I refer to the letter Allah, Tuhan, Lord and God . Firstly, it must be understood that the religion of Islam subscribes to absolute monotheism like no other. Hence its conception of the creator is theocratic rather then anthropomorphic in nature.

The transcendent Divine spirit, Allah, is described as eternal, perennial, omnipresent, omnipotent and the esoteric, He is without beginning and without the end (ie, beyond the inscription of the web of time) etc. It is gender free.

In simple language, He is beyond time and space and hence beyond existence and non-existence as understood by us. To identify or relate anything at all to Him is 'syirik' or a blasphemy of the highest order that would not be forgiven .

The word 'Tuhan' is used as a general term to refer to an entity that is worshiped and it is quite similar to the English word 'God'.'Lord' refers to an incarnate entity that is worshiped for whatever reason (eg, for his magical powers or supernatural power).

From the Islamic perspective, Jesus and Buddha, for instance, are appropriately referred to as Lords; but only Allah is Allah.

In the citation of faith of a Muslim he is required to pronounce that he is a bare witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and there is no god but Allah. The are many citations in the Koran and Hadith which further elaborate on this.

The point I am making here is that in the first instance, it is very important for a Muslim to understand the differences in the meaning of these words. Secondly, their proper and consistent usage would enable us to understand the differences between various religions in a more subtle and profound manner.