It is a very difficult task to truly love someone, and be in awe, and have respect, and care for them or be conscious of them if you have no idea of who they are. Just the way this applies to people and our relationships in this world, this applies to our relationships with Allah. If we have no idea of who Allah is, then our worship isn't as meaningful and our relationship with Allah is not very strong.
"Allah - there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best names." [20:8]
Allah has helped us get to know him, subhana wa ta'ala, through 99 very powerful names to help us get to know more about our creator. There are some names of Allah that most of us are familiar with such as Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem, Al Alim but then there are also some names that many of us may not be familiar with. The goal of this short series is to familiarize ourselves with the less commonly known names of Allah, inshAllah, so that through them we can develop a more personal relationship with Allah and add more quality in our du'as by calling out to Allah with these names, inshAllah.
Ash-Shahid
“…But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?” [41:53]
Ash-Shahid is one name of Allah that many people are not familiar with. In the above ayah in the Qur'an, Allah uses this name of His to give us a reminder that is so tremendous. A simple question is being posed, Is Allah not enough of a witness? Today, what do people do to hide themselves of a crime? They’ll put masks on, they will impersonate someone else, they will bribe people into not telling. They will go through such lengths to make sure that something stays hidden or stay a secret, but why? Because guess who already knew your every move? Ash-Shahid, the one that witnesses everything.
We all know this. We were all taught this in Sunday school. But how often do we practically apply this? *Reminder to myself first. Whether its when that guy sends you a message on chat at one o clock in the morning for no reason, or whether you are backbiting that person with your friend even though no one else is there…Allah is Ash-Shahid. When it comes to thoughts, we are not held accountable for the things we think, or the things that cross our mind, but what if Allah did play out all our thoughts? What a scary thought, right? Yet at this very moment Allah knows our thoughts.
Another thing that this name reminds me of is when we reflect on all the oppression and torture that is taking place in the world today. Whether it is the ongoing struggle in Palestine, or the uprisings in Egypt, or the situation in Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Burma or Syria...there is so much bloodshed of the Muslims, so much oppression going on and sometimes we start to question how these eveil dictators are just getting away with it? These kinds of oppressors are just sitting around while their victims, often times innocent women and children are being slaughtered but we have to remember that Allah is witnessing there every move, their every murder, their every arrogant thought. Nothing is going unnoticed by Allah. No pain, no ache, no injustice occurs except that Allah has witnessed it and it will be brought to account and that's very comforting...Allah is always witnessing everything- your voice is never unheard.
Al-Haqq
“That is because Allah is the Truth and because He gives life to the dead and because He is over all things competent” [22:6]
This name of Allah is mentioned in the above ayah that is in Surah Hajj. What is really amazing about the ayah above where Allah mentions that he is the truth, is that right before this, Allah had described the human development in such beautiful detail...
"O People, if you should be in doubt about the
Resurrection, then [consider that] indeed, We created you from dust, then from
a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot, and then from a lump of flesh, formed
and unformed - that We may show you. And We settle in the wombs whom We will
for a specified term, then We bring you out as a child, and then [We develop
you] that you may reach your [time of] maturity. And among you is he who is
taken in [early] death, and among you is he who is returned to the most
decrepit [old] age so that he knows, after [once having] knowledge, nothing.
And you see the earth barren, but when We send down upon it rain, it quivers
and swells and grows [something] of every beautiful kind.” [22:5]
Allah describes the way we develop into the forms that we are today and how we once started out so small...we get older, start to think we know so much...and then Allah returns us to a state of old age, where we start acting childish and go back to nothing again. SubhanAllah. And then Allah mentions in the next ayah that he is the truth. When you read this description of how we were created and the whole cycle of life, you cannot help but realize that there is no truth but God. There is not a human being that controls our development and controls death but it is only Allah that is in control of those things and just like that, we will be resurrected again. So seeing this process and reflecting on it, helps us come of the conclusion and helps us realize that Allah truly is as his characteristic states...Al-Haqq, the truth.
Another things about this name is that it is opposite the meaning of falsehood- it is the opposite of that. Allah is the Haqq, the only real truth. And think about this, you know Allah is the real Haqq? That through everything and anything, Allah is the one that exists. What is the haqq of us humans? We are here one day and the next day we’re not? What is the haqq of us humans? We are friends one day, the next day we’re not. One day we’re merciful, the next day we’re not. But Allah, the Haqq is ALWAYS there, ALWAYS merciful, ALWAYS is hakeem, is wise. All the names of Allah ALWAYS are true about Allah where as we humans, our characteristics may waiver from time to time.
Al-Wakeel
“And rely upon Allah ; and sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.” [33:3]
Wakeel is sometimes translated is trusting, or lawyer and what does a lawyer do? A lawyer takes care of something on your behalf right? Like you want them to do something for you, you pay them, and they try to take care of that matter or that problem for you right? So Allah, Al-Wakeel is trusting, he is a lawyer, He does everything for us, yet asks for nothing monetary, all Allah asks for is some sincerity, some gratefulness.
Allah is wakeel over anything. Allah fulfills all our needs, maybe not that very second because we have to remember that at the same time Allah is Al-Hakeem, the wise so maybe you going to that conference on that weekend wasn’t best for you so Allah didn’t fulfill that because maybe he was protecting you from something else. Blessing in disguise. So, thus, Allah still is taking care of all of our needs.
In times of distress, upon who else will you call other than Allah, who will actually make a difference? Ranting to your friends might maybe help you share it with someone, maybe get some advice but at the end of the day, who can actually bring about change…Allah. And upon Allah we need to leave our trusts. Upon Allah we need to rely on and leave our affairs.
Al-Baqi'
This name of Allah describes Allah's characteristic of being the ever lasting, the ever enduring.
"Indeed, we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins and what you compelled us [to do] of magic. And Allah is better and more enduring.” 20:73
As humans, the concept of infinity and everlasting, although we know its meaning, cannot be fully understood because everything on this earth has its appointed time. On that day that the horn will blow, everyone will pass away but Allah will remain. Allah will never come to an end as he has no beginning. Time is of no relevance to Allah, Allah created time. All of creation is brought to life, lives and dies. Anything that has been created will come to an end, except for the one who created all of creation, Allah, Al-Baqi.
This name is hard to elaborate on because our minds cannot go past what we know and there is nothing that we know equivalent to Allah. We have understanding of the created but Allah is not created, he is the creator.
Al-Warith
The root word of the Attribute “al-Warith” is “waratha,” which means inherited. Allah will inherit all beings after their extinction, He is the only one who remains when all else comes to an end, the one whom all returns, the one who has ownership of all that has ever been created ,
“And indeed, it is We who give life and cause death, and We are the Inheritor.” [15:23]
Allah is the sole Inheritor of Earth. Until the day we die, we strive for dunya-things such as wealth and success but when we face the angel of death, this will be all gone. Today we put so much emphasis on becoming a successful individual, no matter what field, as long as we grow up to own our own house, with our own car and our own things. Success, Success, Success! And this ideology of success triumphing everything else has also lingered into the Muslim community. Some parents care more about their child becoming a doctor than they do about obligatory Islamic acts. A child will come home with a “C” and the parent will scold him, telling him that “muslims are not dumb” but when the child misses multiple prayers, the reaction is not the same. Personally I have met students whose parents would not let them fast during school although it was Ramadan because the student needs to concentrate. What messages are we sending our children? That success is more important than Islam? That achieving the highest degree comes before the decrees of our lord? This way of thinking produces people, who believe that they will live their young life to be successful and become religious when they are old, people who care more about things that give no benefit to them on that faithful day, and people who do not understand that Allah is Al-Warith, the sole inheritor.
We think we own something but all of these things that we are sacrificing our Islam for will not come with us but will be left behind on this earth. All of the wealth, status, and respect enjoyed in this world is temporary. You can’t take your money, purses, or cars in the grave with you, you are a bare body in the earth. Allah is the sole inheritor of all that is created.
We think we own something but all of these things that we are sacrificing our Islam for will not come with us but will be left behind on this earth. All of the wealth, status, and respect enjoyed in this world is temporary. You can’t take your money, purses, or cars in the grave with you, you are a bare body in the earth. Allah is the sole inheritor of all that is created.
An-Nur
"Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things." [24:35]
This name alludes to Allah being the ultimate light, a light that is not from any other light, a perfect light. Allah is a light that is free from any such defects. Light is the purest things we know and one of the most precious, without light everything we know would be nonexistent. Imagine life without light, there would be no light. Even the light of a fire is a blessing, because it is a source of heat as it is a source of light. But this is only physical light which is not perfect, it is dependent on space and time. The light of Allah is perfect, it is not kindled from other lights and free from any defects. Allah is An-Nur, Allah provides the light to the entire universe, faces, minds, and hearts to his creation. Allah is the source of all light in the heavens and on earth, there is not a light that is not from Allah and Allah alone. And everything from Allah is a source of his light such as the Quran and his messengers. These are sources of light that have been sent to us to guide us to the ultimate light, Allah, because only through his light can we reach the ultimate sustenance-JANNAH.
“Allahumma: Put light in my heart, light in my tongue, light in my sight, light in my hearing, light on my right, light on my left, light above me, light beneath me, light in front of me, and light behind me. Put light in my soul, and give me great light.” (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
