The 99 Names of Allah Explained

2. Why Should We Care?

So, why should we care?

     It is because we should know and understand who Allah is and that can only be done by studying His names/attributes. Since Allah has the highest status in everything (Allahu Akbar- God is greater), there is no knowledge that is more blessed, sacred, and noble than the knowledge of Allah. It is also one of the most fundamental knowledge in our religion as it is considered to be half of Tawheed. And the other half of Tawheed is worshiping Allah. This means we have to know who Allah is in order to properly worship him.

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Allah wants us to know who He is.

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     Otherwise, how can a believer have love, fear, faith, tawakuul or any of those feelings towards Allah if we do not know what Allah is like? For this reason, improving our understanding of who Allah is will help us fear and love him as we should. For instance, a believer cannot fear Allah if one is not aware of Allah's power and wrath.

     Moreover, In times of distress, these names can bring a source of comfort for us. For instance, when calamity strikes, we may not always understand Allah's wisdom and reasoning behind it. However we would know that Allah is Al-Wadud (The All-loving). So whatever trial befalls us, we know it somehow benefits us.

     Above all, our Iman increases the quickest by having knowledge of Allah and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). As we go through these names, each name, when understood, will bring about a new experience, love, and hope in Allah. And moving forward in our lives, we will try our best to call upon Allah and make dua to Him using His names.

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"And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing."

(Surah Al-A'raf Ayah, verse 180)