Is the name 'Allah' a proper noun or title?

Question

As-salaamualaikum, brothers. I have a confusion concerning the name of Allah. Can I make a conclusion that Allah doesn't have a name like we human and deities in polytheistic religion have like krishna, shiva, lat, uzza etc. , His name Allah changes depend on language like Elohim in Hebrew, God in English etc? It would be better if you guys provide references.

And most importantly, ignore my bad English .

I'm voting to close this question because there are multiple questions in one. — AcidicProgrammer, May 09 '21 at 19:23
But these questions are related. If i ask separately, same thing can have to be answered multiple times. — A believer, May 09 '21 at 19:27
@A believer your questions should have one main focus. Multiple questions lose focus; it doesn't matter if they're related or not. — AcidicProgrammer, May 09 '21 at 19:28
Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.(20:14)...no matter what language you speak, the Quran cannot be changed. — ahmad nazeem, Oct 08 '21 at 11:32

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 04 '22 at 09:15

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From Edward Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (Part I Page 83):

Mṣb is a reference to Misbaah al-Muneer of al-Fayyoomi

Ḳ is a reference to Qamoos al-Muheet of Fayroozabaadi

answered Nov 04 '22 at 09:15

UmH

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Jeschu · Answer 2 · 2021-05-11T10:24:55.233

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Allah اللّهُ originally means "The God". Like in English and many other languages, the Arabic word is inherited from a wording that has been used for pagan deities, إِلَه ,ilah, which was an unspecific term for all deities; the deities were given proper names to distinguish them. Allah has also become a proper name, as it is not spoken al-ilah "the god" but ligated. I have read that the main god in the polytheist Arabic belief was also called Allah. The Arabic Christians already said Allah.

As we do no more believe in deities, it is no more necessary to have a proper name for The Only God. Instead, we have 99 attributive Names for One God.

Hebrew has several names for The God, too, which the Jews do not pronounce any more for fear to misuse it: YHWH, Elohīm, and the answer God gave when Mose asked for his name, אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, that may be translated to «I Will Be Who I Will Be» or «I Am Who I Am» - rather a refusal of a given name.

Using Allah to name Him in English puts the stress on the Arabic source of our belief. Using God (written always with capital G) to name Him puts the stress on the belief that there is no god but The God, and we do not believe in a deity different from the God of our Jewish and Christian brothers.

edited May 11 '21 at 10:24

answered May 11 '21 at 06:18

Jeschu

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there are people who say Allah the proper name for Abrahamic deity. Can you give me any convincing proof that Allah can be translated as The God or The One who is worshiped? – A believer May 11 '21 at 17:54
@Abeliever Abraham probably said En, the Akkadian word for god because he came from Ur where people used Akkadian in his time. The word was used alone for the ancestor god En, and for other deities together with their proper name. – Jeschu May 11 '21 at 19:43
The old Semitic word for God, used in Western Semitic languages (found near Mt. Sinaï and in Northern Egypt, probably also used in Arabia) was Eloh (אֱלֹהִ֑ ٫ اَلُه ). This is the early Semitic word for god, and for God. The Tanakh uses the plural form, Elohim ( אֱלֹהִ֑ים ٫ اَلُهِم ) for the One God. It is not known why it came to the plural form, either as plural of Majesty (like God says in the Quran «We») or as «all deities in One». – Jeschu May 11 '21 at 19:43
The polytheist Arabic religion, similar to the polytheist Akkadian religion, had also a principal God Allah. The hint that the definite article is part of the Name is the double l. – Jeschu May 11 '21 at 19:43

Is the name 'Allah' a proper noun or title?

2 Answers2