WHY DO THEY SAY NO GOD BUT ALLAH THEN?
“WHY DO THEY SAY NO GOD BUT ALLAH THEN?”
It is a translation of this phrase from the Koran:
“lâ ilâha illâ allâh”
The Koran contains several similar phrases. It could also be translated other ways into English such as
“there is no deity save God”.
Allah, as an Arabic title for God predates Islam. It is the title for God used by Arabic Christians.
The problem comes when Muslims want to transliterate the term for God into other languages because they believe it is God’s name. But it is self-contradictory because it uses the English title for God rather than the Arabic word.
They could as easily say “there is no Allah but Allah” or “there is no God but God”. Either of these would be more correct than trying to combine the English title for God with the Arabic title for God.
I support the freedom of expression that allows us to draw pictures of Mohammed. We should not cave to those who want to rob us of liberty and force us into submission to Islam. And getting rid of a few radical Muslim killers in the process is a good thing in my mind.
However, God’s plan through the message of Christ is superior. The job of Christians is not to provoke outrage and kill off the bad guys. It is rather to convert them.
So an artist who helps get rid of murderers is doing a good job. But a Christian missionary who risks his life and wins Muslims to the Christian faith does a better job.
Either way, I will no longer use the term Allah in an insulting way because of what I have learned. To many, such insults are heard differently than they are intended.
To say “The Devil is Allah” is heard as “the Devil is God”.
I have never heard of even the most hateful, murdering, radical Muslim saying insults about Jesus. It is against their religion also. So it is especially offensive to them when we say things insulting about Allah because it is the Arabic word for God. And doing this will only confirm in their mind the evil of the West, that America is the great Satan, and that killing us is justified.
More importantly, insulting Allah could actually be blasphemy against the one true God, even if it is not the intention of the one making such insults.
So, as I said, Allah is not God’s name, but it is His title in Arabic. We should be cautious about abusing God’s title.