ALEXANDER LAW FIRM

Allah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article contains Arabic text, written from right to left in a cursive style with some letters joined. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined Arabic letters written left-to-right, instead of right-to-left or other symbols instead of Arabic script.

Name of Allah written in Arabic calligraphy by 17th century Ottoman artist Haf?z OsmanFor other uses, see Allah (disambiguation).
This article is about the Arabic word "Allah". For the Islamic conception of God, see God in Islam.
Arabic
????
Transliteration
Allah
Translation
God
Allah (Arabic: ?????, Allah, IPA: [?al????h] pronunciation (help·info)) is the standard Arabic word for God.[1] While the term is best known in the West for its use by Muslims as a reference to God, it is used by Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews, in reference to "God".[2][1][3] The term was also used by pagan Meccans as a reference to the creator-god, possibly the supreme deity in pre-Islamic Arabia.[4]

The concepts associated with the term Allah (as a deity) differ among the traditions. In pre-Islamic Arabia amongst pagan Arabs, Allah was not the sole divinity, having associates and companions, sons and daughters, a concept strongly opposed by Islam. In Islam, the name Allah is the supreme and all-comprehensive divine name. All other divine names are believed to refer back to Allah.[5] Allah is unique, the only Deity, creator of the universe and omnipotent.[2][1] Arab Christians today, having no other word for 'God' than Allah,[6] use terms such as Allah al-?Ab ( ???? ????) "God the Father". There are both similarities and differences between the concept of God as portrayed in the Qur'an and the Hebrew Bible.[7]

Unicode has a codepoint reserved for Allah, ? = U+FDF2.[8] Many Arabic type fonts feature special ligatures for Allah.[9]

Contents
1 Etymology
2 Usage in Arabic
2.1 Pre-Islamic Arabia
2.2 Muslims
2.3 Others
3 Other usage
3.1 English and other European languages
3.2 Allah in other scripts and languages
3.3 Comparative religion
4 Typography
4.1 Unicode
5 Abjad numerals
6 Notes
7 References
8 See also
9 External links



Etymology

Medallion showing 'Allah' in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey.The term Allah is derived from a contraction of the Arabic definite article al- "the" and ?ilah "deity, god" to al-lah meaning "the [sole] deity, God" (ho theos monos).[4] Cognates of the name "Allah" exist in other Semitic languages, including Hebrew and Aramaic.[3] The corresponding Aramaic form is ??????? ?Elaha in Biblical Aramaic and ??????? ?Alaha or ?Aloho in Syriac.[10]

The contraction of al- and ?ilah in forming the term Allah ("the god", masculine form) parallels the contraction of al- and ?ilaha in forming the term Allat ("the goddess", feminine form).[11]


Usage in Arabic

Pre-Islamic Arabia
In pre-Islamic Arabia, Allah was used by Meccans as a reference to the creator-god, possibly the supreme deity.[12]

Allah was not considered the sole divinity, however Allah was considered the creator of the world and the giver of rain. The notion of the term may have been vague in the Meccan religion.[4] Allah was associated with companions, whom pre-Islamic Arabs considered as subordinate deities. Meccans held that a kind of kinship existed between Allah and the jinn.[13] Allah was thought to have had sons[14] and that the local deities of al-?Uzza, Manat and al-Lat were His daughters.[15] The Meccans possibly associated angels with Allah.[16][17] Allah was invoked in times of distress.[18][17] Muhammad's father's name was ‘Abdallah meaning the “servant of Allah.” or "the slave of Allah"[17]


Muslims
Main article: God in Islam
See also: Names of God in the Qur'an
According to Islamic belief, Allah is the proper name of God,[11] and humble submission to His Will, Divine Ordinances and Commandments is the pivot of the Muslim faith.[1] "He is the only God, creator of the universe, and the judge of humankind."[2][1] "He is unique (wahid) and inherently one (ahad), all-merciful and omnipotent."[1] The Qur'an proves that "the reality of Allah, His inaccessible mystery, His various names, and His actions on behalf of His creatures."[1]


Allah script outside Eski Cami (The Old Mosque) in Edirne, Turkey.In Islamic tradition, there are 99 Names of God (al-asma al-husna lit. meaning: "The best names") each of which evoke a distinct characteristic of Allah.[19][2] All these names refer to Allah, the supreme and all-comprehensive divine name.[5] Among the 99 names of God, the most famous and most frequent of these names are "the Merciful" (al-rahman) and "the Compassionate" (al-rahim).[19][2]

Most Muslims use the untranslated Arabic phrase "insha' Allah" (meaning "God wi

This little 4" wide mysterious cutie deserves a place of honor in your temple!

Don't know much about the Eastern Star or Free Masonry? Join the club!
Here's what the Eastern Star Ladies have to Say:
-------------------------------------------------------------
The real origin of the Order of the Eastern Star, like Masonry, will always be shrouded in mystery. Many researchers believe it had a French origin as early as 1703. By some, this is claimed to be the first inception of "Female Masonry" or "Androgynous Degrees" -- (degrees for both men and women).

There appeared at this time, to be a demand for "Side Degrees" or Degrees conferred on ladies, and quite a list sprang up -- "Heroines of Jericho", "Danger in the Dark", "Tall Cedars of Lebanon", etc. These were extensively used but soon fell into decay for lack of lasting worth.

As to the real origin of the Eastern Star degrees in its Initiatory form, there is not the least shadow of doubt that the honor belongs to Dr. Rob Morris and its real origin comes under the First Era.

Dr. Morris had traveled many years and had written many books on Masonry which are valued references in many Masonic Libraries.

Never quite satisfied that all the good in Masonry should be confined to men, Dr. Morris felt that Masonry should be for the whole family, but by the laws of that Ancient Order, women are not eligible for its degrees. Knowing he could not change the Ancient Landmarks of Masonry, Dr. Morris sought some method by which women could share with the Masonic Brother the same inspiration that "prompts man to noble deeds."

Although he harbored these feelings for years, it wasn't until 1850, while confined to his home after an accident, that Dr. Morris fully developed the Eastern Star Degrees in their present initiatory form.

During this time, he carefully thought out the symbolism and significance of the floor plan and the corps of officers. He conferred the degrees upon his wife and daughters, and some neighbors, presumably having an idea to clothe the ladies with certain words or signs whereby they might make themselves known to Master Masons.

These signs and so-called mysteries of the Order were communicated freely to all Master Masons and their relatives. Dr. Morris and other prominent Master Masons gave many lectures and conferred the degrees on many ladies throughout the nation.