Praise be to Allaah.
Knowing the Beautiful Names of Allaah is very important indeed, for
the following reasons:
Knowledge of Allaah andHis Names and Attributesis the noblest and best
ofall knowledge, because the level of honour of any kind of knowledge
has to do with the objectof 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
thisknowledge and studyingit 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 verykeen to do
so, the Sahaabah never disputed in this matter as they did over some
of the rulings (ahkaam).
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.
Knowing Allaah by His Most Beautiful Names increases one's faith, as
Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaanibn Sa'di (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:"Believing in and knowing the Most Beautiful Names of Allaah
includes the threetypes of Tawheed: Tawheed al-Ruboobiyyah (Unity
ofDivine Lordship), Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah (Unity of the Divine Nature)
and Tawheed al-Asma' wa'l-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 wa'l-Bayaan li Shajarat al-Eemaan by al-Sa'di, p. 41).
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 Attributesand Deeds, because this is the
foundation on which the rest of the Message, from beginning to end, is
built." (Al-Sawaa'iq al-Mursalah 'ala al-Jahamiyyah wa'l-Mu'attilah 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. 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 Namesof 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
ofknowledge, for the objects of all these otherbranches 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
andguidance revealed by Him). The reason for creation and guidance
isfound 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…" (Bada'i' al-Fawaa'id by Ibn al-Qayyim, 1/163).
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