Muslims refer to the Creator of the Universe using the name Allah. In fact, when referring to God, the name Allah is used worldwide by all Ar abic-speaking people, Jews, Christians, and Muslims. As a native English speaker, it is uncommon to hear someone refer to God in a foreign language. But we must remember, English is a foreign language to much of the world’s population. English is a West German ic language which is less than 2,000 years old. Before English existed, people prayed to God using various languages. Jesus spoke Hebrew; some scholars say he also spoke Aramaic; thus, he referred to God in what a native English speaker would consider a “for eign language.” According to the Bible, Jesus called upon God using the name Eloi. (Mark 15:34)

Today, almost 7,000 languages exist in the world; and societies continue to pray to God in many languages other than English. For this reason, when a Spanish-speaking Christian refers to God using the name Dios, no one assumes he is referring to a deity specific to the Hispanic com munity. Rather, the fair-minded person understands that Dios refers to God. Similarly, in the Arabic language, Allah refers to God.