Allah is the same as God
Is Allah the same as God? yes, there, I said it.
Some time ago I did a comparative study of the 99 beautiful names of Allah and 33 names of God used in the Bible. What I found is that these 33 names depict attributes of God that are common to both Muslims and Christians. As I studied each name, I simply looked at what the Qur’an teaches about the name and then looked at the Christian view of the name according to the Bible. What I discovered is that the Allah worshiped by Muslims is the same as the God worshiped by Christians.
What’s in a name?
Did you know that according to Muslims there are 99 majestic names of God? Tradition has it that the hundredth name is known only by the camel! What’s in a name? Everything. Gandhi. Elvis. Hitler. Billy Graham. You get the point. A man known by his name. A person’s name is usually a means of describing their character as well.
As you know, different people have different views of God, just as different people have different views of all the people I mentioned above. If you told me that the name “Murderer” represented Gandhi and the name “Pathological Liar” was another name for Billy Graham, then we would be at odds about these two people and with no common ground for discussion at all. However, if you say that “Peaceful Man” and “Preacher of Righteousness” are appropriate names for these men, then we have a good starting point for discussion.
Similarly; if Muslims say that Allah (God) is Forgiving, and the Christian Bible attests to this fact with clear evidence, then we have some common ground and can freely discuss this aspect of God’s loving nature. If Christians call God the Holy God, the Loving and the Supreme Judge, and Muslims call the Creator of the world by the same names, then there is something to talk about! It is necessary to examine every name by which God is referred to by Muslims and examine it in the light of the Bible. My prayer is that in the process we can introduce them to the ONE they believe is unknowable and clear up any misconceptions they may have about the true nature of our Mighty God. By knowing the names of God, we come to know His character and His ways.
After conducting my research on the names of God, I chose to use the names God and Allah interchangeably. I realize that some Christians have been taught that Allah is a false god, but the real truth is that Allah is simply the Arabic word for God…God Almighty. Just as I would never dispute a Hispanic person calling God Dios, I would never dispute an Arab regarding Allah. This is what Arab Christians call God. Allah.
If you still have trouble using this word for God, just ask someone what Hindi word the great missionary pioneer William Carey used for God while working in India. You will be surprised by his selection. Hint: He uses a very “Hindu” word. Just check it out.
As you will quickly see from this study, Muslim views of God and their representation of Him are somewhat different from those of Christians. When I say God, I am talking about Almighty God. I am talking about Jesus Christ, the Son of God – Born of a virgin, crucified and raised from the dead on the third day, ascended to the right hand of God and coming again to judge the living and the dead. I speak of God, the First and the Last, the Good Shepherd; Jehovah! I am speaking of Jesus, the Great I AM! Is that clear enough?
Since Allah is the same as God, if I say Allah, I mean Elohim (the same root word from which Allah is derived) from the Bible. don’t worry Actually this is the same problem we have with Jehovah’s Witnesses. This cult has misrepresented the name Jehovah for years, but Christians still use the name Jehovah, right? Why is that? Because we know who the real Jehovah is and we represent him correctly. The same goes for the name Allah. Just because the name has been misrepresented by some Muslims does not mean we cannot use the name and present it correctly! For that matter, history has seen some Christians misrepresent God, but we still use the term loosely.
What made me realize that Allah and God are one and the same was studying the following 33 names of God listed below. I encourage you to conduct such research yourself.
– Ar-Rahman – The All-Compassionate, The Beneficent
– Al-Rahim – The Most Merciful
– Al-Malik – The Absolute Ruler
– Al-Quddus – The Pure One
– Al-Mutakabir – The Greatest
– Al-Khaliq – The Creator
– Al-Ghafar – The Forgiving
– Al-Wahhab – The Giver of All
– Al-Razzaq – The Sustainer
– Al-‘Alim – The All-Knowing
– Al-Sami – The All-Hearer
– Al-Basir – The Seer of All
– Al-Hakam – The Judge
– Al-‘Adl – The Just
– Al-Mujib – The Answer to Prayer
– Al-Wadud – The Loving
– Al-Bayt – The Resurrection
– Al-Haqq – The Truth
– Al-Hay – The Ever-Living
– Al-Salam – The fountain of peace
– Al-Majid – The Glorious
– Al-Wahid – The One
– Al-Qadir – The Almighty
– Al-Awwal – The First
– Al-Ahir – The Last
– Al-Zahir – The Manifesto
– Al-Wali – The Protector Friend
– Al-Muntakim – The Avenger
– Malik al-Muluk – The Owner of Everything
– Al-Nur – The Light
– Al-Hadi – The Guide
– Al-Rashid – The Righteous Teacher
– Al-Sabur – The Patient
#Allah #God