Allah,
His Good Names:
Who Is He?
What Does He Want for Humans?
***
As He Described Himself in the Holy Quran
By Hassan Ali El-Najjar
25th Day of Jumada
Al-Thani, 1443, January 28th, 2022
Çááåõ
ÓõÈúÍóÇäóåõ æóÊóÚóÇáóì
ßóãóÇ æóÕóÝó äóÝúÓóåõ Ýöí ÇáúÞõÑúÂäö ÇáúßóÑöíãö
ãóäú åõæó¿
æóãóÇÐÇ íõÑöíÏõ áöáúÈóÔóÑöíøóÉö¿
ÊÃáíÝ ÍÓä Úáí ÇáäÌÇÑ
ÇáÎÇãÓ æÇáÚÔÑæä ãä
ÌãÇÏì ÇáËÇäí 1443 ¡ ÇáãæÇÝÞ ááËÇãä æÇáÚÔÑíä ãä íäÇíÑ
2022
ÃÚõæÐõ ÈÇááåö ãöäó ÇáÔøóíúØóÇäö ÇáÑøóÌöíãö
ÈöÓۡãö ٱááåö ٱáÑøóÍۡãóÜٰäö ٱáÑøóÍöíãö
I seek refuge with Allah from
the stoned Shaytan
In the
Name of Allah,
the Beneficent, the Merciful
About the author:
The author of this book was born in
Ghazza, Filisteen
(Gaza, Palestine), in in 1369 Hijriya (1950 AD). He received
the first eleven years of education in Gaza Strip and his
high school diploma from Raghadan School, in Amman,
Jordan, in 1968. He had his Bachelor’s degree in English
Education from 'Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, in 1972.
He worked as a teacher in Libya and the United Arab Emirates
before immigrating with his family to the United States, in
1986. He had his Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology,
from the University of Georgia, in 1988, and his Ph.D. in
Sociology also from the University of Georgia, in 1993. From
1991 to 2020, he taught Anthropology and Sociology at
Dalton State College, a unit of the University System of
Georgia.
The author’s full name is Hassan Ali Hassan Ahmed Mu'hammed
Abdul Hadi (El-Najjar) Mu'hammed Joudah Al-Harooni. His
greatest grandfather, Joudah, emigrated from the town of
Arab Wadi Fatima, near Makkah (now in Saudi Arabia), in the
seventeenth century and settled in Isdood (Ashdod),
Palestine. The author’s fourth grandfather (Abdul Hadi) was
also known as El-Najjar (The Carpenter), which became his
descendants’ last name.
Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 25th of Jumada Al-Thani 1443, January
28th, 2022.
***
Introduction
Allah, praise to Him, has instructed Muslims to "seek refuge
with Him from the Stoned Shaytan (Cursed and expelled
Satan)," whenever they start reciting the Holy Book
(Al-Na'hl, 16: 98). This
also applies to prayers, before starting the recitation of
the first Chapter of the Holy Quran, and at the start of any
action, to be shielded against the evil of the Shaytan
whispering. In addition, the description of the Shaytan
(Satan) as "Stoned" is a reference to the story of Ibraheem
(Abraham), peace be upon him, who threw stones at the
Shaytan, when he tried to dissuade him away from obedience
to Allah, as we learn from the ‘Hadith.
[1]
This Book is About Allah, Praise to Him in His Highness
(Sub’hanahu wa Ta'ala), as He has described Himself in the
Holy Quran. It attempts to provide information about Who He
is and what He wants for us, humans.
It is divided into five chapters and a section containing
the book notes, which includes the documentation and
referencing of the Holy Quran verses and 'Hadiths, mentioned
in various chapters. It also addresses some topics with more
details than mentioned in the book chapters.
The first
chapter addresses the topic of God’s
physical features, which He has mentioned in the Holy Quran.
The second chapter attempts to explain why
Allah has created humans, on Earth, and what He wants for
them. The third chapter is about the
methodological background of writing about the Good Names of
Allah. The fourth chapter is the largest in
this book. It contains a list of
151
Good Names of Allah, which represent His traits and
capabilities, as mentioned literally and directly in Holy
Quran, with verse references and explanation of each Name,
and how its meanings can be applied to our everyday life.
The fifth chapter includes three categories
of the attributes of Allah, which have not been included in
the full list of the Good Names of Allah. These are verbal
names, qualities of Allah which are denied to others, and
traits deducted by other authors. The fifth chapter also
provides a table containing the
full list of the Good Names of Allah, which are
mentioned in the fourth chapter. Finally, the fifth chapter
provides another table, which contains the
99
Good Names of Allah, as selected by this author, in response
to the call of the Prophet, pbbuh, to Muslims. This list is
selected from the larger list mentioned in the fourth
chapter and first table, after the exclusion of other Names,
which are derivatives of the same root verb.
This author is solely responsible for the translation of the
verses and the ‘Hadiths mentioned in this book. This applies
to both the specific translation of meanings and the summary
translation of verse interpretations, which are attributed
to the cited Islamic scholars.
[2]
*** *** ***
***
Allah,
His Good Names,
Who Is He?
What Does He Want for Humans?
As He Described Himself in the Holy Quran
***
Chapter 1
God's Physical Features
***
ÃÚõæÐõ ÈÇááåö ãöäó ÇáÔøóíúØóÇäö ÇáÑøóÌöíãö
ÈöÓۡãö ٱááåö ٱáÑøóÍۡãóÜٰäö ٱáÑøóÍöíãö
I seek refuge with Allah from the stoned Shaytan
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
***
Allah, Praise
to Him in His Highness
(Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is
the
One, the Eternal, whom none has ever been equal to,
as stated in Surat Al-Ikhlas (112: 1-4).
There is
nothing like Him, as stated in Surat
Al-Shoora (Chapter 42: 11).
ÝóÇØöÑõ ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö
æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۚ ÌóÚóáó áóßõã ãöøäú ÃóäÝõÓößõãú
ÃóÒúæóÇÌðÇ æóãöäó ÇáúÃóäúÚóÇãö ÃóÒúæóÇÌðÇ ۖ
íóÐúÑóÄõßõãú Ýöíåö ۚ
áóíúÓó ßóãöËúáöåö ÔóíúÁñ ۖ
æóåõæó
ÇáÓøóãöíÚõ ÇáúÈóÕöíÑõ (ÇáÔæÑì
¡ 42: 11).
The Originator of the Heavens and
the Earth, (Allah), has made pairs for you from
yourselves, and pairs of cattle, thereby multiplying (in
the wombs of females). There is
nothing like Him. He is The Hearer, The Seer
(Al-Shoora, 42: 11).
With that stated, several verses of the Holy Quran
mention some physical features of Allah. Al-Tabari
mentioned that the tradition of early Muslim scholars is
to mention these physical features of God, as described
in the Holy Quran and the 'Hadith, without trying to equate
them with the physical features of humans. Here are some of them: [3]
1. Allah, Praise
to Him in His Highness, has a Face, which illuminates (gives
light to) the Throne, as interpreted by scholars, in Ayatul Kursi (The Verse of the Chair) above. Believers
direct their prayers and good deeds to the
Face of Allah,
as in verses 2: 115, 2: 272, 30: 38, 30:
39, and 76: 9 of the Holy Quran.
æóáöáøóÜåö
ÇáúãóÔúÑöÞõ æóÇáúãóÛúÑöÈõ ۚ ÝóÃóíúäóãóÇ
ÊõæóáøõæÇ ÝóËóãøó
æóÌúåõ
ÇááøóÜåö Åöäøó ÇááøóÜåó æóÇÓöÚñ Úóáöíãñ
(ÇáÈÞÑÉ ¡ 2:
115).
æóãóÇ ÊõäúÝöÞõæÇ ãöäú
ÎóíúÑò ÝóáöÃóäúÝõÓößõãú æóãóÇ ÊõäúÝöÞõæäó ÅöáøóÇ
ÇÈúÊöÛóÇÁó
æóÌúåö
Çááøóåö
æóãóÇ
ÊõäúÝöÞõæÇ ãöäú ÎóíúÑò íõæóÝøó Åöáóíúßõãú
æóÃóäúÊõãú áóÇ ÊõÙúáóãõæäó
(ÇáÈÞÑÉ ¡ 2:
272).
ÝóÂÊö ÐóÇ ÇáúÞõÑúÈóì
ÍóÞøóåõ æóÇáúãöÓúßöíäó æóÇÈúäó ÇáÓøóÈöíáö Ðóáößó
ÎóíúÑñ áöáøóÐöíäó íõÑöíÏõæäó
æóÌúåó Çááøóåö
æóÃõæáóÆößó åõãõ
ÇáúãõÝúáöÍõæäó
(ÇáÑæã ¡ 30:
38).
æóãóÇ ÂÊóíúÊõãú ãöäú
ÒóßóÇÉò ÊõÑöíÏõæäó
æóÌúåó Çááøóåö
ÝóÃõæáóÆößó åõãõ
ÇáúãõÖúÚöÝõæäó
(ÇáÑæã ¡ 30:
39).
ÅöäøóãóÇ äõØúÚöãõßõãú
áöæóÌúåö Çááøóåö
áóÇ äõÑöíÏõ
ãöäúßõãú ÌóÒóÇÁð æóáóÇ ÔõßõæÑðÇ
(ÇáÅäÓÇä ¡
76: 9).
To
Allah belong (the directions of) the sunrise and the
sunset. Whichever
(direction) you turn to, there is the
Face of Allah.
Indeed, Allah is
Vast (and) Knowledgeable
(Al-Baqara, 2: 115).
Whatever good you spend
is for yourselves, (provided that) you give it
seeking the Face of Allah.
And whatever good you spend shall be repaid to you
(in full), you shall not be treated unjustly (Al-Baqara, 2: 272).
And give to the kinsman his
due, and to the needy, and to the destitute
traveler. That is best for those who want the
Face of Allah, and
those are the winners
(Al-Room, 30: 38)
That which you give in Zakat (charity), wanting
the Face of Allah,
those (amounts) will be multiplied many times
(for you in rewards)
(Al-Room, 30: 39).
'We feed you for the
Face of Allah, we
neither want a reward from you nor gratitude
(Al-Insan, 76: 9).
2.
Some verses of the Holy Quran mention that Allah,
Praise to Him in His Highness, has
a Throne to sit on,
as follows;
Åöäøó ÑóÈøóßõãõ ÇááøóÜåõ ÇáøóÐöí ÎóáóÞó
ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó Ýöí ÓöÊøóÉö ÃóíøóÇãò
Ëõãøó ÇÓúÊóæóìٰ Úóáóì ÇáúÚóÑúÔö ۖ
(ÇáÃÚÑÇÝ ¡ 7: 54 ).
Åöäøó ÑóÈøóßõãõ ÇááøóÜåõ
ÇáøóÐöí ÎóáóÞó ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó Ýöí
ÓöÊøóÉö ÃóíøóÇãò Ëõãøó ÇÓúÊóæóìٰ Úóáóì
ÇáúÚóÑúÔö ۖ íõÏóÈöøÑõ ÇáúÃóãúÑó ۖ ãóÇ ãöä
ÔóÝöíÚò ÅöáøóÇ ãöä ÈóÚúÏö ÅöÐúäöåö ۚ Ðóٰáößõãõ
ÇááøóÜåõ ÑóÈøõßõãú ÝóÇÚúÈõÏõæåõ ۚ ÃóÝóáóÇ
ÊóÐóßøóÑõæäó
(íæäÓ ¡ 10: 3).
Surely your Lord is Allah,
who created the Heavens and the Earth in six
days, then sat on the Throne (Al-A'araf, 7: 54).
Surely your Lord is Allah,
who created the Heavens and the Earth in six
days, then sat on the Throne,
governing (His creation).
There is no intercessor except by His
permission.
That is Allah, your Lord, so worship Him. Will you not
remember? (Younus,
10: 3).
3.
The Verse of the Chair (2: 255), mentioned
in the Good Name of Allah, Al-'Hayyu (the Eternally
Living), tells
us that Allah, praise to Him in His Highness, has
a Chair to put His Feet on,
as was also mentioned in the authentic 'Hadith.
[4]
4.
The following verses tell us
that
Allah,
praise to Him,
has Hands,
extending them with provision for His creations and with
support for those who believe in Him. With His Hands, He
gives or denies that which He wills for whom He wills.
He has power over all things.
Åäøó ÇáúÝóÖúáó
ÈöíóÏö ÇááøóÜåö
íõÄúÊöíåö ãóä íóÔóÇÁõ æóÇááøóÜåõ æóÇÓöÚñ Úóáöíãñ ﴿Âá
ÚãÑÇä ¡ 3: 73﴾.
æóÞóÇáóÊö ÇáúíóåõæÏõ
íóÏõ ÇááøóÜåö
ãóÛúáõæáóÉñ ÛõáøóÊú ÃóíúÏöíåöãú æóáõÚöäõæÇ ÈöãóÇ
ÞóÇáõæÇ Èóáú
íóÏóÇåõ
ãóÈúÓõæØóÊóÇäö íõäÝöÞõ ßóíúÝó íóÔóÇÁõ (ÇáãÇÆÏÉ
¡ 5: 64).
æóãóä íõÑúÓöáõ ÇáÑöøíóÇÍó ÈõÔúÑðÇ
Èóíúäó íóÏóíú ÑóÍúãóÊöåö (
Çáäãá ¡ 27: 63).
ÊóÈóÇÑóßó ÇáøóÐöí
ÈöíóÏöåö Çáúãõáúßõ
æóåõæó Úóáóìٰ ßõáöø ÔóíúÁò ÞóÏöíÑñ (Ãáãõáúß
¡ 67: 1).
Þõáö ÇááøóÜåõãøó ãóÇáößó Çáúãõáúßö ÊõÄúÊöí Çáúãõáúßó ãóä
ÊóÔóÇÁõ æóÊóäÒöÚõ Çáúãõáúßó ãöãøóä ÊóÔóÇÁõ æóÊõÚöÒøõ ãóä
ÊóÔóÇÁõ æóÊõÐöáøõ ãóä ÊóÔóÇÁõ ÈöíóÏößó
ÇáúÎóíúÑõ Åöäøóßó
Úóáóìٰ ßõáöø ÔóíúÁò ÞóÏöíÑñ
(Âá
ÚãÑÇä ¡ 3: 26).
The bounty is in the
Hand of Allah, He gives it to whomsoever He wills.
Allah is Vast, Knowledgeable (Al-'Imran, 3: 73).
The Jews said: "The
Hand of Allah is chained." It is their hands, which
are chained, and they were cursed for what they said.
Rather, His both Hands
are extended (with provision), He spends as He wills
(Al-Maeda, 5: 64).
And Who sends the winds bearing glad tidings between
Both
Hands of His Mercy
(Al-Naml, 27: 63).
Blessed be He in
whose Hand is the Kingdom, He is powerful
over all things (Al-Mulk,
67: 1).
Say: 'O Allah, Owner of the Sovereignty (Power). You give
the governance to whom You will and take the governance away
from whom You will. You exalt whom You will and debase whom
You will.
In
Your Hand is good. You have power over all
things (Al-'Imran, 3: 26).
***
The three renowned Muslim scholars related three
interpretations for Verse 3: 26, which mentioned the hand of
Allah, praise to Him, as follows:
The first
interpretation focused on stating that the good, power, and
exaltedness are in the Hand of
Allah.
He gives
or denies them to that which He wills. He took them out of
the Children of Israel because they rejected
God's message, which was delivered to them by Jesus Christ,
peace be upon him. Instead, He exalted His Prophet Mu'hammed,
pbbuh, by giving him the final and complete Message of God
to Humanity.
The second
interpretation mentioned that the verse was about the
Christians of Najran, in southern Arabia, who worshipped
Jesus Christ as God, just because he showed miracles to the
Children of Israel, to persuade them to believe in him as a
Messenger of God. In this Verse, Allah, Praise to Him in His
Highness, is telling worshippers of Jesus that
only God
can exalt somebody like Jesus to perform such
miracles, as He is powerful over all things.
The third
interpretation was that the verse was revealed in response
to a call by Prophet Mu'hammed,
pbbuh, who asked Allah,
praise to Him, to support Muslims in conquering the Persian
and Roman empires. The call
was answered when the entire Persian empire
was conquered by Muslims and the Persian Nation became a
Muslim nation contributing to the spread of Islam in Asia.
In addition, most of the Roman empire was conquered by
Muslims, particularly eastern (Levant), western (Spain), and
southern (North African) Mediterranean coasts. Only the
northern Mediterranean coasts stayed under the Roman rule
until the rise of the Ottoman empire, when Greece and major
parts of eastern Europe became under the Muslim Ottoman
rule.
5. Many verses
of the Holy Quran state that
Allah, Praise to Him in His Highness,
hears
and sees.
He is also described as
Hearer and
Seer, as well as
The Hearer and
The Seer.
There are 47 verses in the Holy
Quran, in which Allah is described as Samee' (Hearer)."
There are 20 verses which describe
Him
as Al-Samee'a (The
Hearer).
There are 42 verses in the Holy Quran, in which Allah is described as "Baseer,"
(Seer). There are three
verses which describe
Him
as Al-Baseer (The
Seer). These are Al-Isra (17 :1), Al-Shoora (42 :
11), and Ghafir (40 : 20).
In the following three verses,
Allah, praise to Him in His Highness, states that
He hears and sees:
ÞóÇáó áóÇ ÊóÎóÇÝóÇ ۖ
Åöäøóäöí ãóÚóßõãóÇ
ÃóÓúãóÚõ æóÃóÑóìٰ
(Øå ¡ 20:
46).
áøóÞóÏú
ÓóãöÚó ÇááøóÜåõ
Þóæúáó ÇáøóÐöíäó ÞóÇáõæÇ Åöäøó ÇááøóÜåó ÝóÞöíÑñ
æóäóÍúäõ ÃóÛúäöíóÇÁõ ۘ ÓóäóßúÊõÈõ ãóÇ ÞóÇáõæÇ
æóÞóÊúáóåõãõ ÇáúÃóäÈöíóÇÁó ÈöÛóíúÑö ÍóÞòø
æóäóÞõæáõ ÐõæÞõæÇ ÚóÐóÇÈó ÇáúÍóÑöíÞö
﴿Âá
ÚãÑÇä ¡ 3: 181﴾.
ÞóÏú
ÓóãöÚó ÇááøóÜåõ Þóæúáó ÇáøóÊöí
ÊõÌóÇÏöáõßó Ýöí ÒóæúÌöåóÇ æóÊóÔúÊóßöí Åöáóì
ÇááøóÜåö æóÇááøóÜåõ
íóÓúãóÚõ ÊóÍóÇæõÑóßõãóÇ ۚ Åöäøó
ÇááøóÜåó ÓóãöíÚñ ÈóÕöíÑñ
(ÇáãÌÇÏáÉ
¡ 58: 1).
(Allah) said: Do not fear (the
Pharaoh), I am with you: I hear
and see (everything)
(Ta
Ha,
20: 46).
Allah
has heard the taunt of those who said: "Allah is
poor and we are rich!" We shall write (record) what they
said and (write) their killing of the prophets
without a right (to do so), and We shall say (to them):
"Taste the torture of the (Scorching) Fire (Al-'Imran, 3: 181).
Allah has
heard the saying (statement) of (the woman) who
argues with you about her husband; and she complains (in
prayer) to Allah; and Allah hears
your dialogue. Indeed,
Allah is Hearer
and Seer (Al-Mujadilah,
58: 1).
6.
The human being has a face, eyes, ears, hands, and feet
as his/her Creator has His own, which do not necessarily
look like those of humans. Thus, Allah, praise to Him,
created humans in the best
image, as stated in Verse 95: 4.
áóÞóÏú ÎóáóÞúäóÇ ÇáúÅöäÓóÇäó
Ýöí ÃóÍúÓóäö ÊóÞúæöíãò
(ÇáÊíä ¡ 95: 4).
Surely We created the human (being)
in the Best Image (Al-Teen,
95: 4).
Al-Tabari and Ibn Katheer interpreted the last word of
the verse, "Taqweem," as "Soorah," the accurate translation
of which is "image." Al-Qurtubi also interpreted it as image
but added that Allah, Praise to Him in His Highness, created
human beings on His Image,
the Best Image. They have face, eyes, ears,
hands, and feet, as He has. They also have some of His
traits, which are blown into them from His Spirit, such as
justice, mercy, and compassion. He distinguished them from
His other creations on Earth by enabling them of walking
upright, speaking, knowing right and wrong, and having the
capability to choose between them. The same meaning came
also in verse 64: 3, as follows:
ÎóáóÞó ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó ÈöÇáúÍóÞøö
æóÕóæøóÑóßõãú ÝóÃóÍúÓóäó
ÕõæóÑóßõãú ۖ æóÅöáóíúåö ÇáúãóÕöíÑõ (ÇáÊÛÇÈä ¡ 64:
3).
He created the heavens and the Earth in truth and
made your
images in the best of images, and to Him is the (final)
destination
(Al-Taghabun, 64: 3).
*** *** ***
***
Allah,
His Good Names,
Who Is He?
What Does He Want for Humans?
As He Described Himself in the Holy Quran
***
Chapter 2
Why Did Allah Create Humans, on Earth?
***
ÃÚõæÐõ ÈÇááåö ãöäó ÇáÔøóíúØóÇäö ÇáÑøóÌöíãö
ÈöÓۡãö ٱááåö ٱáÑøóÍۡãóÜٰäö ٱáÑøóÍöíãö
I seek refuge with Allah from the stoned Shaytan
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
***
In this section, there is an attempt to explain why Allah,
praise to Him, has created humans, in their lower life on
Earth, and what He wants for them.
1.
We learn from the Holy Quran that
Allah has created the Jinn and humans for the sole purpose
of worshipping Him
(51: 56).
He also told us that we
worship Him by performing
the five mandatory ways of
worship (the proclamation of faith, prayers, charity,
fasting, and pilgrimage)
and by practicing righteousness (doing good deeds). Thus,
worshipping Allah aims at benefiting the worshipper first,
then his/her family, community, society, and humanity, in
this lower life and in the hereafter, as was discussed in
the second part of this book.
[5]
He mentioned that He did not create us in vain (23: 115), or
playfully. Rather, the creation of the heavens, the Earth,
and those in between was a serious endeavor (44: 38-39). In
return, He wants His intelligent creations, jinn and humans,
to worship Him by observing His commands, which benefits
them, as we read in the Holy Quran verses and the Prophet’s
‘Hadiths.
[6]
***
Allah, praise to Him, explained
righteousness
(doing
good deeds)
in three terms: Bir, Taqwa, and I’hsan.
Bir
(Righteousness)
is (practiced by the) one who believes in Allah, the Last
Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets, and gives
wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the
needy, the traveler, those who ask (for help), and for
freeing slaves; (and who) establishes prayer and gives
zakat; (those who) fulfill their promise when they promise;
and (those who) are patient in poverty, hardship, and during
battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is
those who are the
Muttaqoon
(righteous)
(Al-Baqara, 2: 177).
Thus, it is noteworthy that in verse 2: 177, the term of
Bir
includes all articles of Iman (faith), two articles
(requirements) of Islam (prayer and giving zakat), and some
aspects of I’hsan (keeping promises, patience, and
truthfulness.). Another observation is that those who do
these “Bir” deeds are also Muttaqoon (righteous).
This
means that the Bir good deeds are also the same Taqwa good
deeds but performed from two different perspectives. Bir is
doing good deeds in obedience to Allah, praise to Him, for
the love of doing them, and for knowing of their benefits
for the individual, family, and society. Taqwa is also doing
the same good deeds, in obedience to Allah, praise to Him,
but to avoid His punishment.
There are many verses in the Holy Quran, which mention this
meaning for the term of Taqwa. It refers to God’s anger and
His punishment (5: 2), avoidance of punishment in the Fire
(3: 131), and avoidance of trials or ordeal (8: 25).
[7]
The third Quran term for doing good deeds (righteousness) is
I’hsan,
which is a derivative of the Arabic verb a’hsana (to
do things better). As
such, it means saying and doing as best as a person can,
which is possible by following God’s commands, avoiding His
prohibitions, and calling for His sake.
The Holy Quran tells us that Allah commands I’hsan (16: 90),
in words and deeds (41: 33), commands good treatment of
parents (17: 23), praises those who practice I’hsan by
declaring His love for them (2: 195), assures them that they
should not be afraid or sad (2: 112), and promises them with
great rewards in His Paradise (5: 85).
[8]
Many verses of the Holy Quran tell us that I’hsan is
represented by spending in the way of Allah and by not
committing self-inflected harm (2: 195), restraint and
forgiveness (3: 134), by not corrupting the Earth and by
calling on Allah, looking for His rewards and for avoidance
of His punishment (7: 56), by being sincere in following
God’s commands and teachings of His Messenger (9: 91), by
patience (11: 115), by practicing Taqwa (22: 37), and by
fighting for His sake ((29: 69).
[9]
The Prophet, pbbuh, provided us with examples on the
practical application of the three terms. In one ‘Hadith, he
said that
I’hsan
“is
to worship Allah as if you are seeing him, and while you do
not see Him, He truly sees you.” Thus, I'hsan is saying and
doing only that which pleases Allah and conforms to His
commands. This is the level of righteousness, perfection, as
well as doing and saying the ultimate good for the sake of
goodness and righteousness, to the person’s best knowledge
and ability.
In another ‘Hadith, he said that
he was sent to
complete (teach people)
“the best of manners.” In a third ‘Hadith, he defined
Taqwa,
as truth of the tongue, purity of the heart from sinning,
transgression, or envy. It is good manners and love of the
latter life more than this lower life. In a fourth ‘Hadith,
he said: “Do not envy, desert (avoid),
hate, plot against each
other, or do ill outbidding. Be worshippers of Allah and
brothers. A Muslim is a brother to a Muslim, he does not
transgress on him, let him down, or despise him. Taqwa is
here (pointing to his chest). Despising a Muslim brother is
an evil act. It is prohibited to violate a Muslim’s blood,
wealth, and honor (women).
[10]
***
2.
If we think about effects of performing the
mandatory ways of worship (‘Ibadat) and doing good deeds (Bir,
Taqwa, and I’hsan) on people, it becomes clear that these are ways
to train humans
to be good beings during their lower life on Earth,
to prepare them
to be better beings in the latter life. Thus, they
become qualified to inhabit God’s universe and lead an
everlasting life in His Paradise, which is as wide as
heavens and Earth, ready to house the righteous ones.
The Holy Quran
tells us that Allah has created heavens and Earth as well as
death and life, to try people and see who is the best in
deeds? (11: 7, 67: 1-2). He made heavens and Earth, day and
night, as well as the sun, the moon, and the stars for the
benefit of humans (35: 13, 16: 12). Further, He encouraged
jinn and humans to travel in space and attempt to enter
regions of heavens (55: 33). He declared that He prepared
Paradise, which is as wide as heavens and Earth, for the
righteous ones, those who practice Taqwa (3: 133). We
are also told that those
who
believe and do good deeds will enter gardens (of Paradise),
leading an everlasting life therein (4: 57). Those are the
best of humans (58: 7-8). However, those who disbelieve in
God's verses (4: 56), and disobey Allah
and His Messenger, will be doomed in the Hellfire, forever
(72: 22-23).
[11]
The Messenger of
Allah, pbbuh, gave us examples about the categories of
people who are going to end up in Paradise or the Fire. He
said that while the weak and the needy will gain the mercy
of Allah and enter His Paradise, the tyrants and the
arrogant ones will gain His discontent and enter the Fire.
In another ‘Hadith, the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, said that
when believers are cleared from the Fire, they get out to a
bridge between the Fire and Paradise, where they are held
accountable for injustices they commit against each other,
during their lower life. After their refinement and
purification over there, they will be permitted to enter
Paradise. In a third ‘Hadith, the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh,
said that ultimately people will enter Paradise from any of
its eight gates, if they proclaim that there is no other god
but Allah and Mu'hammed is the worshipper of Allah and His
Messenger, as well as ‘Eissa (Jesus) is the worshipper of
Allah, His Messenger, His Word He threw to Maryam, and a
Spirit of Him.
[12]
***
3.
Thus, by commanding humans to perform the
mandatory ways of worship and doing good deeds, Allah,
praise to Him, wants their good in their lower life and in
the hereafter. While He is in no
need for their worship
(35: 15), He rejoices their righteousness (22: 37),
which is based on their free will (76: 3, 90: 10). He has
known that many humans are going to be good, in words and
deeds, as He told His skeptical angels: “I know that which
you do not know” (2: 30).
Moreover, Allah,
praise to Him, does not like to punish people if they are
grateful and believe in Him (4: 147). He even may not pay
attention to them if they do not call on Him (25: 77). If He
holds people accountable for their wrongdoing during their
lower life, He will destroy them, but He is delaying their
punishment (16: 61). If people disbelieve, after their
belief in Allah, He will replace them with other people who
love Him, and He loves them (5: 54).
[13]
The Messenger of
Allah, pbbuh, told us about some categories of believers,
whom He loves because they have some of His characteristics.
He is generous and giver. He likes high manners and hates
low behaviors. In another ‘Hadith, he said that Allah likes
it for a person to do his/her good deed as perfect as
possible. In a third ‘Hadith, he said that the true good
(rewards for a person’s work) is that of the hereafter (not
that which one receives in the lower life).
[14]
***
4. In conclusion, the
human caliphate
(mandate to rule over Earth) is an
honor bestowed on humans
by their Creator, praise to Him (17: 70). It is also a piece
of evidence that He trusts
them to be responsible and successful in the test of their
lower life (33: 72-73, 11: 61). Such
success leads many of them to become
good beings by choice,
which qualifies them to be able to
inhabit God’s
Paradise, in His
vast universe,
in the hereafter (7: 43).
[15]
To encourage
Muslims to be successful in their lower life test, the Messenger
of Allah, pbbuh, advised them to lead a life of a stranger
or a traveler. He also advised them to do the best of deeds,
which would benefit them most in the hereafter. These are a
continuing charity, such as an endowment, knowledge which
benefits people, and leaving behind good children, who
supplicate to Allah to make them of the people of
Paradise. The Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, also gave believers
the glad tiding that their Lord has prepared for them that
which no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no
human has ever been able to imagine about the pleasures of
their life in His Paradise.
[16]
*** *** ***
***
Allah,
His Good Names,
Who Is He?
What Does He Want for Humans?
As He Described Himself in the Holy Quran
***
Chapter 3
A
Methodological Background
of Writing About the Good Names of Allah
***
ÃÚõæÐõ ÈÇááåö ãöäó ÇáÔøóíúØóÇäö ÇáÑøóÌöíãö
ÈöÓۡãö ٱááåö ٱáÑøóÍۡãóÜٰäö ٱáÑøóÍöíãö
I seek refuge with Allah from the stoned Shaytan
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
***
Introduction
This section of the Chapter contains a list of the
Good Names of Allah, which were identified literally and
directly from the Holy Quran. Each name is referenced by
citing some of the verses in which it is mentioned.
Then, it is explained according to the meanings
understood from the verses, including the
interpretations of the three renowned Muslim scholars,
Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Katheer,
may Allah reward them for their great works,
particularly the ‘Hadiths included in their
interpretations. Moreover,
further explanations of the meanings of the Names were
sought from the books of two earlier scholars, Al-Ghazali
and Al-Qurtubi, as well as from three contemporary
scholars, Al-Sha’rawi, Al-Qaradhawi, and Al-Najdi. Finally, a list
of the Good Names of Allah is reached, on the basis of
literal description of Allah, praise to Him, of Himself.
[17]
Some translators translated the "Good
Names of Allah" also as the "Most
Beautiful Names of Allah."
There are many websites in Arabic and English which
mention, list, or translate the Good Names of Allah. Some
Arabic websites provide citations for the verses which
mention them, as well as interpretations and explanations of
their meanings. Others just mention one-word translation for
each name without interpretations or explanations. Almost
all of these websites use the disputed list, which was
attached to the ‘Hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah, mAbpwh.
That list combines some of the Good Names of Allah (which
are stated clearly in the Holy Quran) with God's Attributes,
which are deducted or concluded as a result of mentioning
verbs or adjectives related to Him.
This author is providing readers with the following list,
which is different from the above-mentioned lists, in that
it only includes the Names that are mentioned as
descriptions of Allah of Himself, clearly and directly in
the Holy Quran, with citations for some of the verses they
are mentioned in.
The following list includes
151 Good Names of Allah, which
represent His traits and capabilities, as mentioned directly
in Holy Quran, and identified by this author. Some of them
are traits of Allah, praise to Him, showing His capabilities
and His deeds. Others are variants based on the same verb
root, but they are all authentic and directly mentioned in
the Holy Quran. Most of them are presented as a singular-
word Name, but the list also includes Names composed of
several words, as well as compound-word Names. Thus, this
list includes more of the Good Names of Allah than the
traditional lists.
This is followed by a presentation of
a shortened list of 99 Good
Names of Allah, in response to the ‘Hadith
of Prophet Mu'hammed, pbbuh, in which he encouraged us to
search for and study them. The list includes 81 one-word
Names and 18 Names composed of several or compound words, as
mentioned in the Holy Quran.
This short list is selected by this author from the larger
list mentioned in the fourth and sixth sections, after the
exclusion of other Names, which are derivatives of the same
verb. For example, Al-Ra’heem (the Merciful) was selected to
represent other Names, which are derived from the same root
verb (Ar’ham Al-Ra’himeen, Khayr Al-Ra’himeen, and
Dthu Al-Ra’hma). Al-Khaliq (the Creator) was
selected to represent Al-Khallaq and A’hsan Al-Khaliqeen.
Al-Ghafoor (the Perpetual in Forgiveness) was
selected to represent Ghafir Al-Dthanb, Al-Ghaffar,
Khayr Al-Ghafireen, Dthu Al-Maghfirah,
Wasi’u Al-Maghfirah, and Ahlul Maghfirah. Al-Qahhar
(the Constantly Subduer) was selected to represent Al-Qahir.
Al-Rab (the Lord) was selected to represent the other ten
Names, at the end of the list, which are derived from the
same root verb.
However, this author does not
claim that his list is exclusive. Actually, he encourages
other researchers to study this list and to continue the
work of finding and studying more of the Good Names of
Allah.
Allah, praise
to Him, mentions His
Good
Names and invites us in using them on calling upon Him,
as in the following four verses:
æóáöáóøåö ÇáúÃóÓúãóÇÁõ ÇáúÍõÓúäóì ÝóÇÏúÚõæåõ ÈöåóÇ æóÐóÑõæÇ
ÇáóøÐöíäó íõáúÍöÏõæäó Ýöí ÃóÓúãóÇÆöåö ÓóíõÌúÒóæúäó ãóÇ ßóÇäõæÇ
íóÚúãóáõæäó (ÇáÃÚúÑóÇÝõ ¡ 7:
180).
Þõáö ÇÏúÚõæÇ Çááóøåó Ãóæö ÇÏúÚõæÇ ÇáÑóøÍúãóäó ÃóíðøÇ ãóÇ
ÊóÏúÚõæÇ Ýóáóåõ ÇáúÃóÓúãóÇÁõ ÇáúÍõÓúäóì
(ÇáÅÓúÑóÇÁõ ¡ 17: 110).
Çááóøåõ áóÇ Åöáóåó ÅöáóøÇ åõæó áóåõ
ÇáúÃóÓúãóÇÁõ ÇáúÍõÓúäóì
(Øóåð
¡ 20: 8).
åõæó Çááóøåõ ÇáúÎóÇáöÞõ ÇáúÈóÇÑöÆõ ÇáúãõÕóæöøÑõ áóåõ
ÇáúÃóÓúãóÇÁõ ÇáúÍõÓúäóì (ÇáÍóÔúÑõ ¡
59: 24).
To Allah belong
the Good Names, so
call upon Him by them, and keep away from those who
distort His names.
They will be punished for what they do (Al-A'araf, 7: 180).
Say: "Call upon Allah, or call upon
Al-Ra'hman (The Beneficent), whatever (name) you call
upon Him, to Him belong
the Good Names
(Al-Isra, 17: 110).
Allah! There is no (other) god but He. To
Him belong the Good Names (Ta
Ha,
20: 8).
He is Allah, the Creator, the
Inventor,
the Fashioner.
To Him belong
the Good Names (Al-'Hashr,
59: 24).
***
Likewise, Prophet Mu'hammed, peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him (pbbuh) told us to use the Good Names of Allah, in
calling upon Him. He added that we only know some of these
Names, which are revealed in the Holy Quran. However, there
are others, which have not been revealed to us.
ÝÚä ÚÈÏ Çááå Èä ãÓÚæÏ ¡ ÑÖí Çááå Úäå ¡ Ãä ÑÓæáó Çááåö ¡
Õáøóì Çááåõ Úáíåö æÓáøóã ¡ ÞÇá : "Çááåã ... ÃÓÃáõß Èßáøö
ÇÓãò åæ áß ¡ ÓóãøóíúÊó Èå äÝÓóß ¡ Ãæ ÃóäúÒóáúÊóå Ýí ßÊÇÈöß ¡
Ãæ ÚóáøóãúÊóå ÃÍÏðÇ ãä ÎóáúÞößó ¡ Ãæ ÇÓÊÃËÑÊ Èå Ýí Úáãö
ÇáÛíÈö ÚäÏß ¡ Ãä ÊóÌÚáó ÇáÞÑÂäó ÑÈíÚó ÞóáÈí ¡ æäæÑó ÕóÏÑí ¡
æÌáÇÁó ÍõÒúäí ¡ æÐóåÇÈó åóãøöí."
Companion ‘Abdullah Bin Mas’ood, mAbpwh, said that the
Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, said: “O Allah … I’m asking you
with every one of your Names, that with which you called
Yourself, or You revealed in Your Book, or You taught one of
Your Creations, or that which is unknown to us because You
kept to Yourself. I’m asking you to make the Quran the
spring (pleasure) of my heart, the light of my chest, the
end of my sadness, and the going of my negative thinking
about the future.”
[18]
In another 'Hadith, the Prophet, pbbuh, urged Muslims to
account for (search for, list, study, and observe)
ninety-nine Good Names of Allah, encouraging them to know
their Lord, to win His contentment, and consequently His
everlasting Paradise. In that ‘Hadith, the Prophet's
Companion Abu Hurayrah, mAbpwh, said that the Prophet, pbbuh,
said:
"Åöäøó
áöáøóåö ÊöÓúÚóÉð æóÊöÓúÚöíäó ÇÓúãðÇ ¡ ãöÇÆóÉð ÛóíúÑó æóÇÍöÏò
¡ ãóäú ÃóÍúÕóÇåóÇ ÏóÎóáó ÇáúÌóäøóÉó."
To Allah, there are ninety-nine names, one hundred minus
one. Whoever accounts for (search for, list, study, and
observe) them will enter Paradise. Allah is One. He likes
this witr characteristic (The witr is an odd number, such as
ninety-nine - Author's explanation).
[19]
Early Islamic scholars, like Al-Ghazali, Al-Qurtubi,
and Ibn Taymiyah, as well as contemporary ones, like Al-Sha’rawi,
Al-Qaradhawai, and Al-Qa'htani,
may Allah reward all of them for their great efforts,
provided a useful explanation for this ‘Hadith. They said
that
it
does not mean that Allah has only ninety-nine Good Names.
Rather, the Prophet, pbbuh, wanted to encourage Muslims to search for the Names
of Allah, learning about them, and observing the teachings
learned from them. Further, they mentioned that the ‘Hadith
narrated by Abu Hurayrah, mAbpwh, to which there was an
attached list of ninety-nine claimed Good Names, was not a
Sa’hi’h (correct) ‘Hadith. The eminent ‘Hadith scholar, Al-Albani,
supported this statement by concluding that it is a weak
‘Hadith, when the list is attached to it, but it is a Sa’hi’h
‘Hadith without it.
[20]
There are four apparent pieces of evidence, which explain
the weakness in the authentication of the ‘Hadith attributed
to Companion Abu Hurayrah, mAbpwh. The first is that there
is inconsistency in the narration of the two versions of the
‘Hadith, which are different from each other in changing
some names and in the alternatives given to the changed
ones.
Al-Qurtubi followed Al-Ghazali in mentioning
opinions of the ‘Hadith scholars preceding them about the
likelihood that the claimed list was gathered by the
narrator of the ‘Hadith, not the saying of the Prophet,
pbbuh. In addition, the authors of the two Sa’hi’h
Sunna books, Al-Bukhari and Muslim, did not include the list
of names with the Abu Hurayra ‘Hadith. Ibn Taymiya added his
explanatory opinion that “the ninety-nine names were not
mentioned in a Sa’hi’h (correct, authenticated)
‘Hadith, attributed to the Prophet, pbbuh. The most commonly
known among people is the ‘Hadith recorded by Al-Tirmidthi,
as narrated by Al-Waleed Bin Muslim, who narrated it from
Shu’ayb, who narrated it from Abu ‘Hamza. The ‘Hadith
keepers (scholars) say that this addition (the list of
names) is what Al-Waleed Bin Muslim gathered from his
teachers (‘Hadith scholars). The other version of the
‘Hadith, which was recorded by Ibn Maja is weaker than this
one” (which was recorded by Al-Tirmidthi).
The second piece of evidence, which explains the weakness of
the ‘Hadith, is that there are Good Names of Allah, which
are mentioned in the Holy Quran but not included in the
claimed list. Examples of such names are Al-Mawla (the
Protector), Al-Naseer (the Supporter), Al-Ghalib (the
Predominant), Al-Qareeb (the Nearby), Al-Rab, Al-Nassir
(the Strong Supporter), Shadeed Al-‘iqab (the Severe in
Penalty), Qabil Al-twab (the Acceptant of Repentance), Ghafir
Al-Dthanb (the Forgiver of Sin), and Mukhrij
Al-Mayyit mina Al-‘Hayy (Bringer of the Dead from the
Living).
The third piece of evidence, which explains the weakness of
the ‘Hadith, is that the claimed list of names attached to
it contains 25 of
names, which are not mentioned
literally in the Holy Quran. These are Al-Qabidh
(the Gripper), Al-Basit (the Even-handed), Al-Khafidh
(the Bringer of Some People Down), Al-Rafi’ (the Raiser of
Some People Up), Al-Mu’iz (the Bestower of Might), Al-Mudhil
(the Humiliator), Al-‘Hakam (the Judge), Al-‘Adl (the Just),
Al-Jaleel (the Majestic), Al-Ba’ith (the Resurrector), Al-Mubdi
(the Beginner), Al-Mu’eed (the Repeater of His Creation),
Al-Mumeet (the One Who causes people to die), Al-Wajid (the
Finder), Al-Majid (the Glorious), Al-Muqaddim (the One Who
causes things to happen early), Al-Mu-akhir (the One
Who causes things to be delayed), Al-Waali (the Overseeing
Ruler), Al-Muqsit (the One Who treats people fairly), Al-Mughni
(the One Who enables some people to become rich), Al-Mani’
(the One Who can deny something to somebody), Al-Dhaar
(the One Who can cause harm to somebody), Al-Naafi’ (the One
Who can cause benefit to somebody), Al-Rasheed (the Good
Guide), and Al-Saboor (the Patient).
The fourth piece of evidence, which explains the weakness of
the ‘Hadith, is that including a list of Names in the
‘Hadith contradicts with the advice of the Prophet, pbbuh,
to Muslims, in the same ‘Hadith, to account for
(search for, list, study, and observe) ninety-nine of them,
as he would have already provided such names.
[21]
Search Criteria for the Good Names of Allah
Allah, praise to Him, told to us that He has Good Names,
mentioned in many verses of the Holy Quran, and He advised
us to call on Him with such Names (Al-A’araf, 7: 180; Al-Isra,
17: 110; Ta-Ha, 20: 8). He also listed
eighteen
of them directly in verses 59: 22-24, as follows:
åõæó
Çááøóåõ
ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ
Åöáóٰåó
ÅöáøóÇ åõæó ۖ
ÚóÇáöãõ ÇáúÛóíúÈö æóÇáÔøóåóÇÏóÉö ۖ
åõæó
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
ý﴿٢٢﴾þ
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó
Çáúãóáößõ ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ ÇáúãõÊóßóÈøöÑõ ۚ
ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö ÚóãøóÇ íõÔúÑößõæäó
ý﴿٢٣﴾þ
åõæó Çááøóåõ
ÇáúÎóÇáöÞõ ÇáúÈóÇÑöÆõ ÇáúãõÕóæøöÑõ ۖ
áóåõ ÇáúÃóÓúãóÇÁõ ÇáúÍõÓúäóìٰ ۚ íõÓóÈøöÍõ áóåõ ãóÇ Ýöí
ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۖ æóåõæó
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÍóßöíãõ
ý﴿٢٤﴾þ
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡ 59: 22-24).
He is Allah, there is no other god than He, Knower of the
Unknown and the Known. He is the Beneficent, the Merciful.
(22) He is Allah, there is no other god than He, the
Sovereign, the Holy, the Peace, the Believer in His Godhood,
the Predominant, the Rare in Might, the Compeller, the
Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate
with Him. (23) He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor, the
Fashioner; to Him belong the Good Names. Whatever is in the
heavens and the Earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted
in Might, the Wise. (24) (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 22-24).
The Names which Allah, praise to Him, willed to mention to
us in His Holy Book, are the ones which we can understand
and comprehend. However, He did not mention His other Names,
because we may not be able to understand them. In
particular, this applies to His Names which may describe His
knowledge, His planning, and His will in other parts of His
vast dominion, which includes the seven heavens, the seven
earth-like planets, the Chair, and the Throne, as well as
whoever inhabits them. In addition, His knowledge is
absolute, about what was, what is, and what will be, while
the knowledge of His creations is limited in quantity,
quality, time, place, and condition.
It follows that we should keep His Names as mentioned in the
Holy Quran and the Sa’hi’h ‘Hadiths. We should not make any
changes to them, in observance to the command of Allah in
verse 7: 180, mentioned above, to avoid what the polytheists
did centuries after Ibrahim and Isma’il, peace be upon them.
They called their idols Al-Lat, Al-‘Uzza, and Manat, which
are deviated changes from His true Names of Allah, Al-‘Azeez,
and Al-Manan.
Some researchers who wrote about this subject did not pay
attention to this command of Allah, as they would be focused
on accounting for the largest number of His Names in the
Holy Quran and the Sunna. An example of these researchers
was Ibn Al-Wazeer (died in 822 Hijriya, 1419 AD), may Allah
reward him for his good-intentioned work on the subject. He
compiled a list of 155 names, which he claimed to include
clearly and literally mentioned names of Allah in the Holy
Quran, except one. This was “Al-A’az” (the Rarest in Might),
which he deducted from verse 8 of Surat Al-Munafiqoon
(Chapter 63) of the Holy Quran. The truth is that his list
includes 21
names
which have not been mentioned clearly and literally as texts
in the Holy Quran.
[22]
Other researchers who wrote about the subject had difficulty
in classifying the Names of Allah, as adjectives or Names.
The difficulty is due to the fact that these are traits of
Allah, which classifies them as adjectives, according to the
Arabic grammatical rules. So, such researchers would wonder,
why would Allah, praise to Him, refer to them as His Names
when these are His traits, which are grammatically known as
adjectives?
It is amazing that these researchers missed noticing that
the Holy Quran descended in the Arabic language, known to
Arabs at the time of revelation, including their various
tribal dialects. However, the science of Arabic grammar
started after the death of the Prophet, pbbuh, in response
to the necessity of teaching Arabic to new Muslims
everywhere, to be able to understand the Book of Allah and
the Sunna of His Messenger.
So, it was the Arab grammarians who divided speech into
nouns, verbs, and
prepositions.
Then, they divided nouns into common names, adjectival
names, and verbal names. Their work started with Abu Al-Aswad
Al-Du-ali, and Al-Khalil Bin A’hmed, climaxed with Sibawayh,
Al-Mazini, and Ibn Al-Sakeet, and was refined by other
grammarians after them, until the sixth Hijri Century.
[23]
Thus, when Allah, praise to Him, referred to His traits as
His Names, instead of describing them as adjectival
nouns, that was in harmony with how Arabs knew and
understood their language, at the time of revelation. This
means that the Holy Quran and the ‘Hadith were two original
sources of knowledge about the Arabic language, which
preceded the science of Arabic grammar. Consequently, the
work of Arab grammarians should have been dominated by these
two sources, not the other way around, including the
grammatical rules, which were reached to teach Arabic to
Muslims everywhere.
It follows that even the Name “Allah” is an adjectival name.
It means an “Ilah“ (God). When it is preceded by the
definite article (Al), it becomes “Al-Ilah” (The God), then
a contracted form of the word is produced, which is “Allah.
However, Allah, praise to Him, has distinguished this Name,
by referring to Himself with it, using the pronoun “Ana”
(I),” saying “Ana Allah” (I’m Allah), in verses 20: 14, 27:
9, and 28: 30.
He also distinguished four other Names, by referring to
Himself with them, using the pronoun “Ana” (I), saying that
He is an “Ilah” (God), in verse 16: 2, “Al-Ghafoor, Al-Ra’heem”
(the Forgiving, the Merciful), in verse 15: 49, and “Rab”
(Lord), in verses 20: 12, 21: 92, and 23: 52.
[24]
Arab grammarians agreed that a word can be understood
by two factors. The first is identified in relation to how
it is pronounced, which leads to the classification of words
to nouns, verbs, and prepositions. The second factor is
described in relation to the meaning of a word, which is
realized in the mind. Then, the meaning determines how the
word is written and pronounced.
However, there were several disagreements among them, such
as the disagreement about the right root of derivation.
While the Basra scholars argued that the noun is the right
root of derivation, the Koofa (Kufa) scholars argued that the verb
is the right root from which nouns are derived.
[25]
Further, they divided the three branches of the
pronunciation factor into other sub-branches. Thus, they
considered adjectives as a branch of nouns, mentioning that
an adjective maybe a single word, or a verbal sentence, or a
noun sentence (without a verb), or a phrase.
They have added that it is possible to produce a group of
words from one original linguistic source. For example, from
the verb root (infinitive) “dharaba” (to beat), we
can produce the subject, or the verbal noun “dharib”
(beater), and another form of the subject, which amplifies
its characteristic, such as “midhrab” (known as a
beater, or a frequent beater).
In addition, they devised six tone scales, from which
various verbal noun amplifying forms can be produced from
the
same root verb. So, from the root verb “fa’ala” (to do),
they devised the tone scales of fa’il, fa’eel, fa’ool, fa’al,
and mif’al.
Consequently, the Good Names of Allah are adjectival names
or verbal names, whether expressed as one word or more.
These Names can also be expressed as matching the most
commonly expressed tone scale, fa’il, such as Malik, Qahir,
Ghafir, and Shakir. These can also be expressed as matching
the amplifying characteristic of the original verbal names,
such as Ra’heem of Ra’hman; Maleek of Malik; Khallaq
of Khaliq; Qah-har of Qahir; ‘Allam and ‘Aleem of ‘Alim;
Ghafoor of Ghafir; and Shakoor of Shakir
(See the list below, for the meanings of these Names).
Al-Sha’rawi called for the importance of observing the
Arabic spelling of the Good Names of Allah, strictly as
mentioned in the Holy Quran, whether these are adjectival
names or verbal names. He emphasized that there should be no
deduction of new names for Allah, praise to Him, from His
mentioned actions, such as “Al-Mubtaly” (the Tester) and
“Al-Maakir” (the Planner against disbelievers), out of the
two verbs “ibtala” (to test) and “makara” (planned against).
He added that these adjectival names are related actions of
Allah during this life, but there will be no testing or
planning in the hereafter. This means that the Good Names of
Allah should have the characteristic of applying to both
this life and the hereafter, as His traits, praise to Him,
are eternal and everlasting. Further,
he argued against choosing one word to be a Name of Allah
from a compound name or a phrase mentioned in the Holy
Quran. Examples of such changed Names of Allah are Al-Shadeed
(the Severe), Al-Qabil (the Acceptant), and Al-Ghafir
(the Forgiver), which are reductions from Shadeed Al-‘Iqab
(Severe in Penalty), Qabil Al-Tawb (Acceptant of
Repentance), and Ghafir Al-Dthanb (Forgiver of
Sin). In other words, the compound or phrasal Names of Allah
should stay as mentioned in the Holy Quran, not to be
changed or reduced to one word.
Thus, the Good Names of Allah, which have been accounted for
in this book, have been mentioned literally in the Holy
Quran as direct texts, and have been written in the longer
list of 147 Names as they are in the Book of Allah, without
any changes. The list does not contain other names, which
may be attributed to Allah, praise to Him, such as verbal
names, unique qualities denied to others, and deducted
traits. Examples of these three categories of names are
presented at the end of the longer list.
The shorter list of 99 Good Names of Allah was produced from
the longer list by the selection of one Name of a group of
Names which have the same root verb. For example, Al-Ghafoor
(the Perpetual Forgiving) was selected to represent the
other six names, which are derivatives of the same root verb
“ghafara” (to forgive).
*** *** ***
***
Allah,
His Good Names,
Who Is He?
What Does He Want for Humans?
As He Described Himself in the Holy Quran
***
Chapter 4
The Full List of the Good Names of Allah
***
ÃÚõæÐõ ÈÇááåö ãöäó ÇáÔøóíúØóÇäö ÇáÑøóÌöíãö
ÈöÓۡãö ٱááåö ٱáÑøóÍۡãóÜٰäö ٱáÑøóÍöíãö
I seek refuge with Allah from the stoned Shaytan
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
***
The following is a list of the Good Names of Allah,
which includes 151 Names this author has identified in
the Holy Quran. However, there is no claim by this
author that this is an exhaustive list. Other
researchers are encouraged to continue the task of
finding more of God's Names in the Holy Quran and their
meanings, as their predecessors did before them.
In this list, each Name was documented by providing some
of the verse numbers it was mentioned in. Then, an
explanation of the Name meaning was given on the bases of
its meaning in the verse context. This was followed by
explanations provided by the three renowned interpreters.
Finally, explanations were also provided from the formerly
referred to books, which explain the Good Names of Allah and
His Attributes.
It is noteworthy that knowledge about the Good Names of
Allah can be applied to our everyday life. One way is
calling on Allah by them, another way is being guided in our
behaviors by the meanings of each Name, and a third way is
including them in the names given to Muslim boys.
The word ('abd) is used as a prefix with one of the Good
Names of Allah. It means "worshipper," as explained in
Chapter 7. "Worshippers
By Choice Or Forced Slaves?
Thus, "Abdullah" means "Worshipper of Allah," and "Abdul
Ra'hman" means "Worshipper of The Beneficent" and so on.
However, nobody should be named with any Good Name of Allah,
with the definite article (Al), or without it, as His Names
represent His unique traits, which are not found in any
other being.
[26]
1.
Allah:
Allah (The God)
Çááåõ
"Allah"
is the adjectival name which God, the Great Creator, has
chosen for Himself.
All of His other Good Names are also adjectival names.
Linguistically, the Name “Allah” is composed of two
syllables. The first is the definite article “Al” (the) and
the second is “ilah” (God). Thus, it is Al-Ilah (the God),
but it is contracted, by deleting the letter i, in ilah, to become “Allah” (the God).
This Name was also known to the other
Messengers of Allah, who came before His last Messenger,
Mu’hammed, peace and blessings be upon them all.
Taking the side of the Kufa grammarians, who argued that
nouns are derived from verbs, not the other way around, this
Name is derived from the verb “aliha,” which means to take a
deity as a god to worship him. It is also derived from the
verb “ta-allaha,” which means (for a deity) to declare
himself as a god, to be worshipped by his creations.
This Greatest Good Name of God was
mentioned, in various
forms in the Holy Quran, 2,669
times. The Name of “Allah,” alone was mentioned
2,247 times in the verses and 113 times in the Basmalas, at
the beginning of the Suras, with the exception of Al-Tawba,
which has no Basmala. It was also mentioned 309 times in
other forms, as Allahumma: O Allah (5 times), Lillah: To
Allah (143 times), Tallah: By Allah (9), Fallah: And Allah
(6), Billah: By Allah (139), Falillah: And to Allah (6), and
Abillah: Of Allah (1).
[27]
Here are three verses, which mention the Name of "Allah" (1:
1), “Allahumma” (3: 26), and Lillah (57: 1), as examples:
ÈöÓۡãö ٱááåö
ٱáÑøóÍۡãóÜٰäö ٱáÑøóÍöíãö
(ÇáúÝóÇÊöÍóÉõ ¡ 1: 1).
Þõáö Çááøóåõãøó
ãóÇáößó Çáúãõáúßö
(Âáö ÚöãúÑóÇäó ¡ 3: 26).
ÓóÈøóÍó áöáøóåö ãóÇ
Ýöí ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۖ æóåõæó ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÍóßöíãõ
(ÇáúÍóÏöíÏõ ¡ 57: 1).
In the name of Allah,
the Beneficent, the Merciful (Al-Fati’ha, 1: 1).
Say, "O Allah, Owner
of Sovereignty” (Al-‘Imran, 3: 26).
Whatever is in the heavens and Earth exalts
Allah, and He is the
Exalted in Might, the Wise (Al-'Hadeed, 57: 1).
The Great Creator has described Himself, for us, in the Holy
Quran, as “Allah” (the God), praise to Him. This means that
He is the only deity, the One Who brought the universe,
including who and what therein, into existence. It follows
that His creations are obligated to worship Him. For humans,
they should worship Him by prayers (Ta-Ha, 20: 14),
as He is Exalted in Might, and Wise (Al-Naml, 27: 9). He is
also the Lord of the Worlds (Al-Qasas, 28:
30), Who cares for, protects, and provides for His creations
in all worlds. He is worthy of worship by His creations, as
an expression of their gratitude for His countless favors,
which He bestows on them. Examples of such favors include
life, blessing, and mercy, during their lower life, and the
everlasting life in His Paradise for the righteous
believers, of the humans, jinn, and angels in the hereafter,
as He mentions in His Holy Book:
Åöäøóäöí
ÃóäóÇ ÇááøóÜåõ
áóÇ ÅöáóÜٰåó ÅöáøóÇ ÃóäóÇ ÝóÇÚúÈõÏúäöí æóÃóÞöãö ÇáÕøóáóÇÉó
áöÐößúÑöí (Øóåó
¡ 20: 14).
íóÇ ãõæÓóìٰ Åöäøóåõ
ÃóäóÇ ÇááøóÜåõ
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÍóßöíãõ (Çáäøóãúáõ
¡ 27: 9).
íóÇ ãõæÓóìٰ Åöäöøí
ÃóäóÇ
ÇááøóÜåõ ÑóÈøõ ÇáúÚóÇáóãöíäó
(ÇáúÞóÕóÕõ ¡ 28: 30).
Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity (God) except Me. So,
worship Me, and establish prayer for My remembrance (Ta-Ha,
20: 14).
O Moosa (Moses), indeed it is I, Allah, the Exalted in
Might, the Wise (Al-Naml, 27: 9).
O Moses, indeed, I am Allah, Lord of the worlds (Al-Qasas,
28: 30).
Moreover, our Lord, Allah, praise to Him, mentioned to us
that He created the jinn and humans to worship Him, though
He is no need for their worship, as He is rich (free of
need), while they need Him (Al-Dthariyat, 51: 57; Fatir,
35: 15; Al-‘Haj, 22: 37). Rather, He decreed their worship
of Him for its benefits for them, as individuals, groups,
and societies (Al-Baqara, 2: 184, 271-272; Al-Isra, 17: 7;
Al-‘Haj, 22: 77; Al-Jumu’a, 62: 9).
As a show of love and kindness for
His creations, of the jinn and humans, Allah, praise to Him,
sent them His Messengers, to guide them in leading a happy
life here, and in the hereafter. This should be clear to us,
if we think about the consequences of doing good deeds and
performing the mandated five ways of worship in Islam (the
two proclamations of faith, prayer, zakat (charity), fasting
the month of Ramadhan, and the pilgrimage by whoever
is capable to make it). These acts of worship lead to
tremendous benefits for individuals, families, communities,
and societies, as well as for the whole planet of the Earth,
which has been given to us, to be God’s caliphs on it, as
was discussed in Chapter 8 of this Author’s book, “Islam: A
Scientific View of God’s Message to Humanity,” titled: “The
Relationship Between the Spiritual and the Physical Aspects
of Islamic Teachings.”
Al-Ghazali mentioned that this is the
Greatest
among all Names of Allah. Al-Qurtubi agreed but
opined that the Greatest Name of Allah could be “Al-‘Hayyu”
(the Eternally Living). He said that “Allah” has kept this
Name exclusively to Himself and nobody else has been named
as such. He added that all of the other Good Names of Allah
are attributes (adjectival names). Ibn Katheer agreed with
them that “Allah” is the Greatest of the Good Names but
opined that it may be “Al-Qayyoom” (the Sustainer of the
Universe). Al-Sha’rawi defined it as the Name which contains
all of the divine attributes.
How can Muslims benefit from the knowledge about the Good
Names of Allah?
Applying knowledge about this Greatest Good Name of Allah is
by calling upon Him, saying: “Allahumma, or Ya Allah, or
Ilahi (O You the God, or O the God, or My God), as He
commanded us to do, saying: “And to Allah belong the Good
Names. So, call upon (invoke) Him by them“ (Al-A’araf, 7:
180). Then, believers can ask their Lord for good things, or
for assistance to themselves, their families, relatives, and
whoever they love, as long as what they ask for is for good,
and in obedience to their Creator.
Nobody
should
be named with this Greatest Good Name
of Allah, as it represents His uniqueness of being
the only deity, Who is worthy of worship, as He is the
Creator of everything in existence, the Sustainer of the
universe, the Provider for and the Caretaker of His
creations. However,
a boy can be named as “’Abdullah” (worshipper of Allah), as
this Name represents a recognition of his worship to his
Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Greatest
Good Name of Allah by acknowledging that He, praise to Him,
is their God and Creator. It follows that they worship Him,
observe His commands, and avoid His prohibitions, which
leads them to happiness here, in this lower life, and
everlasting happiness in the hereafter.
***
2.
Ilah: God
ÅöáóÜٰåñ
"Ilah" (God) is an adjectival name, derived from the verb “aliha,”
which means to take a deity as a god to worship him. It is
also derived from the verb “ta-allaha,” which means (for a
deity) to declare himself as a god, to be worshipped by his
creations.
It follows that whenever people believe in their God, they
depend on Him, praise Him at good times, and invoke Him for
assistance at difficult times. Thus doing, they acknowledge
their obligation to worship Him and observe His command, in
which He said:
æóãóÇ ÃóÑúÓóáúäóÇ ãöä ÞóÈúáößó ãöä ÑøóÓõæáò ÅöáøóÇ äõæÍöí
Åöáóíúåö Ãóäøóåõ áóÇ Åöáóٰåó
ÅöáøóÇ ÃóäóÇ ÝóÇÚúÈõÏõæäö
(ÇáÃäúÈöíóÇÁõ ¡ 21: 25).
And We sent not before you any messenger except that We
revealed to him that, "There is no God (Ilah)
except Me. So, worship Me"
(Al-Anbiya, 21: 25).
As a Good Name of Allah, “Ilah” (God) came in the Holy Quran
with the reference to Him as the Creator (Al-Muminoon, 23:
91), the Lord (Al-Saffat, 37: 4-5), the Provider (Al-Naml,
27: 64), and the Giver of life on the Earth, through the
alteration of day and night on it (Al-Qasas, 28: 71-72). He
is One God (Al-Saffat, 37: 4), and He is “the Lord of the
Sunrise and the Sunset, there is no deity except Him“ (Al-Muzzammil,
73: 9).
The word “Ilah” (God) was mentioned
97 times, in the Holy
Quran, in the singular form. In 17 times, it is mentioned
neutrally, as a reference to a god, or a false god.
It was also mentioned in 80 times, as a direct reference to
Allah, or in relation to Him, as follows:
[28]
æóåõæó
ÇáøóÐöí Ýöí ÇáÓøóãóÇÁö Åöáóٰåñ
æóÝöí ÇáúÃóÑúÖö Åöáóٰåñ ۚ
æóåõæó ÇáúÍóßöíãõ ÇáúÚóáöíãõ
(ÇáÒøõÎúÑõÝõ ¡ 43: 84).
And it is Allah who is God (Ilah)
in the heaven, and on the Earth (He is) God (Ilah).
And He is the Wise, the Knowing (Al-Zukhruf, 43: 84).
Moreover, it was mentioned 11 times as “Ilahukum” (your God,
for plural addressees), once as “Ilahuna” (our God), and
once as “Ilahaka” (your God, for a singular addressee), as
follows:
ÞóÇáõæÇ äóÚúÈõÏõ Åöáóٰåóßó
æóÅöáóٰåó
ÂÈóÇÆößó ÅöÈúÑóÇåöíãó æóÅöÓúãóÇÚöíáó æóÅöÓúÍóÇÞó
ÅöáóٰåðÇ
æóÇÍöÏðÇ æóäóÍúäõ áóåõ ãõÓúáöãõæäó
(ÇáúÈóÞóÑóÉõ ¡ 2: 133).
æóÅöáóٰåõßõãú
Åöáóٰåñ
æóÇÍöÏñ ۖ áøóÇ Åöáóٰåó
ÅöáøóÇ åõæó ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
(ÇáúÈóÞóÑóÉõ ¡ 2: 163).
æóÅöáóٰåõäóÇ
æóÅöáóٰåõßõãú
æóÇÍöÏñ æóäóÍúäõ áóåõ ãõÓúáöãõæäó
(ÇáúÚóäúßóÈõæÊõ ¡ 29: 46).
(Children of Ya’coop) said, "We will worship your God (Ilahaka)
and the God (Ilah) of
your fathers, Ibrahim (Abraham), and Isma’il (Ishmael), and
Is’haq (Isaac) - One God (Ilah).
And we are Muslims (in submission) to Him"
(Al-Baqara, 2: 133).
And your God (Ilahukum)
is One God (Ilah).
There is no (other) God (Ilah)
except Him, the Beneficent, the Merciful (Al-Baqara, 2:
163).
And our God (Ilahuna)
and your God (Ilahukum)
is One; and we are Muslims (in submission) to Him (Al-‘Ankaboot,
29: 46).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying: “Ya Ilahi” (O, My God),
and asking Him to extend His blessings, mercy, and favors to
the caller, his/her family, relatives, loved ones, and
believers, in this life and the hereafter.
Nobody
should
be named with this Good Name of
Allah,
as it represents His uniqueness of being
the only deity, Who is worthy of worship, as He is the
Creator of everything in existence, the Sustainer of the
universe, the Provider for and the Caretaker of His
creations. However,
a boy can be named “’Abdul Ilah” (worshipper of the God), as
this Name represents a recognition of his worship to his
Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by acknowledging that He, praise to Him, is their God
and Creator. As such, they are obligated to worship Him,
observe His commands, and avoid His prohibitions, which
leads them to happiness here, in this lower life, and
everlasting happiness in the hereafter.
***
3.
Ilah Al-Nas
(pronounced
as
illahunnas): God of the People
ÅöáóÜٰåõ ÇáäóÇÓö
"Ilah
Al-Nas" (God of the People) is an adjectival compound name,
composed of two words. The first word “ilah”
(God) is an adjectival name, derived from the verb “aliha,”
which means to take a deity as a god to worship him. It is
also derived from the verb “ta-allaha,” which means (for a
deity) to declare himself as a god, to be worshipped by his
creations. It follows that whenever people believe in their
God, they depend on Him, praise Him at good times, and
invoke Him for assistance at difficult times.
The second word, “Al-Nas” (the people) is a noun in the
plural form. Its singular form, “insan” (a human being), is
derived from the verb “nasiya,” which means “to forget
knowledge of something.” This meaning is present in many
verses in the Holy Quran, as in the following examples:
æóáóÞóÏú ÚóåöÏúäóÇ Åöáóìٰ ÂÏóãó ãöä ÞóÈúáõ
ÝóäóÓöíó æóáóãú äóÌöÏú
áóåõ ÚóÒúãðÇ
(Øóåó ¡
20: 115).
ÝóáóãøóÇ ÈóáóÛóÇ ãóÌúãóÚó ÈóíúäöåöãóÇ
äóÓöíóÇ ÍõæÊóåõãóÇ
ÝóÇÊøóÎóÐó ÓóÈöíáóåõ Ýöí ÇáúÈóÍúÑö ÓóÑóÈðÇ
(ÇáßåÝõ ¡
18: 61).
And We covenanted with Adam before, but he
forgot, and We found in
him no resolve (Ta-Ha, 20: 115).
But when they reached the junction between them
(the two seas), they
forgot their fish, and it took its course into
the sea, slipping away (Al-Kahf, 18: 61).
The word, “Al-Nas” (the people) is also derived from the
verb “anisa,” which means “to love the company of others,
get used to it, and be assured of it. One derivatives of
this verb came in the plural present tense, “tastanisoo,”
which means to “get assured of company of others” (Al-Noor,
24: 27). Another derivative came in the plural adjectival
noun form, “mustaniseen,” which means “enjoying the company
of others” (Al-A’hzab, 33: 53). In both examples, the human
being is described as having love and joy for the company of
other people and for the interaction with them.
íóÇ ÃóíøõåóÇ ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ áóÇ ÊóÏúÎõáõæÇ ÈõíõæÊðÇ
ÛóíúÑó ÈõíõæÊößõãú ÍóÊøóìٰ
ÊóÓúÊóÃúäöÓõæÇ æóÊõÓóáøöãõæÇ Úóáóìٰ ÃóåúáöåóÇ ۚ
Ðóٰáößõãú ÎóíúÑñ áøóßõãú áóÚóáøóßõãú ÊóÐóßøóÑõæäó
ý(ÇáäøõæÑõ
¡
24: 27).
íóÇ ÃóíøõåóÇ ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ áóÇ ÊóÏúÎõáõæÇ ÈõíõæÊó
ÇáäøóÈöíøö ÅöáøóÇ Ãóä íõÄúÐóäó áóßõãú Åöáóìٰ ØóÚóÇãò ÛóíúÑó
äóÇÙöÑöíäó ÅöäóÇåõ æóáóٰßöäú ÅöÐóÇ ÏõÚöíÊõãú ÝóÇÏúÎõáõæÇ
ÝóÅöÐóÇ ØóÚöãúÊõãú ÝóÇäÊóÔöÑõæÇ æóáóÇ
ãõÓúÊóÃúäöÓöíäó áöÍóÏöíËò
ý(ÇáÃÍúÒóÇÈõ
¡
33: 53).
O you who have believed, do not enter houses other than your
own houses, until you are assured
(of their welcome), and (until) you greet their
inhabitants. That is better for you. So, (this command is
for you that), you may be reminded (Al-Noor, 24: 27).
O you who have believed, do not enter the houses of the
Prophet, except when you are permitted for a meal, without
awaiting its readiness. But when you are invited, then
enter; and when you have eaten, disperse without
enjoying
(the stay for)
a conversation (Al-A’hzab, 33: 53).
There is a third meaning for the word “Al-Nas” (the people)
in the Holy Quran. It refers to both humans and jinn, as the
two intelligent categories of creatures, who are obligated
to worship Allah, their Creator (Al-Nas, 114: 5-6). Thus, as
a Good Name of Allah, “Ilah Al-Nas” (God of the People),
which was mentioned once in the Holy Quran, means that
Allah, praise to Him, is the only God, Who is worshipped by
His intelligent creations. These are angels in the heavens,
humans on the Earth (Al-Zukhruf, 43: 84), and jinn in
between the heavens and the Earth (Al-Shu’ara, 26; 23-24).
ÈöÓúãö Çááøóåö ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäö ÇáÑøóÍöíãö
Þõáú ÃóÚõæÐõ ÈöÑóÈøö ÇáäøóÇÓö
ý﴿١﴾þ
ãóáößö ÇáäøóÇÓö
ý﴿٢﴾þ
Åöáóٰåö ÇáäøóÇÓö
ý﴿٣﴾þ
ãöä ÔóÑøö ÇáúæóÓúæóÇÓö ÇáúÎóäøóÇÓö
ý﴿٤﴾þ
ÇáøóÐöí íõæóÓúæöÓõ Ýöí ÕõÏõæÑö ÇáäøóÇÓö
ý﴿٥﴾þ
ãöäó ÇáúÌöäøóÉö æóÇáäøóÇÓö
ý﴿٦﴾þ
(ÇáäøóÇÓõ ¡
114: 1-6).
æóåõæó ÇáøóÐöí Ýöí ÇáÓøóãóÇÁö
Åöáóٰåñ æóÝöí ÇáúÃóÑúÖö
Åöáóٰåñ ۚ æóåõæó ÇáúÍóßöíãõ ÇáúÚóáöíãõ
(ÇáÒøõÎúÑõÝõ ¡
43: 84).
ÞóÇáó ÝöÑúÚóæúäõ æóãóÇ ÑóÈøõ ÇáúÚóÇáóãöíäó
ý﴿٢٣﴾þ
ÞóÇáó ÑóÈøõ ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
æóãóÇ ÈóíúäóåõãóÇ
ۖ Åöä ßõäÊõã ãøõæÞöäöíäó
ý﴿٢٤﴾
(ÇáÔøõÚóÑóÇÁõ ¡
26: 23-24).
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of the people, (1) The
Sovereign of the people. (2) God
of the people, (3) From the evil of the
retreating whisperer - (4) Who whispers (evil) into the
chests of the people - (5) From among the jinn and the
(human) people." (6) (Al-Nas, 114: 1-6).
And it is He, Who is God in the
heaven and on the
Earth. And He is the Wise, the Knowing (Al-Zukhruf,
43: 84).
Said Pharaoh: "And what is the Lord of the worlds?" (23)
(Moussa, Moses) said: "The Lord of the heavens and the
Earth, and that (which is)
between them, if you should be convinced." (24)
(Al-Shu’ara, 26: 23-24).
Seeking refuge with the Lord of the people, their God,
cancels (does away with) the evil whispers of the Shaytan
(Satan). This is because Allah, praise to Him, has promised
that the Shaytan has no real power over the believers, who
worship their Lord, Allah, and rely on Him, as stated in
verses 17: 65 and 16: 99.
Åöäøó ÚöÈóÇÏöí áóíúÓó áóßó Úóáóíúåöãú ÓõáúØóÇäñ ۚ æóßóÝóìٰ
ÈöÑóÈøößó æóßöíáðÇ
(ÇáÅÓúÑóÇÁõ ¡
17: 65).
áóíúÓó áóåõ ÓõáúØóÇäñ Úóáóì ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ æóÚóáóìٰ
ÑóÈøöåöãú íóÊóæóßøóáõæäó (ÇáäøóÍúáõ ¡ 16: 99).
Indeed, over My (believing) worshippers, there is for you (Shaytan)
no authority. And sufficient is your Lord as Disposer of
Affairs (Al-Isra, 17: 65).
Indeed, there is for him (Shaytan) no authority over those
who have believed and rely upon their Lord (Al-Na’hl, 16:
99).
Seeking refuge with Allah (God) is implemented by saying: “ÃÚõæÐõ
ÈÇááåö ãöäó ÇáÔøóíúØóÇäö ÇáÑøóÌöíãö”
(I seek refuge with Allah from the stoned Shaytan) and by
reciting Surat Al-Nas (Chapter 114) of the Holy Quran. This
is in
observance
to God’s command in the first verse (114: 1) and in verse 7:
200, which states:
æóÅöãøóÇ íóäÒóÛóäøóßó ãöäó ÇáÔøóíúØóÇäö äóÒúÛñ
ÝóÇÓúÊóÚöÐú ÈöÇááøóåö ۚ
Åöäøóåõ ÓóãöíÚñ Úóáöíãñ
(ÇáÃÚúÑóÇÝõ ¡
7: 200).
And if an evil whispering comes to you from
the Shaytan (Satan), then
seek refuge with Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and
Knowing (Al-A’araf, 7: 200).
Finally, part of God’s mercy on His worshippers is that He
forgives them if they think about a Shaytan’s whispering, as
long as they do not speak to or inform others about it, as
the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, told us.
[29]
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying: “Ya Ilah Innas” (O, God
of the People): You are the only God, there is no other
deity except You. I am asking You to have mercy on me, my
family, and the Community of believers. Shield us from the
bad deeds of other people.
This compound Good Name of Allah should not be divided or
changed, as discussed earlier in the “Methods of Research”
section. Thus, nobody
should
be named
as “Ilah” (God), or “Ilah Al-Nas” (God of the People),
as this Good Name of Allah represents His uniqueness of
being
the only deity, Who is worthy of worship by His intelligent
creations. However,
a boy can be named “’Abdul Ilah” (worshipper of the God), as
this Name represents a recognition of his worship to his
Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by acknowledging that He, praise to Him, is their God
and Creator. As such, they are obligated to worship Him,
observe His commands, and avoid His prohibitions, which
leads them to happiness here, in this lower life, and
to
everlasting happiness in the hereafter.
***
4.
Al-Ra'hman
(pronounced
ar-ra'hman ):
The Beneficent,
the Merciful to All of His Creations
ÇáÑøóÍúãóÜٰäõ
“Al-Ra’hman” (The Beneficent, the Merciful to All of His
Creations) is an adjectival name, derived from the verb
“ra’hima,” which means to have mercy on others, without any
conditions. This includes providing them with unconditional
benefits, being close and kind to them, and sympathizing
with them, as well as giving them the help and the means
they need to survive in their environments. “Al-Ra’hman”
shares the same root verb with four other Good Names Allah.
These are Al-Ra’heem (the Merciful), Ar’ham Al-Ra’himeen
(the Most Merciful), Khayr Al-Ra’himeen (the Best of
the Merciful), and Dthu Al-Ra’hma (the One with
mercy).
Because the mercy of Allah, praise to Him, is reflected in
providing all of His creations with His tremendous benefits,
irrelevant to their beliefs or actions, the right
translation, for the meaning of the Name “Al-Ra’hman,” is
“the Beneficent.”
The first verse of the Holy Quran, Al-Basmala, includes the
Name, “Allah,” praise to Him, and two other Good Names of
His: “Al-Ra’hman” and “Al-Ra’heem,” in a clear linkage
between His Greatest Name and His confirmed mercy to His
creations.
The renowned Islamic scholars, Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Katheer,
related explanations of these two Good Names of Allah from
Abu Ali Al-Farisi and Al-'Arzami, may Allah be pleased with
them, who said that “Al-Ra'hman”
(the Beneficent) is a reference
to God's mercy to all of His creations, as expressed in
providing them with what they need and enabling them to
enjoy His provisions.
[30]
This explanation of “Al-Ra’hman” is based on verses of the
Holy Quran, in which Allah, praise to Him, declared that “He
wrote (decreed) on Himself mercy” (Al-An’am, 6: 12), and He
is the One “Whose mercy encompasses everything” (Al-A’araf,
7: 156). The Holy Quran also provides an explanation of
“Al-Ra’heem,” as the One Who is especially Merciful to
believers (Al-A’hzab, 33: 43).
Þõá áøöãóä
ãøóÇ Ýöí ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۖ Þõá áøöáøóåö ۚ
ßóÊóÈó Úóáóìٰ äóÝúÓöåö
ÇáÑøóÍúãóÉó ۚ áóíóÌúãóÚóäøóßõãú Åöáóìٰ
íóæúãö ÇáúÞöíóÇãóÉö áóÇ ÑóíúÈó Ýöíåö ۚ ÇáøóÐöíäó ÎóÓöÑõæÇ
ÃóäÝõÓóåõãú Ýóåõãú áóÇ íõÄúãöäõæäó
(ÇáÃäúÚóÇãõ ¡ 6: 12).
æóÇßúÊõÈú áóäóÇ Ýöí åóٰÐöåö ÇáÏøõäúíóÇ ÍóÓóäóÉð æóÝöí
ÇáúÂÎöÑóÉö ÅöäøóÇ åõÏúäóÇ Åöáóíúßó ۚ ÞóÇáó ÚóÐóÇÈöí ÃõÕöíÈõ
Èöåö ãóäú ÃóÔóÇÁõ ۖ æóÑóÍúãóÊöí
æóÓöÚóÊú ßõáøó ÔóíúÁò
ۚ ÝóÓóÃóßúÊõÈõåóÇ áöáøóÐöíäó íóÊøóÞõæäó æóíõÄúÊõæäó
ÇáÒøóßóÇÉó æóÇáøóÐöíäó åõã ÈöÂíóÇÊöäóÇ íõÄúãöäõæäó
(ÇáÃÚúÑóÇÝõ ¡ 7: 156).
åõæó ÇáøóÐöí íõÕóáøöí Úóáóíúßõãú æóãóáóÇÆößóÊõåõ
áöíõÎúÑöÌóßõã ãøöäó ÇáÙøõáõãóÇÊö Åöáóì ÇáäøõæÑö ۚ
æóßóÇäó ÈöÇáúãõÄúãöäöíäó ÑóÍöíãðÇ
(ÇáÃÍúÒóÇÈõ ¡
33: 43).
Say, "To whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth?"
Say, "To Allah." He has decreed
upon Himself mercy. He will surely assemble you
for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt.
Those who will lose themselves [that Day] do not believe
(Al-An’am, 6: 12).
And decree for us in this life which is] good and (also) in
the Hereafter. Indeed, we have turned back to You. (Allah)
said: "My punishment, I afflict with it whom I will, but
My mercy encompasses everything."
So, I will decree it )especially(
for those who are righteous, and give zakat, and those who
believe in Our verses (Al-A’araf, 7: 156).
It is He who confers blessing upon you, and His angels (ask
Him to do so), that He may bring you out from darknesses
into the light. And ever is He,
to the believers, Merciful
(Al-A’hzab, 33: 43).
In explaining the Name “Al-Ra’hman,” Al-Tabari
mentioned that Allah, “the Beneficent,” extended His mercy
to humans by descending His Holy Quran to guide them to
success and happiness in this life and to help them avoid
His punishment in the hereafter.
Al-Ghazali mentioned that the mercy of Allah is total
in nature, meaning that He has willed to provide His
creations with what they need, and He did that. It is also
general, in the sense that it is covering those who deserve
and those who don’t. Al-Sha’rawi explained
“Al-Ra’hman” as the One Who is Vast in His mercy to His
creations, by providing for them in this life, whether they
believe in him or not.
Ibn Katheer interpreted the first four verses of Surat
Al-Ra'hman (55:1- 4), as a statement from Allah,
“Al-Ra’hman,” (the Beneficent), Praise to Him in His
Highness, that He descended the Holy Quran to His worshipper
Mu'hammed, pbbuh, and made it easy to memorize and
understand by believers. He also mentioned interpretations
of other scholars, such as Al-Dha’hak
and Qutada, may Allah be pleased with them, who said that
Allah, praise to Him, made the Holy Quran easy to be taught
to believers so that they use it in telling the truth,
enjoining the good, and preaching against the wrongdoing.
Al-Hassan, mAbpwh, interpreted it as enabling believers to
pronounce its letters correctly, so that they can recite it
in the best and most beautiful ways.
ÃÚõæÐõ ÈöÇááåö ãöäó ÇáÔøóíúØóÇäö ÇáÑøóÌöíãö
ÈöÓۡãö ٱááåö ٱáÑøóÍۡãóÜٰäö ٱáÑøóÍöíãö
ÇáÑøóÍúãóÜٰäõ
﴿١﴾
Úóáøóãó ÇáúÞõÑúÂäó ﴿٢﴾
ÎóáóÞó ÇáúÅöäÓóÇäó
﴿٣﴾
Úóáøóãóåõ ÇáúÈóíóÇäó
﴿٤﴾
(ٱáÑøóÍۡãóÜٰäö
¡ 55: 1- 4).
I seek refuge with Allah from the stoned Shaytan
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
The Beneficent,
(1) has taught the Quran, (2) created the human (being), (3)
taught him speech (Al-Ra'hman, 55: 1- 4).
Al-Qurtubi mentioned the interpretations of Sa'id Bin Jubair
and 'Aamir Al-Sha'bi, who said the letters of the name of
Allah, "Al-Ra'hman," are the opening letters of thirteen
Sooras (Chapters) of the Holy Quran. These are "A, L, R"
(the opening letters of Chapters 10-15), "H, M" (the opening
letters of Chapters 40-46), and "N" (the opening letter of
Soorat Al-Qalam, Chapter 68). Together, these letters form
the word, "ALRHMN," which is Al-Ra’hman, as Arabic words may
include only consonants and long vowels in the basic
writing. While short vowels are added over or under of a
letter (known as tashkeel) in the Holy Quran, these are not
usually added in common writings, such as in books and in
written media.
[31]
Thus, these first four verses of Surat Al-Ra'hman (55:1- 4)
tell humans of four blessings bestowed upon them by Allah,
praise to Him in His Highness. The first verse tells them
that Allah, the Beneficent, has mercy to all of them. The
second verse tells them of His second blessing, which is
descending the Holy Quran to humanity also as mercy and
guidance for them to be happy in this life, as well as in
the hereafter. The third verse is a reminder to them that
Allah, the Beneficent, created them in the best image,
fashion, and proportions. The fourth verse is a reference to
the blessing of enabling humans how to speak by creating the
physiological features necessary for speech,
in the mouth, larynx, and the brain, and by blessing
them with the suitable environment, as explained in Chapter
4, "Creation
and Evolution in the Holy Quran."
This Good Name of Allah, “Al-Ra’hman” (the Beneficent) was
mentioned 170 times
in the Holy Quran, with the definite article (Al). It
came in the Basmala (In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent,
the Merciful), the verse mentioned at the beginning of
113 Sooras (Chapters) of the Holy Quran. While Soorat
Al-Tawba (Chapter 9) does not have a Basmala, one Soora
(Chapter) has another Basmala (Al-Naml, 27: 30). Thus, this
Good Name of Allah was mentioned 114 times in
the Basmalas of
the Holy Quran.
In addition to the Basmalas, this Good Name of Allah,
“Al-Ra’hman” (the Beneficent),
was mentioned five more times together with
“Al-Ra'heem” (the Merciful), in verses 1: 1, 1: 3, 2: 163,
41: 2, and 59: 22, as a confirmation of the mercy of Allah
to His creations.
ÈöÓúãö Çááøóåö ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäö
ÇáÑøóÍöíãö
(ÇáúÝóÇÊöÍóÉõ ¡ 1: 1).
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäö ÇáÑøóÍöíãö
(ÇáúÝóÇÊöÍóÉõ ¡ 1: 3).
æóÅöáóٰåõßõãú Åöáóٰåñ æóÇÍöÏñ ۖ áøóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
(ÇáúÈóÞóÑóÉõ ¡ 2: 163).
ÊóäÒöíáñ ãøöäó ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäö
ÇáÑøóÍöíãö
(ÝõÕøöáóÊú ¡
41: 2).
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó ۖ ÚóÇáöãõ
ÇáúÛóíúÈö æóÇáÔøóåóÇÏóÉö ۖ åõæó
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡ 59: 22).
In the Name of Allah, the
Beneficent,
the Merciful
(Al-Fati'ha, 1: 1).
The Beneficent,
the Merciful
(Al-Fati'ha, 1: 1).
And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of
worship] except Him, the
Beneficent,
the Merciful (Al-Baqara, 2: 163).
(This Holy Quran is) a revelation from
the Beneficent,
the Merciful
(Fussilat, 41: 2).
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of
the unseen and the witnessed. He is
the Beneficent,
the Merciful (Al-'Hashr, 59: 22).
This Good Name of Allah, “Al-Ra’hman” (the Beneficent), came
47 times in the Holy Quran, with mentioning the
greatness of Allah, Who created the heavens and the Earth
(Al-Furqan, 25: 59), with His promise of Paradise to
believers (Maryam19: 61), with mentioning how the Spirit
(Jibril) and the angels will be standing in a row, in front
of Him, on the Day of Judgment
(Al-Naba, 78: 38), with mentioning that those who believe
and do good deeds will have love and affection in the hearts
of believers (Maryam, 19: 96), and with mentioning those who
disbelieve in Him, despite His Message of guidance to them
(Al-Ra’d, 13: 30). It also came 9 times as “Li
Al-Ra’hman,” six of which were mentioned in Soorat
Maryam (Chapter 19) and two of them in Soorat Al-Zukhruf
(Chapter 43) of the Holy Quran.
[32]
ÇáøóÐöí ÎóáóÞó ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó æóãóÇ ÈóíúäóåõãóÇ
Ýöí ÓöÊøóÉö ÃóíøóÇãò Ëõãøó ÇÓúÊóæóìٰ Úóáóì ÇáúÚóÑúÔö ۚ
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ
ÝóÇÓúÃóáú Èöåö ÎóÈöíÑðÇ
(ÇáúÝõÑúÞóÇäõ
¡
25:
59).
ÌóäøóÇÊö ÚóÏúäò ÇáøóÊöí æóÚóÏó
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ
ÚöÈóÇÏóåõ ÈöÇáúÛóíúÈö ۚ Åöäøóåõ ßóÇäó æóÚúÏõåõ ãóÃúÊöíøðÇ
(ãóÑúíãó
¡
19: 61).
íóæúãó íóÞõæãõ ÇáÑøõæÍõ
æóÇáúãóáóÇÆößóÉõ
ÕóÝøðÇ ۖ áøóÇ íóÊóßóáøóãõæäó ÅöáøóÇ ãóäú ÃóÐöäó áóåõ
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ
æóÞóÇáó ÕóæóÇÈðÇ
(ÇáäøóÈóÃõ ¡
78: 38).
Åöäøó ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ
æóÚóãöáõæÇ ÇáÕøóÇáöÍóÇÊö ÓóíóÌúÚóáõ áóåõãõ
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ
æõÏøðÇ
(ãóÑúíóãõ ¡
19: 96).
ßóÐóٰáößó ÃóÑúÓóáúäóÇßó Ýöí ÃõãøóÉò ÞóÏú ÎóáóÊú ãöä
ÞóÈúáöåóÇ Ãõãóãñ áøöÊóÊúáõæó Úóáóíúåöãõ ÇáøóÐöí ÃóæúÍóíúäóÇ
Åöáóíúßó æóåõãú íóßúÝõÑõæäó
ÈöÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäö ۚ
Þõáú åõæó ÑóÈøöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó Úóáóíúåö
ÊóæóßøóáúÊõ æóÅöáóíúåö ãóÊóÇÈö
(ÇáÑøóÚúÏõ ¡
13: 30).
He who created the heavens and the Earth and what is between
them in six days and then established Himself above the
Throne, the Beneficent,
so ask about Him one well informed (Al-Furqan, 25: 59).
(Therein are) gardens of perpetual residence which
the Beneficent
has promised His worshippers in the unknown. Indeed,
His promise has ever been coming (Maryam, 19: 61).
The Day that the Spirit (Jibril) and the angels will stand
in a row, they will not speak, except for one whom
the Beneficent permits,
and he will say what is correct (Al-Naba, 78: 38).
Indeed, those who have believed and done good deeds,
the Beneficent
will appoint for them affection (Maryam, 19: 96).
Thus, We have sent you to a community before which (other)
communities have passed on. So, you might recite to them
that which We revealed to you, while they disbelieve in
the Beneficent. Say: "He
is my Lord; there is no deity except Him. Upon Him I rely,
and to Him is (my) return" (Al-Ra’d, 13: 30).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying: “Ya Ra’hman” (O,
Beneficent), to all of Your creations: I am asking You to
have mercy on me, my family, and the Community of believers.
Shield us from any harm and provide us with Your sympathy,
kindness, livelihood, and care.
Nobody
should
be named as “Al-Ra’hman” or “Ra’hman,” with the definite
article (Al), or without it, as this Good Name of Allah
represents His uniqueness of being
Beneficent to all of His creations, irrelevant to who they
are. However,
a boy can be named “’Abdul Ra’hman” (worshipper of the
Beneficent), as this Name represents a recognition of his
worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by being thankful and grateful to “the Beneficent,”
for His countless favors, which He provides for all of His
creations. They should also give assistance,
advice, and guidance to whoever is in need, including those
who are playful and disobedient, to help them return to
“Al-Ra’hman,” so He may extend His mercy to them.
***
5. Al-Ra'heem
(pronounced as
ar-ra'heem):
The Merciful
ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
"Al-Ra'heem" (The Merciful) is an adjectival name, derived
from the verb “ra’hima,” which means to have mercy on
others, without any conditions. This includes providing them
with unconditional benefits, being close and kind to them,
and sympathizing with them, as well as giving them the help
and the means they need to survive in their environments.
Thus, as a Good Name of Allah, the Name “Al-Ra'heem"
shares the general meaning of the word “mercy” with
the Name “Al-Ra’hman.” This means that, Allah, praise to
Him, is the One Who is Merciful to all of His creations,
whether they believe in Him or not. This is because He wrote
(decreed) on Himself to be Merciful (Al-An’am, 6: 12), and
He is the One Whose mercy encompasses everything (Al-A’araf,
7: 156).
However, the meaning of the Name “Al-Ra’heem” is different
from the meaning of the Name “Al-Ra’hman” in that it adds
more mercy for believers, in this life and in the hereafter,
as a reward for their belief in Allah and for worshipping
Him. This additional mercy for believers is represented by
God’s promise to be Forgiving, Acceptant of Repentance,
Kind, Good, and Loving to them, and Mighty in their support.
This meaning of “Al-Ra’heem” was agreed upon by the three
renowned Islamic scholars, Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi,
and Ibn Katheer, and was summarized by Al-Sha'rawi, who said
that "Al-Ra'heem" is the giver of rewards which are many
times more than the good deeds.
Realizing that Allah, praise to Him, is “Al-Ra’heem” (The
Merciful), Muslims constantly ask Him for His Mercy on
themselves, and on their loved ones, whether they live with
them, or they are deceased. Thus doing, they are encouraged
by the Holy Quran statement about that attribute, which is
mentioned in verse 33: 43.
åõæó ÇáøóÐöí íõÕóáøöí Úóáóíúßõãú æóãóáóÇÆößóÊõåõ
áöíõÎúÑöÌóßõã ãøöäó ÇáÙøõáõãóÇÊö Åöáóì ÇáäøõæÑö ۚ
æóßóÇäó ÈöÇáúãõÄúãöäöíäó
ÑóÍöíãðÇ
(ÇáÃÍúÒóÇÈõ ¡
33: 43).
It is He who prays (confers blessing) upon you, and His
Angels pray (to Him for you), that He may bring you out
from (various degrees of) darkness into the light. And
He is, to the believers,
Merciful
(Al-A’hzab, 33: 43).
This Good Name of Allah was mentioned 227 times in the Holy
Quran,
with the definite article and without it,
including
Al-Basmala at the beginning of each Soora (Chapter). Without
the Basmalas, “Al-Ra’heem” was mentioned 114 times in the
Book of Allah (as Surat Al-Tawba has no Basmala).
The Name of “Al-Ra’heem” (The Merciful) is mentioned alone
three times only, in verses 4: 29, 17: 66, and 33: 43.
Otherwise, it is mentioned together with another Good Name
of Allah in each verse, which helps us understand His mercy
to the believers. Thus, the Name of “Al-Ra’heem” (The
Merciful) was mentioned together with “Al-Ra’hman” (The
Beneficent) in each Basmala, which precedes every Soora
(Chapter) of the Holy Quran, as a confirmation of God’s
mercy for His creations. This is conveying to them that the
Holy Quran, which was descended on the Final Messenger,
Mu'hammed, pbbuh, is God’s Message and Mercy to the Worlds,
as stated in verses 21: 107 and 2: 163.
æóãóÇ ÃóÑúÓóáúäóÇßó ÅöáøóÇ
ÑóÍúãóÉð
áøöáúÚóÇáóãöíäó
(ÇáÃäúÈöíóÇÁõ¡
21: 107).
æóÅöáóٰåõßõãú Åöáóٰåñ æóÇÍöÏñ ۖ áøóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ
ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
ý(ÇáÈóÞóÑóÉõ
¡
2: 163).
And We have not sent you, (O Muhammad), except as a
mercy
to
the worlds (Al-Anbiya, 21: 107).
And your god is one God. There is
no other god except Him, the Beneficent,
the Merciful
(Al-Baqara,
2: 163).
The Name of “Al-Ra’heem” (The Merciful) was also mentioned
together with “Al-Ghafoor” (The Forgiving), in verse 15: 49,
to convey the meaning of forgiving sins of believers, as an
expression of mercy to them. Moreover, it came together with
“Al-Tawwab” (The Acceptant of Repentance), in verse 2: 160.
It was mentioned with “Al-Ra-oof” (The Kind) in verse 57: 9,
with “Al-‘Aziz” (The Exalted in Might) in verse30: 5, with
“Al-Barr” (The Source of Goodness) in verse 52: 28, and with
“Al-Wadood” (The Affectionate, The Loving) in verse 11: 90,
as follows:
äóÈøöÆú ÚöÈóÇÏöí Ãóäøöí ÃóäóÇ ÇáúÛóÝõæÑõ
ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
ý (ÇáúÍöÌúÑõ
¡
15: 49).
ÅöáøóÇ ÇáøóÐöíäó ÊóÇÈõæÇ æóÃóÕúáóÍõæÇ æóÈóíøóäõæÇ
ÝóÃõæáóٰÆößó ÃóÊõæÈõ Úóáóíúåöãú ۚ æóÃóäóÇ
ÇáÊøóæøóÇÈõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
(ÇáúÈóÞóÑóÉõ ¡
2: 160).
åõæó ÇáøóÐöí íõäóÒøöáõ Úóáóìٰ ÚóÈúÏöåö ÂíóÇÊò ÈóíøöäóÇÊò
áøöíõÎúÑöÌóßõã ãøöäó ÇáÙøõáõãóÇÊö Åöáóì ÇáäøõæÑö ۚ æóÅöäøó
Çááøóåó Èößõãú áóÑóÁõæÝñ ÑøóÍöíãñ
(ÇáúÍóÏöíÏõ ¡
57: 9).
íóæúãó áóÇ íõÛúäöí ãóæúáðì Úóä ãøóæúáðì ÔóíúÆðÇ æóáóÇ åõãú
íõäÕóÑõæäó
ý ﴿٤١﴾þ
ÅöáøóÇ ãóä ÑøóÍöãó Çááøóåõ ۚ Åöäøóåõ åõæó
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ
ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
ý﴿٤٢﴾þ
(ÇáÏøõÎóÇäõ ¡
44: 42).
ÅöäøóÇ ßõäøóÇ ãöä ÞóÈúáõ äóÏúÚõæåõ ۖ Åöäøóåõ åõæó
ÇáúÈóÑøõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
(ÇáØøõæÑõ ¡
52: 28).
æóÇÓúÊóÛúÝöÑõæÇ ÑóÈøóßõãú Ëõãøó ÊõæÈõæÇ Åöáóíúåö ۚ Åöäøó
ÑóÈøöí ÑóÍöíãñ æóÏõæÏñ
(åõæÏõ ¡
11:
90).
(O Mu'hammed), inform My worshippers that I am
the Forgiving, the Merciful
(Al-‘Hijr, 15: 49).
Except for those who repent, and correct themselves, and
make evident (what they concealed). Those, I will accept
their repentance, and I am the Acceptant of Repentance,
the Merciful
(Al-Baqara, 2: 160).
It is He, who sends down upon His
worshipper (Muhammad) verses of clear evidence, that He may
bring you out from (the degrees of) darkness into the light.
And indeed, Allah is to you Kind, Merciful (Al-‘Hadeed,
57: 9).
Except those [believers] on whom Allah has mercy. Indeed, He
is the Exalted in Might, the
Merciful (Al-Dukhan,
44: 42).
Indeed, we used to supplicate to Him
before. Indeed, it is He who is the Source of Goodness
and Kindness,
the Merciful"
(Al-Toor, 52: 28).
And ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him.
Indeed, my Lord is Merciful, Affectionate (Loving)
(Hood, 11: 90).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Allah, with this Name, addressing him: “Ya
Ra’heem” (O You, the Merciful), asking Him to extend His
mercy, love, kindness, care, and provision to the caller,
and others close to him/her.
Nobody should be named as “Al-Ra’heem” or “Ra’heem,” with
the definite article (Al) or without it, as
this Good Name of Allah represents His uniqueness of being
the
Beneficent to all of His creations, and the Merciful to
believers.
However, a boy can be named as “Abdul-Ra’heem”
(Worshipper of the Merciful),
as a recognition of his worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by being thankful and grateful to Him, “the
Merciful,” for His countless favors, which He provides for
all of His creations, and for His additional mercy to them.
In addition, believers should
provide advice and guidance to those who are playful and
disobedient, to help them return to the “Ra’heem,” so He
would extend His mercy to them. They should also treat the
creations of Allah, whether humans or animals, with mercy,
kindness, care, and help, as much as they can, particularly
those who are weak, helpless, and in need.
***
6.
Ar'hamu Al-Ra'himeen
(pronounced
as
ar'hamur ra'himeen):
The Most Merciful Among the Merciful
ÃóÑúÍóãõ ÇáÑøóÇÍöãöíäó
“Ar’hamu Al-Ra’himeen” (the Most Merciful) is an adjectival
compound name, composed of two words. The first is “Ar’ham,”
which means more Merciful than anybody else, or the Most
Merciful. It is a comparative adjective, derived from the
verb “ra’hima,” which was explained before, in the two Names
of “Al-Ra’hman” and “Al-Ra’heem. The second word, “Al-Ra’himeen,”
means the merciful, in the plural form. It is also derived
from the same root verb, “ra’hima,” explained above.
As a Good Name of Allah, “Ar’hamu Al-Ra’himeen” means that
Allah, praise to Him, is more Merciful to His creations
generally, and to His believing worshippers in particular,
than anyone of them. Thus, He is the Most Merciful.
This Name was mentioned
four times
in the Holy Quran. This was in the context of a supplication
by Moussa (Moses), peace be upon him (pbuh), to Allah, to
admit him and his brother into His Mercy, and to forgive
them. This happened when Moussa returned to find his people
worshipping the calf. He was afraid of God’s anger and
punishment. Therefore, he supplicated to Him, using His Good
Name of “Ar’hamu Al-Ra’himeen” (the Most Merciful Among the
Merciful), to maximize the chances of Allah accepting His
call (Al-A’araf, 7: 151).
In addition, Ya’coob (Jacob), pbuh, invoked this Good Name
of Allah, also to get the maximum mercy and protection for
his son, Binyameen. He was distrustful of his sons, who did
not protect their brother, Yoosuf (Joseph) before (Yoosuf,
12: 64).
It was also mentioned by Yoosuf (Joseph), pbuh, in his
supplication to Allah, to forgive his brothers, for that
which they did to him, as He is “the Most Merciful” (Yoosuf,
12: 64). Likewise, Ayoob (Job), pbuh, mentioned it when he
supplicated to the “the Most Merciful,” to heal him of his
disease (Al-Anbiya, 21: 83).
ÞóÇáó ÑóÈøö ÇÛúÝöÑú áöí æóáöÃóÎöí æóÃóÏúÎöáúäóÇ Ýöí
ÑóÍúãóÊößó ۖ æóÃóäÊó
ÃóÑúÍóãõ ÇáÑøóÇÍöãöíäó
(ÇáÃÚúÑóÇÝõ ¡ 7:
151).
ÞóÇáó åóáú Âãóäõßõãú Úóáóíúåö ÅöáøóÇ ßóãóÇ ÃóãöäÊõßõãú
Úóáóìٰ ÃóÎöíåö ãöä ÞóÈúáõ ۖ ÝóÇááøóåõ ÎóíúÑñ ÍóÇÝöÙðÇ ۖ
æóåõæó
ÃóÑúÍóãõ ÇáÑøóÇÍöãöíäó
(íõæÓõÝõ ¡ 12: 64).
ÞóÇáó áóÇ ÊóËúÑöíÈó Úóáóíúßõãõ Çáúíóæúãó ۖ íóÛúÝöÑõ Çááøóåõ
áóßõãú ۖ æóåõæó
ÃóÑúÍóãõ ÇáÑøóÇÍöãöíäó
(íõæÓõÝõ ¡ 12: 92).
æóÃóíøõæÈó ÅöÐú äóÇÏóìٰ ÑóÈøóåõ Ãóäøöí ãóÓøóäöíó ÇáÖøõÑøõ
æóÃóäÊó
ÃóÑúÍóãõ ÇáÑøóÇÍöãöíäó
(ÇáÃäúÈöíóÇÁõ ¡ 21: 83).
(Moussa, Moses) said, "My Lord, forgive me and my brother
and admit us into Your mercy, for You are
the Most Merciful"
(Al-A’araf, 7: 151).
He said, "Should I entrust you with him except [under
coercion] as I entrusted you with his brother before? But
Allah is the best guardian, and He is
the Most Merciful"
(Yousuf, 12: 64).
He said, "No blame will there be upon you today. Allah will
forgive you; and He is
the Most Merciful"
(Yoosuf, 12: 92).
And [mention] Job, when he called to his Lord, "Indeed,
adversity has touched me, and you are
the Most Merciful"
(Al-Anbiya, 21: 83).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it:
"Ya
Ar'hamu Ar-Ra'himeen (O, the Most Merciful),
asking Him to extend His mercy on the caller, and his/her
loved ones.
Nobody should be named with this Good Name of Allah, as He
alone
is
“the
Most Merciful”
among those of His creations who have this trait.
Further, this compound Good Name of Allah should not be
divided, as discussed before. Thus, Allah, praise to Him,
should not be referred to as “Ar’ham,” or “Al-Ra’himeen,”
separately. Instead, He should be referred to as “Ar'ham
Al- Ra'himeen”
(the Most Merciful).
However, a boy can be named as “Abdul-
Ra’heem” (Worshipper of the Merciful),
as a recognition of his worship to his
Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by
being merciful towards God’s creations: humans and animals
alike. This means giving them good treatment, dealing with
them with care and compassion, as well as
providing them with advice and guidance, and helping them as
much as they can. Most importantly, believers should always
return to Allah, asking for His mercy. They should never
despair of it, as He told them in His Holy Book:
Þõáú íóÇ ÚöÈóÇÏöíó ÇáøóÐöíäó ÃóÓúÑóÝõæÇ Úóáóìٰ ÃóäÝõÓöåöãú
áóÇ ÊóÞúäóØõæÇ ãöä
ÑøóÍúãóÉö Çááøóåö
ۚ Åöäøó Çááøóåó íóÛúÝöÑõ ÇáÐøõäõæÈó ÌóãöíÚðÇ ۚ Åöäøóåõ åõæó
ÇáúÛóÝõæÑõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
ý(ÇáÒøõãóÑõ
¡
39: 53).
Say: "O My worshippers, who have transgressed against
themselves (by sinning), do not despair of
the mercy of Allah.
Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the
Forgiving, the Merciful" (Al-Zumar, 39: 53).
***
7.
Khayr
Al-Ra'himeen
(pronounced
as
khayrur
ra'himeen):
The Best of the Merciful
ÎóíúÑõ
ÇáÑøóÇÍöãöíäó
“Khayr Al-Ra'himeen” (The Best of the Merciful) is an
adjectival compound name, composed of two words. The first
is “Khayr,” which is a comparative adjective, meaning
better and more beneficial than others. It is derived from
the verb “khaara,” which means to prefer, choose, and
select. The second word is “Al-Ra’himeen,” which is an
adjectival name, derived from the verb “ra’hima,” meaning to
have mercy on others, without any conditions. This includes
providing them with unconditional benefits, being close and
kind to them, and sympathizing with them, as well as giving
them the help and the means they need to survive in their
various environments.
This Name shares its root verb and meaning, as preferred and
Better, with nine
other compound Good Names of Allah. These are Khayr
Al-Ghafireen, Khayr Al-Raziqeen, Khayr
Al-Fati’heen, Khayr Al-‘Hakimeen, Khayr Al-Nasireen,
Khayr Al-Makireen, Khayr Al-Fasileen,
Khayr Al-Waritheen, and Khayr Al-Munzileen.
As a Good Name of Allah, “Khayr Al-Ra'himeen” means that He,
praise to Him, is better and more beneficial in His mercy to
His creations than anyone else. This is because His mercy is
an inherent characteristic of Him, which He descends on His
creations, irrelevant to their beliefs or deeds. Further,
His mercy is continuous and more comprehensive than the
mercy He placed in His creations, as expressed in His
closeness, compassion, kindness, and provision to them, in
their environments.
This
compound
Good
Name
of Allah was mentioned
twice
in the Holy Quran, in the same context, where our Lord,
Allah, praise to Him, told us about what would happen to two
categories of people, on the Last Day (Al-Muminoon, 23:
101-111).
The first category is composed of believers, who worship Him
during their lower life, and who call upon Him for His
forgiveness and His mercy, addressing him as “Khayr
Al-Ra'himeen (The Best of the Merciful). These are the ones
whose scales are heavy with good deeds, who will win an
everlasting life in His Paradise (Al-Muminoon, 23: 102).
The second category is composed of disbelievers, who
ridicule patient believers, and laugh at them, for no other
reasons than worshipping their Lord, Allah, praise to Him,
and for calling upon Him, to forgive them and have mercy on
them, using His Good Name, “Khayr Al-Ra'himeen (The
Best of the Merciful). Those disbelievers will be the
losers, whose scales are light, and as such will “have lost
their souls, (being) in Hell, abiding eternally”
(Al-Muminoon, 23: 103).
Then, Allah, praise to Him, concludes Surat Al-Muminoon
(Chapter 23 of the Holy Quran) with a confirmation that
believers need to call upon Him for forgiveness and mercy,
with His Good Name of “Khayr Al-Ra'himeen (The Best
Among the Merciful) (Al-Muminoon, 23: 118).
Åöäøóåõ ßóÇäó ÝóÑöíÞñ ãøöäú ÚöÈóÇÏöí íóÞõæáõæäó ÑóÈøóäóÇ
ÂãóäøóÇ ÝóÇÛúÝöÑú áóäóÇ æóÇÑúÍóãúäóÇ æóÃóäÊó
ÎóíúÑõ ÇáÑøóÇÍöãöíäó
(ÇáúãõÄúãöäõæäó ¡ 23: 109).
æóÞõá ÑøóÈøö ÇÛúÝöÑú æóÇÑúÍóãú æóÃóäÊó
ÎóíúÑõ ÇáÑøóÇÍöãöíäó
(ÇáúãõÄúãöäõæäó ¡ 23: 118).
Indeed, there was a party of My worshippers, who used to
say: “Our Lord, we have believed. So, forgive us and have
mercy upon us, and You are
the Best of the Merciful”
(Al-Muminoon, 23: 109).
And (O Mu'hammed), say: “My Lord, forgive (us) and have
mercy (upon us), and You are
the Best of the Merciful"
(Al-Muminoon, 23: 118).
In addition, Allah, praise to Hi, was referred to as
Better
than anybody and anything
five times
in the Holy Quran. This reference came in the context of the
story of the Egyptian magicians, who announced that they had
believed in their Lord, Allah. They described Him as
Better
and More Lasting for them, as He promised believers to
forgive their sins and to live an everlasting life in His
Paradise. Thus, He is Better and more beneficial to them
than Pharaoh, who promised them the things he could have in
this limited lower life
( Ta-Ha, 20:
73).
It also came in the context of mentioning the story of the
man who owned two gardens, but who was ungrateful to Allah,
for the favors He bestowed on him. He doubted the return to
Allah in the hereafter and looked down at his friend who had
less wealth and less children than him. So, Allah, praise to
Him, punished him by destroying his two gardens. At the same
time, He comforted the other man, the believer, promising
him that He is
Better
for him, by giving him a better reward and a better outcome,
in the hereafter (Al-Kahf, 18: 32-44).
ÅöäøóÇ ÂãóäøóÇ ÈöÑóÈøöäóÇ áöíóÛúÝöÑó áóäóÇ ÎóØóÇíóÇäóÇ æóãóÇ
ÃóßúÑóåúÊóäóÇ Úóáóíúåö ãöäó ÇáÓøöÍúÑö ۗ æóÇááøóåõ
ÎóíúÑñ
æóÃóÈúÞóìٰ
(Øå ¡
20: 73).
åõäóÇáößó ÇáúæóáóÇíóÉõ áöáøóåö ÇáúÍóÞøö ۚ åõæó
ÎóíúÑñ
ËóæóÇÈðÇ
æóÎóíúÑñ
ÚõÞúÈðÇ
(ÇáßåÝ ¡
18: 44).
Indeed, we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive for
us our sins, and what you compelled us (to do) of magic. And
Allah is
Better
and More Lasting (Ta-Ha, 20: 73).
There the authority is [completely] for Allah, the Truth. He
is
Better
in reward
and
Better
in outcome
(Al-Kahf, 18: 32-44).
In addition, this Name came in the context of what Ya’coob
(Jacob), pbuh, said to his children, when they asked him to
allow them to take their brother with them to Egypt. He
replied that he would not trust them to guard (protect) him.
However, he trusts Allah, Who is a
Better
Guardian (Yoosuf, 12: 64). Finally, it came with mentioning
that Allah, praise to Him, is
Better
and more beneficial to His creations than whoever and
whatever is falsely claimed as associated with Him (Al-Naml,
27: 59).
ÞóÇáó åóáú Âãóäõßõãú Úóáóíúåö ÅöáøóÇ ßóãóÇ ÃóãöäÊõßõãú
Úóáóìٰ ÃóÎöíåö ãöä ÞóÈúáõ ۖ ÝóÇááøóåõ
ÎóíúÑñ
ÍóÇÝöÙðÇ
ۖ æóåõæó ÃóÑúÍóãõ ÇáÑøóÇÍöãöíäó
(íõæÓõÝõ ¡
12: 64).
Þõáö ÇáúÍóãúÏõ áöáøóåö æóÓóáóÇãñ Úóáóìٰ ÚöÈóÇÏöåö ÇáøóÐöíäó
ÇÕúØóÝóìٰ ۗ
Âááøóåõ ÎóíúÑñ
ÃóãøóÇ íõÔúÑößõæäó
(Çáäøóãúáõ ¡
27: 59).
He (Ya’coob, Jacob) said, "Should I entrust you with him
except (under pressure from you), as I entrusted you with
his brother before? But Allah is a
Better
Guardian,
and He is the Most Merciful" (Yoosuf, 12: 64).
Say, (O Mu’hammed): "Praise be to Allah, and peace upon His
worshippers whom He has chosen. Is
Allah Better,
or that which they associate with Him?" (Al-Naml, 27: 59).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying:
"Allahumma Anta Khayru Ar-Ra'himeen” (O Allah, You
are the Best of the Merciful). Your are
Better in reward and Better in outcome. I am asking You to
protect me from wrongdoers, to write me the best reward for
my deeds which I do in obedience to You, and to make
Paradise my destination, together with my family, and the
believers of all times.
Nobody should be named with this Good Name of Allah, as He
alone is the Best of the Merciful. He is better and more
beneficial in His mercy than anyone else. Further, this
compound Good Name of Allah should not be divided, as
discussed before. Thus, Allah, praise to Him, should not be
referred to as “Khayr,” or “Al-Ra’himeen,”
separately. Instead, He should be referred to as “Khayr
Al-Ra'himeen” (the Best of the Merciful).
However, a boy can be named as “Abdul-
Ra’heem” (Worshipper of the Merciful),
as a recognition of his worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by being confident that He, praise to Him, is the
Best of the Merciful. So, they should call upon Him for
mercy on them and on those they love, without hesitation, at
all times. Believers should also be merciful towards God’s
creations. This means giving them good treatment, dealing
with them with care and compassion, as well as
providing them with advice and guidance, and helping them as
much as they can.
***
8.
Dthu Al-Ra'hma
(pronounced as
dthul
ra'hma): The Possessor (Owner, Source) of Mercy
Ðõæ
ÇáÑøóÍúãóÉö
"Dthu Al-Ra'hma" means the Possessor of Mercy, the
One Who is the Owner and the Source of Mercy, for all of His
creations. It is an adjectival compound name, composed of
two words. The first is “Dthu,” which means a
possessor or an owner of something. It is part of a category
of speech, called “the five nouns.” As such, it takes three
forms, according to the Arabic grammatical rules. These are
“dthu,” “dthi,” and “dtha.”
There are ten Good Names of Allah, included in this
list, which start with either “dthu,” or “dthi.”
[33]
The second word in this compound Good Name of Allah is “Al-Ra’hma”
(Mercy). It is derived from the verb “ra’hima,” which means
to
have mercy on others, without any conditions. This includes
providing them with unconditional benefits, being close and
kind to them, and sympathizing with them, as well as giving
them the help and the means they need to survive in their
various environments.
As a Good Name of Allah, "Dthu
Al-Ra'hma" means that He, praise to Him, is the Possessor,
the Owner, and the Source of Mercy, for all of His
creations. His mercy is so vast and so comprehensive
that, if He wills it, it can cover all of His creations. It
is observed in His closeness, compassion, kindness, and
provision to them, in their various environments.
This Good Name of Allah was mentioned in the Holy Quran
twice,
with
definite article (Al), and
once without
it. This happened in the context of mentioning that Allah,
praise to Him, is in no need of His creations to believe and
worship Him. However, because He is the Possessor (Owner,
Source) of Mercy, He has not caused the disobedient and
wrongdoing humans to disappear from the face of the Earth,
while He is capable of doing that and of replacing them with
others
(Al-An’am, 6: 133).
This Good Name of Allah also came in the context of
mentioning that due to God’s forgiveness and mercy, He has
not hastened punishment for the obstinate, who refuse the
signs of their Lord, in this life. Rather, He has willed to
delay their punishment till the Day of Reckoning, giving
them the opportunity to believe in Him and to ask for His
forgiveness, during this life
(Al-Kahf, 18: 58).
In addition, this Name, "Dthu Al-Ra'hma," came in the
context of God’s comfort (consolation) to His Messenger,
pbbuh, when his people disbelieved him. He told him that he
should not let himself perish in regret for their disbelief
(Fatir, 35: 8), as his job is to tell the Message
(Al-Na’hl, 16: 82), not to force people to believe (Younus,
10: 99).
[34]
Thus, in response to their disbelief, Allah, praise to Him,
told His Messenger to say to the disbelievers that the mercy
of Allah is vast, waiting for them if they believe and ask
for it. However, if they insist on their disbelief, they
will be inevitably punished, in the hereafter
"
(Al-An’am, 6: 147).
æóÑóÈøõßó ÇáúÛóäöíøõ
Ðõæ ÇáÑøóÍúãóÉö ۚ
Åöä íóÔóÃú íõÐúåöÈúßõãú æóíóÓúÊóÎúáöÝú ãöä ÈóÚúÏößõã ãøóÇ
íóÔóÇÁõ ßóãóÇ ÃóäÔóÃóßõã ãøöä ÐõÑøöíøóÉö Þóæúãò ÂÎóÑöíäó
(ÇáÃäúÚóÇãõ ¡
6: 133).
æóÑóÈøõßó ÇáúÛóÝõæÑõ
Ðõæ ÇáÑøóÍúãóÉö ۖ
áóæú íõÄóÇÎöÐõåõã ÈöãóÇ ßóÓóÈõæÇ áóÚóÌøóáó áóåõãõ ÇáúÚóÐóÇÈó
ۚ Èóá áøóåõã ãøóæúÚöÏñ áøóä íóÌöÏõæÇ ãöä Ïõæäöåö ãóæúÆöáðÇ
(ÇáúßóåúÝõ ¡
18: 58).
ÝóÅöä ßóÐøóÈõæßó ÝóÞõá ÑøóÈøõßõãú
Ðõæ ÑóÍúãóÉò
æóÇÓöÚóÉò
æóáóÇ íõÑóÏøõ ÈóÃúÓõåõ Úóäö ÇáúÞóæúãö ÇáúãõÌúÑöãöíäó
(ÇáÃäúÚóÇãõ ¡
6: 147).
And your Lord is the Free of need,
the Possessor of Mercy.
If He wills, he can do away with you and give succession
after you to whomever He wills, just as He produced you from
the descendants of another people (Al-An’am, 6: 133).
And your Lord is the Forgiving,
the
Possessor of Mercy.
If He were to impose blame upon them for what they earned,
He would have hastened for them the punishment. Rather, for
them is an appointment from which they will never find an
escape (Al-Kahf, 18: 58).
So, if they disbelieve you, (O Muhammad), say, "Your Lord is
a
Possessor of
Vast Mercy;
but His punishment cannot be repelled from the people who
are criminals" (Al-An’am, 6: 147).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying:
"Ya
Allah Anta Dthu Al-Ra’hma” (O, Allah, You are the
Possessor, Owner, and Source of Mercy),
I am
asking You to extend Your mercy on me, and on the ones dear
to me, the living among them and the dead.
Nobody should be named with this Good Name of Allah, as only
He is the Possessor, Owner, and Source of Mercy.
However, a boy can be named as “Abdul-Ra’heem”
(Worshipper of the Merciful), in recognition of his worship
to his Creator.
Further, this compound Good Name of Allah should not be
divided, as discussed before. Thus, Allah, praise to Him,
should not be referred to as “Dthu,” or “Al-Ra’hma,”
separately. Instead, He should be referred to as “Dthu
Al-Ra’hma,” as one whole Name.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by being confident that He, praise to Him, is the
Possessor, Owner, and Source of the vast mercy, which is
enough to be showered on all of His creations, if He wills.
So, they should call upon Him for mercy on them and on those
they love, without hesitation, at all times. Believers
should also be merciful towards God’s creations. This means
giving them good treatment, dealing with them with care and
compassion, as well as
providing them with advice and guidance, and helping them as
much as they can.
***
9.
Al-Malik:
The King, The Sovereign
Çáúãóáößõ
"Al-Malik" (The King, The Sovereign) is an adjectival name,
derived from the verb “malaka,” which means to capture
something, own it, be in control of it, be capable of
subduing it, and can deal with it in anyway. It also means
to conquer, prevail, and rule over. This Name shares
derivation from the same root verb with three other Good
Names of Allah, following it. These are Al-Maleek (the Greet
King, the Great Sovereign), Malik Yawm Al-Deen (the Owner of
the Day of Accountability), and Malik Al-Mulk (the Owner of
the Dominion).
As a Good Name of Allah, "Al-Malik"
means the King (the Sovereign), Who is the absolute ruler
over His Kingdom
(Al-Mulk, 67: 1), which includes the Throne, the Chair, the Heavens, the Earth, what is in
between them, and the creations living within them. He is
the King of this life and the King of the Hereafter. When
His creations stand subdued in front of Him, for reckoning,
He asks them a rhetorical question: “To whom belongs
the Dominion (the Sovereignty), this Day?” However, nobody
dares to answer Him. So, He gives the answer, saying: “To
Allah, the One, the Subduer” (Ghafir, 40: 16). In one
of his ‘Hadiths, the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, said that it
belongs to the Mighty, the King (the Sovereign).
[35]
ÊóÈóÇÑóßó ÇáøóÐöí ÈöíóÏöåö
Çáúãõáúßõ æóåõæó Úóáóìٰ ßõáøö ÔóíúÁò ÞóÏöíÑñ
(Çáúãõáúßõ ¡
67: 1).
íóæúãó åõã ÈóÇÑöÒõæäó ۖ áóÇ íóÎúÝóìٰ Úóáóì Çááøóåö ãöäúåõãú
ÔóíúÁñ ۚ áøöãóäö Çáúãõáúßõ
Çáúíóæúãó ۖ áöáøóåö ÇáúæóÇÍöÏö ÇáúÞóåøóÇÑö
ý(ÛóÇÝöÑõ
¡
40: 16).
Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the
Dominion (sovereignty
of the Universe), and Who is Capable of (doing) everything
(Al-Mulk, 67: 1).
The Day they come forth nothing concerning them will be
concealed from Allah. To whom belongs the
Dominion (the
Sovereignty) this Day? To
Allah, the One, the Subduer (Ghafir, 40: 16).
This Good Name of Allah (The King, The Sovereign) was
mentioned
four times
in the Holy Quran, together with another Good Name of His,
“Al-‘Haq” (the Truth, the Right), to mean that He is truly
the King (the Sovereign) of the heavens, the Earth, and
whoever lives therein. He rules over His creations with
justice
(Ta-Ha, 20: 114). He is also the True King, the Lord of the
Throne (Al-Muminoon, 23: 59), and the angels who are
constantly exalting Him, around it.
This Good Name of Allah was also mentioned in the Holy
Quran, together with other Good Names of His, which add more
meanings to it. These are the Holy, the Peace, the Bestower
of Faith, the Dominant, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller,
and the Superior (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23). It further came
together with the Names: the Holy, the Exalted in Might, and
the Wise (Al-Jumu’a, 62: 1), as follows:
ÝóÊóÚóÇáóì Çááøóåõ
Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÍóÞøõ ۗ æóáóÇ ÊóÚúÌóáú ÈöÇáúÞõÑúÂäö ãöä ÞóÈúáö Ãóä
íõÞúÖóìٰ Åöáóíúßó æóÍúíõåõ ۖ æóÞõá ÑøóÈøö ÒöÏúäöí ÚöáúãðÇ
(Øóåó ¡
20: 114).
ÝóÊóÚóÇáóì Çááøóåõ
Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÍóÞøõ ۖ áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó ÑóÈøõ ÇáúÚóÑúÔö
ÇáúßóÑöíãö
(ÇáúãõÄúãöäõæäó
¡
23:
59).
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó
Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ
ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ ÇáúãõÊóßóÈøöÑõ ۚ ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö ÚóãøóÇ
íõÔúÑößõæäó
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡
59: 23).
íõÓóÈøöÍõ áöáøóåö ãóÇ Ýöí ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóãóÇ Ýöí ÇáúÃóÑúÖö
Çáúãóáößö
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓö ÇáúÚóÒöíÒö ÇáúÍóßöíãö
(ÇáúÌõãõÚóÉõ ¡
62: 1).
So high (above all) is Allah, the
King
(Sovereign),
the Truth. And (O Muhammad), do not hasten with (the
recitation of the Quran before its revelation is completed
to you, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge" (Ta-Ha,
20: 114).
So exalted is Allah, the
King
(Sovereign),
the Truth. There is no deity except Him, Lord of the Throne,
the Noble (Al-Muminoon, 23: 59).
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the
King
(Sovereign),
the Holy, the Peace, the Bestower of Faith, the Dominant,
the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted
is Allah above whatever they associate with Him (Al-‘Hashr,
59: 23).
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is
exalting Allah, the
King
(Sovereign),
the Holy, the Exalted in Might, the Wise (Al-Jumu’a, 62: 1).
In addition, this Good Name of Allah “Al-Malik”
(The King, the Sovereign) was mentioned as the first Name of
Allah in verse 23 of Surat Al-‘Hashr (Chapter 59), which is
the Sura that includes 19 of the Good Names of Allah in its
three last verses, as follows:
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó ۖ ÚóÇáöãõ
ÇáúÛóíúÈö æóÇáÔøóåóÇÏóÉö ۖ åõæó ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
ý﴿٢٢﴾þ
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ
ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ ÇáúãõÊóßóÈøöÑõ ۚ ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö ÚóãøóÇ
íõÔúÑößõæäó
ý﴿٢٣﴾þ
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáúÎóÇáöÞõ ÇáúÈóÇÑöÆõ ÇáúãõÕóæøöÑõ ۖ áóåõ
ÇáúÃóÓúãóÇÁõ ÇáúÍõÓúäóìٰ ۚ íõÓóÈøöÍõ áóåõ ãóÇ Ýöí
ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۖ æóåõæó ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÍóßöíãõ
ý﴿٢٤﴾þ
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡
59: 22-24).
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of
the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Beneficent, the
Merciful. (22) He is Allah, other than whom there is no
deity, the King (Sovereign), the Holy, the Peace, the
Believer, the Dominant, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller,
the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate
with Him. (23) He is Allah, the Creator, the Inventor, the
Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in the
heavens and the Earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted
in Might, the Wise. (24) (Al-‘Hashr,
59: 22-24).
Al-Ghazali, may Allah have mercy on
his soul, succinctly summarized an application of the
meaning of this Good Name of Allah to people. He said that
worshippers of Allah can achieve sovereignty in this sense
if they do not allow anything else to control their
behaviors, other than Allah. They should not allow their
lust, anger, or any desires to possess them. In addition,
they should be in control of the various organs of their
body, particularly their tongues (to speak rightly), eyes
(to see what’s allowed), and hands (to use them in doing
good deeds). Only then, they may possess the rank of
sovereignty in their lower life, which gets them closer to
Allah, praise to Him, in the hereafter.
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him,
saying:
"Ya
Malik Al-Milook, wa Sa’hib Al-Malakoot" (O, King of
kings and Sovereign over the Dominion), and asking Him to
extend His protection to the caller and others related to
him/her.
Nobody should be named as “Al-Malik” (the Sovereign), or
“Malik” (Sovereign), neither with the definite article (Al),
nor without it, as this is a name and a trait of Allah, Who
is the true and only King (Sovereign) of His Dominion.
However, a
boy can be named as “Abdul-Malik”
(Worshipper of Allah, the King of this life and the
hereafter), as a recognition of worship to his creator.
Living up to the meanings of this Good Name of Allah means
treating subjects or subordinates with kindness and care, as
well as ruling over people and between them according to the
commands of Allah, praise to Him. It also means controlling
the self and its desires, to be sought only within the realm
of God’s commands and His straight path.
***
10.
Al-Maleek:
The Great King, the The Great Sovereign
Çáúãóáöíßõ
"Al-Maleek"
(the Great King, the Great Sovereign)
is an adjectival name, derived from the root verb “malaka,”
which means to capture something, own it, be in control of
it, be capable of subduing it, and can deal with it in
anyway. It also means to conquer, prevail, and rule over.
It is also an amplified form of the adjectival name “Malik,”
with which it shares the same root verb.
So, this Good Name of Allah means
that He, praise to Him, is the King, the Sovereign, Who owns
His Dominion, and has sovereignty over it. This Name also
means that He rules over all of His creations, and that He
is capable of doing anything He wills.
This Good
Name of Allah was mentioned
once
in the Holy Quran, without the definite article (Al). It
came in the context of mentioning that the righteous will be
rewarded in the hereafter, by living in the gardens of
Paradise, with rivers flowing therein, which is their true
destination, near the Great King (the Great Sovereign), Who
is Perfect in His Ability to provide them with such a reward
(Al-Qamar, 54: 54-55).
Åöäøó ÇáúãõÊøóÞöíäó Ýöí ÌóäøóÇÊò æóäóåóÑò ý﴿٥٤﴾þ Ýöí
ãóÞúÚóÏö ÕöÏúÞò ÚöäÏó
ãóáöíßò
ãøõÞúÊóÏöÑò ý﴿٥٥﴾þ
(ÇáúÞóãóÑõ ¡ 54: 54-55).
Indeed, the
righteous will be (living) in gardens and (beside)
rivers, (54) In a seat of truth, near
a Great King
(a
Great Sovereign),
Perfect in Ability. (55) (Al-Qamar, 54: 54-55).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him,
saying:
"Ya
Maleek Al-Mulk" (O, Great King and Great Sovereign over Your
Dominion): I am asking You to extend Your protection to me,
my family, my relatives, and the believers everywhere.
Nobody should be named as “Al-Maleek” (the Great Sovereign),
or “Maleek” (Sovereign), neither with the definite article
(Al), nor without it, as this is a name and a trait of
Allah, Who is the true and only King (Sovereign) of His
Dominion. However, a
boy can be named as “Abdul-Maleek”
(Worshipper of Allah, the Great Sovereign of this life and
the hereafter), as a recognition of worship to his creator.
Living up to the meanings of this Good Name of Allah means
treating subjects or subordinates with kindness and care, as
well as ruling over people and between them according to the
commands of Allah, praise to Him. It also means controlling
the self and its desires, to be sought only within the realm
of God’s commands and His straight path.
***
11.
Maalik Yawm Al-Deen"
(pronounced as
maaliku yawmud deen): The Owner of the Day of
Accountability
ãóÇáößõ íóæúãö ÇáÏöøíäö
“Maalik Yawm Al-Deen" (Owner of the Day of
Accountability) is an adjectival name, composed of
three words. The first is “Maalik,” which is an
adjectival name, derived from the verb “malaka.” As
mentioned in the Name “Al-Malik,” above, it means to
capture something, own it, be in control of it, be
capable of subduing it, and can deal with it in
anyway. It also means to conquer, prevail, and rule
over.
The two other words, “Yawm Al-Deen,” mean the Day of
Accountability, which is the Day of Reckoning, in the
hereafter, on which Allah, the Owner of that Day, judges
among His creations, concerning what they owe to each other.
This Good Name of Allah was mentioned
once
in the Holy Quran. It came in the fourth verse of Surat Al-Fati’ha
(Chapter 1), which opens the Book of Allah, with telling His
creations about Who He is, through a sequence of five Good
Names of His. These are Allah (The God), Al-Ra’hman (the
Beneficent), Al-Ra’heem (the Merciful), and Rab Al-‘Aalameen
(the Lord of the Worlds), and “Maalik Yawm Al-Deen" (Owner
of the Day of Accountability).
ÈöÓúãö Çááøóåö ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäö ÇáÑøóÍöíãö
ý﴿١﴾þ
ÇáúÍóãúÏõ áöáøóåö ÑóÈøö ÇáúÚóÇáóãöíäó
ý﴿٢﴾þ
ÇáÑøóÍúãóٰäö ÇáÑøóÍöíãö
ý﴿٣﴾þ
ãóÇáößö íóæúãö ÇáÏøöíäö
ý﴿٤﴾þ
(ÇáúÝóÇÊöÍóÉõ ¡
1: 4).
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. (1)
Praise is (due) to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, (2) The
Beneficent, the Merciful, (3) Owner (Sovereign) of the Day
of Accountability. (4)
(Al-Fati’ha, 1: 1-4).
As a Good Name of Allah, “Maalik Yawm Al-Deen"
means that He alone is the Owner of His vast dominium on the
Day of Accountability. His creations may possess different
forms of ownership during their lower life, including
property, wealth, influence, and power. However, they come
on the Day of Accountability helpless, powerless, and
without any form of ownership they used to have, except
their deeds. If their deeds are good, then they will be
rewarded an everlasting life in Paradise, as the Owner of
the Day of Accountability has promised them. But, if they
disbelieve in Allah and His signs during their lower life,
then they will face a humiliating punishment in the Hell
Fire (Al-Haj, 22: 56).
Çáúãõáúßõ
íóæúãóÆöÐò áøöáøóåö íóÍúßõãõ Èóíúäóåõãú ۚ ÝóÇáøóÐöíäó
ÂãóäõæÇ æóÚóãöáõæÇ ÇáÕøóÇáöÍóÇÊö Ýöí ÌóäøóÇÊö ÇáäøóÚöíãö
ý﴿٥٦﴾þ
æóÇáøóÐöíäó ßóÝóÑõæÇ æóßóÐøóÈõæÇ ÈöÂíóÇÊöäóÇ ÝóÃõæáóٰÆößó
áóåõãú ÚóÐóÇÈñ ãøõåöíäñ
ý﴿٥٧﴾þ
(ÇáúÍóÌøõ ¡
22: 56-57).
Ownership (Sovereignty) on that Day is for Allah; He will
judge between them. So, those who have believed and done
good deeds, will be in the gardens of luxury (in Paradise).
(56) And for those who have disbelieved and denied Our
signs, there will be a humiliating punishment. (57) (Al-Haj,
22: 56).
“Yawm Al-Deen" is also the Day of Judgment among humans
(Al-Zumar, 39: 75),
among jinn
(Hood, 11: 119),
and among angels
(Al-Zumar, 39: 75),
about that which they dispute with each other, during the
lower life. On that
day, the Spirit (Jibril, Gabriel) and the angels will stand
in rows before their Lord, Who will judge among them
rightly. They will not be able to speak until they are
permitted to do so by the “Beneficent.” Even then, they will
only say that which is correct
(Al-Naba, 78: 38).
Åöäøó ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ æóÇáøóÐöíäó åóÇÏõæÇ æóÇáÕøóÇÈöÆöíäó
æóÇáäøóÕóÇÑóìٰ æóÇáúãóÌõæÓó æóÇáøóÐöíäó ÃóÔúÑóßõæÇ Åöäøó
Çááøóåó
íóÝúÕöáõ Èóíúäóåõãú
íóæúãó ÇáúÞöíóÇãóÉö ۚ Åöäøó Çááøóåó Úóáóìٰ ßõáøö ÔóíúÁò
ÔóåöíÏñ
(ÇáúÍóÌøõ ¡
22: 17).
... æóÊóãøóÊú ßóáöãóÉõ ÑóÈøößó áóÃóãúáóÃóäøó Ìóåóäøóãó ãöäó
ÇáúÌöäøóÉö æóÇáäøóÇÓö
ÃóÌúãóÚöíäó
(åõæÏõ ¡ 11: 119).
æóÊóÑóì
ÇáúãóáóÇÆößóÉó
ÍóÇÝöøíäó ãöäú Íóæúáö ÇáúÚóÑúÔö íõÓóÈöøÍõæäó ÈöÍóãúÏö
ÑóÈöøåöãú ۖ
æóÞõÖöíó Èóíúäóåõã ÈöÇáúÍóÞöø
æóÞöíáó ÇáúÍóãúÏõ áöáøóÜåö ÑóÈöø ÇáúÚóÇáóãöíäó
(ÇáÒøõãóÑõ ¡
39:
75).
íóæúãó íóÞõæãõ ÇáÑøõæÍõ æóÇáúãóáóÇÆößóÉõ
ÕóÝøðÇ ۖ
áøóÇ íóÊóßóáøóãõæäó
ÅöáøóÇ ãóäú ÃóÐöäó áóåõ ÇáÑøóÍúãóÜٰäõ æóÞóÇáó ÕóæóÇÈðÇ
(ÇáäøóÈóÃõ ¡
78: 38).
On the Day of Rising, Allah will certainly
judge among those
who believe, and those who became Jews, and Sabians, and
Christians, and Magians, and those who associate others with
Allah (in His Divinity). Surely, Allah watches over
everything (Al-Zumar, 39: 75).
… and the word of your Lord is to be fulfilled that, "I will
surely fill Hell with
jinn and humans
all together" (Hood, 11: 119).
And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne, exalting
their Lord with praise. And
it will be judged among them
in truth, and it will be said, "Praise to Allah, Lord of the
Worlds." (75) (Al-Zumar, 39: 75).
The Day that the Spirit (Jibril) and the angels will stand
in rows,
they will not speak,
except for one whom the Beneficent permits, and he will say
(that which is) correct (Al-Naba, 78: 38).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying:
"Ya
Maalik Yawm Al-Deen" (O, Owner of the Day of
Accountability),
asking Him
to extend His
mercy, kindness, and forgiveness on the caller, and others,
on that Day.
Nobody should be called as "Maalik Yawm Al-Deen," as Allah
alone is the Owner of the Day of Accountability. Further,
this compound Good Name of Allah should not be divided. So,
Allah, praise to Him, should not be referred to as “Malik”
alone. However, a boy can be named “Abdul-Maalik”
(Worshipper of the Owner of the Day of Accountability), in
recognition to his worship of his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah by
controlling the self and its desires, which should be sought
only within the realm of God’s commands and His straight
path. They should also treat their subjects or subordinates
with kindness and care and rule over people and between them
according to the commands of Allah, praise to Him. As the
Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, said:
“You are all shepherds (protectors, care givers), and you
are all responsible for your subjects (subordinates).”
[36]
***
12.
Maalik Al-Mulk: Owner of the
Dominion
ãóÇáößõ
Çáúãõáúßö
“Maalik Al-Mulk” (The Owner of the Dominion) is an
adjectival compound name, composed of two words, both of
which are derived from the verb “malaka,” which is also the
root verb for the Name “Al-Malik” (The King, the Sovereign),
listed above.
Thus, this Good Name of Allah, “Maalik Al-Mulk,” means
that He, praise to Him, is the One Who owns, rules over, and
controls His Dominion. He is also Capable of doing anything
He wills to it.
The three interpreters mentioned that “Maalik Al-Mulk
(Owner of the Dominion), descended His last Message, the
Holy Quran, to humanity through His final Messenger,
Mu’hammed, pbbuh. Thus, He gave this greatest honor to him
and to Arabs, while denying it to the Children of Israeli,
who used to have Messages of Allah sent through Messengers
and Prophets from among them. This was because of their
disobedience, killing of Prophets, and rejection of the
Messenger of Allah, ‘Eissa (Jesus), peace be upon him.
Al-Qurtubi mentioned the definitions of Mujahid and Al-Zajjaj
of the word “Al-Mulk” (the Dominion). They mentioned that it
is a reference to the Prophethood, dominance, wealth,
people, and their possessions, in this lower life, and in
the hereafter. He added that it is a reference to giving the
territories of the Persian and Roman empires to Muslims, to
rule them by God’s commands.
This Good Name of Allah, “Maalik Al-Mulk,” was mentioned
once
in the Holy Quran, in the context of mentioning that
He, praise to Him, is the Owner of all forms of possessions.
As such, He gives some of them to whoever He wills and takes
others from whoever He wills. He honors whom He wills, and
He humiliates whom He wills, and He is Capable over
everything (Aal-‘Imran, 3: 26).
Þõáö Çááøóåõãøó
ãóÇáößó
Çáúãõáúßö
ÊõÄúÊöí Çáúãõáúßó ãóä ÊóÔóÇÁõ æóÊóäÒöÚõ Çáúãõáúßó
ãöãøóä ÊóÔóÇÁõ æóÊõÚöÒøõ ãóä ÊóÔóÇÁõ æóÊõÐöáøõ ãóä ÊóÔóÇÁõ ۖ
ÈöíóÏößó ÇáúÎóíúÑõ ۖ Åöäøóßó Úóáóìٰ ßõáøö ÔóíúÁò ÞóÏöíÑñ ý(Âáö
ÚöãúÑóÇäó ¡ 3: 26).
Say: "O Allah,
Owner of the Dominion,
You give sovereignty (on parts of it) to whom You will and
You take sovereignty (on parts of it) away from whom You
will. You honor whom You will, and You humiliate whom You
will. In Your hand is (all) good. Indeed, You are Capable
over everything (Al-i-‘Imran, 3: 26).
The word “ Al-Mulk” (the Dominion) was mentioned
twenty
times in the Holy Quran,
with the definite article (Al). In
eleven times of them, it was mentioned in relation to God’s
ownership of His vast Dominion, during the lower life of His
creations and in the hereafter (Al-i-‘Imran, 3: 26). It was
also mentioned in reference to God’s ownership of the
Dominion when the Trumpet is blown (Al-An’am, 6: 73). It
came also with mentioning that Allah has no partner in the
ownership of the Dominion (Al-Isra, 17: 111), that He will
judge among His creations (Al-‘Haj, 22: 56), that to Him
alone belongs the ownership of the heavens and the Earth, as
He has neither had a son nor a partner (Al-Furqan, 25: 2),
that the Dominion on the Last Day will belong to Him, the
Beneficent (Al-Furqan, 25: 26), that the Dominion will be to
Allah, the Lord (Fatir, 35: 13; Al-Zumar, 39: 6), that the
Dominion on that Day will belong to the One, the Subduer (Ghafir,
40: 16), that to Him belong the Dominion and the praise, and
He is Capable over everything (Al-Taghabun, 64: 1), and that
“Blessed is He in Whose hand is the Dominion, and He is over
all things competent” (Al-Mulk, 67: 1).
æóåõæó ÇáøóÐöí ÎóáóÞó ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó
ÈöÇáúÍóÞøö ۖ æóíóæúãó íóÞõæáõ ßõä Ýóíóßõæäõ ۚ Þóæúáõåõ
ÇáúÍóÞøõ ۚ æóáóåõ
Çáúãõáúßõ íóæúãó íõäÝóÎõ Ýöí ÇáÕøõæÑö ۚ
ÚóÇáöãõ ÇáúÛóíúÈö æóÇáÔøóåóÇÏóÉö ۚ æóåõæó ÇáúÍóßöíãõ
ÇáúÎóÈöíÑõ
(ÇáÃäúÚóÇãõ ¡ 6: 73).
ý æóÞõáö
ÇáúÍóãúÏõ áöáøóåö ÇáøóÐöí áóãú íóÊøóÎöÐú æóáóÏðÇ æóáóãú
íóßõä áøóåõ ÔóÑöíßñ Ýöí
Çáúãõáúßö æóáóãú íóßõä áøóåõ æóáöíøñ ãøöäó
ÇáÐøõáøö ۖ æóßóÈøöÑúåõ ÊóßúÈöíÑðÇ
(ÇáÅÓúÑóÇÁõ
¡ 17: 111).
And it is He who created the heavens and Earth in truth
(rightly). And the day He says, "Be," and it is, His word is
the truth. And His is
the Dominion (on) the Day the Horn is
blown. (He is the) Knower of the unknown and the known, and
He is the Wise, the Acquainted (Al-An’am, 6: 73).
And say: "Praise to Allah, who has not taken a son, and
has had no partner in
the Dominion, and he has no
caretaker (protector), out of weakness; and glorify Him with
(great) glorification" (A-Isra, 17: 111).
The word “Al-Mulk” (the Dominion) was also mentioned
twenty-eight times in the Holy Quran, without the definite
article (Al). In nineteen times of them, it was mentioned in
relation to God’s ownership of the heavens and the Earth
(Al-i-‘Imran, 3: 189), to His ownership of the heavens, the
Earth, and whatever is between them (Al-Ma-ida, 5: 17), to
believers, who will see a luxurious destination (Paradise),
and a vast Dominion (Al-Insan, 76: 20), and in mentioning
that Allah gives part of His Dominion to whom He wills (Al-Baqara,
2: 247).
æóáöáøóåö
ãõáúßõ
ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۗ æóÇááøóåõ Úóáóìٰ ßõáøö ÔóíúÁò
ÞóÏöíÑñ
(Âáö ÚöãúÑóÇäó ¡ 3: 189).
... æóáöáøóåö
ãõáúßõ
ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö æóãóÇ ÈóíúäóåõãóÇ ۚ íóÎúáõÞõ ãóÇ
íóÔóÇÁõ ۚ æóÇááøóåõ Úóáóìٰ ßõáøö ÔóíúÁò ÞóÏöíÑñ
(ÇáúãóÇÆöÏóÉõ ¡ 5: 17).
And to Allah belongs
Dominion of the heavens and the
Earth, and Allah is Capable over everything (Al-i-‘Imran, 3:
189).
… And to Allah belongs
Dominion of the heavens and the
Earth, and whatever is between them. He creates what He
wills, and Allah is Capable over everything (Al-Ma-ida, 5:
17).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, "Ya Maalik Al-Mulk" (O, the Owner
of the Dominion), then asking for His blessing in what the
caller is attempting to get from this life’s temporary
property. More important is learning a lesson from seeing
ownership being exchanged among people, as it is being taken
from some of them and given to others.
Nobody should be named as "Maalik Al-Mulk," as this is a
unique name and trait of Allah, Owner of the Dominion.
However, a boy can be named as “Abdul-Maalik” (Worshipper of
Allah, Owner of the Dominion), in recognition of his worship
to his Creator. Further, this compound Good Name of Allah
should not be divided. So, Allah, praise to Him, should not
be referred to as “Malik” alone.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name
of Allah, by constantly remembering that He is the Owner of
the heavens and the Earth. So, they should always remember
that their ownership of wealth and property in this lower
life is temporary, and that they will lose it when they die.
However, their faith and good deeds are everlasting, in
their records, and in the rewards waiting for them in the
everlasting Paradise, which is owned by "Maalik Al-Mulk"
(Owner of the Dominion), praise to Him.
***
13.
Al-Quddoos:
The Holy
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ
“Al-Quddoos” (The Holy) is an adjectival name, derived from
the verb “qaddasa,” which means to pray to Allah, as well as
to glorify, praise, and exalt Him as the only deity worth of
worship.
This Good Name of Allah was mentioned twice in the Holy
Quran, with the definite article (Al). It came directly
after the Name “Al-Malik” (the King, the Sovereign), in the
two verses, which contain ten Good Names of Allah. These
are: Allah, the
King (Sovereign),
the Holy,
the Peace, the Believer, the Predominant, the Exalted in
Might, the Compeller, the Superior (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23), and
the Wise (Al-Jumu’a, 62: 1).
.åõæó
Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ
ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ
ÇáúãõÊóßóÈøöÑõ ۚ ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö ÚóãøóÇ íõÔúÑößõæäó
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡
59: 23).ý
íõÓóÈøöÍõ áöáøóåö ãóÇ Ýöí ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóãóÇ Ýöí ÇáúÃóÑúÖö
Çáúãóáößö
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓö
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒö ÇáúÍóßöíãö
(ÇáúÌõãõÚóÉõ ¡
62: 1).
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the
King (Sovereign),
the Holy,
the Peace, the Believer, the Dominant, the Exalted in Might,
the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever
they associate with Him (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23).
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the Earth is
exalting Allah, the
King (Sovereign),
the Holy,
the Exalted in Might, the Wise (Al-Jumu’a, 62: 1).
“Al-Quddoos” (The Holy) is the
absolute
in His perfection, beauty, and majesty. He is impeccable, in
the sense that He is the One Who is
unattainable
by any description, and He is not realized by senses, or
imagination, or conscience, or thought, as defined by Al-Ghazali.
The three renowned interpreters of the Holy Quran agreed
that "Al-Quddoos" (the Holy) also means the Blessed, the
Pure in Cleanliness and Perfection, and the One Who is
exalted, praised, and glorified by the angels.
In his book, “Al-Asna,” Al-Qurtubi, explained that
"Al-Quddoos" (the Holy) means the Pure and the Blessed,
based on God’s description of the Holy Land, as the Blessed
Land. He mentioned the Holy Land in Al-Ma-ida (2: 15). Then,
He described it as the Blessed Land, in Al-Anbiya (21: 81),
as follows:
íóÇ Þóæúãö ÇÏúÎõáõæÇ
ÇáúÃóÑúÖó ÇáúãõÞóÏøóÓóÉó
ÇáøóÊöí ßóÊóÈó Çááøóåõ áóßõãú æóáóÇ ÊóÑúÊóÏøõæÇ Úóáóìٰ
ÃóÏúÈóÇÑößõãú ÝóÊóäÞóáöÈõæÇ ÎóÇÓöÑöíäó
(ÇáúãóÇÆöÏóÉõ ¡ 5:
21).
æóáöÓõáóíúãóÇäó ÇáÑøöíÍó ÚóÇÕöÝóÉð ÊóÌúÑöí ÈöÃóãúÑöåö Åöáóì
ÇáúÃóÑúÖö ÇáøóÊöí
ÈóÇÑóßúäóÇ ÝöíåóÇ ۚ
æóßõäøóÇ Èößõáøö ÔóíúÁò ÚóÇáöãöíäó
ý(ÇáÃäúÈöíóÇÁõ
¡
21:
81).
“O my people, enter
the
Holy Land,
which Allah has written for you (to enter), and do not turn
back, and (thus) become losers"
(Al-Ma-ida, 5: 21).
And to Sulayman (Solomon), (We subjected) the wind, blowing
forcefully, proceeding by his command toward
the Land which We had blessed.
And We are ever, of everything, Knowing (Al-Anbiya, 21: 81).
Moreover, "Al-Quddoos" (the Holy) is the One Who is exalted,
praised, and glorified by the angels, as an acknowledgement
of Him as their God and Lord, and the God and Lord of all
creations in His vast Dominion (Al-Baqara, 2: 30, and
Al-Jumu’a, 62: 1, mentioned above).
æóÅöÐú ÞóÇáó ÑóÈøõßó áöáúãóáóÇÆößóÉö Åöäøöí ÌóÇÚöáñ Ýöí
ÇáúÃóÑúÖö ÎóáöíÝóÉð ۖ ÞóÇáõæÇ ÃóÊóÌúÚóáõ ÝöíåóÇ ãóä íõÝúÓöÏõ
ÝöíåóÇ æóíóÓúÝößõ ÇáÏøöãóÇÁó æóäóÍúäõ
äõÓóÈøöÍõ ÈöÍóãúÏößó æóäõÞóÏøöÓõ áóßó ۖ
ÞóÇáó Åöäøöí ÃóÚúáóãõ ãóÇ áóÇ ÊóÚúáóãõæäó
(ÇáúÈóÞÑóÉõ ¡
2: 30).
And (mention, O Mu’hammed), when your Lord said to the
angels: "Indeed, I will make upon the Earth a caliph
(successive authority)." They said: "Will You make (place)
upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood,
while
we declare Your praise and sanctify
(pray
to, glorify, praise, and exalt)
You?"
Allah said, "Indeed, I know that which you do not know"
(Al-Baqara, 2: 30).
“Al-Qudus”
is another related derivative of the verb “qaddasa. It is
mentioned in the Holy Quran, in reference to the Senior
Angel, Jibril, peace be upon him. He is described as "Roo’h
Al-Qudus," which means the Spirit of the Holy
(Al-Na’hl, 16: 102), and again as “Roo’hana,“ which means
“Our Spirit”
(Maryam (19: 17).
Þõáú äóÒøóáóåõ
ÑõæÍõ ÇáúÞõÏõÓö
ãöä ÑøóÈøößó ÈöÇáúÍóÞøö áöíõËóÈøöÊó ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ
æóåõÏðì æóÈõÔúÑóìٰ áöáúãõÓúáöãöíäó
(ÇáäøóÍúáõ ¡ 16:
102).
ÝóÇÊøóÎóÐóÊú ãöä Ïõæäöåöãú ÍöÌóÇÈðÇ ÝóÃóÑúÓóáúäóÇ ÅöáóíúåóÇ
ÑõæÍóäóÇ
ÝóÊóãóËøóáó áóåóÇ ÈóÔóÑðÇ ÓóæöíøðÇ
(ãóÑúíóãõ ¡
19: 17).
Say, (O Mu’hammed): "The
Spirit of the Holy”
has brought it (the Holy Quran) down from your Lord, in
truth, to make firm those who have believed, and as
guidance, and good tidings to the Muslims
(Al-Na’hl, 16: 102).
And she (Maryam, Mary) took, in seclusion from them, a
screen. Then, We sent to her
Our Spirit
(Jibril), and he represented himself to her as a
well-proportioned man (Maryam, 19:
17).
Thus, Allah, praise to Him, is "Al-Quddoos" (the Holy), the
absolute in His perfection, beauty, and majesty. He is pure,
blessed, and worthy of worship, exaltation, praise, and
glorification by all of His intelligent creations, including
the angels, humans, and jinn, as an acknowledgement of His
Godhood, countless bounties, and favors to them.
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying:
"Ya
Quddoos” (O, Holy), and asking Him to extend His blessings
and favors on the caller and other believers, in this world
and in the hereafter. The Prophet, pbbuh, used to say in his
rukoo’ and sujood (kneeling and prostration), after tasbee’h:
“Subboo’h,
Quddoos, rabbu Al-Mala-ikati wal roo’h” (You are exalted and
sanctified, You are the Lord of the angels and the Spirit).
[37]
Nobody should be named as "Al-Quddoos" (the Holy) or “Quddoos"
(Holy), with the definite article or without it, as this is
a unique name and trait of Allah, praise to Him. He is the
only One Who is praised and glorified by heavens and the
Earth, and by those therein (Isra, 17: 44), and He is the
only One Who is exalted by birds and mountains (Al-Anbiya,
21: 79). However, a boy can be named as “Abdul-Quddoos”
(Worshipper of the Holy), in recognition of his worship to
his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by
doing their best to make their deeds as perfect, beautiful,
dignified, and well-done as possible. They should satisfy
their needs within what their Lord, Allah, has allowed. They
also need to be thinking all the time about their Creator,
His Dominion, and what He has prepared for His creations in
the hereafter. They should perform their responsibilities at
home, at work, and in society with most seriousness,
avoiding distraction by entertainment, as well as by other
time-wasting and aimless activities. Thus doing, they will
be following the teachings of the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh,
who said: “Indeed, Allah, praise to Him, is beautiful and He
loves beauty. He (also) loves high manners and hates low
behaviors.”
[38]
***
14.
Al-Salam
(pronounced as
as-salam):
The Peace
ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ
"Al-Salam" (The Peace) is an adjectival name, derived from
the verb “salima,” which means to survive from danger, be
safe in blood and treasure, and be without defects,
diseases, and harm.
As a Good Name of Allah, “Al-Salam,” means that He, praise
to Him, is the sources of peace to His creations. His
Message of Peace (Islam) has been conveyed to humanity
through His Messengers, peace be upon them. Following His
commands helps His creations to live in peace and safety
during their lower life and to get to His ultimate House of
Peace (Paradise) in the hereafter.
Moreover, "Al-Salam" means that Allah, praise to Him, is
safe from any shortcomings or defects, which warrants His
glorification by His creations in the heavens and the Earth
(Al-Isra, 17: 44). It also means that He has promised His
creations not to do injustice to them (Younus, 10: 44).
Further, it refers to His greeting for believers in His
Paradise, with the word of “Peace" (Al-A’hzab, 33: 44).
[39]
This Good Name of Allah, “Al-Salam” (the Peace), was
mentioned
once
in the Holy Quran, with the definite article (Al), directly
after mentioning of the Name “Al-Quddoos” (the Holy), in the
verse which mentions nine of the Good Names of Allah. These
are: Allah, the
King (Sovereign),
the Holy,
the Peace,
the Believer, the Predominant, the Exalted in Might, the
Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever
they associate with Him (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23).
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ
ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ
ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ
ÇáúãõÊóßóÈøöÑõ ۚ ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö ÚóãøóÇ íõÔúÑößõæäó
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡
59: 23).ý
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the
King (Sovereign),
the Holy,
the Peace, the Believer, the Predominant, the Exalted in
Might, the Compeller, and the Superior (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23).
The word “Al-Salam”
(Peace) is also mentioned
six more times
in the Holy Quran, in reference
to other than Allah,
praise to Him, showing different aspects of its meaning.
Thus, it came to mean greeting people (Al-Nisa, 4; 94),
guidance by the Holy Quran (Al-Ma-ida, 5: 16), Paradise (Al-An’am,
6: 127; Younus, 10: 25), the blessing Allah made in ‘Eissa
(Jesus), peace be upon him (Maryam, 19: 33), and the glad
tiding of contentment to the followers of God’s guidance,
which they will have in their lower life and in the
hereafter (Ta-Ha, 20; 47).
æóáóÇ
ÊóÞõæáõæÇ áöãóäú
ÃóáúÞóìٰ
Åöáóíúßõãõ
ÇáÓøóáóÇãó
áóÓúÊó ãõÄúãöäðÇ
(ÇáäøöÓóÇÁõ ¡
4: 94).
(æóßöÊóÇÈñ ãøõÈöíäñ)
ýíóåúÏöí
Èöåö Çááøóåõ ãóäö ÇÊøóÈóÚó ÑöÖúæóÇäóåõ
ÓõÈõáó ÇáÓøóáóÇãö
æóíõÎúÑöÌõåõã ãøöäó ÇáÙøõáõãóÇÊö Åöáóì ÇáäøõæÑö ÈöÅöÐúäöåö
æóíóåúÏöíåöãú Åöáóìٰ ÕöÑóÇØò ãøõÓúÊóÞöíãò
(ÇáúãóÇÆöÏóÉõ ¡
5: 16).
áóåõãú
ÏóÇÑõ ÇáÓøóáóÇãö
ÚöäÏó ÑóÈøöåöãú ۖ æóåõæó æóáöíøõåõã ÈöãóÇ ßóÇäõæÇ
íóÚúãóáõæäó
(ÇáÃäúÚóÇãõ ¡
6: 127).
æóÇááøóåõ íóÏúÚõæ Åöáóìٰ
ÏóÇÑö ÇáÓøóáóÇãö
æóíóåúÏöí ãóä íóÔóÇÁõ Åöáóìٰ ÕöÑóÇØò ãøõÓúÊóÞöíãò
(íõæäõÓõ ¡
10: 25).
æóÇáÓøóáóÇãõ
Úóáóíøó
íóæúãó æõáöÏÊøõ æóíóæúãó ÃóãõæÊõ æóíóæúãó ÃõÈúÚóËõ ÍóíøðÇ
(ãóÑúíóãõ ¡
19:
33).
æóÇáÓøóáóÇãõ
Úóáóìٰ
ãóäö ÇÊøóÈóÚó ÇáúåõÏóìٰ
(Øóåó ¡ 20: 47).
… and do not say to (the one) who
gives
you (a greeting of)
peace:
"You are not a believer" (Al-Nisa, 4: 94).
(A
clear Book) By which Allah guides those who pursue His
pleasure to the
ways of peace,
and brings them out from the
(degrees of)
darkness into the light, by His permission, and guides them
to a straight path (Al-Ma-ida, 5: 16).
For them will be the
House of Peace
(Paradise)
with their Lord. And He will be their protecting friend
because of what they used to do (Al-An’am, 6: 127).
And Allah invites to the
House of Peace
and guides whom He wills to a straight path
(Younus, 10: 25).
(‘Eissa, Jesus said:) And
peace
be upon me
the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I am
resurrected alive (Maryam, 19: 33).
And
peace
will be upon (the one) who follows the guidance (Ta-Ha, 20:
33).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying:
"Ya
Allah, Anta As-Salam wa Minka As-Salam” (O Allah, You are
the Peace, and from You comes the peace), and asking Him to
descend His peace on the caller, and others, in this life
and the hereafter. This was how the Prophet, pbbuh, used to
do, in praising and exalting his Lord.
[40]
Only Allah, praise to Him, is "Al-Salam" (The Peace). So,
nobody should be called
with this Name,
except Him. However,
a boy can be named as
“Abdul-
Salam” (Worshipper of the Peace),
in recognition of his worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by
struggling to be in internal peace within the “self” and in
external peace with others. The internal peace develops when
the two components of the “self” reconcile towards solutions
which reflect goodness and contentment. It also develops as
the “self” is in a continuous process of purification, which
is attained by getting rid of negative feelings towards
innocent people.
[41]
The external peace with others is reached by a tendency of
not harming them, by tongue or hand, and by not
transgressing on their blood and wealth, as we learn from
the ‘Hadith. The Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, also told us
that good deeds help people enter Paradise, “the House of
Peace.” These include greeting people with “peace,” feeding
the needy, keeping good relations with relatives, and
standing in prayers at night.
[42]
***
15.
Al-Mu.min:
The Believer in His Godhood, the Safeguard of
Believers
ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ
"Al-Mu.min" (pronounced with a glottal stop between the
vowel u and the consonant m) is an adjectival name,
derived from the Arabic verb "aamana," which means to
believe in and follow. It is also
a derivative of the verb "ammana," which means to
safeguard, shield, and secure.
As a Good Name of Allah, "Al-Mu.min" means that He, praise
to Him, is "the Believer" in His Godhood, as He stated in
the Holy Quran, saying that there is no other god but Him.
He witnessed (proclaimed) that clearly, so did the angels
and those of knowledge (Al-i Imran, 3: 18).
ÔóåöÏó Çááøóåõ Ãóäøóåõ áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó
æóÇáúãóáóÇÆößóÉõ æóÃõæáõæ ÇáúÚöáúãö ÞóÇÆöãðÇ ÈöÇáúÞöÓúØö
ۚ áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÍóßöíãõ
(Âáö ÚöãúÑóÇäó ¡ 3: 18).
Allah has witnessed that there is no deity except Him,
and (so have done) the angels and those of knowledge, (that
He is) maintaining (His creations) in justice. There is no
deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise
(Al-i Imran, 3: 18).
This Good Name of Allah,
"Al-Mu.min"
(the
Believer" in His Godhood),
was mentioned
once
in the Holy Quran,
with
the definite article (Al), directly after mentioning of the
Name “Al-Salam” (the Peace), in the verse which mentions
nine of the Good Names of Allah. These are: Allah, the
King (Sovereign),
the Holy,
the Peace,
the Believer,
the Predominant, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the
Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate
with Him (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23).
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ
ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ
Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ ÇáúãõÊóßóÈøöÑõ ۚ
ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö ÚóãøóÇ íõÔúÑößõæäó
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡
59: 23).
He is Allah, there is no other god than He, the King
(Sovereign), the Holy, the Peace,
the Believer
(in His Godhood),
the Predominant, the Rare in Might, the Compeller, the
Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate
with Him (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23).
Al-Tabari mentioned that “Al-Mu.min” (The Believer),
as one of the Good Names of Allah, means the One Who has
believed that He is the Truth
(Al-i Imran, 3: 18). Ibn Katheer
added that He guaranteed for people that He
does not do injustice
to them, at all (Younus, 10: 44).
Al-Qurtubi pointed to the Arabic verb “ammana,” from which
the noun “mu.min” came, meaning “shielded,” or
“safe-guarded,” or “made safe.” Thus, Allah, praise to Him,
is the One Who
shields
and
safeguards
believers from doing injustice to them or from causing them
to be frightened
(Quraysh,
106: 3-4).
The verb “ammana” also means “secured” or “prepared”
something for somebody. So, Allah, praise to Him, has
secured
(prepared)
Paradise for believers, as He promised them
(Al-Nisa, 4: 122),
and prepared the Hellfire for disbelievers, as He warned
them
(Al-Tawba, 9: 68).
Åöäøó Çááøóåó
áóÇ íóÙúáöãõ ÇáäøóÇÓó
ÔóíúÆðÇ æóáóٰßöäøó ÇáäøóÇÓó ÃóäÝõÓóåõãú íóÙúáöãõæäó
(íõæõäõÓ ¡
10: 44).
ÝóáúíóÚúÈõÏõæÇ ÑóÈøó åóٰÐóÇ ÇáúÈóíúÊö
ý ﴿٣﴾þ
ÇáøóÐöí ÃóØúÚóãóåõã ãøöä ÌõæÚò
æóÂãóäóåõã ãøöäú ÎóæúÝò
ý﴿٤﴾þ
(ÞõÑóíúÔõ ¡ 106: 3-4).
æóÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ æóÚóãöáõæÇ ÇáÕøóÇáöÍóÇÊö ÓóäõÏúÎöáõåõãú
ÌóäøóÇÊò
ÊóÌúÑöí ãöä ÊóÍúÊöåóÇ ÇáúÃóäúåóÇÑõ ÎóÇáöÏöíäó ÝöíåóÇ ÃóÈóÏðÇ
ۖ
æóÚúÏó Çááøóåö
ÍóÞøðÇ ۚ æóãóäú ÃóÕúÏóÞõ ãöäó Çááøóåö ÞöíáðÇ
ý (ÇáäøöÓóÇÁõ
¡ 4: 122).
æóÚóÏó Çááøóåõ
ÇáúãõäóÇÝöÞöíäó æóÇáúãõäóÇÝöÞóÇÊö æóÇáúßõÝøóÇÑó äóÇÑó
Ìóåóäøóãó
ÎóÇáöÏöíäó ÝöíåóÇ ۚ åöíó ÍóÓúÈõåõãú ۚ æóáóÚóäóåõãõ Çááøóåõ ۖ
æóáóåõãú ÚóÐóÇÈñ ãøõÞöíãñ
(ÇáÊøóæúÈóÉõ ¡ 9: 68).
Indeed, Allah
does not do injustice
to the people at all, but it is the people who do injustice
to themselves (Younus, 10: 44).
Let them worship the Lord of this House, (3) Who has fed
them, (saving them) from hunger and
made them safe,
(saving them) from fear (Quraysh, 106: 3-4).
But
the ones who believe
and do righteous deeds - We will admit them to
gardens
beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever.
(It is) the promise of Allah, (which is) truth, and who is
more truthful than Allah in statement (Al-Nissa, 4: 122).
Allah has promised the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and
the
disbelievers
the fire of
Hell,
wherein they will abide eternally. It is sufficient for
them. And Allah has cursed them, and for them is an enduring
punishment (Al-Tawba, 9: 68).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it. Saying: "Allahumma, Anta Al-Mu.min”
(O Allah, You are the Believer) that there is no other God
but You, and You are the Safeguard of the Believers. Then,
the caller asks Allah to accept his/her faith and good
deeds, as well as to be safeguarded from the evils of this
lower life, and from the punishment in the hereafter.
Nobody should be called "Al-Mu.min" (the Believer in His
Godhood, the Safeguard of the Believers), except Allah, as
only He, praise to Him, is the One Who is capable of
safeguarding believers, and of caring for them in this life
and in the hereafter. However, a boy can be named “Abdul-Mu.min”
(Worshipper of the Believer, the Safeguard of Believers), in
recognition of his worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah, by
constantly proclaiming that there is no other God except
Allah, as He, His angels, and those of knowledge have
proclaimed. They should also be constantly protective of
other believers, particularly safeguarding their blood and
treasure, as the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh, said.
[43]
***
16.
Al-Muhaymin:
The Dominant
Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ
"Al-Muhaymin" )(The
Predominant) is an adjectival name, derived from the
verb “haymana,” which means to dominate, rule over, and
conquer. As a Good Name of Allah, it means that He,
praise to Him, is dominant over all of His creations,
including His Throne, Chair, heavens, Earth-like
planets, as well as the angels, jinn, and humans, living
therein. In addition, He is the Judge over His
creations, who will be held accountable before Him, for
their behaviors, in the hereafter (Ghafir, 40: 48). He
watches over and knows their secret and public deeds and
words, which are recorded in a record that does not
leave any behavior out, be it small or big (Al-Kahf, 18:
49), and He is "predominant
over His affair"
(Yoosuf, 12: 21).
"Al-Muhaymin," as Good Name of Allah, was mentioned
once in the
Holy Quran, with
the definite article (Al),
directly after the Name “Al-Mu.min” (the Believer in His
Godhood), together with eight other Good Names of Allah, as
mentioned before
(Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23).
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó
ÅöáøóÇ åõæó Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ
ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ
ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ
Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ ÇáúãõÊóßóÈøöÑõ ۚ ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö
ÚóãøóÇ íõÔúÑößõæäó
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡
59: 23).ý
He is Allah, there is no other god than He, the King
(Sovereign), the Holy, the Peace, the Believer (in His
Godhood), the Predominant, the Rare in Might, the Compeller,
the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate
with Him (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23).
The same word "muhaymin" (dominant) was also mentioned
once, as an adjective, in verse 5: 48. It came as a
description of the Holy Quran, in its relationship with the
preceding Scripture. Thus, just like Allah, praise to Him,
is dominant over all of His creations, His Last Message to
humanity, the Holy Quran, is dominant over the preceding
Scriptures.
æóÃóäÒóáúäóÇ Åöáóíúßó
ÇáúßöÊóÇÈó ÈöÇáúÍóÞøö ãõÕóÏøöÞðÇ áøöãóÇ Èóíúäó íóÏóíúåö ãöäó
ÇáúßöÊóÇÈö
æóãõåóíúãöäðÇ Úóáóíúåö ۖ
ÝóÇÍúßõã Èóíúäóåõã ÈöãóÇ ÃóäÒóáó Çááøóåõ ۖ æóáóÇ
ÊóÊøóÈöÚú ÃóåúæóÇÁóåõãú ÚóãøóÇ ÌóÇÁóßó ãöäó ÇáúÍóÞøö ۚ
(ÇáúãóÇÆöÏóÉõ ¡
5:
48).
And We have revealed to you, (O Muhammad), the Book in
truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture
and
dominant
over it. So, judge between them by what Allah has revealed and
do not follow their inclinations, away from what has come to
you of the truth (Al-Ma-ida, 5: 48).
Al-Tabari provided several interpretations, from
his predecessors, for the word "muhaymin" (dominant),
mentioned in verse 5: 48. He wrote that the Holy Quran
confirmed the Books which came before it, provided a
testimony that these were from Allah, and it was a judge on
the content of these Books, as stated by Ibn ‘Abbas.
Al-Qurtubi provided similar interpretations, but
he was clearer in that the word "muhaymin" (dominant) means
“above and higher than them.” Ibn Katheer agreed with them
both, saying that the Holy Quran judges the content of the Books
preceding it.
So, the content of these Books is considered to be
true, as long as it is in an agreement with the Holy Quran.
However, any disagreement in these Books with the Holy Quran
is a falsehood.
The
main reason for the Holy Quran dominance over the Books of
Allah, which preceded it, is that Allah has pledged in verse
15: 9 that He is going to preserve it, guarding it against
any corruption. Thus, the Holy Quran is different from the
preceding Books of Allah, some of which were written
hundreds of years after the death of the Messenger, such as
those of the Old Testament, particularly the Torah.
Likewise, the Books of the New Testament went through
successive translations, which affected their content. ‘Eissa
(Jesus), peace be to him, spoke Aramaic. However, his Disciples
wrote the Books of the New Testament in Greek. Then, these
Books were translated to other old languages, and finally to
various modern languages.
[44]
ÅöäøóÇ äóÍúäõ äóÒøóáúäóÇ
ÇáÐøößúÑó æóÅöäøóÇ áóåõ áóÍóÇÝöÙõæäó
(ÇáúÍöÌúÑõ
15: 9).
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Quran, and indeed, We
will be its preservers (guarding it against any corruption)
(Al-‘Hijr, 15: 9).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying:
"Allahumma,
Ya Muhaymin” (O Allah, You are
the
Predominant over
all
of Your creations).
Protect us
from the arrogance of power, which may be exacted by the
tyrants and oppressors of the world.
Only Allah, praise to Him, is "Al-Muhaymin" (The
Predominant, the Watchful, Who rules) over all of His
creations, in this life and in the hereafter. So, nobody
should be called as such, with or without the definite
article (Al), except Him. However, this Good Name of Allah
can be included in a name given to boys, “Abdul-Muhaymin”
(Worshipper of the Predominant), in recognition for the
worship of Allah, praise to Him.
Living up to the meanings of this Name means that those who
assume positions of dominance over others, should not
oppress them. Instead, they should rule over them and
between them according to the commands of Allah, the
Dominant, Lord of the Worlds.
***
17.
Al-'Azeez:
The Rare in His Honorable Might
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ
The apostrophe before the letter "A" in "Al-'Azeez" refers
to a glottal sound, known as the fifteenth letter of the
Arabic alphabet, 'ayn.
"Al-'Azeez" (The Exalted in His Rare Might) is an adjectival
name, derived from the verb “’azza,” which means to become
mighty, powerful, rare, high in rank and position, and free
of any deficiencies. As a Good Name of Allah, it means that
He, praise to Him is the mighty, powerful, invincible,
highest, higher in rank and position than all of His
creations, and free of any deficiencies. As a noun derived
from the same verb, Al-‘Izza, means power, glory, and
dominance, as defined in dictionaries and understood from
the following verses:
Þõáö Çááøóåõãøó ãóÇáößó Çáúãõáúßö ÊõÄúÊöí Çáúãõáúßó ãóä
ÊóÔóÇÁõ æóÊóäÒöÚõ Çáúãõáúßó ãöãøóä ÊóÔóÇÁõ
æóÊõÚöÒøõ ãóä ÊóÔóÇÁõ æóÊõÐöáøõ ãóä ÊóÔóÇÁõ ۖ
ÈöíóÏößó ÇáúÎóíúÑõ ۖ Åöäøóßó Úóáóìٰ ßõáøö ÔóíúÁò ÞóÏöíÑñ
(Âáö ÚöãúÑóÇäó ¡
3:
26).
ÇáøóÐöíäó íóÊøóÎöÐõæäó ÇáúßóÇÝöÑöíäó ÃóæúáöíóÇÁó ãöä Ïõæäö
ÇáúãõÄúãöäöíäó ۚ ÃóíóÈúÊóÛõæäó ÚöäÏóåõãõ
ÇáúÚöÒøóÉó
ÝóÅöäøó
ÇáúÚöÒøóÉó
áöáøóåö ÌóãöíÚðÇ
ý (ÇáäøöÓóÇÁõ
¡
4:
139).
æóáöáøóåö
ÇáúÚöÒøóÉõ
æóáöÑóÓõæáöåö æóáöáúãõÄúãöäöíäó
(ÇáúãõäóÇÝöÞõæäó ¡
63:
8).
Say, "O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to
whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You
will.
You empower whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will.
In Your hand is (all) good. Indeed, You are Capable (of
doing) everything (Al-i-‘Imran, 3: 26).
Those who take disbelievers as allies instead of the
believers. Do they seek with them
power?
But indeed,
(all)
power
(might)
belongs to Allah entirely (Al-Nisa, 4: 139).
And to Allah belongs (all)
power
(might),
and to His Messenger, and to the believers (Al-Munafiqoon,
63: 8).
Ibn Katheer agreed with Al-Tabari on that "Al-'Azeez"
is the Mighty (Powerful), Who is capable of doing anything
He wants. Al-Qurtubi added that "Al-'Azeez" is the
Victorious Who cannot be defeated, and nobody is like Him.
He is the Noble, Majestic, Empowering, and rare in His
existence but He is capable of doing what He wants, unlike
other rare things, which are helpless.
Al-Ghazali
expressed the same meaning by defining “Al-‘Azeez” as the
dangerous who is rare in existence, who is mostly needed,
and who is unreachable.
So, “Al-‘Azeez” is the Mighty, Who is the source of ultimate
power, protection, perfection, and elevation. Whoever is
seeking these traits from anybody else other than Allah,
he/she will go astray. However, those who seek these traits
from Allah, they are on His right path, as He is the source
of all honorable power, as mentioned in verse 35: 10.
ãóä ßóÇäó íõÑöíÏõ
ÇáúÚöÒøóÉó
Ýóáöáøóåö
ÇáúÚöÒøóÉõ
ÌóãöíÚðÇ
(ÝóÇØöÑõ ¡
35:
10).
Whoever desires
honorable power,
then to Allah belongs all
honorable power
(Fatir,
35: 10).
This Good Name of Allah was mentioned
60 times
in the Holy Quran,
with
the definite article (Al), together with one or more of the
Good Names of Allah, which helps in its definition and
clarification.
As such, it came together with “Al-‘Hakeem” (the
Wise) 29 times, with “Al-Ra’heem” (the
Merciful) 13 times, with “Al-‘Aleem” (the
Knower) 6 times, with “Al-‘Hameed” (the
Praised) 3 times, with “Al-Ghaffar”
(the Forgiving) 3 times, with “Al-Qawiy” (the
Powerful) twice, with “Al-Wahhab” (the
Bestower) once, and “Al-Ghafoor” (the
Perpetual Forgiving) once. In addition, it came
twice in verses 23 and 24 of Surat Al-‘Hashr (Chapter 53
of the Holy Quran), which include 18 of the Good Names of
Allah. Thus, His exaltedness in might, praise to Him, is
related to His wisdom, mercy, knowledge, forgiveness, power,
generosity, and favors bestowed on His worshippers, which
warrant their praise and thanks to Him, as pointed in the
following verses: [45]
Åöä ÊõÚóÐøöÈúåõãú ÝóÅöäøóåõãú ÚöÈóÇÏõßó ۖ æóÅöä ÊóÛúÝöÑú
áóåõãú ÝóÅöäøóßó ÃóäÊó
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÍóßöíãõ
(ÇáúãóÇÆöÏóÉõ ¡
5: 118).
íóæúãó áóÇ íõÛúäöí ãóæúáðì Úóä ãóæúáðì ÔóíúÆðÇ æóáóÇ åõãú
íõäÕóÑõæäó
ý ﴿٤١﴾þ
ÅöáøóÇ ãóä ÑøóÍöãó Çááøóåõ ۚ
Åöäøóåõ åõæó
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
ý﴿٤٢﴾þ
(ÇáÏøõÎóÇäõ ¡
44: 42).
æóáóÆöä ÓóÃóáúÊóåõã ãøóäú ÎóáóÞó ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó
áóíóÞõæáõäøó ÎóáóÞóåõäøó
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÚóáöíãõ
(ÇáÒøõÎúÑõÝõ ¡
43: 9).
ÇáÑ ۚ ßöÊóÇÈñ ÃóäÒóáúäóÇåõ Åöáóíúßó áöÊõÎúÑöÌó ÇáäøóÇÓó ãöäó
ÇáÙøõáõãóÇÊö Åöáóì ÇáäøõæÑö ÈöÅöÐúäö ÑóÈøöåöãú Åöáóìٰ
ÕöÑóÇØö
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒö ÇáúÍóãöíÏö
(ÅÈúÑóÇåöíãõ ¡
14: 1).
ÊóÏúÚõæäóäöí áöÃóßúÝõÑó ÈöÇááøóåö æóÃõÔúÑößó Èöåö ãóÇ áóíúÓó
áöí Èöåö Úöáúãñ æóÃóäóÇ ÃóÏúÚõæßõãú Åöáóì
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒö ÇáúÛóÝøóÇÑö
(ÛóÇÝöÑõ ¡
40: 42).
Ãóãú ÚöäÏóåõãú ÎóÒóÇÆöäõ ÑóÍúãóÉö ÑóÈøößó
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒö ÇáúæóåøóÇÈö
(Õ ¡
38: 9).
(‘Eissa, Jesus said): If You should punish them, indeed they
are Your worshippers, but if You forgive them, indeed it is
You who is
the Exalted in Might, the Wise
(Al-Ma-ida, 5: 118).
The Day when no relative will provide
anything (protection) to a relative, nor will they be helped
- (41) Except those (believers) on whom Allah has mercy.
Indeed, He is
the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
(42) (Al-Dukhan, 44: 42).
And if you should ask them (those who took partners with
Allah): "Who has created the heavens and the Earth?" They
would surely say: "They were created by
the Exalted in Might, the Knowing"
(Al-Zukhruf, 43: 9).
A, L, R (Alif, Lam, Ra), (This is) a Book which We have
revealed to you, (O Muhammad), that you might bring people
(humankind) out of the darknesses (levels of darkness) into the light, with
permission of their Lord, to the path of
the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy
(Ibrahim, 14: 1).
(A believer who is a relative to Pharaoh said): You invite
me to disbelieve in Allah and associate with Him that of
which I have no knowledge, and I invite you to
the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving
(Ghafir,
40: 42).
Or do they (the disbelievers) have the depositories of the
mercy of your Lord,
the Exalted in Might, the Bestower?
(Sad, 38; 9).
***
This good Name of Allah was also mentioned
20 times
in the Holy Quran,
without
the definite article (Al), “’Azeez,” together with another
Good Name of His, which helps in its definition and
clarification. It came with “’Hakeem” (Wise) 8
times, with “Qawiy” (Powerful) 5 times, with “Dthu
Intiqam” (Vengeful) 5 times, with “Ghafoor”
(Forgiving) once, and with “Muqtadir”
(Competent) once. Thus, the exaltedness in might of
Allah is related to His wisdom, power, ability to exact
vengeance, capabilities, and forgiveness, as pointed in the
following verses:
Èóá ÑøóÝóÚóåõ Çááøóåõ Åöáóíúåö ۚ æóßóÇäó Çááøóåõ
ÚóÒöíÒðÇ ÍóßöíãðÇ
(ÇáäøöÓóÇÁõ ¡
4: 158).
ßóÊóÈó Çááøóåõ áóÃóÛúáöÈóäøó ÃóäóÇ æóÑõÓõáöí ۚ Åöäøó Çááøóåó
Þóæöíøñ ÚóÒöíÒñ
(ÇáúãõÌóÇÏöáóåõ ¡
58: 21).
ßóÐøóÈõæÇ ÈöÂíóÇÊöäóÇ ßõáøöåóÇ ÝóÃóÎóÐúäóÇåõãú ÃóÎúÐó
ÚóÒöíÒò ãøõÞúÊóÏöÑò
(ÇáúÞóãóÑõ ¡
54:
42).
æóãöäó ÇáäøóÇÓö æóÇáÏøóæóÇÈøö æóÇáúÃóäúÚóÇãö ãõÎúÊóáöÝñ
ÃóáúæóÇäõåõ ßóÐóٰáößó ۗ ÅöäøóãóÇ íóÎúÔóì Çááøóåó ãöäú
ÚöÈóÇÏöåö ÇáúÚõáóãóÇÁõ ۗ Åöäøó Çááøóåó
ÚóÒöíÒñ ÛóÝõæÑñ
(ÝóÇØöÑõ ¡
35: 28).
Rather, Allah raised him (‘Eissa, Jesus) to Himself. And
ever is Allah
Exalted in Might, Wise
(Al-Nisa, 4: 158).
Allah has written, "I will surely overcome, I and My
messengers." Indeed, Allah is
Powerful, Exalted in Might
(Al-Mujadila, 58: 21).
They (Pharaoh and his inner circle) denied Our signs, all of
them. So, We seized them with a seizure of one
Exalted in Might, Capable
(Al-Qamar, 54: 42).
And among people, and moving creatures, and livestock are in
various colors. From among His worshippers, the ones with
knowledge fear Allah (most). Indeed, Allah is
Exalted in Might, Forgiving
(Fatir,
35: 28).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying: “Allahumma
Anta Al-‘Aziz” (O Allah, You are the Rare in Your Honorable
Might): Empower us to stay on Your right path in this life,
to be rewarded with Your ultimate prize, life in Your
Paradise forever, in the hereafter.
Only Allah, praise to Him, is "Al-‘Azeez" (The Rare in
Might), Who is dominant, more powerful, and more capable
than all of His creations. So, nobody should be called as
such, with the definite article (Al),
or without it,
except Him. However, this Good Name of Allah can be included
in a name given to boys: “Abdul-‘Azeez” (Worshipper of the
Rare in Might),
in recognition of their worship to their Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this Good Name of
Allah by
using the
power, capability, and dominance,
they are enabled to possess
during their lower life on Earth,
in a way that pleases Allah, “Al-‘Azeez,” the Source and
Bestower of any rare and honorable might.
***
18.
Al-Jabbar:
The Compeller
ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ
"Al-Jabbar" is an adjectival
name, derived from the Arabic verb “jabara,” which
means to “compel” broken bones to be straightened up
and healed. It also means to “compel” (force)
somebody to do something. In algebra, it means to
substitute a number with a letter or a symbol.
Thus, "Al-Jabbar" means "The Compeller," who compels
(forces) parts of His dominion to follow His rules.
He is also the straightener (the reformer) of His
creations, through His Messages, which He sent to humanity,
and the punisher of the tyrants and the disobedient among
them in the hereafter.
“Al-Jabbar” (The Compeller) is one of
the Good Name of Allah. It was mentioned once in the Holy
Quran,
with
the definite article (Al), in verse 59: 23.
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ
ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ
ÇáúãõÊóßóÈøöÑõ ۚ ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö ÚóãøóÇ íõÔúÑößõæäó
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡
59:
23).
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the King
(Sovereign), the Holy, the Peace, the Believer, the
Dominant, the Exalted in Might,
the Compeller ,
the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate
with Him (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23).
The word “jabbar,” in its singular and plural forms, is
mentioned 9 times in the Holy Quran,
without
the definite article (Al), to mean strong, compeller, or
tyrant. It was a description of ancient Palestinians
(in Al-Ma-ida, 5: 22),
of 'Aad, the people of Hood, pbuh, who followed their
obstinate tyrant leaders (in
Hood, 11: 59), of
obstinate tyrants in general ) in
Ibrahim, 14: 15(,
Prophet Ya’hya (John the Baptist), pbuh, who was not a
disobedient tyrant )in
Maryam, 19: 14(, the
Messiah, Jesus, pbuh, who was not a wretched tyrant (in
Maryam, 19: 32), Aad, the people of Hood, pbuh, who used to
kill people without the right to do so (in Al-Shu’ara, 26:
130), a reminder by an Egyptian man to Moussa (Moses), pbuh,
to be a reformer, not a corruptor on the land (in Al-Qasas,
28: 19), the one who disputed signs of Allah is an arrogant
tyrant (in Ghafir, 40: 35), and a reminder from
Allah, praise to Him, to His Messenger, pbbuh, that his job
is to teach people with the Holy Quran, not to compel
(force) them to believe, as they have the choice, then they
will be held accountable to their choices in the hereafter
(in Qaf, 50: 45).
Rather, only Allah, the Compeller, is capable to force
all of His creations to stand before Him for reckoning, on
the Last Day, including His Messengers, like ‘Eissa (Jesus)
and the closest angels, as we read in verse 4: 172.
áøóä íóÓúÊóäßöÝó ÇáúãóÓöíÍõ Ãóä íóßõæäó
ÚóÈúÏðÇ áøöáøóåö
æóáóÇ ÇáúãóáóÇÆößóÉõ ÇáúãõÞóÑøóÈõæäó ۚ æóãóä
íóÓúÊóäßöÝú Úóäú
ÚöÈóÇÏóÊöåö æóíóÓúÊóßúÈöÑú
ÝóÓóíóÍúÔõÑõåõãú Åöáóíúåö ÌóãöíÚðÇ
(ÇáäøöÓóÇÁõ ¡
4: 172).
The Messiah does not disdain to be a
worshipper of Allah,
nor do the closest angels (to Allah). Whoever
disdains His worship
and is too arrogant (to worship Allah), He
will gather all of them to Him (Al-Nisa, 4: 172).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it:
"Allahumma, Ya Jabbar” (O, Allah, You are the Compeller),
You are the Exacter of Revenge on the tyrants and the
oppressors, on the Day of Reckoning. Shield us of their
evils and plots and guide us to Your right path.
Only Allah, praise to Him, is "Al-Jabbar" (The Compeller).
So, nobody other than Him should be called as such, with the
definite article (Al). No Muslim should also be named as “Jabbar,”
without the definite article (Al), because it is a
description of the obstinate, disobedient, and
tyrants.
However,
a
boy
can be named:
“Abdul-Jabbar” (Worshipper of the Compeller),
in recognition to his worship of his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this
Good Name of Allah by not becoming
obstinate, disobedient, or tyrants,
oppressing people. Instead,
they
should be kind and merciful, not only towards family members
and relatives, but also towards people in general. In all
what
they
say and do, believers
should struggle to please Allah, “Al-Jabbar” (the
Compeller), Who will compel His creations to stand for
reckoning before Him, on the Day when He will be the only
Compeller.
***
19.
Al-Mutakabbir:
The Superior
ÇáúãõÊóßóÈöøÑõ
"Al-Mutakabbir" (The Superior) is an adjectival
name, derived from the Arabic verb “kabura, which
means to become greater and higher. Thus, when
applying it to Allah, praise to Him, it means He is
“the Superior,” Who is Greater and Higher in
position and capabilities than His creations, no
matter how great or high they become. So, He
deserves to be worshipped by them, with praise and
thanks, due to their creation and the countless
favors He bestows on them.
In his
interpretation of the meaning of this Good Name of Allah,
Al-Tabari and Ibn Katheer mentioned that
"Al-Mutakabbir" is the One Who is greater than everything.
Al-Qurtubi elaborated saying that He is the Great,
the High, Who became Greater by His Lordship (as a God). So,
nothing is like Him. He is also the Elevated above all bad
qualities (which people may have).
This Name, "Al-Mutakabbir," was mentioned
once
in the Holy Quran,
with
the definite article (Al), together with eight other Good
Names of Allah, in verse 23 of Surat Al-‘Hashr (23), as
mentioned before.
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó Çáúãóáößõ
ÇáúÞõÏøõæÓõ ÇáÓøóáóÇãõ
ÇáúãõÄúãöäõ Çáúãõåóíúãöäõ
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÌóÈøóÇÑõ
ÇáúãõÊóßóÈøöÑõ ۚ
ÓõÈúÍóÇäó Çááøóåö ÚóãøóÇ íõÔúÑößõæäó
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡
59: 23).
He is Allah, there is no other god than He, the King
(Sovereign), the Holy, the Peace, the Believer in His
Godhood, the Predominant, the Rare in Might,
the Compeller,
the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate
with Him (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 23).
The word
"Mutakabbir,"
was mentioned in the Holy Quran, as a singular
and an indefinite adjective, in reference to people.
It refers to “an
arrogant
person,”
who does not believe in the Day of Reckoning (Ghafir,
40: 27), and the one who disputes the signs of Allah without
knowledge about them (Ghafir, 40: 35).
The word
"Al-Mutakabbireen,"
was mentioned in the Holy Quran, as a plural, definite
adjective, to refer to the “arrogant
persons,”
who disbelieve in Allah (Ghafir, 40: 72), who do
injustice to themselves (Al-Na’hl, 16: 29), who
disbelieve in the signs of Allah (Al-Zumar, 39: 60), and who
disbelieve in His Messengers (Al-Zumar, 39: 72). Such
categories of people will be punished in the hereafter, for
their arrogance during their lower life. The Prophet, pbbuh,
also told us that such arrogant categories of people will
not enter Paradise.
[46]
As a conclusion, Allah, praise to Him is “The Superior” (Al-Mutakabbir)
because He is Greater and Higher than anything and anyone,
due to being the Creator and the Lord of His dominion, as
well as the Beneficent, who benefits all of His creations.
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it, saying: "Allahumma, Ya Mutakabbir”
(O, Allah, You the Superior)! You are greater and higher
than any of Your Creations, in status, rank, and capability.
I praise and thank You for Your countless favors,
particularly enabling me to be humble before You and with
your believing worshippers. I ask you to shield me from the
ill intentions of the arrogant ones in this life.
Nobody should be named as "Al-Mutakabbir," with the definite
article (Al), out of respect to the Superiority of Allah,
praise to him, over all of His creations. Likewise, nobody
should be named as “Mutakabbir,” without the definite
article (Al), because it is a description of the arrogant
disbelievers, who will be punished in the hereafter for
their arrogance.
However, a boy can be named “Abdul-Mutakabbir,"
(Worshipper of the Superior), as a recognition of his
worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this
Good Name of Allah by not
being arrogant, despising people and boasting that they are
better than them in body features, genealogy, or wealth.
They should not do that because we are all God’s creations,
descendants of Adam (homo sapiens sapiens), and our
possession of wealth is for a very short time, which ends
after death. Instead, a believer needs to be a humble
person, realizing and acknowledging that the only One Who is
truly “Mutakabbir” (Superior) is Allah, for who He is, as
the God of His creations, praise to Him.
***
20.
Al-Khaliq:
The Creator
ÇáúÎóÇáöÞõ
This Good Name of Allah contains two sounds, which have no
equivalence in the English alphabet. The underlined letters
"kh" refer to the seventh letter of the Arabic
alphabet. The letter "q" is the closest translation of the
twentieth letter of the Arabic alphabet.
"Al-Khaliq" (The Creator) is an adjectival name,
derived from the Arabic verb “khalaqa,” which means
to bring something out, from non-existence to existence.
This meaning does not apply to anybody else except Allah,
praise to Him, Who creates something out of nothing
(Al-Tour, 52: 35),
Who is the Creator of everything (Al-An’am, 6: 102),
including the creation of the heavens and the Earth (52:
36).
Ãóãú
ÎõáöÞõæÇ
ãöäú ÛóíúÑö ÔóíúÁò Ãóãú åõãõ ÇáúÎóÇáöÞõæäó
(ÇáØøõæÑõ ¡
52: 35).
Ðóٰáößõãõ Çááøóåõ ÑóÈøõßõãú ۖ áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó ۖ
ÎóÇáöÞõ
ßõáøö ÔóíúÁò ÝóÇÚúÈõÏõæåõ ۚ æóåõæó Úóáóìٰ ßõáøö ÔóíúÁò
æóßöíáñ
(ÇáÃäúÚóÇãõ ¡ 6: 102).
Ãóãú
ÎóáóÞõæÇ
ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó ۚ Èóá áøóÇ íõæÞöäõæäó
(ÇáØøõæÑõ ¡
52: 36).
Or
were they created
by nothing, or were they the creators (of themselves)? (Al-Tour,
52: 35).
That is Allah, your Lord; there
is no deity except Him, the
Creator of everything, so worship Him. And He is
a Patron of everything (Al-An’am, 6: 102).
Or
did they create
the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain (Al-Toor,
52: 36).
In his interpretation of verse 59: 24 and other verses about
creation, which mention determination (Al-Furqan, 25: 2),
decreeing (Al-Baqara, 2: 117), the will and the being (Ya-Seen,
36: 82), Al-Tabari mentioned that “the Creator” is
the only deity Who is worthy of worship.
...
æóÎóáóÞó
ßõáøó ÔóíúÁò ÝóÞóÏøóÑóåõ ÊóÞúÏöíÑðÇ
(ÇáúÝõÑúÞóÇäõ ¡ 25: 2).
ÈóÏöíÚõ ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۖ æóÅöÐóÇ
ÞóÖóìٰ
ÃóãúÑðÇ ÝóÅöäøóãóÇ íóÞõæáõ áóåõ
ßõä Ýóíóßõæäõ
(ÇáúÈóÞóÑóÉõ ¡ 2: 117).
ÃóæóáóíúÓó ÇáøóÐöí
ÎóáóÞó
ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó ÈöÞóÇÏöÑò Úóáóìٰ Ãóä íóÎúáõÞó
ãöËúáóåõã ۚ Èóáóìٰ æóåõæó ÇáúÎóáøóÇÞõ ÇáúÚóáöíãõ
ý ﴿٨١﴾þ
ÅöäøóãóÇ ÃóãúÑõåõ ÅöÐóÇ ÃóÑóÇÏó ÔóíúÆðÇ Ãóä íóÞõæáó áóåõ
ßõä Ýóíóßõæäõ
ý﴿٨٢﴾ (íóÓ ¡ 36: 81-82).
(He) has
created
each thing by determining it with (precise and measured)
determination (Al-Furqan, 25: 2).
Originator of the heavens and the Earth. When He
decrees
a matter, He says to it,
"Be," and it is
(Al-Baqara, 2: 117).
Is (it) not, (that He) Who
created
the heavens and the Earth able to create the likes of them?
Yes, (it is so), and He is the Constant Creator, the
Knowing. (81) His command is only when He wants a thing that
He says to it,
"Be," and it is.
(82) (Ya-Seen, 38: 81-82).
Al-Qurtubi said that the Creator is the determinator.
He was followed by Ibn Katheer, who said that creation is
determination. They both agreed with Al-Tabari on
that creation passes through three stages, starting with the
determination, followed by decreeing (with the word “Be”),
and existence (it is).
Al-Tabari interpreted the verb “qadha,” in
verse 117 of Surat Al-Baqara (Chapter 2) of the Holy Quran,
to mean “decreed” (or ruled), and the verb “kun” (be), as an
imperative, commanding a non-existent thing to exist. This
means that Allah, praise to Him, is knowledgeable of every
existent thing before its existence. In other words, He
commands things to come out from the state of non-existence
to the state of existence, as a result of His knowledge of
it in its state of non-existence.
Al-Qurtubi interpreted the verb “qadha,” to
mean “created,” in verse 41: 12, which states: “And He
decreed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired
in each heaven its command” (Fussilat, 41: 12). This
means that He “created” them in two days.
As Such, “Al-Khaliq”
is
one of the five Good Names
of Allah, which are related to the concept of
creation,
as in the example of creating the heavens and the Earth.
Thus, Allah, praise
to Him, is Al-Khaliq (the Creator), Who decided to
create them and He determined their characteristics. He is
Al-Fatir (the Frist Creator), Who was the First to
begin inventing them. He is Al-Bari’ (the Maker, the
Inventor), Who carried out His decision, by bringing them
out to existence. He is Al-Badee’u (the Originator),
Who did that without following a previous example. He is
Al-Musawwir (the Fashioner, the Shaper), Who fashioned
them in a way which enables them to perform the functions,
they were created to perform.
As a Good Name of Allah, “Al-Khaliq” (The Creator)
was mentioned
once
in the Holy Quran,
with
the definite article (Al), in verse 59: 24, together with
two other Good Names of His, which are related to the act of
creation. These are “Al-Bari’” (the Inventor) and “Al-Musawwir”
(the Fashioner).
åõæó Çááøóåõ
ÇáúÎóÇáöÞõ
ÇáúÈóÇÑöÆõ ÇáúãõÕóæøöÑõ ۖ áóåõ ÇáúÃóÓúãóÇÁõ ÇáúÍõÓúäóìٰ ۚ
íõÓóÈøöÍõ áóåõ ãóÇ Ýöí ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۖ æóåõæó
ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ ÇáúÍóßöíãõ
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡ 59: 24).
He is Allah,
the Creator,
the Inventor, the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names.
Whatever is in the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He
is the Exalted in Might, the Wise
(Al-‘Hashr, 59: 24).
This Good Name of Allah was also mentioned
four
times in the Holy Quran, as “Khaliq” (Creator),
without the
definite article (Al). It came in the context of mentioning
that Allah, praise to Him, is “Creator of everything and He is a
Patron of everything (Al-An’am, 6: 102; Al-Zumar, 39: 62).
He “is
Creator of everything, and He is the One, the
Ultimate Subduer" (Al-Ra’d, 13: 16). He is “Creator of
everything. There is no deity except Him” (Ghafir,
40: 62).
Furthermore, this Good Name of Allah was mentioned within the
context of two rhetorical
questions, which Allah, praise to Him, posed to
people. In the first one, He says: “Have you seen the semen
which you emit? (58) Is it you who creates it, or are We
the
Creators?” (59)
(Al-Waqi’a, 56: 58-59). In the second rhetorical
question, He says: “O People (humankind), remember the favor
of Allah upon you. Is there any
creator other than Allah who provides for you
from the heaven and earth? There is no deity except Him. So,
how are you deluded?” (Fatir, 35: 3).
In addition, the Name “Khaliq” came twice as a verbal name, in
reference to the act of creating human beings. The first was
when Allah, praise to Him, said: “And (mention, O Mu’hammed),
when your Lord said to the angels: "I am
creating (going
to create)
a human being out of clay, from an altered black mud”
(Al-‘Hijr, 15: 28). The second was when He said:
“(So, mention) when your Lord said to the angels: "Indeed, I
am creating (going
to create) a human being from
clay” (Sad, 38: 71).
It is noteworthy that there are six other Good Names of Allah, which
will be addressed directly after this Name “Al-Khaliq” (the
Creator). Two of these Names share the same root verb with
it. These are “Al-Khallaq” (the Creative and Constant
Creator) and “A’hsan Al-Khaliqeen” (the Best of
Creators). The other four Names are also related to it, in
expressing different stages of creation. These are “Al-Bari”
(the Maker), “Al-Fatir” (the First Creator), “Al-Badee’”
(the Originator), and “Al-Musawwir” (the Fashioner).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him with it, saying: "Allahumma, Ya Khaliq” (O,
Allah, You are the Creator of
everything). We praise and thank You for creating us and for
giving us life. We ask You to make these two favors as
blessings for us, by guiding us to your right path of
worship and good deeds in this life, so we can gain Your
contentment and Your Paradise, in the hereafter.
No person, whether it is an angel, a jinni, or a human
being, should be named as “Al-Khaliq” (the Creator), as only
Allah, praise to Him, is the only One Who brings out
non-existent things to existence, like He did to the
heavens, the Earth, and those who exist in and between them.
However, a boy can be named as “’Abdul-Khaliq” (Worshipper
of the Creator), which is an appreciation for this great and
exclusive capability of Allah and a recognition of his
worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this
Good Name of Allah by being certain that Allah alone
is the Great Creator, Who brings His creations out of
non-existence to existence, if He wills. Other creators,
from among His creations, bring their created things out of
other things which He created before. It follows that His
creations should believe in Him, worship Him, take no
partners with Him, and return to Him. They should also be
compassionate and merciful towards His creations and should
not be arrogant towards them.
***
21.
Al-Khallaq:
The
Creative
and Constant Creator
ÇáúÎóáøóÇÞõ
“Al-Khallaq” (The Creative and Constant Creator) is
an adjectival name and an amplified form of the Name “Al-Khaliq.”
It shares the same root verb “khalaqa,” with it, as
discussed above in that Name.
This Good Name of Allah was mentioned
twice
in the Holy Quran
with
the definite article (Al), together with the Name “Al-‘Aleem,
the Knowing” (Al-‘Hijr, 15: 86), Who knows what was,
concerning His creations, what is happening to them, and
what their future will be. When He wants a thing to happen,
He just says to it: "Be," and it is (82) (Ya-Seen, 36:
81-82).
Åöäøó ÑóÈøóßó åõæó
ÇáúÎóáøóÇÞõ
ÇáúÚóáöíãõ
(ÇáúÍöÌúÑõ ¡ 15: 86).
ÃóæóáóíúÓó ÇáøóÐöí ÎóáóÞó ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó
ÈöÞóÇÏöÑò Úóáóìٰ Ãóä íóÎúáõÞó ãöËúáóåõã ۚ Èóáóìٰ æóåõæó
ÇáúÎóáøóÇÞõ
ÇáúÚóáöíãõ
ý﴿٨١﴾þ
ÅöäøóãóÇ ÃóãúÑõåõ ÅöÐóÇ ÃóÑóÇÏó ÔóíúÆðÇ Ãóä íóÞõæáó áóåõ ßõä
Ýóíóßõæäõ
ý﴿٨٢﴾þ (íóÓ ¡
36: 81-82).
Indeed, your Lord is
the
Creative Creator,
the Knowing (Al-‘Hijr, 15: 86).
Is not He who created the heavens and the Earth able to
create the likes of them? Yes, ([it is so), and He is
the Creative Creator,
the Knowing. (81) His command is only when He wants a thing
that He says to it, "Be," and it is. (82) (Ya-Seen, 36: 81-82).
Linguistically, “Al-Khallaq” means the creative and
the inventor. Al-Tabari mentioned that it means the
One Who creates whatever He wills and the doer of whatever
He wants.
Al-Qurtubi said that it is an intensive (magnifying)
form of “Al-Khaliq” (the Creator), as He creates one
creation after another. It also means that He is the
determiner of creation, the One Who does creation.
Ibn Katheer pointed to the same meaning, saying that “Al-Khallaq”
is a reference to God’s capability to recreate His creation.
He is also capable of starting the Hour (the first event of
the Last Day). He can create whatever He wills.
Thus, “Al-Khallaq” is a trait of Allah, praise to
Him, which refers to His constant (continuous) ability to
create new creations and recreate past creations, like the
heavens and the Earth as well as those who lived in and on
them, whenever and wherever He wants.
And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they
will pass as the passing of clouds. (It is)
the work of Allah, who
perfected everything
(He made). Indeed, He is Acquainted with that which
you do (Al-Najm, 27: 88).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with it,
saying:
"Ya
Khallaq” (O, You the Creative and Constant Creator),
asking Him for anything good to happen to the caller and
others close to him/her.
No
person, whether it is an angel, a jinni, or a human
being, can be named “Al-Khallaq”, as only Allah,
praise to Him, is the only One Who is capable of constant
and creative creation, bringing out non-existent things to
existence, like He did to the heavens, the Earth, and those
who exist in and between them.
However, a boy can be named as “’Abdul-Khallaq” (Worshipper
of the Creative and Constant Creator), which is an
appreciation for this great and exclusive capability of
Allah and a recognition of worshipping Him, as He is the
divine Lord over all of His creations.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this
Good Name of Allah by being certain that Allah,
praise to Him, alone is the Creative and Constant Creator.
They should be certain that He is capable of starting the
Hour, the beginning of the Last Day, which includes the
reckoning, then reward or punishment. It follows that
believers should prepare themselves to be among the winners
of that Day, by worshipping their Creator, obeying Him, and
attempting to be close to Him through volunteering acts of
worship and good deeds.
***
22.
A'hsan
Al-Khaliqeen
(pronounced
as
A'hsanul
Khaliqeen):
The Best of Creators
ÃóÍúÓóäõ ÇáúÎóÇáöÞöíäó
"A'hsan Al-Khaliqeen" (The Best of Creators) is an
adjectival compound name, composed of two words. The first
is “A’hsan,” which is a comparative adjective, derived from
the verb “a’hsana,” meaning to do or make something better.
The second word, “Al-Khaliqeen” (creators) is an
adjectival name, derived from the same root verb “khalaqa,”
from which the Name "Al-Khaliq," listed above, was also
derived.
Thus, as a compound Good Name of Allah, "A'hsan Al-Khaliqeen"
means that He, praise to Him, is the Best of Creators. This
means that He alone is Capable of bringing something out of
non-existence to existence, while other creators may create
something out of existing things. He is better than anybody
else in the creation of what He creates.
This compound Good Name of Allah was mentioned
twice
in the Holy Quran. It came once in the context of mentioning
the creation of humans in the womb, in successive stages,
from a zygote to a clinging clot, to a lump (of flesh), and
to bones, then covering bones with flesh. “So blessed is
Allah,
the Best of Creators”
(Al-Muminoon, 23: 14). This is an accurate description of
the fetus development in the womb, which we only discovered
recently, after having the tiny cameras that can show us
that development, deep in the womb.
This Name also came in the context of mentioning Prophet
Elyas (Elijah, Ilyas), who was preaching to his people to
worship Allah, “the Best of Creators,” instead of
worshipping Ba’l (Al-Saffat,
37: 123-125), who could not benefit them or shield them from
any harm.
Ëõãøó ÎóáóÞúäóÇ ÇáäøõØúÝóÉó ÚóáóÞóÉð ÝóÎóáóÞúäóÇ ÇáúÚóáóÞóÉó
ãõÖúÛóÉð ÝóÎóáóÞúäóÇ ÇáúãõÖúÛóÉó ÚöÙóÇãðÇ ÝóßóÓóæúäóÇ
ÇáúÚöÙóÇãó áóÍúãðÇ Ëõãøó ÃóäÔóÃúäóÇåõ ÎóáúÞðÇ ÂÎóÑó ۚ
ÝóÊóÈóÇÑóßó Çááøóåõ
ÃóÍúÓóäõ ÇáúÎóÇáöÞöíäó
(ÇáúãõÄúãöäõæäó
¡ 23: 14).
æóÅöäøó ÅöáúíóÇÓó áóãöäó ÇáúãõÑúÓóáöíäó
ý ﴿١٢٣﴾þ
ÅöÐú ÞóÇáó áöÞóæúãöåö ÃóáóÇ ÊóÊøóÞõæäó
ý﴿١٢٤﴾þ
ÃóÊóÏúÚõæäó ÈóÚúáðÇ æóÊóÐóÑõæäó
ÃóÍúÓóäó ÇáúÎóÇáöÞöíäó
ý﴿١٢٥﴾ (ÇáÕøóÇÝøóÇÊõ ¡ 37: 125).
Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We
made the clot into a lump (of flesh), and We made (from) the
lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh. Then, We
developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah,
the Best of Creators
(Al-Muminoon, 23: 14).
And indeed, Elyas was from among the Messengers, (123) When
he said to his people, "Will you not avoid (God’s
punishment)? (124) Do you call upon Ba'l and leave
the Best of Creators
- (125) (Al-Saffat, 37:
123-125).
In his interpretation of verse 23: 14, Al-Tabari
mentioned Mujahid’s explanation that Arabs used to describe
makers as creators. So, people make things and Allah makes
things, but Allah is the best of the makers, in the way He
determines, measures, and executes that which He wants to
create.
An example of applying the concept of creation to people is
how a carpenter makes a piece of furniture. He may measure
the wood, estimating the needed lengths and widths, then He
cuts the wood. He may also cut the wood first, as he wishes,
then he may modify it as he wishes.
Further, Allah, praise to Him, is the Best of Creators, in
comparison with His worshipper, ‘Eissa (Jesus), pbuh, who
used to design from clay that which is like the form of a
bird, then he would breathe into it, and it becomes a bird
“by permission of Allah”
(Al-i-‘Imran, 3: 49).
Moreover, in his interpretation of verse 37: 125, Al-Tabari
mentioned the story of Prophet Elyas, who advised the
Israelites to worship Allah, the Best of Creators, instead
of statue of the fake deity, Ba’l, who was neither capable
to harm them nor benefit them.
Al-Qurtubi added to that which was mentioned by Al-Tabari,
saying that
"A'hsanul Khaliqeen" (The Best of Creators)
is different from other makers, including ‘Eissa (Jesus),
pbuh, in that He makes (creates) a thing out of nothing (He
brings out a thing from non-existence to existence, while
they only make things out of existent things). This Good
Name also means that Allah, praise to Him, is the best in
perfecting what He makes (creates), as mentioned in verse
27: 88.
æóÊóÑóì ÇáúÌöÈóÇáó ÊóÍúÓóÈõåóÇ ÌóÇãöÏóÉð æóåöíó ÊóãõÑøõ
ãóÑøó ÇáÓøóÍóÇÈö ۚ ÕõäúÚó
Çááøóåö ÇáøóÐöí ÃóÊúÞóäó ßõáøó ÔóíúÁò ۚ
Åöäøóåõ ÎóÈöíÑñ ÈöãóÇ ÊóÝúÚóáõæäó
(ÇáäøóÌúãõ ¡
27: 88).
And you see the mountains, thinking them rigid, while they
will pass as the passing of clouds. [It is] the work of
Allah, who perfected all things. Indeed, He is Acquainted
with that which you do (Al-Najm, 27: 88).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with
it,
saying: "Ya A'hsanul Khaliqeen" (O, You, the
Best of Creators),
I am asking You to give me the best of this life and the
best of the hereafter.
No
person, whether it is an angel, a jinni, or a human
being, can be named as "A'hsan Al-Khaliqeen," as only
Allah, praise to Him, is the only One Who is the Best
Creator, for being capable of bringing out non-existent
things to existence, like He did to the heavens, the Earth,
and those who exist in and between them. However, a boy can
be named “’Abdul-Khaliq” (worshipper of the Creator), which
is an appreciation for this great and exclusive capability
of Allah and a recognition of His worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this
Good Name of Allah by being certain that only He,
praise to Him, is the Best of Creators, as He created them
and imaged them in the best of images (Al-Taghabun,
64: 3). Thus, He is worthy of their worship, obedience, and
gratitude. Believers should also make the work they do as
best, most beneficial, and most beautiful, as they can.
***
23.
Al-Bari':
The Maker, The Inventor, The The Curer
ÇáúÈóÇÑöÆõ
Note: The apostrophe placed after the letter "i" (in this
Name), refers to a glottal stop.
“Al-Bari'u”
is an adjectival name, derived from the verb “bara-a,” which
generally means to make or do something. With reference to
Allah, praise to Him, it means that He is the One Who does
something and brings it out to existence, after
creating it, that is after deciding it and
determining its qualities, as mentioned by Ibn Katheer.
This Good Name of Allah, "Al-Bari'u" (the Maker, the
Inventor) was mentioned
once
in the Holy Quran,
with
the definite article (Al), together with three other Good
Names of His, in a clear sequence. Allah, praise to Him, is
“Al-Khaliq” (the Creator), Who decides to bring a
non-existent thing to existence, and determines its
qualities. He is “Al-Bari’u”
(the Maker, the Inventor), Who makes new creations, after
deciding and determining them. He is also “Al-Musawwir”
(the Fashioner), Who fashions His creations as He wills, and
in a way that enables them to perform the functions they
were created for (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 24).
åõæó Çááøóåõ
ÇáúÎóÇáöÞõ
ÇáúÈóÇÑöÆõ
ÇáúãõÕóæøöÑõ ۖ áóåõ ÇáúÃóÓúãóÇÁõ ÇáúÍõÓúäóìٰ ۚ íõÓóÈøöÍõ
áóåõ ãóÇ Ýöí ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۖ æóåõæó ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ
ÇáúÍóßöíãõ
(ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡ 59: 24).
He is Allah, the Creator,
the Maker,
the Fashioner; to Him belong the best names. Whatever is in
the heavens and earth is exalting Him. And He is the Exalted
in Might, the Wise (Al-‘Hashr, 59:
24).
This Good Name of Allah, "Al-Bari'u" (the Maker, the
Inventor) was also mentioned
twice
in one verse, in the Holy Quran,
without
the definite article (Al). That was in the context of
mentioning the address of Moosa (Moses), peace be upon him,
to his people, who took the calf as a partner with Allah,
during his absence. He told them to repent to their “Bari’”
(Maker), and to kill themselves, so Allah may accept their
repentance (Al-Baqara, 2: 54).
æóÅöÐú ÞóÇáó ãõæÓóìٰ áöÞóæúãöåö íóÇ Þóæúãö Åöäøóßõãú
ÙóáóãúÊõãú ÃóäÝõÓóßõã ÈöÇÊøöÎóÇÐößõãõ ÇáúÚöÌúáó ÝóÊõæÈõæÇ
Åöáóìٰ
ÈóÇÑöÆößõãú
ÝóÇÞúÊõáõæÇ ÃóäÝõÓóßõãú Ðóٰáößõãú ÎóíúÑñ áøóßõãú ÚöäÏó
ÈóÇÑöÆößõãú
ÝóÊóÇÈó Úóáóíúßõãú ۚ Åöäøóåõ åõæó ÇáÊøóæøóÇÈõ ÇáÑøóÍöíãõ
ý(ÇáúÈóÞóÑóÉõ
¡ 2:
59).
And (recall) when Moussa (Moses) said to his people, "O my
people, indeed you have done injustice to yourselves by your
taking of the calf (for worship). So, repent to
your
Maker
and kill yourselves. That is better for you with (in the
sight of) your
Maker."
Then, He accepted your repentance. Indeed, He is the
Accepting of repentance, the Merciful (Al-Baqara, 2: 54).
In his interpretation of verse 59: 24 of the Holy Quran, Al-Tabari
mentioned that “Al-Bari'u” (the Maker, the Inventor) is the
One Who brought His creations to existence, with His own
capability. Ibn Katheer added that He is the One Who
implemented and brought to existence that which He
determined and decided. He is alone in doing so, because
“not everyone who determines a thing is capable of
implementing his/her determination and bringing it into
existence.
Al-Qurtubi provided a more elaborate explanation,
particularly in his book, “Al-Asna,” saying that “Al-Bari'u”
is the Maker and the Inventor. Nobody, other than Allah,
should be named or described as such. So, while Allah is the
Maker and the Inventor, His creations are the made and
invented.
Moreover, Al-Qurtubi differentiated between the
meanings of the four related Good Names of Allah: Al-Bari'u
(the Maker), Al-Khaliq (the Creator), Al-Badee’u (the
Originator), and Al-Musawwir (the Fashioner).
He pointed that while “Al-Khaliq” (the Creator)
decides and determines the creations of things, “Al-Bari'u”
(the Maker) carries out that decision, by bringing things
into existence. “Al-Musawwir” (the Fashioner) refers
to fashioning things after their existence.
Finally,
Al-Bari'u (The Maker) is the One Who originated the creation
of water, dirt, fire, and air out of nothing. Then, He
created other creations out of them. Thus, “Al-Bari'u” (the
Maker) is also “Al-Badee’u” (the Originator). However, it is
different from “Al-Badee’u” (the Originator) in that Allah
was knowledgeable of that which He originated before
originating it.
Another meaning of Al-Bari'u is the Healer. Believers call
on Allah with this Name when they ask Him to heal them. This
meaning is derived from the meaning of the Arabic verbs,
which refer to the act of healing performed by ‘Eissa
(Jesus), pbuh, as mentioned in verses 3: 49 and 5: 110.
æóÃõÈúÑöÆõ
ÇáúÃóßúãóåó æóÇáúÃóÈúÑóÕó
(Âáö ÚöãúÑóÇäó ¡
3: 49).
æóÊõÈúÑöÆõ
ÇáúÃóßúãóåó æóÇáúÃóÈúÑóÕó ÈöÅöÐúäöí
(ÇáúãóÇÆöÏóÉõ
¡ 5: 110).
…
I cure
the blind and the leper
(Al-i-‘Imran, 3: 49).
… and you
cured
the blind and the leper with My permission (Al-Ma-ida, 5:
110).
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him,
with it,
saying:
“Allahumma, Anta Al-Khaliq,
Al-Bari'u, Al-Musawwir” (O Allah, You are the Creator, the
Maker, the Fashioner, and the Healer). I
am asking for the best in this life and the best in the
hereafter. I am also asking You to heal me from the sickness
which I have, as You are the true Healer, and the Most
Merciful.
Nobody
should
be named as
“Al-Bari'u,” or “Bari’u,” with the definite article (Al), or
without it,
as only Allah, praise to Him, is the only One Who is the
Maker, the Inventor, and the true Healer of His creations.
However, a boy can be named as “’Abdul-Bari’,” (Worshipper
of the Maker, the Inventor, the Healer), which is an
appreciation for these great and exclusive capabilities of
Allah and a recognition of his worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this
Good Name of Allah by making use of what is available
to them, for their own benefit, for achieving their goals,
and for satisfying their needs, within the realm of
obedience to “Al-Bari’u” (the Maker), and while attempting
to be close to Him.
***
24.
Badee’u Al-Samawati wal Ardh:
Originator
of the heavens and the Earth
ÈóÏöíÚõ ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
“Badee’u Al-Samawati wal Ardh” (Originator of the
Heavens and the Earth) is an adjectival compound Good Name
of Allah, which is composed of three words. The first word
is “Badee’u,” which is an adjectival name, derived from the
verb “bada-‘a,” meaning to make something happen, bring it
out to existence, and to invent it, in a new way which has
not happened before. The other two words “Al-Samawat wa
Al-Ardh” mean “the heavens and the Earth,” respectively.
As a Good Name of Allah, “Badee’u Al-Samawati wal Ardh”
is the Originator of the heavens and the Earth, Who was not
preceded in bringing them out into existence by anyone else.
He originated them in an unprecedented beauty, accuracy, and
functionality. Exalted He is, as the Originator, and as the
Best of Creators.
This Good Name of Allah was mentioned
twice
in the Holy Quran
without
the definite article (Al). It came in the context of
mentioning the creation of the heavens and the Earth, with a
command from Allah, the Originator, for them to be, and they
were
(Al-Baqara, 2: 117). He is alone in the creation of everything, including the heavens and
the Earth. He has no wife, and consequently He has no son
(Al-An’am, 6:
101).
Exalted He is, above their falsehoods.
ÈóÏöíÚõ
ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
ۖ æóÅöÐóÇ ÞóÖóìٰ ÃóãúÑðÇ ÝóÅöäøóãóÇ íóÞõæáõ áóåõ ßõä
Ýóíóßõæäõ
(ÇáóÈóÞóÑõÉ ¡ 2: 117).
ÈóÏöíÚõ
ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
ۖ Ãóäøóìٰ íóßõæäõ áóåõ æóáóÏñ
æóáóãú Êóßõä áøóåõ ÕóÇÍöÈóÉñ ۖ æóÎóáóÞó ßõáøó ÔóíúÁò ۖ
æóåõæó Èößõáøö ÔóíúÁò Úóáöíãñ
(ÇáÃäúÚóÇãõ ¡ 6: 101).
(He is)
Originator
of the heavens and the Earth. When He decrees a matter, He
only says to it, "Be," and it is (Al-Baqara, 2: 117).
(He is)
Originator
of the heavens and the Earth. How could He have a son when
He does not have a companion and He created everything? And
He is, of all things, Knowing
(Al-An’am, 6: 101).
Al-Qurtubi agreed with Al-Tabari on that "Al-Badee’u" of the
heavens and the Earth is the One Who originated them, which
means the One Who invented them and brought them into
existence. Ibn Katheer supported this interpretation, saying
that "Al-Badee’u" is the Creator of the heavens and the
Earth, in a form that did not exist before, which means that
He is the Originator of that which He creates, and nobody
did that before Him.
Al-Qurtubi elaborated on the
meaning of "Al-Badee’u," mentioning that this Name is a
derivative of the Arabic verb “bada-'a,” which means to
originate things. So, "Al-Badee’u" is the One Who originated
things in the sense that He was the first in bringing them
out to existence. He is also the One Who creates things as
He wills, anew, amazing, and without resemblance to any
existent thing before. This meaning is derived a verse in
the Holy Quran, which states that Prophet Mu'hammed, pbbuh,
was not the first Messenger of Allah: “Say,
"I am not something original (the first) among the
messengers” (Al-A’hqaf, 46: 9).
Thus,
"Al-Badee’u,"
is the Originator of the heavens and the Earth. Nobody
preceded Him in doing so. He originated them in an amazing
beauty, perfection, and functionality. Exalted is Allah, the
Best of Creators.
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with
it,
saying: “Allahumma, Anta
Al-Badee’u”
(O Allah, You are the Originator of the heavens and the
Earth). I am
asking You for Your support for the effort which I intend to
start, so it can be as best as I can do.
Nobody
should
be named as
“Al-Badee’,”
with the definite article (Al), or without it,
as only Allah, praise to Him, is the Originator of the
heavens, the Earth, and what is in and between them.
However, a boy can be named as “’Abdul-Badee’”
(Worshipper of the Originator
of the Heavens and the Earth), which is an
appreciation for this great and exclusive capability of
Allah,
and a recognition of
his worship to his Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this
Good Name of Allah by doing their best to be
“originators,” in what they do, which is an encouragement
for them to be inventors, leading to more benefits for them,
other people, and the environment they live in.
***
25.
Fatir
Al-Samawat wa Al-Ardh
(pronounced as
fatirus samawati wal ardh): First
Creator of the Heavens and the Earth
ÝóÇØöÑö ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
“Fatir Al-Samawat wa Al-Ardh (First Creator of
the Heavens and the Earth) is an adjectival compound Good
Name of Allah, which is composed of three words. The first
is “Fatir,” which is an adjectival name derived from
the verb “fatara,” meaning to begin or invent
something. The other two words “Al-Samawat wa Al-Ardh” mean
“the heavens and the Earth,” respectively. This meaning of
the first word was mentioned by Al-Qurtubi, based on
an explanation by Ibn ‘Abbas, mAbpwh.
[47]
As mentioned before, “Al-Fatir”
is
one of the five Good Names
of Allah, which are related to the concept of
creation,
as in the example of creating the heavens and the Earth.
As such, Allah,
praise to Him, is Al-Khaliq (the Creator), Who
decided to create them and He determined their
characteristics. He is Al-Fatir (the Frist Creator),
Who was the First to begin inventing them. He is Al-Bari’
(the Maker, the Inventor), Who carried out His decision, by
bringing them out to existence. He is Al-Badee’u (the
Originator), Who did that without following a previous
example. He is Al-Musawwir (the Fashioner, the
Shaper), Who fashioned them in a way which enables them to
perform the functions, they were created to perform.
This Good Name of Allah was mentioned
six times
in the Holy Quran,
without
the definite article (Al). It came in all of them meaning
“the First Creator” of the heavens and the Earth. He feeds
His creations, but not fed by them (Al-An’am, 6: 14). He is
the General Caretaker of believers in this lower life and in
the hereafter (Yoosuf, 12, 101). He invites His creations to
believe in Him, to forgive their sins (Ibraheem, 14: 10). He
is “Making the angels (as) messengers, with two, or three,
or four wings. He increases in the creation what He will”
(Fatir, 35: 1). He is “the Knower of the unknown and the
known” (Al-Zumar, 39: 46), and He is the “First Creator of
the heavens and the Earth. He has made for you from
yourselves, mates, and among the cattle, mates. He
multiplies you thereby. There is nothing like unto Him, and
He is the Hearing, the Seeing” (Al-Shoora, 42: 11).
Þõáú ÃóÛóíúÑó Çááøóåö ÃóÊøóÎöÐõ æóáöíøðÇ
ÝóÇØöÑö ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
æóåõæó íõØúÚöãõ æóáóÇ íõØúÚóãõ
(ÇáÃäúÚóÇãõ ¡ 6:
14).
ÑóÈøö ÞóÏú ÂÊóíúÊóäöí ãöäó Çáúãõáúßö æóÚóáøóãúÊóäöí ãöä
ÊóÃúæöíáö ÇáúÃóÍóÇÏöíËö ۚ
ÝóÇØöÑó ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
ÃóäÊó æóáöíøöí Ýöí ÇáÏøõäúíóÇ æóÇáúÂÎöÑóÉö ۖ
(íõæÓõÝõ ¡ 12: 101).
ÞóÇáóÊú ÑõÓõáõåõãú ÃóÝöí Çááøóåö Ôóßøñ
ÝóÇØöÑö ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
ۖ íóÏúÚõæßõãú áöíóÛúÝöÑó áóßõã ãøöä ÐõäõæÈößõãú
æóíõÄóÎøöÑóßõãú Åöáóìٰ ÃóÌóáò ãøõÓóãøðì
(ÅÈúÑóÇåöíãõ ¡ 14: 10).
ÇáúÍóãúÏõ áöáøóåö
ÝóÇØöÑö ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
ÌóÇÚöáö ÇáúãóáóÇÆößóÉö ÑõÓõáðÇ Ãõæáöí ÃóÌúäöÍóÉò ãøóËúäóìٰ
æóËõáóÇËó æóÑõÈóÇÚó ۚ íóÒöíÏõ Ýöí ÇáúÎóáúÞö ãóÇ íóÔóÇÁõ ۚ
Åöäøó Çááøóåó Úóáóìٰ ßõáøö ÔóíúÁò ÞóÏöíÑñ
(ÝóÇØöÑõ ¡ 35: 1).
Þõáö Çááøóåõãøó
ÝóÇØöÑó ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
ÚóÇáöãó ÇáúÛóíúÈö æóÇáÔøóåóÇÏóÉö ÃóäÊó ÊóÍúßõãõ Èóíúäó
ÚöÈóÇÏößó Ýöí ãóÇ ßóÇäõæÇ Ýöíåö íóÎúÊóáöÝõæäó
(ÇáÒøõãóÑõ ¡ 39: 46).
ÝóÇØöÑõ ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö
ۚ ÌóÚóáó áóßõã ãøöäú ÃóäÝõÓößõãú ÃóÒúæóÇÌðÇ æóãöäó
ÇáúÃóäúÚóÇãö ÃóÒúæóÇÌðÇ ۖ íóÐúÑóÄõßõãú Ýöíåö ۚ áóíúÓó
ßóãöËúáöåö ÔóíúÁñ ۖ æóåõæó ÇáÓøóãöíÚõ ÇáúÈóÕöíÑõ
(ÇáÔøõæÑóì ¡
42: 11).
Say, "Is it other than Allah I should take as a Caretaker?
(He is the)
First Creator of the heavens and the Earth,
(while) He (is the One) who feeds but is not fed?"
(Al-An’am, 6: 14).
My Lord, You have given me some sovereignty and taught me of
the interpretation of dreams. (You are the)
First Creator of the heavens and the Earth.
You are my Caretaker in this life and in the Hereafter"
(Yoosuf, 12: 101).
Their messengers said: "Can there be doubt about Allah,
(the)
First Creator of the heavens and the Earth?
He invites you that He may forgive you of your sins, and He
delays your death (and reckoning) for a specified term"
(Ibraheem, 14: 10).
(All) praise (is due) to Allah,
First Creator of the heavens and the Earth,
(who) made the angels messengers having wings, two or three
or four. He increases in creation what He wills. Indeed,
Allah is over everything Capable (Fatir, 35: 1).
Say, "O Allah, (You are the)
First Creator of the heavens and the Earth,
Knower of the Unknown and the Known, You will judge between
your worshippers concerning that over which they used to
differ" (Al-Zumar, 39: 46).
(He is the)
First Creator of the heavens and the Earth.
He has made for you from yourselves, mates, and among the
cattle, mates; He multiplies you thereby. There is nothing
like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing (Al-Shoora,
42: 11).
The Arabic verb “fatara”
(from which the Name “Fatir"
is derived) mentioned in the past tense
8 times in the Holy Quran. It
was mentioned twice in reference to Allah, praise to Him,
Who “fatara” (was the First to begin inventing) the
heavens and the Earth (Al-An’am, 6: 79; Al-Anbiya, 21: 56),
Who “fatara” the Prophet, pbbuh (Hood, 11: 510),
human beings in their lower life (Al-Isra, 17: 51; Al-Room,
30:30)), the Egyptian magicians (Ta-Ha, 20: 72), the
believer man who urged his people to follow the Messengers
of Allah (Ya-Seen, 36: 20-22), and Ibrahim, peace be upon
him (Al-Zukhruf, 43: 27).
The root verb “fatara” (to begin inventing, creating)
also came twice in the present tense, once in the future
tense, and once as an adjective, in
reference to heavens “rupturing” or “cracking” or “breaking
apart,” as follows:
The
heavens
“rupture” or “crack” for hearing the blasphemous claim that
Allah, praise to Him, has a son (in Maryam, 19: 90). The
heavens are about to rupture or crack when people take
somebody else other than Allah as their patron or guardian
(Al-Shoora, 42: 5). On the Last Day, the heaven “will
rupture or break apart” (Al-Infitar, 82: 1). The
heaven is cracked or broken apart on the Last Day
(Al-Muzzammil, 73: 18).
[48]
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah is by
calling upon Him, with
it,
saying: “Allahumma ya Fatir
es-samawati wal ardh” (O Allah, You are the One Who
began the creation of the heavens and the Earth). Exalted
You are,
I am asking You guidance to Your straight path. Give me and
my family the best in this life and the best in the
hereafter and protect us from the torment of the Fire.
Nobody
should
be named as
“Al-Fatir,”
or “Fatir,” with the definite article (Al), or
without it,
as only Allah, praise to Him, is the First Creator of the
heavens and the Earth and what is in and between them.
However, a boy can be named as “Abdul-Fatir”
(Worshipper of the First Creator
of the Heavens and the Earth), which is an
appreciation for this great and exclusive capability of
Allah and a recognition of his worship to his creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this
Good Name of Allah by doing their jobs and what is
expected from them as soon as possible, without delay or
postponement. This also includes acting on any good ideas
that they may have, which are expected to bring benefits to
them and their societies,
as long as these are within the folds of the commands
of Allah, asking Him His assistance and His support.
***
26.
Al-Musawwir: The Fashioner, The Shaper
ÇáúãõÕóæöøÑõ
"Al-Musawwir" (the Fashioner, the Shaper) is an
adjectival name, derived from the verb “sawwara,”
which means to draw out, fashion, or shape something
in a specific design.
As a Good Name of Allah, "Al-Musawwir" was
mentioned once in the Holy Quran,
with the definite
article (Al). It came with two other Good Names of
Allah, in relation to creation, and in a clear
sequence. As such, Allah, praise to Him, is
“Al-Khaliq” (the Creator), Who decides to bring
something out from non-existence to existence and
determines its characteristics. He is “Al-Bari’”
(the Maker), Who does (carries out) what He decides
and determines, and He is “Al-Musawwir” (the
Fashioner, the Shaper), Who fashions His creations
as He wills, to suit the functions He created them
for (Al-‘Hashr, 59: 24).
åõæó Çááøóåõ ÇáúÎóÇáöÞõ ÇáúÈóÇÑöÆõ
ÇáúãõÕóæøöÑõ ۖ
áóåõ ÇáúÃóÓúãóÇÁõ ÇáúÍõÓúäóìٰ ۚ íõÓóÈøöÍõ áóåõ ãóÇ
Ýöí ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖö ۖ æóåõæó ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ
ÇáúÍóßöíãõ (ÇáúÍóÔúÑõ ¡ 59: 24).
He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker,
the
Fashioner; to Him belong the Good Names. Whatever is
in the heavens and the Earth is exalting Him. And He
is the Exalted in Might, the Wise (Al-‘Hashr, 59:
24).
In his interpretation of verse 24 of Soorat
Al-‘Hashr (Chapter 59) of the Holy Quran, Al-Tabari
mentioned that "Al-Musawwir" is the One Who creates
His creations as He wills. Al-Qurtubi defined
"Al-Musawwir" as the One Who plans the fashions of
the images He creates and assembles them in
different shapes. Ibn Katheer agreed with him and
explained the three Names of Al-Khaliq, Al-Bari’,
and Al-Musawwir, together, mentioning that He is the
One Who, if He wills something, He says to it “Be”
and it is, on the form He wants it to be, and on the
image, He chooses for it.
The fashioning of images represents the fourth
stage of the first creation (by creating the first
living cell), proportioning, and straightening up of
humans (by walking on two legs), as mentioned in
verses 7-8 of Soorat Al-Infitar (Chapter 82) of the
Holy Quran. It is the stage which preceded the human
caliphate (mandate to rule) on the Earth, as
reflected in the angels’ prostration to Adam
(Al-A’araf, 7: 11).
ÇáøóÐöí ÎóáóÞóßó ÝóÓóæøóÇßó ÝóÚóÏóáóßó
ý﴿٧﴾þ
Ýöí Ãóíøö ÕõæÑóÉò
ãøóÇ ÔóÇÁó ÑóßøóÈóßó
ý﴿٨﴾ (ÇáÇäúÝöØóÇÑõ ¡ 82:
7-8).
æóáóÞóÏú ÎóáóÞúäóÇßõãú Ëõãøó
ÕóæøóÑúäóÇßõãú
Ëõãøó ÞõáúäóÇ áöáúãóáóÇÆößóÉö ÇÓúÌõÏõæÇ áöÂÏóãó
ÝóÓóÌóÏõæÇ ÅöáøóÇ ÅöÈúáöíÓó áóãú íóßõä ãøöäó
ÇáÓøóÇÌöÏöíäó
(ÇáÃÚúÑóÇÝõ ¡ 7: 11).
It is He Who created you, proportioned you, and
straightened you up (7) In whatever
image He willed,
He has assembled you (8) (Al-Infitar, 82: 8).
And We created you, then We
fashioned you (in the
human form). Then, We said to the angels, "Prostrate
to Adam." So, they prostrated, except for Iblees
(Satan), who was not of those who prostrated
(Al-A’araf, 7: 11).
Fashioning of images is also a reference to the
first creation, in which the Creator, praise to Him,
made humans on the best of images, in comparison
with His other creations (Ghafir, 40: 64;
Al-Taghabun, 64: 3). However, during the second
creation, in the womb, fashioning points to God’s
will, in the selection of the genetic heredity of
the fetus from parents and relatives, to form its
internal structure and its external image.
[49]
Çááøóåõ ÇáøóÐöí ÌóÚóáó áóßõãõ ÇáúÃóÑúÖó ÞóÑóÇÑðÇ
æóÇáÓøóãóÇÁó ÈöäóÇÁð æóÕóæøóÑóßõãú
ÝóÃóÍúÓóäó
ÕõæóÑóßõãú (ÛóÇÝöÑõ ¡ 40: 64).
ÎóáóÞó ÇáÓøóãóÇæóÇÊö æóÇáúÃóÑúÖó ÈöÇáúÍóÞøö
æóÕóæøóÑóßõãú
ÝóÃóÍúÓóäó ÕõæóÑóßõãú ۖ æóÅöáóíúåö
ÇáúãóÕöíÑõ (ÇáÊøóÛóÇÈõäõ ¡ 64: 3).
åõæó ÇáøóÐöí
íõÕóæøöÑõßõãú Ýöí ÇáúÃóÑúÍóÇãö
ßóíúÝó íóÔóÇÁõ ۚ áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó ÇáúÚóÒöíÒõ
ÇáúÍóßöíãõ (Âáö ÚöãúÑóÇäó ¡ 3: 6).
It is Allah who made for you the Earth a place of
settlement, and the sky a (ceiling) structure, and
fashioned you, and
made your images the best …
(Ghafir, 40: 64).
He created the heavens and the Earth in truth,
and fashioned you, and
made your images the best,
and to Him is the (final) destination (Al-Taghabun,
64: 3).
It is He who fashions you in the wombs however He
wills. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in
Might, the Wise (Al-i-‘Imran, 3: 6).
In his book, “Al-Asna,” Al-Qurtubi mentioned
explanations from three interpreters before him, for
this Good Name of Allah, "Al-Musawwir." Ibn
Al-‘Arabi’s defined it as the One Who made His
creations on different images. Al-Khattabi explained
differences as a way to enable people to know each
other. Ibn Al-‘Hassar mentioned that this Name
includes all necessary characteristics which are
required in the invention and fashioning of images.
These are capability, knowledge, selection, wisdom,
and expertise. This means that fashioning of images
comes after creation, as stated in stated in the
Holy Quran: “We created you, then we fashioned you”
(Al-A’araf, 7: 11).
Thus, "Al-Musawwir," praise to Him, is the One
Who fashions His creations as He wills, in wonderful
systems, which enables them to function internally
in the best way possible, and to look externally in
the best of images, whether these are living beings
or heavenly formations.
It is noteworthy that in our time (15th Hijri
Century / 21st Century AD), the Arabic name
"Al-Musawwir" has a different meaning from that
which has been mentioned above. It refers to the
photographer, who uses a camera to produce
photographs of people, animals, plants, and natural
sceneries.
As such, he/she cannot be called a "Musawwir,"
because he/she does not intervene in making the
internal structure and the external images of the
objects which he/she photographs, as this Good Name
of Allah conveys. Instead, a more accurate name for
such a person should be a “recorder of images” or a
“reflector,” as the camera reflects the images of
the photographed objects.
Likewise, the sculptor, who makes statues and
sculptures, cannot be called a "Musawwir," as
thought by Al-Qurtubi. Though he/she mimics the
external images of subjects, he/she does not
intervene in making their internal structures. In
addition, such statues are lifeless, compared with
the living creations of Allah, Who shapes their
internal structure and external images.
The closest meaning of this Good Name of Allah
can be explained by the possible jobs done by
various teams of machine makers. Making cars, for
example, depends initially on the work of a team of
designers, who come up with the ideas which they
envision in a future car design. Then, another team
may be tasked with the job of finding the right
measurements and sizes of the machine components. A
third team may write down or/and draw the
instructions or design of the machine components,
including measurements, sizes, and other details. A
fourth team may implement the written instructions
or the drawn design, in what is known as
manufacturing of the machine components and
assembling them together. Finally, a fifth team
tests the machine performance and functionality, to
make sure that it does what it is supposed to be
doing.
Applying knowledge about this Good Name of Allah
is by calling upon Him, with it, saying: “Allahumma,
anta Al-Musawwir” (O, Allah, You are the Fashioner,
the Shaper), praise to You, there is no other god
but You. I am asking you to grant me healthy
offspring, with the best of images, so they can
worship You in the best way they can and do the best
of deeds.
Nobody should be named as “Al- Musawwir,” with
the definite article (Al), or without it, as only
Allah, praise to Him, is the Fashioner (Shaper) of
His creations, including humans, whom He made in the
best of proportions and images. However, a boy can
be named as “Abdul-Musawwir” (Worshipper of the
Fashioner), which is an appreciation for this great
and exclusive capability of Allah and a recognition
of his worship to His Creator.
Believers can benefit from the meanings of this
Good Name of Allah by preparing well before starting
any work they want to do. This means that they
should have a clear vision about both of its content
and its form. The internal content should show that
its components are in harmony and function properly,
and the external form should be pleasant to see and
suitable to the environment it will be performing
in.
***
27.
Ghafir
Al-Dthanb
(pronounced as ghafirudth
dthanbi):
Forgiver of Sin
ÛóÇÝöÑõ
ÇáÐøóäúÈö
This Good Name of Allah includes the underlined English
letters "gh," which represent the twelfth letter
of the Arabic alphabet. This letter is pronounced the
same way Parisians in France pronounce the letter -r-).
There are seven Good Names of Allah, which are derived
from the same root verb, “ghafara” (to forgive).
These are "Ghafir Al-Dthanb" (Forgiver of
Sin), “Al-Ghafour” (the Perpetual Forgiver), “Al-Ghaffar”
(the Most Forgiving), “Khayr Al-Ghafireen”
(the Best of Forgivers), Dthu Al-Maghfirah (the One with
Forgiveness), “Wasi'ul Maghfirah” (the Vast in
Forgiveness), and “Ahlul Maghfirah” (the Source
of Forgiveness).
The root verb “ghafara” means to forgive and to
pardon, while shielding a wrongdoing from becoming known
publicly. Ibn Katheer explained that when Allah forgives
people, He pardons them without making their wrongdoing
known to others. Al-Qurtubi elaborated,
mentioning that forgiveness is a promise that Allah,
praise to Him, made to the believers who proclaim that
there is no other god but Him. He further differentiated
between the meanings of the first three Good Names of
Allah. “Ghafir Al-Dthanb (Forgiver of Sin)
is the One Who waives sins and shields shortcomings of
sinners. “Al-Ghaffar” (the Abundantly Forgiving)
is the One Who goes too far in forgiving people and
hiding their shortcomings. “Al-Ghafour” (the
Forgiving) is the One Who does forgiveness countless
times, while shielding the wrongdoing and shortcomings
of His worshippers.
The first of these seven Good Names of Allah, "Ghafir
Al-Dthanb" (the Forgiver of Sin), was mentioned
once
in the Holy Quran, together with three other compound
Good Names of Allah. Three of these names refer to His
forgiveness and generosity towards His worshipper, as
well as to acceptance of their repentance. However, the
fourth Name refers to the severity of His punishment
towards the disbelievers, on the Day of Reckoning, which
they are destined to have (Ghafir, 40: 3).
ÛóÇÝöÑö
ÇáÐøóäÈö
æóÞóÇÈöáö ÇáÊøóæúÈö ÔóÏöíÏö ÇáúÚöÞóÇÈö Ðöí ÇáØøóæúáö ۖ
áóÇ Åöáóٰåó ÅöáøóÇ åõæó ۖ Åöáóíúåö ÇáúãóÕöíÑõ
(ÛóÇÝöÑõ ¡
40: 3).
The
Forgiver
of Sin,
Acceptor of Repentance, Severe in Punishment, Owner of
Abundance: There is no deity except Him; to Him is the
destination (Ghafir, 40:
3).
Allah, praise to Him, tells us that He forgives all
sins, for whoever He wills, except polytheism
(associating others as gods with Him), which is an
abject fabrication, a tremendous sin (Al-Nisa, 4: 48),
and going far astray (Al-Nisa, 4: 116).
Åöäøó Çááøóåó
áóÇ íóÛúÝöÑõ
Ãóä íõÔúÑóßó Èöåö æóíóÛúÝöÑõ
ãóÇ Ïõæäó Ðóٰáößó áöãóä íóÔóÇÁõ ۚ æóãóä íõÔúÑößú
ÈöÇááøóåö ÝóÞóÏö ÇÝúÊóÑóìٰ ÅöËúãðÇ ÚóÙöíãðÇ
ý (ÇáäøöÓóÇÁõ
¡
4:
48).
Åöäøó Çááøóåó
áóÇ íóÛúÝöÑõ
Ãóä íõÔúÑóßó Èöåö æóíóÛúÝöÑõ
ãóÇ Ïõæäó Ðóٰáößó áöãóä íóÔóÇÁõ ۚ æóãóä íõÔúÑößú
ÈöÇááøóåö ÝóÞóÏú Öóáøó ÖóáóÇáðÇ ÈóÚöíÏðÇ
ý(ÇáäøöÓóÇÁõ
¡
4:
116).
Indeed, Allah
does not forgive
association with Him, but
He forgives
what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who
associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a
tremendous sin (Al-Nisa, 4: 48).
Indeed, Allah
does not forgive
association with Him, but
He forgives
what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who
associates others with Allah has certainly gone far
astray (Al-Nisa, 4: 116).
The rationale for the principle of forgiveness is
straightening up the life of individuals and society at
large. Otherwise, people may
continue committing sins and wrongdoing, which may
corrupt society and lead to the downfall of the human
civilization on Earth. Instead, the promise of
forgiveness gives the disobedient sinners the hope of
pardoning them, which may lead them to stop committing
sins and return back to their Lord, Who promised them
forgiveness if they repent and call on Him, asking for
forgiveness. They have been promised that their sins
will be forgiven, as long as they do not associate other
gods with Allah, praise to Him, as we learn from the two
verses mentioned above and from the ‘Hadith of the
Prophet, pbbuh, which was narrated by Anas Bin Malik,
mAbpwh.
The rationale for the principle of forgiveness is
straightening up the life of individuals and society at
large. Otherwise, people may
continue committing sins and wrongdoing, which may
corrupt society and lead to the downfall of the human
civilization on Earth. Instead, the promise of
forgiveness gives the disobedient sinners the hope of
pardoning them, which may lead them to stop committing
sins and return back to their Lord, Who promised them
forgiveness if they repent and call upon Him, asking for
forgiveness. They have been promised that their sins
will be forgiven, as long as they do not associate other
gods with Allah, praise to Him, as we learn from the two
verses mentioned above and from the Qudsi ‘Hadith of the
Prophet, pbbuh, in which Allah was mentioned to have
said: “O child of Adam, whenever you call on Me and ask
Me (for forgiveness), I forgive you, and I don’t mind.”
[50]
In addition, God’s promise of forgiveness encourages
people to perform the ways of worship and the good
deeds, which result in great benefits to the performing
individuals and their societies. This was mentioned in
the ‘Hadith, in which the Messenger of Allah, pbbuh,
said: “Whoever fasts (the month of) Ramadhan, out of
faith and anticipation (for reward in the hereafter),
his previous sins will be forgiven.”
[51]
|