Keeping on digging about Pre-Islamic Allah...
See 'Kaus is Allah' an Edomite stele dated 750BC (in the time of Tiglath-pileser III)
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viewtopic.php?p=98775#p98775" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Zebed (Zabad) inscription...
A tri-lingual Greek, Syriac, and Arabic inscription in Zabad (or "Zebed) dated to 512 in Aleppo states "With the help of God (الاله)!
Sergius, son of Amat Manaf, and Tobi, son of Imru'l-qais and Sergius, son of Sa‘d, and Sitr, and Shouraih." الاله or al-Ilah, becomes
the word الله "Allah" when it is elided. Such elision is a common feature of many languages around the world, not just Arabic. So it
would appear that the use of the name "ilah" together with the definite article "al", does in fact exist among Christians from BEFORE
the advent of Islam. This inscription is said to be the oldest with some 6 proto-Arabic alphabet (i.e. not Nabataean). The text covers
a lintel over the door to the martyrion of St. Serge. This is the oldest inscription with a nascent truly Arabic alphabet (512AD).
The map is showing where the bulk of pre-Islamic inscriptions were found... Ula being its southernmost place.
Notice the nearby Mada'in Saleh (Hijr or Hegra). I do think it's the name at the origin of Muhammad's Hegira!

See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of ... c_alphabet" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Koranic Al-A'la and Al-Ali(yy)
I've been searching for Al-A'la, the titled god of surah 87.1 and 87.7 (chr.8th) and I stand somehow confused since its meaning
of 'The Most High' is also shared by Al-Aliyy (i.e. either meaning the Sublime or the Highest), found in 4.34; 2.255; 31.30; 42.4
and 42.51. I'm not sure at this time if they must be understood as one and the same, or different. In wikipedia, Al-Aliyy is at #36
but surah 87 (where Al-A'la is found) isn't mentioned, so is Al-A'la! Below, both of them are mentioned separately, al-Aliyy at #5,
and Al-A'la at #11 right before Al-Allam. At #37, we also find Al-Ilah! This is a well known phenomenon of syncretic incorporation.
http://dawnoftheummah.webs.com/99namesofallahswt.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_G ... e_Qur%27an" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Obviously, Muslims scholars are still perplexed about those 99 names, probably because it's coming out of ahadith! This shows, again,
their confusion since there are many more than 99 attributes mentioned in the Koran alone. But those above are of much importance.
Both Al-A'la and Al-Aliyy, from their names and attributes, must be related to the Ugaritic Aliyin, the resurrecting principle of... Baal.
The root of this name is even find in Q.83.18 as 'Illiyin' the keeper of the good deeds. It reflects the Samaritan wording for El-Elyon:
Illiyon. Bukhari has Ilya as a name for Jerusalem. El-Elyon being the god of Melchizedek in Gen.14 related to Jesus in Hebrews 5.5-6!
In the Ugaritic account, Aliyin is the one who killed Mot, the principle of death. As such he became the One victorious over Death...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elyon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The Hittite Alalu...
But we can go much way back in the past, in the Hittite mythology where the Tablet of Alalu (2050BC) is describing this divinity,
pretty much akin to the Greek Ouranos and his son Kumarbi (Kronos). Finally, just like in the Hesiod Theogony, Teshub (Zeus),
the Storm-god, comes out victorious. Alalu could be written with different assortment of vowels like the Hebrew Elul which, same
as in Assyria and Turkey, indicates our solar period August/September. A month of repentance and spiritual introspection. Now,
Eylül is also the name for September in Turkish; it could very well derived from the Arabic : أيلول 'Aylūl, used in the Levant. It was
also used in Akkadian, in the form elūlu (which could be read Alala as well). It was then like our harvest thanksgiving...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elul" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
On the Hittite Alalu
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/153582_t ... -god-alalu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Basically, we can say that Alalu was symbolizing the barren winter months, featured as the underworld,
while An was reigning in the fertile spring and summer, figured as Heaven in most mythologies. Later,
for the Achaemenids, Alalu became mostly associated with their harvest thanksgiving and greetings.
The Cylinder of King Cyrus... and Alalu
http://www.thestarofthemagi.com/cyrusandbabylonii.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
From a verse account of the acts of Nabonidus and Cyrus....: ''[As to Nabonidus:] law and order are not promulgated by him, he made perish the common people through want, the nobles he killed in war, for the trader he blocked the road. For the farmer he made rare the [unintelligible], there is no [lacuna], the harvester does not sing the alalu-song any more, he does not fence in any more the arable territory.
We know that Nabonidus fled to Tayma (Arabia) for about ten years, certainly bringing his god Sin. One thing on his cylinder could be
the key to the Arabic perplexing As-Samad (Q.112.2). He wrote: ''O Samas, judge of the Heaven and Underworld, light of the gods''...
Babylon...
Finally, the root L stands as part of the name Babylon (BbL), sometimes as Bab-Ilu singular, or Bab-Ilanu, plural: The Gate of the God(s).
As for Enlil, the original Sumerian/Akkadian god for this root of IL/ILU, he simply got incorporated into Marduk, among many others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marduk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Babylon (Akkadian: Babilu, Aramaic: ܒܵܐܒܸܠ or ܒܐܒܠ, Arabic: بابل).... The form Babylon is the Greek variant of Akkadian Babilu
(bāb-ilû, meaning "Gateway of the god(s)", translating Sumerian Ka.dingir.ra).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingir" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
One important completing note would be to mention that Ba'al was also known as Ba'alah and Ba'alat... !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%27al" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;