Faith.Browser

Who was Allah before Muhammad declared him to be God?

“Allah was known to the pre-Islamic Arabs; he was one of the Meccan deities”
(Encyclopedia of Islam, ed. Gibb, I:406)

“The Arabs, before the time of Mohammed, accepted and worshipped, after a fashion, a supreme god (over other gods in the kaba) called allah.”
(Encyclopedia of Islam, eds. Houtsma, Arnold, Basset, Hartman; Leiden: E.J.Brill, 1913, I:302)

“In ancient Arabia, the sun-god was viewed as a female goddess and the moon as the male god. As has been pointed out by many scholars as Alfred Guilluame, the moon god was called by various names, one of which was Allah.
(A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, Osnabrück: Otto Zeller Verlag, 1973, p.36).
The Encyclopedia of Religion says: “‘Allah’ is a pre-Islamic name … corresponding to the Baylonian Bel (or Baal)” (ed. James Hastings, Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1908, I:326).

According to the Encyclopedia of Religion, Allah corresponded to the Babylonian god Baal, and Arabs knew of him long before Mohammed worshipped him as the supreme God. Before Islam the Arabs recognized many gods and goddesses, each tribe had their own deity. There were also nature deities.

Allah was the god of the local Quraish tribe, which was Mohammed’s tribe before he brought Islam to lead his people out of their polytheism. Allah was then known as the Moon God, who had 3 daughters who were viewed as intercessors for the people into Allah. Their names were Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Al-Manat, which were three goddesses; the first two daughters of Allah had names which were feminine forms of Allah.

Hubal was the chief God of the Kaaba among the other 360 deities. Hubal was a statue likeness of a man whose body was made of red precious stones whose arms were made of gold. (Reference Islam George Braswell Jr.).

Muhammad said “I have fabricated things against God and have imputed to Him words which He has not spoken.” (Al-Tabari 6:111).
It was Satan putting words in Mohammad’s mouth. Did Satan put Quran in his mouth?
Reference: Sura 22:52; 53:19,20

I was reading today about King Solomon in 2 Chronicles 2.  Yes, Nabi Sulaiman, whom our friends say was a Muslim prophet.

In this passage, Solomon is preparing to build a Temple to honor the Name of the Lord (Yahweh). (2 Chr 2:1).  Since you say Sulaiman was a muslim, this temple was for Allah, correct?

Here’s how Solomon described the Temple for God would be:

“It will be a place set apart to burn fragrant incense before Him, to display the special sacrificial bread, and to sacrifice burnt offerings each morning and evening, on the Sabbaths….He has commanded Israel to do these things forever.” (2 Chr 2:4)

Does this describe Islam? Was this how Sulaiman, the Muslim prophet, practised Islam? What is the significance of the sacrificial bread or the daily burnt offerings or Sabbath in Islam?  Was all this done for Allah?  That does not sound like Islam to me.  If it was, when did Allah decide to change the requirements of your religion?  Not only that. He commanded Israel to do this forever.

To answer this, Muslims claim that the Jews have been abandoned in favor of Arabs.

In 1 Kings 6:11-13, The LORD Yahweh speaks directly to Solomon (not though an intermediary or angel) and He says to Solomon, “I will never abandon My people Israel.”  Why would Allah speak such a message to a Muslim prophet directly? And then 1600 years later, speak indirectly to another Muslim prophet that all Jews are pigs. God said He would NEVER abandon Israel. But He changed His mind?

Let’s look further…

Here is how Solomon prayed.

“Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel. He LIFTED his hands toward heaven, and he prayed, (1 Kings 8:22-23). Also, in verse 54, it says Solomon…KNEELED with his hands RAISED toward heaven.

Is this how Muslims pray? Sulaiman apparently kneeled down and lifted his hands toward heaven when he prayed.  Did Allah change the way Muslims pray today?  When? Can you show in the Quran where He gave Muslims a new way to pray from the time of Sulaiman?

And finally, this is the scenario of the worship that took place in Temple of Solomon.

“And the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and brothers—were dressed in fine linen robes and stood at the east side of the altar playing cymbals, lyres, and harps. They were joined by 120 priests who were playing trumpets. The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord with these words: “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!” (2 Chr 5:12-13)

Are these “Muslims” worshipping Allah? Musicians, musical instruments, singers?  Is this how you worship Allah today in your mosques?  By singing and by using musical instruments? When did Allah give new instructions to abandon singing and music during worship?