When Allah Says “We”

If you read the Qur’an, you will notice something that might puzzle you at first. Sometimes Allah says “I.” But sometimes Allah says “We.”

“We”? But Muslims believe with all their hearts that Allah is One — one God, with no partner, no equal, no helper. So why would the One God ever say “We”?

This is a wonderful question, and the answer is beautiful. Let us clear it up.

The “We” of Greatness

In many languages, a great and powerful ruler speaks about themselves using “we” instead of “I.” A queen might say, “We have decided,” even though she is one person. It is not because there are many queens. It is a way of showing majesty — greatness, power, importance.

When Allah says “We” in the Qur’an, it is like that, but far greater. It shows His might and His majesty — that He is the King of everything, the One with all power, all knowledge, all strength. It is a “We” of greatness, not a “We” of many.

And here is the proof, placed by Allah Himself: almost every time Allah speaks with that mighty “We,” He very soon reminds us, clearly and firmly, that He is One. He never lets us stay confused for a moment. The whole Qur’an rings with one clear message: there is only One God, and His name is Allah.

So the mighty “We” and the beautiful “I” both belong to the same One God. When Allah wants to show His greatness, He may say “We.” And when He wants to show how close He is, how personally He loves and hears you, He says “I” — as when He says, “When My servant asks about Me, I am near; I answer the prayer of the one who calls on Me.”

The Tiny Fly

Now let us look at one of the most powerful little pictures in the whole Qur’an — and it is about a fly.

In the days of the Prophet ﷺ, many people worshipped statues and idols. They believed these could help them, protect them, and answer their prayers. So Allah gave them something to think about. He said, in the Qur’an: listen carefully, everyone. All of these gods you call upon besides Allah — if they all gathered together, every single one of them, they could never create even one fly.

Just one fly! The smallest, most ordinary little creature. All the false gods in the world, working together, could not make a single fly come to life.

And Allah adds one more thing: if a fly were to land and snatch something away from them, they could not even get it back from the fly.

Can you feel how the picture just melts away every false god? A thing that cannot make a fly, or even take something back from one, is nothing to worship. Only Allah creates. Only Allah gives life. Only Allah truly hears and helps. This is the heart of everything the Qur’an teaches: worship none but Allah, because there is truly nothing and no one like Him.

When Allah Says “Look!”

Here is another beautiful thing about how Allah speaks. Sometimes, to grab our attention, Allah swears by things. He says, “By the dawn…” or “By the sky and the stars…” or “By the fig and the olive…”

Why would Allah do that? When we swear by something, it is to prove we are telling the truth. But Allah is always telling the truth — He does not need to prove anything. So when Allah swears by something, it is like Him tapping you on the shoulder and saying: “Look at this! Pay attention! There is something amazing here!”

When Allah swears by the dawn, He is saying: look at the sunrise, how the light spreads over the world — is that not a wonder? When He swears by the different stages of your life — a baby, a child, a grown-up, an old person — He is saying: look how I carry you gently from one stage to the next; think about it. Every oath in the Qur’an is Allah pointing at something and saying, “Notice this. It is a sign of Me.”

So next time you read one of these, do not skip past it. Do what Allah is asking: look, and wonder.

This World Is Play

Let us end with one gentle reminder that the Qur’an gives us over and over.

Allah tells us that this worldly life — with all its toys and games and fun — is a little bit like play. It is real, and it matters, and we should enjoy the good in it and be thankful. But it is not the big life. The big, true, forever life is the one that comes after, with Allah, in Paradise.

Why is that a comfort? Because it means we do not have to be crushed when a toy breaks, or a game ends, or something in this life does not go our way. This is the short journey, not the destination. We do our best, we stay close to Allah, and we keep our eyes on the beautiful forever that He has promised.

So remember the mighty “We” and the loving “I.” Remember the tiny fly that no false god can make. Remember that Allah is always saying “Look!” at the wonders around you. And remember that the best is yet to come.

“O people! An example is set forth, so listen to it. Those you call upon besides Allah could never create even a fly, even if they all gathered together for it.” — Qur’an 22:73