Al-Qawl al-Mufid ala Kitab al-Tawhid — Volume 3 (القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد) — Page 12

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

بَابُ احْتِرَامِ أَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ وَتَغْيِيرِ الِاسْمِ لِأَجْلِ ذَلِكَ.

Chapter on respecting the names of Allah and changing a name for that reason.

أَسْمَاءُ اللَّهِ - عَزَّ وَجَلَّ - هِيَ: الَّتِي سَمَّى بِهَا نَفْسَهُ، أَوْ سَمَّاهُ بِهَا رَسُولُهُ،

The names of Allah—Mighty and Majestic—are those by which He named Himself or by which His Messenger named Him.

وَقَدْ سَبَقَ لَنَا الْكَلَامُ فِيهَا عَلَى مَبَاحِثَ كَثِيرَةٍ مِنْهَا: هَلْ أَسْمَاءُ اللَّهِ مُتَرَادِفَةٌ أَوْ مُتَبَايِنَةٌ؟

We have already discussed several issues regarding them, including whether the names of Allah are synonymous or distinct.

وَقُلْنَا: بِاعْتِبَارِ دَلَالَتِهَا عَلَى الذَّاتِ مُتَرَادِفَةٌ؛ لِأَنَّهَا تَدُلُّ عَلَى ذَاتٍ وَاحِدَةٍ، اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ،

We stated that in terms of their reference to the Essence, they are synonymous, as they all point to the one Essence of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.

وَبِاعْتِبَارِ دَلَالَتِهَا عَلَى الْمَعْنَى وَالصِّفَةِ الَّتِي تَحْمِلُهَا مُتَبَايِنَةٌ،

In terms of the meanings and attributes they convey, they are distinct.

وَإِنْ كَانَ بَعْضُهَا قَدْ يَدُلُّ عَلَى مَا تَضَمَّنَهُ الْآخَرُ مِنْ بَابِ دَلَالَةِ اللُّزُومِ

Some names may imply what others include by way of necessity.

فَمَثَلًا [الْخَلَّاقُ] يَتَضَمَّنُ الدَّلَالَةَ عَلَى الْعِلْمِ الْمُسْتَفَادِ مِنْ اسْمِ الْعَلِيمِ لَكِنَّهُ بِالِالْتِزَامِ.

For example, the name The Creator implies the knowledge conveyed by the name The All-Knowing, but only as a necessary consequence.

الثَّانِي: هَلْ أَسْمَاءُ اللَّهِ مُشْتَقَّةٌ أَوْ جَامِدَةٌ؟

Second: Are the names of Allah derived or static?

يَعْنِي: هَلْ الْمُرَادُ بِهَا الدَّلَالَةُ عَلَى الذَّاتِ فَقَطْ، أَوْ عَلَى الذَّاتِ وَالصِّفَةِ؟

This asks whether they refer solely to the Essence or to both the Essence and the attribute.

الْجَوَابُ: عَلَى الذَّاتِ وَالصِّفَةِ،

The answer is that they refer to both.

أَمَّا أَسْمَاؤُنَا نَحْنُ فَيُرَادُ بِهَا الدَّلَالَةُ عَلَى الذَّاتِ فَقَطْ،

Our own names, however, refer only to the essence of the person.

فَقَدْ يُسَمَّى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَهُوَ مِنْ أَشَدِّ النَّاسِ ذَمًّا، وَقَدْ يُسَمَّى مُحَمَّدًا وَهُوَ مِنْ أَفْجَرِ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ.

A person might be named Abdullah while being among the most blameworthy of people, or named Muhammad while being among the most wicked of Allah’s servants.

أَمَّا أَسْمَاءُ اللَّهِ - عَزَّ وَجَلَّ - وَأَسْمَاءُ الرَّسُولِ وَأَسْمَاءُ الْقُرْآنِ، وَأَسْمَاءُ الْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَا أَشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّهَا أَسْمَاءٌ مُتَضَمِّنَةٌ لِلْأَوْصَافِ.

The names of Allah, the Messenger, the Quran, the Last Day, and the like are names that inherently carry attributes.

الثَّالِثُ: أَسْمَاءُ اللَّهِ بَعْضُهَا مَعْلُومٌ وَبَعْضُهَا غَيْرُ مَعْلُومٍ لَنَا

Third: Some of Allah’s names are known to us, while others are not.

بِدَلِيلِ قَوْلِ الرَّسُولِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي الْحَدِيثِ الصَّحِيحِ فِي دُعَاءِ الْكَرْبِ: أَسْأَلُكَ اللَّهُمَّ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِي كِتَابِكَ، أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ.

This is evidenced by the Prophet’s authentic supplication for distress: 'I ask You, O Allah, by every name that is Yours, by which You have named Yourself, revealed in Your Book, or taught to any of Your creation.'

Vocabulary · المفردات (11 verbs · 48 nouns)

• سَمَّى — to name
• سَبَقَ — to precede
• دَلَّ — to indicate
• حَمَلَ — to carry
• تَضَمَّنَ — to include
• اِسْتَفَادَ — to acquire or obtain
• أَرَادَ — to intend
• أَشْبَهَ — to resemble
• سَأَلَ — to ask
• أَنْزَلَ — to reveal
• عَلَّمَ — to teach
• بَابٌ — chapter
• احْتِرَامٌ — respect
• اسْمٌ — name
• تَغْيِيرٌ — change
• أَجْلٌ — sake
• رَسُولٌ — messenger
• كَلَامٌ — speech
• مَبْحَثٌ — topic
• كَثِيرٌ — many
• مُتَرَادِفٌ — synonymous
• مُتَبَايِنٌ — distinct
• اعْتِبَارٌ — consideration
• دَلَالَةٌ — indication
• ذَاتٌ — essence
• وَاحِدٌ — one
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• صِفَةٌ — attribute
• خَلَّاقٌ — creator
• عِلْمٌ — knowledge
• عَلِيمٌ — all-knowing
• الْتِزَامٌ — implication
• ثَانِي — second
• مُشْتَقٌّ — derived
• جَامِدٌ — static
• مُرَادٌ — intended
• جَوَابٌ — answer
• عَبْدٌ — servant
• أَشَدٌّ — most severe
• نَاسٌ — people
• ذَمٌّ — blame
• أَفْجَرُ — most wicked
• عِبَادٌ — servants
• قُرْآنٌ — Quran
• يَوْمٌ — day
• آخِرٌ — The Last
• وَصْفٌ — description
• ثَالِثٌ — third
• مَعْلُومٌ — known
• غَيْرٌ — other
• دَلِيلٌ — evidence
• قَوْلٌ — saying
• حَدِيثٌ — hadith
• صَحِيحٌ — authentic
• دُعَاءٌ — supplication
• كَرْبٌ — distress
• كِتَابٌ — book
• أَحَدٌ — one
• خَلْقٌ — creation