Mission Statement
Chashma Media aims to produce high-quality, free, downloadable books relating to Isa al-Masih in both Urdu and Hindi script.
Why is the word Allah used?
In using both Allah and Khuda, the books on this website reflect the usage of Urdu readers today.
Some people especially on the Indian subcontinent are disturbed that the books on this website use the word Allah for God. They contend that only Khuda should be used.
There are good reasons to reject this view. For one it is very probable that Arabic Christians used the word Allah before the advent of Islam. Old Muslim historians support this view. The oldest Arabic Gospel translations also use Allah. The fact is that Allah is very close to Alaha, the word for God used by Aramaic Christians, who spread the Gospel to the Arabs rapidly in the years following Pentecost.
Most importantly, for thousands of years Arabic Christians everywhere have been using the word Allah for God. Allah is also the word used by standard Arabic Bible translations. Thus it is a gross insult to our Arabic Brothers and Sisters when people say that Allah is only the God of Islam.
In comparison to this, Khuda is a Persian word for God which comes from a non-Christian background, as does the English word God. If we forbid people to use the word Allah, it follows that we forbid them to use the word God and instead use the Hebrew words Elohim and Jahwe and the Greek word Theos.