العالمين
al-ʿĀlamīn
Topic
The worlds: creation in its totality in space and time, of which God is the Lord.
What it means
Al-ʿālamīn is the plural of ʿālam, world, and it names the whole of creation across every realm and every age. It includes humans, jinn, angels and everything else that God has made. The Quran begins with it: “Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds” (1:2), and it says of the Prophet, “We sent you only as a mercy to the worlds” (21:107). The plural makes the point that God is Lord of everything in space and time, and the believer’s praise is addressed to that Lord.
Often misunderstood as
“The universe” and “mankind” each narrow the word, since the plural covers every realm and every age.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 40, listed as AL ʿĀLAMĪN. The definition is restated here.