Explanation of the Author's Statement: The Chapter on Respecting the Names of Allah the Exalted and Changing One's Name for That Reason

The Shaykh : Every one of these names carries a meaning. Yes, the names of the Qur'an are many, the names of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are many, and the names of Allah the Exalted are even more numerous. And each of them, what is it? It carries a specific meaning unique to it, and it may also carry the meaning of another name in a way that entails it.
Now, the third issue regarding the names of Allah: Are the names of Allah known to us or not? The answer is that some are known and some are not known. The evidence for this is His saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the authentic hadith regarding the supplication in times of distress: and so on. And it is known that what Allah has kept to Himself in knowledge, He has kept to Himself, meaning He has made it exclusive to Him. He knows it, and do we? We do not know it. Therefore, the names of Allah are not all known to us; some are known to us and some are not known to us.
Now, the fourth issue: Are the names of Allah limited to a specific number or not? The answer is that they are not limited. As long as we do not know some of them, as long as some of them are hidden from us, how can they be limited? So they are not limited; they are not ninety-nine, nor one hundred, nor two hundred. Yes, none knows them except Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
If you say, what is the answer to His saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the authentic hadith: ? I say the meaning of the hadith is that among the names of Allah are ninety-nine names, and whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise. It does not mean that the names of Allah the Exalted are limited to this number. Is that clear? So is the statement one sentence or two sentences? It is one sentence: . The clause "whoever enumerates them" is a descriptive clause for "name," a description of "name." Yes, or for "ninety-nine names, whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise." So the meaning is not and then the speech stops and then he says "whoever enumerates these names." No. The equivalent in expression is if you say, "I have one hundred dirhams which I have prepared for the poor." I have one hundred dirhams which I have prepared for the poor. Does that mean you have nothing else? What do you understand from it? "I have one hundred dirhams which I have prepared for the poor" means that you have prepared one hundred riyals from the dirhams you have for the poor. You may have more than that. So the hadith does not indicate that the names of Allah are limited to the ninety-nine.
The fifth issue: Are these ninety-nine specific, or are they left to us to research until we obtain ninety-nine of them? The latter: they are not specific, they are not specific, but they are left to us to research in the names of Allah and His attributes until we obtain ninety-nine names, until we achieve that.
And this is part of the wisdom that they were made ambiguous to us for the sake of research so that we reach this goal. There are parallels to this, among which is that Allah the Exalted has hidden from us the specific Night of Decree, and that Allah has hidden from us the hour of response on Friday. Indeed, there is also a hidden hour of response at night. Yes. And based on this, we say that these names are left to seeking and research. You gather them from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. If you obtain ninety-nine, and if you have other names remaining, if you enumerate them, you will enter Paradise. Sixth: What is the meaning of enumerating them, which leads to entering Paradise? Most people say or think, most people think that enumerating them means writing them on pieces of paper and then repeating them until you memorize them. And so they sometimes write them in pouches, they sometimes write them on pieces of leather with ink that does not change, and the like. Yes, but this is not the enumeration of them. This is part of enumerating them, but it is not the enumeration of them. The enumeration of them is comprehending them in wording, that is one. Second, understanding them in meaning, you understand their meaning. And third, that you worship Allah, you worship Allah the Exalted in accordance with their implications. You worship Allah the Exalted in accordance with their implications, due to His saying the Exalted: How do you worship Allah in accordance with their implications? Worshipping Allah in accordance with their implications has two aspects:
The first aspect is that you call upon Allah with them, due to His saying "So call upon Him with them." By making them a means to your request. And it is known that a rational person does not make a means except one that is appropriate to the request. And at that time, you choose the name appropriate to your request. When you ask Allah for forgiveness, you say "O Forgiver." For mercy, "O Merciful." And it is not appropriate at all to say "O Allah, O Severe in Retribution, forgive me." Or do we? This is almost mockery. Rather, you seek nearness to Allah with what necessitates mercy, which is His forgiveness. It is possible to say "O Severe in Retribution, save me from Your punishment." It is possible. But "forgive me," that is not fitting.
The second aspect of worshipping Allah in accordance with their implications is that you expose yourself through your work and your worship to what these names necessitate. You expose yourself in your worship to what these names necessitate. So the implication of the Merciful is mercy. So do the righteous deed that will bring the mercy of Allah. Among the implications of the Forgiver is forgiveness. So seek forgiveness from Allah, do what will be a cause for the forgiveness of your sins, and so on. This is the meaning of enumerating them. So the enumeration of them is worthy of being a price for entering Paradise, as long as it is explained with this explanation, it is worthy of being a price. Yes, and a price not in the sense of equivalence, but in the sense of causality, because righteous deeds are a cause for reaching Paradise, not a substitute, not a substitute. For this reason, it is established in the authentic hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Do not be proud of your work, my brother. Do not say, "I, by Allah, did and did, I will enter Paradise... I did and did." Who made you do it? Allah. This is considering what we see regarding our deeds, that we see the favor of Allah upon us. But look at it from the perspective of the reward, and what does Allah the Exalted say? Yes, Glory be to Allah. He is the One who bestowed upon us and guided us and established us, and then He makes it our righteousness that deserves His goodness. , Our striving, which He enabled us for, prepared us for, and supported us with, turns out to be a striving for us that is thanked by Allah the Exalted. Yes, so you look at yourself and look at the favor of your Lord. You do not boast to Allah with your work. If you boasted to Allah with your work... For this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes, these are six things, six issues regarding the names of Allah the Exalted.
The seventh issue: The names of Allah the Exalted, faith in them is not completed except with three things, if the name is transitive, three things: Belief in the name as a name of Allah, and belief in what it contains of an attribute, belief in what it contains of an attribute, and the third is belief in the effect, or if you wish, express it as the ruling, the ruling contained in this name. This is if the name is from a transitive attribute. For example, Al-'Alim (The All-Knowing) is a name among the names of Allah. Faith in it is not completed until we believe that Al-'Alim is among His names—may Allah have mercy on you—that Al-'Alim is among His names. Al-'Alim? Al-'Alim, you must believe that Allah's name is Al-'Alim.
Second, you believe in what it contains of an attribute, which is knowledge, what it contains of an attribute, which is knowledge.
Third, you believe in the ruling that follows from it, which is that He knows everything. And likewise, Al-Rahim (The Merciful) is among the names of Allah. Faith in it is not completed until you believe that it is among the names of Allah, a name among the names of Allah, Al-Rahim. And you believe in what it contains of an attribute, which is mercy. And third, you believe in the ruling that this name contains, which is that He shows mercy to whom He wills, He punishes whom He wills, and He shows mercy to whom He wills. But if the name is not transitive, here?

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : No, ... , if the name is not transitive, then faith in it is completed by believing in it as a name of Allah and in what it contains of an attribute only, because it has no ruling that extends to others. Like Al-Hayy (The Ever-Living), for example. Al-Hayy, Al-Hayy is among the names of Allah. Now, faith in it is completed by believing in it as being among the names of Allah and in what it contains of an attribute, which is life. Does this attribute extend to others? It does not extend. But Muhyi (The Giver of Life) extends. Muhyi extends. He gives life to whom He wills. But Al-Hayy is an attribute inherent to the Self, it does not extend to others. Al-Qayyum (The Self-Sustaining), is it of the first type or the second type?
The student: The first one.

The Shaykh : He is Al-Qayyum, it has two meanings: The One who stands by Himself, the One who stands over others. It is Allah. So Al-Qayyum, considering the first meaning, the One who stands by Himself, is of the second type. And considering the second meaning, the One who stands over others, it is of the first type, transitive to others.
Now, the eighth topic regarding the names. If we were to prolong this for you, it would not be contrary to the rules. The eighth topic is the names of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Their indication of the Essence and the Attribute, or their indication of both the Essence and the Attribute, is called *dalalah mutabiqah* (indicating the whole meaning). When a word indicates its entire meaning, its indication is *mutabiqah*. For example, *Al-‘Alim* (The All-Knowing) indicates Allah and the attribute of knowledge; we call this *dalalah* what? *Mutabiqah*. And its indication of the Essence alone, or the Attribute alone, is *dalalah tashim* (indicating a part of the meaning). Its indication of one of them is *tashim*, and its indication of another matter is *dalalah tilazum* (indicating by implication). An example of this is *Al-Khalaq* (The Creator). *Al-Khalaq* contains these three types of indication. Its indication of the Essence, which is the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and the Attribute, which is creation, both together, is *mutabiqah*. Its indication of the Essence alone is *tashim*, or its indication of the Attribute alone is *tashim*. Its indication of knowledge and power...
The student: *Dalalah tilazum* (indicating by implication).

The Shaykh : *Tilazum*, meaning that creation is not possible except after knowledge and power. So it is *dalalah tilazum*. This is similar in the realm of intelligibles. The equivalent in the realm of sensibles is when you see a palace with rooms, chambers, a hall, and bathrooms. Yes, its indication of the whole meaning is *mutabiqah*. And if I say, "I have a palace," its indication of one of the chambers or one of the rooms is *tashim*. And its indication that it has a builder who built it is *tilazum*, because it cannot build itself. Yes, who is asking?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Now, after these eight topics on the names of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, we say: The author says: "The Chapter on Respecting the Names of Allah." So, the names of Allah, the Exalted, must be respected by us, because respecting them is respecting Allah, Mighty and Majestic, for they are His names. Yes. Among the names of Allah, the Exalted, are some that are specific to Him and by which no other is named, and some by which others may be described. The scholars said that Allah, *Al-Rahman* (The Most Merciful), *Rabb al-'Alamin* (Lord of the Worlds), and *Al-Rabb* (The Lord), and the like, are specific to Allah. No one is described by them except Allah. Yes. But *Al-Rahim* (The Merciful), *Al-Ra'uf* (The Compassionate), *Al-Sami'* (The All-Hearing), and *Al-'Alim* (The All-Knowing), others may be described by them. Others may be described by them. Allah, the Exalted, said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and He said and He said , and He said about Himself . So this is not impossible.

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : This can be made a ninth topic: that some of the names of Allah are specific to Him, and some of His names are such that others may be described by them. Others may be described by them. Yes. Respecting the names of Allah, the Exalted, is obligatory, because respecting them is part of magnifying Allah, so it is obligatory. If someone is named with one of the names of Allah, you look at it. If it is not valid except for Allah, it must be changed. It must be changed. Like what passed us: *Malik al-Malik* (King of Kings) or *Malik al-Amalak* (King of Kings). This is not valid except for Allah; it must be changed. It must be changed. Likewise, if we name a person *Al-Rabb* (The Lord), must it be changed?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Why?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Because it is not named by anyone except Allah. No one is named by it except Allah. This is absolutely impossible; no one can be named by it, whoever he is. But if it is a name of Allah and it is valid as a description, then we describe others with it as a description for other than Allah. It is valid to describe other than Allah with it. But is it valid to name other than Allah with it? If the attribute is intended, it is prohibited. If it is not intended, it is permissible. So, the names of Allah are divided first into two categories: The first category is what is not valid except for Allah. What do we say about its ruling? It is not permissible to name with it, and if someone is named with it, it must be changed. So, the author’s statement that changing the name for that reason is prohibited, and beginning with it is even more prohibited. Now, if it is possible for other than Allah to be described with it, it is valid to describe other than Allah with it. Yes. What is an example? *Al-Ra'uf* (The Compassionate), *Al-Rahim* (The Merciful), *Al-Sami'* (The All-Hearing), *Al-Basir* (The All-Seeing), and the like. But is it named with for other than Allah? We say: If the attribute is intended, it is not permissible. If it is not intended, it is permissible. It will become clear from what follows in the explanation of the hadith, if Allah wills.