Credits: nerdrazor Source: flikr.com
Credits: nerdrazor Source: flickr.com

Q: Why do Christians use the word ‘Allah’ in their Malay language Bible and not ‘Tuhan’?

A: It is because Christians, Jews and Muslims worship the same God as the God of Abraham.

Before we all get confused, it is necessary to point out at the outset that the word which is spelt ‘Allah’ is an English word because it is written in English. The word which bears the same spelling in the National Language is a copy of that word which was first spelt in English in the sixteenth century. The English word ‘Allah’ is the phonetic spelling of the Arabic word for God.

We all know that the Malay word for god is ‘tuhan’. We also know that the God of the Muslims is Allah which is actually what this word sounds like in Arabic. Since most of us do not read or write Arabic, we tend to take the phonetic spelling of the Arabic word for God as used in English dictionaries. However, from the point of view of Christians, Christians worship the same God as Muslims do. The God of Christians and the God of Muslims is the same God as the God of Abraham. So if you are a Christian, the choice of using the word ‘Allah’ in their Malay language Bible is obvious since Christians also worship Allah which is the Malay language equivalent,  since Malay uses the same English phonetic spelling – of the God of Muslims. In this country to be Malay is to be a Muslim.

Christians will not use the word ‘God’ in their Malay language Bible because God is an English word and therefore it is an inappropriate word if it is used in a Malay language Bible. In a Malay language Bible only Malay words should be used. But tuhan, although it is a Malay word for god, is not an appropriate word to use in the context and sense of the Bible. Christians who use Malay in their Bible will never use tuhan for their God because tuhan is other people’s god; it is not the God intended in the Bible. Just as Malay Muslims will never use tuhan for their God even though it is a Malay word for god because their God as well as the Christians’ God is the same God that Abraham (Ibrahim) worshipped – no one really knows exactly when Abraham lived – a traditional view is 1750 to 1500 BC.

Main Prayer Hall at the Cow Street Mosque, Beijing. Credits: kevinschoenmakers Source: flikr.com
Main Prayer Hall at the Cow Street Mosque, Beijing. Credits: kevinschoenmakers Source: flickr.com

Here is an example why tuhan is unsuitable to Muslims and Christians. Taoism is common among the Chinese – not all Chinese because there are also Chinese Christians and Chinese Muslims – indeed there are more Chinese Muslims in China then the entire population of Muslims in Malaysia and Indonesia combined. In China a Chinese Bible is written in Mandarin and ‘Allah’ is written in Chinese phonetic characters to represent the sound of the Arabic word. A Taoist worships many gods both in heaven and in hell – I always think it is because the Chinese people want to play it safe, because either way they have appeased the deities. I don’t think any Christian or Muslim who uses Malay would worship tuhan even if you say tuhan is a Malay word for god! This is because they only worship their own God who was the God of Abraham (Ibrahim).

In the English Bible the name for God in Christianity is spelt with a capital G to mean the only God.

‘Allah’ is Arabic for God. Monotheism is the belief that there is only one god. In today’s world, the reality is only Jews, Christians and Muslims worship only one god who was the God of Abraham.

The Muslim God is spelt in any English dictionary as ‘Allah’ since the sixteenth century and it means ‘the name of God among Muslims’. In Malaysia it is also spelt exactly the same way as the English spelling when the National Language came into being after Merdeka. Both languages use Roman letters in their alphabet.

Glossary

Allah is Arabic for The God – for al-Ilah, i.e. al (the) Ilah (God): see Collins English Dictionary which gives the etymology of the Arabic word for God:

[C16: from Arabic, from al the + Ilah god; compare Hebrew eloah]

If you do not already know, Arabic is the language of the Arabs which is one of a branch of the Semitic race. Aramaic pertains to the northern Semitic languages, the biblical name for ancient Syria. And Hebrew is a person belonging to the Semitic race descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Jewish is their language: The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology.

Also in the same Dictionary of English Etymology you will find:

Semite Hebrew, Arab, Assyrian or Aramaean, regarded as a descendent of Shem (Gen. X): see The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology.

Collins English Dictionary:

Semite or Shemite n. 1. a member of the group of Caucasoid peoples who speak a semitic language, including the Jews and Arabs as well as the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians and Phoenicians.

Semitic or Shemitic n. 1. A branch or subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages that includes Arabic, Hebrew, Araimaic, Amharic, and such ancient languages as Akkadian and Phoenician.

Shem n. Old Testament.  The eldest of Noah’s three sons (Genesis 10:21).

See Also:

NH Chan, a much respected former Court of Appeal Judge, is a gavel of justice that has no hesitation in pounding on Federal Court judges with wooden desks for heads. Retired from the Judiciary to become the People’s Judge. Wrote the explosive “Judging The Judges”, now in its 2nd edition as “How To Judge The Judges”. Once famously hinted at a possible “case match” between lawyer and judge by remarking that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (see Ayer Molek Rubber Company Berhad & Ors v Insas Berhad & Anor [1995] 3 CLJ 359). We need more people like NH Chan. That is why you should buy PASOC and his book.

NH Chan, a much respected former Court of Appeal Judge, is a gavel of justice that has no hesitation in pounding on Federal Court judges with wooden desks for heads. Retired from the Judiciary to become...

72 replies on “Why Allah And Not Tuhan?”

  1. Mr. Chan,

    Another correction!
    Chinese Bibles from China do not use any word like "Allah"… they call God "Shangdi" ???? or "Shen" ??? or "Tianzhu" ????, depending on the denomination.

  2. Allah for Muslim is One.

    Allah for Christian = Roh Kudus (Hantu Suci), Tuhan Bapak and Anak Tuhan (aka Biri-biri Tuhan)

    Not really confusing actually for daily usage, the real question is WHY? Why arabic for God. Why not Latin?

    "Because we have used it before…"

    Then amend your bible, to suit your requirement and situation, as you used to do it before.

  3. Apparently NH Chan didn't know much about the Malays. Malays use the word Tuhan to refer to Allah ALL THE TIME, as long as it's in Islamic context. Tuhan is also used to refer to a highest deity/deities. The words tuhan and hyang are both native Malay words to refer to a deity, way before Islam was introduced here. For example the Islamic ritual "Solat" is habitually referred to as "Sembahyang", from "sembah + hyang". But in Malay language, the word Allah has always been used to refer to the Tuhan of the Muslims, The One, The Eternal, He neither begets nor is born.

    The Arabic etymology and it's usage among Non-Muslim Arabs is irrelevant in this argument, because the Malays are not Arabs, and neither are the Christians in Malaysia.

  4. Nick,

    First of all, Mr. Chan has retired. How we wish he were still a practising judge, then we would not have such idiotic court judgements nowadays.

    Since his retirement, I guess he is still an avid reader and keeps himself sharp in deciphering controversial issues. For the Allah issue, it has everything to do with Judaism and Islam as all are Abrahamic religions and are connected one way or another. As a judge, Mr. Chan knows that he has to gather all factors involved before he could come up with his findings.

    And if you still insist that Christians answer the question without relating to Judaism and Islam, it is even easier. And the answer is because Christians in this region who are Indonesian/Malay speaking have been using Allah in their worship and Alkitab for a few hundred years just as the Arab Christians have been using this name for much much longer, something closer to two thousand years? Answer accepted? No?

  5. NH chan, u should remain a judge and not a theologist.

    u ask the question to christians : "Why Allah and Not Tuhan", but you answer has Muslims And Jews elements. What have Christian teachings got anything to do with Jews or Muslims ?

    When u ask that question to a christian, you must answer as a christian, referring to the church and the bible. and not mix in Judaism or Islam.

    Yup, christians, why demand to use the word Allah ? can you answer without having it to relate to Islam or Judaism at all ?

  6. For the sake of accuracy, this is Yusuf Ali’s translation on Surat an-Nisaa’: 157-158 which is different from some other more popular translations:

    That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah” – but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not – Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power Wise –

    Dan karena perkataan mereka: “Kami telah membunuh Isa Almasih putra Maryam, Utusan Allah”-padahal mereka tidak membunuhnya dan tidak pula menyalibnya, tetapi demikianlah ditampakkan kepada mereka. Dan mereka yang berselisih pendapat selalu dalam keraguan mengenai itu, tanpa didasari suatu pengetahuan selain dengan perkiraan saja, dan yang mereka bunuh tidak meyakinkan. Tetapi Allah telah mengangkatnya ke hadirat-Nya. Allah Mahaperkasa, Mahabijaksana.

  7. What Mr. N H Chan has been trying to say through this and the last couple of articles on the subject is that, historically, semantically, phonetically, linguistically, etymologically, religiously and logically, it is literally and totally impossible to monopolise a word or any word for one's own use and to ban it from public usage.

    That is the gist of it. Some people cannot understand the issue and someone patient like Mr. N H Chan, has to painstakingly pen out the whole rationale of this issue or rather non-issue.

  8. If Allah is an english word, why doesn't the english Bible use the word Allah in referring to God?
    NH Chan is confused by his own logic.

  9. This is another stupid article by nh chan. He's trying to argue Allah is an English word. Thus its correct to use Allah.

    Let's see how Oxford dictionary defines Allah:

     Allah: the name of God among Muslims

    Maybe Oxford is wrong, let's see Collins:

    Allah is the name of god in Islam.

    Huh. Could Oxford and Collins be stupid or nh chan when he says christians pray to Allah. Really stupid nh chan.

    1. The Oneness of God
      The Qur'an reminds us of the falsity of all alleged gods. To the worshippers of man-made objects it asks:“ Do you worship what you have carved yourself” (37:95). “ Or have you taken unto yourself others beside Him to be your protectors, even such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves” (13:16).

      In the story of Abraham:“ When night outspread over him, he saw a star and said: This is my Lord. But when it set, he said: I love not the setters. When he saw the moon rising, he said: This is my Lord. But when it set, he said: If my Lord does not guide me, I shall surely be of the people gone astray. When he saw the sun rising, he said: This is my Lord; this is greater. But when it set, he said: O my people, surely I quit that which you associate, I have turned my face to Him who originated the heavens and the earth; a man of pure faith, I am not one of the idolators” (6:76-79).

      NH Chan is right.

  10. “Dan kerana ucapan mereka, “Sesungguhnya kami telah membunuh Al-Masih, Isa putera Maryam, Rasul Allah”, padahal mereka tidak membunuhnya dan tidak pula menyalibnya, tetapi (yang mereka bunuh ialah) orang yang diserupakan dengan Isa bagi mereka. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang berselisih faham tentang (pembunuhan) Isa, benar-benar dalam keragu-raguan tentang yang dibunuh itu. Mereka tidak mempunyai keyakinan tentang siapa yang dibunuh itu kecuali mengikuti persangkaan belaka, mereka tidak (pula) yakin bahawa yang mereka bunuh itu adalah Isa. Tetapi (yang sebenarnya), Allah telah mengangkat Isa kepada-Nya. Dan adalah Allah Maha Perkasa lagi Maha Bijaksana.”

    (Surat an-Nisaa’: 157-158 )

  11. Truthseeker,

    I have to tell you again so that you won't be misled. In the Holy Quran, all the verses concerning Jesus show that he was never killed or crucified by anybody, more so by the Jews. The Holy Quran only states that Jesus will only die after his second coming to this world. On his second coming, he will dispel all the misconceptions and untruths about the religion of God( no matter what we name it now..islam, christians or Judaism). He will also dispel the notion whether he is God or Son of God. He will rule the world for 40 days and when he has brought peace to this world, then only he will die.

    Q3.55 doesn't mention of Jesus death but reinforces Q4.157: " " Behold! God said: " O Jesus I will take thee And raise thee to Myself, And clear thee( of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme…" This verse is consistent with Q4:157 where it is said that the Jews neither crucified nor killed Jesus, but another was killed in his place'.

    If anyone tells you that in the Holy Quran it says Jesus died, then you should ask them to quote the correct verse. As I said the Quran did mention about Jesus's death, but it is only after his second coming to earth. You can't have a situation in this world where a person dies, reincarnate and then dies again.

    Nice to see you trying to seek the truth and to enlighten yourself in God's religion, no matter what we name it…Until and unless human beings accept that there is only one God, Who created the Heavens and the Earth and have Dominions over it and that we have complete obeisance to His command, then there will always be religious disagreement. The Quran mentions that there is only one God..He is the God of Abraham, of Joseph, of Ismael, of Isaac, of Moses, of Jesus and of Muhammad and.. of all His Prophets and Apostles.

    The righteous men in the eyes of God are those Who fear Him by obeying and following His Command and abstaining His prohibition And not those who say; 'my religion is superior to yours or claim that I have exclusive dominion over certain matters compared to you'.

    This polemic on the word Allah is a trifle issue or a non-issue

  12. Truth Seeker,

    Hi. Against my better judgment, I'm commenting on this topic, since you have asked a pertinent question. I must say first though; if you are Muslim, please do not read further because there is Article 11(4) in the Federal Constitution.

    This is my comment – Your poser is stated in more absolute terms in the Bible itself at 1 Corinthians 15:17. I trust you know how to google for the verse. Apart from that, there is a wonderful resourse at http://www.ccel.us/islamdebate.toc.html

    I have not read the book, but have listened to the debate referred to at the end of it many a time. Hopefully it clarifies, if not answers, your query.

    Jason Kay
    Malacca

  13. Truthseeker,

    In the Holy Quran, only one verse seems to imply that Jesus did not die (QS 4.157-158); there are a couple of other verses that clearly testify to his death for eg in QS 3.55. The verse in Surah 4 only denies that the Jews killed him, but did not say that he wasn't killed at all. So the question is not whether Jesus died or not, but whether or not the Jews killed him. So if we are to quote Surah 4 and conclude that Jesus did not die, then it is the Holy Quran that is contradicting itself; the contradiction is not with the bible! However, you will need to read the verse in the original Arabic or Yusuf Ali's translation in English to see that Surah 4 MERELY denies that it is the Jews that killed Jesus.

    For a more detailed discussion I refer you to http://renunganisa.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/apaka

  14. To May Chee Chook Ying, RK Boo

    The verses you have quoted are the backbone of Trinitarian teachings. These are however the most misunderstood verses in the bible due to the assumption that the Word refers to the pre-existence Christ. But is that what it refers to? It is too long to explain here, I direct you to the detailed expositions at http://www.theonlytruegod.org (especially chapter 7 to 10).

    I have the same understanding as you for years so I know where you are coming from :)

  15. Allah just means God, who is worshipped by the three monotheistic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The only difference is Christians believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is equally divine with God Himself (John 1:1), and hence worship Christ.

    “In the beginning was the Word.

    And the Word was with God

    and the Word was God;

    he was in the beginning with God."

    Muslims believe Jesus is merely a prophet and the Jews are still waiting for their Messiah.

    Historically, all three religions worship God (or Allah as they say) before splitting off as mentioned.

  16. Tuhan is far more Nusantaran Animist appropriate than Allah, which is Muslim specific and thus the distinction is important, even though we 'nons' fail to recognize the nuances for non-Muslim Malays (a religious freedom right denied unknowing by Bumi-policy) and Muslim-Malays. Of course @zaidisharif type views also make for the portion who do not see any difference (in which case why waste an entire word to make distinction with?).

    I'll say what @LN may have missed out and what @May Chee Chook Ying simply neglected in comment, which easily makes all polytheists, animists and atheists feel disenfranchised, the way Bumiputra APARTHEID has distanced the Others, Indians, Chinese from BN.

    Monoreligion and monoculture leads to religious or cultural 'inbreeding' and inbreeding leads to recessive genetics – within faith. The energic value of the above 3 types is needed in any socio-sphere system for health. A single species world would end up with a less diverse diet, becoming cannibals and decaying away as opposed to a species diverse world. Same with single religion worlds which Earth certainly is not.

    Monotheism without Atheism, Polytheism and Animism to balance spiritual energy would end up in things like the psychological scars of Victorian Puritanism upon the legal system (section 377B for example), Spanish Inquisition, Paedophile priests (if not neurotech created), or the proselytizing abuses of the Jesuits against the Red Indians.

    Absolute power absolutely corrupts. So do not ignore the existence and sensitivities of the 3/4s of the world who are not Monotheists while you indulge in neglect of your native faith and culture whatever it is.

    To put it in another perspective, religious-cultural genocide occurs if all members of an diverse ethnicity take up monotheism of various types.

  17. To Hana,

    "In the beginning was the Word.

    And the Word was with God

    and the Word was God;

    he was in the beginning with God.

    All things were made through him and without him nothing came to be.

    Whatever has come to be, found life in him,

    life which for humans was also light.

    Light that shines in the dark:

    light that darkness could not overcome."

    (John,Ch1, Vs 1-5)

    The Word Is Jesus, therefore Jesus is God. It is in the bible that Jesus is God.

  18. Truth seeker,

    No need to read the whole Quran. There are only very few verses that mention about Jesus. jesus was not killed or crucified as told by God in Chap.4( An-Nisaa) verse 157:

    157> That they( Jews) said ( ibn boast), " We killed Christ Jesus, The son of Mary, The Apostle of God"- But they killed him not, Nor crucified him, But so it was made, To appear to them, And those who differ, Therein are full of doubts, With no(certain) knowledge, But only conjecture to follow, For a surety, They killed him not:-

    158> Nay, God raised him up, Unto Himself; and God Is Exalted in Power, Wise:-

    Just give this a thought. If God can create Jesus out of nothing, surely God, The Exalted in Power can save Jesus from being crucified. So, by this command of God, muslim holds to the belief that Jesus was never crucified. The one crucified must have been Judas, his disciple, whose face was like Jesus, and who betrayed Jesus to the Jews.

    As to the second coming of Christ, only the Quran specifically mentioned this in Chap XLIII( Zukruf) verse 61: " And ( Jesus) shall be, A Sign ( for the coming of)the Hour ( of Judgement); Therefore have no doubt About the (Hour), but Follow ye Me; this is a straight way.

    Ca

  19. I am tired of this issue so 2night i'm gonna talk to my God n ask him permission if I can call him Joe. I'm sure, he being a forgiving guy (for he died on the cross for me n all mankind way b4 we, who are all arguing here, were not born yet) he will oblige. Pls find out what the palestinian christians call their God during Sunday mass. It might help.

  20. Having read an interesting article in your blog by NH Chan, a Malaysian renowned legal mind, I wholly support his analysis that the people of the books ‘al-khitab’ submit to the same God, ‘there is no god except Allah’ – the God of Abraham. Chan’s expose is clear, simple and self-explanatory, but unfortunately, it will not go well with the ruler of the day because of its political agenda and most of its Malay Muslims (UMNO) followers. Although many UMNO’S elites and intellectuals including their ulamahs understand and agree this concept of ‘tuhan and Allah’ dichotomy based from biblical sources and our Koran, they will not openly support this definition of Allah and tuhan are two separate entities. As Malaysian, we all know the rationale for this for hypocrisy; political survival and expediency. However, an ‘iblis’ wearing a Muslim robe, a political leader from Sarawak openly criticized the federal government to ban the use of Allah in the Malay language bible as a ‘stupid’ move. Again we all knew he needs to do this for political reason. Of course, he succeeded. 2012 apocalypse is happening already!

  21. I disagree with your statement that says malay muslims dont use the word "Tuhan" to describe the muslim God. Malay muslims always use it and never thought it as being any different from referring Him to Allah. You can hear most nasyid songs to use the word Tuhan interchangeably with Allah. So your logic which u tried to imply that the christians shouldnt use Tuhan to translate God into malay because malay muslims also do not use it, is flawed and misleading.

    Malay muslims are very clear about this. God in Malay is Tuhan, and Allah is what he is called in the Quran, therefore we refer Him as Tuhan and also Allah interchangeably. It refers to the same being, the one and only God of the universe.

  22. With all due respect to those who insist that we do not pray to the same God, well, I believe we do.The thing about human beings is, we like to create things then categorise things to simplify our lives. This is human behaviour. Unfortunately, while we may like to have exclusive ownership to "our God", it is not up to us to decide who God wants to include or exclude. We probably reject certain aspects of each other's doctrines but the doctrines are only means to an end and God Whichever you choose to refer to is the Beginning and the End right? I am not trying to contradict myself here by deciding also for God that He is the same one for all, I am merely reminding ourselves here that we should not put on the mind of God because we are so very far and below Him. We can only deduce from our knowledge and all written evidence of our doctrines that human beings very much a part of the interpretation of these holy books and supporting doctrines and though it is to be believed that the writings are by Spirit inspired men/women, we must be humble and not be quick to declare that "Our God" is the more powerful/smarter/better.

    Again, the aspects of the faith (and the supporting rituals), whatever it may be, may be different but for People of the Book, which Jews, Muslims and Christians are, there IS only one God.

  23. Ekajay,

    Jesus i usually referred to as Son of God to point to his Divinity. He is also son of Joseph and Mary, his biological parents.

    Well, Mary conceived Him with the help of the Holy Spirit – yes, she did not procreate Jesus with Joseph. Joseph accepted that this was God's will and still took Mary in to be his wife and he looked after Jesus after He was born.

    Mary however has a special place in the whole scheme of things because to say "Yes" to God's intervention and be the carrier of Jesus meant a life of suffering not only for Jesus but for herself.

    I mean, how many people are going to believe that the baby is a miracle-born-baby? And look at Jesus' teachings. They were all against what the religious teachers were fanatical about. Both Mary's and Jesus' lives were often paved with hardships due to unbelief, jealousy and overly enthusiastic Jewish Teachers of the Law who just wanted to get rid of this new "threat".

    Jesus taught about love and mercy, obedience to the 10 commandments meant putting love in practice. But the Jewish teachers that time interpreted the 10 commandments from a negative point of view. Just something to punish people by if they went against it, and it was easy because they simply interpreted the Laws very rigidly.

    Anyway, back to Mary. Because for Mary to birth the Son of God, she had to be sinless too. That's why Catholics also pay homage to Mary (we ask for her intercession when we pray but we do NOT pray to her like we pray to God). Vatican 2 decided to declare Mary sinless a few decades ago and that she went straight to Heaven after her death. Because of her contribution and sacrifices, she's sometimes mentioned along with Jesus' name i.e Jesus, Son of Mary. And thus Mary is also referred to as Mary, Mother of God.

    As you can see, Christians placed importance on women even in those old, old days. Women were a very important part of the Faith community even then.

    1. Christians placed importance on women even in those old, old days????

      The image of Eve as temptress in the Bible has resulted in an extremely negative impact on women throughout the Judaeo-Christian tradition.

      " I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare….while I was still searching but not finding, I found one upright man among a thousand but not one upright woman among them all." (Ecclesiasticus 7:26-28)

      In another part of the Hebrew literature which is found in the Catholic Bible we read," No wickedness comes anywhere near the wickedness of a woman…..Sin began with a woman and thanks to her we all must die"(Ecclesiasticus 25:19,24)

    2. How about the grandmother and grandfather of god? The on that gave birth to the mother of god. Nobody care about grandparent. Pity.

  24. Mr Chan

    Correction please

    The muslim population in China is said to be about 30mil

    ..certainly less than the combined population of Msia and Isia

  25. I am a Christian and believing I am > my BODY, my WISDOM and my SOUL. I am in three in ONE. My BODY turns to dust, my WISDOM tells what is corrupted/sin or not and my SOUL says let go HEAVEN.

  26. Prophet Muhammad was following the religion of Prophet Abraham (the belief & worship of One & Only True God) . In fact, The Holy Ka'abah was built by Prophet Abraham together with his son Ismael and not by Prophet Muhammad. Even the annual pilgrimage to Mecca (Ka'abah) was instituted by Prophet Abraham.

  27. Ayia what? does malay have any religion before muslim. they have no ALLAH/GOD only woshipped Hatun mah. pls understand who are malayu

  28. Actually, the Alkitab uses both "Allah" and "Tuhan". "Allah" is the translation of "God" and "Tuhan" the translation of "LORD". Thus e.g. "TUHAN, Allah kita, telah mengikat perjanjian dengan kita di Horeb", which means "The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb." Deuteronomy 5:7

    When "god" or "gods" is meant, the word is "allah" or "allah-allah" e.g. "Dahulu, ketika kamu tidak mengenal Allah, kamu memperhambakan diri kepada allah-allah yang pada hakekatnya bukan Allah." Galatians 4:8

    See http://alkitab.otak.info/index.php?hal=lihatPasal

    1. Dear sct

      There is Only One Almighty Creator – Allah.

      There is no allah- allah but we can called tuhan tuhan.

      “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

      1. They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only one Allah. There is no Allah save Him. Be He Glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)!(Surah Taubah, ayah 31)

        In this ayah Allah declares that the Jews and Christians had taken the following people as their lords (Rab) besides Allah:

        1. Their rabbis and monks.
        2. Messiah son of Maryam (Alaihi salaam)

        Their worship of Messiah is well known, but how did they take their rabbis and monks as their lords? This is explained in the following hadith:

        Prophet Muhammad (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) said: They didn't worship them but (the worship was in the sense) whatever they made halaal for them, they considered it halaal, whatever they made haraam for them, they considered it haraam.

        (Tirmidhi Book of Tafseer-Surah Taubah, declared Hasan by Imam Tirmidhi, Tauheed ul Muslimeen pg. 272)

        Prophet Muhammad (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) explained that they have taken them as your lords by following their religious rulings blindly and disregarded the true shariah.

    2. why can't they translate "Lord" as "Maha Kuasa" or something similar? And HThus Deutronomy 5:7 will read like this;
      "Maha Kuasa, Tuhan kita, telah mengikat perjanjian dengan kita di Horeb", which still means "The Lord our god made a covenant with us in Horeb."

  29. Gospel of Barnabas is supposedly written by Barnabas, the disciple of Jesus. It is one of the books not recognised by the Christian churches. However, I encourage all to read it as the reader would be blown away by its wisdom. It is a book not to be missed. It can be downloaded from the net.

  30. From my analysis,I would support the writer's article because historically the families that preach christinity and islam originates from the same root,i.e Abraham family.

    When one of the family departed and founded islam which they adopted Muhamed as their messenger of their god,just same like the christian which adopted Christ as their messenger of god,which actually are the same god originally before the family splitted.

    So I appeal to christians and muslims not to argue any longer and just practise your religious faith accordingly through your individual messiah(either through Christ or Muhamed).

    It is the fanatics that we must be aware of!

    1. Let me share on Hadith from Prophet Muhammad

      Hadith – Saheeh Muslim, vol. 1, no. 284
      "By Him (Allah) in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, there is none from amongst the Jews and the Christians (of these present nations) who hears about me and then dies without believing in the Message with which I have been sent (i.e. tawheed), but he will be from the dwellers of the (Hell) Fire."

      Hadith – Bukhari and Muslim, vol. 4, no. 255, p. 158.
      It has been confirmed that the Prophet said: "Three persons will get their reward twice [i.e. a double reward]. [One is] a person who has a slave girl and he educates her properly and teacher her good manners properly [without violence] and then manumits and marries her. Such a person will get a double reward. [Another is] a believer from the People of the Scriptures who has been a true believer [in his Prophet ], and then he believes in the Prophet [Muhammad ]. Such a person will receive a double reward. [The third is] a slave man who observes Allah's rights and is sincere to his master [and observes the rights of his master]."

  31. Dear Truth-Seeker,

    I totally agree with sct. The best judge would be yourself. Read the Bible and the Koran and decide from there. Remember this: "Seek the truth and the truth will find you."

  32. You've hit the crux of the matter, Truth-Seeker. Did Jesus really die and resurrect? If he did not, Christianity is a lie. But if he really did, then he is God come in the flesh, and he will come again to usher in his eternal kingdom.

    You must read the Bible and the Koran for yourself, and come to your own conclusion. You can also read history books on how the religions came about and grew.

    Now why have the authorities have impounded the Alkitab, and prohibited Muslims from reading it?

    1. The following Biblical verses that further refute the crucifixion and resurrection lies:

      Being lifted and saved:

      Luke 4:10-12
      10 For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you.
      11 And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
      12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

      Please visit: Psalm 91 clearly confirms that Jesus never got crucified or http://www.answering-christianity.com/isaiah_53.h

  33. can someone please explain why is it that Jesus' name is Jesus son of Mary? usually a son carries the father's name but for Jesus he is referred to the son of Mary?

  34. Let's look at the big picture. Islam is a monotheistic religion where there is One and only One God. We must remember that Islam is for "mankind" and not for a particular race. As such, whether you are a Muslim or non-Muslim, should use the word Allah to refer to the One and Only God.

    A person praying to other gods doesn't altered the fact that there is one True and Only God… and he or she should be allowed to address the One and Only God as Allah. Why prohibit a name which Allah wants Himself to be called?

  35. The word "Allah" should be trademarked by UMNO so that only Malays can use it. It should be Allah(tm) so that UMNO can prosecute the nons for using it illegally!!!

    1. Semoga ALLAH AZZA WA JALLA melaknati kamu wahai orang kafir..semoga kamu berada dalam neraka jahannam buat selamanya..

  36. i am perplexed. Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, ascended to heaven, and will come again during hari kiamat. While Muslims did not believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross and resurrected (and then eventually, ascended to heaven).

    Now, can someone please check and verify the death of Jesus. Is Jesus really died and resurrected, then Quran is flawed. However, if proven that Jesus did not die, then Bible id flawed. This difference should be ascertained. Christian and Muslim Historians, please help.

  37. Smelly,

    Correction. actually it is 10;94.

    However,

    Read Ali Imran

    3;69)A faction of the people of the Scripture wish they could mislead you. But they do not mislead except themselves, and they perceive [it] not.

    (3;70)O People of the Scripture, why do you disbelieve in the verses of Allah while you witness [to their truth]?

    Hai ahli Kitab, mengapa kamu mengingkari ayat-ayat Allah[202], Padahal kamu mengetahui (kebenarannya).

    (3;71)O People of the Scripture, why do you confuse the truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know [it]?

    Hai ahli Kitab, mengapa kamu mencampur adukkan yang haq dengan yang bathil[203], dan Menyembunyikan kebenaran[204], Padahal kamu mengetahuinya?

    (3;78)And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, "This is from Allah ," but it is not from Allah . And they speak untruth about Allah while they know.

  38. First of all, the 20 odd million muslims in China are Uigher Chinese. Durian, was'nt Elijah taken up before Christ became flesh? If we believe that the Holy Trinity is ONE, then would it not make sense that we believe in the one same God, eventhough there are certain obvious differences in the teachings as pointed out by Mkane? Mkane, what do you make out from the following quotations:-

    Surah 10; 64 ,' if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed unto you, then ask those who have been reading the Book (Scriptures) before you; the truth has indeed come to you from your Lord: so be in no way of those in doubt.

    Surah 16; 43 '…..if you realise this not ask those who possess the Message….

    A similar quotation was also mentioned in surah 21, verse 7

  39. I'm a Christian but I have to agree with Mkane based on the verses from Quran quoted above that it is indeed blasphemy to said that Allah is Christ. The reason we have so much animosity between the three Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) is largely due to the doctrine of Trinity which is very hard to sustain from the bible itself. Christians have been misled ever since the Council of Nicea in 325AD elevated Christ to the status of God whereby nowhere in the bible is Christ said to be God/Allah. A very good study on the subject can be found on http://www.theonlytruegod.org or http://www.theonlytruegod.org/id.

  40. Just as people may have the same names or titles, but are in fact different persons, the same names "God" or "Allah" may be used to refer to different entities. To distinguish between people, we may say Mark Tan of KL or Mark Tan of Penang, or my Daddy is stronger than your Daddy.

    So the God/Allah of the Bible and the God/Allah of the Koran are different entities, with different characteristics. The God/Allah of the Bible said that He loved us so much He sent His Son Jesus to die for all our sins in order to reconcile mankind to Himself. The God/Allah of the Koran denies that Jesus is the second Person of the Trinitarian God, or that He died for our sins. Salvation according to the Koran's Allah is by obeying all His laws, but salvation according to the Bible's Allah is by repentance and faith in what He has done for us.

    So it is not exactly correct that we all worship the same God, although everyone will believe his or her God to be the true God. But whatever the case, people must have the freedom to believe in whichever God they choose, and call Him by whatever name they believe is right for them. Otherwise we are no longer humans but slaves and machines.

  41. In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ, the son of Mary. Say: “Who then hath the least power against Allah, if His Will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all? everyone that is on the earth? For to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is between. He createth what He pleaseth. For Allah hath power over all things.” (QS, 5:17)

    (Both) the Jews and the Christians say: “We are sons of Allah, and His beloved.” Say: “Why then doth He punish you for your sins? Nay ye are but men,? of the men He hath created: He forgiveth whom He pleaseth, and He punisheth whom He pleaseth: and to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between: and unto Him is the final goal (of all).” (QS, 5:18)

    ____________________________________________________________

    They do blaspheme who say: “Allah is Christ the son of Mary.” But said Christ: “O children of Israel! worship Allah, my Lord, and your Lord.” Whoever joins other gods with Allah?Allah will forbid him the Garden and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help. (QS, 5:72)

    They disbelieve who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them. (QS, 5:73)

    Why turn they not to Allah and seek His forgiveness? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (QS, 5:74)

    Christ the son of Mary was no more than an Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah doth makes His Signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth! (QS, 5:75)

    Say: Will ye worship, besides Allah, something which hath no power either to harm or benefit you? But Allah,? He it is that heareth and knoweth all things.” (QS, 5:76)

    Say: “O people of the Book! Exceed not in your religion the bounds (of what is proper), trespassing beyond the truth, nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in times gone by? who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the even Way. (QS, 5:77)

  42. 171) O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist – it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.

    172)Never would the Messiah disdain to be a servant of Allah , nor would the angels near [to Him]. And whoever disdains His worship and is arrogant – He will gather them to Himself all together. (an-nisa)

  43. "indeed there are more Chinese Muslims in China then the entire population of Muslims in Malaysia and Indonesia combined".

    I am not sure if there are more than 200 million Muslims in China? I guess the figure would be around 20++ million Chinese Muslims.

  44. Christians believe that God became Man. Jesus Christ is God incarnated, presents Himself as the Son of God and went to the cross. So three doctrines are unique in Christianity i.e. Incarnation, Sonship and Cross of Christ. Any belief that denial these three teachings is from the antichrist. So actually the "Allah" that Muslims believe in is not the same God that Chistians believe in. Rather, "Allah" is from the spirit of antichrist. As a chirstian, I will not regard "Allah" as my God. The reason is not over the word "Allah", but over the spirit of antichrist behind this word "Allah". Knowing God alone will not save a person, but knowing Christ as God incarnate will save a person. Eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent.

    1. One important point to note here is that the author of the Christian
      emphasis on 'faith' in derogation of 'works' is St Paul – the self-
      styled "Apostle to the Gentiles", and not Jesus.

      Paul came first as a persecutor of Christians soon after Prophet
      Jesus' disappearance from the earth. He infiltrated the ranks of
      Jesus' followers and taught them a doctrine that opposed Jesus on
      several fronts.

      He replaced Jesus' teaching of selfless universal compassionate action
      with a selfish teaching of desire to gain a "free gift" of salvation
      based only on faith, without any behavioral requirement or obedience
      to law.

      Prophet Jesus' teachings stress on works rooted in a change of
      spiritual growth within the person. But supporters of Paul claim that
      righteousness on the part of weak humans carries no weight in gaining
      salvation. By accepting this Pauline teaching, Christians effectively
      contradict Jesus

  45. ehh???!!! stop playing with words & translations. Christians & Moslems don't pray to the same G-O-D. don't confuse.

    Christians pray to Jesus b'cos they believe that he rose from the dead & is none other than GOD who came in the flesh to die for the sins of mankind (refer to the triune).

    Whereas Moslems only accept Jesus as a prophet & a great man. (refer to the Quran)

    1. You must be following the teaching of Paul or Saul the murderer?

      Matthew 4:10
      New International Version (©1984)
      Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"
      New Living Translation (©2007)

      "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'"

      1. Part 1

        If Jesus was GOD, then why in Mark 12:29 Jesus said "Here, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." The words "our God" indicate that Jesus had a higher God over him, a stronger God than him. Jesus didn't say "Your God". He said "our God" which includes Jesus as the creation of GOD.

        If Jesus was GOD, then why did he ask for GOD's Forgiveness in Luke 23:34? Please visit How can Jesus be GOD Almighty when he asked for GOD's Forgiveness?

      2. Part 2

        If Jesus was GOD, then why Mark 15:34 says "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

        If Jesus was GOD, then did Paul say in 1 Corinthians 8:6 "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live."

        If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 20:17 Jesus said "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

        1. Part 3
          If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 8:28 Jesus said "I do nothing of myself"? Can't GOD do anything he wills?

          If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 14:28 Jesus said "My Father (GOD) is greater than I"?

          1. Part 4
            If Jesus was GOD, then why in Luke 23:46 Jesus said "Father (GOD), into thy hands I commend my spirit"?

            If Jesus was GOD, then why in Mark 10:18 Jesus said “And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.”?

            Also in Luke 18:19 Jesus said only GOD Almighty is Good: ""Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone."

            If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 26:39 Jesus begged his GOD to have mercy on him and to pass the cup to death (kill Jesus in another words) before Jesus goes through the pain of crucifixion? Also see: Jesus' crucifixion in Islam

          2. Part 5
            If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 18:38 he didn't reply when he was asked about the truth?

            If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 24:36 Jesus said "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Jesus told his followers that no one (including Jesus) knows when the judgment day will come, only GOD knows?

            If Jesus was GOD, then why in Isaiah 11:2-3 GOD had put the spirit of fearing GOD in Jesus? Also see GOD's Spirit in the many others beside Jesus.

            If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:31 Jesus told his followers that if he (Jesus) bears witness of himself, then his record is not true?

          3. Part 6

            If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:30 Jesus told his followers that he can't do a single thing of his own initiative?

            If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:36-38 Jesus said that GOD had assigned him (Jesus) work and GOD is a witness on Jesus?

            If Jesus was GOD, then why in John 5:32 Jesus told his followers that they have never seen GOD at anytime nor ever heard his voice?

            If Jesus was GOD, then why did he pray to his GOD in Luke 5:16?
            If Jesus was GOD, then why in Matthew 26:39 Jesus fell on his face and prayed to his GOD?

            If Jesus was GOD, then how come in Hebrew 5:7 he prayed and cried for GOD to hear him and give him mercy by saving him from death?

            If Jesus was GOD, then how come in John 1:18 he said "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the FATHER'S side, has made HIM known." Where do you see Trinity in this Verse?

          4. Part 7

            If Jesus was GOD, then how come in John 5:37 he said "And the FATHER who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard HIS voice nor seen HIS form," Jesus and the GOD are different. People heard Jesus, but never heard GOD.

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