Do Christians & Muslims worship the same god because they both use the name ‘Allah’?
Q. I heard an AM talk-radio personality state this past Saturday morning that Muslims and Christians in the Middle East use the name ‘Allah’ for God, indicating they worship the same God. Is this so? If it is, does this mean both groups worship the same God?
A. Individuals attempting to prove Christians and Muslims worship the same God us this faulty argument. The God of the Bible and that of the Koran are not the same. To say they are based on the term ‘allah’ is incorrect. Let me explain why.
It is true that in Arabic speaking regions various groups identify the god they worship as ‘allah’. This, however, does not prove in any way that they worship the same deity. The same can be said of our English term ‘god.’ Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, etc. all speak of their ‘god’ or ‘gods.’ ‘God’ or ‘Allah’ can be used in a generic sense that simply means ‘divine being.’ I as a Baptist pastor pray to ‘God’ and might encounter a Hindu that prays to a ‘god.’ The fact that we both use the same English term does not mean that the same god is involved.
This is apparent in the Old Testament as well. In Hebrew ‘el’ means ‘god.’ It can be used in speaking about the God of the Jews or any other group that they encountered. It is a generic term used in speaking of a divine being.
Remember, when using the generic terms ‘god’ or ‘allah,’ the specific deity mentioned is defined more by his characteristics than by the term used to name him. It is incorrect to claim that Christians and Muslim worship the same God. Muslims claim that Jesus was not God but rather a prophet. The Bible and the Koran present different views of God, salvation, human condition, and mission. Christianity and Islam are opposing religions.
The radio personality that claimed Christians and Muslims worship the same God is uninformed and overlooks the semantic domains for the term god/allah. Context and definition are absolutely essential.
Incidentally, the same problem exists when Christians and Mormons speak about Jesus. The Jesus of the Christian and Mormon are as different as apple and onion. Again, context and definition are absolutely essential.