Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (6/141)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

He also said:

Section

Allah Most High says:

“To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call upon Him by them, and leave those who deviate concerning His names.”

He Most High also says:

“Say: Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever you call upon, to Him belong the most beautiful names.”

He Most High also says:

“Allah—there is no deity worthy of worship except Him. To Him belong the most beautiful names.”

He Most High also says:

“He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator, the Fashioner. To Him belong the most beautiful names.”

Al-husnā (“most beautiful”) denotes what surpasses al-hasanah (“beautiful”); its singular form is al-ahāsin (“most beautiful”). There are three positions here:

One may say that His names are exclusively the most beautiful, and that He may be invoked only by such names.

Alternatively, one may say that He may be invoked only by the most beautiful names, although He may be named by other permissible names, even if they are not among the most beautiful. These are two well-known positions.

Or one may say that such names may be used both in invoking Him and in speaking about Him.

For in His words:

“To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call upon Him by them,”

and His words:

“Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever you call upon, to Him belong the most beautiful names,”

He affirms that the most beautiful names belong to Him and commands that He be invoked by them. The apparent meaning of this is that all the most beautiful names belong to Him.

وَقَالَ: فَصْلٌ: قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: {وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {قُلِ ادْعُوا اللَّهَ أَوِ ادْعُوا الرَّحْمَنَ أَيًّا مَا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {اللَّهُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا هُوَ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {هُوَ اللَّهُ الْخَالِقُ الْبَارِئُ الْمُصَوِّرُ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى} وَ " الْحُسْنَى " : الْمُفَضَّلَةُ عَلَى الْحَسَنَةِ وَالْوَاحِدُ الْأَحَاسِنُ. ثُمَّ هُنَا " ثَلَاثَةُ أَقْوَالٍ " : إمَّا أَنْ يُقَالَ: لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ الْأَسْمَاءِ إلَّا الْأَحْسَنُ وَلَا يُدْعَى إلَّا بِهِ؛ وَإِمَّا أَنْ يُقَالَ: لَا يُدْعَى إلَّا بِالْحُسْنَى؛ وَإِنْ سُمِّيَ بِمَا يَجُوزُ - وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ الْحُسْنَى - وَهَذَانِ قَوْلَانِ مَعْرُوفَانِ. وَإِمَّا أَنْ يُقَالَ: بَلْ يَجُوزُ فِي الدُّعَاءِ وَالْخَبَرِ. وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ قَوْلَهُ: {وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا} وَقَالَ: {ادْعُوا اللَّهَ أَوِ ادْعُوا الرَّحْمَنَ أَيًّا مَا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى} أَثْبَتَ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءَ الْحُسْنَى وَأَمَرَ بِالدُّعَاءِ بِهَا. فَظَاهِرُ هَذَا: أَنَّ لَهُ جَمِيعَ الْأَسْمَاءِ الْحُسْنَى.