TAUHEED

 Allaah created His creatures to know Him and worship Him. This is what is
expected from them and what they are required to do, because as Ibn al-
Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The key to the call of the
Messengers, the essence of their Message, is knowing Allaah through His
Names and Attributes and Deeds, because this is the foundation on which
the rest of the Message, from beginning to end, is built. 
 The meaning of faith is not merely to utter words without knowing Allaah,
because true faith in Allaah means that the slave knows the Lord in Whom
he believes, and he makes the effort to learn about Allaah through His
Names and Attributes. The more he learns about his Lord, the more he
increases in faith.
 Knowledge of the Names of Allaah is the basis for all other knowledge, as
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Knowledge of the Most
Beautiful Names of Allaah is the basis of all other kinds of knowledge, for
the objects of all these other branches of knowledge were either created or
commanded by Him (the various branches of knowledge either deal with
objects created by Him or with the laws and guidance revealed by Him).
 The reason for creation and guidance is found in His Most Beautiful Names
(because He is the Creator, He creates things; because He is the Guide to
the Straight Path, He reveals guidance, and so on) Knowing the Most
Beautiful Names is the basis of all objects of knowledge, because all
knowledge stems from these Names 
(Badai' al-Fawaaid by Ibn al-Qayyim, 1/163).
 The attributes – as we have mentioned – are connected to the names. Every
name that is proven to be a name of Allah refers to an attribute as befits His
Majesty, may He be glorified and exalted. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

 He (the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that
praise of Allah cannot be limited; if he knew all His names he would know
all His attributes and thus be able to praise Him sufficiently, because His
attributes are only expressed through His names. 

Dar’ Ta‘aarud al-‘Aql wa’n-Naql, 3/332, 333 

KNOWLEDGE OF ASMA UL HUSNA

Knowing the Beautiful Names of Allaah is very important indeed, for the following
reasons:

1. Knowledge of Allaah and His Names and Attributes is the noblest and best
of all knowledge, because the level of honour of any kind of knowledge has
to do with the object of knowledge, and the object of knowledge in this
case is Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, through His Names,
Attributes and Deeds. Occupying oneself with seeking this knowledge and
studying it properly is the pursuit of the highest objective, and acquiring
 this knowledge is one of the best gifts a person may be given. Because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained it very
clearly and was very keen to do so, the Sahaabah never disputed in this
matter as they did over some of the rulings (ahkaam).
2. Knowing Allaah makes a person love and fear Him, and put his hope in
Him, and be sincere towards Him in his actions. This is the essence of
human happiness. There is no way to know Allaah except by knowing His
Most Beautiful Names and seeking a proper understanding of their
meanings.
3. Knowing Allaah by His Most Beautiful Names increases ones faith, as
Shaykh Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sadi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Believing in and knowing the Most Beautiful Names of Allaah includes the
three types of Tawheed: Tawheed al-Ruboobiyyah (Unity of Divine
Lordship), Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah (Unity of the Divine Nature) and
Tawheed al-Asma wal-Sifaat (Unity of the Divine Names and Attributes).
These three types of Tawheed form the essence and joy of faith (the word
translated here as joy implies peace and relief from stress), and this
knowledge is the basis and purpose of faith. The more a person learns
about the Names and Attributes of Allaah, the more his faith increases and
the stronger his conviction becomes. 
(Al-Tawdeeh wal-Bayaan li Shajarat al-Eemaan by al-Sadi, p. 41).

(Al-Sawaaiq al-Mursalah ala al-Jahamiyyah wal-Muattilah by Ibn al-Qayyim, 1/150-

151). So when a person occupies himself with learning about Allaah, he is doing
what he was created for, but if he ignores the matter, he is neglecting what he
was created for.

TYPES OF ASMA UL HUSNA

So His names may be divided into three types: 

(i) Those by which he called Himself and taught them to whomever He willed of
His Angels or others, but He did not reveal them in His Book.

(ii) Those that He revealed in His Book and taught them to His slaves.

(iii) Those that He kept to Himself in the knowledge of the unseen, so none of His
creation knows them. Hence the du‘aa’ says: “You have preserved” i.e., only You
know them; it does not mean that He is the only one who is called by them,
because the names that are proven to be only for Him include names that Allah
revealed in His Book.

Badaa’i‘ al-Fawaa’id, 1/174-176 

PRINCIPLES OF UNDERSTANDING ASMA UL HUSNA

With regard to Tawheed al-Asma’ wa’l-Sifaat (Oneness of the Divine Names and
Attributes), this means affirming the names and attributes of Allaah and believing
that there is none like unto Allaah in His names and attributes. This Tawheed is
based on two principles: 

1 – Affirmation: i.e., affirming that which Allaah has affirmed for Himself in His
Book or that His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has
affirmed of His beautiful names and sublime attributes in a manner that suits the
Majesty and Greatness of Allaah, without distorting them, twisting their
meanings, denying their reality or discussing how they are. 

2 – Denial: i.e., denying that Allaah has any faults and denying any shortcomings
that He has denied Himself. The evidence for that is the words of Allaah
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer”

[al-Shoora 42:11]

So He has denied that He bears any resemblance to His creation, and affirmed
that He has attributes of perfection in a manner that befits Him, may He be
glorified.

See al-Hujjah fi Bayaan al-Mahajjah, 1/305; Lawaami’ al-Anwaar al-Bahiyyah, 1/57.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah concerning the beautiful names of
Allah – according to the correct view – is that they are not limited to a specific
number and the same may be said concerning His attributes. Allah, may He be
exalted, has names that He has kept to Himself in the knowledge of the unseen
with Him, and these names refer to attributes. So His names and attributes are
not limited to a specific number. 

Among the evidence for this belief is the following: 

-1-

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no-one who is
afflicted by distress and grief, and says: ‘Allaahumma inni ‘abduka ibn ‘abdika ibn
amatija naasyati bi yadika, maada fiyya hukmuka, ‘adlun fiyya qadaa’uka.
As’aluka bi kulli ismin huwa laka sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fi kitaabika
aw ‘allamtahu ahadan min khalqika aw ista’tharta bihi fi ‘ilm il-ghayb ‘indaka an
taj’al al-Qur’aana rabee’ qalbi wa noor sadri wa jalaa’ huzni wa dhihaab hammi (O
Allaah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of Your maidservant; my forelock
is in Your hand, Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree
over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named
Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or
You have preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You, that You make the
Qur’aan the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my
sorrow and a release for my anxiety),’ but Allaah will take away his distress and
grief, and replace it with joy.” He was asked: “O Messenger of Allaah, should we
learn this?” He said: “Of course; everyone who hears it should learn it.” 

Narrated by Ahmad, 3704; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in as-Silsilah

al-Saheehah, 199.  

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The beautiful names of Allah are not limited and are innumerable. Allah, may He
be glorified and exalted, has names and attributes that He has kept to Himself in
the knowledge of the unseen with Him. They are not known to any Angel who is
close to him or any Prophet who was sent, as it says in the saheeh hadeeth: “…. I
ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or
revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have
preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You…” 

Supplication for anxiety and

sorrow (ways to deal with stress)
16

‫صيَ ِتي‬ ِ ‫ك نَا‬ َ ِ‫مت‬ َ َ‫ن أ‬ُ ‫ك ا ْب‬ َ ‫د‬ ِ ‫ن عَ ْب‬ ُ ‫ك ا ْب‬ َ ‫م إِنِ ّي عَ ْب ُد‬ َّ ‫اللَّ ُه‬
َ ‫سأَ ُل‬
‫ك‬ ْ َ‫ك أ‬َ ‫ضا ُؤ‬ َ ‫ق‬ َ ‫ي‬ َّ ِ‫ عَ ْدل ٌ ف‬،‫ك‬ َ ‫م‬ ُ ‫ك‬ ْ ‫ح‬ ُ ‫ي‬ َّ ِ‫ماض ٍ ف‬ َ ،‫ك‬ َ ‫د‬ ِ َ‫بِي‬
‫ك أَ ْو أَ ْن َز ْل َته ُُ فِي‬ َ ‫ْس‬ َ ‫ت بِه ِ نَف‬ َ ‫م ْي‬ َّ ‫س‬ َ ‫ك‬ َ َ‫و ل‬ َ ُ‫م ه‬ ٍ ‫س‬ ْ ِ‫ل ا‬ ِّ ‫ك‬ ُ ِ‫ب‬
ِ ‫ت بِه‬َ ‫اس َت ْأثَ ْر‬ْ ‫و‬ ِ َ‫ك أ‬ َ ‫خ ْل ِق‬ َ ‫ن‬ ْ ‫م‬
ِ ً ‫حدا‬ َ َ‫~ أ‬ ُ ‫ه‬ ْ َّ‫ أَ ْو عَ ل‬،‫ك‬
ُ ‫م َت‬ َ ِ‫كِ َتاب‬
،‫ق ْل ِبي‬َ ‫ع‬ َ ‫ل ال ُق ْر‬
َ ‫آن َربِ ْي‬ َ ‫ع‬ َ ‫َج‬ْ ‫ك أَنْ ت‬ َ ‫ع ْن َد‬ ِ ‫ب‬ ِ ‫غ ْي‬ َ ‫م ال‬ ِ ‫ع ْل‬
ِ ‫فِي‬
‫مي‬ ِّ ‫ه‬ َ ‫اب‬ َ ‫ه‬ َ ‫ذ‬ َ ‫ح ْزنِي َو‬ ُ ‫جاَل َء‬ َ ‫ص ْد ِري َو‬ َ ‫َون ْو َر‬
‘O Allah, I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maidservant, my forelock is in
Your hand (i.e. You have total mastery over), Your command over me is forever executed
and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You
named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or
You have preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with You, that You make the Quran the
life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for
my anxiety.’

Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

It should be noted that the beautiful names of Allah are not limited to ninety-nine. 

Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 2/328 

See also Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa by Ibn Taymiyah, 22/482-486 

-2-

It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: I noticed that the Messenger of Allaah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was not in the bed one night, so I
looked for him, and my hand fell on the sole of his foot. He was in the mosque,
with his feet held upright, and he was saying, “O Allaah, I seek refuge in Your
pleasure from Your wrath, in Your forgiveness from Your punishment. I seek
refuge in You from You. I cannot praise You enough; You are as You have praised
Yourself.” 

Narrated by Muslim, 486 

Some of them thought that the names of Allah, may He be exalted, were limited to
a specific number, which is ninety-nine! An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on
him) narrated that the scholars are unanimously agreed that the names of Allah
are not limited to this number. In the answer to question no. 41003 we have
quoted the evidence to show that they are not limited to this number, as well as
quoting the opinions of the scholars in refutation of those who thought that the
names of Allah, may He be exalted, were limited to this number. 

To sum up: the names, attributes and actions of Allah, may He be exalted, have
no limit. No one will doubt this who studies the evidence of the Qur’aan and
Sunnah, examines the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, and bases his
belief in the names and attributes of Allah on proper rules and guidelines. 

"The most beautiful names belong to Allah: so call on him by them." (Glorious Qur'an 7:180)

BASMALA
 ‫هَّٰلل‬
The Basmala (Arabic: ‫بَ ْس َملَة‬, basmalah; also known by its incipit Bi-smi llāh; ِ ‫بِس ِْم ٱ‬, "In the name of
Allah ",  or Classical Arabic Tasmiyah, ‫ )تَ ْس ِميَّة‬is the Islamic phrase bi-smi llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm  ( ‫بِس ِْم‬
[1] i

‫هَّٰلل‬
ِ ‫)ٱ ِ ٱلرَّحْ ٰ َم ِن ٱلر‬, "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." It is one of the most
‫َّح ِيم‬
important phrases in Islam and is used by Muslims in various contexts mostly before starting "good
deeds" (for instance, during daily prayer) as well as most daily actions

The Basmala is used extensively in everyday Muslim life, said as the

opening of each action in order to receive blessing from God. [20] Reciting the
Basmala is a necessary requirement in the preparation of halal food.
In the Indian subcontinent, a Bismillah ceremony is held for a child's
initiation into Islam.
The three definite nouns of the Basmala—Allah, ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim
—correspond to the first three of the traditional 99 names of God in Islam.
Both ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim are from the same triliteral root R-Ḥ-M, "to
feel sympathy, or pity".
The Basmala has a special significance for Muslims, who are to begin each
task after reciting the verse. It is often preceded by Ta'awwudh.
Around 1980, IRIB used it before starting their newscasts.

Hadith[edit]
There are several ahadith encouraging Muslims to recite it before eating
and drinking. For example:
Jabir reported: I heard Messenger of Allah (saw) saying, "If a person
mentions the Name of Allah upon entering his house or eating, Satan says,
addressing his followers: 'You will find nowhere to spend the night and no
dinner.' But if he enters without mentioning the Name of Allah, Satan says
(to his followers); 'You have found (a place) to spend the night in, and if he
does not mention the Name of Allah at the time of eating, Satan says: 'You
have found (a place) to spend the night in as well as food."'
— From Muslim
Aisha reported: "The Prophet said, “When any of you wants to eat, he
should mention the Name of God in the beginning (Bismillah). If he forgets
to do it in the beginning, he should say Bismillah awwalahu wa akhirahu (I
begin with the Name of God at the beginning and at the end)".
— From At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud
Umaiyyah bin Makshi reported: "The Prophet was sitting while a man was
eating food. That man did not mention the Name of God till only a morsel of
food was left. When he raised it to his mouth, he said, Bismillah awwalahu
wa akhirahu. The Prophet smiled at this and said, "Satan had been eating
with him but when he mentioned the Name of God, Satan vomited all that
was in his stomach".
— From Abu Dawud and Al-Nasa'i
Wahshi bin Harb reported: "Some of the Sahaba of the Prophet said, 'We
eat but are not satisfied.' He said, 'Perhaps you eat separately.' The
Sahaba replied in the affirmative. He then said, 'Eat together and mention
the Name of God over your food. It will be blessed for you.'
— From Abu Dawood
According to a Tradition, Muhammad said:[21]
All that is contained in the revealed books is to be found in the Qur’an and
all that is contained in the Qur’an is summed up in the surat al-fatihah ("The
opening one") while this is in its turn contained in the formula Bismillahi-r-
Rahmani-r-Rahim ("In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful").
A tradition ascribed to Imam Ali states:[21]
The basmalah is in essence contained in the first letter, Ba, and this again
in its diacritical point, which thus symbolizes principal Unity.
Tafsir[edit]
In a commentary on the Basmala in his Tafsir al-Tabari, al-Tabari writes:
“The Messenger of Allah (the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
said that Jesus was handed by his mother Mary over to a school in order
that he might be taught. [The teacher] said to him: ‘Write “Bism (In the
name of)”.’ And Jesus said to him: ‘What is “Bism”?’ The teacher said: ‘I do
not know.’ Jesus said: ‘The “Ba” is Baha’u'llah (the glory of Allah), the “Sin”
is His Sana’ (radiance), and the “Mim” is His Mamlakah (sovereignty).” [22]