The name Allah (اللَّه) was already known and used in Mecca before the Qur'an was revealed. The Qur'an refers to this fact in several places.

 Yes. From both the Qur'an itself and historical evidence, the name Allah (اللَّه) was already known and used in Mecca before the Qur'an was revealed. The Qur'an refers to this fact in several places.

Some key examples are:

• Qur'an 29:61

  "If you ask them, 'Who created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon?' they will surely say, 'Allah.'"

• Qur'an 29:63

  "If you ask them, 'Who sends down rain from the sky and thereby gives life to the earth after its death?' they will surely say, 'Allah.'"

• Qur'an 31:25

  "If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say, 'Allah.'"

• Qur'an 39:38

  "If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say, 'Allah.'"

• Qur'an 43:87

  "If you ask them who created them, they will surely say, 'Allah.'"

These verses indicate that the pagan Meccans already recognized Allah as the supreme Creator, even though they also worshipped other deities alongside Him. The Qur'an criticizes them not for being unfamiliar with the name "Allah," but for associating partners with Him (shirk).

Historically, this is also supported by pre-Islamic Arabic evidence:

• The name Allah appears in pre-Islamic inscriptions.
• Some pre-Islamic Arabs bore names such as ʿAbd Allāh ("servant of Allah"). The Prophet Muhammad's father was named ʿAbd Allāh, and he died before the Qur'an was revealed.
• Pre-Islamic poetry also contains references to Allah.

So, from both the Qur'an and historical evidence, it is well established that the word "Allah" was already in use and widely recognized in Mecca before the revelation of the Qur'an. What the Qur'an did was call people to worship Allah alone, rejecting the association of other gods with Him.

Pre-Islamic poetry also contains references to Allah.

Yes. The name Allah (اللَّه) appears in a number of poems attributed to pre-Islamic (Jāhilī) Arab poets. However, there is an important academic qualification.

Many scholars agree that:

• The name Allah was known in pre-Islamic Arabia.
• Some poems attributed to pre-Islamic poets contain the word Allah.
• At the same time, because much pre-Islamic poetry was transmitted orally before being written down, scholars debate the authenticity of some individual poems. Thus, any single poetic line should be used with caution.

Examples of poets whose surviving poetry includes references to Allah include:

• Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā
• Labīd ibn Rabīʿah (who later accepted Islam)
• Umayya ibn Abī al-Ṣalt

Their poetry contains invocations or mentions of Allah as the supreme deity or creator.

Even without relying on poetry, there is strong independent evidence that the name Allah was used before Islam:

• The Qur'an repeatedly states that the Meccan polytheists acknowledged Allah as the Creator (e.g., 29:61, 31:25, 39:38).
• Pre-Islamic personal names such as ʿAbd Allāh ("servant of Allah") are historically attested. The Prophet Muhammad's father was named ʿAbd Allāh, demonstrating that the name was in use before the Qur'anic revelation.
• Pre-Islamic inscriptions from Arabia also contain the divine name Allah or closely related forms.

Therefore, while scholars may debate the authenticity of particular poetic verses, the broader historical conclusion is well supported: the name Allah was in use in Arabia before the Qur'an, and the Qur'an addressed people who already recognized that name, while calling them to worship Allah alone without associating partners with Him.

Example of poem

One frequently cited example comes from the pre-Islamic poet Labīd ibn Rabīʿah. A famous line attributed to him reads:

أَلَا كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مَا خَلَا اللَّهَ بَاطِلٌ

Alā kullu shay'in mā khalā Allāha bāṭilu.

Translation:

"Indeed, everything except Allah is perishable (or vain)."

This is one of the best-known verses from pre-Islamic Arabic poetry. It is also quoted in authentic hadith literature, where the Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said:

"The truest word a poet ever spoke is the statement of Labīd:
'Indeed, everything besides Allah is vain.'"

This shows that:

• The poet used the name Allah before embracing Islam.
• The name Allah was understood by his audience.
• The Qur'an did not introduce the word Allah; rather, it called people to worship Allah alone.

Another example is from Umayya ibn Abī al-Ṣalt, whose poems contain invocations such as:

بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ

"In the name of Allah..."

Although scholars generally agree that Umayya's poetry preserves pre-Islamic religious ideas, they debate the authenticity of some individual verses because pre-Islamic poetry was transmitted orally before being written down.

So, Labīd's verse is the clearest and most widely accepted example demonstrating that the name Allah was already in use in Arabic before the Qur'anic revelation.