On the Degenerate Uses of the Word 'Allah' in the Arabic Language

概要

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The Supreme Being that Islamites worship is called 'allah' in Arabic. They believe that Allah is the highest and absolute authority governing the whole universe, and their guiding principle of life is to lead their lives praising and relying upon Him. Their life is strictly regulated by the Koran in many ways because they believe in the Book as the complete record of His words.But on such occasions of their daily life as are less religious, they use the word 'allah' in an extremely careless manner. An observation of how the word is used, that is, the place, time, frequency as well as the speaker's feeling and mental attitude, will unmistakably lead to the conclusion that they often use this word in very degenerate senses, as customary or rhetorical uses, and more positively as a means of rationalizing their negligence or evading their responsibilities.In this paper, such degenerate uses of the word 'allah' are illustrated with actual examples to prove that on the surface or in their literal senses these expressions seem to show the Islamites' profound sense of awe toward Allah, but in reality the very reverse is the case. The author also ventures his personal opinion on the causes of the growth of such usage.
一般社団法人日本オリエント学会の論文