Allah in the BM Bibles

 Clearing the Misunderstanding on the use of Allah in Bahasa Bibles

Many Muslims and even some Christians have misunderstood the use of “Allah” in Bahasa Bibles.   To clarify some of the confusion:

• 1)      The BM Bible or the Alkitab is not translated from the English Bible but from the original languages, ie  Hebrew and Greek.
• 2)      The Hebrew word for God is El or Elohim (similar root as Ilah in Arabic) and YHWH or Yahweh for LORD. The Greek words are Theo for God and Kurios for Lord.
• 3)      Biblical translators all over the world have used the local language terms for Elohim and Yahweh eg God and LORD in English; Dios and Senor in Spanish, Shangti and Zhu in Chinese
• 4)      For 15 centuries, Arabic Bibles have used Allah for God and Rab for Lord (predate Islam)
• 5)      The first Malay translation of the Bible was made in 1612, and Allah was used for God and Tuhan for Lord in this and all the subsequent translations till today.
• 6)      Malay-speaking (and Iban) Christians have used the term Allah for more than a hundred years in Malaya and the Borneo states in worship, prayers and reading their holy scriptures.
• 7)      Twenty million Christians in Indonesia have used Allah for years without any misunderstanding or objection.
• 8)      English Bibles nor Bibles of other languages obviously do not use the Bahasa terms
• 9)      Forbidding the use of the term “Allah” by Christians, not only infringes their rights to practise their faith but also lead to confusion.  For example, is the “Tuhan” in Negara-Ku and Rukun Negara not the “Muslim God” or can Christians sing the Selangor Anthem where “Allah” is used?
• 10)  Theological  meanings between Christianity and Islam  will always be different whether the term used is “Allah” or “Tuhan” or “God
• 
  
• PLEASE CLARIFY “Allah for Muslims only”
  
  
  Some Muslims have insisted that kalimah “Allah” is only for Muslims. Can they please clarify whether kalimah Allah can be used by
  ·         20 million Arab Christians  who have used the term since 1500 years.  Are 200 Arab Muslims confused?
  ·         20 million Indonesian Christians since 400 years. Are 200 million Indonesian Muslims confused?
  ·         Bahasa and Iban speaking Christians have used the term for 100 years . Are the Muslims confused all these years?
  ·         Sikhs have uses “Allah” since 500 years. Are the 100 million Muslims in Pakistan/India confused?
  Why is it now some Muslims in Malaysia  can be confused  and want to prevent Bahasa-speaking non-Muslims from using kalimah “Allah” in the privacy of their churches and temples?
  
   Historical Use of Allah
  
  

  1. The word “Allah” is the correct Bahasa Malaysia word for “God” and in the Bahasa Malaysia translation of the Bible, “God” is translated as “Allah” and “Lord” is translated as “Tuhan”;

  
  

  2. For 15 centuries, Christians and Muslims in Arabic-speaking countries have been using the word “Allah” in reference to the One God.

  
  

  3. The Malay language has been the lingua franca of many Catholic believers for several centuries especially those living in Melaka and Penang and their descendants in Peninsular Malaysia have practised a culture of speaking and praying in the Malay language;
  
  

  4. The Malay-Latin dictionary published in 1631 had translated “Deus” (the Latin word for God) as “Alla” as the Malay translation;
  
  

  5. The Christian usage of the word “Allah” predates Islam being the name of God in the old Arabic Bible as well as in the modern Arabic Bible used by Christians in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq,

  
  

  6. In Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia, the word “Allah” has been used continuously in the printed edition of the Matthew’s Gospel in Malaysia in 1629, in the first complete Malay Bible in 1733 and in the second complete Malay Bible in 1879 until today in the Perjanjian Baru and the Alkitab;
  
  

  7. Munshi Abdullah who is considered the father of modern Malay literature had translated the Gospels into Malay in 1852 and he translated the word “God” as “Allah”;
  
  

  8. There was also already in existence a Prayer Book published in Singapore on 3.1.1905 where the word “Allah” was used;
  
  

  9. The Bahasa Indonesia and the Bahasa Malaysia translations of the Holy Bible, which is the Holy Scriptures of Christians, have been used by the Christian natives of Peninsular Malaysia; Sabah and Sarawak for generations;
  
  

  10. The Bahasa Malaysia speaking Christian natives of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah had always and have continuously the word “Allah” for generations and the word “Allah” is used in the Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesian translations of the Bible used throughout Malaysia;
  
  

  11. In any event the word “Allah” has been used by Christians in all countries where the Arabic language is used as well as in Indonesian/Malay language without any problems and/or breach of public order/ and/or sensitivity to persons professing the religion of Islam in these countries;
  
  

  12. Islam and the control and restriction of religious doctrine or belief among Muslims professing the religion of Islam is a state matter and the Federal Government has no jurisdiction over such matters of Islam save in the federal territories
  
  

  13. The subsequent exemption vide P.U.(A) 134/82 which permits the Alkitab to be used by Christians in churches ipso facto permits the use of the word “Allah” in the said publication;
  
  

  14. The Bahasa Malaysia speaking congregation of the Catholic Church uses the word “Allah” for worship and instruction and that the same is permitted in the Al-Kitab.