Auzubillahi minash shaitan ir rajeem,

Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim,

MOCKBA wrote:  Some time ago, i came across the book on Asma-ul-Husna, with one page dedicated to each of the 99 names. At the bottom of each translation and explanation of the meaning there was a note stating that if you pronounce the given name a certain number of times then you will achieve such and such.... or if you are feeling bad then you must recite this name a certain number of times. I could not find any reference in the ahadeeth to support these claims.

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullah wa barkatuhu, Brother Mockba,

There is a difference in barakah in reciting the Quran, and reading its translation. Because Quran is not just a set a guiding principles, it is the word of Allah, and its recitation has benefits manifolds. eg, if one recites surah kahf every friday, it will be a light for him till the next friday. If a pregnant woman recites surah maryam, thru it will be an ease for her. Likewise, there are many other examples.

In a similar way, knowing the meanings of the names of allah and reciting these repeatedly has different benefits. Occupation with Allah changes ones state, this change depends on how frequent and in what manner one occupies oneself.

The Quran says, remember allah "abundantly". The prayers are prescribed, and their timings/number are also prescribed, but the amount of dhikr one must perform is not limited, and there cannot be boundary to "abundance". The opening passages of surah muzzammil remind us to stand up for prayers in the night, where He goes on reducing the limit to upto one thrid of the night, but for His rememberance, there are reminders again and again, to do it more and more.

Brother, when every surah has a special benefit, which is His word, there is all reason to believe that every attribute of His, has a special benefit, if He is remembered thru that.

I have not seen hadith prescribing certain number of repetitions for special benefits in case of asma allahul hasana, but there are hadith that relate to certain rewards for other dhikr. And there are hadith indicating or prescribing certain dhikr.

eg, tasbih fatimah, which is 33 times subhan allah, 33 times alhamdulillah and 34 times allahu akbar to be recited after every fard salah.

there are ten rewards for every salat-o-salam that are sent on the prophet (SAW), it is surely multiplied by ten to any number of times one sends it.

The prophet (SAW) has been reported to have been saying astaghfar 70 times each day.

All these repetitions are dhikr, and these have benefits which are specifically linked to specefic utterances.

Do not give up invocation of Allah
                  because you are not present with Allah in it.
            It is worse to forget to invoke Him
                 than to be inattentive while invoking Him.

            He might raise you up from invocation with heedlessness
                 to invocation with wakeful attention,
            and from invocation with wakeful attention
                 to invocation with presence,
            and from invocation with presence
                 to invocation with withdrawal from all that is other than the Invoked.
            That is not difficult for Allah.

Maa salaama,

Nausheen

 

Bismillah

Assalamu'alaikum Rami.

Thank you for your clarification. Some time ago, i came across the book on Asma-ul-Husna, with one page dedicated to each of the 99 names. At the bottom of each translation and explanation of the meaning there was a note stating that if you pronounce the given name a certain number of times then you will achieve such and such.... or if you are feeling bad then you must recite this name a certain number of times. I could not find any reference in the ahadeeth to support these claims.

There are certain supplications that help seek increase in knowledge from Allah (provided that you have "tied your camel first"), however I have not heard that one can also repeat al-'Aleem for such purpose. Could you please guide me to some reference on this.

Perhaps I have been influenced by views that have a very strict stand on innovations brought into religion, but i am reluctant to accept that dancing or spinning is the correct way to establish remembrance of Allah, or dhikr. In this regards, i mean cultural innovations that do not exist anywhere outside of one ethnic or cultural group. May be not until you equip me with more information concerning their established status, insha Allah.

http://www.sunnah.org/ibadaat/dhikr.htm

 

Bi ismillahir rahmanir raheem

assalamu alaikum

Absolutely brother i agree, but the above article is only dealing with the issue of Doing Dhikr with the name of Allah.

Generaly speaking and i am not certain if you are refering to established beliefs which some people do not have knowledge about or actual wrong practices which certainly do exist, reciting different names of allah do have different effects or rewards like saying ya Aleem for sake of Allah increasing you in ilm (knowledge) the efect or reward is increased Ilm.

some scholars say certain names must be recited a minimum number of times to at least gain some of the benefit, but reciting something 1000 times and at the 1000th time something is suposed to occur is not a correct beliefe.

You will have to be a little more specific regarding which distinctive rituals are wrong, if nothing in it is reprihensible then simply becouse it is devloped from established practices is not a reason for condemnation. These things are not part of salat which the actions of are specificaly defined, but if something consists of singing, clapping, dhikr, dancing in a halal manner then it can not be called reprahensable since all these were done in the time of rasul allah by the companions with his aproval.

its like a person who composes a new piece of music being labelled an inovator becoue the exact piece did not exsist in the time of rasul allah (sallah llahu alaihi wa sallam) but certainly music it self did exist and was allowed.  

Edited by rami

Wa `alaykum as-Salam wa rahmatullah:

The question was asked:

Asta`idhu billah, Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim:

{Say: ALLAH. Then leave them to their playing} (6:91).

{Surely by mentioning ALLAH hearts become peaceful} (13:28).

From Abu Sa`id al-Khudri, the Prophet said, upon him peace:

"No people mention ALLAH but the angels surround them, mercy covers them, tranquility descends on them, and ALLAH mentions them to those who are with Him." (Muslim, at-Tirmidhi)

From Abu Hurayra, the Prophet said that Allah Most High said:

"I am as My servant thinks of Me and I sit with him when he remembers Me. If he mentions Me in himself I mention him in Myself. If he mentions Me in a gathering I mention him in a better gathering." (Al-Bukhari, Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad)

The Prophet said, upon him blessings and peace:

"ALLAH, ALLAH! Fear Him with regard to my Companions! Do not make them targets after me! Whoever loves them loves them with his love for me; and whoever hates them hates them with his hatred for me. Whoever bears enmity for them, bears enmity for me; and whoever bears enmity for me, bears enmity for Allah. Whoever bears enmity for Allah is about to perish!"

Narrated from `Abd Allah ibn Mughaffal by al-Tirmidhi who said: ghar�b (single-routed), by Ahmad with three good chains in his Musnad, al-Bukhari in his Tarikh, al-Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-Iman, and others. Al-Suyuti declared it hasan in his Jami` al-Saghir (#1442).

Asma' bint `Umays the wife of Abu Bakr and mother of `Abd Allah ibn Ja`far ibn Abi Talib - Allah be well-pleased with all of them! - said:

"The Messenger of Allah - upon him blessings and peace - taught me words for me to say in times of duress: 'ALLAH, ALLAH is my Lord nor do I associate with him anything!'" (Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah with a good chain)

The Prophet upon him peace - said as narrated from Anas:

"The Hour will not rise until ALLAH, ALLAH is no longer said on the earth."

Through another chain from Anas, Allah be well-pleased with him:

"The Hour will not rise on anyone saying: ALLAH, ALLAH."

Muslim narrated both in his "Sahih," Book of Iman (belief), chapter 66 titled (by al-Nawawi): "The Disappearance of Belief at the End of Times."

Imam al-Nawawi said in his commentary on this chapter:

"Know that the narrations of this hadith are unanimous in the repetition of the name of Allah the Exalted for both versions and that is the way it is found in all the authoritative books." (Sharh Sahih Muslim, Dar al-Qalam, Beirut ed. vol. 1/2 p. 537)

Additional Remarks on the two narrations of ALLAH, ALLAH

1. Note that Imam al-Nawawi placed Anas's hadith under the heading of the disappearance of belief (iman) at the end of times although there is no mention of belief in the hadith. This shows that saying "ALLAH, ALLAH" stands for belief. Those who say it have belief, while those who don't, don't. Those who fight those who say it, are actually worse than those who merely lack belief and do not say "ALLAH, ALLAH."

2. Note that al-Nawawi highlights the authenticity of the repetition of the form to establish that the words "ALLAH, ALLAH" are a Sunna ma'thura (invocation inherited from the Prophet and the Companions) as it stands. Ibn Taymiyya's claim that the words must not be used alone but _obligatorily_ in contruct, e.g. with a vocative form ("Ya Allah") is therefore an innovation departing from the Sunna.

3. One who knows that the dhikr "ALLAH, ALLAH" has been mentioned by the Prophet himself, is not at liberty to muse whether it was used by the Companions or not in order to establish its basis. It suffices for its basis that the Prophet said it! Sami`na wa-Ata`na!

4. One who knows that "ALLAH, ALLAH" is a dhikr used by the Prophet, is not at liberty to object to similar forms of dhikr such as HU and HAYY and HAQQ. "To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call Him by them" (7:180). Moreover, it is established that Bilal used to make the dhikr "AHAD, AHAD" while undergoing torture. As for the hadith of the ninety-nine Names, it does not limit the Names of Allah to only ninety-nine, as al-Nawawi made clear in his commentary of that hadith.

5. Note that the Siddiqi translation of Sahih Muslim, which is almost as flawed as the Khan translation of Sahih al-Bukhari, mistranslates the first as: "The Hour (Resurrection) would not come so long as Allah is supplicated in the world" and the second as "The Hour (Resurrection) would not come upon anyone so long as he supplicates Allah."

This is wrong as translation goes, although it is right as a commentary, since saying "ALLAH, ALLAH" is supplicating Him, as is all worship according to the hadith of the Prophet: "Supplication: that is what worship is." (Tirmidhi and others narrate it.) However, concerning accuracy in translation, the word form highlighted by al-Nawawi must be kept intact in any explanation of this hadith. It is not merely "supplicating Allah". It is saying: "ALLAH, ALLAH" according to the Prophet's own wording, upon him peace.

6. The fact that an alternate version exists in Musnad Ahmad with the words "LA ILAHA ILLALLAH" instead of "ALLAH, ALLAH" in no way cancels out the wording in Muslim. We do not leave a wording in Sahih Muslim for a wording in Musnad Ahmad nor do we make TA`TEEL and TA'WEEL of an established, explicit, and authentic Nass which, furthermore, confirms the letter of the Glorious Qur'an!

7. Imam al-Nawawi's daily devotion (Wird) uses the dhikr ALLAH, ALLAH!

And Allah knows best.

Was-Salam.

Hajj Gibril
GF Haddad

[14 May 2003]