Non muslims referring to God as Allah

[Fivesolas]

No, your misunderstood like you did with my earlier post.

I brought that to attention because of what you said here -

^Tell that to the millions of Christians around the world, who would use the same arguement as what I've already presented. I think it is better for you to have re-worded it to something like

Would've made more sense.

How about a talk about denotative and connotative meaning.

 

[Perseveranze]

How about a talk about denotative and connotative meaning.

No need to waste time, I've made my point and you've understood. Further discussion is unecassary on the subject.

 

[Grace Seeker]

My point is that functionally, the word Allah has come to be used as a proper noun. Originally it was a generic noun. But its usus loquendi has given it a proper noun meaning.

This is why I don't use it.

Breaking my lenten fast and stepping in here.

Fivesolas, thank-you for clarifying why it is that you don't use Allah. I trust that this discussion has shown you that there are indeed Christians who do use the term "Allah"; to refer to the very same god (lower case chosen to indicate not using the term as a proper name) whom you and I do worship.

Woodrow, recalling one of your earlier comments, it seems that you were saying something similar with regard to why you did not feel it appropriate for a Muslim to use the term "God" when referring to Allah. Namely that it had connotations associated with some pagan diety named Gad that you did not wish to relate to Allah. That makes perfect sense. But I also know of Muslims who do use the term "God" to reference the very same one whom you worship.

Also, Woodrow, as you indicated earlier, whether you use the term "Allah" or I use the term "God" we both are at least attempting to worship the very same one who was the אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם (Elohim of Abraham) even as we have different understandings of his exact nature.

Given that no where in the Christian scriptures does the one whom Christians worship say, "my name is God" and given that in Islam the one whom Muslims worship has not one, but many names -- "He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best names" (59:24) -- that even though giving proper reverence is done through the use of names in both our religious traditions, still more important is actually knowing who it is that one worships. And this is not done by the name we employ.

To quote another well-known name, namely William Shakespeare: "What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Let us remember this famous line was spoken by Juliet to Romeo in the context of a family feud:
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague?
And because some did think that the matter of the name was of greater import than the person the story has a tragic end. Let that not be so among us who dispute the use of names herein.

For myself, I am quite comfortable using both God and Allah interchangeably depending on the context in which I happen to be, yet all the while thinking of the same one divine person who is equally creator of us all.

 

[Fivesolas]

In some ways I agree GraceSeeker, and in some ways I don't. Perhaps its my prior education in Communication. I suppose if I were among people who regarded the word Allah as a generic noun, that it was just their name for God like we use the word God, then I would be fine with it. But it has come to take the use of a proper noun. I hope everyone here knows what a proper noun is. A proper noun is a noun that represents a unique entity.

My reserach into the etymology of the term Allah suggests that it was a common noun. But as I have mentioned before, this is not its use in the world today. Today, its use is as a proper noun refering to the God of Islam, whose name is Allah.

If I am mistaken, and Allah is still simply a common noun in its general use today, then I would expect to hear the word Allah if someone is speaking Arabic, and the word God if someone is speaking english.

And let me add my opinion. I think the reason the subject is debated IS because the word Allah has indeed taken the form of a proper noun and is considered sacred and holy by Muslims. Because of the use of the word today, its parallel would no longer be Elohim in Hebrew, but YHWH.

 

[Grace Seeker]

If I am mistaken, and Allah is still simply a common noun in its general use today, then I would expect to hear the word Allah if someone is speaking Arabic, and the word God if someone is speaking english.

And this is indeed what I do find among many persons, both Muslims and Christians.

There are of course those who do use both terms as proper nouns. Some of them would argue that even still Allah and God refer to one and the same being, and so use them interchangeably as one might use Mary and Maria. Others would hold them to refer to two different dieties -- this would be the only reason that I can see for not using the terms interchangably and what I think people are saying when they keep such a practice.

 

[Woodrow]

And this is indeed what I do find among many persons, both Muslims and Christians.

There are of course those who do use both terms as proper nouns. Some of them would argue that even still Allah and God refer to one and the same being, and so use them interchangeably as one might use Mary and Maria. Others would hold them to refer to two different dieties -- this would be the only reason that I can see for not using the terms interchangably and what I think people are saying when they keep such a practice.

I agree.

Although I see Allaah(swt) as a proper name in the same way you use the Capitalized God(swt). In Arabic there are no capital letters so for the diminutive another word is used the Arabic word for lower case god is ilah. Technically Allaah(swt) is 2 word referring to Al-Lah or with all the nouns written Al-ilah and means THE GOD with the connotation of the one God.

 

[Grace Seeker]

As a side note I am personally upset at the use of the name god after finding it's origin and what it actually means. Allaah(swt) is not god and should not be called god by any people, just my opinion. I can understand many non-Muslims will disagree with me on this, but I will stick to my opinion.

How do you feel about the use of the term "Dios" in Spanish speaking cultures? Especially since they have the personal "a" which would render any reference to the god a person believed in as "al Dios", inserting the definite article "the" as you have explained is the actual Arabic construction.

 

[Woodrow]

How do you feel about the use of the term "Dios" in Spanish speaking cultures? Especially since they have the personal "a" which would render any reference to the god a person believed in as "al Dios", inserting the definite article "the" as you have explained is the actual Arabic construction.

Peace Gene,

I have no problem with that. I will even go to the point of saying that I am aware that Dios does translate into God in English. However the 2 words have very different origins. While both words are interchangeable in translations they are not the same and Dios was never Used as the name of any specific diety except the One God or as a generic god when used in the lower case dios.