THE 99 NAMES OF ALLAH
Table of ContentsWhat concept do Muslims have of Allah? Who is he, whom they seek to worship?
In his struggle against heathen polytheism in Mecca and its surroundings, Muhammad waged a merciless campaign against all gods, idols and images. He stubbornly taught: "Allah is One! All other gods are nothing!" He had accepted this basic monotheistic faith of the Jews who were living in the Arabian Peninsula because they had been exiled from their homeland by the Romans. Influenced by them, Muhammad freed the Arab world from idolatry in line with what the Old Testament prophets had demanded (Sura al-Ikhlas 112:1-5).
The first half of the Islamic creed makes a sharp distinction between the Oneness of God and the claims of religions and magical cults which teach that other gods exist besides Allah. Millions of Muslims daily confess, "There is no God but Allah!" This testimony is the very core of the Islamic faith. Whoever does not assent unconditionally to this dogma is considered by Muslims a godless idolater. Every theological assertion that does not submit to this principle is rejected without question.
Muhammad did not merely testify to the uniqueness of Allah, but also described him with a variety of names. The Islamic theologians have systematised all statements of the Qur'an about Allah, including his attributes and acts, into "the 99 most beautiful names of Allah". The names do not occur in equal frequency in the Qur'an. Several are mentioned a hundred times, others once or twice, and some are found only implicitly as we read between the lines. All Arabic adjectives can be understood as nouns, so that in the Qur'an every attribute of Allah simultaneously expresses one of his names.
Whoever painstakingly attempts to sort through these names of Allah according to their significance and frequency moves closer to the realm of Muhammad's thoughts and ideas.
Allah is the Omniscient One with infinite wisdom. He hears all and sees all. He understands all and encompasses everything.
He is Omnipotent and his strength is unlimited, powerful enough to both build up and to destroy.
Therefore, he is the sublime and exalted one above everything, great and immeasurable, magnificent and almighty. No one is equal to him.
He is the living one, every existing, unending, everlasting, eternal, the first and the last, the one and the only one, the incomparably beautiful one.
Thus he is praiseworthy and excellent, the holy one, light and peace. He is the true reality and the foundation of everything.
Allah is the one who created everything out of nothing by the strength of his word. He brought everything into being, and to him we shall all return. He creates life and causes death (Sura al-A`raf 7:44). He will raise the dead and unite the universe.
Therefore, he is the sovereign lord and king to whom the universe belongs. He exalts and he abases. He is the defender and the destroyer. He is the guide and the tempter. He saves whom he wills and condemns whom he wishes (Suras al-A`raf 7:44, al-Anfal 8:27, al-Nahl 16:35, al-Insan 76:32).
Above all this, he is called the compassionate and merciful one, and yet he is also the avenger. He has recorded everything precisely and will be the incorruptible and indisputable witness on the day of judgement. He is the best of all judges and will present each man with an exact bill of reckoning.
His overwhelming authority may open the door to success or hinder the progress of an event. He has everything and everyone in his hand. He opens and closes the doors. Nothing takes place without his will. He does not need a mediator. Everything depends directly on him.
He is also benevolent and patient, faithful and kind to the Muslims. He is the generous giver of all gifts and abilities. From him alone comes provision for all mankind. He who possesses everything makes people wealthy and protects all who glorify him. He is favourable to them and will be a guardian over all who worship him.
He acknowledges those who repent, and forgives because he is the forgiving one. He is gracious toward the Muslims and establishes a good relationship with them. But no Muslim can be certain whether the good attributes of Allah are directed toward him personally, or whether Allah's harsh and devastating side will eventually strike him. Often, the names of Allah are merely ascribed to him by believers in wishful thinking rather than as certainties. His more oppressive and frightening attributes create fear in people and drive them to do everything possible to keep the law. Poverty and illness are regarded as signs of Allah's wrath for their hidden sins. By the same token, riches, success and people's esteem in the Muslim society are taken as indications of favour from the One who alone makes rich, and who honours his worshippers with blessings. Some Muslims today say, "Because we have remained faithful to Allah for 1,300 years, he has rewarded us with the oil."
When we turn away from all such confusing and frustrating names of Allah and ask an ordinary Muslim, "Tell me, who is your God? What do you think and feel, when you hear the name of Allah?" He may possibly smile, spread out his arms and only say "ALLAH!" This means: Allah cannot be proved or described. One can only sense him and know about his existence. And then perhaps he may confirm this intuitive understanding with the phrase, "Allahu akbar!"
In this statement we have the abridged form of the Islamic creed, which is on the lips of millions many times a day. With this testimony Khomeini's revolutionary guards ran blindly into mine fields knowing they will be torn to shreds. From the loudspeakers of the minarets these words are repeated forty times a day over shops, homes, schools, factories and government buildings. Yet this phrase is not complete in itself, but is only a portion of a sentence. It does not mean, as it is sometimes translated, "Allah is great" or "Allah is the greatest." Its literal meaning is "Allah is greater!" Every listener should then, albeit unconsciously, complete the thought: Allah is wiser than all philosophers, more beautiful than the most fascinating view, stronger than all atomic and hydrogen bombs together, and greater than anything we know. Allah is the unique, unexplorable and inexplicable one - the remote, vast and unknown God. Everything we may think about him is incomplete, if not wrong. Allah cannot be comprehended. He comprehends us. We are slaves who have only the privilege to worship him in fear.
Islam stands for a renunciation of the rationalism that prevails in Europe and America. For a long time it was one of the characteristics of Islamic theology that Allah could not be described philosophically. There was not even a desire to comprehend him and to fathom his being (Sura al-Ra`d 13:13).
Understanding this brings us to a crucial statement, expressed by the Islamic theologian al-Ghazali. He had meditated a great deal on "the 99 excellent names of God". He wrote that these names can mean everything and yet nothing. One name of Allah can negate another and the content of one may be included in the next. No one can understand Allah. Devout believers therefore can only worship this unknown, superdimensional God and live before him in fear and reverence, observing all his laws in strict obedience
