The name of God - viewpoints.

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Salam

Welcome back everyone. Hope you all having a blessed Ramadan.

There is a hadith that says all of Quran can be found in Surah Fatiha, and all of Surah Fatiha in in it's first verse "By the name..." (1:7).

Defining what a name is:

A word that is used to identify a specific thing and refer back to that thing.

Defining what a title is:

A word that is used to manifest certain traits of a being (usually in a good way, bad titles exist too).

Now titles /= names. We know God has many titles.


When we call the Creator "God", it means he is a being worthy of worship. Usually understood by monotheists to be that he is the only being worthy of worship.

Yet the title itself does not define exactly what is worthy of worship. When we remember the title "Rahman", we think of God's expansive and universal compassion and mercy for all beings.

It however does not define even what the balance between compassion and wrath, in fact, if we look at Quran, a lot of the usage is saying despite hell and his wrath, it remains that God is the Compassionate being in the proper place of compassion.

So if words are themselves not full definitions,  and God existed before languages, what is his true name?

The Quran talks about two type of words of God. There is words as in actual words, such as the phrases found in Quran, then there is a spirit from him such as Isa (a) which is also his living word.

Allah (swt) speaks everything into existence and sees things exactly as is, but Isa (a) is God's word in a sense, that it is praising what all Messengers are. In context, that Messengers are each the spirit from God and his word and that we should not see these descriptions to be about Isa (a) specifically, but about all chosen representatives.

"Allah" word is linked to worship, which is important to use over and over again, and make it the main title we refer to him, because, it reminds that our hearts are exalt him above all others, and revere him above all others.  It's specifically chosen as very useful, because, it's about love and reverence, and the intention and spirit behind submitting to his Messengers.

But some titles although we don't repeat, are more useful in certain contexts.

The holy Prophet (s) in Misbahal Shariah is quoted to have been asked which of God's titles are greatest, and it was said all of them are greatest. Imam Jaffar (a) expanding on that, says in reality God does not have one title over another, he is the one the Supreme.

It can be said that because there are many languages, and many titles, and perhaps different revelations emphasized on different titles depending on the culture of the people, God doesn't really have one title preferred over others. 

Allah makes sense to repeat the most, because, it reminds of the religion and relationship of the hearts to the Creator.

However, it can be said to properly understand God you need light from God emanating from him and pointing to him straight.

The name can be referring to the live perfect words of God, which are his chosen representatives.

The other thing that hadiths have said is God's Name (greatest name), is the Quran. The Quran, however, can be misunderstood, so we can see the truest understanding of it is God's Name which is the heart of Mohammad (s).

When we call "Allah" or "Rahman", how are we connected to know that about the Creator? It's from glorious light and brightness emanating from him.  We see God through light.

The light of God is God's Name,  this is why Quran says "In houses God permitted to be risen and his name remembered therein".

Another synonymous is God's face. The face of God means the same thing as God's Name, except it's emphasizing that something God reveals himself to creation and point back to be directed to God.

By this perfect complete beautiful word of God and face of God, all praise is to God...

What does this mean?

One thing it means, is the name is God's favor and blessing upon all things, and all blessings emanate from this reality.  That God due to this name is to be praised with all praise.

It also means every type of praise found in creation, manifests something about God.

Then Quran emphasizes again on "The Rahman, the Raheem".  God is kind to his servants and wants to favor them through his name.

Then warns "The master of the day of judgment", to show to some degree his name has been hidden, and will be manifested and that his judgment will occur if God fully reveals his name and that we will be accounted on how we dealt with God's Name.

Then directing that his name is a just a means and not the end, but God is the goal and returned to and acknowledged through it, says:

"You do we worship and you do we seek assistance"

Then reveals, indeed, there is but one path to God "Guide us the straight path" and indeed God's Name is a path.

To emphasize how to hold on to his path, it reminds mankind, there is those who he favored "The path of those who you favored upon/regarding", this means there are those who are instances of his name as a favor to rest of creation, who are not "of those who your wrath is upon" which we must avoid "nor of those who are astray", showing we can stray from his path, so to look for these who God favored mankind through to hold on to.

There is a hadith from Imam Jafar (a) that says "the family of Mohammad" are those meant by "those who you favored upon/regarding".

Surah Fatiha is very open in that, most religious people can agree on what it says. Yet when you think about it with rest of Quran, it uses this logic everyone agrees upon, to prove the religion and prove everything about the guidance of God.

People can dispute what the path is and who God favored his religion through, but the Quran will show through the reasoning of these verses, what the true religion has been and is and will always be.

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"by" in the 1:1, is saying, you can hold on to this name.

That is also a description of the straight path and means of holding on to God.

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Salah is also very much connected to this, as Quran says "Successful is who purifies himself" "And remembers the name of his Lord therefore connects (by the daily Salahs)"

Therefore the philosophy of Salah is linked to this, and so it makes sense, that every Surah begins with describing something about God's Name.