The Names of Allaah تعالى are not limited to 99 in numbers
بسم الله والحمد لله
والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:
❝Whoever knows Allaah through His (Beautiful) Names and
(Lofty) Attributes and His (Perfect) Actions, he will undoubtedly love Allaah
(more and more).❞
[Madaarij al-Saalikeen (3/18)]
Shaikh
`Abdul-Razzaaq Ibn `Abdul Mohsin al-Badr حفظه
الله
said:
One of the most important principles regarding the Names
and Attributes of Allaah تعالى
is that the Beautiful Names of Allaah are not confined, nor are they limited to
a certain number. In the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, evidences regarding
this have been mentioned numerous times - that are clear and bright. From this
is what has been mentioned in Saheeh Muslim:
The mother of the Believers, `Aaishah رضي الله عنها narrated: I was
sleeping at the side of the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم, then one night I noticed
that the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم was not there. So I felt around and my hands fell upon
his feet while he was prostrating, and he was saying:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ، وَبِمُعَافَاتِكَ
مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ، لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ، أَنْتَ كَمَا
أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ
“O Allaah! I seek refuge
in Your pleasure from Your anger, and in Your pardon from Your punishment, and
in You from You. I cannot count Your praises. You are as You have praised
Yourself.”
(Allaahumma innee A`oodhu
bi-riḍhaaka min sakhaṭika, wa bi-mu`aafaatika min `uqoobatika, wa a`oodhu bika
minka, laa uḥṣee thanaa’an `alaika anta kamaa athnaita `alaa nafsik)
[Saheeh Muslim (986) and the 4 Sunans]
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم informed us that he cannot enumerate
Allaah’s praises. If he were able to count all of Allaah’s Names, only then
would he be able to count Allaah’s praises.
Another evidence is what has been reported in the long
Hadeeth regarding the Shafaa`ah (intercession) in which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “…then Allaah would reveal to me and inspire me with some
of His Praises and Glorifications which He had not revealed to anyone before
me.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (4712) and Saheeh Muslim (378)]
So this Hadeeth is evidence that there are Praises – from
the Names and Attributes of Allaah – which He تعالى will only reveal to His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم on that Day. These
praises, without doubt, will be different than what has already been reveled in
the Kitaab and the Sunnah.
Also, it has been affirmed in the narration reported in
the Musnad (of Imaam Ahmad) and others, from the Hadeeth of `Abdullaah Ibn
Mas`ood رضي الله عنه
that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
said:
“No person, when stricken
by anxiety or with sorrow, says:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي عَبْدُكَ، وَابْنُ عَبْدِكَ، وَابْنُ أَمَتِكَ،
نَاصِيَتِي بِيَدِكَ، مَاضٍ فِيَّ حُكْمُكَ، عَدْلٌ فِيَّ قَضَاؤُكَ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ
اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ، أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِي كِتَابِكَ، أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ
أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ، أَوْ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِي عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ، أَنْ
تَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيعَ قَلْبِي، وَنُورَ صَدْرِي، وَجِلَاءَ حُزْنِي، وَذَهَابَ
هَمِّي،
Allaahumma innee `abduka,
wa-bnu `abdika, wa-bnu amatika, naasiyatee bi-yadika, maadhin fiya hukmuka,
`adlun fiya qadhaa-uka, as-aluka bi kulli-s-min huwa lak, sammaita bihee
nafsaka, au anzaltahoo fee kitaabika, au `allamtahoo ahadun min khalqika,
au-ista’tharta bihee fee `ilm al-ghaibi `indaka, an taj`al al-Qur’aana rabee`a
qalbee, wa noora sadree, wa jalaa’a huznee, wa dhahaaba hammee.
‘O Allaah, I am Your
servant, son of Your servant, 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 name 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.’
Except that Allaah removes
from him his anxiety and sorrow, and replaces them with comfort and happiness.” He (Ibn Mas`ood) said: They (the Companions)
asked: Should we not learn (memorize) this? He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Yes! Whoever hears this should learn (memorize) it.”
[Musnad Ahmad (3712, 4318), al-Haakim (1/509), Ibn Hibbaan (972) and graded as
“Saheeh” by Shaikh Ahmad Shaakir, and also by Shaikh al-Albaanee in al-Saheehah
(199)]
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said: “(In the above Hadeeth), he (the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم) divided the Names of Allaah into three categories:
1. The Names that Allaah has
named Himself with: He تعالى
reveals these Names to whomsoever He wishes from the Angels or other than them,
which He has not revealed in His Book.
2. The Names which Allaah
reveled in His Book: So through these
Names He is known to His slaves (from the Jinn and humans).
3. The Names that Allaah
has preserved in the Knowledge of the unseen with Him: He has not taught these Names to anyone from the creation
and no one other than Him knows about them.” [Badaa’e` al-Fawaaid of Ibn
al-Qayyim (1/166)]
With these clear evidences, it becomes evident that the
Names of Allaah are not limited to a certain number.
As for the Hadeeth reported by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim in
their respective Saheeh, from the Hadeeth of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“Allaah has ninety-nine Names
- i.e. one-hundred minus one - and whoever enumerates them will enter to
Paradise.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (2736, 6410, 7392) and Saheeh Muslim
(6475, 6476); in another narration it is: “…and
whoever memorizes them…”]
This Hadeeth does not confine the Names of Allaah to this
particular number. Rather, this Hadeeth only speaks about the virtue of
enumerating (or memorizing) these many Names of Allaah تعالى.
The statement in this Hadeeth: “whoever enumerates them”, is part of one single sentence,
and is not an independent sentence. So the meaning becomes: To Allaah belongs
ninety-nine Names, whoever enumerates them will enter the Jannah. This does not
negate that Allaah can have Names other than these; and to support this, there
are many similar examples from the statements of the `Arabs, like how one says:
“I have ninety-nine Dirhams which I will be giving away in charity.” This statement
does not deny that this person has more money which he will be utilizing for
other things. Such a thing is known to the scholars and there is no difference
of opinion between them regarding this.
Imaam al-Nawawee رحمه الله said:
“The scholars are unanimous that this Hadeeth does
not limit the Names of Allaah (to a particular number). It does not mean that
Allaah does not have Names other than these ninety-nine; rather, the Hadeeth
only means that whoever enumerates these ninety-nine Names will enter the
Jannah. This Hadeeth is conveying the information that, enumerating these
ninety-nine Names is a means of entering the Jannah. It does not inform us about
limiting the Names of Allaah (to a particular number). This is why it has been
reported in another Hadeeth: “I ask You
by every name belonging to You which You name Yourself with… or You have
preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with You.”
And Al-Haafidh Abu Bakr Ibn
al-`Arabee al-Maalikee reported from some that they said: “Allaah has a
thousand Names.” Ibn al-`Arabee said: “(even) this is a small number and Allaah
knows best.”” [Sharh Saheeh Muslim of al-Nawawee (17/5)]
Shaikh al-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said: “The correct opinion is what the majority of the scholars
are upon, that the saying of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: “Allaah has ninety-nine
Names and whoever enumerates them will enter to Paradise”, means: whoever enumerates ninety-nine Names, from the
many Names of Allaah, will enter the Jannah. This Hadeeth does not mean that
Allaah has only these ninety-nine Names. It has been mentioned in another
Hadeeth reported by Imaam Ahmad and Abu Haatim that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “I ask You by every
name belonging to You which You name Yourself with… or You have preserved in
the knowledge of the unseen with You” till the end of the Hadeeth.
And in another Saheeh Hadeeth it is reported the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to supplicate in
Sujood saying: “O Allaah! I seek refuge in Your
pleasure from Your anger, and in Your pardon from Your punishment, and in You
from You. I cannot count Your praises. You are as You have praised Yourself”.
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم conveyed that he cannot count Allaah’s praises. If he صلى الله عليه وسلم could enumerate all the Names of Allaah, he would be able to
enumerate all His Attributes, and only then would he صلى الله عليه وسلم have been able to enumerate His praises (as He deserves) –
because the Attributes of Allaah are derived from His Names.” [درء تعارض of Ibn Taymiyyah (3/332-333)]
From this we know that the Names of Allaah تعالى are not limited to a
specific number. Rather, the Beautiful Names of Allaah mentioned in the Qur’aan
and the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
are not limited to the number as mentioned in this Hadeeth; rather, as has been
mentioned earlier, this Hadeeth only mentions about the virtue of enumerating
the ninety-nine Names of Allaah, that whoever does it will enter the Jannah.
This is why the scholars رحمهم الله
have agreed that the Names of Allaah mentioned in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah
exceed this number.
Some scholars gathered the ninety-nine Names from the
(many) Names of Allaah; while other scholars made another list of the Names
from the Names of Allaah. They agreed upon some Names and they differed about
some other, but this does not mean that what they have differed about are not from
the Names of Allaah - even if they exceeded ninety-nine in numbers. Rather, whatever
has been mentioned (in the Book and the Sunnah) are the Names of Allaah even if
they exceed the number ninety-nine as long as these Names are based upon the
evidences from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.
So it becomes clear that they have erred, those who had limited
the Names of Allaah to only ninety-nine Names because of their error in understanding
this Hadeeth. Similarly, those who say that the Names are three hundred in
number or a thousand or four thousand, or any other number, they are all in obvious
error because these are statements void of any proof or evidence, and from the
things which Allaah تعالى has prohibited is:
﴿وَأَن
تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّـهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾
{…and saying things about
Allaah of which you have no knowledge.} [Surah
al-A`raaf (7): 33]
And also:
﴿وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ
لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ﴾
{And follow not (O man
i.e., say not, or do not or witness not, etc.) that of which you have no
knowledge…} [Surah al-Israa’
(17): 36]
[Fiqh ul-Asmaa’ ul-Husnaa (pg. 58-51) of Shaikh
`Abdul-Razzaaq Ibn `Abdul Mohsin al-`Abbaad al-Badr]
No comments:
Post a Comment