Should we say Allah or God? This often causes debates among us. New Muslims often say God and this frustrates “born” Muslims. They correct us and say we should say Allah. So what is correct?

There is no harm for a Muslim to refer to Allah as God. There are two words for God in Arabic. One is the personal name of God, Allah. When Muslims use Allah it brings clarity because we know that Allah is the One true Creator of all seen and unseen in the heavens and earth. This is why most Muslims are more comfortable with using the word Allah.

However, we can still say God. The other term for God in Arabic is Illah. Allah is a contraction of Al Illah. Illah appears in our declaration of faith. Illah in the declaration of faith simply means God. The same word is used in the Quran for God, Himself. Many verses in the Quran use the reference Illah and translated that means God.

It is quite appropriate for Muslims to use the word God. This is especially appropriate when we are trying to communicate the message of Islam to Muslims, new Muslims and non-Muslims. For many non-Muslims this is a barrier because they don’t always understand that Allah is God.