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Islamtoday.com - Calling Upon Allah with Our Words & Deeds

Calling Upon Allah with Our Words & Deeds

|Sheikh Salman al-Oadah|

I once saw a man get angry with a merchant. He turned himself to face the direction of prayer, raised his hands to the sky, and shouted out all of Allah's names in a single angry breath. I was amazed at how well he had memorized this noble list of names. I was equally amazed at his ignorance and the mean-spirited conduct that caused him to mention these names in such an unseemly manner, invoking them in supplication against his brother. How could he rush to angrily invoke those names in a rant at the first inkling of disagreement with someone else? He did not even have time to determine which of two of them was truly in the wrong.

He gave a new meaning to taking Allah's name in vain.

When we beseech Allah by His names, we should do so with dignity, composure, and understanding.

There are two ways that we call upon Allah. The first is to beseech him with our petitions, to entreat him with the concerns we have about our worldly lives and our hopes for the Hereafter. This is what we usually understand by supplication (du`â).

The second way we call upon Allah is through our devotions. We do so by invoking His names in our remembrances, by meditating upon the meanings and significance of those names. We do so by praising Him and glorifying Him as His noble attributes warrant through devotion in our prayers, our remembrances, and in our God-consciousness.

Ibn al-Qayyim observes: "Allah is Knowing and He loves those who have knowledge. He is Beautiful and He loves beauty. He is Merciful, and He loves those who show mercy. He is Kind and He loves those who show kindness to others."

When we take to ourselves something of the light of Allah's beautiful names by learning what they mean and developing ourselves and our temperaments accordingly, then we have truly comprehended His names.

I recall reading, in a book by al-Ghazzî entitled A Good Reminder, a hadîth which reads: "Inculcate in your character Allah's good manners."

Now, this hadîth is not authentic, as explained by al-Albânî in al-Silsilah al-Da`îfah (2822). However, as a statement – as a word of advice – its meaning is a good one.

It is as Ibn al-Qayyim explains, that Allah is Oft-Pardoning and He loves to pardon. Therefore, He rewards and blesses those of us who pardon their fellow human beings. He is Generous and loves for us to be generous as well. He is the Concealer of Faults, and He loves it for us to conceal the faults of those who might have wronged us. He is Merciful, and He shows His mercy especially to those of us who are merciful to others.

One way that we call upon Allah's names through our devotions is by reading the Qur'ân. This is because the Qur'ân is full of the mention of His names. We also do so when we call up their meanings in our minds so that they become a constant part of our lives. In this way, we become more fully reliant upon Allah, more penitent, more mindful of our conduct, and stronger in faith. These are all ways in which we bring Allah's names to full realization in our lives.

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