Fatwa

  1. Fatwa
  2. Islamic Creed
  3. Tawheed al-Asma'a was-Sifat (Divine Names and Attributes)
  4. Deviant attitudes towards Allah's Names and Attributes

Impermissibility of referring to Allaah as Brahma
Fatwa No: 332653

Question

Is it permissible to call Allaah 'Brahma'? (It is used by Hindus and means 'creator'.)

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

It is impermissible to call Allaah, The Exalted, with such a name because it is not among the Names of Allaah, The Exalted. It is prohibited for the Muslim to refer to Allaah with a name that was not reported in the Quran or Sunnah, and this name (Brahma) has not been reported either in the Quran or the Sunnah.

The fact that the word Brahma means creator does not entail deeming it allowable to use it in reference to Allaah, The Exalted. There is no doubt that Allaah is the One and Only Creator of the universe; and one may say that Allaah has created and that He is creating. However, it is not permissible to derive a name from the trait of "being the creator" that He did not refer to Himself with (in the Quran and Sunnah).

Moreover, the Hindus use the name Brahma to refer to the false god that they worship as part of a Trinity, similar to the Christian Trinity.

The Global Arabic Encyclopedia reads, "Brahma is the name of the creator god in the Trimurti of Hinduism. He is an abstract God-principle operating all over the universe; Hindus hold him to be the ultimate holy power of the universe. The Hindu Trinity (Trimurti) is represented by three godheads: Brahma - the creator, Vishnu - the protector, and Shiva - the destroyer..."

Knowing that the name Brahma is the name of a Hindu god, it is clearly impermissible for the Muslim to call Allaah, The Exalted, by that name. Why would a Muslim want to refer to Allaah, The Exalted, with such a name to begin with? Allaah, The Exalted, has taught us His beautiful names and refined attributes and commanded us to call upon Him by any of them. He says (what means): {And to Allaah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave (the company of) those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.} [Quran 7:180]

Allaah knows best.

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