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 made the clarification in a post on X on Saturday while responding to criticism over his use of the term “Alhamdulillah”, which means “Praise be to God” in Arabic.
He argued that “Alhamdulillah” and “Hallelujah” have similar meanings, with the former being Arabic and the latter Hebrew.
According to him, Arabs, Hebrews and the majority of Ethiopians have shared Semitic linguistic origins, with their languages retaining similarities in vocabulary.
He cited words relating to peace, house and mother as examples of similarities among Arabic, Hebrew and Amharic.
Omokri also noted that several figures associated with the Bible were of Hebrew or Habesha origin, while pointing to historical evidence linking Ishmael, the son of Abraham, to the ancestry of Arabs.
He further maintained that Arabic terms for God existed among Arab Christians before Islam became a mainstream religion in the seventh century.
Omokri referred to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, whom he described as a friend, relative by marriage and mentor of Muhammad, as an example of an early Arab Christian who used terms such as “Allah” and “Alhamdulillah” before the birth of the Islamic prophet.
He also said Arab Christians continue to use “Allah” to refer to God, citing his recent visit to Morocco, where he visited a church attended by Arab Christians.
The ambassador-designate further pointed to the history of Arabic Bible translations, arguing that Arabic translations predated translations of the Bible 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, noting that the word “Allah” is used for God in such texts.
Omokri urged Christians against condemning people who use different linguistic expressions for God, arguing that Arabs, Hebrews and Habesha people share deep historical, linguistic and religious connections.
He said his Christian faith is rooted in following Yeshua, whom he described as a Jewish Rabbi, and identified himself as an Orthodox Christian when required to state his religion.
Omokri urged followers of the Abrahamic faiths to recognise their shared heritage rather than focus on differences among them.
He wrote partly, “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.
“Are you aware that Alhamdulillah and Hallelujah not only sound alike but also mean the same thing?
“Oh yes! Alhamdulillah is Arabic for Praise be to God, while Hallelujah is Hebrew for Praise God.
“What we ought to understand is that Arabs, Hebrews, and the majority of Ethiopians share the same Semitic origin.
“Not only that, Semitic languages share about 58-60% of their lexicon. “
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