Allah

The title of this article is ambiguous. For other meanings, see Allah (disambiguation).

Allah (Arabic الله, DMG Allāh, ʔalˤːɑːhAudio-Datei / Hörbeispiel pronunciation? /i) refers to the Abrahamic God in the Arabic language. The word probably developed as a syllabic ellipsis at the coincidence of the article al- (الـ 'the, the, the') and ʾilāh (إله / 'God, Deity'), which is to be interpreted as "The God (per se)" and thus corresponds to the principle of Tauhīd (Arabic توحيد, DMG Tauḥīd 'Oneness [of God]'). In Islam, the word is also used as a proper name for God. Furthermore, the name is used in Sikh sacred scripture (Adi Granth) as well as in Maltese, which is derived from the Arabic language. The word is also used by Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians to refer to God, and is therefore also used in Arabic translations of the Bible. In Western countries (with the exception of Malta), however, the word Allah is understood almost exclusively as a designation for the one God according to the Islamic concept of God. In Islamized areas of Central Asia, the creator god Tengri also assimilated to the word Allah. According to Islam's own understanding, Allah is regarded as the same God as in Judaism and Christianity, but is less personal, more a mysterious power that stands behind all aspects of the universe and can only be recognized through his signs, creation, revelation and mediators (angels, prophets).

Allāh calligraphy in the Old Mosque (Eski Cami), Edirne, TurkeyZoom
Allāh calligraphy in the Old Mosque (Eski Cami), Edirne, Turkey

Pronunciation of the word Allah

The correct pronunciation of the word "Allah" depends on the vowel spoken immediately before the /l/ sound rendered by Lām: After an a or u, the Lām is pronounced in a distinctly stressed way - Arabic mufachcham / مفخم, IPA: [lˤ] - pronounced, for example, in Qur'anic verse 58:22: من حادَّ الله / man ḥādda llāh / 'those who oppose Allah'.

However, if the preceding vowel is an i, then the Lām in the word Allah is light and pronounced with the tip of the tongue only (IPA: [l]). This is the case, for example, in the so-called basmala (ِبِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيم bismi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīmi).

Allah in pre-Islamic Arabia

In pre-Islamic Arabia, people believed in various gods, among which there was also an Allah, whose exact function, however, is not certain. Thus Julius Wellhausen formulated the idea that Allah was another name for the deity Hubal and functioned as a moon god. Thus, the Kaaba was also regarded as the sanctuary of Hubal by the Quraish, as well as being regarded as the shrine of Allah. However, only the Quraish worshipped Hubal, while Allah was also known to many other tribes as the supreme god to whom the Kaaba was once dedicated as a shrine. Thus, the Kaaba would have once been dedicated to Allah, but later supplanted by Hubal, by the Quraish, about 100 years before Muhammad's time. Allah is understood in this era as a high god in the background or deus otiosus, traced back to the Semitic concept of God, El, who took on the role of a creator god, but otherwise did not intervene in human affairs.


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