Say: He Is the One God: God the Eternal, the Uncaused Cause of all being

“Say: He Is the One God: God the Eternal, the Uncaused Cause of all being.

He begets not, and neither Is He begotten;

and there is nothing that could be compared with Him.” (112:1-4)

Foreword

All the praises and thanks be to ALLÂH (SWT), Who Makes mankind be witness to His Existence.

I commence in the Name of ALLÂH (SWT), Who Has Created the pen and the word.

Peace and Blessings of ALLÂH (SWT) be upon His Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).

I say, “Peace be upon those who have submitted themselves to As-Salâm (SWT).”

Doesn’t a human being tremble as he says “ALLÂH (SWT)”?

Certainly, the author of these lines is also trembling. Not with fear, but because of daring to speak and write about Him (SWT).

No imagination can perceive ALLÂH (SWT) as He (SWT) Is. No mind can comprehend ALLÂH (SWT) absolutely and with all of His Perfection. None of mankind languages can enable its owner to describe ALLÂH (SWT) as is needed. Facing His Greatness minds become atrophied, tongues become mute, logic crashes, speech becomes held, breath of expression becomes arrested, pulse of words ceases.

Well then, what are the facts that have caused me, in spite of my knowing this truth, to write a book about ALLÂH (SWT)?

Three things:

1. Growing difference between the believers’ perception of ALLÂH (SWT) and the perception of ALLÂH (SWT), which the Divine Revelation builds.

2. The impossibility of realising the true worship, faith and submission to ALLÂH (SWT) without having the true perception of ALLÂH (SWT).

3. The incomprehensibility of the meaning and purpose of this life and the Hereafter without knowing, recognising and understanding ALLÂH (SWT) correctly.

So, therefore, to say “ALLÂH (SWT)” is to perceive “meaning”. As the modern life moves away from ALLÂH (SWT) it moves away from the meaning. A life without meaning is hard, a human being without meaning is nothing, a world without meaning is a grave inhabited by living corpses.

It is the life built by the Divine Revelation where ALLÂH (SWT) Is in the centre. There are two wings of the life where ALLÂH (SWT) Is in the centre: Tawhid and justice. Tawhid wing represents the relation between human being and the Creator (SWT). Justice wing represents the relation between human being and other creatures. Only if both of these two wings are strong, a human being can fly straight to the place of eternal happiness. If one flies with these two wings one can reach real freedom. That freedom does not make the human being bow to his sensual desires, but saves him from the sensual slavery and it is a true, permanent, worth producing freedom rendering him a servant of ALLÂH (SWT). If either or both of these two wings are broken, that person, whether an individual or a community, fluttering like a wounded bird, will not escape from turning the life into a dungeon both for himself and for others.

The present book is a result of the endeavour to give answers from the Divine Revelation to some questions about ALLÂH (SWT), Who Takes the central part in the life of mankind. Here are some of those questions:

Is there a heart of Al-Asmâ-’ul-Husnâ? If yes, what is it? What is the common interpretation of all the forms of the three letters constituting the Name ALLÂH? All the Most Beautiful Names of ALLÂH (SWT) return to the Name ALLÂH. Well then, what is the word the Name ALLÂH returns to­? What is the perception of existence in the Islamic Theology? The belief in ALLÂH (SWT) in the Pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance – what is it like?

Is it possible to read the existence like a book? Can a human being understand the Supreme and Absolute One (SWT)? On this issue, what kind of duty falls to the faith? What are the meaning, the purpose and the true nature of Tawhid and Ash-Shahadah? What is the true nature of shirk?

What kind of perception of ALLÂH (SWT) does the Divine Revelation build? Why Is ALLÂH (SWT) Known by His Attributes and not by His Personal Self? What are the Names and the Attributes that make us know ALLÂH (SWT)?

What is the meaning of Al-Asmâ-’ul-Husnâ? How do Al-Asmâ-’ul-Husnâ bring the human nearer to ALLÂH (SWT)? What does it mean to read in the Name of ALLÂH (SWT) / by the Name of ALLÂH (SWT)? How does the whole existence become the manifestation of the Names of ALLÂH (SWT)? What does it mean to behave according to the Morals prescribed by ALLÂH (SWT)? How is the claim of love for ALLÂH (SWT) proved? What is the essence and method of coming nearer to ALLÂH (SWT)? How should one view the “Tanzih” and “Tashbih” approaches of the believer in ALLÂH (SWT)? What can be said when talking about the Names and Attributes? What is the classification of “the Attributes of ALLÂH (SWT)” in Islam?

How must the narrations about Al-Asmâ-’ul-Husnâ and the well-known Hadith about Al-Asmâ-’ul-Husnâ be understood? What is to be inferred from “the deviation from the true path as regards the Names of ALLÂH (SWT)”?

What are the codes of our perception of ALLÂH (SWT)? The Divine-Revelation-orientated viewpoint on KHASHYATULLÂH, AWLIYAULLÂH, Ru’yatullÂh - what must it be like? What are the meanings and the true nature of the codes like SubhÂnALLÂH, AlhamdulıllÂh, ALLÂHu akbar, DHıkrullÂh, AstaghfırullÂh, InshÂ’ALLÂH, Mâshâ’ALLÂH which take the central part in the life of a Muslim? What is the essence, method and manners of requesting from ALLÂH (SWT)?

And lastly, we humbly ask the reader to participate by saying “Âmîn” in our prayer found at the end of the work. For the author of these lines one single “Âmîn” accepted by ALLÂH (SWT) is the greatest prize of all.

ALLÂH (SWT) Alone Is Enough for us, the rest is passing fad…

Mustafa İslâmoğlu

29 Muharram 1427/28 February 2006

Chapter One

About The Name Allâh

A. The Name Allâh As The Heart Of Al-Asmâ’u’l-Husnâ

Everything has a heart. The Name ALLÂH is the heart of Al-Asmâ’u’l-Husnâ (the Most Beautiful Names of ALLÂH (SWT)). All other Names-Attributes are directed to this heart.

The Name ALLÂH in Al-Asmâ’u’l-Husnâ can be compared with Sûrah Al-Fâtihah in the Noble Qur’ân. The Name ALLÂH in Al-Asmâ’u’l-Husnâ is like the Basmala in Sûrah Al-Fâtihah. Just as “Rahmân ALLÂH, Rahîm ALLÂH, Rabb ALLÂH, Razzâq ALLÂH” are in sentences, all other Names-Attributes describe the Name ALLÂH. The Name ALLÂH is the unique word that all the Names-Attributes describe.

The entire meaning of Al-Asmâ’u’l-Husnâ is collected in the Name ALLÂH just as the entire meaning of the Noble Qur’ân is collected in Sûrah Al-Fâtihah, that of Sûrah Al-Fâtihah in Basmala. Unless the simile is wrong, the Name ALLÂH is in the locomotive of the train of the Names-Attributes. The Name ALLÂH is the source of light of diverse colours manifested by means of all of the Names-Attributes.

The Name ALLÂH is the heading of the infinite glorification of ALLÂH (SWT), which is represented by the number 99.

The existence itself reads that glorification with its tongue:

“The seven heavens extol His Limitless Glory, and the earth, and all that they contain; and there is not a single thing but extols His Limitless Glory and Praise: but you [O men] fail to grasp the manner of their glorifying Him! Verily, He Is Forbearing, Much-Forgiving!” (17:44)

The Name ALLÂH is not a proper name. Proper names can be given to more than one person. The Name ALLÂH, being distinct from other names, is the Name that belongs exclusively to ALLÂH (SWT). Either in metaphorical or real sense, it cannot be used to refer to anybody else other than ALLÂH (SWT). One can address a gracious person as “rahim”, a learned person as “âlim”, a person in possession of might as “qâdir”. Only ALLÂH (SWT) Alone Is ALLÂH (SWT). In fact, this meaning is also expressed by La-ilâha-illa-ALLÂH.

B. The Word ALLÂH: The Source of Love

The authorities have put forward different opinions on the origin of the word ALLÂH. The total number of the opinions adds up to around thirty. Some of them have expressed the view that the word ALLÂH derives from the word Ilâh with the definiteness affix Al.

With Al-Ilâh, the Absolute God is meant. In the course of time Al-Ilâh was pronounced as ALLÂH, and it has become established in the languages in that way. The stem letters from which this Name is derived are a-l-h. Alaha signifies “deified Him (SWT), established worship to Him (SWT)”. But the base of this worship must be love, so that the relation between the word and its stem can be complete. Love is the common meaning of all the words relating to this word. Considering that alif, which is the first letter of the word, is the cause for the occasional use of waw as well as ya, the common forms of the word are illustrated as follows: h-w-l, l-h-w, w-h-l, w-l-h, h-y-l, a-h-l, a-l-h.

Now, let’s work on reaching the common meaning of these forms which belong to one generally-used, meaningful Arab word, basing on the first lexical encyclopedia of Halil b. Ahmad (100–175 a.H.) with the title Kitabu’l-Ayn *1:

1. h-w-l: al-hawl: Fear and restlessness arising from a person’s inability to know the origin, time and aspects of the threat and danger for that person. For instance, the fear of night and darkness. This is the frame of mind called by the foreign word “phobia” nowadays. Having its origin in this stem, that word reached the form tahawil which means “ornament”. But, that is not an ordinary ornament, it is like a picture, a statue or an idol having a dreadful mystery inside or like a sword striking terror into the viewer. As a result, the expression hawwalati’l-mar’a is attained. What that amounts to is the following: The halo of affection and admiration sensations evoked by an attractive woman around herself due to the elaborately ornamented dress and jewellery she is wearing. Al-Hawl: means both “to be afraid” and “to like oneself”. Hawwala: means both “adorned oneself out”, “made others admire oneself” and “frightened, made shudder”.

2. l-h-w: al-lahw: “A thing, game or amusement keeping you busy, distracting you and attaching you passionately to itself, giving you pleasure, delight”. Al-Luha: “The reward’s being most pleasant and dazzling.” Lahan: “to love, to wish”.

3. w-h-l: al-wahal: “To cry out, to react suddenly with a loud voice”. This cry informs you of an unusual or even an emergency situation. Like something expected to be terrifying, it can be an impressive or an astonishing thing.

4. w-l-h: al-walah: “To lose one’s mind because of having lost the loved one”. ALLÂH’s Messenger (SAWS) used this expression when he (SAWS) prohibited the separation of slave women from their children. Al-Milah: “It is a type of wind that fills mankind with utter joy and delight”.

5. h-y-l: al-hala: “A circle of light around the moon, a halo”. It evokes mixed feelings similar to both shudder and hope.

6. a-h-l: ahl: “The people’s being closest and dearest to a person”. Ahlu’l-bayt: “all the people living together in a house”. Ahlan (wa sahlan): It is implicit; “Not among strangers, but among those who share affinity and love each other”.

7. a-l-h: taalluh: “To worship because of loving, to adore”. Al-Ilâh: The One, Who Is Addressed with love, Who Is Addressed with fear felt because of losing the love, Who Is Addressed with shuddering and worry felt because of His Greatness, Who Is Addressed with respect felt because of His Supremity and Who Is Worthy of worship because of that all.

There is one single common meaning which the discussed words allow us to see in the foreground with regard to the lexical root of the Word ALLÂH, which belongs to Jalal Attributes: Love. You see, therefore, the worlds’ Creator (SWT) Has Created His Creation with Love. The love is the secret of the creation and the cause of the existence. He (SWT) Has Created because He (SWT) Loves, as to us, we have loved that which exists. The existence came into being when He (SWT) Loved and we could love when we began to exist.

ALLÂH is the Name of the Absolute and Supreme Creator (SWT), Whose Existence is without help and indispensable, Who Creates and Needs nobody else for that, Who Has the whole perfection pertaining to Himself, Who Is High above any deficiency, Whom all praise and glorification are due to.

According to the general opinion the Name ALLÂH is not a derived name. It is the Name through which the Absolute and Supreme Creator (SWT) of the worlds Is Known. All the other Names constituting Al-Asmâ’u’l-Husnâ derive from obvious roots and make one recognise ALLÂH (SWT) by means of the meaning they indicate. Yet, the Name ALLÂH brings together in itself the contents of all the other Names-Attributes.

The mim in ALLÂHumma is construed as denoting “azamat” (greatness). Someones say that it replaces the ya (the exclamation Oh) and conveys the meaning of “Ya ALLÂH!”. In our opinion, there is no drawback to interpreting the mim in ALLÂHumma as referring to jami (gathering) in conformity with general rules of Arabic. That mim, like the mim found in such pronouns as kum (you), hum (they) and in such auxiliary verbs as kuntum, sirtum, being inappropriate for the word“jami”, is necessary for the word “ijma” (“be collected”). In this regard, ALLÂH (SWT) Is the Absolute and Supreme One (SWT) in Whom all Perfection is collected (ijma).

C. Huwa-Hu-H: Every Breath /

Every Soul Is A Reference To Him (Swt)

All the Names return to the Name ALLÂH. Well then, is there a word the Name ALLÂH returns to?

Yes, there is one single word the Name ALLÂH returns to:

Huwa: “He”.

It is exactly as in “Qul: huwALLÂHu ahad”. The pronoun “He” represents the Absolute One (SWT).

He Is He (SWT).

He Is Himself (SWT). He (SWT) Does Not Resemble anyone else except Himself. Only He (SWT) Knows Himself properly. Only He (SWT) Praises Himself in due manner. Only He (SWT) Recognises Himself properly. Only He (SWT) Loves Himself properly. It is only His Right to be Him (SWT). To be Him (SWT) is to be Al-Haqq. To be Him (SWT) is to be the Absolute Truth.

The right of others except Him (SWT), is to be His servant. The right of others except Him (SWT), is to be creature. The right of others except Him (SWT), is to submit themselves to Him (SWT). The right of others except Him (SWT), is to be when He (SWT) Says “Be!” and not to be when He (SWT) Says “Do not be!”. The right of others except Him (SWT) is to know that there is not any right in spite of His Will and there is right thanks to His Mercy. The right of others except Him (SWT) is to submit themselves to Him (SWT) absolutely and unconditionally.

The basic form of Huwa is hu/ha. The waw in Huwa is additional. The evidence for that is its omission from the middle in the form which refers to two persons and in the plural. Some consider ha, which is a letter of the pronoun hu, as the base of the formation of the Name ALLÂH. Accordingly, the letter lam of the word mulk (kingdom) was attached to the letter ha which gives the word lahu. The definiteness affix “al” has come up at the beginning and the sublime word ALLÂH has appeared. *2

The Name ALLÂH begins with alif and ends with ha.

That is to say it begins in the tongue and ends in the lungs.

The “h”, being a form of “hu” and “ha”, is a sound that comes right from the heart. Actually, the rest of the sound is the breath. Breath is the sign of liveliness, that is to say Ayat (proof) of liveliness. H is not an ordinary breath. It is a breath that renders a human being, among breathing beings, delightful and very honourable. Just as failure to breath is a sign of physical death, similarly, being left without Him (SWT) is also a sign of spiritual death. Body left without breath is dead. Spirit left without Him (SWT) is dead. Every breathing creature glorifies Him (SWT). Those denying His Existence and His Oneness, deny what they had received at the beginning. When saying “I… I... I…”, they deify themselves, they contradict their breaths which say “He... He… He...”. You see, for that reason, there is the hope cherished for “the unfailing breath”, that is to say for “the spirit not coming out from the inside”. Each self turning its back on Him (SWT), can one day realise the breath taken by it and turn its face to Him (SWT).

The “hu” (He), which is the breath being the power of the glorification of ALLÂH (SWT), is the manifestation of the Name Al-Hayy in living creatures. There is a reflection of the Absolute Breath in mankind as there is a reflection of the Absolute Decree, a reflection of the Absolute Liveliness, a reflection of the Absolute Mercy in mankind. Just as physical body transforms the air passing through the lungs into life conveyed through the blood; which is reflected as the energy of the brain, the strength of the hands and feet, the word and voice of the tongue and lips, the spiritual body, similarly, distributes the taken spiritual air, the Divine Light to all the spiritual organs by means of the spiritual heart. That Divine Light turns into the foresight in the eyes, the love in the heart, the wisdom in the heart coming from the mind, the sagacity in the consciousness, comprehension in the intelligence.

The Absolute Breath is the Divine Breath.

The Divine Breath is exactly like the Divine Hearing, the Divine Seeing, the Divine Knowing, which are all absolute. Just as the Divine Hearing, Seeing, Knowing are far beyond the human hearing, seeing, knowing, similarly, the Divine Breath is also far beyond the breath of humankind. It is Supreme and Absolute. The Divine Revelation expresses sending the third element, besides body and soul, which is like a spirit rendering a human being a true human being, it is as in “…I Have Breathed into him of My Spirit…”, the sending of the Divine Breath that is beyond human understanding, but which is placed in the human language and thought. It is the Breath of “Al-Hayyul-Qayyoum” Who Creates the world and Holds it on feet. The nature, will, reason and consciousness which make a human being a true human being, are the colours shining in the spiritual prism of this Divine Breath. He (SWT) Whom one can never personify in human mind, but Whom a speaking living human should keep in his perception, Whom a human must indicate in the intelligence and comprehension, Whom a human must feel in the consciousness, and Who, obviously, a human must treat as the command to the heart, the strength of the knees, and Whom people must mention in the tongue. When a human calls Him (SWT) in the language, a human calls Him ALLÂH. The Name ALLÂH is “the Heart” of all the Attributes belonging to Him (SWT).

This world is the world of good and evil / the existence and decay/ life and death. From young to old, every creature is subject to this Divine Law.

He (SWT) is the One (SWT) Who Brings to life and Puts to death, Makes cry and Makes laugh, Eases and Restricts, Constructs and Destroys. The entire world’s good and evil / the existence and decay are similar to one single breath taken and sent out. The hidden cause of the entire world’s being subject to the double polarity law can be expounded with this nature of the Divine Breath. Jamal Attributes (which show the Grace and Mercy of ALLÂH (SWT)) and Jalal Attributes (which show the Majesty and Severity of ALLÂH (SWT)), represent the taking and sending out the Divine Breath. The truth of the utterance “He (SWT) Creates life and death” expressed in the verbs yuhu and yumit that refer to ALLÂH (SWT) can be figuratively signified by that Divine Breath. The immortality and mortality (baqa-fana), guidance-misguidance, paradise-hell, spirit-self, soul-body, the entire Divine Breath can explain metaphorically those opposites pairs. The words chosen by the Divine Revelation give us the clues to the secret of this existence: “He (SWT) Says ‘Be!’, and the creature begins to exist, constantly renewing itself towards its perfection (Kun Fa Yakun)”.

Only those in possession of the consciousness from among the breathing living creatures notice the Divine Breath’s manifestations. Those who realise that the breaths they take are taken referring to Him (SWT), want to turn this non-voluntary glorification into a voluntary one. Who Is He (SWT) Whom every breathing creature’s breath indicates? That question echoes right in the depths of the consciousness. The Divine Revelation gives answer to this question which also echoes in the depths of comprehension.

“He Is ALLÂH (SWT).”

Is only the Divine Revelation that gives answer? No. The creation being a book written not on the lines, but on the hearts also gives the same answer (30:30). That sound means “to be present” and is the sound of the word conscience which abounds with all the positive associations of its conveyed meaning. The one who denies that fact is called with the name “kâfir” meaning “the concealing one” for drowning the voice of conscience, for covering the surface of the conscience. Kâfir is a subject form. The concealing one is the person estranging oneself not from ALLÂH (SWT), but on the contrary, from his conscience. The one who shuts one’s heart’s ears to the Divine Voice is deaf, the one who doesn’t reply to that voice with one’s heart’s tongue is dumb, the one who closes one’s heart’s eyes is blind (2:18).