Who is Allah?

God in Aramaic

Who is Allah? While many are unaware of the historical usage and origin of the name “Allah,” the orientalists answer this question to underscore the otherness of this “eastern god” or “Arab pagan moon god” from the One Omnipotent God. Of course, they will get a surprise to know that Jesus (peace be upon him) himself called God with the same name in Aramaic.

The origin of the word Allah

As the people in Judea in the first century, Jesus (peace be upon him) and his disciples spoke Aramaic language. It is a point often overlooked that the Aramaic word for “God” was Elaha or Alaha. Hebrew word for God is “Elah.” The word Allah originated from the Arabic word “Al-Ilah,” which means “the God.” “Al-Ilah” is related to El and Elah, the Hebrew and Aramaic word for God. Though in the English language, Allah refers to God in Islam, Arab Christians and Jews use the word Allah to mean God, same do Arabic Bible and Torah. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/books/review/illuminating-islams-peaceful-origins.html

In fact, Allah is the Arabic name for God for all three Abrahamic faiths who speaks Arabic. Neither the word “Allah” have a plural form, nor does it imply a gender. Also, it is important to note that the word “God” can be changed to plural form “gods” and can be changed to its feminine form “Goddess.” With this in mind, Allah sounds fitting name for a creator who is One and is gender-neutral.

The unique One

Allah is uniquely One. Indeed, He is the Eternal cause for everything that ever happens or exists. He was not born from anyone and did not give birth to anyone. He Creates everything. If He wills something, He desires it to be, and it becomes. In the Quran, He is mentioned in 99 of His attributes, often referred to as His 99 names. https://namesofallah.co.uk/?utm_source=quora&utm_medium=referral

The Quran 17: 110 “Call upon Allah or call upon al-Rahman (Merciful); by whichever name you call upon Him, to Him belong the most excellent names.”

The Quran- 20:8 “Allah. There is no god but He! To Him belong the most Beautiful Names.

Allah is beyond any needs

Humankind procreates children to continue their biological presence. Allah is everlasting and does not need sons or daughters to continue His presence. He is not a “God of gaps,” as His presence is more natural than anything that we can imagine. He is in absolute control of His universe. Neither does He need rest, nor does He need sleep. While Allah does not need our worship, we need to worship Him for our own benefit. https://qpeace.net/?p=1734