On several occasions have I come across this question. Each time it comes my way,I can't stop but to wonder if the questioner is sincerely looking for an answer or just fooling around. It's quite amusing to see that a very simple question like this would warrant the writing of a whole book!
I mean this is a question whose answer is provided by dictionaries! Yet, I had come across a book whose title is exactly the same as this; 'Who is this Allah? '
On reading a couple of falsehoods about the name Allah,I have decided to contribute to the matter.
Well,I would like to pick and present a dictionary meaning attached to the name Allah. According to Encyclopedia Britannica;
" Allāh is
the standard Arabic word for God and is
used by Arab Christians as well as by
Muslims."
In fact,that says it all! God,as an Englishman would call it has its meaning and pronunciation in other languages of the world as well.
Yorubas would say Olohun or Eledumare, Igbos would call Him Chukwu,Hausa would say Obandigi... why,then,would you want to deny Arabians the right to their own customized name for God???
As stated in the Encyclopedia,Arabians,irrespective of their religious affiliations know that Allah means God in arabic. Where,then,does all those misconceptions and mis-information about a 'moon god' allegedly spared by the prophet in the Ka'aba come from,who is telling those white lies and why?
To learn about medicine,you would have to go to a medical college,u would need to consult a historian to learn of past civilizations of the world. Therefore,to learn the truth about Islam,consult a Muslim or Muslims' holy book...the Quran. According to the Quran....
" Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory)." Q:2:256
Such is the God,we,Muslims worship,can an idol sitting exactly where it was placed possess such attributes as described in verse above? Hell no! Our Lord is the Lord of the universe...we worship He who created the heavens and the earth and all within it.
" Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light: Allah doth set forth Parables for men: and Allah doth know all things." Q:24:35
There's nothing that is comparable to Him. He is One and uniquely so...I mean,just check out the description of His light above. If I should continue with His description,gaskia,we no go commot for here today. In my last post,I made it abundantly clear that Islam is d only religion acceptable by God. He (God) had gradually developed His religion over the years via His messengers and prophets a lot of whom were Israelites.
We may have our differences with the Christians and Jews... a major lies difference in the Oneness of God! This difference is between Christians and Muslims.
While the Muslims believe solely in the Oneness of God without a child or helper in anyway,the Christians are of the opinion that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Hence the Trinity doctrine. The Quran says:
"Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
And there is none like unto Him." Q:112:1-4
This is where we differ majorly. Muslims are no idol worshippers but the servants of the Most High!
When next you see or hear people asking the question,who is this Allah? I want you to stand up tall and tell them that Allah is God Almighty! If he argues,then,ask him to tell you what Arab Christians call God in their mother language Arabic?
Salaam.
Comments
One of the biggest MISCONCEPTIONS that many non-Muslims have about Islam have to do with THE WORD "ALLAH". For various reasons, many people have come to believe that Muslims worship A DIFFERENT GOD than CHRISTIANS and JEWS. This is TOTALLY FALSE, since "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God"* - and THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD. Let there be no doubt - Muslims worship the God of NOAH, ABRAHAM, MOSES, DAVID and JESUS - peace be upon them all. However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have DIFFERENT CONCEPTS of Almighty God. For example, Muslims - like Jews - REJECT THE Christian beliefs of the TRINITY and the Divine Incarnation. THIS, however, DOESN'T MEAN that EACH of these three religions WORSHIPS A DIFFERENT GOD - because, as we have already said, there is only One True God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to be "Abrahamic Faiths", and all of them are also classified as "monotheistic". However, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and mixing them with man-made ideas.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, it is important to note that "ALLAH" is THE SAME WORD that ARABIC-SPEAKING CHRISTIANS and Jews USE FOR GOD. If you pick up an ARABIC BIBLE, you will see the word "ALLAH" being used where "GOD" is used in ENGLISH. This is because "ALLAH" is the ONLY word in the Arabic language EQUIVALENT to the English word "GOD" with a capital "G". Additionally, the word "ALLAH" CANNOT BE MADE PLURAL or given gender (i.e. MASCULINE or FEMININE), which goes hand-in-hand with the Islamic concept of God. And, unlike the word "God" it cannot be spelled with a small letter to denote a form of Creation or figment of someone's imagination. ALLAH can only Be used to refer to the ONE AND ONLY, UNSEEN CREATOR of ALL THINGS! To speak about FALSE GODS, one must use the word "ilah" which could apply to ANY OBJECT OF WORSHIP - TRUE or FALSE.
In the Scofield Reference Bible, Doctor of Divinity Rev. C.L. Scofield and his team of eight consulting editors listed the Hebrew word ‘Elah’ (which means ‘God’) alternatively as ‘Alah.” In Chapter 19 of the Book of Revelation, we find the people in Heaven praising ALLAH by saying “ALLELUIA.” (the ‘H’ on either end of the word was added later).
*http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1&version=ALAB
From "WHO IS ALLAH" by Rick Brown: "To anyone who knows the ARAMAIC language and its history in the Middle East, it seems OBVIOUS that the Arabic name Allâh is THE SAME as the Aramaic word for God, Alâh or Alâhâ. Prior to the rise of Islam and for some time afterwards, Aramaic was the main language of Jews and Christians in the Middle East (apart from Egypt, where varieties of Coptic were used), and many Aramaic words were borrowed into Arabic. The usual term for God in Aramaic was Alâh(â). IT IS THE TERM THAT JESUS WOULD HAVE USED. It is used as the term for God in the books of EZRA and DANIEL, in the JEWISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE (the Targums), in the Talmud and in the SYRIAC ARAMAIC BIBLE used by many Middle-Eastern Christians today.
ReplyDeleteThese ARAMAIC-SPEAKING JEWS AND CHRISTIANS lived THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST, and there were also many Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians. It might be recalled that THERE WERE ARABS AT PENTECOST (Acts 2:11), and PAUL WENT TO ARABIA BEFORE BEGINNING HIS MINISTRY among the Syrians and Greeks (Gal 1:17). THERE WERE ARAB BISHOPS AT THE COUNCIL OF NICEA, and there are archeological remains of PRE-ISLAMIC CHURCHES IN YEMEN, in southern Arabia (Najran), along the Gulf, AND IN JORDAN. Archeologists have found inscriptions in cemeteries associated with these churches. THE PROPER NAMES FOUND IN THESE INSCRIPTIONS ARE OFTEN NAMES COMPOUNDED WITH ALLAH, (such as ‘Abd Allah, servant of God) so ALLAH WAS CLEARLY A NAME that CHRISTIANS WERE USING FOR GOD."
THE USE OF THE TERM "ALLAH" FOR GOD BEFORE THE TIME OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD: http://www.themicahmandate.org/2009/03/who-was-%e2%80%98allah%e2%80%99-before-islam-1/
thanks for your additional info given. Really appreciate it!
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