Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

A R C H I V E S

Allah, God, etc ....

Madina Archives


Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board

Allah, God, etc ....
tryharder
08/06/03 at 17:45:02
[slm]

is it true that Allah prefers to be called Allah? is it offensive for a Muslim to refer to Allah as God?
Re: Allah, God, etc ....
timbuktu
08/06/03 at 20:57:25
[slm]
sister what you are asking for is a fatwa. you should go to a scholar for that. try:
islamonline.net

from a layman's point, Allah has given some of HIS beautiful names in the Quraan, & there is a Hadith in Tirmidhi that gives HIS 99 names. why then use any other name?
08/07/03 at 20:18:59
timbuktu
Re: Allah, God, etc ....
WhiteSomali
08/06/03 at 21:59:08
[slm] ;D

It's best to call God by Allah or one of his 99 Names, because Allah is what He named himself. It's better than the word God, because Allah has no male or female form (God/Godess) and has no plural form (Gods). Allah is God's proper name.

I don't think it's offensive to call Allah God because Allah is God  ;D Still, it makes more sense to refer to God by the Arabic term Allah, because it's what He named himself.

Hope that helps insha'Allah  ;D

[slm]
Re: Allah, God, etc ....
sofia
08/07/03 at 14:10:18
As-salaamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullah,

Allahu A'lim, I had been thinking about this for a different situation. It's best to call Allah by any of the names that He has taught us, esp. when invoking Him. But there may also be a time and place to use the term, God. Mainstream western media uses certain Arabic words decisively. When some commentators use the word, "Allah," it's clear that they are using it not out of respect for the Arabic language nor to use the name God calls Himself by in Arabic, but to effectively index the Islaamic God as "the other/pagan god." This is not meant to sound "conspiratorial," it's just interesting to hear some of the mechanics of western journalism and the effects it has on people. Allah is far above any imperfections a human being can try to ascribe to Him.

Yes, many many non-Muslims are respectful when using the term, "Allah." Regardless, when speaking to non-Muslims in the west, I usually refer to Allah as "God" at first, since that word is more meaningful to them/closest meaning in English and because it's shocking to me that many still think Allah is the name of some pagan god. Subhan'Allah, if they only knew, and it's our (read: my) fault some don't know. Once they get a better idea of what Islaam is about, then I use "Allah" more frequently with them. Allahu A'lim.

Sorry about the tangent. This was mostly a side comment. I'm in total agreement with the brothers above, however.

[color=green] And the most beautiful names belong to God: so call on Him by them; but leave the company of those who use profanity in His names: they will soon be requited for what they used to do.[/color] (Translation of Al-A'raaf 7:180)

[color=green]Say: "Call upon God, or call upon ar-Rahmaan, by whatever name you call Him, for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Neither speak thy Prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between."

Say: "Praise be to God, who begets no son, and has no partner in (His) dominion: Nor (needs) He any to protect Him from humiliation. And magnify Him with all magnificence."[/color] (Translation of Al-Israa' 17:110-111).
Re: Allah, God, etc ....
se7en
08/09/03 at 23:51:58

as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah,

speaking of Allah's names.. you can check out a thread started a while back on the 99 names of Allah.. there's a bit on the meaning and significance of each name:

http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/madina/YaBB.pl?board=library;action=display;num=1040650425;start=0

take care :)



Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
A R C H I V E S

Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author.
The rest © Jannah.Org