for Allah Most High’s Book. It has also been said that, when they omitted the alif, they transferred the length of the alif to the bāʾ, so that it would indicate the omission of the alif. Do you not see that, when the alif was written in, “Read in the name of your Lord” (al-ʿAlaq 1), the bāʾ was restored to its usual form? The alif is not omitted when ism is annexed to a name other than Allah, nor when it follows any preposition other than the bāʾ.

The noun is the thing named itself—its very entity and essence. Allah Most High says, “Indeed, We give you glad tidings of a boy whose name will be John” (Mary 7). He stated that his name would be John, then addressed him, saying, “O John.” He also says, “You worship nothing besides Him but names that you have named” (Joseph 40), by which He meant the objects of worship, for it was the things named that they worshipped. And He says, “Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High” (al-Aʿlā 1), and, “Blessed is the Name of your Lord” (1). The act of naming is also called an ism, though its use in the sense of naming is more common than its use in the sense of the thing named. [If it is asked, “What does it mean for Allah to name Himself?” the answer is: It teaches the servants how to begin recitation (2).]

They differed over its derivation. Al-Mubarrad, of the Basran school, said that it is derived from sumuww, meaning elevation: as though it rises above its meaning and becomes manifest over it, while its meaning lies beneath it. Thaʿlab, of the Kufan school, said that it derives from wasm and simah, meaning a mark; as though it is a mark indicating its meaning. The first view is sounder, because its diminutive form is sumayy. Had it derived from simah, its diminutive would have been wusaym, just as the diminutive of waʿd (“promise”) is wuʿayd. Moreover, its verbal form is sammaytu (“I named”); had it derived from wasm, one would say wasamtu.

Regarding His statement, “Allah”: al-Khalīl and a group of scholars said that it is a proper name exclusively belonging to Allah, with no derivation, like the proper names of people, such as Zayd and ʿAmr. Another group said that it is derived, but differed over its derivation. It was said to derive from aliha ilāhatan, meaning “to worship.” Ibn ʿAbbās read, “and abandon you and your worship” (al-Aʿrāf 127)—that is, He alone is deserving of worship, to the exclusion of all else. It was also said that its root is ilāh. Allah says, “Nor was there any god with Him; otherwise, each god would have taken away what it created” (al-Muʾminūn 91).

Al-Mubarrad said: It comes from the Arabs’ expression, alihtu ilā so-and-so, meaning, “I found repose in him.” The poet said:

“I found repose in her, though calamities were many.”

Thus, creation finds repose in Him and is reassured by His remembrance. It is also said, alihtu ilayhi, meaning, “I fled to him.” The poet said:

“I fled to her while the riding camels stood still.”

It was also said that the original form of ilāh is wilāh, with the wāw replaced by a hamzah, as in wishāḥ and ishāḥ. It derives from walah, because the servants turn to Him in distress and seek refuge in Him in their needs, just as every child turns to his mother. It was also said that it derives from walah, which is the loss of reason caused by losing someone dear to one.