The starting point for inshallah is faith, but just like the increasing popularity of the head scarf and the prayer bump, its new off-the-rack status reflects the rising tide of religion around the region. Observance, if not necessarily piety, is on the rise, as Islam becomes for many the cornerstone of identity. That has put the symbols of Islam at the center of culture, and routine.
“Over the past three decades, the role of religion has been expanded in everything in our lives,”’ said Ghada Shahbendar, a political activist who studied linguistics at American University in Cairo.
Deference to the divine has become a communal reflex, a compulsive habit, like the incessant honking of Egyptian cabdrivers ”” even when there are no other cars on the street.
This is a good article, but I had to go [url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/19/africa/20inshallah.php]here[/url] to read it (I’m not registered at the NY times).
Christians indeed will say insha’allah, because “Allah” means “God” for them as well. Many Christians here decline to say the Arabic for “peace be with you” (response, “and with you, peace”) because that one has become a Muslim code word. Egyptians are very superstitious. In spite of 2,000 years of monotheism, they believe in the evil eye. If you compliment someone, you should be sure to say “masha’allah,” “by God’s will.” If you don’t point out that it’s all caused by God, the evil eye might be drawn to the person you are complimenting.
Yes, indeed. All cultures are equal.
Katherine,
There are a lot of Christians who will also refuse to use the name Allah for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the Father of Jesus, for many reasons, not the least of which is the incompatability of the god of the Q’ran and the God of the Bible. Plus there have been studies that show that the god of Mohammad was not the God of the Bible, but the personification of the Arabian moon god. Many, including some on T1:9, have worked in Muslim countries and can attest that the use of Allah as an equivilent for the Chrisitan God is a recent development.
I will not use the name Allah to refer to God the Father, prefering to use the naming in the Judeo-Christian traditions.
But on topic, didn’t St. Paul even say this? “Do not say, I will go here or there, or I will do this or that, but say, If God wills it, I will do these things.” (I can’t find the reference!) So in this case, there is a Christian tradition that affirms this, and one that is older than Islam.
By the way, the Hebrew for Peace be with you, and the response is:
Greeting:
Shalom aleichem
response:
Aleichem shalom
In fact, I think the song book “Songs of Praise” ([url=http://www.thewordofgodcommunity.org/index.html]Word of God Community[/url], Ann Arbor Michigan) has that in a sung version:
Havenu Sha-lom aleichem
Havenu Sha-lom aleichem
Havenu Sha-lom, Sha-lom, Sha-lom aleichem!
libraryjim, the Arabic is very similar for “peace be with you.” The languages are closely related, many words being nearly the same. Roughly, “salaam eleikum” and “eleikum as salaam.”
All I can tell you is that Copts, who are Arabic-speaking, call God “Allah,” as do, I believe, other Arabic-speaking Christians. Historically, Allah was indeed an Arabic god, but the one considered to be god above other gods, and he never had an idol, which the other gods did. In the usage of today, the word simply means the deity. The first part of the Muslim statement of faith is translated “There is no God but God.” Who could disagree? There is only one God. We Christians of course believe that the Muslim understanding of the one God is seriously mistaken, and we can’t say the second part, “and Muhammad is his prophet.”
When I’m speaking English, I say “God.” When I’m speaking Arabic, I say “Allah.” This does not imply acceptance of Islamic dogma; it’s simply the word for God.
For instance, libraryjim, I just looked up the English word “God.” It is from Old English, of Germanic origin. Since the Anglo-Saxons who invaded England had to be converted to Christianity, as did their Germanic cousins on the continent, very likely this word began as a reference to pagan gods. It doesn’t mean that now, as used by Christians for a millennium and more. Same thing for Arabic. When the Bible is translated into the languages of the world, do we impose upon another language the English name for God? I think, rather, we use the native name for the deity which is almost certainly already there, and teach the Christian meaning.
Katherine I don’t wish to get involved in Allah versus God. But let’s go further and acknowledge God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. How many Middle Easterners will acknowledge this??
Hi, Harvey. No, Muslims don’t acknowledge God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They misunderstand who Jesus is and why he came.
Christian Middle Easterners do have a correct understanding, though, of course.
Katherine,
Yes, but we don’t allow other names, such as Zeus or Baal or Kri$hna for our God, do we? “Very likely” does not = certainty.
Why assign the name of a foreign diety to the One True God, when the Scripture assures us “There is no other name…” and “you shall have no other gods….”.
Frankly, yes we translate the names into a foreign language as close as possible to the original. For example Y’Shua is what we think the Hebrew for Jesus, Y’su in Aramaic, Ieosus in Greek, Jesu in Latin and Jesus in English are all very close.
However, Jehovah is not even close to YHWH, and has been refered to by Jewish Rabbi’s as “the name that never was”, which is why I don’t use it myself. Jewish people don’t use “the Name of G-d”, but use “Ha’Shem” (the Name) or Adonai or it’s English equivalent “Lord”. We have to be careful in dealing with other languages that we maintain the integrety of God’s uniqueness and not ‘marry’ Him to another diety.
It does make an interesting study, however, does it not?
Shalom aleichem
Jim Elliott <><
jim, I will ask my Egyptian friends at the first opportunity how they say “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” and whether there is any other word in Arabic for “God.” So far as I know, I think the word is “allah.” I don’t know how we when we evangelize Arabs in their language we can use some other word if there isn’t one. Naturally, in English I call the Lord “God,” because that’s the English word for Him.
Thanks, I look forward to hearing their answer.
You know, we DID have a discussion similar to this one on a previous T1:9 post some time ago. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to search for it in the archives, as I don’t remember the original subject that sparked the discussion. But one of the posters who spoke against the use of the word “Allah” for our God was someone who spent time as a missionary in a muslim country. It was interesting, as was the entire discussion.
If someone reading this remembers that discussion, and can find it, can you please post the link? Thanks!
Jim Elliott <><
Jim, here’s one thread I found with a quick search, but I seem to recall there was another one as well. Will keep looking.
http://titusonenine.classicalanglican.net/?p=18481
Update:
Ah, Jim, here you go. I think this is what you were looking for. Took awhile to find. (We had an easier way to search within comments on the old blog. Searching for comments on the new blog is much harder because there is no way to search only the comments.)
http://new.kendallharmon.net/wp-content/uploads/index.php/t19/article/4271
Thanks, Elves! You ROCK!
Thanks, Jim and elves. I will ask my Coptic friends, but it may be a while before I see them. I would take the missionaries’ word for it over the source you found at that time. In fact, I would assume Karen B., who has lived in Egypt, has the correct info., below.
I have learned a little about Arabic, which is, like Hebrew and Syriac, a Semitic language. So, from the other discussion, the Syriac “alaha” and the Arabic “allah” and even the Aramaic “elah” might very well be the same idea. Karen B., from the other thread, says that her Arabic Christians friends will call God “abbaana” (Father) or “rabb” (Lord), but she doesn’t cite another name for “God.”
What you object to so strongly is the Muslim teachings about God, and so do I, of course. But there doesn’t seem to be another word for God in Arabic.
When the Prayer Book says, “And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are [b]bold[/b] to say, ‘Our Father'” it’s not just making a quaint statement. The joy of calling on God as Father is through Christ.
libraryjim, I haven’t seen my Coptic friends, but I did consult a learned (agnostic) Muslim friend of mine. He has lots of friends who are Copts. He says they do indeed say “Allah” for “God.” The Arabic translations of the Gospels use the word. They also use “al Rubb,” “the Lord.” Muslims will say, “Ya Rubbi!” — “My Lord!” (“Al Taluut” means “the Trinity,” based on talaata, three.) In addition, there is a series of names meaning generally “worshipper of God.” One of them based on “allah” is Abdullah. My friend knew a Jew named Abdullah, and knows numerous Copts named Abdullah, one of them a Coptic priest.