Allah (/ˈælə, ˈɑːlə, əlˈlɑː/;Arabic: الله, translit. Allāh, pronounced [ɑɫ'ɫɑh]) is the Arabic word referring to God in Abrahamic religions. In English language, the word traditionally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from al-ilāh, which means "the god", and is related to El and Elohim, the Hebrew words for God.
The word Allah has been used by Arabs of different religions since pre-Islamic times. More specifically, it has been used as a term to refer to God by Muslims (both Arab and non-Arab) and Arab Christians. It is now mainly used by Muslims and Arab Christians to refer to God. It is also often, albeit not exclusively, used in this way by Bábists, Bahá'ís, Indonesian and Maltese Christians, and Mizrahi Jews. Similar usage by Christians and Sikhs in West Malaysia has recently led to political and legal controversies.