Answering Islam

Although the above is the most popular explanation of the name, this is probably not correct, and the source of the name has to be sought in the Aramaic language. See the article on Alaha, the Syriac Christian term for God.

In the Bible, God is most often called by two names, namely 'el (and its more commonly used plural form, 'elohim) and Jehovah (YHWH, Yehovah or Yahweh). The Jews, being very reverential of God, do not pronounce the latter, and many Bible translations uses the translational device of LORD (all in capital letters) to translate the latter name. When Moses asked for God's name, God described Himself to be "I AM THAT I AM" (hayah hayah):

And Moses said unto God ('elohim), Behold, [when] I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God ('elohim) of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What [is] his name? what shall I say unto them? And God ('elohim) said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM (hayah hayah): and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God ('elohim) said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD (Yehovah) God ('elohim) of your fathers, the God ('elohim) of Abraham, the God ('elohim) of Isaac, and the God ('elohim) of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this [is] my name for ever, and this [is] my memorial unto all generations. (Exodus 3:13-15, KJV),

And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty (el shaddai), but by my name JEHOVAH (Yehovah) was I not known to them. (Exodus 6:3, KJV),

Some people argue that Allah is the moon-god of the pagan Arabs before the advent of Islam. Whatever the merits of this theory, there is a clear concensus: the name "Allah" is not unfamiliar to the Arabs. Muhammad was not bringing a message about a new and so far unknown God. The following is a list of statements of very uneven authority.

* Attributes of Allah include existence without a body, without beginning, without end, self-subsistence, non-resemblance to anything in creation, oneness, life without food, spirit, body, air and blood, will (predestination), power, knowledge, hearing without ears, or or organ, seeing without eyes, light or organ, al-Kalam (speech without sounds, letters and languages). Allah is not attributed with color, brightness, spirit, image, body, dimensions, rest, motion, gender, relationship (son, wife, sister, brother, children). He is the only creator and no creates except him. Creator of everything, including evil, good, nature. Everything other than Allah is created.

* ``The name of Allah, as the Quran itself is witness, was well known in pre-Islamic Arabia. Indeed, both it and its feminine form 'Allat', are found not infrequently among the theophorous names in inscriptions from North Africa.'' (Arthur Jeffery, Islam: Muhammed and his religion, p 85).

* ``'Allah' is a proper name, applicable only to their [Arabs] peculiar god. (Hastings, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, I.326).

* ``'Allah' is a pre-Islamic name...corresponding to the Babylonian Bel.'' (Paul Meagher,Thomas O' Brein, in ERE, I.117).

* ``The Arabs, before the time of Muhammed accepted and worshipped, after a fashion, a supreme god called 'Allah'. (Encyclopaedia of Islam, I.302).

* "The name of 'Allah' is also evident in archeological and literary remains of pre-Islamic Arabia". (Kenneth Cragg, The Call of the Minaret, p. 31).

* 'Allah' was known to the pre-Islamic Arabs and it was one of the Meccan deities. (H. Gibb, Encyclopedia of Islam, I.46).

* "The origin of the name Allah goes back before Muhammed ... Along with Allah, however, they worshipped a host of lesser gods and ‘daughters of Allah.’" (Anthony Mercatante, The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, I:41.)

* "There is no reason, therefore, to accept that Allah passed to the Muslims from the Jews and Christians." (Caesar Farah, Islam : Beliefs and Observations, p. 28).

* According to Middle East scholar E.M. Wherry, in pre-Islamic times, Allah-worship, as well as the worship of Baal, were both astral religions in that they involved the worship of the stars, the sun and the moon. (A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, p. 36).

* "The relation of this name, which in Babylonia and Assyrian became a generic term simply meaning 'god', to the Arabian Ilah familiar to us in the form Allah, which is compounded of al, the definite article, and Ilah by eliding the vowel 'i', is not clear. Some scholars trace the name to the South Arabian Ilah, a title of the Moon god, but this is a matter of antiquarian interest" (Islam, Alfred Guillaume, 1956, p. 7).

* Ahmad Deedat, a Muslim apologist, contends that the Bible contains the name Allah. He refers to a footnote in the Scoffield Bible where it says that the Hebrew word for God, Elohim is derived from "El" (strength) and "Alah" (to swear). (God).

• 99 beautiful names of ~, see THE 99 or BEAUTIFUL NAMES OF ALLAH

• reward of Paradise for knowing 99 names of Allah, Sahih Bukhari 3.894 Sahih Bukhari 8.419
• a day for Him is

  • a thousand human years, al-Hajj 22:47; as-Sajdah 32:5

  • descends to heaven of the world during last third of night, Sahih Bukhari 008.075.333

  • fifty thousand years, al-Ma`arij 70:4

  These verses do not seem to be allegoric in nature, but appears to be very literal. Both al-Hajj 22:47 and as-Sajdah 32:5 says it is a thousand years by which man reckons.

• ability to do anything, al-Baqarah 2:106,117; Âl 'Imran 3:165,189; al-Anfal 8:41; at-Taubah 9:116; Hud 11:4; an-Nahl 16:40; al-Mu'min 40:68; Ha Mim Sajdah 41:39; ash-Shura 42:49; al-Hadid 57:2

• Allah swears by different objects

• "anthropomorphic" descriptions of Allah in the Qur'an

  • countenance (P:), face of Allah (YA:), person (S:), ar-Rahman 55:26-27

  • eyes of Allah (YA:, S:), Ta Ha 20:38-39

  • hand of Allah, al-Fath 48:10

  • seated on a throne (P: YA:), al-Hadid 57:4

• best of all judges, at-Tin 95:8

• beyond definition, az-Zukhruf 43:82; al-Mulk 67:12

• brings disbelievers schemes to nought, al-Anfal 8:30,36

• cause human beings to disappear and bring forth other beings, an-Nisa' 4:133; Ibrahim 14:19; al-Fatir 35:16

• caused a man to sleep for a century, al-Baqarah 2:259

• causes laughter and crying, an-Najm 53:43

• deceives, is the best of deceivers, see the entry DECEPTION

• decrees what befalls humans, at-Taubah 9:51; al-Hadid 57:22

• directs the way, but not all ways are straight, an-Nahl 16:9.
• does not bear a son, 112

  The word for bear is walad, a biological (i.e. physical) begetting. In other words, the Qur'an says that God does not physically give birth to a son, and charged Christians of believing so. Christians never believed that God physically (by having sex with a women) gave birth to Jesus. This is Greek mythology.

• enemy of those who deny the truth, al-Baqarah 2:98

• exists without a place,

* Al Bayhaqiyy related the Hadith: "You are adh-Dhaher (The One Whose existence is obvious by proofs). Hence there is nothing above You. And You are al-Batin (The One Who is clear from the delusions of bodily attributes). Hence there is nothing underneath You." Then he (Al- Bayhaqiyy) said "Some of our companions took that Hadith as a proof to clear Allah of places. If there is nothing above Him and nothing underneath Him, then He is not in a place".
* Ar-Ramliyy and abu Mansour al Baghdadiy narrated the saying of ^Aliy bin abi Taleb: " Allah existed eternally without a place, and now He is as He was."
* Az-Zabidiyy narrated in the explanation of al-'Ihya': "O Allah, the One Who is clear of non-befiting attributes, You are not contained in a place."
* Abu Hanifa in his book al-Fiqh al-absat :" Allah was eternally without a place, He was before the Creation, He was before anything and He is the Creator of everything." He also said in his book al wassiyya: "He is the one who preserve the throne without any need for it. If He needs it He wouldn't have Created the world becuse he would be like the creation, and if He was in place sitting or settling so before creating the throne where Was He. The Bayyadiy in explaining the saying of Abu Hanifa said that: "The imam called those who say that Allah exists in a place Blasphemers".
* Imam al 'Ash^ariy said "Allah exists without a plpace" as narrated by al-Bayhaqiyy in his book al-'asma' was-sifat"
* Imam abu Ja^far at-tahawiy (he lived with the salaf and the khalaf) in the ^aqida that he called it the ^aqida of ahlus-sunna: "Allah is not contained in any of the six directions." (His famous book Al-^Aqidda at-tahawiyya; he explains this ^aqidda by ibnu abil ^izz using the sayings of ibn taymiyya that Allah himself is above the throne and that the kind of the creation is eternal).
* Al Hafedh ibn Hajjar in his book "Fathul Bari fi sharh sahih al bukhariy" said, "The imam Bukhari believed that Allah exists without a place (vol13 p357)". Also vol3 p23. vol6 p102. vol13 p. 309,328,351,354, 355,357,366,369,370,414)
* Al-Nawawiyy in his explanation of Sahih muslim agreed with al Qadi ^iyad that the verse " 'A'amintum man fis-sama'i" is interpreted literaly (We make ta'weel)
* The muffassir Fakhruddin ar-Raziy in his explanation of the Qur'an (vol3 p69) said that "It is the mushabiha who used the verse ('A'amintum man fis-sama'i) to claim that Allah himself is in the sky. The muffassir abu Hayyan al 'Andalusiy said the same thing (Al-Bahrul muhit vol8 p302 and al-Bahrul mad vol2 p 1131,1132).
* The Mufassir and Faqih abul Faraj ibnul Jawziy in his book "Al- Bazul ashhab al munqad ^ala mukhalifi al Madhhab" (who wrote this book to refute the counter claims and to prove that ahlus-sunna and especially imam Ahmad ibnu Hanbal are clear from the saying of tashbih that Allah himself is in the sky) said (p54,56,57), "Those who claimed that Allah exists in a place are mushabiha and mujassima and didn't know what is the right belief"
* Abu Mansur al-Baghdadiy in his Book "al Farqu baynal firaq p333): "It is the consensus of Ahlus-sunna that Allah exists without a place"
• extol his glory from morning until night, al-Ahzab 33:42

• false daughters of, an-Nahl 16:57; bani Isra'il 17:40; az-Zukhruf 43:16; at-Tur 52:39; an-Najm 53:21-22

  • by name, an-Najm 53:19-20

• fear of Allah

• forgives those repentant of sinning due to ignorance, an-Nahl 16:119

• giver of life and death, al-Baqarah 2:258; Âl 'Imran 3:256; ad-Dukhan 44:8; an-Najm 53:44; al-Hadid 57:2; al-Mulk 67:2 .

Jesus also claimed to have the power to give life:

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. (John 5:21)

• gives humans free will, Ya Sin 36:67. see also guides and leads astray who he will, under GOD and PREDESTINATION.

• giving it all up for him, an-Nisa' 4:66-68,125

• good and evil are from Him, an-Nisa' 4:78

• guides and leads astray who He will, al-Baqarah 2:26,142, al-An`am 6:35-36,125; Ibrahim 14:4; an-Nahl 16:93,104; al-Qasas 28:56. see also gives humans free will, under GOD.

  Muslim belief is that God wills everything, whether good or evil. See also PREDESTINATION.

• hard strivers rewarded better, an-Nisa' 4:95-96; al-Ma'idah 5:54; at-Taubah 9:120; al-Hujurat 49:15; as-Saff 61:11

• has no consort, al-Jinn 72:3

• has no intercessors, az-Zumar 39:3. See Intercession.

• has no son, az-Zukhruf 43:81; al-Jinn 72:3; al-Ikhlas 112:3

• has not forsaken you during your hard times, ad-Duha 93:3

• hates us for vain talks, extravagance and asking too much question,

  Narrated Ash-sha'bi:

  The clerk of Al-Mughira bin Shu'ba narrated, "Muawiya wrote to Al-Mughira bin Shu'ba: Write to me something which you have heard from the Prophet." So Al-Mughira wrote: I heard the Prophet saying, "Allah has hated for you three things:

  1. Vain talks, (useless talk) that you talk too much or about others.
  2. Wasting of wealth (by extravagance)
  3. And asking too many questions (in disputed religious matters) or asking others for something (except in great need).

  (Sahih Bukhari 2.555)

• Holy One, 62:1.

  Interestingly, the above verse is the only passage affirming that Allah is holy, and as a mere passing remark. In the Qur'an, the attribute of God's Holiness pale in comparison to the predominant theme of Allah's omnipotence and omniscience, which are attributes repeated many times in the Qur'an.

• inspiration to mystics, an-Nur 24:35-36

• Is Allah the God of the Bible? an article exploring this question
• is everywhere, al-Baqarah 2:115,142,177; an-Nisa' 4:126

• is just, Yunus 10:109; Yusuf 12:80; an-Nahl 16:90; al-Anbiya' 21:47.

• is not a body,

* The aqueeda of Ahl-es-Sunna wal Jama'a is that Allah exists without a place. Saying that Allah is above 7 skies separate from his creation means that he is a body and body is impossible to Allah. Al-Imam al-Ash'ariyy said: The person who believe that Allah is a body ignores his Lord and is a Kafir. Cited in his book an-Nawadir.

While Islam does not give a definite statement about Allah's body, it also does not say definitely that Allah is a spirit. In the Bible, we find Jesus teaching that God is a is spirit,

[Jesus said:] God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

• is the

  • First and the Last (alpha and omega), al-Hadid 57:3.

    In the Bible, God used this title for Himself:

    I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)

    This title is used of Jesus in the Bible:

    When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. (Revelation 1:17) He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. (Revelation 21:6)

    "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (Revelation 22:12-16)

  • Outward and Inward, al-Hadid 57:3

• jealousy of Allah, Malik's Muwwata 12.1.1. Sunan Abu Da'ud 14.2653

• knows that beyond comprehension, al-An`am 6:59,73; at-Taubah 9:94,105; ar-Ra`d 13:9; as-Sajdah 32:6; Saba' 34:48; al-Fatir 35:38; az-Zumar 39:46; al-Hujurat 49:18; al-Hashr 59:22; al-Jum`ah 62:8; at-Taghabun 64:18; al-Jinn 72:26; al-Mudathir 74:31; al-A`la 87:7

• love of, see LOVE of Allah
• loves those who behave equitably, al-Hujurat 49:9.

  Muslims do not believe that God loves the sinner, whereas Christians believe that God loves everyone, including sinners.

  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:28)

  However, this does not mean that God condones the sins of the sinner.

• makes people understand, Sahih Bukhari 1.71
• made no laws regarding that of which He didn't speak, al-Ma'idah 5:101; al-An`am 6:140,148; al-A`raf 7:32

• Master of Day of Judgement, al-Fatihah 1:4

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, (John 5:22)

• Meccan attitude of God as the "highest god" but one among many Yunus 10:18; al-`Ankabut 29:65; Ya Sin 36:23; az-Zumar 39:38; az-Zukhruf 43:86

• mercy towards prisoners of war who have good in them, al-Anfal 8:70

• nature of, al-Baqarah 2:255

• no human is a divinity, Âl 'Imran 3:64,151

• not third of Three (YA: not a trinity), an-Nisa' 4:171

• only Allah forgives, Âl 'Imran 3:129.

  Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Get up and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today. (Luke 5:18-26)

• Only God is good?

• refuge from evil with, al-Falaq; an-Nas

• remembering him standing, sitting, lying down, Âl 'Imran 3:191; an-Nisa' 4:103; Yunus 10:12; al-Furqan 25:64

• schemer and deceiver, cf. DECEPTION

• seven types of people shaded by Allah's shade [on Day of Judgement]: just ruler, young men brought up in worship of Allah, a man whose heart is attached to the mosque, two men who loved each other only for Allah's sake and meet and part in Allahs cause only, refuses illegal sex with charming women of noble birth, practice charity secretly, remembers Allah in seclusion and cries a lot, Sahih Bukhari 2.504
• shapes you in the womb, Âl 'Imran 3:6

• sovereign, al-Baqarah 2:255

• throne rests upon the water, Hud 11:7

• to Him belong the finest names (al asmaa al husna) (MA: attributes of perfection), al-A`raf 7:180; bani Isra'il 17:110; Ta Ha 20:8; al-Hashr 59:22-24

• unity of Allah (tawhid), eg. Sura al-Ikhlas 112

al-Baqarah 2:255: "Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedeth with Him save by His leave? He knoweth that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous."

For four centuries after Muhammad, theologians tried to describe Allah, but to no avail. Finally, it was concludend that Allah is unknowable, even though "he is closer to man than his jugular vein" (Qaf 50:15). But the following attributes are affirmed:

1. Life. Allah exists by himself, has no beginning and end, nor dependent on anyone or anything.
2. Knowledge. He knows everything, seen or unseen, in heaven or earth, past or future, and does not forget.
3. Power. All powerful. Can destroy or recreate earth in a moment.
4. Will. He does what he wills and what he wills come to pass, whether good of evil. Man's good deeds are done because Allah wills them.
5. Hearing. He hears without needing ears
6. Seeing. He sees "even the steps of a black ant on a black stone on a dark night", without having eyes of men.
7. Speech. He speaks without tongue like men. He may speak directly, more often through Gabriel.
(Emory VanGerpen, Notes on Islam, Oasis Books, 1974, p.26)
"Bi la kaif; wa la tashbih" : means that men describe Allah "without asking how this is possible, and without comparing him." (Al-Ghazali, quoted by Emory VanGerpen, Notes on Islam, Oasis Books, 1974, p.26)
• wants to give good things,

* [Jesus said:] Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:9-11)

This teaching of the tender love of God is alien to most Muslims, except perhaps for the Sufis.
• wrote tables for Moses, see received God's written tables under MOSES
• will create things of which you have no knowledge, an-Nahl 16:8

• wills no wrong to His creation, Âl 'Imran 3:108; an-Nisa' 4:40; bani Isra'il 17:71; al-Anbiya' 21:47; al-Hajj 22:10; ash-Shu`ara' 26:209; al-Mu'min 40:31; Ha Mim Sajdah 41:46; al-Jathiyah 45:22; Qaf 50:29; at-Taghabun 64:11.

  Compare this with guides and leads astray who He will. See also PREDESTINATION.

• al-Baqarah 2:255,284; Âl 'Imran 3:2,26; al-Ma'idah 5:17,72; al-An`am 6:96; an-Nur 24:35; al-Hashr 59:22; at-Taghabun 64:1

Further recommended reading:

• The Moslem Doctrine of God by Samuel Zwemer
• The Character of God of in Bible and Qur'an
• Is Allah the God of the Bible?
• Ishmaelites and the Worship of God

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