Arabic-L:TRANS:allaah

[Dilworth B. Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Fri 16 Nov 2001
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject: allaah

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1)
Date:  16 Nov 2001
From: nagwa hedayet <nhedayet at yahoo.com>
Subject: allaah

[moderator's note: I apologize for the weird extra characters, but
sometimes when an attachment comes things like "smart" quotes are
wrecked in the translation.  Does anyone know a good way for me to
handle this?  Dil]

Hello everybody,

I have been reading all your discussion about the word ìAllaahuî with
great interest, and thought to share with you some of my reflections.
Sorry if it is a bit long.

  At the beginning, I agree with Mr. A. Abboud and Dr. Chambers that
what we translate refer to concepts.  But a Muslim who reads and
comprehends the Quríaan thinks of ìwa ilaahuna wa ilaahukom waaHidun
wa naHnu lahu muslimuun.î (Q. al ëinkabuut:46).  Most probably s/he
translates it as: ìOur God is your God and to Him we are submissive
(obedient)î- explicitly stating that Muslim and non-Muslim believers
have one God.

  While, in quoting Jesusí words in the Quríaan  s/he reads ìwa inna
Allaaha rabbi wa rabbukom faíbuduhu haatha siratun mostaqeemî
(Q.Mariam: 36), i.e. ìVerily Allaah is my Lord and your Lord: Him,
therefore, serve ye:  this is a path that is straightî.  Thus, this
context presents the proper name of the one and common Lord: ìAllaahî.

  Then, a Muslim reads the words of God to Prophet Muhammad: ìfaíalam
annahu laa ilaaha illa íllaahuî (Q. Muhammad: 19) as the core of
monotheism. Translation of this verse by most Muslims will be: ìknow
(Muhammad and every human being), therefore, that there is no god
(lowercase) but Allaahuî.  Thus, when the context is about ìdeityî,
it is translated into ìGodî (upper case), and if the concept refers
to a minor worshipped idol/symbol, it is ìgodî (lowercase). 

  This is why Muslims think that ìAllaahî is the proper name God chose
to call Himself in the Quríaan, since the name is seen in the same
verse/context with the words  ìrabbî (Lord) and ìilaahî(God).  The
above verses are example of this language use. The name ìAllaahî is
mentioned 2153 times in the Quríaan as the proper name for deity,
which shows the significance of the name. 

  Allaah revealed for the believers other names (attributes indeed,
such as ar-raHamaanu and al- kareemu, al-qayyuumu..etc). However,
ìAllaahuî is seen to be the most sacred of the ninety nine names as
in:  ìqoll  idëou allaaha íaw e dëou r-raHmaana fali llaahi l
íasmaaíu l Hosnaaî(Q. israaí:110), i.e., ìsay call upon Allaah or
call upon  ar-raHmaan for to Him belong the most beautiful names
(attributes)î.  [see the names of God in Sir Edwin Arnoldís ìPearls
of the Faithî]

  Some scholars believe that if a Muslim calls God by one of His
attributes, s/he will ask God by this particular adjective.  So, if
s/he says yaa raHmaanu, s/he calls upon Godís mercy.  Similarly, if
s/he says ya Kareemu, s/he calls upon Godís generosity.  But if s/he
says  ìyaa Allaahuî or ìAllaahummaî, s/he calls upon all His other
names.  While others believe that Allaahu is ìal-ismu líaëdhamî ñ or
the most sacred of all other names and attributes. 

  The name has significance, as a person cannot substitute any other
name in the shahaada (the first pillar in Islam by which one becomes
a Muslim)- ìlaa ilaaha illa Allaahuî- by any other name (i.e. not ìla
ilaaha illa al-kareemuî ..etc).  It is also the only name used in the
prayer call five times a day ìAllaahu íakbaruî. 

Allaahu is the only name that remains meaningful even if one or more
of its letters are dropped.  If we drop the alif, it is ìlillaahiî,
(for/to Allaah), a meaningful term that is found in several verses of
the Quríaan.  If we drop its first ìlaamî, we are left with ìlahuî
(for Him).  If we drop the final ìlaamî, we are left with ìhuuî(Him)
or ìhuwaî (He) that has its significance in mysticism.  Moreover,
though the word Allaahu is used in the language as a second or third
term of idaafa construction, it can never be used as a first term. 

  Since Arabic is a Semitic language, there is no wonder to find many
shared vocabulary especially in the Semitic religious realm. For
instance, the word Elluhim is very close in pronunciation to
Allaahumma, as well as others (such as qayyum).  Non-Arab Muslims
translate ìDeityî into Allaah.  I would imagine that Arab Jews and
Christians also call Him Allaah.

  My  assumption is that because God is the direct author of the
monotheistic scripture and He chose to call Himself ìAllaahuî, it
would sound weird to call Him something else like using ìSubmission
to Godî or ìObedienceî instead of ìIslamî.  It may even sound funny,
or like me signing this email to you ìIntimacyî or ìConfidential
Talkî instead of ìNagwaî

w Allaahu 'a'lamu 

Nagwa Hedayet
Hedayet Institute for Arabic Studies
Cairo-Egypt

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End of Arabic-L:  16 Nov 2001