WHO IS GOD?

There’s no single answer—“God” means different things in different religions and philosophies. Broadly, it refers to a supreme or ultimate reality, but how that reality is described varies widely.

Abrahamic traditions

· Judaism: God is YHWH, the one eternal Creator, holy, just, merciful, and in covenant with Israel. God is not divided into persons and has no physical form.

· Christianity: God is one being in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Trinity. Jesus Christ is believed to be God incarnate.

· Islam: God is Allah, the one, unique, all-powerful, all-merciful Creator. Allah has no partners, equals, or offspring.

٣٥ اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ ۖ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ ۖ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لَا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ ۚ نُورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ ۗ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
35 Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The allegory of His light is that of a pillar on which is a lamp. The lamp is within a glass. The glass is like a brilliant planet, fueled by a blessed tree, an olive tree, neither eastern nor western. Its oil would almost illuminate, even if no fire has touched it. Light upon Light. Allah guides to His light whomever He wills. Allah thus cites the parables for the people. Allah is cognizant of everything.

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۗ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
255 Allah! There is no god except He, the Living, the Everlasting. Neither slumber overtakes Him, nor sleep. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission? He knows what is before them, and what is behind them; and they cannot grasp any of His knowledge, except as He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation does not burden Him. He is the Most High, the Great.

Dharmic traditions

· Hinduism: Ultimate reality is often called Brahman—infinite, eternal, beyond full human comprehension. Many Hindus also worship personal deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, or Devi as manifestations or expressions of the divine.

· Buddhism: Often non-theistic. It generally does not center on a creator God, though some forms include celestial Buddhas or bodhisattvas.

· Sikhism: God is Waheguru, one eternal, formless, omnipresent Creator, known through grace and meditation.

Philosophical views

· Classical theism: God is the necessary, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good ground of all being.

· Deism: God created the universe but does not intervene.

· Pantheism: God and the universe are identical.

· Panentheism: God is in everything and beyond everything.

· Agnosticism: Whether God exists is unknown or unknowable.

· Atheism: There is no God or gods.

Common divine attributes in many traditions include: creator, sustainer, eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, perfectly good, and worthy of worship. But not every tradition accepts all of these—or even a personal God at all.

So the short answer is: “God” is whatever a particular tradition or person means by ultimate reality, the supreme being, or the ground of existence.