Allah simply means God

The other day, a former student of mine stopped by my office in search of advice. This student looked quite troubled. I knew that he had come to me once before with concerns about Arabic and the Middle East, so I assumed that this time would be no different.

This student told me that during his Islamic Humanities class (a course required of all Middle Eastern Studies/Arabic majors, and one that I took last semester), the professor had a Muslim girl come in and recite a verse or two from the Quran. This student, of the Mormon faith, then proceeded to tell me that he was surprised at how strongly he felt the Spirit. 

Having studied Arabic, served a mission, and attended other church services, this student understood that the influence of the Spirit, good people, and good churches permeate the earth. However, he was concerned with how much he felt the presence of the Holy Ghost as someone from another faith expressed her devotion.

This is a topic with which I have always been fascinated. I am 22, a devote Mormon, and have had plenty of moments of doubt regarding my faith and exposure to other options. 

Nevertheless, and because of those moments, I firmly believe in this Gospel and the church that promotes it.

I have traveled, studied foreign languages, cultures, and religions; I have known Muslims, Jews, Catholics, and Atheists; and I have seen the good that comes from people who do good things, regardless of what beliefs do or do not motivate them.

While I believe that the LDS church is the most true church I have personally encountered, I do not believe that it maintains a monopoly on goodness or salvation. I believe the words found in Alma 29:8:

"For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seethe fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true."

The Lord is just and true and he is aware of what he has purposefully given to his children all over the world. He will judge us accordingly.

He knows where we have come from, where we are going, and what we have experienced. As Latter-day Saints, for example, we have the Priesthood, which enables us to obtain the Gift of the Spirit; however, I do not think that the Priesthood, although it allows us to perform certain ordinances, is the only way to tap into the often inexplicable power that facilitates healing, salvation, or a strong spiritual presence such as the one conveyed by Muslim girl reciting the Quran.

What does this mean for us? As brothers and sisters we must "be kind to everyone, for everyone is fighting a hard battle" because we do not have the same knowledge that He has. It is not up to us to make eternal, damning judgements upon anyone. Certainly, we can determine, evaluate, and even judge attributes that make good friends or spouses, and distance ourselves from those that cause harm.

However, I do not believe that being devoted to a certain faith while remaining accepting of and interested in different sets of beliefs are two contradictory concepts. In fact, I believe that as the Mormon church grows we will need more and more members with experiences such as the one my former student expressed.

In relation to Islam and Mormonism specifically, a cabinet minister in Egypt once said that "if a bridge is ever built between Christianity and Islam it must be built by the Mormon Church." I can definitely attest to this possibility, as I have had my own fair share of spiritual experiences in sermons and with members of other faiths, particularly Islam.

After conveying these thoughts and more to my former student, his anxious mind seemed comforted. Similarly, my own testimony of the Gospel and the role we will play in connecting God's children, regardless of differing backgrounds, beliefs, cultures, or languages, was also strengthened.