A Rose By Any Other Name
Someone wrote in and asked the following
question: "I notice you often seem
to shy away from using the word 'Allah'.
Instead, you often use words like 'God',
'Divinity', and so on. Why is this? Why
don't you use the name which is the
Supreme name more often?
Response: There are a number of reasons for
proceeding as I do in relation to the issue
which you raise. Some of these reasons are
a reflection of what is permitted by
Divinity, while some of the other reasons
are historical in nature, and, finally, some
of the reasons for doing this are cultural.
First of all, the name 'Allah' really gives
expression to 'al-lah' - that is, literally,
'the God'. This name is said to be the
all-inclusive name of Divinity because that
Reality to which the name 'the God' refers
is ultimate, absolute, and all-encompassing,
and, therefore, whatever ways one may choose
to make reference to this ultimate Reality
is entailed by the latter ... is entailed by
'the God'.
Divinity does not refer to the aforementioned
ultimate, all-encompassing Reality by just one
name alone, even when such a name is considered
to be the supreme name. In the Qur'an, Divinity
discloses 99 beautiful names which can be used
to make reference to one, or another, dimension
of that Reality.
Furthermore, one should not suppose these
99 names exhaust the names by which 'Reality'
might be called. Instead, such names are those
which have been selected by God to reveal to
humankind.
What is: 'Allah', 'al-lah, 'the God'? Or,
approached in another way: what is in a
name?
We humans say words so easily, without giving
much attention to the reality for which the
name is but an entry way. In fact, all too
frequently, human beings get far too caught
up in words and neglect the reality to which
the words make reference.
All of the names of Divinity are important and
have significance. If this were not so, God
would not have disclosed them to us.
Nevertheless, as important as the Divine names
may be, what also needs to be stressed is the
intention with which the names are said. Some
people say: "Allah, Allah, Allah" and are devoid
of spirituality, while certain other people
are present with Reality, and their use of the Divine
names would not bring them any closer to the
Truth than they already are.
There are a multiplicity of Divine names, but
there is only One to which all of these names
make reference. As long as a person says
these names with sincerity, love, and devotion,
I do not believe Allah minds, and I am not aware
of any verse of the Qur'an or traditions of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which
would demonstrate otherwise.
Secondly, and most unfortunately, there are
individuals who call themselves Muslims who,
through a failure to control their own
lower soul, or nafs, have created, by their
actions, an atmosphere which has led to much
disrespect being directed toward the name:
Allah, on the part of people who don't know
any better and whose lack of understanding can,
in no small way, be laid at the feet of Muslims
who, through the latter's aforementioned, reprehensible
behavior, have failed to show those people who
do not know any better that the holiness of the
name, Allah, is quite independent of human
foolishness. More specifically, today, many
people associate the name 'Allah' with killing,
terrorism, and inhumanity because, on far too
many occasions, there are, and have been, those
individuals who refer to themselves as Muslims
that have presumed to be acting under Divine
authority, when no such authority has been given
for their acts of barbarity toward innocent individuals
- including women, children, and the elderly who
are specifically designated as non-combatants under
Islamic rules of engagement. Furthermore, such,
so-called Muslims do not even have the requisite depth
of self-understanding to realize that they have neither the
wisdom nor the right to determine who should live and
who should die, even among those who may not be so
innocent.
Such individuals have helped create an atmosphere
of hatred, anger, hostility, fear, vengeance, and
misunderstanding concerning Islam and the word
Allah. Consequently, the vocabulary that may be
used, from time to time, is, in part, a reflection
of the historical conditions in which we all find
ourselves. Therefore, choice of words is, sometimes,
intended to help circumvent, or soften these
historical atmospheric conditions, by using words
that are less likely to place unnecessary obstacles
in the way of speaking about the underlying
principles and issues - principles and issues
which are far more important than feeling compelled
to force certain words into the discussion ...
however appropriate the use of such words may be.
Finally, while many people in the West have
heard the term "Allah", nevertheless, from a
purely cultural perspective, some of them may
feel more comfortable using and reading words
such as: Deity, God, Divinity, and so on. If the
purpose is dialogue, discussion, and communication,
then, one should consider the nature of the cultural
context through which this purpose is being
pursued, as one of the factors which helps shape,
color, and orient the flow of ideas.
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