Table Of ContentWho Is Allah?
Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks
CARL W. ERNST AND BRUCE B. LAWRENCE, EDITORS
Highlighting themes with historical as well as contemporary
significance, Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks features
works that explore Islamic societies and Muslim peoples from a fresh
perspective, drawing on new interpretive frameworks or theoretical
strategies in a variety of disciplines. Special emphasis is given to
systems of exchange that have promoted the creation and
development of Islamic identities—cultural, religious, or geopolitical.
The series spans all periods and regions of Islamic civilization.
A complete list of titles published in this series appears at the end
of the book.
Who Is Allah?
Bruce B. Lawrence
The University of North Carolina Press
Chapel Hill
Calligraphy for chapter opening ornament by
Mohamed Zakariya, February 2014.
© 2015 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Designed by Kimberly Bryant
Set in Charis and Myriad types by Tseng Information Systems, Inc.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the
Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library
Resources. The University of North Carolina Press has been a member of the
Green Press Initiative since 2003.
Jacket illustration: Painting by Mohamed Melehi (Haʾ 2, 1984).
At its center is a receding repetition of haʾ (the Arabic letter “h”), framed by angular
and wavy elements. Haʾ elides with huwa (the pronoun “he”); when written alone,
haʾ/huwa connotes Allah as its inner meaning.
Used by permission of the artist.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lawrence, Bruce B.
Who is Allah? / Bruce B. Lawrence.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4696-2003-9 (cloth: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4696-2004-6 (ebook)
1. God (Islam) I. Title.
BP166.2.L38 2015
297.2′11—dc23
2014032689
To M. F. Husain, an artist for the ages, a chain of light linking all to
Allah, past, present, and future
Contents
Preface
Introduction
1. Allah Invoked
Practice of the Tongue
2. Allah Defined
Practice of the Mind
3. Allah Remembered
Practice of the Heart
4. Allah Debated
Practice of the Ear
5. Allah Online
Practices in Cyberspace
Conclusion
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
Figures
1. Allah/Muhammad with the Four Righteous Caliphs, 12
2. Beads on the Qur an, 33
ʾ
3. Counting to 7 with A-l-l-a-h, 47
4. 786 belongs to all religions, 53
5. Nasruddin Hoca and donkey, 58
6. Jabir and Ikhwan, according to M. F. Husain, 79
7. The Chain of Being, according to the Ikhwan as-Safa, 81
8. Ka ba Cube of Ahmed Moustafa, 94
ʿ
9. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen and his grave near Philadelphia, 110
10. Hu in bright acrylic colors by Mohamed Melehi, 157
11. Performance artist Arahmaiani with Allah plate, 165
12. Bilal, according to M. F. Husain, 168
Preface
Who Is Allah? is the product of a lifetime engaged by Islam and
subjects relating to Islamic thought and culture, society and politics,
across centuries in myriad contexts. It is aimed at a popular
audience, as well as regular readers of books in the Islamic
Civilization and Muslim Networks series published by the University
of North Carolina Press. The conventions of Arabic are kept to a
minimum, with just the hamza and ayn used to reflect the distinctive
ʿ
accents of Arabic—or Persian or Turkish or Urdu—names and
technical terms. In many instances English translations of common
words are used after their first introduction in both Arabic and
English.
A major exception is the name Allah. It is not enough to say
Allah=God if one seeks to acknowledge the complexity, and also
explore the mystery, of Muslim performance of Allah. In this study,
Allah is center stage at every level and in every chapter. And so, in
order to stress the prevalence of Allah, I will occasionally parse
words that combine Allah and another word into one that takes an
Allah-specific form. Hence, at times bismillah will be written
bismi(A)llah (“in the name of God”), and inshallah (“if God wills, of
God willing”) will appear as insha (A)llah. For Arabic speakers, this
ʾ
convention may seem redundant, but for those who are innocent of
any knowledge of Arabic, it will be a constant reminder of how Allah
is implanted in the deepest recesses of the Muslim imagination—
across time, space, race, gender, and geography.
You will also find sidebars. They are included to provide readers
with focused information about places, persons, and issues that until
now have been dimly known but are relevant to the evidence and
argument of this book.
Finally, there is the ubiquitous Internet. In many instances the
Internet has provided references and resources that are readily
available to twenty-first-century readers. The surfeit of their presence
requires judicious selection on each topic relating to Allah. I have
attempted to harvest the best, while avoiding the worst. Each reader
must decide for him- or herself how well, or badly, I have performed
that task, but my aim in each instance is to make Allah at once more
accessible and subtle as the bedrock of Muslim self-expression.
