Is Allah Masculine in Islamic Theology?

Not applicable in the narrow Islamic-specific sense, but the broader question of divine gender is very much a Jewish concern. Classical Jewish theology, rooted in Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed (12th century), insists that God has no body and therefore no sex. Masculine grammatical forms in Hebrew scripture — Elohim, Adonai — reflect the gendered structure of Hebrew, not a literal claim about God's nature. The Talmud and Kabbalah both contain feminine imagery for God's presence (Shekhinah), which 20th-century scholars like Gershom Scholem highlighted as evidence that Jewish tradition never settled on a single-gender conception of the divine. Contemporary Jewish denominations, particularly Reform and Conservative movements, have introduced gender-neutral liturgy precisely because they view masculine grammar as culturally contingent rather than theologically essential.

Not applicable in the strict Islamic-specific sense, but Christianity engages the gender-of-God question deeply, especially through Trinitarian language. The New Testament consistently uses 'Father' for God and 'Son' for Jesus, which has led many traditions to default to masculine pronouns. However, mainstream Christian theology — articulated clearly by theologians like Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologiae (13th century) and more recently by Elizabeth Johnson in She Who Is (1992) — holds that God is pure spirit, beyond biological sex. The 'Father' language is understood as relational and analogical, not literally gendered. Feminist theologians and some progressive denominations have pushed for gender-inclusive or feminine God-language, while more conservative traditions maintain traditional masculine forms as scripturally normative. The debate remains lively and unresolved across denominations.

Islamic theology is unambiguous: Allah is absolutely beyond human categories, including gender. The Quran describes Allah with attributes of sovereignty, holiness, and omniscience — none of which imply biological sex Quran 59:23. Arabic, like Hebrew, is a grammatically gendered language, and the pronoun Huwa ('He') used for Allah is the default third-person singular in Arabic grammar. Classical scholars, including Ibn Taymiyyah (14th century) and Al-Ghazali (11th century), consistently taught that Allah's essence (dhat) is utterly unlike created things, a principle known as tanzih (transcendence/incomparability). Assigning literal masculinity to Allah would border on tashbih (anthropomorphism), which mainstream Sunni theology firmly rejects.

The Quran's own declaration reinforces this: 'Your Allah is only Allah, than Whom there is no other Allah. He embraceth all things in His knowledge' Quran 20:98 — the 'He' here is grammatical, not ontological. Similarly, Allah is described simply as 'the Beneficent, the Merciful' Quran 2:163, attributes that carry no gendered implication in Islamic understanding. The 99 Names of Allah (Asma ul-Husna) include both what Western categories might call 'masculine' traits (Al-Jabbar, the Compeller Quran 59:23) and 'feminine' traits (Al-Wadud, the Loving; Al-Ra'uf, the Compassionate), further underscoring that Allah transcends the binary entirely.

Not applicable. Concerns Islamic scripture/practice; no direct counterpart.

Not applicable. Concerns Islamic scripture/practice; no direct counterpart.

The Qur'an repeatedly affirms that Allah is one and that there is no other deity besides Him Quran 59:23Quran 20:98Quran 2:163. English translations render the divine subject with masculine pronouns; for example, “He is Allah” appears in a passage that enumerates divine names and attributes Quran 59:23. Another verse states, “Your Allah is only Allah,” and affirms His all-encompassing knowledge, which again appears with masculine pronominal rendering in English Quran 20:98. A third verse declares, “Your Allah is One Allah; there is no Allah save Him,” reinforcing exclusive monotheism Quran 2:163.

From these specific verses, we can state that the text presents Allah’s oneness and uses masculine pronouns in translation; these passages themselves do not address questions of biological or social gender, and we make no further claims beyond what is cited here Quran 59:23Quran 20:98Quran 2:163.