A reminder of Mark Shea’s recommendation to deduct fifty IQ points from mainstream reporters when discussing religion.

An Orthodox Jew would generally say that Muslims do not worship their God. A traditional Sunni Muslim would say that a Jew might indeed worship Allah, though incorrectly, and salvation is probably impossible for the Jew.

Allah, so I have heard, is derived from the ancient worship of the moon god, and is capricious.  The God of the Jews and Christians delights in keeping his promises and is dependable.  I would say they are not the same.

Allah is a Semitic derivative from the root Hebrew word El, the most ancient name for the Most High God.

Ann and Br Rabit, you are both correct. Allah was the proper name of a moon god. And that name is also related to the Semitic root wherefrom El is derived.

Thanks, Abu Daoud. I just learned something.

...on my way back to the Briar Patch,

The God of the Hebrews is also connected to the moon. “Sinai” of Mount Sinai, also known as the mountain of Elohim and the mountain of Yahweh, is named after the Semitic Lunar Deity, “Sin”.

That’s a pretty thin connection, NewTroll. Polytheistic descendants of Hebrew tribes, including the Midianites, lived in that area and the name of the mountain would have been in place long before the exploits of Moses, etc.

...on my way back to the Briar Patch,

Brother Rabbit, “El” is the generic for “god” and can be applied to any, including pagan gods (“elohim” being the generic plural).  It is used for God sometimes, but does not replace his name.  In Genesis it mostly applies to the Most High God Creator of the Universe, but is not His name.

Ann, you are correct. What I should have said is that before the Hebrews knew the name YHWH they called him El. Across the Semitic languages el was used as a generic word for god and also (frequently) for the Most High God.