Blessed Names and Attributes of Allah

Book excerpt: "Allah's are the names most beautiful. Whatever is in the heavens and earth extols His glory."—The Qur'an (Al-Hashr 59:24) "Allah has 99 names. He who remembers these will certainly enter Paradise."—Prophet Muhammad (Bukharhi Hadith Kitab Ad-Dawat, 2,949) Remembering the Names of Allah is a sacred tradition in Islam. Both the Qur'an and sayings of the Prophet (Hadiths) state the importance of learning them and promise reward for reciting them in supplications and prayers. This beautiful presentation of Allah's most revered nintety-nine names draws the reader nearer to the Divine through contemplation and reflection of Allah's names, their meaning, and how each impacts our daily lives. They help to conceptualize Allah, Whose limitless greatness and glory is impossible to grasp. Each name is presented in the original Arabic and its translation into English. Accompanying each name is a commentary that is concise and easy to understand but rich in meaning. Abdur Raheem Kidwai (b. 1956) is a professor of English at the Aligarh Muslim University, India, and a visiting fellow at the School of English, University of Leicester, United Kingdom. He earned his two PhDs in English from the Aligarh Muslim University and the University of Leicester. He is a well-known author of many works on the Qur'an and Islam, including: The Qur'an: Essential Teachings; Daily Wisdom: Islamic Prayers and Supplications; Daily Wisdom: Selections from the Holy Qur'an; and What Should We Say?