Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (309)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(180) “To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them, and leave those who deviate concerning His Names. They will be recompensed for what they used to do.”

This explains His immense majesty and the vastness of His attributes: to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names—that is, every beautiful name. The criterion is that each name denotes a sublime attribute of perfection. This is what makes them Most Beautiful. If they denoted no attribute and were merely proper names, they would not be Most Beautiful. Likewise, if they denoted an attribute that was not an attribute of perfection, but rather an attribute of deficiency or one that may be either praiseworthy or blameworthy, they would not be Most Beautiful. Thus, each of His Names denotes the full attribute from which it is derived and encompasses its entire meaning.

An example is “the All-Knowing,” which indicates that He possesses all-encompassing knowledge of every thing: not even an atom’s weight on earth or in heaven lies beyond His knowledge.

Likewise, “the Most Merciful” indicates that He possesses immense mercy encompassing all things.

Similarly, “the All-Powerful” indicates that He possesses universal power which nothing can frustrate—and so forth.

Part of the perfection of their being “the Most Beautiful” is that He is to be called upon only by them. He therefore says, “So call upon Him by them.” This includes both the invocation of worship and the invocation of supplication. For every request, He is called upon by the Name appropriate to that request. Thus, one making supplication might say, for example: “O Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me. You are truly the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Accept my repentance, O Accepter of Repentance. Provide for me, O Provider. Be gentle with me, O Most Gentle,” and so forth.

His words, “And leave those who deviate concerning His Names. They will be recompensed for what they used to do,” mean that they will receive punishment and torment for their deviation concerning His Names. The essence of such deviation is to turn the Names away from the purpose for which they were given. This may occur by applying them to those unworthy of them, as the polytheists did with their deities; by denying or distorting their meanings and assigning them a meaning intended by neither Allah nor His Messenger; or by using them to liken others to Him. It is therefore obligatory to guard against deviation concerning His Names and against those who deviate concerning them. It is authentically reported that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “Allah has ninety-nine Names; whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise.”

﴿١٨٠﴾ ﴿وَلِلَّهِ الأسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾ . هذا بيان لعظيم جلاله وسعة أوصافه، بأن له الأسماء الحسنى، أي: له كل اسم حسن، وضابطه: أنه كل اسم دال على صفة كمال عظيمة، وبذلك كانت حسنى، فإنها لو دلت على غير صفة، بل كانت علما محضا لم تكن حسنى، وكذلك لو دلت على صفة ليست بصفة كمال، بل إما صفة نقص أو صفة ⦗٣١٠⦘ منقسمة إلى المدح والقدح، لم تكن حسنى، فكل اسم من أسمائه دال على جميع الصفة التي اشتق منها، مستغرق لجميع معناها. وذلك نحو ﴿العليم﴾ الدال على أن له علما محيطا عاما لجميع الأشياء، فلا يخرج عن علمه مثقال ذرة في الأرض ولا في السماء. و ﴿كالرحيم﴾ الدال على أن له رحمة عظيمة، واسعة لكل شيء. و ﴿كالقدير﴾ الدال على أن له قدرة عامة، لا يعجزها شيء، ونحو ذلك. ومن تمام كونها "حسنى" أنه لا يدعى إلا بها، ولذلك قال: ﴿فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا﴾ وهذا شامل لدعاء العبادة، ودعاء المسألة، فيدعى في كل مطلوب بما يناسب ذلك المطلوب، فيقول الداعي مثلا اللهم اغفر لي وارحمني، إنك أنت الغفور الرحيم، وتب عَلَيَّ يا تواب، وارزقني يا رزاق، والطف بي يا لطيف ونحو ذلك. وقوله: ﴿وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾ أي: عقوبة وعذابا على إلحادهم في أسمائه، وحقيقة الإلحاد الميل بها عما جعلت له، إما بأن يسمى بها من لا يستحقها، كتسمية المشركين بها لآلهتهم، وإما بنفي معانيها وتحريفها، وأن يجعل لها معنى ما أراده الله ولا رسوله، وإما أن يشبه بها غيرها، فالواجب أن يحذر الإلحاد فيها، ويحذر الملحدون فيها، وقد ثبت في الصحيح عن النبي صلى الله عليه ﷺ (أن لله تسعة وتسعين اسما، من أحصاها دخل الجنة)