ALLAH. — The Arabic name for God, generally believed to be formed from the article al and the word ilah, meaning “God, divinity,” and still preserved in Arabic usage (both words appear in the Muslim profession of faith: *lā ilāha illā llāh*, “there is no god but God”). It corresponds to the Hebrew *’elōah*, Aramaic *elah*, Syriac *allāhā*, and South Arabic *ilah*. In Sabaean inscriptions, the same formation (the article *ha* and *ilah*) yields the form *hallah*.
A. was venerated in pre-Islamic Arabia and gradually assumed a preeminent position among the pagan deities (v. ARABIA, preislamica). The word was and is used by Jews and Christians to denote God, and was later adopted by Muslims. For the Muslim concept of God and the various schools’ opinions and disputes regarding theodicy, V. ISLÂM.