THE NAME ALLAH: PART 1

Click the word “Allah” on google search and what do you find -Allah is the One True God in Islam. But there are those from other faiths who wish to put a claim that the word Allah is not exclusive to Islam. In Malaysia, the mass majority are Muslims and the main language medium being Bahasa Malaysia and English, there are non-Muslims who had used the name in its publications.

“On May 5, 2008, Justice Lau Bee Lan of the appellate and special powers division of the Kuala Lumpur High Court reopens her courtroom to decide whether the Catholic Church can take their fight to use the word "Allah" in The Herald, their weekly publication, to the next stage – that is, to get a verdict”.

As an ordinary Muslim living in multi racial community in Malaysia, what does this mean?

In Part 1, to generally understand the context, set out below some extracts from a google search.

Part 2 will focus on seeking some guidance on the said subject matter as a contemporary issue in Malaysia for a Muslim like me while Part 3 will provide a perspective of some of those issues.

PART 1

IS THE ONE THE SAME AS THE THREE?

1. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah)

This article is about the Arabic word "Allah". For the Islamic conception of God, see God in Islam.

Allah (Arabic: الله, Allāh, IPA: [ʔalˤːɑːh]) is the standard Arabic word for "God".^[1] While the term is best known in the West for its use by Muslims as a reference to God, it is used by Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, in reference to "God".^[2][1][3] The term was also used by pagan Meccans as a reference to the creator-god, possibly the supreme deity in pre-Islamic Arabia.^[4]

The concepts associated with the term Allah (as a deity) differ among the traditions. In pre-Islamic Arabia, Allah was not the sole divinity, having associates and companions, sons and daughters. In Islam, Allah is the supreme and all-comprehensive divine name. All other divine names are believed to refer back to Allah.^[5] Allah is unique, the only God, transcendent creator of the universe and omnipotent.^[2][1] Arab Christians today, having no other word for 'God' than 'Allah'^[6], use terms such as Allāh al-ab (الله الآب) to mean God the father. There are both similarities and differences between the concept of God as portrayed in the Qur'an and the Hebrew Bible. ^[7]

1. Allah

(http://www.allah.org/)

“Allah is the personal name of the One true God. Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has no plural or gender. This shows its uniqueness when compared with the word god which can be made plural, gods, or feminine, goddess. It is interesting to notice that Allah is the personal name of God in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and a sister language of Arabic.

The One true God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with God. To a Muslim, Allah is the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him. The Prophet Muhammad was asked by his contemporaries about Allah; the answer came directly from God Himself in the form of a short chapter of the Quran, which is considered the essence of the unity or the motto of monotheism. This is chapter 112 which reads:

"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Say (O Muhammad) He is God the One God, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone."

The unique usage of Allah as a personal name of God is a reflection of Islam's emphasis on the purity of the belief in God which is the essence of the message of all God's messengers. Because of this, Islam considers associating any deity or personality with God as a deadly sin which God will never forgive, despite the fact He may forgive all other sins.

2. Catholic Encyclopedia

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01316a.htm

Allah: The name of God in Arabic.

It is a compound word from the article, 'al, and ilah, divinity, and signifies "the god" par excellence. This form of the divine name is in itself a sure proof that ilah was at one time an appellative, common to all the local and tribal gods. Gradually, with the addition of the article, it was restricted to one of them who took precedence of the others; finally, with the triumph of monotheism, He was recognized as the only true God.

In one form or another this Hebrew root occurs in all Semitic languages as a designation of the Divinity; but whether it was originally a proper name, pointing to a primitive monotheism, with subsequent deviation into polytheism and further rehabilitation, or was from the beginning an appellative which became a proper name only when the Semites had reached monotheism is a much debated question. It is certain, however, that before the time of Mohammed, owing to their contact with Jews and Christians, the Arabs were generally monotheists.

The notion of Allah in Arabic theology is substantially the same as that of God among the Jews, and also among the Christians, with the exception of the Trinity, which is positively excluded in the Koran, cxii: "Say God, is one God, the eternal God, he begetteth not, neither is he begotten and there is not any one like unto him."

Let it be noted that although Allah is an Arabic term, it is used by all Moslems, whatever be their language, as the name of God.

3. As the Catholic Church is involved in this recourse, I browsed through the web and found an interesting article “Who is the Woman Who Rides the Beast in Revelation 17?”

(http://www.chick.com/information/religions/catholicism/sevenhills.asp?From=rcc)

- The Roman Catholic Church is by far the wealthiest institution on earth.

- When Portugal "succeeded in reaching India and Malaya, they secured the confirmation of these discoveries from the Papacy..." There was a condition, of course: "to the intent to bring the inhabitants ... to profess the Catholic Faith.

- We have already seen that Vatican II clearly states that the Roman Catholic Church today still ceaselessly seeks to bring under its control all mankind and all their goods.

Best you read and judge yourself.

End