The Uniqueness of the Name Allah – Abdur Rahman’s Corner
Peace, one and all…
We are moving through Rajab, the month of God (shahr Allah), and thus our hearts turn towards the approach of Ramadan. It seems appropriate therefore to focus our attention on Allah. As such, I wanted to share some of the beautiful reflections offered by Ibn Ata’illah, in his book, The Pure Intention: On Knowledge of the Unique Name.
May the hearts of the lovers be opened.
Now concerning the third perspective, that of gnosis, it has been said that the Real chose this Name – Allah – for three reasons:
Firstly, for itself, since it is unique and shared by no one, neither metaphorically nor literally, because of the mysteries, wisdoms and meanings it embodies, and because of the uniqueness and glory it implies.
Secondly, because of the subtle meanings and noble qualities it synthesises. Other Names can have one or two meanings, such as Creator, Maker, Designer, Beginner, Cause and so on, which all share the same meaning, even though each one has something marks it out from the others. Consider also Names such as Provider, Giver of Blessings, Kind, Giver of Grace, Generous and Munificent, all essentially mean the same thing. All the other Names and Qualities might share common meanings with others, or be singular and have only one meaning. The Name Allah, however, has meanings beyond count and limit, and all the other Names ultimately refer back to it and act as adjectives for it, and are defined by it, while it is not defined by anything but the Essence.
Thirdly, because it is distinguished by mysteries which are not present in any of the other Names. God’s Grace, Glory, Names and Qualities are all tremendous perfections, but this one Name has an additional perfect distinction which sets it aside from all of them. Just as, although the Torah, Gospel, Psalms and Quran are all the Word of God, He chose the Quran and set it aside from all of them, He likewise chose this one Name from all His Names for special distinction and glory.
One special distinction of the Name is that it is perfect in its letters, complete in its meaning, unique in its mysteries and singular in its quality. Firstly, it is Allah; if the initial alif is removed, it leaves lam-lam-ha, which spells lillah, ‘to God’. If the first lam is then removed, this leaves lam-ha, which spells lahu, ‘to Him’. Finally, if the second lam is removed, this leaves the letter ha, which signifies the third person pronoun Hu, ‘He’. Thus, every letter of the Name has a complete meaning and a perfect distinction, and its meaning does not change. When the letters are separated, no benefit is lost, nor any wisdom removed, and each successive word has a wondrous and marvellous meaning of its own. The meaning of these words and their letters will be explained at the end of this section, God willing.
The other Names are not like this, for if their letters are removed or separated, their meanings change and they are nullified and spoiled, and no longer give any benefit. This shows this Name (Allah) is universal and perfect, both in general and detail. The removal, separation or isolation of its letters does not affect its meanings or blot any of its mysteries; its parts and letters are not less than its sum.
