Is Allah God_
Teacher
Lesson Summary
The class began by introducing the guest speaker Wissam al‑Athawi, a former Sunni Muslim turned Christian who teaches both Muslims and Christians with a gentle spirit. The teacher then moved to the heart of the lesson: the linguistic reality that the Arabic word “Allah” has been used for God long before Islam and continues to be used in Arabic translations of the Bible. He explained that every language has its own name for God—English uses “God,” French uses “Dieu”—and that calling the deity by different names does not create different deities. The discussion addressed common cultural misconceptions, such as the portrayal of Allah as a moon‑god or a separate, violent deity, and clarified that these ideas are not rooted in scriptural truth. The teacher emphasized that understanding the linguistic background is essential for any outreach to Muslims, as it removes a major stumbling block. He reinforced the theological point that the God of the Bible and the God called “Allah” in Arabic are the same, the one true Creator, and encouraged believers to approach interfaith dialogue with love, knowledge, and respect. The session concluded with a call to pursue accurate knowledge of God’s names across cultures while maintaining firm biblical convictions.