The greatest name
Al-Qurtubi mentioned that some scholars said: “The name ‘Allah’ is the greatest name, which if He is invoked with, He answers the invocation, and if He is asked with, He gives.”
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) heard a man saying: “Allāhumma inni as’aluka bi’anni ash-hadu annaka anta Allāh la ilāha illa ant, Al-Ahad As-Samad al-ladhi lam yalid wa lam yūlad wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad (O Allah, I ask you by the fact that Itestify that You are Allah, and there is no god but You, You are the Eternal Refuge, Who neither begets nor is He begotten, nor is there any equivalent to Him).”
The reupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“By the One in Whose hand my soul is, he asked Allah by His greatest name, which if He is supplicated with, He answers the supplication, and if He is asked with, He gives.”
[ Narrated by the Compilers of Sunan as well as Ahmad in his Musnad; Sahīh (authenti c)]
It is the only name that occurs in all the Hadīths in which the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) informed about the greatest name of Allah.
It also occurs in and is closely associated with most reported Dhikrs like Tahlīl (saying:La ilāha illallāh (there is no god except Allah), Takbīr (saying: Allāh u akbar (Allah is the Most Great), Tahmīd (saying: Alhamdulillāh (praise be to Allah), Tasbīh (saying: Subhānallāh (glory be to Allah), Hawqalah (saying: La hawla wa la quwwata illa bil lāh (there is no power nor strength except through Allah), and Basmalah (saying: Bismillāh (in the name of Allah).
This name is the root of all the beautiful names of Allah. It is not attributed to any of them; rather, they are all attributed to this great name. No one says, for example: “Allah” is one of the names of the Most Compassionate or the Most Merciful; rather, we say: “The Most Compassionate” or “the Most Merciful” is one of the names of Allah.
{And to Allah belong the most beautiful names...}
[Sura t al -A‘rāf:180]
The form by which Allah Almighty is most frequently supplicated is: “Allāhumma” (O Allah). The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s eace and blessings be upon him) would often supplicate Allah Almighty saying: “Allāhumma” (O Allah).
Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy upon him) said:“‘Allāhumma’ (O Allah) is the comprehensive form of supplication. If a supplicant says: ‘O Allah, I implore You,’ it is as if he said: ‘I supplicate Allah, to Whom belong the beautiful names and sublime attributes, by His names and attributes.’”
With this name, every affair is commenced in pursuit of blessing.
Moreover, it is the first name in the first verse of the Qur’an:
{In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful}
or
{Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds}
[Surat al-Fātihah: 1]
It is also the last name mentioned in Surat al-Nās:
{The God (ilāh) of mankind.}
[Surat an-Nās: 3]
It is also the only name in the testimony of faith, which turns a person from disbelief into Islam: “Ash-hadu allailāha illallāh” (I testify that there is no god but Allah). This testimony is invalid without this name.
Due to the great honor attached to this great name, Allah will lift it off the earth at the end of time, after taking the souls of the believers. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“The Hour will not come while there is anyone who says: Allah, Allah.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
This is the name that occurs most in the Noble Qur’an.It occurs more than 2200 times.Commenting on the verse that says:
{Say: “Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Compassionate”...}
[Surat al-Isrā’: 110]
some scholars said: “He singles out these two names for mention in the above verse given their special merit, and He puts the name ‘Allah’ first because of its additional honor.”The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said:
“Indeed, the dearest of your names to Allah Almighty is ‘Abdullah and ‘Abd ar - Rahmān.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
