Discover the meaning of the term Al-ʿal-m (عالم) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 3 min readIn language: that by which a thing is known; as a technical term: everything other than God among existents, because through it God is known in respect of His names and attributes.
With kasra of the lam: agent noun of 'ilm in the sense of 'knowing'; with fatha: derived from 'ilm in the sense of 'sign ('alama)': that by which one knows, as the seal by which one seals. It then prevailed for everything other than God, because it is of what the Creator knows. Al-Muhaqqiq al-Taftazani explained it in his commentary on the Aqa'id: namely everything other than God among existents, of what the Creator knows. The author of the Khayal al-Latif said: the phrase 'of what the Creator knows' states the reason for naming everything other than God 'alam; it is not part of a definition, contrary to the common view that it is the definition's complement; for siwa (other) means ghayr (other), and what is meant is the other in the technical sense, that which can be disjoined; God's attributes are therefore excluded, since they are neither other than the essence nor identical with it. Had the phrase been made a definition's complement, an exception would have been required; the common view makes it a complement by taking 'other' in the lexical sense, namely differences in the understood meaning, and by excluding God's attributes, since by them the Creator does not know.
All that is other than God; it was named 'alam because it is a sign of the Creator's existence.
Every existent other than God.
In language: that by which a thing is known.
With fatha of the lam; plural 'awalim: all created things, of jinn, mankind and angels, earth and heaven, stars, moons and space. Everything other than God. (English gloss: universe, world.) Al-'ali, with kasra of the lam: the high.
﴿ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ﴾
« [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds - »
Surah الفاتحة : 2
﴿يَـٰبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتِىَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَنِّى فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ﴾
« O Children of Israel, remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds. »
Surah البقرة : 47
﴿يَـٰبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتِىَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَنِّى فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ﴾
« O Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds. »
Surah البقرة : 122
﴿إِذْ قَالَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥٓ أَسْلِمْ ۖ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ﴾
« When his Lord said to him, "Submit", he said "I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds." »
Surah البقرة : 131
﴿فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُۥدُ جَالُوتَ وَءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُلْكَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُۥ مِمَّا يَشَآءُ ۗ وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍۢ لَّفَسَدَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ﴾
« So they defeated them by permission of Allah, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that which He willed. And if it were not for Allah checking [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allah is full of bounty to the worlds. »
Surah البقرة : 251
﴿۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰٓ ءَادَمَ وَنُوحًۭا وَءَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَءَالَ عِمْرَٰنَ عَلَى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ﴾
« Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran over the worlds - »
Surah آل عمران : 33
This term appears in 78 verses of the Quran.