On the Use of "Allah" vs. "God"

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On the Use of "Allah" vs. "God"

Shaikh Adil Salahi's answer on Using the word God for Allah was good and agreeable. However, it would now be appropriate to point out some differences between the words 'God' and 'Allah'.

In matters of religion, the source of all authority is Allah (swt), Whose instructions regarding what we should believe and how we should act come down to us via His messengers. Therefore, we are to take our guidance from the messengers in order to practice that faith to the fullest. At least the more we can stick to the directions and examples of the prophets, the better of we would be in nearness to Allah (swt).

The word Allah is not exclusively used by Muslims at all. All Semitic languages use one or another variation of the same word. For example, in Hebrew, it is Eloah, which is very closed to sounding Allah. In the Old Testament, the word Elohim is used to denote God, which is actually the plural for "Eloah" but used in singular sense. In Aramaic, which is the language spoken by Jesus (peace be upon him), the word for God is Eli - which again sounds close to "Allah". Thus we can safely say that all the Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic prophets as well as other prophets who spoke a Semitic language used the word "Allah" for God or one of its variations.

On the contrary, the word "God" comes from English - a language that was developed centuries later. Thus it would be completely unknown to any Prophet, and if any of them were to arrive here today he would not know what it means.

While it is acceptable to use "God" if anyone feels more comfortable with it, for those who think that "Allah" is a foreign god peculiar to only Muslims should know that "Allah" is actually more authentic and universal and there are more evidence for using "Allah" than for "God" or any other word denoting the Supreme Being of the universe.

Secondly, the Supreme Being who created this universe and rules it is Absolutely Unique. There is no likeness of Him and there is no second to Him. In fact, if anyone forms some sort of mental imagination of Him, then that is not Him since there is nothing like Him and therefore He is beyond human imganiations.

The word "Allah" has never been used for anything other than that Supreme Being. It only refers to that one Absoulte Power, the Lord of entire universe. There is no plural to this word, nor is there any gender associated with it. It is completely pure from any contaminations in its use. And therefore, it is consistent with the Uniqueness that characterizes the Lord of the universe.

On the contrary, "God" is a masculine word which has a feminine form "goddess" and plural "gods". All of these forms are used in myriads of mythologies in various cultures. Presently, the word "god" has been contaminated so much that it is found in many others usage as well.

For many Muslims, the word "Allah" is so close, loving, comforting, and inseparable from their experience of faith that no other word can substitute it. Probably the same is true for those who are used to the word "God".

My suggestion is that it is better to use the word "God" when we are communicating with believers of other faith, for this facilitates communications and understanding. Muslims converts may also continue to use the word "God" if that brings them more meaning and more experience of Allah (swt). Otherwise, my opinion is that Muslims should generally use "Allah" since it is more authentic, logical and consistent with what the prophets and messengers used in the past, and since it is used by Allah (swt) Himself in the Qur'an, the Living Guide for all Muslims.

As always, Allah knows best.

- Mushfiqur Rahman, 16 November 2004

Using the Word 'God' for Allah

Question. Since we earn reward for merely mentioning the name Allah, why do some of us replace it with God? I have been taught by my father that the name Allah is not in any language other than Arabic and its meaning is known only to Allah. Therefore, we must not even use the pronouns He and Him in reference to Him, since Allah has no gender. Please comment.

- Fatima Kazi

Answer. To say that the name Allah has a meaning known only to Allah Himself is wrong, because you have to understand what the name means before you believe in Him. Otherwise, you are believing in what you do not understand. This is not acceptable in a religion that repeatedly calls on us to use our minds and to think about life, the universe, creation, etc. Allah is the Arabic name that refers to the Supreme Being who created all that exists. He has certain attributes of perfection which are due to Him, and we acknowledge all these as we learn them from the Qur'an and the Prophet (peace be upon him).

To say that we cannot use the pronouns 'He' and 'Him' in reference to Allah is again wrong, because He has used these in referring to Himself in the Qur'an. He says for example: "All that is in the heavens and the earth extol God's limitless glory. He is Almighty, Wise. To Him belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and causes death, and He has power over all things." (57: 1-2). In Arabic we often use these pronouns to refer to Him, as we would use them in reference to any person. The Prophet did, which shows that using them is perfectly appropriate.

The word 'God' is the English name for Allah, and there is no harm in using it. In fact it is better to use it because if you use the Arabic name, people tend to think that this is a different being whom only Muslims worship. But when you use 'God' they realize that you are referring to the Almighty.

- Adil Salahi, Arab News

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