The Sciences of Tawḥīd, Creed, and Uṣūl
- “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds—the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Recompense. You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path, the path of those You have favored, not of those who have incurred wrath, nor of those who go astray.” [al-Fātiḥah 1–7]
• That is: I begin with every Name of Allah, for the word ism (name) appears in the singular construct form and therefore embraces all of Allah’s Most Beautiful Names. Thus the servant seeks aid from his Lord—and from each of His Names—in whatever matter suits the need. The greatest (1) help to be sought is help in worshiping Allah, and the noblest expression of that is to seek His help in reciting His Speech, grasping its meanings, and being guided by its guidance.
• “Allah” is the One who is worshiped, the One entitled to be singled out with love, fear, hope, and every kind of worship, by virtue of the attributes of perfection with which He is endowed—attributes that summon the creation to worship Him (2) and devote themselves to Him.
• “ar-Raḥmān, ar-Raḥīm” (the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful) are two Names indicating that He, exalted is He, possesses an immense, all-encompassing mercy that has embraced everything and reached every creature.
He has decreed perfect mercy for the God-fearing who follow His prophets and messengers; such people enjoy unrestricted mercy that leads to eternal felicity. Whoever is other than them is deprived of this perfect mercy, for he is the one who repelled and rejected it by denying the message and turning away from the command. Let him, then, blame no one but himself.