The Relationship Between the Names of Allah and Allah

Many Muslims may know the 99 names of Allah, yet they may not know how they must view these names of Allah.  Are the names and the owner of the names, one and the same? How are the meanings of the names of Allah related to Allah?

In this post, I present a good tradition, which helps in answering our questions.

Arabic Text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ أَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ وَ اشْتِقَاقِهَا اللَّهُ مِمَّا هُوَ مُشْتَقٌّ قَالَ

فَقَالَ لِي يَا هِشَامُ اللَّهُ مُشْتَقٌّ مِنْ إِلَهٍ وَ الْإِلَهُ يَقْتَضِي مَأْلُوهاً وَ الِاسْمُ غَيْرُ الْمُسَمَّى فَمَنْ عَبَدَ الِاسْمَ دُونَ الْمَعْنَى فَقَدْ كَفَرَ وَ لَمْ يَعْبُدْ شَيْئاً وَ مَنْ عَبَدَ الِاسْمَ وَ الْمَعْنَى فَقَدْ كَفَرَ وَ عَبَدَ اثْنَيْنِ وَ مَنْ عَبَدَ الْمَعْنَى دُونَ الِاسْمِ فَذَاكَ التَّوْحِيدُ أَ فَهِمْتَ يَا هِشَامُ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ زِدْنِي قَالَ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَ تِسْعِينَ اسْماً فَلَوْ كَانَ الِاسْمُ هُوَ الْمُسَمَّى لَكَانَ كُلُّ اسْمٍ مِنْهَا إِلَهاً وَ لَكِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعْنًى يُدَلُّ عَلَيْهِ بِهَذِهِ الْأَسْمَاءِ وَ كُلُّهَا غَيْرُهُ يَا هِشَامُ الْخُبْزُ اسْمٌ لِلْمَأْكُولِ وَ الْمَاءُ اسْمٌ لِلْمَشْرُوبِ وَ الثَّوْبُ اسْمٌ لِلْمَلْبُوسِ وَ النَّارُ اسْمٌ لِلْمُحْرِقِ أَ فَهِمْتَ يَا هِشَامُ فَهْماً تَدْفَعُ بِهِ وَ تُنَاضِلُ بِهِ أَعْدَاءَنَا وَ الْمُتَّخِذِينَ مَعَ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ غَيْرَهُ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ فَقَالَ نَفَعَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَ ثَبَّتَكَ يَا هِشَامُ قَالَ هِشَامٌ فَوَ اللَّهِ مَا قَهَرَنِي أَحَدٌ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ حَتَّى قُمْتُ مَقَامِي هَذَا

Farsi Text: 

هشام بن حكم گويد از حضرت صادق راجع باسماء خدا و اشتقاق آنها پرسيدم كه اللَّه از چه مشتق است؟ فرمود:

از “الاه” و اله مألوهى (آنكه پرستشش كنند) لازم دارد و نام غير صاحب نام است، كسى كه نام را بدون صاحب نام پرستد كافر است و چيزى نپرستيده، و هر كه نام و صاحب نام را پرستد كافر است و دو چيز پرستيده و هر كه صاحب نام را پرستد نه نام را اين يگانه‏پرستى است، اى هشام فهميدى عرضكردم: بيشتر بفرمائيد. فرمود: خدا را نود و نه نام است. اگر هر نامى همان صاحب نام باشد بايد هر كدام از نامها معبودى باشند، ولى خدا خود معنائى است كه اين نامها بر او دلالت كنند و همه غير خود او باشند، اى هشام كلمه خبز (نان) نامى است براى خوردنى و كلمه ماء (آب) نامى است براى آشاميدنى و كلمه ثوب (لباس) نامى است براى پوشيدنى و كلمه نار (آتش) نامى است براى سوزنده، اى هشام طورى فهميدى كه بتوانى دفاع كنى و در مبارزه با دشمنان ما و كسانى كه همراه خدا چيز ديگرى پرستند پيروز شوى، عرض كردم آرى، فرمود: اى هشام خدايت بدان سود دهد و استوارت دارد. هشام گويد: از زمانى كه از آن مجلس برخاستم تا امروز كسى در مباحثه توحيد بر من غلبه نكرده است

English Text: 

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Hisham ibn al-Hakam who asked Imam abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) about the names of Allah and about the root or derivative forms of those names. "What is the root word for Allah?" The Imam replied,

He said to me, "O! Hisham, the word “Allah” is derived from the word “Ilah” which requires Ma'luh (someone whose god one has become). Note that names are something other than whatever to which they apply. 

 Hisham, whoever worships the name without the fact for which the name stands, he has denied the existence of Allah and has not worshipped anything. Whoever worships the name and the meaning for which the name stands he has worshipped two things. Whoever worships the meaning without the name he is a monotheist. Did you understand it O Hisham?"

Hisham then asked, "Please explain further." 

The Imam replied, "Allah has ninety nine names. If names would have been the same thing for which they stand, every one of them would have been a god. However, Allah is a meaning for which these names stand ,and they all are something other than Him. O Hisham, bread is the name for a certain kind of food, water is the name for a certain kind of drink, cloth is the name for a certain kind of garment, and fire is the name for a thing that burns. 

Did you understand, O Hisham, a form of understanding that would help you to defend our cause against our enemies, and those who worship things that are other than Allah?"

I said, "Yes, I did receive such understanding."

The Imam then said, "May Allah grant you success in it and keep you steadfast (in your belief).

Hisham has said, "I swear by Allah that since then no one has been able to defeat me in an argumentation on the issue of the Oneness of Allah, and that has made me reach this position that I hold."

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 1, The Book of Tawheed, Chapter 5, Tradition #2