“Allah is a separate, specifically Arab god.”
Short answer
Allah is simply the Arabic word for 'God' — the same God referred to in Judaism and Christianity. Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use the word 'Allah' too.
This myth treats “Allah” as if it were the proper name of a specific deity, similar to “Zeus” or “Thor.” It isn’t — it’s a translation, the standard Arabic word for “God,” used by Arabic-speaking Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike, and it predates Islam.
Arabic Bibles used by Arab Christian communities across the Middle East today translate “God” as “Allah.” The word shares linguistic roots with the Hebrew “Elohim,” part of the same Semitic language family — not a rival or separate tradition.
See our full explanation: Who Is Allah?
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