E
Eucharisted
Guest
I’ve been thinking over the Name of Allah, and I realized something:
What if some of Mohammed’s disciples got it wrong when they said God’s Name is Allah? Allow me to explain.
I am not challenging whether or not God’s Name is Allah, but rather, I’m challenging what I believe is a possible error among early followers of Mohammed. Now, let’s look at some Koran verses which have been translated into English:
*[20.8] Allah – there is no god but He; His are the very best names.
[22.40] Those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause except that they say: Our Lord is Allah. And had there not been Allah’s repelling some people by others, certainly there would have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques in which Allah’s name is much remembered; and surely Allah will help him who helps His cause; most surely Allah is Strong, Mighty.*
Now, I don’t know Arabic, but I do know that the word Allah is Arabic for “God”, so if we translated the verses into Arabic, they would say:
*[20.8] God – there is no god but He; His are the very best names.
[22.40] Those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause except that they say: Our Lord is God. And had there not been God’s repelling some people by others, certainly there would have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques in which God’s name is much remembered; and surely God will help him who helps His cause; most surely God is Strong, Mighty.*
I believe saying God’s Name is God is philosophically correct, because God is the God, and there is no god beside Him. And He has said in the Bible, “I am who I am” - that is, God is who He is: God is God. I think that naming God “Allah” - which is basically a redundant way of referring to God - starting when Mohammed’s disciples began to use God’s Name too literally.
I also think that correcting such a error would do no harm to Islam, nor to the Koran, because the mistake would be on the early disciples, not on the Koran nor on Mohammed.
Anyway, that’s my little meditation on “Allah”.
What if some of Mohammed’s disciples got it wrong when they said God’s Name is Allah? Allow me to explain.
I am not challenging whether or not God’s Name is Allah, but rather, I’m challenging what I believe is a possible error among early followers of Mohammed. Now, let’s look at some Koran verses which have been translated into English:
*[20.8] Allah – there is no god but He; His are the very best names.
[22.40] Those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause except that they say: Our Lord is Allah. And had there not been Allah’s repelling some people by others, certainly there would have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques in which Allah’s name is much remembered; and surely Allah will help him who helps His cause; most surely Allah is Strong, Mighty.*
Now, I don’t know Arabic, but I do know that the word Allah is Arabic for “God”, so if we translated the verses into Arabic, they would say:
*[20.8] God – there is no god but He; His are the very best names.
[22.40] Those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause except that they say: Our Lord is God. And had there not been God’s repelling some people by others, certainly there would have been pulled down cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques in which God’s name is much remembered; and surely God will help him who helps His cause; most surely God is Strong, Mighty.*
I believe saying God’s Name is God is philosophically correct, because God is the God, and there is no god beside Him. And He has said in the Bible, “I am who I am” - that is, God is who He is: God is God. I think that naming God “Allah” - which is basically a redundant way of referring to God - starting when Mohammed’s disciples began to use God’s Name too literally.
I also think that correcting such a error would do no harm to Islam, nor to the Koran, because the mistake would be on the early disciples, not on the Koran nor on Mohammed.
Anyway, that’s my little meditation on “Allah”.