Max Shimba Ministries: ALLAH IS NOT THE NAME OF GOD (PART TWO)

Thursday, July 10, 2025

ALLAH IS NOT THE NAME OF GOD (PART TWO)

By Max Shimba, Servant of Jesus Christ

Introduction

In the previous installment, we firmly established that the God of the Bible possesses specific personal names, while the Islamic deity, Allah, as referenced in the Qur'an, is described through 99 attributes or names (Asma’ul Husna), as evidenced on Islamic educational platforms such as:
https://www.islamicity.com/mosque/99names.htm.

More importantly, we demonstrated that the term "Allah" is not a proper name but a title or designation, comparable to the words “President” or “King.” Just as “President” is not a name but a position held by someone with an actual name—e.g., “President John Smith”—so too, "Allah" functions as a title and not a personal name.

This leads us to the critical line of inquiry continued in this article: Is "Allah" a name or merely a descriptive title? And if he is truly the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate, as Muslims often proclaim, what is his proper name?

Islamic Invocation and Its Implications

Muslim sermons and invocations traditionally begin with the statement:

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”

This immediately prompts an essential question:
If God is “Most Gracious and Most Merciful,” what is His name? Titles such as “Gracious” and “Merciful” describe attributes, not names. Therefore, any rational theological inquiry should demand clarification:

Two Critical Questions to Muslims

What is the personal name of the God whom you invoke as “Most Gracious and Most Merciful”? Please cite a Qur’anic verse clearly stating that name.
If “Allah” is the actual proper name of God in Islam, can you provide a Qur’anic verse where God explicitly declares: “My name is Allah”?

Appeal for Respectful Dialogue

Dear Muslim friends, the objective of these questions is not to insult or provoke. We request that you refrain from harsh language, which unfortunately tends to follow such discussions. Instead, let us focus on intellectually rigorous and respectful theological dialogue.

What matters is your ability to substantiate your claim from your own Scripture—the Qur’an—and not simply repeat tradition.

Biblical Revelation: God Reveals His Name

In sharp contrast to the ambiguity in the Qur'an regarding a personal name for Allah, the Bible provides clear and direct revelations of God's name.

Exodus 3:13–14 (KJV) records the following dialogue:

“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?”
And God said unto Moses, “I AM THAT I AM”: and he said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

This profound declaration is both ontological and revelatory—God defines Himself as the self-existent one, the uncaused cause.

Later, in Exodus 6:2–3, we find:

“And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.”

This shows a progressive revelation of God's personal name, which He discloses at the appropriate time to His covenant people.

Contrast with Allah’s 99 Names

It is indeed perplexing that “Allah,” despite having what are referred to as "99 names" in Islamic tradition, never discloses a singular personal name in the Qur'an with the specificity found in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures.

Furthermore, these so-called “names” are mostly attributes or characteristics, not personal names in the linguistic or theological sense.

An honest seeker must ask: If Allah is the God of Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus as claimed, why is His name not revealed in the Torah, Psalms, or the Gospels? The God of the Bible does not hide His identity.

Biblical Names of God: A Window into His Nature

Exploring the various names of God in the Bible gives us deeper insights into His nature. Consider the following:

Elohim – The Mighty Creator (Genesis 1:1)
Adonai – Lord, Master (Exodus 4:10,13)
El Elyon – God Most High (Genesis 14:20)
El Roi – The God Who Sees (Genesis 16:13)
El Shaddai – God Almighty (Genesis 17:1)
El Olam – The Everlasting God (Isaiah 40:28)
YHWH (Yahweh) – “I AM,” the self-existent One (Exodus 3:13–14)

These are not mere epithets—they are revelatory disclosures of God's being and personhood, each deeply rooted in covenantal interaction with His people.

Conclusion

Dear reader, even you—being human—possess a name. So why would the supreme God not reveal His name? The Islamic concept of Allah is absent of personal self-disclosure. This is vastly different from the God of the Bible who personally reveals Himself, makes covenants, and communicates His names to His people.

Therefore, we are compelled to conclude that “Allah” is not a personal name but a generic title, and thus not the same as Yahweh, the God of Moses, Abraham, David, and Jesus.

Final Blessing

May God bless you as you seek the truth.
I am,
Max Shimba,
Servant of Jesus Christ,
For Max Shimba Ministries Org

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