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| ALLAH ? Does It Mean "GOD" ? |
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| "In fact - "Allah" is the perfect word to describe the "One God" of monotheism." - Chaplain Yusuf Estes
Meaning of the word "Allah" in Arabic elah - (Arabic) means 'god' or something to be worshipped. Allah = Has no gender (not male or female) Allah = Never plural - always singular Al-lah - Means "The Only One to Worship. NOTE: The English word "god" did not exist until 1066 AD after the Norman invasion of the Saxxons.Therefore, the most appropriate word for "Almighty, The Most High God" should be "Allah." Allah = God ? First of all, Islam depends heavily on the word: "Allah." Because Islam is the complete submission and obedience to Allah (God). The name Allah (God) in Islam never refers to Muhammad (pbuh) or to anyone or anything else which Allah has created, as many Christians may think; Allah is the personal name of God. Why Do Muslims Say, "Allah?" He is the one God, Who has no partner. Nothing is like Him. He is the Creator, not created, nor a part of His creation. He is All-Powerful, absolutely Just. There is no other entity in the entire universe worthy of worship besides Him. He is First, Last, and Everlasting; He was when nothing was, and will be when nothing else remains. He is the All-Knowing, and All-Merciful, the Supreme, the Sovereign. It is only He Who is capable of granting life to anything. He sent His Messengers (peace be upon them) to guide all of mankind. He sent Muhammad (pbuh) as the last Prophet and Messenger for all mankind. His book is the Holy Qur'an, the only authentic revealed book in the world that has been kept without change. Allah knows what is in our hearts. FACT: The word "Allah" appears 17 times on the first page of the Bible in Arabic language. Belief in God: guidelines Muslims follow Eliminate any anthropomorphism (human qualities) from their conception of Allah. His attributes are not like human attributes, despite similar labels or appellations. Have unwavering faith in exactly what Allah and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) described Allah to be, no more, no less. Eradicate any hope or desire of learning or knowing the modality of His names and attributes. Belief totally in all the names and attributes of Allah; one cannot believe in some and disbelieve the others. One cannot accept the names of Allah without their associated attributes, i.e. one cannot say He is Al-Hayy - 'The Living' and then say that He is without life. Similarity in names (or meanings) does not imply similarity in what is being described (referents). As a robotic arm differs from a human arm, so the "hand" of Allah is nothing like a human hand, His speech is nothing like human speech, etc. Certain words are ambiguous or vague in their meanings, and thus may be susceptible to misinterpretation. Only those meanings that are in accordance with what is specified by Allah and His Prophet (pbuh) are acceptable. Main Pillars of Islam Shahadah (Testimony of Faith) The first pillar of Islam is to believe and declare the faith by saying the Shahadah (lit. 'witness'), known as the Kalimah. Salah (Daily Ritual Prayers) Prayer (Salah), in the sense of worship, is the second pillar of Islam. Prayer is obligatory and must be performed five times a day. These five times are dawn (Fajr), immediately after noon (Dhuhr), mid-afternoon ('Asr), sunset (Maghrib), and early night (Isha'). Sawm (Fasting the Month of Ramadhan) The fourth pillar of Islam is fasting. Allah prescribes daily fasting for all able, adult Muslims during the whole of the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar calendar, beginning with the sighting of the new moon. Zakah (Alms Tax for Poor) The third pillar of Islam is the alms-tax (Zakah). The word in Arabic implies "purification" and it is understood to mean that a person "purifies" his holdings of wealth from greed and stinginess. Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) The fifth pillar of Islam is to make a pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah, in Saudi Arabia, at least once in one's lifetime. This pillar is obligatory for every Muslim, male or female, provided that he/she is physically and financially able to do so. Main Pillars of Islam Shahadah (Testimony of Faith) The first pillar of Islam is to believe and declare the faith by saying the Shahadah (lit. 'witness'), known as the Kalimah. La ilaha ila Allah; Muhammadur-rasul Allah. 'There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.' The meaning is better understood in English as saying that there is no deity worthy of worship throughout the creation, only the Creator is worth of any worship. Or as we say: "Worship the Creator - Not His Creations." Declaration This declaration contains two parts. The first part refers to God Almighty, the Creator of everything, the Lord of the Worlds; the second part refers to the Messenger, Muhammad (pbuh) a prophet and a human being, who received the revelation through the Archangel Gabriel, and taught it to mankind. No Other Gods By sincerely uttering the Shahadah the Muslim acknowledges Allah as the sole Creator of all, and the Supreme Authority over everything and everyone in the universe. Consequently the Muslim closes his/her heart and mind to loyalty, devotion and obedience to, trust in, reliance on, and worship of anything or anyone other than Allah. This rejection is not confined merely to pagan gods and goddesses of wood and stone and created by human hands and imaginations; this rejection must extend to all other conceptions, superstitions, ideologies, ways of life, and authority figures that claim supreme devotion, loyalty, trust, love, obedience or worship. This entails, for example, the rejection of belief in such common things as astrology, palm reading, good luck charms, fortune-telling and psychic readings, in addition to praying at shrines or graves of "saints", asking the dead souls to intercede for them with Allah. There are no intercessors in Islam, nor any class of clergy as such; a Muslim prays directly and exclusively to Allah. Belief in Prophethood Belief in the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh) entails belief in the guidance brought by him and contained in his Sunnah (traditions of his sayings and actions), and demands of the Muslim the intention to follow his guidance faithfully. Muhammad (pbuh) was also a human being, a man with feelings and emotions, who ate, drank and slept, and was born and died, like other men. He had a pure and upright nature, extraordinary righteousness, and an unwavering faith in Allah and commitment to Islam, but he was not divine. Muslims do not pray to him, not even as an intercessor, and Muslims abhor the terms "Mohammedan" and "Mohammedanism". |
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