Sultan to as a sultanate ( "). The term is distinct from king ( "), despite both referring to a sovereign ruler. The use of "sultan" is restricted to Muslim countries, where the title carries religious significance, contrasting the more secular "king", which is used in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries. A feminine form of "sultan", used by Westerners, is Sultana or Sultanah and this title has been used legally for some (not all) Muslim women monarchs and sultan's mothers and chief consorts. However, Turkish and Ottoman Turkish also uses "sultan" for imperial lady, as Turkish grammar—which is influenced by Persian
A Is for Allah recent convert to the Islamic religion, he was concerned with the difficulties he would face securing a high-quality 'Islamic' education for his children. The musician used the song as a vehicle to teach other children about the 28-letter Arabic alphabet. This kind of Islamic music is also known as "nasheed" in the Arabic language. The album also features other Muslim musicians, including Zain Bhikha from South Africa, who sang on all but one track. The album had been in the works since 1994, with the exception of the title track, which dated back to 1980. It was also released with