Reno Omokri, Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to Mexico, has explained why Christians can use the Arabic expression “Alhamdulillah” and refer to God as “Allah”.
Omokri gave the explanation in a post on X on Saturday while responding to criticism over his use of “Alhamdulillah”, an Arabic expression that means “Praise be to God”. The former presidential aide said Christians should not see the use of Arabic words for God as something exclusive to Muslims. He argued that language and religion are different and pointed to the historical links between Arabic, Hebrew and other Semitic languages.
Omokri compares Alhamdulillah with Hallelujah
According to Omokri, “Alhamdulillah” and “Hallelujah” carry similar meanings despite coming from different languages. He explained that “Alhamdulillah” comes from Arabic, while “Hallelujah” comes from Hebrew. He also said Arabs, Hebrews and most Ethiopians share Semitic roots, which explains some similarities in their languages.
“Recently, I used the term Alhamdulillah, and a commenter named John criticised me, saying that, as a follower of Yeshua, I ought not to use that term. It really breaks my heart that my people perish for lack of knowledge.”
Omokri said the criticism showed a lack of understanding of the historical relationship between the languages and peoples of the Middle East and parts of Africa.
“Are you aware that Alhamdulillah and Hallelujah not only sound alike but also mean the same thing?”
He added that both expressions refer to praising God, although they come from different linguistic traditions.
“Oh yes! Alhamdulillah is Arabic for Praise be to God, while Hallelujah is Hebrew for Praise God.”
The ambassador-designate further explained that Arabic, Hebrew and Amharic belong to the Semitic language family. He said their connection can be seen in words used for common things such as peace, house and mother.
“What we ought to understand is that Arabs, Hebrews, and the majority of Ethiopians share the same Semitic origin.”
Omokri also claimed that Semitic languages share a large part of their vocabulary.
“Not only that, Semitic languages share about 58-60% of their lexicon.”
Why Arab Christians use ‘Allah’
Omokri also pointed to the historical use of “Allah” among Arab Christians. He argued that the word existed in Arabic before Islam became a major religion in the seventh century. He cited Waraqah ibn Nawfal as an example of an early Arab Christian who used Arabic terms for God. Omokri described Waraqah as a friend, relative by marriage and mentor of Prophet Muhammad.
The ambassador-designate said Arab Christians still use “Allah” when referring to God. He cited his recent visit to Morocco, where he said he visited a church attended by Arab Christians. Omokri also referred to the history of Arabic Bible translations. According to him, Arabic translations of the Bible existed before translations into several European languages.
He cited an Arabic Bible said to be about 1,300 years old and kept at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. He said the word “Allah” appears in such Arabic biblical texts as the word for God.
Omokri urges Christians to understand shared history
Omokri urged Christians not to condemn people simply because they use different linguistic expressions for God, that followers of the Abrahamic faiths should learn more about their shared historical, linguistic and religious background. He also explained that his Christian faith is based on following Yeshua, whom he described as a Jewish Rabbi. He said he identifies himself as an Orthodox Christian whenever he needs to state his religion.
The ambassador-designate called for greater understanding among followers of the Abrahamic faiths. He said religious differences should not prevent people from recognising their shared history. His comments followed the criticism he received over his use of “Alhamdulillah” and have renewed discussion about the use of Arabic expressions among Christians.
