Why do Muslims refer to God as He?

[love]

Forgive me that I did not read the whole thread. I have read more of the Quran in the last year than I have in my entire life. I keep coming across "We" in the verses and I do'nt understand. Is this plural? Someone please help me to understand.

 

[Quiddity]

Just a figure of speach. Lack of better words really. We do not believe that Allah has a gender.

Is this shared among the different factions?

 

[Sahar]

Forgive me that I did not read the whole thread. I have read more of the Quran in the last year than I have in my entire life. I keep coming across "We" in the verses and I do'nt understand. Is this plural? Someone please help me to understand.

I am going to give you the same answer i did in another old thread:
It's is the plural of RESPECT. It is used to magnify and glorify God.
And this is well-known for arabic speakers, for example when u speake to a king, president or high official, they are addressed in the plural form "you" (plural "you"), "they", "them" and this king or president may refer to himself as "we" in a puplic speech for example.
And i like to add that from a short period i received an official letter in which i was addressed in the plural form and i said "wow all this respect to me!!" hehe!

 

[gnostic]

there's the ever popular "it" lol, but it doesnt strike fear into the hearts of men as much as "he" does

You could call God or it as "they" or "them".

 

[Katzpur]

Just wondering. I know little of the muslim belief. I know why the other religions do already, just curious about muslims.

Isn't the God of Islam the Abrahamic God? Since Christians and Jews refer to Him as "He," why wouldn't Muslims do the same?

 

[Booko]

*** MOD POST ***

A number of posts were deleted from this thread, as they were off topic.

 

[gnostic]

Would if be offensive if I call Yahweh or Allah "Goddess" or "Mother" or "Lady"?

They have nicer ring to the Being than just "God". Goddess or Mother also represents a more loving and nurturing nature. I just find the name "Almighty" to be associated with bully, flexing muscles or as vindicative god that like destroying, something without compassion or without mercy.

 

[lilithu]

Muslims are only fooling themselves when they claim they don't think of Allah in human terms. No one prays to an object or an abstract concept for divine intervention. No one prays to the number 1. When Muslims pray, whether they admit it to themselves or not, they are praying to a God they believe will respond to them as a human being would, a kind, loving, parental human being at that. No abstract concept would be expected to respond to human requests for God's assistance. Muslims are praying to a heavenly Parent, an anthropomorphicized God with human attributes like empathy and love. Why cover up the truth with the fib that Muslims aren't worshipping an anthropomorphic God? Action speak louder than words.

Everyone who believes in a personal relationship with God anthropomorphizes to one extent or another. It is the only way that we humans can relate. As long as we know that's what we're doing, who cares? For goddesses' sake, who cares??!

 

[*Deleted*]

The question to ask of all three Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) is why the Deity is called "He"---why is "He" chosen? Why is "mankind" used? Why not "humankind"? Surely the patriarchal nature can be seen here.

We hear in all three traditions----God, Yahweh, Allah, is neither male nor female. He is Spirit. We hear that kind of thing and that meaning of "He" can't really be overlooked, by saying it is just easier to use "He" or "mankind"---He and mankind are both male and connote to our cultures maleness whether we like it or not. In all three religions any METAPHOR (which is the only thing we can use in language about the Sacred) that is female is deemed not adequate for the Sacred. Only the pronoun "He" is adequate.

The religions---all three---are male-dominated. You look at the structure, you look at the leaders, you look at the status of females in all three traditions. The pronoun "He" is chosen for a reason. Just as mankind is. It means males, regardless of how females try to twist themselves into the story, into the religion. Females can do it, but really the stories are not about us.

 

[Marble]

Its not quite that simple.
Allah was always head of the pre-Islamic polytheist pantheon,

Wasn't that Hubal?

 

[Woodrow LI]

That doesn't expain it. Does the quran refer to god as he?

`Not actually
The concept of stand alone words for he or she does not exist in Arabic. There also are no actual pronouns what you have are prefixes and suffixes,

For example the verb for said is kal. ee'kal is they said, n'kal is I said, t'kal can be translated to English as He Said, She Said or You said. the prefix has no gender.
In terms of nouns suffixes are used hat is Tarboosh my hat would be Tarbooshee, Their hat is Tarbooshoo Tarbooshec can be translated as your hat, his hat or her hat the suffix has no Gender.

What is used as he in Translations of the Qur'an is the result of the limitations of translations. Allaah(swt) has no gender and it is also the only noun that can not be grammatically plural there is no way to write a plural form and be grammatically correct.

 

[TashaN]

A thread from 2011? come on man? ha ha.

 

[Woodrow LI]

A thread from 2011? come on man? ha ha.

I just invoked an unwritten rule that old threads are for us old men to post on.
At my age and memory a 4 year old thread is fresh