Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!aabiyaba
From: aabiyaba@athena.mit.edu
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Allah and God
Message-ID: <5225@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 17 Mar 90 02:57:18 GMT
Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu
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Approved: naim@eecs.nwu.edu (Naim Abdullah)


I'm writing in response to W. B. Baker's question about the words "Allah" 
and "God" in soc.religion.islam.

I believe that "Allah" is the contracted form of "Al Illah" which is the 
Arabic for "The God" or "The One-and-Only God".
As far as I know "Al Illah" is never used as such but linguists have suggested 
that origin for "Allah".  (A native Arabic speaker might consider responding).

I understand that pre-Islamic monotheistic Arabs used "Allah" to denote "God" 
as opposed to the pagans who referred to their "god(s)".

Although "God" is the closest English translation of "Allah" and could be used
in the phrase "Mohammed is the Messenger of God", "Allah" carries a sense of 
Oneness [unity] which Christian English-speaking cultures do not associate with
the word "God".  To distinguish from the concept of the triune God of 
Christian cultures, it might be better to always use "Allah".

It is quite unfortunate that Mr. Baker's friends think of fanatics when they 
hear the word "Allah"; it is indicative of the widespread misunderstanding 
about the Last Religion^ to be Revealed to Humankind by Allah: Islam.

Ahmed Biyabani

^ Religion: 	This is another poorly understood term as it relates to Islam.
		I don't have the time to pursue it here but one might
		consider the overlap (in English) between "religion", 
		"faith", "way of life" and "belief".  To use the Arabic term, 
		Islam is Allah's only legitimate "deen" and Mohammed 
		[peace be upon him] was chosen to deliver Islam's final form,
		i.e., the culmination of Islam as delivered through earlier 
		prophets.