The first sound a living baby makes when it comes into the world is a cry "Aaa", it is the easiest sound to make, all it takes is opening the mouth, breathing out and using the vocal cords. Since this is the easiest sound to make, the "A" is, i think, the first letter pronounced by a human being because of it's easy and basic characteristics, all one has to do is open the mouth, breath out and use the vocal cords. Also a point that affirms this is that the letter "A" is the first letter in most, if not all Alphabets. The sound "LL" is made when you push your tongue upwards in your mouth, breath out and use your vocal cords. Allaah as we call Him is above everything and everyone, so upward, up. The "A" is the first letter and the "H" is the last letter, because when one is using his vocal cords the lungs are running out of air, and when the lungs are nearly depleted(empty) one can hear the "hhh" sound. When you witness someone dieing you usually can hear "the last breath" the "hhh" sound. It is therefor the last letter. Allah is The First and The Last, above everything and everyone. And His name "Allah", i believe, is the oldest name used for Him by mankind, and the most logical, if one understands.

The name God comes from old english, i wonder about it's true origin, this name is used by many as a name for the One and Only (god). The latin name is "Dios" which some claim has it's origin in the name "Zeus" a god in roman methology, and in french it is "Deux". I have to say i do not know much about these other names that are used, but how would you personally feel if someone called you by another name then your name. You would correct him right? cause usually it happens unintentionally, out of ignorance, So you correct them. If you did not get the logics behind the name Allah, this will not make any sense to you probebly, it might even make you feel attacked, but that was not my intention at all, so i sincerely advice you, urge you to read it again and use your reason.

  [Say: "Call upon Allah, or call upon Arrahman(The Merciful), by whatever name ye call upon Him, which ever you call, to Him belong the most beautiful names". Neither speak thy prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between.] Koran chapter "The Journey by night" (Al Israa) 17 verse 110.

 The name "God" is that a beautiful name? what if it belongs to some kind of demon or evil spirit, and people just adopted that name as His? i do not claim this is the fact, because i do not have the knowledge about this, but to me it would be better to call Him The Merciful, it describes His attribute of mercy, which is greater then anyone elses, He is after all, above all and everyone, and this means also in the good and sound attributes, so no one is more merciful then Him. Arrahmaan.

Do you mean God/Allah is easily personally offended? And since the name Allah was only revealed 1400 years ago - were all the religious people before then offending God? You can't seriously be suggesting that God is so precious that the differences between God / Allah / That-Nice-Big-Bloke-In-The-Sky-With-The-Impressive-Beard would actually worry him? He's not really crying into his Cosmic Coffee Cup everytime someone says something other than "Allah", is he?

Surely as long as people are worshipping Him, being respectful, being nice to each other and following a few rules, does it matter what name they use?

Kim... 

He is The Merciful no one is more merciful then Him, He is also The Patient(Assaboor).

The name Allah has existed before 1400 years ago which i assume you mentioned as being aproximatly the time in which the koran was sent down. We know this since even the pagans knew Him by this name, but they worshipped other gods beside Him.

He is also The Truth(Al Haqq) so truth leads to Him, and falsehood desolves and vanishes when truth touches it. Discribing Him as having an impressive beard is a falsehood since He is unlike His creation. Some may claim that the bible says He created us in His image, and this is true in these following qualities: sight, hearing, knowing, loving, mercy, forgiveness etc. the difference between Him and us is that He is perfect and the ultimate in these qualities, His sight for instance is perfect, and He sees everything while we do not. He hears everything, we do not,He knows everything and we do not. So in a way we are created in His image, but we are limited while He is not, and hair is a protection for the body, and protection is only for the weak, so He does not need protection, i m sure you understand this.

And Allah does not hold it against someone if one does something out of ignorance, but He does if one turns away from truth after it reaches him, because then this person disliked the truth, and turned to something else, this means that he gave more importance to something else then the truth, he loved something more then loved Allah(The Truth, Al Haqq). And loving something else more then Him, leads to a "broken heart", because everything comes to an end, and when the heart is attached to something that suddenly comes to an end, it "breaks" except if it is attached to Him who is Eternal, this heart never breaks, it never will be in pain, because The One which it loves is eternal, see pain is a warning signal, when you put your hand in the fire, you feel pain so you pull it out of the fire, a warning signal (do not do that, stop it) same with the pain of a broken heart.(do not love something else more then Him because it will hurt).

Are you sure you fully understand what i wrote since you obviously believed that the name Allah came into existance only 1400 years ago?

Don't take my beard comment seriously, I was just making fun of the stereotypical view many people have of the image of God, but was also just emphasising the fact that many different peoples have different words meaning "God/Allah".   

And I also realise that people must have been using the word "Allah" more than 1400 years ago because Arabic has been around along time. But I assume 1400 years ago was the first time that particular name was made "official", if you see what I mean.

Kim...

I see what you are saying, also Abraham had 2 sons Ishmael and Isaac, Ishmael lived in the desert and out of him came Kedar and out his decendants came Muhammed. And out of the decendants of Isaac came, amongst others Judah, Israel, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus. But the people of Israel some time in history made it forbidden to pronounce the name of The One "god" because of extreemism in refference to the law of not taking His name (in vain)  and eventually they claimed they did not know His name anymore, and claim that the letters JEHOVA is what remained....and where they came up with these letters is unknown to me, what i think happened is that Abraham used the name Allah and taught it to his childeren, but the decendants of Isaac eventually did not use His name anymore for reasons i described above but Ishmael remained using His name Allah.

Does "Al Kahf" mean "the cave"? (They look/sound similar)

I _love_ it when one discovers that words from different languages are related.  All that interconnectedness and history and stuff.

Kim...

Dear Bros,

As long as we communicate and understand as what we mean by word "God", I think, we can use this word, especially once we are in interfaith dialogues. Ofcourse, when we remember Him in our prayers, then we can use any attribute to call Him with. Rest God Knows the best.

My dear bro Unity1,

I think there is no issue of changing or amending the name of Allah. Also, there is no issue of polythesitic view of godfather or godmother etc, though the terminology might exist. Also, a usual convention of capitalizing the word God exists for denoting the supreme infinite diety and significantly different than other terms such as god (lower case letters). Hence, its wrong to write Godfather but to say godfather etc. Its just a convention, how people can comfortably exchange ideas among each other. For discussion among muslims, this is no big an issue, as everyone knows what we mean by english word "Allah", though its actually an arabic word. Thus we made our convention to describe the same word in english language. Now, discussing among people of various background, another level of problem of familiarlity of this word comes in for sound understanding of the concept than sticking to the unfamiliar term usage and implying that this Allah is totally different than their concept of infinite diety (this is espcially true for the case of ahl-lil-kitab non-muslims). Hence the emphasis then shifts on how to make them understand if they don't know of this word. Its not that word God is considered replacement of word Allah, but used as a tool for others (non-muslims of western world) to understand the concept of Islam.  

Allah is one

Allah is unique

Allah has no plurals

i think as muslims we shud when amongst ourselves, refrain from using god, gods, goddess, goddesses.

but for dawah purposes, using word god is ok, diety, lord, etc etc.

one time arabic was the language of the world, it still is the most beautiful and complex, but english has become dominant.

 It is not that first the word ilaah existed and then the name Allah was "invented". The word ilaah came into existance because people needed to differenciate between different "gods" they claimed to exist. And since Adam, the first human worshipped The Only god, there was no need for the word "ilaah"(a god), this word became needed when people started inventing other "gods" and because of this, the word ilaah (a god) came into existance.

  Allah is the first and last, above everything and everyone. Adam was the first human, the first to use human vocal cords, and if you understand, The first to prunounce the letter A, it is the easiest to pronounce, so the first letter pronounced by a human being is the letter A, or AA actually, if you do not think it is the first letter pronounced then i suggest you should listen to a baby when it is born, and listen to the first sound it makes, the truth is something you can confirm, and truth leads to Him who is The Truth. Let me ask you this question, do you think that Adam used the first sound and letter he made for something or someone else then Allah? 

A= the easiest sound to make, thus the first letter ever pronounced.

L= when you push your tongue upward in your mouth, and use your vocal cord. LL you get when you put emphasis on the sound of L, that He is above everyone and everything.

A= is the first letter, the first.

H= is the last letter, since it is produced when your lungs run out of air while using your vocal cords, the last sound you hear when someone dies, the last breath, so this is the last letter. The last.

Assalamu alaikum,

Just thought I'd throw in some information about "godmother" and "godfather" as there seems to be some misunderstanding of what those mean.

In the Catholic church, when a baby is baptisted, the parents appoint a godmother and godfather for the child.  These two people are to be responsible for the religious aspect of the child's life, should something happen to the parents.  They are also supposed to remind the parents if they are not bringing up the child in a good religious manner, according to the church.

Now, in today's times, the function of these people has all but disappeared, as most pay not much attention at all to Allah or their religion.  But the tradition, and the names, continue to be used.

I know this has nothing to do with the topic of Allah's name - I just wanted to clarify those terms for those who might not be familiar with what they mean.

Peace, ummziba.

I dont see how this relates to science but I have to agree with the person who said "God knows his name in every language." God is the English word used to describe the supreme being. The first letter of the word is capitalized because it is to seperate it from the word "god" which represents a deity or figure possessing supernatural powers. But the english word God etymology relates to the German paganistic god  "Got" but eventually through the years and since the rise of Christianity in Europe the word Got was referred solely to the supreme being. In the Qur'an God says "To Allah belong the most beautiful names." In Farsi they call him Khuda in Spanish its Dios in Arabic its Allah in Indian language its Brahman. I believe God being the Most High knows what humans are saying when they call to him there really is no big deal.

Community wrote: If you understood my reasoning. It relates to science in the way of human vocal anatomy and the logical use of it to discribe The One Supreme being, Allah. This link can not be found for the name God, Got, or any other names given to Him in other languages.

Science? I doubt it. You are using a totally subjective standard.

ron75 wrote: Community wrote: If you understood my reasoning. It relates to science in the way of human vocal anatomy and the logical use of it to discribe The One Supreme being, Allah. This link can not be found for the name God, Got, or any other names given to Him in other languages. Science? I doubt it. You are using a totally subjective standard.

Yes science also consists of theories, and what is so subjective about the fact that the AA sound was the first sound made by a human being? is it not the first letter in most Alphabets? because of it's easy characteristics, even a baby when it s born cries "aah" easy aint it? reasoning is a part of science, L is the sound you get when you point up with your tongue, or is that an assumption also? when you are near someone dieing the last thing you probebly will hear is something that resembles "huuh" the H is the last letter in the arabic alphabet, not the Z, makes sense does 'nt it? in arabic prunounced as "HA"

Community:

I make no claim to be a speech therapist, but I've had a few voice lessons and have done some singing so I know a thing or two about vowel sounds and how they are formed in the mouth.

First- does a newborn baby really say ahhhh (i.e., the long "A")? From my observation babies make a higher pitched sound resembling more the "A" heard in the English word "hat."

Second, your claim that this is the easiest sound to make (btw I'm assuming you are referring to the long A because I've only ever heard the word pronounced as Ahhh-lahh) is COMPLETELY subjective and I think even an objective opinion would run counter with your assertion. To make the long A sound (Ahhhh- like getting your tongue depressed so your doctor can look down your throat) requires that you lower your jaw and lift the back of your throat almost like you are about to yawn. Try switching between chanting Ahhhh and Uhhhhhh several times and you will see that you have to open up much more for the former. The latter sound, I would argue is easier because you can say it without having to open your mouth any more than you would to otherwise breath.

Third: "Allaah as we call Him is above everything and everyone, so upward, up."In this context, "above" isn't used in a physical sense but in the metaphorical one, therefore physical movement of the tongue would be irrelevant. Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that God is everywhere?

Also, why would a word to describe god need to be two syllables? Wouldn't it be more "natural" for it just to be a single one instead? You seem to fret about the possible origins of the word "God". Well, I've heard the claim that "Allah" was actually the head deity in the pantheon of ancient Arab pagan gods, so I guess I have to wonder about its true origins as well. By the way, I thought I read once that Allah had 99 names anyway.

To your point regarding the hhh sound and it's representation of a last breath, thus testifying that Allah is the first and the last: Well, what if the Arabic word for god ended in a sound that could signify life itself, or ongoing life? In that case I'm convinced you would simply assert that this simply HAS to be the last syllable because then it shows that Allah is eternal and will exist forever.

Yes, your posts may have 'logic' in them, but it's backward logic. Let mequote you again (sort of):

 "If you did not get the [ill]ogics behind the name Allah, this will not make any sense to you probebly, it might even make you feel attacked, but that was not my intention at all, so i sincerely advice you, urge you to read it again and use your reason. "

You can argue about which word is more beautiful, and everyone should respect your opinion as everyone has a right to their own, but you lose credibility when you try to use 'science' to show that your opinion could be the only logically valid one. Your statement in the above quoted paragraph is also rather condescending to those who might disagree with you.

I'm having a time trying to make sense of your explanations. Simply put: The vowel sound in the word 'hat' is not the same as the vowel sound in the word Allah- period! Just because they are both represented by the letter A is immaterial because we could simply invent another letter for the different pitches of "A" and this would be totally OK because there are no hard and fast rules regarding how ones makes up an alphabet.

You second post is not very convincing because to be swayed by your argument, you would have to believe that Adam and Eve were in fact the first humans ever. (Please show me the cold hard science that backs up that claim!!) In fact there are more than a few Jews, Christians, and I also suspect Muslims (thinking of the new Islam and Darwin thread in this section) that don't believe the the story of the Garden of Eden should be taken literally. You post also implies that Adam and Eve would have used the term Allah as well. To believe that you would already have to believe that Allah could only be the true name for the higher power- something that has no objective truth to back it up!!

Alpha, the way it is pronounced in Latin, is the A you find in Allah. Period! so just because the anglo saxons of britain made the A as in AAAH, an Aey, while germany, scandinavia, france, belgium, the netherlands, spain even, pronounce the A as in AAH, we can conclude that the english A is different. So we are back to the A as in AAH...the sound you make when you are in a lot of pain....kind of ironic.

About my second point, so you find it more reasonable that some people just invented a faith and said "hey guys lets invent these gods and the head diety we call Allah", instead of the name Allah already existing and called upon with that name by people and then people starting to invent gods gradually and putting them so to speak under Him...talking about backward reasoning...do you per chance know how to do that spectacular "moon walk"?  A

About Adam and Eve...you can take that story however you want, Allah is the first name that He was called by as i made very clear but you seem to fail in understanding that, and looking at how you assume things about me and your twisted reasoning that i do not believe that there was an evolution shows me that you are overly offended or lets say that it is not something you want to accept, and so much because of reasoning but rather because of some emotional issue? if this was not so, then why assume in ignorance?, i guess my points hit some spots in that commode you call a soul, but you just are too, lets call it "stubborn" to admit them. What made you think i take the story of Adam and Eve literally? maybe to me it means that there was an evolution which is confirmed by the koran and that Adam and Eve "ate from the tree" and became concious of something they did not know before. That still does not make the A as in Allah the hardest sound and letter to pronounce, so assuming this is the first letter is not unreasonable at all, and to reason that Someone called Him by a name which starts with that letter is also very likely and reasonable, or is that an unreasonable assumption? yeah...But yeah i guess i do feel offended in your calling my reasoning backward while making all kinds of assumptions, putting forward your opinions is fine with me, but if you can not understand what i am saying then atleast do not make these kind of assumptions....or for that matter comments...

Who are you to say my commode is a soul?? Nice comment with the moon walk. Now that I see you are taking cheap shots at me with your puerile insults I can see who is really getting under whose skin more.

I expected nothing less than more obscurations from you. But when the smoke screen from your flippant and condescending rhetoric as faded, you still will not be able to objectively or scientifically respond to the following:

- You keep saying "Allah is the first name he was called by"- even though you have NO proof to back it up whatsoever expect your own assertion that it is so. Please tell me how you KNOW that Allah preceded all other names for the higher power. The story of Adam and Eve, and whether Allah used to be the "Zeus" of the Arab gods is irrelevant, especially considering that in your own timeline, the second event would have come after the name Allah existed.

- If you don't take the story of Adam literally then why talk about him like he was an actual person? "Adam was a monotheist, and those who came after him were also..."

- Please prove to me why the true name of god would have to be 2 syllables as opposed to just one.

- Prove to me why the name of god would have to end in the same sound that one makes at the moment of death. Death is for mortals, and god is immortal! Why would the name of god necessarily have to end in something representing death when god doesn't die at all. It's god's name after all, not the name of humankind!!!!

As far as this: "so you find it more reasonable that some people just invented a faith and said "hey guys lets invent these gods and the head deity we call Allah" -- Well why not??? The where did the name Zeus come from unless the Greeks invented it somehow or it was passed on to them? How about Thor with the Norse gods? Or Brahman for the Hindus? These names may have already been around before the inception of those religions but obviously that doesn't prove that they were the true name of the one and true god!

Have you ever even thought about these things before you post your "scientific finding" or do you make up your mind early on and just run with it without ever challenging it to yourself?

One last thing. In my life experience, I noticed that people who respond with insults and low blows to those who dare challenge their sacred assertions to be the ones with commodes for souls.

Good day Community.

So you really do not see how you offended me? must be terrible to be in your shoes when you offend people without any notion and then getting some thrown back.

"- Please prove to me why the true name of god would have to be 2 syllables as opposed to just one.

- Prove to me why the name of god would have to end in the same sound that one makes at the moment of death. Death is for mortals, and god is immortal! Why would the name of god necessarily have to end in something representing death when god doesn't die at all. It's god's name after all, not the name of humankind!!!!"

If you are dieing, and you say God, it will sound "Goduhhh" your last breath see? When you say Allaah, you do not have the problem of putting an extra letter to the name of your god...and His name is pronounced correctly. So you come into the world with Aa, and you leave the world with hhh. And that which is in between your birth and death, if you are a man of faith, is for you to hold on to The One who is Higher then everything including you and to strive for Him "LL". When you let go of the LL when dieing, when you relax your tongue from pointing up in your mouth, from the LL because you are about to actually exhale your last breath, you come back to the Aa and then go without you having any power to pronouncing the Hh.  Allah. also if your death involves alot of pain, you can put emphesis on the LL and then breath out your last breath..aLLah. So basically for a man of faith the last word in this life he would want to pronounce is the name of Him from whom he came, and to whom he will be brought back. Allah.

And about your soul being a commode...very bad choice of words from my side, i assure you that expression is not my invention, and i wished i did not say that, but i did feel attacked by your comments...i do not wish to continue with "smart" remarks like that, they do not have much good in them except maybe reminding you of your soul? i hope it had atleast some good in it. Anyway

a wonderful day to you ron75.