Allah (Arabic: الله, Allāh, Turkish: Allah, IPA: ʔalˤːɑːh ( listen)) is the standard Arabic word for God.1 While the term is best known in the West for its use by Muslims as a reference to God, it is used by Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, in reference to "God".123 The term was also used by pagan Meccans as a reference to the creator-god, possibly the supreme deity in pre-Islamic Arabia.4
The concepts associated with the term Allah (as a deity) differ among the traditions. In pre-Islamic Arabia amongst pagan Arabs, Allah was not considered the sole divinity, having associates and companions, sons and daughters - a concept which Islam thoroughly and resolutely abrogated. In Islam, the name Allah is the supreme and all-comprehensive divine name. All other divine names are believed to refer back to Allah.5 Allah is unique, the only Deity, creator of the universe and omnipotent.12 Arab Christians today use terms such as Allāh al-ʼAb ( الله الأب, "God the Father") to distinguish their usage from Muslim usage.6 There are both similarities and differences between the concept of God as portrayed in the Qur'an and the Hebrew Bible.7
Unicode has a codepoint reserved for Allāh, ﷲ = U+FDF2.8 Many Arabic type fonts feature special ligatures for Allah.9
The concepts associated with the term Allah (as a deity) differ among the traditions. In pre-Islamic Arabia amongst pagan Arabs, Allah was not considered the sole divinity, having associates and companions, sons and daughters - a concept which Islam thoroughly and resolutely abrogated. In Islam, the name Allah is the supreme and all-comprehensive divine name. All other divine names are believed to refer back to Allah.5 Allah is unique, the only Deity, creator of the universe and omnipotent.12 Arab Christians today use terms such as Allāh al-ʼAb ( الله الأب, "God the Father") to distinguish their usage from Muslim usage.6 There are both similarities and differences between the concept of God as portrayed in the Qur'an and the Hebrew Bible.7
Unicode has a codepoint reserved for Allāh, ﷲ = U+FDF2.8 Many Arabic type fonts feature special ligatures for Allah.9
by godlygod February 12, 2010