and “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.” “The Lord” is the One who nurtures, creates, provides, grants help, and guides. This name is most fitting for seeking help and making requests. Hence we say:

“My Lord, forgive me and my parents.”

“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers.”

“My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.”

“Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our excesses in our conduct.”

“Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or make a mistake.”

Thus, most prescribed supplications and requests for help use the name “Lord.” The first name encompasses the servant’s ultimate aim, destination, and final end: what he was created for and wherein his well-being and perfection lie—namely, worshipping Allah. The second name encompasses the servant’s creation and beginning: Allah nurtures him and takes him into His care. Yet the second is included in the first, just as lordship is included in divinity; lordship also necessarily entails divinity. The name “the Most Merciful” encompasses the perfection of both relationships; with both states expressed in it, the servant’s happiness in this world and the Hereafter is complete.

Hence Allah Most High says:

“Yet they disbelieve in the Most Merciful. Say, ‘He is my Lord; there is no deity worthy of worship except Him. In Him I put my trust, and to Him I turn in repentance.’”

Here He mentions the three names: “the Most Merciful,” “my Lord,” and “God.” He says, “In Him I put my trust, and to Him I turn in repentance,” just as He mentions the three names in the Mother of the Quran. There, however, He begins with the name “Allah.” Hence, in that surah, He begins with “You alone we worship,” placing this name and the worship associated with it first, because