Allah

How do I write about this name, and what can I say? The plan was to start looking at the names by examining the verses in the Qur'an where the name occurs, and right at the beginning, I am unable to do what I said. I would have to read the whole Qur'an--which perhaps I could do, but what would I have to say about it? I cannot do it for this name; better to admit my defeat at the beginning.

Allah is generally not considered "one of" the 99 names of Allah, since it is the name of Allah, but lists vary. Still it seems important to begin here.

Allah is the Arabic name for God, and its use by Christians is controversial, both among Christians and among Muslims. According to some Muslims, the name Allah is a Muslim word, and its use by Christians is wrong. In Malaysia, for many years the courts had decided that Christians could not use the word in their writings and recordings, and then in 2021 they reversed that ban.  This made sense because Christians in Malaysia had been calling God Allah for centuries. 

There are also Christians who believe that it is wrong or confusing for Christians to use the word Allah, even when they are speaking in Arabic, when they are talking about the Christian God. As an example, Matt Slick of CARM (Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry) in his discussion of Exodus 20:7, Do not take the name of the Lord in vain, says "He did not say his name was Baal, Krishna, or Allah, which are all names given to false god’s by people." I believe that this is a misunderstanding, and a pernicious one.

The name "Allah" is the Arabic version of the Hebrew term El or Elohim. There are several different names used for God in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament. This one is frequently translated "God" in English Bibles. Before Islam even began, Christians and Jews speaking Arabic used the word Allah to refer to God. Christians from denominations that have been in the Arabic-speaking world for a long time all use Allah as their word for God.

In fact the English word "God" has a significantly more confusing pedigree than the Arabic word Allah.  It grows from a root of pouring, and probably means something like "the one for whom libations are poured", and was used to refer to Wodan. I do not have any problem using the English word God to speak to God, even though it has roots in other religions.  The Latin "deus" has a cognate in the Greek Zeus, and the Greek "theos" was used to refer to gods generally in the Greek pantheon before the Christians picked it up to refer specifically to their God.

 I know, and I know that God knows that I am using this word to speak to God as he is revealed in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the creator of the universe, and the Lord of all that is created. This is what a Muslim means when s/he prays to Allah, and so, it seems reasonable to me to use both the Arabic word Allah and the English word God.

Are there differences between the Muslim understanding of who God is and my understanding?  Yes. I do not want to gloss over the fact that I am a Trinitarian Christian. I understand that this is not consistent with the Qur'an. But for my part, I will trust that God at least understands who I am talking to when I use the name Allah.

Jews mark the name of God as holy by considering it off limits. Muslims fill their speech with phrases incorporating the name of Allah: Bismillah (In the name of God),  Insha'Allah (God willing) , Masha'Allah (God willed it, with overtone meanings of "it's wonderful"), Alhamdu'lillah (Thank God), thus sanctifying their entire life by reference to God. Christians generally fall somewhere in the middle, praying "in the name of Jesus," and trying not to use the name of God to swear, but otherwise mostly ignoring the idea of hallowing the name of God.  If part of the purpose of this exercise is to discover truths that may have been overlooked in my life, then perhaps the first question I want to consider is this: In what ways am I meant to hallow the name of God in my life?

This blog is an exploration of ways for me to do that. Here is the prayer that came as I pondered beginning this project.  Bismillah, "In the name of Allah" is something that Muslim children are taught to say at the beginning of everything that they do.

Bismillah
(In the name of Allah)

Bismillah, I open
Bismillah, I start
Bismillah, I welcome this new day
Bismillah, I follow
Bismillah, I stand
Bismillah, I'll walk upon Your way.

In the name of Allah
In the name of God
I open up my heart and my mind
Keep me seeking only for your Truth and Love
Help me fully embrace the things I find

Bismillah, I open
Bismillah, I start
Bismillah, I welcome this new day
Bismillah, I follow
Bismillah, I stand
Bismillah, I’ll walk upon Your way.