3 Of Allah's Perfect Names.

The Perfect Names of Allah

3 NAMES OFTHE PERFECT

NAMES ALLAH OF

PROF. ‘UMAR AL-ASHQAR

The Perfect Names of Allah

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The Perfect Names of Allah

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The Perfect Names of Allah

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The Perfect Names of Allah

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The Perfect Names of Allah

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The Perfect Names of Allah

The Perfect Names of Allah

Publisher’s Note Praise be to Allah ( ), the Lord of the Worlds, and may the blessings and peace of Him be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad ( 4, his family, his Companions, and all those who follow in his footsteps until the Day of Resurrection. Allah’s Apostle ( ) said, “Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows (memorizes and understands) them will go to Paradise.” [ ah al-Bukh : 3/894] The significance of learning Allah5 in the above mentioned hadith. Knowing The Perfect Names of Allah is a path which leads to Paradise. In the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah, Dr. Umar al-Ashqar addressed The Perfect Names of Allah with a delicate excellence. He takes us on a journey through The Perfect Names of Allah to discover who Allah is through learning the meanings of His Names. May Allah bless with His Acceptance the efforts of the author, the translator, and all those associated with the publication of this work. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

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The Perfect Names of Allah

Allah, (82) Al- ‘Afuww: the Oft-Pardoning Among theBest Names of Allah by which He introduced Himself to His slaves in the Qur’an is “Al- ‘Afuww” (the Oft-Pardoning):

That is so. And whoever has retaliated with the like of that which he was made to suffer, and then has again been wronged, Allah will surely help him. Verily! Allah indeed is Oft-Pardoning, OftForgiving. (Qur’an 22: 60)

Whether you [mankind] disclose [by good words of thanks] a good deed [done to you in the form of a favor by someone], or conceal it, or pardon an evil, verily, Allah is Ever Oft-Pardoning, All-Powerful. (Qur’an 4: 149) Al-‘Afuww means the One Who is Oft-Pardoning of His slaves’ sins. [Ishtiq q Asm ’ All h, p. 90] Al-Ghaz l stated that Al-‘Afuww means the One Who forgives sins and overlooks offences. It is close to the meaning of the Oft-Forgiving which implies concealing sins. However, Al-‘Afuww implies canceling all sins.” [Al-Maq ad al-Asn , p. 117] Allah pardons the sins and offences of His slaves. For example, Allah ordered us to make ablution (wu ’ ) before we pray, but in case one cannot find water to wash with or he cannot use water because of any reason, he can make tayammum (dry ablution). This shows how Allah pardons and forgives His slaves. Had Allah willed to make it hard for us, He could have asked us to make ablution with water regardless of any condition. Allah says,

The Perfect Names of Allah

And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women [by sexual relations] and you find no water, perform tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands [tayammum]. Truly, Allah is Ever Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving. (Qur’ an 4: 43) Allah overlooks many sins and wrongdoings; otherwise, He would have destroyed the world and annihilated all the people: … And if Allah were to seize mankind for their wrong-doing, He would not leave on it [the earth] a single moving [living] creature… (Qur’ an 16: 61) A component of Allah’ s Pardoning of His slaves is that He conceals the sins, of His slaves in this world and in the Hereafter. He, also, informs people of their sins, forgives them, and then substitutes their sins with good deeds. Indeed, the Pardoning and Forgiving of Allah are tremendous. Slaves must know this fact about Allah and resort to Him for His Pardoning and Forgiveness. Allah informed us that believers invoke Allah and say: … … Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Mawl [Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.] and give us ) victory over the disbelieving people. (Qur’ an 2: ‘ ’ ishah bint Ab Bakr asked the Messenger of Allah ( ) what to say during in the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr). He told her to say: “ O’ Allah! You are Oft-Pardoning and you love pardoning. Pardon me.” [Sunan at-Tirmidh , hadith no. 3513] When he woke up at night to pray, The Messenger of Allah ( ) used to say: “ O’ Allah! I seek refuge in Your Pleasure from Your Anger and in Your Pardoning from Your Punishment.” [Muslim, hadith no. 486]

The Perfect Names of Allah

Allah asked people to forgive whoever did wrong against them if they are able to retaliate, and He promised to forgive them if they did so:

Whether you [mankind] disclose [by good words of thanks] a good deed [done to you in the form of a favour by someone], or conceal it, or pardon an evil. Verily, Allah is Ever Oft-Pardoning, All-Powerful. (Qur’ an 4: 149)

That is so. And whoever has retaliated with the like of that which he was made to suffer, and then has again been wronged, Allah will surely help him. Verily! Allah indeed is Oft-Pardoning, OftForgiving. (Qur’ an 22: 60) … … But if you pardon [them] and overlook, and forgive [their faults], then verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur’ an 64: 14) … … Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur’ an 24: 22) The following Prophetic saying also corroborates Allah’ s Call for His slaves to pardon each other: “ Charity does not reduce one’ s own wealth; pardoning others increases one’ s own power and dignity; and whoever humbles himself before Allah will be elevated instead.” [Muslim, hadith no. 2588]

The Perfect Names of Allah

Allah, (83) Ar-Ra’ f: the Compassionate, the Most Kind Allah identified Himself in the Qur’ an by His Name “ Ar-Ra’ f” (the Compassionate). Allah says, … … Truly, Allah is Full of Kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind. (Qur’ an 2: 143) … … And Allah is full of Kindness to [His] slaves. (Qur’ an 2: 207) Ibn al-Ath r defined “ Ar-Ra’ f” as “ The Compassionate to His slaves and the Most Kind to them.” [An-Nih yah, 2/176] Allah’ s Kindness and Compassion with His slaves is partly manifest in the fact that Allah does not cancel what they did before the abrogation of certain practices or provisions. For example, some Companions asked about the status of their prayers when they used to face Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) in their prayers. In response to that question, Allah said, … … And Allah would never make your faith [prayers] to be lost [i.e. your prayers offered towards Jerusalem]. Truly, Allah is Full of Kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind. (Qur’ an 2: 143) Part of His Kindness with His slaves is that He informed them of what they will be asked about on the Day of Resurrection. Everyone will be confronted with whatever he did during his first life. In fact, this is genuine consideration from Allah, because people could then prepare themselves while still alive for what they will be confronted with:

The Perfect Names of Allah

On the Day when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done, and all the evil he has done, he will wish that there were a great distance between him and his evil. And Allah warns you against Himself [His Punishment] and Allah is Full of Kindness to the [His] slaves. (Qur’ an 3: 30) Furthermore, Allah was Kind with His slaves, because He sent down His Book to His Prophet in order to bring us out of the darkness of blasphemy and disbelief and into the light of truth represented by the religion of Islam:

It is He Who sends down manifest y t [proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.] to His slave [Muhammad ( )] that He may bring you out from darkness into light. And verily, Allah is to you Full of Kindness, Most Merciful. (Qur’ an 57: 9) Allah’ s Kindness to us, also, encompasses the fact that He made available to us the means of transportation in the past such as camels, horses, mules and donkeys as well as the modern ones such as cars and airplanes:

And they carry your loads to a land that you could not reach except with great trouble to yourselves. Truly, your Lord is Full of Kindness, Most Merciful. (Qur’ an 16: 7) The true believer who really knows that Allah is the Most Kind and Merciful to His slaves resorts to Allah, invokes Him by His Name “ ArRa’ f,” and asks Him for His Mercy and Kindness:

The Perfect Names of Allah

And those who came after them say: ‘Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful.’ (Qur’ an 59: 10)

The Perfect Names of Allah

Allah, (88) An-N the Helper

:

An-Na# r (the Helper) is one of Allah’ s Perfect Names mentioned in the Qur’ an:

And if they turn away, then know that Allah is your Mawl [Patron, Lord, Protector and Supporter, etc.], [what] an Excellent Mawl , and [what] an Excellent Helper! (Qur’ an 8: 40) … … And hold fast to Allah [i.e. have confidence in Allah, and depend upon Him in all your affairs] He is your Mawl [Patron, Lord, etc.], what an Excellent Mawl [Patron, Lord, etc.] and what an Excellent Helper! (Qur’ an 22: 78) An-Na# r means the Helper, and Allah helps the believers and grants them victory over their enemies. Allah said: … And Allah has already made you victorious at Badr, when you were a weak little force… (Qur’ an 3: 123) … Truly Allah has given you victory on many battle fields, and on the Day of $unayn [battle] when you rejoiced at your great number but it availed you naught… (Qur’ an 9: 25)

… If you help him [Muhammad ( )] not [it does not matter], for Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of two, when they [Muhammad ( )] and Ab Bakr [ ] were in the cave, and he [ ] said to his companion [Ab Bakr ( )]: ‘Be not sad [or afraid], surely Allah is with us.’ … (Qur’ an 9: 40) Allah informed us that He Alone grants victory to His slaves. If Allah helps us, no one will overcome us; and if He fails us, no one will help us: … … And there is no victory except from Allah…

…

(Qur’ an 3:126)

... If Allah helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you?... (Qur’ an 3: 160) Allah asked His slaves to seek victory over their enemies from Him:

The Perfect Names of Allah

… … You are our Mawl [Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.] and give us victory over the disbelieving people. (Qur’ an 2: 286) … … Our Lord! Pour forth on us patience and make us victorious over the disbelieving people. (Qur’ an 2: 250)

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The Perfect Names of Allah