by which, when He is asked, He gives, and by which, when He is invoked, He answers.”1.

These, then, are some of the authentic hadiths that mention Allah’s Greatest Name, by which, when He is invoked, He answers, and by which, when He is asked, He gives. Hence, this Name, knowledge of it, and the search for it have been matters of great importance to scholars, who have devoted many studies to the subject, both lengthy and concise. Imam al-Shawkānī, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his book Tuhfat al-Dhākirīn: “There are approximately forty views concerning the identification of the Greatest Name, and al-Suyūtī devoted a separate work to compiling them.”2. End quote.

Yet al-Suyūtī mentioned only twenty views in the separate work he devoted to the subject, which he entitled al-Durr al-Munazzam fī al-Ism al-Azam (The Strung Pearl concerning the Greatest Name). Many of them are plainly weak, for there is no sound and explicit evidence establishing their correctness and validity. Some Sufis have circulated numerous falsehoods on this subject, none of which deserves any consideration. They narrate fabricated hadiths, invented reports, and objectionable tales by which they deceive ordinary Muslims and beguile the ignorant among them. Every Muslim must exercise caution and vigilance in matters of religion, lest he fall prey to their lies and falsehoods. How many ordinary Muslims they have misled, how many ignorant people they have deceived, and how much error, evil, and falsehood has spread because of them! Allah’s help is sought.

The best-known view concerning the identification of the Greatest Name—and the one most likely to be correct and best supported by the evidence—is that Allah’s Greatest Name is “Allah.” It is the view toward which