Is Allah really the moon god - ????? nope!

Note: i have been working hard on a book to refute the false notion that Allah was the name of a pre Islamic deity, particularly the moon god. Dr. Robert Morey is one of the few propergaters of this idea. There has been scholars who have successfully refuted Dr Robert Morey on a couple of issues and i have heavily leaned on their works for some parts of this booklet, and in no way am I going to say my research and my work is better than theres. However with the whole of this booklet, i feel i can touch this topic from an angle that has been untouched. I am going to paste up peice by peice and watch for relpies and reactions and also suggestions how i can make this booklet better. I have quoted anti-Islamic material but yet refuted it. I ask the Admins not to spoil my document by taking out the quotations. I am happy to say now that the booklet is complete, however i am going to change it here and there before it gets printed.

PART ONE
NO OBJECTIONS!

From the outset of his booklet, Dr Robert Morey states:

“The religion of Islam has as its focus of worship a deity by the name of "Allah." The Muslims claim that Allah in pre-Islamic times was the biblical God of the Patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. The issue is thus one of continuity. Was "Allah" the biblical God or a pagan god in Arabia during pre-Islamic times? The Muslim's claim of continuity is essential to their attempt to convert Jews and Christians for if "Allah" is part of the flow of divine revelation in Scripture, then it is the next step in biblical religion. Thus we should all become Muslims. But, on the other hand, if Allah was a pre-Islamic pagan deity, then its core claim is refuted.
- Dr Robert Morey,The Moon-god In The Archaeology of The Middle East, pg.1

Dr Robert Morey suggests that Muslims are attempting to win over the Jews and the Christians by proclaiming that Allah is also the God they worship. Further on in his booklet he says:

“Muhammad attempted to have it both ways. To the pagans, he said that he still believed in the Moon-god Allah. To the Jews and the Christians, he said that Allah was their God too. But both the Jews and the Christians knew better and that is why they rejected his god Allah as a false god”.
- Dr Robert Morey, The Moon-god In The Archaeology of The Middle East, pg.13

.....The question is here did the Jews and the Christians in ‘Arabia before and after the advent of Muhammad’s prophet hood reject Allah as a pagan deity? We find the truth to be opposite of Dr. Robert Morey’s claim. Jews and the Christians of Arabia have never objected to calling their deity Allah before and after the declaration of Muhammad’s صلي اللّه عليه وسلم Prophet-hood.

NO OBJECTIONS FROM THE JEWS

.....Every dispute with the people of the book has been recorded in the Qur’an and the Ahadith (plural of Hadith). If we look to the Qur’an 3:183 we will find that the Jews argued with Muhammad by claiming “Allah took our promise not to believe in a Messenger unless he showed us a sacrifice consumed by fire”. On another occasion the Jews was asked by Prophet Muhammad صلي اللّه عليه وسلم what would they think if their main priest converted to Islam and upon hearing that they replied “May Allah protect him from that." (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, No. 275.) Their argument was not the name of G-d, but, the prophet hood of Muhammad صلي اللّه عليه وسلم.

.....Another example is the changing of the direction of the Qiblah: The Muslims faced towards Jerusalem for their daily prayers until Allah sent down a revelation commanding them to face the direction of the Kabah in Makkah. Ibn Ihsaq reports that the change of direction happened one year and six months after the holy Prophet and the Muslims had emigrated to Madinah. ( Sirat ul Rasoolullah, pg. 289.) This indicates that for so many years the Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem whilst they were in Makkah. Facing the direction of Jerusalem pleased The Jews and gave them hope that they could convert Muhammad صلي اللّه عليه وسلم to Judaism. (Muhammad. The Beloved of Allah, Dar-us-Salam Publications, pg. 124. ) However they lost all hope when Muhammad told them “All nations are equal before Allah and Allah chooses whom He wishes for Prophet-hood and the distinction is not for Jews alone”. (Ibid. pg. 125.) Allah later revealed the command for the Muslims to change their direction to Makkah. (Qur’an, Surah Baqarah 2:144). The Jews objected to this strongly and Allah revealed the verse ‘The fools among the people say “What has made them turn away from the direction they used to face”. (Ibid, verse 2:141). If Allah was the name of a pagan deity then the Jews would be breaking their tradition which states that one should not utter any name of any false god. (Bible, Exodus 23:13).

NO OBJECTIONS FROM THE CHRISTIANS

.....The Christians also raised many objections against Islam but we find it was never once about the name Allah. It is reported that the Christians of Najran was listening to Mughirah Ibn Shubah رضي الله عنه reciting the verses of the Qur’an that relate to Mary and the birth of Jesus عليهالسلام . After hearing the recitation of the Qur’an they objected to Mary being referred to as 'O sister of Aaron' accusing Muhammad صلي اللّه عليه وسلم of Anachronism. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1003). They never objected to the following verses which quote baby Jesus عليهالسلام as saying ‘Indeed I am a servant of Allah.’ (‘Abdullah) (Qur’an Surah Maryam 19:30). The Christian king Negus had these very same verses recited to him and he made no objections in regards to the name Allah. (Ibn Ihsaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah – The Life of Muhammad. translated by Alfred Guillaume, pgs 150-152). There were also the sixty Christian riders from Najran which came to dialogue with Prophet Muhammad صلي اللّه عليه وسلم , (Ibid. pgs 270-277) They had many disagreements with Muhammad صلي اللّه عليه وسلم but Allah being the true name for G-d was not one of them. In fact we find the Christians arguing that Jesus was Allah. (Quran Surah Ma’idah 5:72) Further more one of the Christians had the name ‘Abdullah i.e. servant of Allah. (Ibn Ihsaq’s – The Life of Muhammad. translated by Alfred Guillaume, pg. 271, verse 403.) And he may have been born well before Muhammad’s صلي اللّه عليه وسلم declaration to Prophet-hood.

NO OBJECTIONS FROM THE PAGANS

.....The pagans would have indeed been some of the first to object to the idea that Allah was the same G-d that the Jews and the Christians worshipped. They would have argued that Muhammad صلي اللّه عليه وسلم was trying to pull the wool over their eyes and would have encouraged the idea Muhammad صلي اللّه عليه وسلم was an imposter based on this argument. However this argument is conspicuously absent in the texts of the Qur’an and the Ahadith. Overall these few examples demonstrate that even though the Jews, Christians and the pagans made objections they shared a common belief in Allah.

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Please epress your thoughts and point out mistakes and lend suggestions .. wasalams