Question: When the word "he" is generally considered disrespectful, why do Muslims refer to God as "he"? What is the answer to this reasonable question asked by non-Muslim friends?
– Abumujahid, Ajman, UAE.
Answer: This is not an issue related to religion. It is an issue related to language, history, and custom.
The first thing to understand is that this is a problem that occurs in some languages, like Tamil.
This situation does not arise in Arabic, the mother tongue of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
In Arabic, the word "huwa" is used to refer to a single person as "he." The word "hum" is used to refer to multiple people as "they." They never use "hum" (they) when referring to a single person out of respect.
When Allah refers to Himself, He uses "huwa" (he) in the Quran. Allah does not use "hum" (they) when referring to Himself.
Similarly, when referring to evil beings like Iblis and Pharaoh, God uses "huwa" (he).
Even when referring to the Prophet (peace be upon him), one should say "huwa." In Arabic, there is no practice of pluralizing the singular for respect.
When referring to "huwa" (he), Arabs understand that it refers to a single person, not multiple people, and they do not infer from this word whether that person is deserving of respect or not.
Similarly, in English, the word "he" is used to refer to a single person. The word "they" is used to refer to multiple people.
In English, "they" is not used out of respect when referring to one person.
This is the case in many other languages as well.
In Tamil, this was the situation in the early days. "Avan" referred to a single person. "Avar" referred to multiple people. This was the rule of Tamil grammar. The practice was also like this in the beginning.
It later became customary to use the plural word ("avar") for one person out of respect. Not only that, but it also became customary to pluralize the plural and use "avargal." When no respect was given, "avan," when referring to someone who should be respected, "avar," and when referring to someone who should be highly respected, "avargal," they later changed it.
Those who lived before the practice of respectful pluralization came into vogue in Tamil were referred to as "avan," no matter how respected they were. They are still referred to as such today.
We can see references like "Valluvan said," "Kamban says," "Rama broke the bow," etc., still being used today.
Similarly, before the respectful pluralization came into vogue in Tamil, when referring to God in the third person, He was referred to as "avan," and when referring to Him in the first person, as "nee." This continues to this day.
After the respectful pluralization came into vogue, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was introduced to Tamil literature, he was referred to in the respectful plural "avargal."
If we say "Kamban said," we would not consider it disrespectful. But if we say "Karunanidhi said," we would consider it disrespectful.
The reason is that when the respectful plural came into vogue, Karunanidhi lived; when the respectful plural was not in vogue, Kamban lived.
If we say "God said," it is not disrespectful. If we say that about the Prophet, we consider it disrespectful.
The reason is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) only gained a place in Tamil literature after the respectful plural came into vogue.
It can be seen that Muslims who refer to Allah as "avan" give more respect to God than any other community.
The Muslim community is the only one that does not speak ill of God, no matter how much suffering they experience. Singing, dancing, and shouting in the presence of God, and mocking God, are completely absent among Muslims.
From this, it can be understood that referring to God as "avan" is not out of disrespect.
Muslims refer to God as "avan" (singular) for another reason.
When we say "Allah said," it gives the impression that there are many Allah. Oneness is more important than the respect shown in words.
If one gets used to saying "Allah" (plural), it might lead to the thought in the future that there might have been multiple Allah. If such a thought arises, the very foundation of Islam will crumble.
Therefore, Tamil-speaking Muslims are adamant about calling Allah "avan" because saying "one" is more important than respect.
At the same time, there is no such command in religion.
If someone says "Allah" as "avar" or "neengal," it is not a sin in religion. They have the right to do so.
Our opinion is that it is best to say "avan" with respect in mind, without compromising the concept of the oneness of God.