Allah ( / ˈ æ l ə , ˈ ɑː l ə , ə l ˈ l ɑː / ; Arabic :) الله , translit. Allāh , pronounced [ɑɫ'ɫɑːh] ( listen )) is the Arabic word for God in Abrahamic religions . In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam .The word is thought to be derived by contraction from al - ilāh , which means "the god", and is related to El and Elohim , the Hebrew words for God. The word Allah has been used by Arabic people of different religions since pre-Islamic times. More specifically, it has been used as a term for God by Muslims (both Arab and non-Arab) and Arab Christians .It is also often, albeit not exclusively, used in this way by Bábists , Bahá'ís , Indonesian and Maltese Christians, and Mizrahi Jews . Similar usage by Christians and Sikhs in West Malaysia has recently led to political and legal controversies.