Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: reg45
Sounds like a perfectly good Arabic translation to me. After all "Allah" means "The One God".

Splitting hairs, I know, but it's literally "The God." "Allah" is literally the article "A" meanning "The" combined with "llah" for "God" which is closely related to the Hebrew word for God, "Eloah." It makes sense since much of Islam was cribbed from Judaism and Christianity.

But by figuratively adding the meaning they are trying to convey, you can get "The One True God" or "The One and Only God."

155 posted on 10/17/2003 11:18:24 PM PDT by antiRepublicrat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 100 | View Replies ]


To: antiRepublicrat
Sounds like a perfectly good Arabic translation to me. After all "Allah" means "The One God".

Splitting hairs, I know, but it's literally "The God." "Allah" is literally the article "A" meanning "The" combined with "llah" for "God" which is closely related to the Hebrew word for God, "Eloah."


The more popular etymology concnering Allah in Arabic is that it is based on 'Al' + 'iLah' (the god), which became shortened to 'Allah'. This isn't quite right though and there is a bit of a controvery in the scholarly community. Some scholars think 'Allah' is based on the Syrian word for god, while others belief 'Allah' may be merely the male name for a well known Pagan deity of the time -- 'Allat' being the female name.

The Hebrew term for God is typically taken to be 'El', 'Elohim', or 'Adonai'.
178 posted on 10/18/2003 6:36:01 AM PDT by JohnSmithee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 155 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson