Who is God? He is The Most Loving
The word Islam means submission. A Muslim is one who submits to God fully and completely by obeying the commandments set out by God and sincerely worshiping Allah – the one true God. Being a Muslim begins with having firm conviction in the oneness of Allah and His right to be worshipped. This is the basis for all other aspects of belief. But how does one worship God without fully knowing Him?
The Quran is the word of Allah, revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a guidance to humankind. In the Quran, Allah tells us (the meaning of which is):
“Allah – there is no true deity except Him. To Him belong the best names.” (The Quran, 20:8)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that there are 99 names of Allah enumerating which would lead one to paradise [1] although the actual number of His names are not limited to 99.
The Quran refers to Allah using names with descriptive meanings, e.g. Rabb-ul-‘Aalameen (the Lord of the Worlds) ar-Rahmaan (The Most Merciful). Gaining knowledge of these beautiful names and lofty attributes, pondering over them in an effort to understand and apply them to our own lives, will help us to know our Lord better, and to connect more meaningfully to Him. The more we learn about Allah, we will insha Allah (God willing) grow closer to Him, gain greater contentment in our hearts, strengthen our faith, and increase our love for Him. In this series, we explore some of these majestic names and attributes of Allah.

Let us begin with the name Al-Wadood which means The Most Loving. Sometimes Muslims have (wrongly) been criticized as worshipping an angry and unloving god. But the name Al-Wadood shows that this is quite the opposite.
Al-Wadood: The Most Loving
The name Al-Wadood is derived from the Arabic word wudd or widd, meaning affection[3]. This is the purest form of love; a love that exists without condition[4]. This type of love is different from the more common word used in Arabic for love: hubb or mahabbah. The word Al-Wadood encapsulates two meanings: The One who is beloved and The One who is loving towards His creation.
These two meanings show us that He is the one who receives our love through our worship, and He is the one who shows us His love and mercy in innumerable ways. He is indeed the source of love. Even though Allah, being the Creator, has no need for the creation, He demonstrates His love and mercy for His creation through His actions.
We see God’s love for His creation in the abundance of blessings He bestows on us continuously. But this is not a form of love that can be taken for granted. We cannot expect Allah to love us while we are in a state of thanklessness and disobedience[5]. Rather, we should try to follow His guidance so that we may become worthy of His love.
Our love for Allah should be the driving force that motivates us to obey Him. The more we love Him, the more He will reciprocate. In the Quran Allah instructs us to love Him, highlighting some of His key attributes:
“If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (The Quran, 3:31)
To gain His precious love, Muslims adhere to the ways of the Prophet (peace be upon him), do righteous deeds and distance themselves from things that Allah has commanded us to stay away from.
The righteous believer knows that Allah is the One who can increase our love for Him. The Prophet is reported[6] to have made the following supplication frequently:
“O Allah! I ask You for Your Love, the love of those who love You, and deeds which will cause me to attain Your Love.”
[1] Sahih Muslim, 2677a
[2] Van der Krogt, Who is Allah? Understanding God in Islam
[3] Hans Wehr and J. M. Cowan, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 1240.
[4] Hirschfelder, Who is Allah?, 225.
[5] Parrott, Heavenly Affection: Living the Love of Al-Wadūd
[6] Riyad as-Salihin, 1490.