One word, many voices
Allah around
the world
The word travels: in Arabic prayer everywhere, and into languages and faiths you might not expect.
The Word · Allah around the world
Malta
Omm Alla
In Malta, a Catholic country, the Hail Mary says Omm Alla: Mother of God. Alla jbierek means God bless you.
West Africa
Yàlla
In Wolof, spoken in Senegal and the Gambia, God is Yàlla, from Allah. In Hausa, Muslims and Christians alike say Allah; the Hausa Bible begins “A farko-farko, Allah ya halicci sama da ƙasa”.
The Sikh scripture
38 times
The Guru Granth Sahib names God “Allah” 38 times, in hymns by Guru Nanak, Guru Arjan, Kabir and Sheikh Farid. Guru Arjan wrote: ekō alahu pārbraham, Allah and Parbrahm are One.
The Bahá'í Faith
Alláh-u-Abhá
Every day, Bahá'ís repeat Alláh-u-Abhá, “God the All-Glorious”, ninety-five times, and use it as a greeting.
Persian, Urdu and beyond
Khudā
In Persian, God is Khudā: a different word with the same meaning. It travelled into Urdu, Kurdish and the Sikh scripture. Many British Muslims with roots in Pakistan say both Allah and Khuda.
Indonesia and Malaysia
Since 1629
Indonesian Christians have read “Allah” in their Bibles since 1629. In Malaysia the word went to the highest court; in 2021 a judge struck down a 1986 ban in a case brought by a Christian from Sarawak.
The Sikh and Bahá'í lines will be read by Sikh and Bahá'í readers before going public.
Keep going
Watch and listen
Documentaries and short films on the word and its story.
