What does “Allah” mean?

Question:

What is meant by “Allah” (الله) , by which one describes God?

Answer:

Muhammad Ibn Ali reported that Imam Al-Baqir (a.) said: “God (Allah) means He Who is worshipped and about Whom the creation is confused in understanding His essence and being. The Arabs say: “A man gets into confusion (Aliha) when he is disturbed so that he does not acquire knowledge of it and he fled (Walaha) when he took refuge in something from which he was careful and afraid of, so the God (ilah) is He Who is shielded from the senses of the creation.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, Volume 1 Page 89]

عن محمد بن علي عن الإمام الباقر عليه السلام قال: الله معناه المعبود الذي أله الخلق عن درك مائيته والاحاطة بكيفيته ويقول العرب: أله الرجل إذا تحير في الشئ فلم يحط به علما ووله إذا فزع إلى شئ مما يحذره ويخافه فالاله هو المستور عن حواس الخلق

Hasan Ibn Rashid reported that Imam Al-Kazim (a.) was asked: “What does God (Allah) mean? He said: “He that made himself subordinate over the great and the small.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, Volume 4 page 181]

عن الحسن بن راشد عن الإمام الكاظم عليه السلام قال: سئل عن معنى الله عزوجل فقال استولى على ما دق وجل

Muhammad Ibn Sinan reported that Imam Ar-Rida (a.) said: “The name God (Allah) indicates the affirmation of His lordship and unity.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, Volume 4 page 181]

عن محمد بن سنان عن الإمام الرضا عليه السلام قال: في تسمية الله عز وجل الإقرار بربوبيته وتوحيده

Hisham Ibn Hakam reported that Imam As-Sadiq (a.) said: “God (Allah) goes back to the concept of God (Ilah) and God (ilah) indicates something about which one is confused (Ma’luh) and the name is the unnamed, so whoever worshipped the name instead of the meaning behind it has already become a disbeliever and has worshipped nothing and nobody and whoever worshipped the name and the meaning behind it has already become a disbeliever and worshipped two, but if one worshipped the meaning behind it instead of the name, then the unity (Tawhid) is present.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, Volume 4 page 157]

عن هشام بن الحكم عن الإمام الصادق عليه السلام قال: الله مشتق من إله وإله يقتضي مألوها والاسم غير المسمى فمن عبد الاسم دون المعنى فقد كفر ولم يعبد شيئا ومن عبد الاسم والمعنى فقد كفر وعبد اثنين ومن عبد المعني دون الاسم فذلك التوحيد

Muhammad Ibn Ali reported that Imam Ali (a.) said: “With God (Allah) is meant Him who is worshipped, over whom the creatures are confused and submit themselves to and God is He Who is veiled from the grasp of the gaze and shielded from the ideas and thoughts.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, Volume 1 Page 89]

عن محمد بن علي عن أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام قال: الله معناه المعبود الذي يأله فيه الخلق ويؤله إليه والله هو المستور عن درك الأبصار المحجوب عن الأوهام والخطرات

Al-Husain (a.) reported that Imam Al-Hasan (a.) said: “A man came before the Commander of the Believers (a.) and asked: “O Commander of the Believers, tell me about: “In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful!” (1:1) What is meant by this?” He said: “The Word of God (Allah) uttered by you is the greatest of all the names of God, and it is the name by which no one but God should be named with and no creature has ever been named by it.” The man said: “What then is the interpretation of the word “God”? ” He said: “It is He to Whom every creature submits when needs and hardships arise, when the hope of all except for Him is abandoned and the means are cut off from everyone except for Him, and it is so that every ruler in the world or boaster in it, even when his wealth and tyranny are multiplied and needs for Him are increased by others besides Him, they desire the aspirations that the boaster cannot fulfil, and the boaster also desires aspirations that he cannot fulfil, whereupon he turns to God alone in his distress and need, until, when what he has in mind has been achieved, he returns to his association (Shirk). Do you not hear the exalted say: “Do you not think that when the punishment of God overtook you or the hour reached you, then would you call on another besides God, if you should be truthful? No, it is Him [alone] you would invoke, and He would remove that for which you invoked Him if He willed, and you would forget what you associate [with Him].” (6:40-41) God therefore said to His servants: “O you who are in need of My mercy! I have already imposed on you to desire Me in every situation and to worship Me in humility at all times! Take refuge in Me in every request you make, hoping for its fulfilment and achievement, for if I wanted to give you, no one but Me could deny it to you and if I wanted to deny you, no one but Me could give it to you, for I am most entitled to be asked and I am most entitled to be begged from” Therefore, say at the beginning of every small and large request: “In the name of God, the gracious, the merciful.” (1:1) By which is meant: “For this cause I seek my refuge with God, beside whom no one has the right to be worshipped, the Helper if you ask Him for help, the Responder if He is called, the Gracious One who has mercy on us with abundant provision, the Merciful with regards to our faith and to our present and the next world, make religion light for us and make it simple and easy! It is He Who had mercy on us through our distinction from our enemies.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, Volume 92 Page 244 – 245]

عن محمد الباقر عن علي السجاد عن الحسين الشهيد عن الحسن المجتبى عن أمير المؤمنين عليهم السلام أن رجلا قام إليه فقال: يا أمير المؤمنين أخبرني عن بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ما معناه فقال: إن قولك الله أعظم الاسماء من أسماء الله تعالى وهو الاسم الذي لا ينبغي أن يتسمى به غير الله ولم يتسم به مخلوق فقال الرجل: فما تفسير قوله الله قال هو الذي إليه يتأله عند الحوائج والشدائد كل مخلوق عند انقطاع الرجاء من جميع من دونه ويقطع الاسباب من كل من سواه, وذلك أن كل مترئس في الدنيا أو متعظم فيها, وإن عظم غناه وطغيانه, وكثرت حوائج من دونه إليه, فانهم سيحتاجون حوائج لا يقدر عليها هذا المتعظم, كذلك هذا المتعظم يحتاج حوائج لا يقدر عليها فينقطع إلى الله عند ضرورته وفاقته, حتى إذا كفى همه, عاد إلى شركه أما تسمع الله عزوجل يقول قل أرأيتكم إن أتيكم عذاب الله أو أتتكم الساعة أغير الله تدعون إن كنتم صادقين بل إياه تدعون فيكشف ما تدعون إليه إن شاء وتنسون ما تشركون فقال الله تعالى لعباده: أيها الفقراء إلى رحمتي إني قد ألزمتكم الحاجة إلى في كل حال, وذلة العبودية في كل وقت, إلى فافزغوا في كل أمر تأخذون فيه, وترجون تمامه, وبلوغ غايته, فاني إذا أردت أن اعطيكم لم يقدر غيري على منعكم, وإن أردت منعكم لم يقدر غيري على إعطائكم فأنا أحق من سئل, وأولى من تضرع إليه. فقولوا عند افتتاح كل أمر صغير أو عظيم: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم أي أستعين على هذا الامر بالله الذي لا تحق العبادة لغيره, المغيث إذا استغيث, والمجيب إذا دعي, الرحمن الذي يرحم ببسط الرزق علينا, الرحيم بنا في أدياننا ودنيانا وآخرتنا, خفف علينا الدين , وجعله سهلا خفيفا, وهو يرحمنا بتميزنا عن أعدائه