"And to Allah belongs the most beautiful names, call him by them…" (EMQ 7: 180)
"Verily Allah has ninety-nine names, a hundred less one. Whosoever memorises them (and understands them) has entered Paradise." (Saheeh Muslim #2677)
For the Muwahhid (Monotheist i.e. Muslim) there is no need for him to call anyone other than Allah (swt). This is because firstly it is Shirk, and secondly because Allah (swt) has ninety-nine beautiful names and thus has left us with no excuse to call upon anyone other than him.
There are many virtues of studying the names and attributes of Allah (swt). The hadeeth which has been mentioned above gives us more than enough encouragement and motivation to learn His names and attributes; but there are also worldly benefits in doing so. Knowledge of Allah's names and attributes will shape and influence the personality and behaviour of a Muslim. It will also motivate him to meet his lord, depend on him, understand him and know what he (swt) likes and dislikes.
As the old saying goes, 'if you love someone you will know everything about him/her.' How much do we really know about Allah (swt)? We claim that we love none but him, but do we really know what angers him and what pleases him?
Before we study Allah's names and attributes, we must first be aware and understand the purpose of studying His names and attributes. There are two main purposes of studying the names and attributes of Allah (swt):
1. To have knowledge about Him i.e. who we are calling and relying upon 2. To know what He likes and dislikes
The reason why we must learn about what Allah (swt) likes and dislikes is in order for us to abstain from those things which He detests. We must also only love those whom He loves, and hate whom He hates. This is the nature of true love as you can never ally with the one who hates the one you love.
Al-Asmaa' was-Sifaat – The names and attributes
A person could be so stingy but his name could be Kareem (generous). This is an example which is very common today. People often have names which do not suit them at all. However, this is completely the opposite with the names of Allah (swt). All of His names suit him and describe Him in the best way.
There is a difference between the names and attributes of Allah, in the sense that Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah believe that from Allah's names we can derive attributes, but from His attributes we cannot derive any name. For example, Allah has the name ar-Rahmaan (the Merciful) and He has the attribute of Rahmah (mercy). Therefore ar-Rahmaan is His name and Rahmah is His attribute.
However, Allah (swt) describes himself with certain attributes, such as plotting against the Kuffaar. Allah says:
"…They plotted and Allah plotted, and Allah is the best of those who plot" (EMQ 8: 30).
In this verse Allah describes himself with an attribute of plotting. And indeed He does plot against the Kuffaar and Munaafiqeen. However, from this attribute of His, we cannot call him al-Maakir (the one who plots); despite the fact that He plots against the enemies of Islam.
Likewise, Allah (swt) says in the Qur'aan that he will terrorise the Kuffaar because of the Shirk they commit. However, this does not mean that we can call Him the Terrorist. This is because Allah (swt) did not give himself this name, despite the fact that it is one of His attributes i.e. to terrorise. Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah only affirms to Allah what He affirms to himself and negates what Allah negates.
Another example of this principle is that Allah (swt) has the attribute of loving and hating. However, despite this fact we cannot call Him the Lover of the Hater. This is because Allah never gave himself these names and neither did His final messenger to mankind (saw). Therefore, to conclude; we can derive attributes from His names, but we cannot derives names from His attributes.
Some fruits of studying the names and attributes of Allah
1. You will love what He (swt) loves
When you love someone, you would want to know everything about them, spend time with them and like what they like, hate what they hate. If we love Allah as we should, we should also love His attributes. Allah (swt) says, "I forbid upon myself oppression." Therefore, out of love to Him we should also hate oppression; this is because you can never love someone and also love what they hate. The fact that Allah (swt) is generous, it should also make us generous as we love whatever our Lord loves.
2. You will always feel secure and be loved by Allah (swt)
The Messenger Muhammad (saw) said:
"When Allaah loves a servant he calls Jibreel and says to him, ‘I love so and so, so love him...’’ (Al-Bukhaari #7485)
Therefore loving what Allah loves will make you closer to Him. And the one who is close to Allah, He (swt) will put love into the hearts of the angels for that person and Allah (swt) will always shadow that person with His protection and mercy.
3. Your Taqwaa and Eemaan will increase
Knowing Allah's names such as al-'Aleem, as-Samee' and al-Baseer will always make you think twice before you try to commit any sin. This is because when you know that Allah is al-'Aleem (the Most Knowledgeable) you will always be aware that nothing will ever happen without Allah to know about it. Also, when you know that Allah (swt) is as-Samee' (the All-Hearer) and al-Baseer (the All-Seer), your chances of doing haraam will decline completely as you will be aware that Allah hears and sees every single thing that you say and do.
4. You will never despair and lose hope in Allah
When you know that Allah (swt) is al-Ghafoor (the Forgiver) and ar-Rahmaan, you will never lose hope in Allah (swt) as you know that he is always ready to accept our repentance. Therefore the true Muwahhid will never lose hope in his Lord or start to think that he will never be forgiven and it is too late for him to change.
5. You will never feel weak and over powered
When you know that Allah (swt) is al-'Azeez (the Almighty), al-Qahhaar (the Dominator), al-Mutakabbir (the Arrogant), you will never feel humiliated, weak or defeated by seeing the artilleries, numbers or weaponry of the Kuffaar. This is because no matter how power they seem to be, nobody can match with the power of Almighty Allah.
They maybe dominating us at the moment but Allah (swt) is al-Qahhaar and will dominate them in this dunyaa and in the Hereafter for eternity. And no matter how arrogant they may seem, Allah (swt) is al-Mutakabbir and he will be arrogant with them in the Hereafter when he makes them taste one of his most fierce of creations – Jahannam.
There are many more fruits and virtues of studying Allah's names and attributes, but in order to gain these you must study and understand every single one of his names.
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