The meaning of the Supreme Name: Allah

Allah is the name by which God calls Himself in the Qur’an.
It is the revealed supreme name that cannot be applied to anyone or anything.
It is a name that was already found among the Arabs before Islam since it was revealed in earlier scriptures, such as the Torah and the Bible, and that Allah confirms in the Qur’an.

Allah is not the Arabic translation of the word ‘God’; although Allah is God.
The name of Allah gathers the meanings of all His names and attributes and refers to His essence, one and only.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

He is Allah, Who is no god but Him, the Knower of the Unseen and the Apparent. He is the Merciful, the Compassionate.
He is Allah, Who has no god but Him, the King, the Most Pure, the Peaceful, the Assurance, the Watcher, the Irresistible, the Compulsive, the Proud.
Glory to Allah above what they associate!
He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator, the Adjuster.
His are the most beautiful names.
He is glorified by all that is in heaven and on earth.
And He is the Irresistible, the Wise.
(The Concentration, 22:24)

Allah is the name that gathers the meaning of all His Name and Attributes.
And Allah says in the Qur’an:

Say: Call Allah or call the Merciful, however you call upon Him, He has the most beautiful names.
(The Night Journey, 17:110)
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
(The Opening, 1:2)
Everything in the heavens and on earth glorifies Allah.
(El Hierro, 57:1) He is Allah, Who is no god but Him, the Knower of the Unseen and the Apparent.
(Concentration, 59:22)

And Imam  Ismâ’îl An-Nabahânî says, may Allah have mercy on him:

“(Allah) is the Name of the existing True Being who gathers the set of Divine Attributes, who is described by the attributes of Lordship and who alone possesses true existence.
Every being outside of Him is different from Him and has no existence by itself but by Him, since it is He who brought it into existence.
Thus this being whose existence is created is actually perishable and exists only with respect to Him, and every existing being is perishable except His face.

Moreover, it seems that by virtue of this meaning, it is a proper noun and that everything that could be said about its derivation and its etymology is an abuse of language and an error.

However, [el Nombre Allâh] it is the greatest of the 99 Names because it encompasses the set of Divine Attributes, without exception, and also because it is the most specific of the Divine Names: no one outside Allah can appropriate it, either really or metaphorically.
We cannot imagine that the meaning of this Attribute can be attributed to the servant, unlike the set of other Divine Names which can have a particular meaning and be valid for anyone, such as Al-Qadir (The Mighty), Al-Alim (The Knower), Ar-Rahîm (The Merciful to those who deserve it), and with which a servant can be qualified.” [Mukhtasar Maqsad Ul Asnâ]

Imam Muhammad al-Qurtubi al-Ansârî, may Allah have mercy on him, also said:

“Allah is the greatest and the most complete of all Names.
So a sage said that it was the greatest of the Names of Allah and that no one should go [es llamado por este nombre].
That is why it does not have dual, nor plural […] Allah is the Name of the True Existent (Al Haqq) who possesses the set of Divine Attributes, is described as Lordship and the Only One to possess true existence.
There is no divinity outside of Him.
Glorified be He!
It is also said to refer to the One who should be worshipped.
And it is also said to refer to One whose existence is necessary (imperative), which has been since and forever.” [Al Jâmi’ li Ahkâm Il Qurân]

And Habîb Ahmad Mash-hûr Al-Haddad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

“Allah is a proper name that designates the necessarily existent Essence, so that the existence of anything outside of Him is ephemeral and has its origin in Him.
This Name was never given to anyone else, for it says (exalted be He):

Do you know someone who has His name?
(Sûrah of Mariam, 19:65).

It is the greatest Name, indicating the Essence that encompasses the totality of the Divine Attributes.
All the other Names are explanations of the first and can be returned to it.
They are His Attributes and His description.
The Names may be numerous but they all mean The One, that is, Allâh.

We cannot enter Islam except by His Name: Allah.
No other name is acceptable.
And since it cannot be replaced by another word, we cannot say “Lâ ilâha illal Ghaffâr”, nor “Lâ ilâha illa r-Rahîm”, or “Al Jabbâr”.
We can only say “La ilâha illa Llâh”.
This is how the Qur’ân and the Ahadith express it, because it expresses the essential nature of Divine knowledge in the best way, and because this Name belongs to Him, since it is the [nombre] most well-known, the most perfect, and the most evident of all.
He used it to speak of Himself, to make Himself known to His creation, and He commanded mankind to use it to supplicate Him.” [Miftah Ul Jannah]