The first and most important name, central to Islamic understanding, is the name
'Allah.' This name will be repeated thousands of times throughout the rest of the Quran and in what we have received from the Sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Along with this name are other Beautiful Names, attributes, and actions that further detail the knowledge of Him, Glory be to Him.

Whether the term 'Allah' is linguistically a non-derived name or derived from 'alaha,'
which signifies a meaning of servitude, the primary intention of this unique name is to be a unique signifier of Allah Almighty: 'Do you know of any who is His namesake?' (Maryam 65).
This is directly related to the objective of monotheism, that is, believing in the One and Only God, who is central to the entire Islamic understanding. All of Allah's other names, attributes, and actions are detailed and relate to this name.

Knowledge of Allah’s names is not a set of abstract philosophical beliefs but has
intentional impacts on perceptions and actions, often referred to as the objectives of beliefs (maqasid al-‘aqa’id). Allah Almighty teaches us about Himself and guides us to the intended effect of this knowledge. For instance, when Allah says: 'If Allah helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there that can help you after Him? So let the believers put their reliance in Allah.' (Al-Imran 160), He explains that the objective of knowing Allah as 'the Helper and Supporter' (naseer, nasir) is to strengthen the believers' reliance on Him, as the ayah literally advises.

Similarly, when He says: 'No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being; indeed, that is easy for Allah.' (Al-Hadid 57:22), the educational objectives of knowing that He is the one who advances and delays, and that He created everything and predetermined it, is emphasized in the following ayah: 'So you do not grieve over what has passed, nor rejoice excessively over what He has granted you.' (Al- Hadid 57:23).

When He says: 'If you slip after clear proofs have come to you, then know that Allah is
Almighty, Wise.' (Al-Baqarah 2:209), 'Know that Allah is severe in punishment and that Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.' (Al-Ma'idah 5:98), and 'Except for those who repent before you apprehend them; then know that Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.' (Al-Ma'idah 5:34), the purpose of knowing these Beautiful Names in these various contexts is to encourage: heedfulness, righteousness, seeking forgiveness and mercy from Allah when one makes a mistake, and repent entirely from them.

MashaAllah.
Jazakallahu khairan kaseeran for a great bound, and unity.

Elevated Prayer Series

Day 11: الرحمن الرحيم

After beginning our action with the name of Allah, we then proceed to address Him using two of His other names: الرحمن and الرحيم.
 

Both of these words come from the meaning of رحمة - rahmah - a mercy that is intended to benefit the one being shown mercy; a physical, actual mercy, not a theoretical one. 


The scholars have mentioned differences between these two names of Allaah, despite their being derived from the same root. The name الرحمن refers to the One whose has abundant mercy that extends to all of mankind. It indicates that Allah is merciful by nature, and is characterised by having mercy on all people, and gives them when they ask of Him.


The name الرحيم on the other hand refers to the One who is consistently merciful and whose mercy is bestowed upon the believers. It indicates that Allah is abundantly merciful in His actions towards them, and is angry when they do not ask of Him. 


So when we say الرحمن الرحيم we are essentially saying, 'I recognize that You possess boundless mercy, so vast that it encompasses all of humanity in a. tangible manner, and that you provide for everyone who seeks from You. I also understand that You are perpetually generous with Your mercy, especially favouring the believers, to the extent that it displeases You when they refrain from asking for it.'


#elevatedprayer
#arabicgems

Elevated Prayer Series

Day 10: بسم الله

After mentioning the اِسْتِعاذَة in our prayer, wherein we proclaim that we have taken refuge in Allah, as we want to distance ourselves from the evil, we move onto the بَسمَلة *basmalah* - the saying of بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم, in which we are seeking to attract the good. 

The first part of it, بسم الله, is normally translated as ‘*With the name of Allah*’. It is clear that this phrase holds no meaning by itself, but rather it must be attributed to an action, 'With the name of Allah I am waking up]', 'With the name of Allah I am eating this food', 'With the name of Allah I am slaughtering this animal' and so on.  The absence of a mentioned action means that it is open-ended and can - and does - apply to any action we are performing.

The prefix 'بـِ' at the beginning of the word 'بسم' carries multiple meanings within the phrase. It signifies that the action is undertaken with the remembrance of Allah and prioritizes Him above everything else, highlighting the sincerity with which the action is performed. Moreover, it acknowledges our reliance on Allah for every deed, understanding that without His presence, our actions lack blessings. Lastly, it expresses our need for Allah to accept our deeds.

So when we say بسم الله we are essentially saying, 'O Allah, I begin this action in Your name, keeping You in my thoughts and prioritizing You above everything else. I seek Your blessings in this endeavor, and I implore You to accept it from me.'

#elevatedprayer
#arabicgems

'Do not curse the devil, but instead speak the name of God.'

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) explained that when you focus on cursing the devil, you give him too much weight and space. He grows in pride knowing that he has disturbed you. Instead speak the name of God and seek refuge in him (ie. Bismillah), and the devil will shrink to the size of a fly. Evil only occupies what we let it occupy. Satan is weak and can only whisper. Evil thrives on idleness and insecurity. Do not give space to anyone who wishes you harm, not in your thoughts nor in your hearts. Those that slander, those that deceive, those that seek to divert you, and those that seek to lead you astray. Focus on Your Lord and on busying yourself with good, and evil will despair in the face of devotion.

Thinking about, this seems to expand its horizons, both spiritually and psychologically. Do not give importance to evil thoughts, it drowns you; rather have  positive thoughts , “Bismillah” to overcome.

You don't have a Lord Who is looking for opportunities to punish you. You have a Lord Who begins every chapter of the Quran except one with the words, 'With the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.' 

Know, with certainty, that His compassion and His mercy are waiting to envelop you in any state, in any moment, you sincerely seek to turn back to Him.

In Surah al-Fatihah, Allahﷻ  introduces us to two of His beautiful Names and Attributes: Ar-Rahman (الرَّحْمَـٰنِ) and Ar-Raheem (الرَّحِيمِ). These Names sound similar because they both come from the same root: 'rahmah' (which means 'mercy'), but they follow two different word patterns which have slightly different meanings. 

The Name 'Ar-Rahman' means 'The One who is abundantly merciful.' Allahﷻ’s mercy is unlimited, all-encompassing, and greater than everything. In a sacred tradition, Allahﷻ said: 'My mercy is greater than My wrath.' (Sahih al-Bukhari). The Name 'Ar-Raheem' means 'The One who is always merciful.' Allahﷻ’s mercy is constant and unwavering. 

As Qadi Baydawi mentions in his commentary, Ar-Rahman is the One who showers His mercy upon the believer and disbeliever. He is merciful to everyone. He feeds and clothes everyone. He watches over and takes care of everyone. When it comes to the attribute of Ar-Raheem, there is special mercy that is reserved for the believers. 

Another distinction between these two Names is that 'Rahman' has never been used to describe anyone other than Allahﷻ.  Allahﷻ  alone is Ar-Rahman. The word 'raheem' however, can be used to describe others. There are two examples of this in the Qur’an. 

In Surah Tawbah, Allahﷻ describes Prophet Muhammadﷺ as merciful with the believers (9:128). Here, He uses the word 'raheem. 
(لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ)

In Surah al-Fath (48:29), Allahﷻ describes the Companions of the Prophetﷺ as 'merciful with one another.' (رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ) The word used is the plural of 'raheem.' Again we see that the word 'raheem' can refer to anyone who is merciful but 'Ar-Raheem' is only for Allah ﷻ.

Is it right that there are certain attributes of Allah that are to be emulate, and others that are unique to Him. If so, is there a compilation categorizing these. Also maybe categorizing the pairs and the opposites e.g. Al-Aleem and Al-Khabeer, and Al-Awwal and Al-Akhar

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ…
In the name of Allah, the entirely Merciful, the especially Merciful.
 
اللَّـه…. 

Allah's name is very blessed. It is very powerful. And this is why we begin by taking His name: 

تَبَارَكَ اسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ [Ar-Raḥmān 78] ….

Allah’s name is blessed because it is His primary and most comprehensive name, and it incorporates and necessitates all of His beautiful and perfect names, because Allah, the one who is worshipped, is and must be Ar-Raḥmān. He must be Ar-Raḥīm.  He must be Al-‘Alīm and Al-Baṣīr. He must have the most perfect names or else He wouldn't be worshipped. 

So, when a person says:

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ …In the name of Allah… 

They're actually invoking Allah by all of His beautiful and most perfect names. 

Realize the power of بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ. 

Who is Allah? 
He is الرَّحْمَـٰنِ, the One who is Extremely Merciful – whose mercy is وَاسِع. It is all encompassing; it is عَام. It affects everybody. 

He is الرَّحِيمِ, the One who is Ever Merciful, over and over again, whose mercy is وَاصِل. It is continuous. 

So, when the name of Allah is taken, there is blessing and there is mercy. This is why we begin with the recitation of the Qur’ān by first seeking Allah's refuge against the evil of Shaiṭān and then we invoke Allah for His blessing and mercy. 

So…. أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ

And… بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

We beg Allah for protection, and we beg Allah for His blessing, so that we are able to gain the benefit that we seek from the Qur’ān.  

#Lesson

The Prophet (ﷺ) teaches us that whenever we engage in any action, we should begin with the Name of Allah (SWT) - بِسْمِ اللهِ. 

Whether we are about to eat or drink, prepare our meals, dress ourselves or our children, enter our homes, start our studies or work for the day, conduct business, or set out in travel - when we begin with the Name of Allah (SWT), acknowledging that it is He who gives us the ability to do anything and everything in this life, then inshaAllah we invite His blessings into all of our endeavors. When we begin with the Name of Allah (SWT), it is though we are asking Allah (SWT) to accompany us and guide us throughout our endeavors - and even these worldly acts become acts of worship. 

May we become people who remember and call upon Allah (SWT) in all moments, in all situations - and may Allah (SWT) guide us and shower us with His blessings always.

In Surah Fatiha, the Opening chapter of the Qur’an, Allah (SWT) introduces Himself as Ar Rahman (الرَّحْمَـٰنِ) and Ar Raheem (الرَّحِيمِ). These Names sound similar because they both come from the same root letters (ر ح م) which carry the meaning of mercy, gentleness, kindness - and even forgiveness.

Though the Names 'Ar Rahman' and 'Ar Raheem' are closely related, these words follow two different word patterns which have slightly different meanings.

Looking at the word 'Rahman' - this pattern refers to abundance, so 'Ar Rahman' is the One who is abundantly merciful. He is without any limitation. Looking at the word 'Raheem' - this pattern refers to consistency and continuity, so 'Ar Raheem' is the One who is constantly merciful. 

Some scholars say that the Name, 'Ar Rahman' answers the question of who Allah (SWT) is, while the Name 'Ar Raheem' answers the question of how Allah (SWT) is. Who is He? He is the inherently merciful One. How merciful is He? His mercy embodies everything all the time. 

Often, the Name 'Ar Rahman' is mentioned in the Qur’an whenever Allah (SWT) is glorified. For example, Surah Rahman begins with 'Ar Rahman' (55:1). It is in this chapter that Allah (SWT) speaks about the many blessings He has sent down to us that we should be grateful for. The Name 'Ar Raheem' is usually mentioned in the Qur’an along with other Names and Attributes of Allah (SWT).
 
Lastly, the scholars mention that is it from the mercy of Allah (SWT) that He sent us the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) as a teacher, role model, and guide. It is from His mercy that He gave us the Qur’an, that He gave us Islam and the recognition of His Oneness. It is from His mercy that we are even talking about Him, trying to understand His Names. The mercy of Allah (SWT) is present in everything that we are, and in everything that is around us - it’s mind blowing when we think about it. SubhanAllah. 
#NamesOfAllah

The greatest name of our Lord is His name الله Allah. The second greatest name is الرحمن Ar-Rahmaan, the extremely merciful.

And this is why in the بسملة Basmalah (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم), from among the 99 names of Allah’s, the name الرحمن الرحيم came right after His name الله Allah.

And there is hundreds of examples in the Quran and Sunnah to prove this fact.
والحمد لله