The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah

50 Pages·2015·0.62 MB·English

The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah

The Beautiful Names and
Attributes of Allah
along with brief explanation

Compiled By
Muhammad Gaffer Ibn Abdul Goffur

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The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah

In The Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

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The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah

"And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic
Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation).
Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not
believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in
humiliation!"

[Surah Ghafir 40:60]

"Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when
he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth,
generations after generations. Is there any ilah (god) with Allah? Little is that
you remember!"

[Surah An-Naml 27:62]

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The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah

The Amir al-Mu'minin Abu Hafs 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra) said:

"I heard the Messenger of Allah [ﷺ] saying, 'Actions are only by
intentions, and each man has only that which he intends. Whoever's
emigration is for Allah and His Messenger, then his emigration is for Allah and
His Messenger. Whoever's emigration is for some worldly gain which he can
acquire or a woman he will marry, then his emigration is for that which he
emigrates."

[al-Bukhari & Muslim]

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The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah

Mentioned With Transliteration Meaning

Allah's Name Subhanahu wa ta'ala He is exalted above
weakness and indignity
Allah's Name 'Azza wa-Jal He is exalted and
glorified
Allah's Name Jalla Jalaluh Exalted is His glory
Prophet Muhammad Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa May Allah's peace and
sallam blessings be on him
Prophets and Angels 'Alayh is-Salam Peace be on him
A Male Companion Radiya 'Llahu 'anhu May Allah be pleased
with him
A Female Companion Radiya 'Llahu 'anha May Allah be pleased
with her
Two Companion Radiya 'Llahu May Allah be pleased
'anhuma with them
More Than Two Radiya 'Llahu 'anhum May Allah be pleased
Companions with them
A Past Scholar or Righteous Rahimahu 'Llah May Allah have mercy
Muslim on him

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The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah

Acknowledgement

All Praise and thanks be to Allah! We praise and thank Him, ask Him for His Help and
Forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and the mischief of
our deeds. He whom Allah guides will not be misled, and he whom Allah misleads will
never have a guide. I testify that there is no deity but Allah alone, without any partners,
and that Muhammad is His 'Abd (worshiper) and Messenger.

Putting together a work of this nature is a monumental task that obviously takes more
effort than that of a translator and editor. As is always, to mention all those who aided
me with their various input would be an equally lengthy task. But, of course, a few
people stand out for their significant commitment in making this book a success. Special
thanks to my Parents, Wife & Khayer Uncle.

Of course, first and last, all praise and thanks are due to Allah (SWT), may He (AWJ)
forgive us for any mistakes and show us the right path. Aameen.

Muhammad Gaffer Ibn Abdul Goffur
July 15, 2015

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The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah

All praise is due to Allah. O Allah, send prayers and salutations upon the Messenger
Muhammad, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his
guidance
By the Will of the Almighty, I am going to write on this beautiful and valuable subject
which shall cover Allah's Names and Attributes with along the benefits of those and
some others rulings as well which many of us [Muslims] have taken very lightly whereas
they are but extremely important to know about. It is because, Belief in Allah's Names
and Attributes is one of the pillars of our belief in Allah [SWT] and having the opposite
belief may nullify one's identity of Islam and can be the final abode as Hell-fire. may
Allah protect us from ignorance, enrich us with divine Knowledge and guide us to the
goodness in both Worlds.
It is known that believing in the Oneness of Allah's Names and Attributes is one of the
three categories of Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism): Tawheed of Lordship, Tawheed of
Worship, and Tawheed of Allah's Names and Attributes.
According to the Islamic Creed, Monotheism consists of three major elements, and
without any of them no one can have or attain Faith. They are as follow:
1. Tawhidur-Rububiyyah (Maintaining the Oneness of Allah's Lordship).
2. Tawhidul-Uluhiyyah (Maintaining the Oneness of Allah's Divinity).
3. Tawhidul-Asma wa As-Sifat (Maintaining the Unity of Allah's Names and Attributes).
♦Tawhid al-Asmaa was Sifat is to single out Allah, Exalted be He and Sublime with His
Names and Attributes. This entails two things:
1. Affirmation; that is, we should affirm for Allah the Most High and Sublime, all His
Names and Attributes which we affirm for Himself in His Book or in the Sunnah of the
Prophet [ﷺ].

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The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah
2. Rejection of like; that is, we should not associate any partner with Allah in His
Names and Attributes as He, the Exalted, says,
 "There is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-
Seeing." al-Qur'an, Surah Ash-Shuraa: 11
This verse prove that in all His Attributes, no one is like Him among the creatures.
Even if they share in the basic meaning (of the word), they actually differ in its essence.
Therefore, whoever does not affirm what Allah has affirmed for Himself as a Mu'attil
(denier) and this rejection of his is like that of Fir'awn.
But whoever affirms them but makes Tashbeeh (giving semblance of Human attributes
of Allah) is like the idolaters who join partners with Allah in worship while the one who
affirms the Names and Attributes without joining equals (with Allah) is from the
monotheism.
It is regarding this category of Tawheed that some among the Muslims went astray and
got split into many sects. Some of them followed the path of Ta'teel (rejection of Allah's
Names and Attributes) and reject them. They reject the Attributes claiming to uphold
Allah's greatness thereby, but they are astray! This is owing to the fact that the He
whose greatness is been actually defended is He regarding whom defective attributes and
blemish are rejected. His word will be defended so that it is not unclear or misleading.
So, if one says, 'Allah does not have hearing, sight, knowledge, or ability', he has not
upheld perfection for Allah, but rather, he has attributed the worst of deficiencies to
Him, and ascribed confusion and misguidance to His words because Allah repeatedly
mentions and affirms in His Speech that He is,
 "Al-Hearing, the All-Seeing"
"The Noble, the Wise"
"The Oft-Forgiving, the Merciful"

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The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah
so, if He affirms them (i.e., the Attributes) in His Speech while He does not possess
them, it is from the worst of confusions, misguidance and great defect in the Speech of
Allah the Mighty and Sublime!
Some of them took to making Tamtheel (likening Allah's Attributes to those of the
creatures) claiming to affirm what Allah has describes Himself with! They are astray
because they have not estimated Allah His Right estimate since they ascribe blemish and
defect to Him by considering the One who is perfect in every respect like the one who is
defective in every respect.
If connecting the superiority of the perfect with the one who is defective implies bring
down the perfect - as it is said:
 "Don't you see that the sword is been under-estimated If it is said that the sword
cuts more than a stick?!"
How about comparing the Perfect with the defective? This is from the most serious
crime against Allah the Mighty and Sublime! However, the Mu'attiloon (deniers of
Allah's Names and Attributes) are far more grievous in their rejection although both
parties have not estimated Allah in His right estimate.
So, what is obligatory for us to believe in whatever Allah describes and names Himself
with in His Book and upon the tongue of His Messenger [ﷺ] without making
Tahreef (distortion) or Ta'teel (rejection) or Takyeef (saying how) or Tamtheel
(likening).
This was the position of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah be pleased with
him) and others among the people of knowledge." reported by ash-Shaykh ibn
Uthaimeen, Commentary of Kitab at-Tawheed, Vol.1, P.17-19
Moreover, Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah be pleased with him)n said,
"Tawheed does not mean only Twahidur-Rububiyyah; Allah Alone is the Creator of the

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The Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah
whole universe according to what is maintained by some theologians and sufis, who
believe that when they prove that with their insufficient evidence, then they will have
confirmed the true essence of Tawhid. In addition, they have believed that when they
believe in that and when their souls are filled with it, then they will have firmly believes
in all the Attributes Allah deserves to be described with, glorifies Allah, keeping Him far
above all deficiencies, and believes that Allah is the Creator of everything, he will not be
regarded as muwahhid (monotheist) until he testifies that there is no deity that deserves
to be worshipped but Allah alone. Furthermore, man should adhere to worshipping
Allah alone, associating no partners with Him. The Arabic word ilah (i.e., God) means
that Worshipped Deity that deserves to be worshipped alone, not the one Able to create.
Thus, a person, who explains the word ilah saying that it means the One Who is
capable of creating from nothing and believing that this is the most accurate description
of God, and that this is the true Tawheed that one should believe in, is unaware of the
reality of Tawheed which the Prophet [ﷺ] was sent to call people to. It is known
that the People who believe in that are the theologians like Abul-Hasan Al-Ash'ari and
his followers. Besides, it is well known of fact that the Arab polytheists who lived in the
Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance (the Jahiliyyah) and the early period of Islam firmly
believed that Allah Alone is the Creator of everything, yet they were regarded as
disbelievers. About that, Allah says,
 "And most of them believe not in Allah except while they associate others with
Him." (Qur'an: Yusuf: 106)
In addition, a group of Salaf (early Muslim scholars) said,
 "When the Arab polytheists were asked, 'Who created the heavens and the earth?
They say, 'Allah.' However, they worshipped others with Allah."

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