Sam Shamoun
The pagan origins of the Islamic god
It is no secret to those who have studied the history and origins of Islam that Muhammad was born to a pagan tribe who worshiped a host of gods and goddesses, the chief of whom was Allah. For example, the hadith literature states that the pagans had 360 idols placed around the Kabah which Muhammad subsequently destroyed when he conquered Mecca:
Narrated Abdullah: When the Prophet entered Mecca on the day of the Conquest, there were 360 idols around the Ka'ba. The Prophet started striking them with a stick he had in his hand and was saying, "Truth has come and Falsehood will neither start nor will it reappear.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 583)
Muhammad’s pagan tribe further believed that their god Allah had at least three daughters whom they worshiped as goddesses. The names of Allah’s daughters were Allat, al-Uzza and Manat.
Moreover, according to the Islamic sources Muhammad’s father’s name was Abdullah, which means “slave of Allah.” However, despite his name being “slave of Allah” Muhammad’s father still went to hell according to Muhammad since he was a pagan:
Chapter 86: HE WHO DIED WITH UNBELIEF WOULD BE (THROWN) INTO THE FIRE, INTERCESSION WOULD BE OF NO AVAIL TO HIM AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF HIS FAVOURITES WOULD NOT BENEFIT HIM
Anas reported: Verily, a person said: Messenger of Allah, where is my father? He said: (He) is in the Fire. When he turned away, he (the Holy Prophet) called him and said: Verily my father and your father are in the Fire. (Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0398)
In light of the fact that Muhammad’s family and his tribe were pagans it is reasonably certain that the Allah whom the Meccans worshiped was nothing more than a pagan god whom Muhammad took and sought to transform into the one true universal God worshiped by the prophets of the Holy Bible.
Moreover, the Holy Bible indicates that idolatry is clearly satanic and that there are demons associated with idols:
“They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not God — gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear.” Deuteronomy 32:16-17
“Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” 1 Corinthians 10:19-21
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
In this last passage idols are connected with Belial the prince of demons and contrasted with God’s temple.
Thus, since Muhammad’s tribe was pagans who worshiped idols this means that their beliefs were satanic in origin. This also means that the Allah which these pagans worshiped was not the one true God of the Holy Bible but a pagan deity used by Satan to lead them away from the true God.
The Arabic Bible to the rescue?
It is not uncommon to find Muslim dawagandists appealing to the Arabic translation of the Holy Bible in order to prove that the Allah worshiped by the pre-Islamic pagans of Mecca was not a false god and/or Satan himself. The following articles are representative of this fact:
http://www.mostmerciful.com/moongod.htm
http://www.answering-christianity.com/allah.htm
One Muslim dawagandist in particular referred to the Arabic translation of John 3:16 and to the Aramaic translation of John 1:1-4 to prove that Christians also worship the Muslim god! He then reasons that if the Islamic Allah which was derived from pagan beliefs is actually Satan then this proves that the God of the Bible is the Devil as well since he is called Allah in the Arabic Bible!
At this point the Muslims are guilty of committing several logical fallacies, most notably the fallacies of equivocation and false analogy. It also attacks straw man and brings up a red herring.
The following Christian apologist explains it best:
3. False Analogy: Comparing two things as if they are parallel when they are not really the same at all.
Examples:
#1 Many Muslims erroneously assume that Muslims and Christians share the same concepts of God, revelation, inspiration, textual preservation, the Bible, prophethood, biblical history, conversion, etc...
#2 Because a false analogy is drawn between Islam and Christianity, some Muslims think that any argument which refutes the Qur'an will likewise refute the Bible; any argument which refutes Muhammad will also refute Jesus Christ, etc...
#3 For example, many Muslims claim that Muhammad and all prophets were sinless. They even deny that Abraham was an idol worshipper. Thus when a Christian points out all the wicked things that Muhammad did (mass murder, child abuse, lying, etc.), the Muslims will say,
"If you are right, then you must also reject your biblical prophets for doing wicked things as well."
What he is really saying is, "If you reject my prophet, then you must reject your prophets as well. If Muhammad was a false prophet, then your prophets are false as well."
The root problem is that the Muslim concept of prophethood is not the same as the Christian concept of prophethood. We teach that prophets sin like anyone else. Thus while Islam is refuted by the sins of Muhammad, Christianity is not jeopardized at all. The Muslim is guilty of setting up a "false analogy."
Whenever a Muslim responds to a Christian attack on the Qur'an, Muhammad, or Allah by flipping the argument around and applying it to the Bible, Jesus or the Trinity as if Islam and Christianity either stand or fall together, he is guilty of the fallacy of false analogy. Islam can be false and Christianity be true at the same time.
4. The Fallacy of Irrelevance: When you introduce issues which have no logical bearing on the subject under discussion, you are using irrelevant arguments…
#5 The present meaning of a word is irrelevant to what it meant in ancient times. The word "Allah" is a good example. When confronted by the historical evidence that the word was used by pagan Arabs in pre-Islamic times to refer to a high god who was married to the sun-goddess and had three daughters, some Muslims will quote dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. to prove (sic) that "Allah means God." They are thus using modern definitions to define what the word meant over a thousand years ago! What "Allah" means now has no bearing on what it meant before Muhammad.
5. The Fallacy of Equivocation: If we assume that everyone has the same definition of such words as God, Jesus, revelation, inspiration, prophet, miracle, etc., we are committing a very simple logical fallacy…
#4 When a Muslims tells you that the word "Allah" has only one meaning: "the one, true, universal God," he is assuming a fallacy. The word "allah" has many different meanings.
a. It can be used as a generic term like the English word "God." Thus it can be applied to any god or goddess regardless if a true or false god is in view. (ex. The "Allahs" of Hinduism.)
b. The Nation of Islam uses it to refer to Wallace Dodd Ford, Elijah Muhammad, and Louis Farrakhan as "Allah" and teaches that all black people are "Allahs."
c. It has been used by some Christians in Arabic speaking countries as a generic name for the Holy Trinity.
d. It was used in pre-Islamic times by pagan Arabs to refer to the moon-god who was the father of al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat.
e. It is used by Muslims to refer to their god.
Islam and Christianity do not worship the same God. The Christian worships the Holy Trinity while the Muslim worships a unitarian deity. (Dr. Robert A. Morey, Common Logical Fallacies Made By Muslims)
Moreover, in their haste to prove that Muhammad’s god is the one true God worshiped by the Biblical prophets these dawagandists overlooked the fact that their objection is based entirely on A TRANSLATION of the Holy Bible! The inspired Scriptures were not written in Arabic but in Hebrew and Greek, with parts of the OT being written in Aramaic. As such, it is utterly fallacious to appeal to what some translators decided to use or do when translating God's inspired Word in another language. In fact, we will see what happens when we apply this same method to a Greek translation of the Quran.
To make matters worse the Muslim argument presupposes that the Allah mentioned in the Arabic Bible is actually the same as the Islamic Allah or the Allah worshiped by the pagans. This erroneously assumes that just because Arabic speaking Christians, Jews, Muslims etc. use the word Allah this somehow proves that they are all worshiping one and the same Being. However, such is not the case since the Muslims are worshiping a false god as our examination here will prove.
The Arabic Bible on the multi-personal nature of Allah
The Arabic Bible not only identifies the Father as Allah it also claims that Jesus Christ is Allah as well. The Arabic Bible further teaches that Jesus Christ is the beloved Son of Allah and his eternal Word who became flesh:
“In the beginning was the Word (al-Kalima), and the Word was with God (Allahi), and the Word was God (wa kana al-Kalima Allaha). He was in the beginning with God (Allahi); all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life (al-hayatu), and the life (al-hayatu) was the light of men (noora al-nasi). The light (al-nooru) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… The true light (al-nuru al-haqqiqu) that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father (majdan kama li-wahidin min al-Abi).” John 1:1-5, 9-10, 14
In this passage Jesus is identified as the Word that became flesh who exists with Allah and who is Allah! As the Word Jesus is also said to be the Life and the true Light, statements which he himself makes all throughout the Gospel:
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the Light of the world (ana huwa noor al-alam). Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (noor al-hayat).’” John 8:12
“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world (ana huwa noor al-alam).” John 9:4-5
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life (ana huwa al-qiyamatu wal-hayatu). He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11:25-26
“I have come into the world as Light (noor), so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” John 12:46
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life (ana huwa al-tariqu wal-haqqu wal-hayatu). No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6
What makes Jesus’ statements rather remarkable is that according to the Quran these are some of the very names and attributes which belong exclusively to Allah!
That is because Allah, He is the Truth (Allahu huwa al-haqqu), and it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who is Able to do all things. S. 22:6 Hilali-Khan
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth (Allahu nooru al-samawati wa’al-ardi). The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things. S. 24:35
Look, therefore, at the prints of Allah's mercy (in creation): how He quickeneth the earth after her death. Lo! He verily is the Quickener of the Dead, and He is Able to do all things. S. 30:50
He is the Living (One) (Huwa al-hayyu): There is no god but He: Call upon Him, giving Him sincere devotion. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds! … It is He Who gives Life and Death; and when He decides upon an affair, He says to it, "Be", and it is. S. 40:65, 68
Islamic theology teaches that Allah’s unique names and characteristics cannot be ascribed to any creature, no matter how exalted. In light of this it is apparent that Jesus Christ was making himself out to be God by claiming some of the very unique and exclusive names which the Quran itself testifies belong only to Deity!
For more on this topic please consult the following articles:
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/unique.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_divine_functions_quran.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Ataie/divine_attributes.htm
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/zaatari/miracles_divine.html
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/jesus_tauhid.html
Here are some additional statements from the Arabic Bible where Jesus is expressly said to be the Son of Allah:
“In the sixth month, God (Allahi) sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord (al-Rabu) is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God (Allahi). You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus (Yasu’a). He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High (ibn al-‘Ali). The Lord God (al-Rabu al-Ilah) will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’ ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit (al-Ruhu al-Qudusu) will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One (al-Qudusu) to be born will be called the Son of God (ibn Allahi).” Luke 1:26-35
In fact, the Arabic Bible claims that Allah loved the world so much that he sent Jesus Christ his only Son to save it:
“For God (Allahu) so loved the world that he gave his only Son (ibnahu al-wahida), that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God (Allahu) sent the Son (ibnahu) into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (ibni Allahi al-wahidi).” John 3:16-18
Any person who is even remotely familiar with the teachings of the Quran can easily see the problem at this point. The Allah that Muhammad worshiped is not the Father nor is Jesus Christ his beloved Son:
And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah (ibnu Allahi). That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they! S. 9:30
“And they say, 'The All-merciful has taken unto Himself a son. You have indeed advanced something hideous! The heavens are well-nigh rent of it and the earth split asunder, and the mountains well-nigh fall down crashing for that they have attributed to the All-merciful a son; and it behoves not the All-merciful to take a son. None is there in the heavens and earth but he comes to the All-merciful as a servant;” S. 19:88-93
The Quran also says that anyone who claims that Allah is Jesus the Son of Mary is a disbeliever who will go to hell:
They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things. S. 5:17
Indeed, they are disbelievers who say, `Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary,' whereas the Messiah himself said, `O Children of Israel, orship Allah who is my Lord and your Lord.' Surely, whoso associates partners with Allah, him has Allah forbidden Paradise, and the Fire will be his resort. And the wrongdoers shall have no helpers. S. 5:72
Now this leaves these Islamic propagandists in an awkward position. By appealing to the Arabic Bible to prove their case they will now have to admit that the Quran is wrong for denying that Allah is the Father or that he is Jesus Christ. Or, even worse, they will have to accept the possibility that the Islamic scripture has been corrupted and doesn’t reflect the original teachings of Muhammad. After all, if Muhammad believed in the same Allah that the Arabic Bible mentions then he must have believed that both the Father and the Son are Allah. And since there are passages in the Quran which deny that the Father and the Son are both Allah these texts must have therefore been added sometime after Muhammad’s death.
There’s more to the story.
The Aramaic Bible and Allah
Seeing that one of the dawagandists that we mentioned earlier appealed to the Aramaic Bible in one of his videos to prove that God is called Allah we have decided to quote from the very link which he used in order to show how this actually backfires against him.
The following is the Assyrian translation of John 1:1-4 written in Roman script with the English translation provided right underneath.
B'rašit itwa milta,
In the beginning was the Word (milta),
u'aw milta lkis Alaha wa,
and this Word was with God (Alaha)
u'Alaha wa aw milta.
And this Word was God (Alaha).
Aha b'rašit lkis Alaha wa.
This one was in the beginning with God (Alaha).
Kulle mindiyanÿ biyÿ pišlun widÿ.
All things were made by him.
D'la diyÿ up xa mindi la wily
Without him not one thing was made
min ani d'pišÿ na biryÿ.
From the things which were made.
Biyÿ xayyÿ wa,
By/from him was life,
u'annÿ xayyÿ bara wa l'bnenaša.
And that life was the light of mankind.
According to the Aramaic Bible both the Father and Jesus Christ the eternal Word who created all things are identified as Alaha, the Aramaic word for God, which the Arabic translates as Allah. Hence, the Aramaic Bible completely agrees with the Greek of John’s Gospel since it states that the Word was with God (Alaha) and WAS God (Alaha).
Again, do these Islamic propagandists really want us to believe that the Allah of the Quran is the same as the Allah of the Arabic Bible? If so are they willing to accept that both the Father and the Son are Allah? Are they also willing to admit that the Quran is mistaken or has been corrupted since it denies that Allah is the Father and Jesus Christ?
It gets even worse for these dawagandists.
Continues on Part II
Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/allah_bible.html
IHS
The pagan origins of the Islamic god
It is no secret to those who have studied the history and origins of Islam that Muhammad was born to a pagan tribe who worshiped a host of gods and goddesses, the chief of whom was Allah. For example, the hadith literature states that the pagans had 360 idols placed around the Kabah which Muhammad subsequently destroyed when he conquered Mecca:
Narrated Abdullah: When the Prophet entered Mecca on the day of the Conquest, there were 360 idols around the Ka'ba. The Prophet started striking them with a stick he had in his hand and was saying, "Truth has come and Falsehood will neither start nor will it reappear.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 583)
Muhammad’s pagan tribe further believed that their god Allah had at least three daughters whom they worshiped as goddesses. The names of Allah’s daughters were Allat, al-Uzza and Manat.
Moreover, according to the Islamic sources Muhammad’s father’s name was Abdullah, which means “slave of Allah.” However, despite his name being “slave of Allah” Muhammad’s father still went to hell according to Muhammad since he was a pagan:
Chapter 86: HE WHO DIED WITH UNBELIEF WOULD BE (THROWN) INTO THE FIRE, INTERCESSION WOULD BE OF NO AVAIL TO HIM AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF HIS FAVOURITES WOULD NOT BENEFIT HIM
Anas reported: Verily, a person said: Messenger of Allah, where is my father? He said: (He) is in the Fire. When he turned away, he (the Holy Prophet) called him and said: Verily my father and your father are in the Fire. (Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0398)
In light of the fact that Muhammad’s family and his tribe were pagans it is reasonably certain that the Allah whom the Meccans worshiped was nothing more than a pagan god whom Muhammad took and sought to transform into the one true universal God worshiped by the prophets of the Holy Bible.
Moreover, the Holy Bible indicates that idolatry is clearly satanic and that there are demons associated with idols:
“They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not God — gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear.” Deuteronomy 32:16-17
“Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” 1 Corinthians 10:19-21
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
In this last passage idols are connected with Belial the prince of demons and contrasted with God’s temple.
Thus, since Muhammad’s tribe was pagans who worshiped idols this means that their beliefs were satanic in origin. This also means that the Allah which these pagans worshiped was not the one true God of the Holy Bible but a pagan deity used by Satan to lead them away from the true God.
The Arabic Bible to the rescue?
It is not uncommon to find Muslim dawagandists appealing to the Arabic translation of the Holy Bible in order to prove that the Allah worshiped by the pre-Islamic pagans of Mecca was not a false god and/or Satan himself. The following articles are representative of this fact:
http://www.mostmerciful.com/moongod.htm
http://www.answering-christianity.com/allah.htm
One Muslim dawagandist in particular referred to the Arabic translation of John 3:16 and to the Aramaic translation of John 1:1-4 to prove that Christians also worship the Muslim god! He then reasons that if the Islamic Allah which was derived from pagan beliefs is actually Satan then this proves that the God of the Bible is the Devil as well since he is called Allah in the Arabic Bible!
At this point the Muslims are guilty of committing several logical fallacies, most notably the fallacies of equivocation and false analogy. It also attacks straw man and brings up a red herring.
The following Christian apologist explains it best:
3. False Analogy: Comparing two things as if they are parallel when they are not really the same at all.
Examples:
#1 Many Muslims erroneously assume that Muslims and Christians share the same concepts of God, revelation, inspiration, textual preservation, the Bible, prophethood, biblical history, conversion, etc...
#2 Because a false analogy is drawn between Islam and Christianity, some Muslims think that any argument which refutes the Qur'an will likewise refute the Bible; any argument which refutes Muhammad will also refute Jesus Christ, etc...
#3 For example, many Muslims claim that Muhammad and all prophets were sinless. They even deny that Abraham was an idol worshipper. Thus when a Christian points out all the wicked things that Muhammad did (mass murder, child abuse, lying, etc.), the Muslims will say,
"If you are right, then you must also reject your biblical prophets for doing wicked things as well."
What he is really saying is, "If you reject my prophet, then you must reject your prophets as well. If Muhammad was a false prophet, then your prophets are false as well."
The root problem is that the Muslim concept of prophethood is not the same as the Christian concept of prophethood. We teach that prophets sin like anyone else. Thus while Islam is refuted by the sins of Muhammad, Christianity is not jeopardized at all. The Muslim is guilty of setting up a "false analogy."
Whenever a Muslim responds to a Christian attack on the Qur'an, Muhammad, or Allah by flipping the argument around and applying it to the Bible, Jesus or the Trinity as if Islam and Christianity either stand or fall together, he is guilty of the fallacy of false analogy. Islam can be false and Christianity be true at the same time.
4. The Fallacy of Irrelevance: When you introduce issues which have no logical bearing on the subject under discussion, you are using irrelevant arguments…
#5 The present meaning of a word is irrelevant to what it meant in ancient times. The word "Allah" is a good example. When confronted by the historical evidence that the word was used by pagan Arabs in pre-Islamic times to refer to a high god who was married to the sun-goddess and had three daughters, some Muslims will quote dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. to prove (sic) that "Allah means God." They are thus using modern definitions to define what the word meant over a thousand years ago! What "Allah" means now has no bearing on what it meant before Muhammad.
5. The Fallacy of Equivocation: If we assume that everyone has the same definition of such words as God, Jesus, revelation, inspiration, prophet, miracle, etc., we are committing a very simple logical fallacy…
#4 When a Muslims tells you that the word "Allah" has only one meaning: "the one, true, universal God," he is assuming a fallacy. The word "allah" has many different meanings.
a. It can be used as a generic term like the English word "God." Thus it can be applied to any god or goddess regardless if a true or false god is in view. (ex. The "Allahs" of Hinduism.)
b. The Nation of Islam uses it to refer to Wallace Dodd Ford, Elijah Muhammad, and Louis Farrakhan as "Allah" and teaches that all black people are "Allahs."
c. It has been used by some Christians in Arabic speaking countries as a generic name for the Holy Trinity.
d. It was used in pre-Islamic times by pagan Arabs to refer to the moon-god who was the father of al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat.
e. It is used by Muslims to refer to their god.
Islam and Christianity do not worship the same God. The Christian worships the Holy Trinity while the Muslim worships a unitarian deity. (Dr. Robert A. Morey, Common Logical Fallacies Made By Muslims)
Moreover, in their haste to prove that Muhammad’s god is the one true God worshiped by the Biblical prophets these dawagandists overlooked the fact that their objection is based entirely on A TRANSLATION of the Holy Bible! The inspired Scriptures were not written in Arabic but in Hebrew and Greek, with parts of the OT being written in Aramaic. As such, it is utterly fallacious to appeal to what some translators decided to use or do when translating God's inspired Word in another language. In fact, we will see what happens when we apply this same method to a Greek translation of the Quran.
To make matters worse the Muslim argument presupposes that the Allah mentioned in the Arabic Bible is actually the same as the Islamic Allah or the Allah worshiped by the pagans. This erroneously assumes that just because Arabic speaking Christians, Jews, Muslims etc. use the word Allah this somehow proves that they are all worshiping one and the same Being. However, such is not the case since the Muslims are worshiping a false god as our examination here will prove.
The Arabic Bible on the multi-personal nature of Allah
The Arabic Bible not only identifies the Father as Allah it also claims that Jesus Christ is Allah as well. The Arabic Bible further teaches that Jesus Christ is the beloved Son of Allah and his eternal Word who became flesh:
“In the beginning was the Word (al-Kalima), and the Word was with God (Allahi), and the Word was God (wa kana al-Kalima Allaha). He was in the beginning with God (Allahi); all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life (al-hayatu), and the life (al-hayatu) was the light of men (noora al-nasi). The light (al-nooru) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… The true light (al-nuru al-haqqiqu) that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father (majdan kama li-wahidin min al-Abi).” John 1:1-5, 9-10, 14
In this passage Jesus is identified as the Word that became flesh who exists with Allah and who is Allah! As the Word Jesus is also said to be the Life and the true Light, statements which he himself makes all throughout the Gospel:
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the Light of the world (ana huwa noor al-alam). Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (noor al-hayat).’” John 8:12
“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world (ana huwa noor al-alam).” John 9:4-5
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life (ana huwa al-qiyamatu wal-hayatu). He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11:25-26
“I have come into the world as Light (noor), so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” John 12:46
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life (ana huwa al-tariqu wal-haqqu wal-hayatu). No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6
What makes Jesus’ statements rather remarkable is that according to the Quran these are some of the very names and attributes which belong exclusively to Allah!
That is because Allah, He is the Truth (Allahu huwa al-haqqu), and it is He Who gives life to the dead, and it is He Who is Able to do all things. S. 22:6 Hilali-Khan
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth (Allahu nooru al-samawati wa’al-ardi). The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things. S. 24:35
Look, therefore, at the prints of Allah's mercy (in creation): how He quickeneth the earth after her death. Lo! He verily is the Quickener of the Dead, and He is Able to do all things. S. 30:50
He is the Living (One) (Huwa al-hayyu): There is no god but He: Call upon Him, giving Him sincere devotion. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds! … It is He Who gives Life and Death; and when He decides upon an affair, He says to it, "Be", and it is. S. 40:65, 68
Islamic theology teaches that Allah’s unique names and characteristics cannot be ascribed to any creature, no matter how exalted. In light of this it is apparent that Jesus Christ was making himself out to be God by claiming some of the very unique and exclusive names which the Quran itself testifies belong only to Deity!
For more on this topic please consult the following articles:
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/unique.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_divine_functions_quran.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Ataie/divine_attributes.htm
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/zaatari/miracles_divine.html
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/jesus_tauhid.html
Here are some additional statements from the Arabic Bible where Jesus is expressly said to be the Son of Allah:
“In the sixth month, God (Allahi) sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord (al-Rabu) is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God (Allahi). You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus (Yasu’a). He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High (ibn al-‘Ali). The Lord God (al-Rabu al-Ilah) will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’ ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit (al-Ruhu al-Qudusu) will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One (al-Qudusu) to be born will be called the Son of God (ibn Allahi).” Luke 1:26-35
In fact, the Arabic Bible claims that Allah loved the world so much that he sent Jesus Christ his only Son to save it:
“For God (Allahu) so loved the world that he gave his only Son (ibnahu al-wahida), that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God (Allahu) sent the Son (ibnahu) into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (ibni Allahi al-wahidi).” John 3:16-18
Any person who is even remotely familiar with the teachings of the Quran can easily see the problem at this point. The Allah that Muhammad worshiped is not the Father nor is Jesus Christ his beloved Son:
And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah (ibnu Allahi). That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they! S. 9:30
“And they say, 'The All-merciful has taken unto Himself a son. You have indeed advanced something hideous! The heavens are well-nigh rent of it and the earth split asunder, and the mountains well-nigh fall down crashing for that they have attributed to the All-merciful a son; and it behoves not the All-merciful to take a son. None is there in the heavens and earth but he comes to the All-merciful as a servant;” S. 19:88-93
The Quran also says that anyone who claims that Allah is Jesus the Son of Mary is a disbeliever who will go to hell:
They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things. S. 5:17
Indeed, they are disbelievers who say, `Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary,' whereas the Messiah himself said, `O Children of Israel, orship Allah who is my Lord and your Lord.' Surely, whoso associates partners with Allah, him has Allah forbidden Paradise, and the Fire will be his resort. And the wrongdoers shall have no helpers. S. 5:72
Now this leaves these Islamic propagandists in an awkward position. By appealing to the Arabic Bible to prove their case they will now have to admit that the Quran is wrong for denying that Allah is the Father or that he is Jesus Christ. Or, even worse, they will have to accept the possibility that the Islamic scripture has been corrupted and doesn’t reflect the original teachings of Muhammad. After all, if Muhammad believed in the same Allah that the Arabic Bible mentions then he must have believed that both the Father and the Son are Allah. And since there are passages in the Quran which deny that the Father and the Son are both Allah these texts must have therefore been added sometime after Muhammad’s death.
There’s more to the story.
The Aramaic Bible and Allah
Seeing that one of the dawagandists that we mentioned earlier appealed to the Aramaic Bible in one of his videos to prove that God is called Allah we have decided to quote from the very link which he used in order to show how this actually backfires against him.
The following is the Assyrian translation of John 1:1-4 written in Roman script with the English translation provided right underneath.
B'rašit itwa milta,
In the beginning was the Word (milta),
u'aw milta lkis Alaha wa,
and this Word was with God (Alaha)
u'Alaha wa aw milta.
And this Word was God (Alaha).
Aha b'rašit lkis Alaha wa.
This one was in the beginning with God (Alaha).
Kulle mindiyanÿ biyÿ pišlun widÿ.
All things were made by him.
D'la diyÿ up xa mindi la wily
Without him not one thing was made
min ani d'pišÿ na biryÿ.
From the things which were made.
Biyÿ xayyÿ wa,
By/from him was life,
u'annÿ xayyÿ bara wa l'bnenaša.
And that life was the light of mankind.
According to the Aramaic Bible both the Father and Jesus Christ the eternal Word who created all things are identified as Alaha, the Aramaic word for God, which the Arabic translates as Allah. Hence, the Aramaic Bible completely agrees with the Greek of John’s Gospel since it states that the Word was with God (Alaha) and WAS God (Alaha).
Again, do these Islamic propagandists really want us to believe that the Allah of the Quran is the same as the Allah of the Arabic Bible? If so are they willing to accept that both the Father and the Son are Allah? Are they also willing to admit that the Quran is mistaken or has been corrupted since it denies that Allah is the Father and Jesus Christ?
It gets even worse for these dawagandists.
Continues on Part II
Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/allah_bible.html
IHS
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