Does the noble verse (Do you know of any, who is worthy of a similar name (as He is)?) indicate that all prophets before our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, knew the Arabic word "Allah" (God)? And what is the response to those who claim there is no historical evidence for this from non-Arabs and from a language other than Aramaic, or who argue that "El" in "Yishmael" and "Gabriel" is the name of God in Hebrew?
The essence of the answer: The majestic word "Allah" is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and indicates that there is no one named like Him and no one comparable to Him. This word was known before Islam in the speech of pre-Islamic poets and in various cultures and languages other than Arabic, such as Germanic and Latin languages, and Semitic languages like Syriac, Assyrian, and Hebrew. Archaeological discoveries in Babylonian inscriptions have shown that "Allah" was used to refer to a god in the Atrahasis epic around 1700 BCE, and to the Sumerian king "Dumuzid". The word was also found on tombstones of Arab Christians in "Umm Al-Jimal" in northern Jordan, where some of them were named "Abdullah," confirming the existence of the word and its indication of a worshipped deity before Islam and in different cultures.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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