Sunday, September 10, 2006



Our Lord's Name Is Allah
HARUN YAHYA

In the Qur'an Allah has revealed that the unbelievers will constantly resort to various means and mobilize all their forces to prevent people from believing in Him, adhering to His path and remembering Him:
Those who disbelieve spend their wealth barring access to the way of Allah. They will spend it; then they will regret it; then they will be overthrown… (Surat al-Anfal, 36)
This labor of opposition may sometimes be carried out using open methods and means, and at other times by the use of secret tactics. Yet the objective is always the same: to prevent the remembrance of the name of Allah and thus to turn people away from religious moral values.
The various trends that have recently emerged simultaneously in various countries are noteworthy from this point of view. Clearly, these world views, which speak in veiled terms of a cosmic force, an energy, or a designer of the universe, but which stubbornly refuse to recall the name of Almighty Allah, the only Creator of all things, serve a false purpose. This may be an effort to misdirect the spiritual quest in people and to prevent them from living by the true religion.
At heart, this is a project aimed at establishing an artificial religion, a kind of mixture of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Under this artificial religion, people will accept the existence of a power that brought the universe into being, but the identity of that power will be unclear (Surely Allah is beyond that); they will not recall the name of Allah, and will not learn and appreciate His great attributes as they should. They will ignore the fact that He is the only Creator and Lord of the entire universe, and there will thus be no need for them to live by the religious commandments He revealed to mankind.
It is clear that this represents a grave threat to religious moral values. This is why true believers must be on their guard against movements that avoid recalling the name of Allah and openly stating that Almighty Allah created the entire universe from nothing, and that instead seek to hide behind confusing and indirect terminology such as a designer, a cosmic force, or energy.
For sincere believers, recalling the name of Allah and exalting His glory is a great religious observance, a source of enthusiasm and excitement, performed with joy and love. As is revealed in the verse: "He is Allah - the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Everything in the heavens and Earth glorifies Him. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise," (Surat al-Hashr, 24) those who believe that Almighty Allah flawlessly created all things from nothing should feel a great sense of honor at recalling our Lord by His most glorious names.
A Muslim Rejoices at Recalling the Name of Allah
As we are informed in another verse, "Your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the Earth in six days and then settled Himself firmly on the Throne," (Surat al-A'raf, 54), our Lord is Almighty Allah. He is the Creator of all. He is Guardian over all things. He is the sole owner of the heavens and the Earth, and all that lies between. There is no other god but Him. Verses reveal that Allah, our Lord, is sublime and great:
… That is Allah, your Lord. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. He is the Living - there is no god but Him - so call on Him, making your religion sincerely His. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (Surah Ghafir, 64-65)
One of the responsibilities of the faithful throughout their lives is to communicate the message, in other words to tell all people of the existence and oneness of Allah, to call them to the true religion, to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. The nature of the path that Muslims must follow in discharging this honorable responsibility can clearly be seen in the Qur'an and the life of the Prophet (saas). As always, a Muslim must be honest and sincere in communicating the message, and must not forget that it is Almighty Allah Who will guide to the true path. It is evident that this will not be possible without recalling the name of Allah and telling people of His existence and oneness. Muslims must describe the existence of Allah and His attributes in the manner and style He revealed in the Qur'an. The glorious attributes of our Lord are revealed thus in the Qur'an:
Allah, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and the Earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the Earth and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Surat al-Baqara, 255)
Another feature that must be seen in a Muslim who speaks of the existence and oneness of Allah is a joyous, passionate, sincere and deep love of Him. In one verse it is revealed that the faithful love Allah above all things:
Some people set up equals to Allah, loving them as they should love Allah. But those who believe have greater love for Allah… (Surat al-Baqara, 165)
Clearly, the mindset that despite all this still avoids recalling the name of Allah, that deceives both itself and others by using veiled terminology, and that moreover imagines it is doing so in the name of religion, is making a grave error. It is useless to ignore or seek to avoid this truth. Those with such a mindset have been warned in the Qur'an:
That is Allah, your Lord, the Creator of everything. There is no god but Him - so how have you been perverted? (Surah Ghafir, 62)

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