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Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion pp 1–7Cite as

Allah, the Concept of

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Introduction

The word Allah is basically the equivalent of the word God in the Arabic language. It is not an exclusively Islamic or Christian or Jewish term, but rather a Semitic label and name. Actually, the translation of the biblical scriptures into Arabic mainly uses the word el-Rab for the “Lord” and the word Allah for “God.” The first sentence of the book of Genesis, for example, reads as the following: Feel Bad’ee Khalaka Allahu el-Samawatti wa el-Ard – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1.1). And the opening of the Gospel of John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Allah in Arabic)” (John 1.1). The expression Allahu Akbar (God is Greater) is a common Islamic phrase, repeated frequently by practicing Muslims in daily life and especially in the call to prayer. It emphasizes the greatness and transcendence of God and is generally referred to as al-takbeer– meaning the act of ascribing greatness....

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical & Cultural Psychologist, 14054 Wallingford Avenue North, Seattle, Washington, 98133, USA

    Naji Abi-Hashem

  2. Beirut, Lebanon

    Naji Abi-Hashem

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  1. Naji Abi-Hashem
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Correspondence to Naji Abi-Hashem .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rhinebeck, New York, USA

    David A. Leeming

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Abi-Hashem, N. (2017). Allah, the Concept of. In: Leeming, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_1001-21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_1001-21

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-27771-9

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Allah, the Concept of
    Published:
    06 April 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_1001-21

  2. Original

    Allah, the Concept of
    Published:
    08 April 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27771-9_1001-20

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