ar|شدة}}) |[[dagger alif|alif khunjāriyah]] ({{lang|ar|ألف خنجرية}}) |[[hāʾ]]}}]]

The [[etymology]] of the word ''Allāh'' has been discussed extensively by classical Arab philologists.<ref name=EI2-Ilah>D.B. Macdonald. Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd ed, Brill. "Ilah", Vol. 3, p. 1093.</ref> The majority of scholars consider it to be derived from a [[synalepha|contraction]] of the [[Arabic definite article]] ''al-'' and ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ilāh}}'' "[[deity]], god" to ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|al-lāh}}'' meaning "the deity, the God".<ref name=EI2-Ilah/> In some sources, the contracted and un-contracted forms are used interchangeably.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sinai|first1=Nicholas|title=Rain-Giver, Bone-Breaker, Score-Settler: Allāh in Pre-Quranic Poetry|date=2019|publisher=American Oriental Society|location=Atlanta, GA|isbn=978-1-948488-25-9|page=7}}</ref> The contraction of the terms is mirrored by the parallel contraction of ''al-ʾilāt'' to [[Al-Lat|''Allāt'']].{{Sfn|Al-Jallad|2025|p=2}} Originally, ''ʾilāh'' was used as an epithet for the West Semitic creator god ''ʾIlu'' (the [[Ugaritic]] version of [[El (deity)|El]]), before being adopted as the proper name itself for this god.{{Sfn|Al-Jallad|2025|p=3–4}}

A minority hypothesis posits that Allah is a loanword from the [[Syriac language|Syriac]] ''Alāhā''.<ref>[[Gerhard Böwering]]. [[Encyclopedia of the Quran]], Brill, 2002. Vol. 2, p. 318</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Reynolds|first=Gabriel Said|title=Allah: God in the Qur'an|date=2020|publisher=Yale university press|isbn=978-0-300-24658-2|location=New Haven|page=14}}</ref> However, this form is likely a phonetic adaptation of the Arabic.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sinai |first1=Nicholas |title=Rain-Giver, Bone-Breaker, Score-Settler: Allāh in Pre-Quranic Poetry |date=2019 |publisher=American Oriental Society |isbn=978-1-948488-25-9 |location=Atlanta, GA |page=8}}</ref><ref>Kiltz, David. "The Relationship between Arabic Allāh and Syriac Allāha." Der Islam 88.1 (2012): 47.</ref>

Grammarians of the [[Hasan of Basra|Basra school]] regarded it as either formed "spontaneously" (''murtajal'') or as the determined form of ''lāh'' (from the verbal root ''lyh'' with the meaning of "lofty" or "hidden").<ref name=EI2-Ilah/> Other Muslims scholars proposed that the term derives from ''wilah'' (the object of mystery) since the nature of God is a mystery and incomprehensible for humans.<ref>Ibrahim, Zakyi. "To Use “God” or “Allah”?." American Journal of Islam and Society 26.4 (2009): v.</ref><ref name="Baydawi-2016">{{cite book |translator1-first=Gibril Fouad |translator1-last=Haddad |first=ʿAbd Allah |last=ibn ʿUmar al-Baydawi |date=2016 |title=The Lights Of Revelation And The Secrets Of Interpretation |publisher=Beacon Books and Media Limited |isbn=978-0-9926335-7-8}}</ref>{{rp|p=162}}

[[Semitic languages|Semitic]] [[cognates]] of "Allāh" appear in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]],<ref name="autogenerated1">Columbia Encyclopaedia says: Derived from an old Semitic root referring to the Divine and used in the Canaanite ''[[El (deity)|El]]'', the Mesopotamian ''[[Ilah|ilu]]'', and the biblical ''[[Elohim]]'' and ''[[Eloah]]'', the word Allah is used by all Arabic-speaking Muslims, Christians, Jews, and other monotheists.</ref> such as the Aramaic form ''ʼElāh'' ({{lang|arc|אלה}}), and in its definite form, ''{{transliteration|arc|ʼElāhā}}'' ({{lang|arc|אלהא}}). It is written as {{lang|syc|ܐܠܗܐ}} ({{transliteration|arc|ʼĔlāhā}}) in [[Biblical Aramaic]] and {{lang|syc|ܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ}} ({{transliteration|syc|ʼAlāhā}}) in [[Syriac language|Syriac]], both meaning simply "God".<ref name="cal">[http://cal1.cn.huc.edu The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon] – Entry for ''ʼlh''  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018045941/http://cal1.cn.huc.edu/ |date=18 October 2013 }}</ref> 

==History of usage==
=== Pre-Islamic Arabia ===
{{See also|Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia}}{{Middle Eastern deities}}

Regional variants of the word ''Allah'' occur in both pagan and Christian pre-Islamic inscriptions.<ref name="Robin304"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Hitti|first=Philip Khouri|title=History of the Arabs|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=1970|pages=100–101}}</ref> According to [[Marshall Hodgson]], it seems that in the pre-Islamic Arabia, some Arab Christians undertook pilgrimages to the [[Kaaba]], a pagan temple at that time, honoring Allah there as the God Creator.<ref>Marshall G. S. Hodgson, ''The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization'', [[University of Chicago Press]], p. 156</ref> 

The Syriac word {{lang|syc|ܐܠܗܐ}} ({{Transliteration|syr|ʼĔlāhā}}) can be found in the reports and the lists of names of Christian martyrs in South Arabia,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.syriaca.org/work/254|title=The Himyarite Martyrs (text) —}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=James of Edessa the hymns of Severus of Antioch and others." Ernest Walter Brooks (ed.), Patrologia Orientalis VII.5 (1911)., vol: 2, p. 613|pages=ܐܠܗܐ (Elaha)}}</ref> as reported by antique Syriac documents of the names of those martyrs from the era of the [[Himyarite]] and [[Aksumite]] kingdoms<ref>Ignatius Ya`qub III, The Arab Himyarite Martyrs in the Syriac Documents (1966), Pages: 9-65-66-89</ref>

In an inscription of Christian martyrion dated to 512, references to al-ilah ({{lang|ar|الاله}})<ref name=Kugener>{{Cite book|title=M. A. Kugener, "Nouvelle Note Sur L'Inscription Trilingue De Zébed", Rivista Degli Studi Orientali, pp. 577-586.}}</ref> appear in both Arabic and Aramaic. The inscription opens with the phrase "By the Help of al-ilah".<ref>Adolf Grohmann, Arabische Paläographie II: Das Schriftwesen und die Lapidarschrift (1971), Wien: Hermann Böhlaus Nochfolger, Page: 6-8</ref><ref>Beatrice Gruendler, The Development of the Arabic Scripts: From the Nabatean Era to the First Islamic Century according to Dated Texts (1993), Atlanta: Scholars Press, Page:</ref>

Archaeological excavations have led to the discovery of ancient [[pre-Islamic Arabia|pre-Islamic]] inscriptions and tombs made by [[Arab Christians]] in the ruins of a church at [[Umm el-Jimal]] in Northern [[Jordan]], which initially, according to [[Enno Littmann]] (1949), contained references to ''Allah'' as the proper name of God. However, on a second revision by Bellamy et al. (1985 & 1988) the five-verse inscription was retranslated: "(1)This [inscription] was set up by colleagues of ʿUlayh, (2) son of ʿUbaydah, secretary (3) of the cohort Augusta Secunda (4) Philadelphiana; may he go mad who (5) effaces it."<ref>James Bellamy, "Two Pre-Islamic Arabic Inscriptions Revised: Jabal Ramm and Umm al-Jimal", ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'', 108/3 (1988) pp. 372–378 (translation of the inscription) "This was set up by colleagues/friends of ʿUlayh, the son of ʿUbaydah, secretary/adviser of the cohort Augusta Secunda Philadelphiana; may he go mad/crazy who effaces it."</ref><ref>Enno Littmann, Arabic Inscriptions (Leiden, 1949)</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Type and Spread of Arabic Script|last=Daniels|first=Peter T.|year=2014}}</ref>

[[Irfan Shahîd]] quoting the 10th-century encyclopedic collection [[Kitab al-Aghani]] notes that pre-Islamic Arab Christians have been reported to have raised the battle cry "''Ya La Ibad Allah''" (O slaves of Allah) to invoke each other into battle.<ref>Irfan Shahîd, Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fourth Century, Dumbarton Oaks Trustees for Harvard University-Washington DC, page 418.</ref> According to Shahid, on the authority of 10th-century Muslim scholar [[Al-Marzubani]], "Allah" was also mentioned in pre-Islamic Christian poems by some [[Ghassanid]] and [[Tanukhids|Tanukhid]] poets in [[Syria]] and Northern [[Arabia]].<ref>Irfan Shahîd, Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fourth Century, Dumbarton Oaks Trustees for Harvard University-Washington DC, Page: 452</ref><ref>A. Amin and A. Harun, Sharh Diwan Al-Hamasa (Cairo, 1951), Vol. 1, Pages: 478-480</ref><ref>Al-Marzubani, Mu'jam Ash-Shu'araa, Page: 302</ref>

Different theories have been proposed regarding the role of Allah in pre-Islamic [[Polytheism|polytheistic cults]]. According to the Quran commentator [[Ibn Kathir]], Arab idolaters considered Allah as an unseen God who created and controlled the Universe. Pagans believed worship of humans or animals who had fortunate occurrences in their life brought them closer to God. Pre-Islamic Meccans worshiped Allah alongside a host of lesser gods and those whom they called the "daughters of Allah."<ref name="auto"/> Islam forbade worship of anyone or anything other than God.<ref>{{Cite book|last=IslamKotob|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uTJoiXp3pS4C|title=Tafsir Ibn Kathir all 10 volumes|publisher=IslamKotob|language=en}}</ref> Some authors have suggested that polytheistic Arabs used the name as a reference to a [[creator god]] or a supreme deity of their [[Pantheon (religion)|pantheon]].<ref name="EoI"/><ref>Zeki Saritopak, ''Allah'', The Qu'ran: An Encyclopedia, ed. by Oliver Leaman, p. 34</ref> The term may have been vague in the [[Mecca|Meccan religion]].<ref name="EoI">L. Gardet, ''Allah'', Encyclopaedia of Islam, ed. by [[Hamilton Alexander Rosskeen Gibb|Sir H.A.R. Gibb]]</ref><ref name="GodEoQ">Gerhard Böwering, ''God and his Attributes'', Encyclopedia of the Qur'an, ed. by [[Jane Dammen McAuliffe]]</ref> 

According to one hypothesis, the [[Kaaba]] was first dedicated to a supreme deity named Allah and then hosted the pantheon of Quraysh (360 idols) after their conquest of [[Mecca]], about a century before the time of [[Muhammad]].<ref name="Robin304"/> Some inscriptions seem to indicate the use of Allah as a name of a polytheist deity centuries earlier, although the exact nature of this usage remains unclear.<ref name="Robin304"/> Some scholars have suggested that Allah may have represented a remote creator god who was gradually eclipsed by more particularized local deities.<ref name= Berkey>{{cite book|author=Jonathan Porter Berkey|title=The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600-1800|url=https://archive.org/details/formationofislam0000berk|url-access=registration|year=2003|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-58813-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/formationofislam0000berk/page/42 42]}}</ref><ref name="Peterson2007">{{cite book|author=Daniel C. Peterson|title=Muhammad, Prophet of God|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9zpbEj0xA_sC&pg=PA21|date=26 February 2007|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-0754-0|page=21}}</ref> There is disagreement on whether Allah played a major role in the Meccan religious cult.<ref name= Berkey/><ref name= Peters107>{{cite book|author=Francis E. Peters|title=Muhammad and the Origins of Islam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0OrCo4VyvGkC&pg=PA107|year=1994|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-1875-8|page=107}}</ref> No iconic representation of Allah is known to have existed.<ref name= Peters107/><ref name="Zeitlin33">{{cite book|author=Irving M. Zeitlin|title=The Historical Muhammad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sbhJJ7AOLL4C|date=19 March 2007|publisher=Polity|isbn=978-0-7456-3999-4|page=33}}</ref> Muhammad's father's name was [[Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib|{{transliteration|ar|DIN|ʿAbd-Allāh}}]] meaning "the slave of Allāh".<ref name="GodEoQ"/> The interpretation that Pre-Islamic Arabs once practiced [[Abrahamic religions]] is supported by some literary evidence, being the prevalence of [[Ishmael]], whose God was that of [[Abraham]], in pre-Islamic Arab culture.<ref>The Treasury of literature, Sect. 437</ref><ref>The Beginning of History, Volume 3, Sect.10</ref><ref>The Collection of the Speeches of Arabs, volume 1, section 75</ref>

=== Islamic period ===
{{main|God in Islam}}
{{see also|Names of God in Islam}}
In contrast with pre-Islamic Arabian [[polytheism]], as stated by [[Gerhard Böwering]], God in Islam does not have associates and companions, nor is there any kinship between God and [[jinn]].<ref name="EoQ"/> Pre Islamic Arabs believed in a blind, powerful, unstoppable and insensible fate over which man had no control. This was replaced with the Islamic belief of a powerful yet benevolent and merciful God's control over man's life.<ref name="Britannica"/> According to [[Francis Edward Peters]], "The [[Quran|Qur'ān]] insists, Muslims believe, and historians affirm that [[Muhammad]] and his followers worship the same God as the Jews ({{Qref|29|46}}). The Qur'an's Allah is the same Creator God who covenanted with [[Abraham]]". Peters states that the Qur'an portrays Allah as both more powerful and more remote than [[Yahweh]], and as a universal deity, unlike Yahweh who closely follows [[Israel]]ites.<ref name="Peters1">F.E. Peters, ''Islam'', p.4, Princeton University Press, 2003</ref>

Since the first centuries of Islam, Arabic-speaking commentators of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faith used the term ''Allah'' as a generic term for the supreme being.<ref name="auto1">Thomas, Kenneth J. "Allah in Translations of the Bible." The Bible Translator 52.3 (2001): 301-306.</ref> [[Saadia Gaon]] used the term ''Allah'' interchangeably with the term ''[[Elohim|ʾĔlōhīm]]''.<ref name="auto1"/> [[Theodore Abu Qurrah]] translates ''theos'' as ''Allah'' in his Bible, as in John 1:1 "the Word was with Allah".<ref name="auto1"/> Muslim commentators likewise used the term Allah for the Biblical concept of God. [[Ibn Qutayba]] writes "You cannot serve both Allah and Mammon.".<ref name="auto1"/> However, Muslim translators of the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia rarely translated the [[Tetragrammaton]], referring to the supreme being in Israelite tradition, as ''Allah''. Instead, most commentators either translated [[Yahweh]] as either ''yahwah'' or ''rabb'', the latter corresponding to the Jewish custom to refer to Yahweh as ''Adonai''.<ref name="auto1"/> 

Most Qur'an [[Tafsir|commentators]], including [[al-Tabari]] (d. 923), [[al-Zamakhshari]] (d. 1143/44), and [[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi|al-Razi]] (d. 1209), regard ''Allah'' to be a proper noun.<ref name="auto2">Ibrahim, Zakyi. "To Use "God" or "Allah"?." American Journal of Islam and Society 26.4 (2009): i-vii.</ref> While other names of [[God in Islam]] denote attributes or adjectives, the term ''Allah'' specifically refers to his essence as his real name ({{Transliteration|ar|ism'alam li-dhatih}}).<ref name="auto2"/> The other names are known as the [[99 Names of God|99 Names of Allah]] (''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|al-asmā' al-ḥusná}}'' lit. meaning: 'the best names' or 'the most beautiful names') and considered attributes, each of which represents a distinct characteristic of Allah.<ref name="EncMMENA" /><ref name="Ben">{{cite book|last=Bentley|first=David|title=The 99 Beautiful Names for God for All the People of the Book|publisher=William Carey Library|date=September 1999|isbn=978-0-87808-299-5}}</ref> All these names refer to Allah, the supreme and all-comprehensive divine name.<ref name="Tao-Islam">{{cite book|last=Murata|first=Sachiko|year=1992|title=The Tao of Islam: a sourcebook on gender relationships in Islamic thought|location=Albany NY USA|publisher=SUNY|isbn=978-0-7914-0914-5}}</ref> Among the 99 names of God, the most famous and most frequent of these names are "the Merciful" (''[[Rahman (name)|ar-Raḥmān]]'') and "the Compassionate" (''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ar-Raḥīm}}''),<ref name="EncMMENA" /><ref name="Ben" /> including the previously mentioned above ''al-Aḥad'' ("the One, the Indivisible") and ''al-Wāḥid'' ("the Unique, the Single").

According to Islamic belief, Allah is the most common word to represent God,<ref name="EoQ">Böwering, Gerhard, ''God and His Attributes'', Encyclopaedia of the Qurʼān, Brill, 2007.</ref> and humble submission to his will, divine ordinances and commandments is the foundation of the Muslim faith.<ref name="Britannica"/> "He is the only God, creator of the universe, and the judge of humankind."<ref name="Britannica"/><ref name="EncMMENA"/> "He is unique (''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāḥid}}'') and inherently one (''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|aḥad}}''), all-merciful and omnipotent."<ref name="Britannica"/> No human eyes can see Allah till the Day of Judgment.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Translation|url=https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=6&verse=103|access-date=2021-04-11|website=corpus.quran.com}}</ref> The Qur'an declares "the reality of Allah, His inaccessible mystery, His various names, and His actions on behalf of His creatures."<ref name="Britannica"/> Allah does not depend on anything.<ref>{{Cite web|title=112. Surah Al-Ikhlaas or At-Tauhid – NobleQuran.com|url=https://noblequran.com/surah-al-ikhlaas-or-at-tauhid/|access-date=2021-04-11|language=en-US}}</ref> Allah is not considered a part of the Christian Trinity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Translation|url=https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=5&verse=73|access-date=2021-03-30|website=corpus.quran.com}}</ref> God has no parents and no children.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Translation|url=https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=112&verse=3|access-date=2021-03-30|website=corpus.quran.com}}</ref> 

The attributes of Allah Almighty are described in this way in the Ayat al-Kursi of Surah al-Baqarah in the Holy Quran.

ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ٢٥٥

"Allah! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission? He ˹fully˺ knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, but no one can grasp any of His knowledge—except what He wills ˹to reveal˺. His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not tire Him. For He is the Most High, the Greatest."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Surah Al-Baqarah - Ayatul Kursi |url=https://quran.com/en/ayatul-kursi |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=Quran.com |language=en}}</ref>

The concept correlates to the [[Tawhid]], where chapter 112 of the [[Quran|Qur'an]] ([[Al-Ikhlas|''Al-'Ikhlās'']], The Sincerity) reads:<ref>[[Arabic script in Unicode]] symbol for a Quran verse, U+06DD, page 3, [http://www.evertype.com/standards/iso10646/pdf/09419-encode-koranic.pdf Proposal for additional Unicode characters]</ref><blockquote>قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ [[۝]]  ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ۝ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ۝  وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ ۝١
:[[۝]] Say, God is one God;
:۝ the eternal God:
:۝ He begetteth not, neither is He begotten:
:۝ and there is not any one like unto Him.<ref>[[Sale, G]] [[AlKoran]]</ref></blockquote>

In a [[Sufi]] practice known as {{Transliteration|ar|dhikr Allāh}} ([[Arabic]]: <big>ذِكر الله</big>, lit. "Remembrance of God"), the Sufi chants and contemplates the name ''Allah'' or other associated divine names to Him while regulating his or her breath.<ref>Carl W. Ernst, Bruce B. Lawrence, ''Sufi Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and Beyond'', Macmillan, p. 29</ref>

=== Present day ===
==== Islam ====
[[File:Istanbul, Hagia Sophia, Allah.jpg|thumb|Medallion showing "Allah [[Jalla Jalaluhu]]" in the [[Hagia Sophia]], [[Istanbul]], Turkey]]
[[File:Dcp7323-Edirne-Eski Camii Allah.jpg|thumb|Allah script outside the [[Old Mosque, Edirne|Old Mosque]] in [[Edirne]], Turkey]]
The Islamic tradition to use ''Allah'' as the personal name of God became contested in contemporary scholarship, including the question, whether or not the word ''Allah'' should be translated as ''God''.<ref>Andreas Görke and Johanna Pink Tafsir and Islamic Intellectual History Exploring the Boundaries of a Genre Oxford University Press in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies London {{ISBN|978-0-19-870206-1}} p. 478</ref> [[Umar Faruq Abd-Allah]] encouraged English-speaking Muslims to use God instead of Allah for the sake of finding "extensive middle ground we share with other Abrahamic and universal traditions".<ref name="auto2"/>

Most Muslims use the Arabic phrase ''[[Insha'Allah|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|in shā'a llāh}}]]'' (meaning 'if God wills') untranslated after references to future events.<ref>Gary S. Gregg, ''The Middle East: A Cultural Psychology'', Oxford University Press, p.30</ref> Muslim devotional practices encourage beginning things with the invocation of ''[[Basmala|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|bi-smi llāh}}]]'' (meaning 'In the name of God').<ref>Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban, ''Islamic Society in Practice'', University Press of Florida, p. 24</ref> There are certain other phrases in praise of God that are commonly used by Muslims and left untranslated, including "[[subhan'allah|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Subḥāna llāh}}]]" (Glory be to God), "[[Alhamdulillah|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|al-ḥamdu li-llāh}}]]" (Praise be to God), "[[Shahada|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|lā ilāha illā llāh}}]]" (There is no deity but God) or sometimes "{{Transliteration|ar|lā ilāha illā inta/ huwa}}" (There is no deity but ''You''/ ''Him'') and "[[Takbir|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Allāhu Akbar}}]]" (God is the Most Great) as a devotional exercise of remembering God ([[dhikr]]).<ref>M. Mukarram Ahmed, Muzaffar Husain Syed, ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'', Anmol Publications PVT. LTD, p. 144</ref>

==== Christianity ====
The [[Arab Christians|Christian Arabs]] of today have no other word for "God" than "Allah".<ref name="Cambridge">{{cite book|author1=Lewis, Bernard|author2=Holt, P. M.|author3=Holt, Peter R.|author4=Lambton, Ann Katherine Swynford|title=The Cambridge history of Islam|publisher=University Press|location=Cambridge, Eng|year=1977|page=32|isbn=978-0-521-29135-4}}</ref> Similarly, the [[Aramaic]] word for "God" in the language of [[Assyrian Christians]] is {{Transliteration|am|ʼĔlāhā}}, or ''{{Transliteration|am|Alaha}}''. (Even the Arabic-descended [[Maltese language]] of [[Malta]], whose population is almost entirely [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], uses ''Alla'' for "God".)

[[Arab Christians]] have used two forms of invocations that were [[affix]]ed to the beginning of their written works. They adopted the Muslim ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|bismillāh}}'', and also created their own [[Trinity|Trinitarian]] ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|bismillāh}}'' as early as the 8th century.<ref name="Thomas"/> The Muslim ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|bismillāh}}'' reads: "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful." The Trinitized ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|bismillāh}}'' reads: "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God." The [[Syriac language|Syriac]], [[Latin]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] invocations do not have the words "One God" at the end. This addition was made to emphasize the [[monotheism|monotheistic]] aspect of Trinitarian belief and also to make it more palatable to Muslims.<ref name="Thomas">Thomas E. Burman, ''Religious Polemic and the Intellectual History of the Mozarabs'', [[Brill Publishers|Brill]], 1994, p. 103</ref>

==Pronunciation==

The word ''Allāh'' is generally pronounced {{IPA|[ɑɫˈɫɑː(h)]}}, exhibiting a heavy {{Transliteration|ar|lām}}, {{IPA|[ɫ]}}, a [[velarized alveolar lateral approximant]], a marginal phoneme in [[Arabic phonology|Modern Standard Arabic]]. Since the initial alef has no [[hamza]], the initial {{IPA|[a]}} is elided when a preceding word ends in a vowel. If the preceding vowel is {{IPA|/i/}}, the {{Transliteration|ar|lām}} is light, {{IPA|[l]}}, as in, for instance, the [[Basmala]].<ref name="ARABIC for NERDS">{{Cite news|url=https://www.arabic-for-nerds.com/2018/06/16/how-do-you-pronounce-allah-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87-correctly/|title=How do you pronounce "Allah" (الله) correctly?|date=16 June 2018|work=ARABIC for NERDS|access-date=16 June 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617092853/https://www.arabic-for-nerds.com/2018/06/16/how-do-you-pronounce-allah-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87-correctly/|archive-date=17 June 2018}}</ref>

==As a loanword==
===English and other European languages===
The history of the name ''Allāh'' in English was probably influenced by the study of [[comparative religion]] in the 19th century; for example, [[Thomas Carlyle]] (1840) sometimes used the term Allah but without any implication that Allah was anything different from God. However, in his biography of Muḥammad (1934), [[Tor Andræ]] always used the term ''Allah'', though he allows that this "conception of God" seems to imply that it is different from that of the Jewish and Christian theologies.<ref name="Watt45">William Montgomery Watt, ''Islam and Christianity today: A Contribution to Dialogue'', [[Routledge]], 1983, p.45</ref>

Languages which may not commonly use the term ''Allah'' to denote God may still contain popular expressions which use the word. For example, because of the centuries long [[Al-Andalus|Muslim presence in the Iberian Peninsula]], the word {{lang|es|ojalá}} in the Spanish language and {{lang|pt|oxalá}} in the [[Portuguese language]] exist today, borrowed from [[Andalusi Arabic]] {{transliteration|xaa|law šá lláh}}<ref name="DRAE">{{cite book|title=Diccionario de la lengua española|date=2022|publisher=Real Academia Española - ASALE|edition=23.6 electronic|url=https://dle.rae.es/ojal%25C3%25A1|access-date=24 April 2023|language=es|chapter=ojalá}}</ref> similar to {{transliteration|ar|[[inshalla]]}} ({{langx|ar|إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ}}). This phrase literally means 'if God wills'.<ref>Islam in Luce López Baralt, ''Spanish Literature: From the Middle Ages to the Present'', Brill, 1992, p.25</ref> The German poet [[Siegfried August Mahlmann|Mahlmann]] used the form "Allah" as the title of a poem about the ultimate deity, though it is unclear how much Islamic thought he intended to convey.

Some Muslims retain the name "Allāh" untranslated in English, rather than using the English translation "God".<ref>F. E. Peters, ''The Monotheists: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conflict and Competition'', [[Princeton University Press]], p.12</ref>  

===Malaysian and Indonesian language===
{{main|Titular Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur v. Menteri Dalam Negeri|2010 attacks against places of worship in Malaysia}}
[[File:Vocabularium, ofte Woordenboek, in 't Duytsch en Maleys (IA vocabulariumoft00dancgoog).djvu|page=77|thumb|The first dictionary of Dutch-Malay by [[Albert Cornelius Ruyl|A.C. Ruyl]], Justus Heurnius, and Caspar Wiltens in 1650 recorded {{lang|ms|Allah}} as the translation of the Dutch word {{lang|nl|Godt}}.|link=File:Vocabularium,_ofte_Woordenboek,_in_'t_Duytsch_en_Maleys_(IA_vocabulariumoft00dancgoog).djvu%3Fpage=77]]
[[File:GKKA Banjarmasin.jpg|thumb|{{lang|id|{{ill|Gereja Kebangunan Kalam Allah|id}}}} (Word of God Revival Church) in [[Indonesia]]. {{lang|id|Allah}} is the word for "God" in the [[Indonesian language]] - even in {{lang|id|Alkitab}} (Christian [[Bible]], from {{langx|ar|الكتاب|translit=al-kitāb|label=none}} = the book) translations, while {{lang|id|[[wikt:Tuhan|Tuhan]]}} is the word for "Lord".]]
[[File:Seremban-Annunciation-feast-3808.jpg|thumb|[[Christianity in Malaysia|Christians in Malaysia]] also use the word {{lang|zlm|Allah}} for "God".]]

Christians in Malaysia and Indonesia use {{lang|ms|Allah}} to refer to God in the [[Malaysian language|Malaysian]] and [[Indonesian language]]s (both of them standardized forms of the [[Malay language]]).  Mainstream Bible translations in the language use {{lang|ms|Allah}} as the translation of Hebrew {{transliteration|hbo|[[Elohim]]}} (translated in English Bibles as "God").<ref>Example: [http://alkitab.sabda.org/verse.php?book=Mat&chapter=22&verse=32&search=allah&scope=all&exact=off Usage of the word "Allah" from Matthew 22:32 in Indonesian bible versions (parallel view) as old as 1733] {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131019125828/http://alkitab.sabda.org/verse.php?book=Mat&chapter=22&verse=32&search=allah&scope=all&exact=off |date= 19 October 2013 }}</ref> This goes back to early translation work by [[Francis Xavier]] in the 16th century.<ref>The Indonesian Language: Its History and Role in Modern Society Sneddon, James M.; University of New South Wales Press; 2004</ref><ref>The History of Christianity in India from the Commencement of the Christian Era: Hough, James; Adamant Media Corporation; 2001</ref> The first dictionary of Dutch-Malay by Albert Cornelius Ruyl, Justus Heurnius, and Caspar Wiltens in 1650 (revised edition from 1623 edition and 1631 Latin edition) recorded {{lang|ms|Allah}}" as the translation of the Dutch word {{lang|nl|Godt}}.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3GcTAAAAQAAJ&q=allah|title=Justus Heurnius, Albert Ruyl, Caspar Wiltens. "Vocabularium ofte Woordenboeck nae ordre van den alphabeth, in 't Duytsch en Maleys". 1650:65|access-date=14 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022172808/https://books.google.com/books?id=3GcTAAAAQAAJ&v=onepage&q=allah&f=false|archive-date=22 October 2013|year=1650|last1=Wiltens|first1=Caspar|last2=Heurnius|first2=Justus}}</ref> Ruyl also translated the [[Gospel of Matthew]] in 1612 into the Malay language (an early Bible translation into a non-European language,<ref>
But compare:
{{cite book|last1=Milkias|first1=Paulos|chapter=Ge'ez Literature (Religious)|title=Ethiopia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DtIRbpUNp_oC|series=Africa in Focus|location=Santa Barbara, California|publisher=ABC-CLIO|date=2011|page=299|isbn=978-1-59884-257-9|access-date=15 February 2018|quote=Monasticism played a key role in the Ethiopian literary movement. The Bible was translated during the time of the Nine Saints in the early sixth century [...].}}
</ref> made a year after the publication of the [[King James Version]]<ref>Barton, John (2002–12). The Biblical World, Oxford, UK: Routledge. {{ISBN|978-0-415-27574-3}}.</ref><ref>North, Eric McCoy; Eugene Albert Nida ((2nd Edition) 1972). The Book of a Thousand Tongues, London: United Bible Societies.</ref>), which was printed in the Netherlands in 1629. Then he translated the [[Gospel of Mark]], published in 1638.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sejarah.sabda.org/sejarah/bio_ruyl.htm|title=Sejarah Alkitab Indonesia / Albert Conelisz Ruyl|website=sejarah.sabda.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/514364/Albert-Cornelius-Ruyl|title=Encyclopædia Britannica: Albert Cornelius Ruyl|encyclopedia=Britannica.com|access-date=14 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019171117/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/514364/Albert-Cornelius-Ruyl|archive-date=19 October 2013}}</ref>

For a time [[Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur v Menteri Dalam Negeri|it became illegal]] for non-Muslims to use "Allah" after the country experienced a social and political upheaval in the face of the word being used by [[Christianity in Malaysia|Malaysian Christians]] and [[Sikhism in Malaysia|Sikhs]]. The [[government of Malaysia]] in 2007 prohibited usage of the term {{lang|zlm|Allah}} in any other but Muslim contexts, but the [[High Court of Malaya|Malayan High Court]] in 2009 [[Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur v Menteri Dalam Negeri|overturned the law]], ruling it unconstitutional. While {{lang|ms|Allah}} had been used for the Christian God in Malay for more than four centuries, the contemporary controversy was triggered by usage of {{lang|zlm|Allah}} by the Roman Catholic newspaper [[The Herald (Malaysian Catholic Weekly)|''The Herald'']]. The government appealed the court ruling, and the High Court suspended implementation of its verdict until the hearing of the appeal. In October 2013 the court ruled in favor of the government's ban.<ref>{{cite news|title=No more 'Allah' for Christians, Malaysian court says|first=Simon|last=Roughneen|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2013/1014/No-more-Allah-for-Christians-Malaysian-court-says|newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]|date=14 October 2013|access-date=14 October 2013}}</ref> In early 2014 the Malaysian government confiscated more than 300 bibles for using the word to refer to the Christian God in Peninsular Malaysia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25578348|title=BBC News - More than 300 Bibles are confiscated in Malaysia|publisher=BBC|date=2 January 2014|access-date=14 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125052310/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25578348|archive-date=25 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the use of {{lang|zlm|Allah}} is not prohibited in the two Malaysian states of [[Sabah]] and [[Sarawak]].<ref name="settle">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=87900|title=Catholic priest should respect court: Mahathir|newspaper=[[Daily Express (Sabah)|Daily Express]]|date=9 January 2014|access-date=10 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110085352/http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=87900|archive-date=10 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/03/29/worship-without-hindrance/|title=Worship without hindrance|author1=Jane Moh|author2=Peter Sibon|newspaper=[[The Borneo Post]]|date=29 March 2014|access-date=29 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329094134/http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/03/29/worship-without-hindrance/|archive-date=29 March 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> The main reason it is not prohibited in these two states is that usage has been long-established and local Alkitab ([[Bibles]]) have been widely distributed freely in East Malaysia without restrictions for years.<ref name="settle"/> Both states also do not have similar Islamic state laws as those in West Malaysia.<ref name="10-point"/> The ban was overturned in 2021.<ref>[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10620032 Sikhs target of 'Allah' attack], Julia Zappei, 14 January 2010, ''The New Zealand Herald''. Accessed on line 15 January 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11139915 Malaysia court rules non-Muslims can't use 'Allah'], 14 October 2013, ''The New Zealand Herald''. Accessed on line 15 January 2014.</ref><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-religion-idUSBREA010C120140102 Malaysia's Islamic authorities seize Bibles as Allah row deepens], Niluksi Koswanage, 2 January 2014, Reuters. Accessed on line 15 January 2014. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-religion-idUSBREA010C120140102]</ref><ref name="10-point" />

In reaction to some media criticism, the Malaysian government has introduced a "10-point solution" to avoid confusion and misleading information.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aliran.com/web-specials/bahasa-malaysia-bibles-10-point-solution/|title=Bahasa Malaysia Bibles: The Cabinet's 10-point solution|date=25 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/01/24/Najib-Kalimah-Allah/|title=Najib: 10-point resolution on Allah issue subject to Federal, state laws|newspaper=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]]|date=24 January 2014|access-date=25 June 2014}}</ref> The 10-point solution is in line with the spirit of the [[18-point agreement|18]]- and [[20-point agreement]]s of Sarawak and Sabah.<ref name="10-point">{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/02/24/My-take-on-the-Allah-issue-10point-solution-is-key-to-managing-the-polarity/|title=The 'Allah'/Bible issue, 10-point solution is key to managing the polarity|author=Idris Jala|work=The Star|date=24 February 2014|access-date=25 June 2014|author-link=Idris Jala}}</ref>

== National flags with "Allah" written on them ==
<gallery widths="200" heights="140">
File:Flag of Iraq.svg|[[Flag of Iraq]] with the [[Takbir]] written on it
File:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg|[[Flag of Saudi Arabia]] with the [[Shahada]] written on it
File:Flag of the Taliban.svg|[[Flag of Afghanistan]] with the [[Shahada]] written on it
File:Flag of Iran.svg|[[Flag of Iran]] with "Allah" written on it
</gallery>

==Typography==
[[File:Allah name in different languages.png|280px|thumbnail|The word ''Allah'' written in different [[writing system]]s]]

The word ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Allāh}}'' is always written without an [[aleph|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}}]] to spell the ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ā}}'' vowel. This is because the spelling was established before Arabic spelling started regularly using ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}}'' to spell ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ā}}''. However, in vocalized spelling, a [[Dagger alif|small diacritic ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}}'']] is added on top of the ''[[shadda|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|shaddah}}]]'' to indicate the pronunciation.

In the pre-Islamic [[Zabad inscription]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Zebed Inscription: A Pre-Islamic Trilingual Inscription In Greek, Syriac & Arabic From 512 CE|url=http://www.islamic-awareness.org/History/Islam/Inscriptions/zebed.html|publisher=Islamic Awareness|date=17 March 2005}}
</ref> God is referred to by the term {{lang|ar|الاله}}, that is, alif-lam-alif-lam-ha.<ref name=Kugener/> This presumably indicates ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Al-'ilāh}}'' means "the god", without ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}}'' for ''ā''.

Many Arabic type fonts feature special [[typographic ligature|ligatures]] for Allah.<ref name="Typ1">

* [http://www.smi.uib.no/ksv/ArabicFonts.html Arabic fonts and Mac OS X] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310022047/http://www.smi.uib.no/ksv/ArabicFonts.html |date=10 March 2008 }}
* [http://www.smi.uib.no/ksv/ArabicProgsx.html Programs for Arabic in Mac OS X]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006005022/http://www.smi.uib.no/ksv/ArabicProgsx.html |date=6 October 2013 }}</ref>

Since [[Arabic script]] is used to write other texts rather than Koran only, rendering ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|lām}}'' + ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|lām}}'' + ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|hā'}}'' as the previous ligature is considered faulty which is the case with most common Arabic typefaces.

{{lquote|This simplified style is often preferred for clarity, especially in non-Arabic languages, but may not be considered appropriate in situations where a more elaborate style of calligraphy is preferred.
:—[[SIL International]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Scheherazade New|url=//software.sil.org/scheherazade/design/|website=[[SIL International|SIL&nbsp;International]]|access-date=4 February 2022}}</ref>}}

===Unicode===
[[Unicode]] has a code point reserved for ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Allāh}}'', {{Unichar|fdf2}}, <ref> Unicode of Allah https://unicodeplus.com/U+FDF2 </ref>
in the [[Arabic Presentation Forms-A]] block, which exists solely for "compatibility with some older, legacy character sets that encoded presentation forms directly";<ref>UnicodeThe Unicode Consortium. [https://www.unicode.org/faq/middleeast.html#5 FAQ - Middle East Scripts] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001110649/http://www.unicode.org/faq/middleeast.html#5 |date=1 October 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Uni">{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/UFB50.pdf|title=''Unicode Standard 5.0'', p.479, 492|access-date=14 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428184606/http://unicode.org/charts/PDF/UFB50.pdf|archive-date=28 April 2014}}</ref> this is not recommended for new text. Instead, the word ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Allāh}}'' should be represented by its individual Arabic letters, while modern font technologies will generate the desired ligature.

The calligraphic variant of the word used as the [[emblem of Iran]] is encoded in Unicode, in the [[Miscellaneous Symbols]] range, at code point 
[[U+262B]]<ref> Farsi Unicode
https://unicodeplus.com/U+262B </ref>(☫). The [[#National flags with "Allah" written on them|flags that include the word]] are also present in the [[regional indicator symbol]]s of Unicode: 🇮🇶, 🇸🇦, 🇦🇫, 🇮🇷, 🇺🇿.

==See also==
* [[Abdullah (name)]]
* [[Allah as a lunar deity]]
* [[Emblem of Iran]]
* [[Ismul Azam]]
* [[Names of God]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== General and cited references ==
* {{Cite journal |last=Al-Jallad |first=Ahmad |date=2025 |title=Ancient Allah: An Epigraphic Reconstruction |url=https://academic.oup.com/jss/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jss/fgaf012/8129546 |journal=Journal of Semitic Studies |pages=1–56}}
* {{cite book|title=The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary|publisher=Harper Collins|year=2015|isbn=978-0-06-222762-1|url=https://archive.org/details/thestudyquran_201909/mode/2up|editor1-first=Seyyed Hossein|editor1-last=Nasr|editor2-first=C.K.|editor2-last=Dagli|editor3-first=Maria Massi|editor3-last=Dakake|editor4-first=J.E.B.|editor4-last=Lumbard|editor5-first=M.|editor5-last=Rustom|url-access=registration|author-link=Seyyed Hossein Nasr}}
* The Unicode Consortium, ''Unicode Standard 5.0'', Addison-Wesley, 2006, {{ISBN|978-0-321-48091-0}}, [https://web.archive.org/web/20080304160907/http://www.unicode.org/book/aboutbook.html About the Unicode Standard Version 5.0 Book]

== Further reading ==
=== Online ===
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Allah Allah Qur'ān], in ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online'', by Asma Afsaruddin, Brian Duignan, Thinley

==External links==
{{sisterlinks|d=Q234801|c=Category:Allah in calligraphy|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|s=no|wikt=no|species=no}}
{{Wikisource}}
* [http://www.searchtruth.com/Allah/99Names.php Names of Allah with Meaning on Website, Flash, and Mobile Phone Software]
* [http://www.sultan.org/articles/god.html Concept of God (Allah) in Islam]
* [http://www.islam-info.ch/en/Who_is_Allah.htm The Concept of Allāh According to the Qur'an] by Abdul Mannan Omar
* [http://www.muslim.org/islam/allah.htm Allah, the Unique Name of God]

; Typography
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080310022047/http://www.smi.uib.no/ksv/ArabicFonts.html Arabic Fonts and Mac OS X]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131006005022/http://www.smi.uib.no/ksv/ArabicProgsx.html Programs for Arabic in Mac OS X]

{{Islam topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Names of God}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Allah| ]]
[[Category:Arabian deities]]
[[Category:Arabian gods]]
[[Category:Islamic terminology]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern gods]]
[[Category:Names of God]]