Why is God (Allah) referred to with the pronoun "He" in the Quran and Sunnah, and not "She"?
The questioner's inquiry about the reason for the masculine gender in describing Allah Almighty stems from her unfamiliarity with the Arabic language. Masculine and feminine genders are characteristics of language, and the masculine is the original and lighter form because it does not require a marker, as Sibawayh stated: "And know that the masculine is lighter for them than the feminine because the masculine is primary, and it is more firmly established." The divine address in the Holy Quran came with pronouns indicating the masculine gender, such as His saying, the Almighty: ﴿And it is He who created the heavens and the earth in truth﴾. This is a natural matter agreed upon by all people. In addition, Allah Almighty censured the polytheists for their worship of females, as in His saying, the Almighty: ﴿They invoke instead of Him none but female [deities], and they invoke none but a rebellious Satan.﴾ It is also indicated that Allah Almighty has no peer or likeness, and He is not described by any of that; rather, He is the Creator of both male and female, as in His saying, the Almighty: ﴿And that He created the two mates – the male and female﴾.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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