Names of Allah - introduction

[نسيم الفجر]

 

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT
?ALLAH, OUR CREATOR

Who created you? Who granted you your body, your eyes, or
the color of your hair? Who determined the shape of your body or
the color of your eyes? Who created all other people, the heavens,
Earth, and every living being in between? Who determined the
order of the planets, the Sun, and the stars in the depths of space?
Your answers to all these questions will be the same: “Allah.”
When asked to other people, they will also answer: “Allah.” Indeed,
Allah informs us in the Qur’an that people will confess this fact, as
follows:
If you ask them: “Who created the heavens and Earth and
made the Sun and Moon subservient?” They will say:
“Allah.” So how have they been deluded [away from the
truth]? (Surat al-‘Ankabut, 29:61)
So, how well do you know our Creator, Who planned you and
the entire universe with a delicate equilibrium? Are you aware that
He sees and hears you every moment and knows your every act?
Where do you think Allah is? Did He create you and then leave you
to your own devices? Does He tell you how to live? Can you see
Him? Has anyone talked with Him? What other creatures did He
create? What kind of a life does He promise after death?
No doubt, many similar questions may be raised and you may
answer them in your own way. While doing so, you will rely on
what you have learned from your family or relatives, the people surrounding
you, or the books you have read. Well, have you ever wondered
if their answers are correct?
Everyone may put forward different views about Allah.

Conditioned by his education, a philosopher may formulate a definition
that relies on his favorite philosophers’ views. A housewife
who is truly ignorant of Allah believes in what she hears from her
neighbors. A writer who writes about Allah may have received no
theological training or even not know a single verse of the Qur’an,
His final revelation to humanity. Yet anybody who reads his book
considers its every line as if it were absolutely correct, internalizes it,
and, with great confidence, tells it to other people. The majority of
people never wonder if what they have heard is incorrect or mistaken.
We need to remember that humanity is fallible and, therefore,
people may act ignorantly. For this reason, in our endeavor to know
Allah, we turn to the Qur’an, the most reliable and unique source,
the just Book in which Allah explains everything a person needs to
know. When we refer to it for the answer to the above questions, we
see that Allah is everywhere. He is nearer to you than your jugular
vein, witnesses and sees everything you do, hears every word you
utter, knows your innermost prayer, and is beside you at every moment.
Furthermore, Allah talks to His servants with whom He
wishes to speak. For instance, the Qur’an relates that He talked to
Prophet Musa (as) and preferred him to all other human beings alive
at that time. Allah also created angels and jinn, as well as the afterlife,
where each individual will have an eternal existence in the
Hereafter. Allah also explains how we should live in order to attain
Paradise after death.
This book, written to introduce you Allah, seeks to replace the
vague, flawed, and insignificant information that you may have acquired
over the years with the genuine faith described in the Qur’an
so that you may come to know Allah, the All-Mighty, better and
draw nearer to Him. Allah introduces Himself to humanity through

the Qur’an He sent down 1,400 years ago and informs us of His
beautiful names. The various examples and explanations contained
therein display Allah’s infinite wisdom, intelligence, and artistry.
The verses provided under each of Allah’s names are from
Allah, Who mentions and then explains that particular name. Under
each name, you will find concise explanations reflecting the viewpoints
that will remind you of some details about the name in question.
Although these explanations are inadequate, for many
volumes could be written about just one of His names, we will limit
ourselves to concise ponderings that will broaden the reader’s viewpoint.

The Names of Allah

only conveys what is written in the Qur’an,

for we have no knowledge about His names other than what He
teaches us. Those that are out of our knowledge are, as is the case
with everything else, in our Lord’s Sight:
They said: “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except
what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the All-
Wise.” (Surat al-Baqara, 2:32)

Haru Yahya