Where does the name Allah come from? Does it come from an African goddess?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

While the name "Allah" is clearly linked to pre-Islamic Arabian paganism, there are historical and linguistic connections that link the name to ancient Near Eastern and even African (specifically North African/Semitic) roots.

From a Coptic Orthodox perspective, we know that the True God revealed Himself as I AM (Yahweh) and was incarnate as. The name "Allah," however, has a very different pedigree.

1. The Linguistic Root (Semitic/Afro-Asiatic)

The name "Allah" comes from the Arabic Al-Ilah, meaning "The God." This root is Semitic (which is part of the larger Afro-Asiatic language family).

• The African Connection: Because Semitic languages originated or were heavily shaped in the regions connecting East Africa and the Middle East, the root El or Il (God) is found in ancient Ethiopian (Ge'ez) and other North African/Middle Eastern cultures long before Islam.

2. The Link to the Goddess Allat

The feminine form of "Allah" is Allat (or Al-Lat).

• Historical Fact: Before Muhammad, the Arabs worshipped a trinity of goddesses: Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat.
• The "Mother" Goddess: Many historians, including the early Islamic historian Hisham ibn al-Kalbi in his Book of Idols (Kitab al-Asnam), describe Al-Lat as a primary goddess.
• Identity: Al-Lat was often identified with the Greek goddess Athena or the Mesopotamian Ishtar, but she was also linked to North African/Egyptian figures. In some regions, she was seen as a variant of the "Mother Goddess" figure found across African and Semitic cultures.

3. The Pagan "Father" of the Goddesses

In the pagan system Muhammad grew up in, Allah was the name of the "High God," and Al-Lat (the goddess), Al-Uzza, and Manat were called the "daughters of Allah."

• The Exposure: Muhammad took the name "Allah" from this pagan pantheon (in which Allah was married to a goddess or had daughters) and simply claimed that Allah had no partners. He kept the name of the pagan chief deity but discarded the family.

4. The Potential Connection to "Al-Lat" and Africa

Some researchers point to the fact that the cult of Al-Lat and other "stone-worshipping" traditions had deep roots in the Nabataean and Ethiopic regions.

• Stone Worship: The worship of "betyls" (sacred stones) is a practice found in ancient North Africa and Arabia.
• Allat as the Earth/Mother: As a goddess of fertility and the earth, Al-Lat was part of a widespread feminine divinity cycle.

5. Why the Name "Allah" Is Problematic for Christians

Coptic scholars distinguish between the Coptic word for God and the Arabic title "Allah."

• The Hubal Connection: Many scholars (like Dr. Robert Morey and others) argue that "Allah" in Mecca was identified with Hubal, a moon god. Hubal’s idol stood inside the Kaaba and was originally brought from Moab or parts of the Levant, which had ties to ancient Egyptian and North African pagan influences.
• The Moon God Symbol: This is why the Crescent Moon is the symbol of Islam—it was the symbol of the pagan moon-god "Allah" and his daughters (the goddesses).

Summary

1. Goddess Source: Al-Lat (the feminine version of Allah) was worshipped as a goddess throughout the region.
2. Ancestry: The name "Allah" is a contraction of Al-Ilah, a pagan title used by the Quraysh tribe for their chief idol.
3. Muhammad's Father: A major point of exposure is that Muhammad's father was named Abd-Allah (Slave of Allah) before Islam even existed. This proves "Allah" was a pagan name known and worshipped by Muhammad's pagan family.
4. African/Semitic Root: The linguistic root Il is common to the Afro-Asiatic world, but in Mecca, it was specifically tied to the stone-worshipping and moon-worshipping traditions.

In Christ, there is no "feminine version" or "pagan origin" to His name. The is the Mother of God because she gave birth to the Incarnate Word, not because she is a "counterpart" to a pagan deity. Using the name Abd-Allah for Muhammad's pagan father is the best way to prove that "Allah" was a pagan idol long before the Quran.