As Salam Alaikum Wa Rehmathullah, I feel extremely aggrieved when a situation arises where my aqeeda as a Muslim comes in conflict with some of the things People of redoubtable merit and ability otherwise, say. The issue of calling Allah SWT by the names other than those prescribed by Allah or legislated by our Prophet Muhammad SAS has assumed serious proportions. It is time this matter is duly discussed and debated by the best of our Ulemas and an opinion given in a very lucid manner in order to bring to rest an unnecessary controversy that we can do without.
I am taking this matter in the domain of people who have the competence to deal with this matter. The piece below was sent to me by a Scholar of no mean merit and it concerns something that has been said by another Scholar who is again a person of outstanding ability and knowledge. I respect them both but on this particular issue, I will go along with what is mentioned hereunder. I have deliberately avoided naming the two gentlemen eventhough many of you might well know who I am talking about. The issue here is not personalities but our Aqeeda. It is my belief that your group will sponsor or provide platform for a meaningful discussion between the Ulemas and at the end of this, people concerned will be able to accept the unanimous opinion of our Ulemas. May Allah SWT help us all and keep us on Sirat-ul-Mustaqeem. Wassalam Syed Adil [EMAIL PROTECTED] Calling Allah by the names of polytheist deities Issue: On Thursday, April 15, 2004, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a lecture was announced by a famous speaker with the topic "Similarities between Hinduism and Islam". Later he changed the subject to, "Understanding the Reality of Religion" During his talk he made the following statement: He quoted the following ayah:"Say (O Muhammad ): "O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allah (Alone), and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims." [Aal `Imraan 3:64] Then he said, "If someone calls Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala the Creator in English, of Khaliq in Arabic or Brahma in Sanskrit we have no objection. But if they say Brahma and mean theimage sitting on the lotus and so on, we have a serious objection. Similarly if someone callsAllah Subhanahu wa ta'ala the Sustainer in English or Rabb in Arabic or Vishnu in Sanskrit we have on objection. But when they say Vishnu, if they mean the image with the many hands and the Chakra in one hand, traveling on the Garuda and so on, we have a serious problem."The purpose of this article is to show with proofs from the Qur'an and the Sunnah that it is not permitted to call Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala by any name other than those that He has given Himself. There are 2 main points to this question:1.The issue of someone permitting or prohibiting something in Islam. 2.The names of Allah and our aqeeda regarding them.Who has the right to legislate in Islam? The first issue is that of remembering who has the right to legislate in Islam; to permit or to prohibit anything. Especially when it comes to matters of Aqeeda or belief. The answer is clear. Nobody except the Prophet has the right to permit or prohibit anything in the Deen of Islam especially in matters of aqeeda. A detailed discussion of this is possible but beyond the scope of this paper. Inshallah if necessary, I will be happy to provide all proofs about the above statement that nobody except the Prophet has the right to legislate in Islam. Ijtihad is permitted in matters relating to issues of practice, not faith. Issues of practice where there may not be clear proofs from the Qur'an and Sunnah, scholars of sufficient qualification, have the right to make Ijtihad and ascertain the permissibility or prohibition of something. However while doing so there are some basic guidelines that even they are compelled to follow: that what they permit is something that the Qur'an and the Prophet have not forbidden. For example a scholar cannot permit the consumption of Riba (interest based dealings) in view of current circumstances because Riba is haram and what is haram is haram for all time and what is halal is halal for all time. To permit something that Allah and His Prophet have prohibited or to prohibit something that they have permitted is kufr (apostasy) and renders a person out of Islam. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Page 2 2 Proofs about the prohibition on calling Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala by the name of a mushrik (polytheist) deity. The proofs against it are many. First from the Qur'an: Sura Al A'araf: 71: He said: "punishment and wrath have already come upon you from my our Lord: dispute ye with me over names which ye have devised ye and your fathers without authority from Allah? Then wait: I am amongst you also waiting."Sura Al A'araf: 180: The most beautiful names belong to Allah: so call on Him by them;but shun such men as use profanity in His names: for what they do they will soon be requited.Sura Yusuf: 39- 40: "O my two companions of the prison! (I ask you): are many lords differing among themselves better or Allah the One Supreme and Irresistible? "If not Him ye worship nothing but names which ye have named ye and your fathers for which Allah hath sent you no authority: the Command is for none but Allah: He hath commanded that ye worship none but Him: that is the right religion but Most men understand not...Sura Al Hashr: 22-24: Allah is He than whom there is no other god Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He Most Gracious Most Merciful. Allah is He than whom there is no other god the sovereign the Holy One the Source of Peace (and Perfection). TheGuardian of Faith the Preserver of Safety the Exalted in Might the Irresistible the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (high is He) above the partners they attribute to Him. He is Allah the Creator the Evolver the Bestower of Forms (or colors). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: Whatever is in the heavens and on earth doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the exalted in Might the Wise. Sura An Najm: 23: These are nothing but names which ye have devised ye and your fathers for which Allah has sent down no authority (whatever). They follow nothing but conjecture and what their own souls desire! Even though there has already come to them Guidance from their Lord! Sura Al Isra: 36: "And follow not (O man, i.e., say not, or do not, or witness not) that of which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing, and the sight, and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned (by Allah)Sura Al A'araf:33 "Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are al-Fawaahishah (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc., whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge."The names of Allah and our aqeeda regarding them. I quote below from two sources on this. The first is a fatwa of Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen (Rahimahullah): "All the names of Allah are tawqeefi, i.e., we should accept what is narrated in the Qur'aan and Sunnah and not add or subtract anything. Based on this, it is not correct to call Allah by any name other than those by which He has called Himself in His Book or those that HisMessenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called Him by in the saheeh ahaadeeth, because the human mind cannot work out the names that Allah deserves, so we must stop at what is mentioned in the texts, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Page 3 3"And follow not (O man, i.e., say not, or do not, or witness not) that of which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing, and the sight, and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned (by Allah)"[al-Isra' 17:36] Calling Allah by a name that He has not called Himself, or denying a name by which he has called Himself is a transgression against the rights of Allah. So we should observe the proper etiquette and adhere to that which is narrated in the texts.With regard to words which are mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah only by way of description or information, and it is not narrated that Allah is called by these names, it is not correct to call Him by them, because some of the attributes of Allah have to do with His actions, and the actions of Allah have no end, just as His words have no end. For example, some of the attributes of Allah that refer to His actions describe Him as coming, bringing, taking, withholding and seizing etc., as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):"And your Lord comes with the angels in rows"[al-Fajr 89:22]"He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except by His Leave"[al-Hajj 22:65]"Verily, (O Muhammad) the Seizure (punishment) of your Lord is severe and painful"[al-Burooj 85:12] So we attribute these characteristics to Allah as they are mentioned, but we do not call Him by them (i.e., we do not make names out of them), so we do not say that among His names are al-Jaa'i (the Comer), al-Aati (the Giver), al-Mumsik (the Withholder) or al-Baatish (theSeizer), etc. Rather we say that this is what He does and attribute those actions to Him."See al-Qawaa'id al-Mathla fi Sifaat- Illaahi wa Asmaa'ihi al-Husna, 13, 21, by Shaykh Ibn`Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him).A hadith in Al-Jami` al-Saghir reports the Prophet as having said, "Hold fast unto this supplication: `O Allah, I ask you by the Magnificent Name and by Your great Approval and Pleasure, for it is one of the Names of Allah.""It might be learnt from this hadith," says Munawi, the commentator of Jami`, "that it is not right of a person that he should supplicate but with the Good Names of Allah, and not by any other name that does not constitute His Glory, even if it, (that is the suggested name) be true (in itself). For, Allah has said, `Allah's are the Good Names, and therefore, call Him by them.'"Kanz al-`Ummal has the following hadith: "Allah has ninety-nine names: "The Mustadrak has a few names different from the above version, which are given in brackets. A similar hadith is in Tirmidhi also. Explaining one of the Names of Allah Muhaymin Ibn Hajr has the following commentary in Fath al- Bari: Ibn Qutaybah, along with a few of his followers, has said that Muhaymin is a shorter form of Ayman. Tha`labi however strongly disagreed with him to the extent of saying that whoever said such a thing committed disbelief. That is because Al-Muhaymin is one ofthe Names of Allah, which cannot be shortened.Ibn Kathir writes under ayah 180 of Al-A`raf: "Ibn `Abbas has said in ref. to the verse,`Allah's are the Most Excellent Names; so call Him by them and let alone those who workdistortion in His Names. Soon they will be recompensed for what they are doing;' that the corruption of the pagans refers to their considering Al-Laat as one of the names of Allah.Mujahid said, `They had derived Al-Laat from Allah, and Al- `Uzza from Al-`Azeez." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Page 4 4In reference to the verse 71 of Al-A`raf: "Do you argue with me over some names that you have devised - you and your forefathers, for which Allah did not send down any authority?"Rashid Raza Misri says in his Tafsir Al-Manar that it is not allowed in all matters that pertain to worship and devotion to accept anything but what Allah has revealed through His Messengers, for, otherwise, it is not possible to know what will please Him, and what will not. It can be clearly understood by anyone that calling Allah by any name other than those that He used for Himself or those that His Prophet used for Him is clearly prohibited. So how can it be considered "not objectionable" to call Him by the name of a deity which is worshipped in opposition to Him? In 1426 years of Islamic history there is no instance of any sahabi, tabayi, or scholar ever having permitted the use ofthe names of mushrik deities to refer to the glory and majesty of Allah.Yet today the famous Speaker says that it is permitted to do so. Permitted by whom? And permitted for whom? In his famous book on the Aqeeda of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'a; "The Correct Islaamic Aqeeda and that which Opposes it"; Shaykh `Abdul `Azeez bin `Abdullah bin Baaz (Rahimahullah) says: "Belief in Allah also includes believing in His beautiful Names and lofty Attributes. They are mentioned in His Great Book and have been affirmed by His trustworthy Messenger sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam .[We believe in these Names and Attributes] without tahreef (distorting the wording or the meaning), ta'teel (divesting or denying the attributes), takyeef(asking how) or tamtheel (resembling Allah to His creation). Rather it is obligatory to leave them as they came without enquiring into the nature of [His Attributes] or how they are, while believing in the meaning that they carry. These are descriptions of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, and it is obligatory to describe Him with them in a way that befits Him without resembling Him to His creation in any of His Attributes.""Rather, the matter is as the Scholars such as Nu'aym Ibn Hammad al-Khuzaa'ee (d. 228H), the Shaykh of al-Bukharee said, "Whosoever resembles (makes tashbeeh of) Allah to His creation has committed kufr (disbelief) and whoever denies what Allah has described Himself with has also committed kufr. Indeed, there is no tashbeeh at all in that which Allah has described Himself with, or what His Messenger has described Him with." Whosoever affirms for Allah the Most High, what is related in the clear Ayat, and the authentic narrations in a way that befits Allaah's Greatness and Majesty, whilst also denying and negating from Allah the Most High any defects and imperfections; then such a person has truly traversed the path of Guidance."First and foremost is the order of Allah where He says;7:180: The most beautiful names belong to Allah: so call on Him by them; but shun such men as use profanity in His names: for what they do they will soon be requited.Allah introduces Himself by these names and we know of others through His Prophet.These are the names that are His by which He has ordered us to address Him.The Prophets aid, "Qoolu la ilaha illa Allahu tuflihoo" Say La ilaha illa Allah and besuccessful. These are the actual words of the hadith. He did not say you can call Allah by any name that you wish, much less by the name of a mushrik deity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Page 5 5 If it were permissible to address Allah by any name or the names of mushrik deities then the Prophet would have permitted it for the Quraish, who were his own people. There is no evidence in the Hadith literature to show this.On the other hand, the Prophet ordered a sahabi whose name was Abdul Uzza to change it to Abdur Rahman. Why did he not say to the Quraish, that as long as they could pick one of their gods and believe in it as the only one that was okay. And that they did not really need to believe in Allah by that name? In view of this, how can anyone today, permit this innovation? For anyone today to permit this is to permit something that the Prophet prohibited. In fact, Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyya (Rahimahumullah) said that it is the greatest sin. Ibn ul Qayyim said that speaking about Allah without `Ilm is the greatest sin that you could commit. He bases it on this verse:7:33 "Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are al- Fawaahishah (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc., whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge."Who or what is Brahman according to the Hindu Dharma? I quote from two of the scholars of Sanathana Dharma (Hinduism): Prakash Narain: "Only Brahman is a reality and the creation appears as real as a rope appears to us as a real snake in semi darkness. So this is the concept of Brahman, the only reality that there can be and so is. Every entity other than Brahman is not a reality. This is Advaita or unqualified monism. Another aspect of this Brahman is that if it is the only reality then whatever there is, apparent or not, is inside it and so of its very substance. Nothing, tangible and intangible can be otherwise. This is Vishishttaadvaita or qualified monism or one in fact that appears as two".Swami Chinmayananda: 'Bramhan' is the word our ancient eastern psychologists gave it to that all-pervasive power which holds and runs the universe, which is present in each one of us in the form of 5 elements, mind, intellect, and Ego. All our actions, power, wisdom, intellectual magnanimity exists, under pinned only by the grace of that power."It is clear that this concept of everything in creation being a part of the substance of theCreator is totally alien to Islam and our belief about Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala and is kufr. To hold the belief about Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala that He is a part of or inside His creatures is kufr (apostasy) and renders the one believing this or saying this, out of Islam.This concept is actually the origin of the concept of wahdat-ul-wajood (which is Arabic forAdvaith) and is also kufr. I have discussed this concept in detail in another paper but will suffice here by quoting some ayahs.42: 11 (He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).40:67 It is He Who has created you from dust then from a sperm-drop then from a leech-like clot; then does He get you out (into the light) as a child: then lets you (grow and) reach ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Page 6 6 your age of full strength; then lets you become old though of you there are some who die before; and lets you reach a Term appointed: in order that ye may learn wisdom. 32:4 It is Allah Who has created the heavens and the earth and all between them in sixDays (periods) and is firmly established on the Throne (of authority): ye have none besides Him to protect or intercede (for you): will ye not then receive admonition? The concept of Brahman is against all these ayahs and is therefore totally alien to Islam.Equating Allah to polytheist deities steeped in their own mythologies like Brahman, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma and saying that one can call Allah by the name of a polytheist deity is to permit something that Allah and His Prophet have not permitted.When Allah says: Wal ladheena a'amanu ashaddu hubbalillah. Those who believe, love Allah with the greatest intensity..........how can we take it upon ourselves to permit the opposite and say that to call Him by the names of those who are worshipped in opposition to Him is permissible? Secondly the Sanskrit word for `Creator' is Sristi Karta, not Brahma or Brahman; for `Sustainer', is Sthithi Karta and not Vishnu; and for `Destroyer' is Laya Karta and not Shiva. However the Hindu trinity for these three things is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It can be seen clearly that there is a big difference between using generic meanings and names which are proper nouns and refer to particular identities. The critical point here is to understand that there is a major difference between referring to an attribute of Allah; for example, saying, "I worship the Creator of the Universe" and saying, "I worship Brahman." There is a major difference between saying," I worship theSustainer of the Universe (Rabbul A'alameen)" and saying, "I worship Vishnu." Brahman, Vishnu and so on are deities set up in the Hindu faith as partners in the work of Allah. These are not the Sanskrit meanings of the attributes of Allah as the Khaliq and Rabb.The ijma'a (Agreed Opinion) of the Ulema of Ahlus Sunnah is that the names of Allah are tawqifiyya (specific by the Qur'an and the Sunnah only Asma'a al Husna) and Allah orders us to invoke Him by His names and promises a punishment for those who use names that are not in keeping with His majesty and asks us to shun such people.There is an aqeeda of the Mu'atazilah that you can call Allah by any name that describes His attribute but that is not an aqeeda of the Muslims. One who holds such aqa'aid places himself outside Islam.7:180 The most beautiful names belong to Allah: so call on Him by them; but shun such men as use profanity in His names: for what they do they will soon be punished.Shaykh Abdul Azeez Ibn Baaz (Rahimahullah) says in his book;The Correct IslamicAqeedah & that which opposes it: speaking about the aqeeda of the Salaf us Saliheen (Pious Predecessors; i.e. Sahaba, and Ta'abieen) reminds us that they prohibited doing four things with regard to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Page 7 71. Tashbeeh (likening Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to His Creation) and Tajseem (likening Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala to a body)2. Takyeef (enquiring into the how or nature of an Attribute of Allah Subhanahu wata'ala)3. Tahreef (distorting the meaning of the Attribute) and Taghyeer (changing themeaning of the Attribute) and Ta'aweel (figuratively interpreting the meaning of theAttribute)4. Ta'teel (denying the Attribute).And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows best. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/TXWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
