The short answer
Nobody. The rule is that everything that *begins to exist* needs a creator, and Allah never began to exist: He is "the First", with nothing before Him. The Prophet ﷺ foretold that people would ask this question and taught that when the thought comes, you seek refuge in Allah, stop following it, and say "I believe in Allah".
Surah al-Ikhlas answers the question directly: Allah "neither begets nor is born", and nothing is equal to Him 1. He is "the First and the Last" 2, and the Prophet ﷺ explained this in a dua: "You are the First, there is naught before You" 3. The question "who created Allah?" treats Allah as one more created thing, which is exactly what He is not. "There is nothing like unto Him" 4.
Think of it logically. If every creator needed a creator before it, the chain would never end and nothing would ever have come into existence. The fact that anything exists shows there must be a first, uncreated Creator who depends on nothing, while everything else depends on Him.
The Prophet ﷺ told us this question would come. He said people would keep asking until they say, "This is Allah, the Creator of everything, then who created Allah?" 5 He also said that Satan comes to a person asking "Who created this? Who created that?" until he asks "Who created your Lord?", and that when this happens one should seek refuge with Allah and give up such thoughts 6. In another narration, the advice is to say, "I affirm my faith in Allah" (amantu billah) 7.
So if this thought pops into your head, do not panic. When Companions complained of thoughts too terrible to say aloud, the Prophet ﷺ called their distress at them "the faith manifest" 8. Recognise where the thought comes from, say "a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim" and "amantu billah", and move on to something else.
Allah is One, the Eternal Refuge; He neither begets nor is born; nothing is equal to Him.
قُلۡ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ ٢ لَمۡ يَلِدۡ وَلَمۡ يُولَدۡ ٣ وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدُۢ ٤
1 Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One 2 Allah, the Eternal Refuge 3 He neither begets nor is born 4 Nor is there to Him any equivalent
He is the First and the Last.
هُوَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُ وَٱلۡأٓخِرُ وَٱلظَّٰهِرُ وَٱلۡبَاطِنُۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٌ ٣
He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing
The Prophet's dua, "You are the First, there is naught before You".
Suhail reported that Abu Salih used to command us (in these words):When any one of you intends to go to sleep, he should lie on the bed on his right side and then say:" O Allah. the Lord of the Heavens and the Lord of the Earth and Lord of the Magnificent Throne, our Lord, and the Lord of evervthina, the Splitter of the grain of corn and the datestone (or fruit kernal), the Revealer of Torah and Injil (Bible) and Criterion (the Holy Qur'an), I seek refuge in Thee from the evil of every- thing Thou art to sieze by the forelock (Thou hast perfect control over it). O Allah, Thou art the First, there is naught before Thee, and Thou art the Last and there is naught after Thee, and Thou art Evident and there is nothing above Thee, and Thou art Innermost and there is nothing beyond Thee. Remove the burden of debt from us and relieve us from want." Abu Salih used to narrate it from Abu Huraira who narrated it from Allah's Apostle (ﷺ)
حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ سُهَيْلٍ، قَالَ كَانَ أَبُو صَالِحٍ يَأْمُرُنَا إِذَا أَرَادَ أَحَدُنَا أَنْ يَنَامَ أَنْ يَضْطَجِعَ عَلَى شِقِّهِ الأَيْمَنِ ثُمَّ يَقُولُ " اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ السَّمَوَاتِ وَرَبَّ الأَرْضِ وَرَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ رَبَّنَا وَرَبَّ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَالِقَ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَى وَمُنْزِلَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَالإِنْجِيلِ وَالْفُرْقَانِ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ أَنْتَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهِ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الأَوَّلُ فَلَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَىْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الآخِرُ فَلَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَىْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَىْءٌ وَأَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ فَلَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَىْءٌ اقْضِ عَنَّا الدَّيْنَ وَأَغْنِنَا مِنَ الْفَقْرِ " . وَكَانَ يَرْوِي ذَلِكَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم .
There is nothing like unto Him.
فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَزۡوَٰجࣰ ا وَمِنَ ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ أَزۡوَٰجࣰ ا يَذۡرَؤُكُمۡ فِيهِۚ لَيۡسَ كَمِثۡلِهِۦ شَيۡءࣱۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡبَصِيرُ ١١
[He is] Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you from yourselves, mates, and among the cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing
People will keep asking until they say, "Who created Allah?"
Narrated Anas bin Malik:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "People will not stop asking questions till they say, 'This is Allah, the Creator of everything, then who created Allah?
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ صَبَّاحٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شَبَابَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا وَرْقَاءُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، سَمِعْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لَنْ يَبْرَحَ النَّاسُ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ حَتَّى يَقُولُوا هَذَا اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ فَمَنْ خَلَقَ اللَّهَ ".
Satan brings the thought "Who created your Lord?"; seek refuge with Allah and give it up.
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Satan comes to one of you and says, 'Who created so-and-so? 'till he says, 'Who has created your Lord?' So, when he inspires such a question, one should seek refuge with Allah and give up such thoughts
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ، قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " يَأْتِي الشَّيْطَانُ أَحَدَكُمْ فَيَقُولُ مَنْ خَلَقَ كَذَا مَنْ خَلَقَ كَذَا حَتَّى يَقُولَ مَنْ خَلَقَ رَبَّكَ فَإِذَا بَلَغَهُ فَلْيَسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ، وَلْيَنْتَهِ ".
Whoever faces this thought should say, "I affirm my faith in Allah".
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:Men will continue to question one another till this is propounded: Allah created all things but who created Allah? He who found himself confronted with such a situation should say: I affirm my faith in Allah
حَدَّثَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ مَعْرُوفٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبَّادٍ، - وَاللَّفْظُ لِهَارُونَ - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ يَزَالُ النَّاسُ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ حَتَّى يُقَالَ هَذَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ فَمَنْ خَلَقَ اللَّهَ فَمَنْ وَجَدَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا فَلْيَقُلْ آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ " .
Finding such thoughts too grave to speak of is "the faith manifest".
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that some people from amongst the Companions of the Apostle (ﷺ) came to him and said:Verily we perceive in our minds that which every one of us considers it too grave to express. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Do you really perceive it? They said: Yes. Upon this he remarked: That is the faith manifest
حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ سُهَيْلٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ جَاءَ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَسَأَلُوهُ إِنَّا نَجِدُ فِي أَنْفُسِنَا مَا يَتَعَاظَمُ أَحَدُنَا أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بِهِ . قَالَ " وَقَدْ وَجَدْتُمُوهُ " . قَالُوا نَعَمْ . قَالَ " ذَاكَ صَرِيحُ الإِيمَانِ " .
This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24