It is said that Abraham (a.s.) was saved from the blazing fire prepared for him by Nimrud due to his utterance of the Divine Name “Allah”. By uttering, “Allah Almighty suffices me, and Great indeed is the One in Whom I have placed my trust,” (Hasbiya-Allah wa ni’mal wakeel), God ordered the fire to be a comfort and peace to Abraham (a.s.):
God said, "O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham." (Surah Ambiya 21:69).
“As-Salam” is an exceptional Name of God. God bestowed “peace” on all these Prophets: "Peace be upon Noah in all the worlds." (Surah Safat 37:79). "Peace be upon Abraham." (Surah Safat 37:109). "Peace be upon Moses and Aaron." (Surah Safat 37:120). "Peace be upon Elias." (Surah Safat 37:130). "Peace be upon the Messengers." (Surah Safat 37:181). "Say: Praise be to God, and peace be upon the servants He has chosen." (Surah Naml 27:59). "Peace be upon those who follow guidance." (Quran 20:47).
This clearly shows us that the Law of Cause and Effect as we know it does not exist when it comes to God. This is obvious in the case of Abraham, because God is above His own laws, being the Creator and Sustainer of creation.
I am of the view that if we view the creation of man in God’s image, based on these Divine Names and Attributes, we can reach a conclusion that everyone born into this world is:
1. The result of one or more Divine Names and Attributes. We are created in varying degrees or shades arising from these names and attributes.
2. 2. In accordance with the Divine Will of God, manifested though His Divine Names and Attributes, imbued in Adam, his progeny continues to excel. We can witness this in the Prophets. For example, Abraham (a.s.),“was Most surely Ibrahim was forbearing, tenderhearted, oft-returning (to Allah),” (Surah Hud 11:75). Likewise, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in turn has been described in the Qur’an as one who possesses moral excellence:
“And indeed, you are of a great moral character,” (Surah Qalam 68:4).
Note the Arabic word, “عَظِيْم”. Al-Azeem الْعَظِيمُ is one of the 99 Names of God, and whose greatness cannot be grasped by vision. It is beyond all limits, so much so that no human intellect can ever absorb it. However, we find a reflection of it in the character and personality of Prophet Muhammad (a.s.).
4. We know that every individual has good and evil in him or her. There can exist greater good and less evil or more evil and less good in an individual. Take the example of Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Prophet (s.a.w.). To this day he enjoys some relief from torment due to setting free a slave on receiving news of the Prophet’s birth.
Urwah (ra) narrated, “Thuwaibah was the freed slave girl of Abu Lahab whom he had freed, and then she suckled the Prophet (saw). When Abu Lahab died, one of his relatives [his brother al-’Abbas (r.a.)] saw him in a dream in a very bad state and asked him, “What have you encountered?” Abu Lahab said, “I have not found any rest since I left you, except that I have been given water to drink in this (the space between his thumb and other fingers) and that is because of my freeing Thuwaibah (out of joy as she informed him of the birth of the Prophet.” (Bukhari).
“And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference,” (Surah Isra 17:70).
According to Ibnu Kathir in his commentary in Maarif-ul Qur’an, concerning the above Qur’anic verse, God: “has blessed the children of Adam with such multi-dimensional attributes as are not found in many of those He has created. The beauty of form and features, the balance of body, the balance of temperament and the balance of height and built are good examples. These attributes bestowed on human beings are not found in other living forms in that balanced measure. In addition to that, they have been endowed with distinct reason and intelligence through which they get things done up and down in the universe of their experience. God Almighty has given them the built-in capability to compound and manufacture, from out of what has been Divinely created, materials and things which serve them in living, moving, eating and wearing in all sorts of ways. No less is their gift of communication, speech, comprehension, under-standing and explanation. This remains unmatched by other living forms,”
If you view this from Qunawi’s perception of the Divine Names, the Essence of God (Dhat) is the ultimate source of all names and all realities, (Dogan, A. F. 2014).
CONCLUSION
This article enables every approach to man’s creation and existence to be incorporated into a single entity in Tawheed, through the Divine Names and Attributes of God. By viewing God’s existence in the cosmos and the creation of Adam, a proportionate meaningful balance is established between the Creator and the Created (Adam), in a practical and realistic manner. Therefore, the creation of Adam in God’s likeness is the result of His Divine Names and Attributes; Manifestation of Himself, through His Sunnah, in the form of a “master-plan” initiated by Him Himself.
Like our thumbprints, no one shares the same thumbprint. Like your genes and chromosomes, they all exist and transform or mutate in accordance with circumstances and situations. You are what you are. You are a manifestation of His Divine Names and Attributes, in a continuing evolutionary process, already established the moment God created Adam.
If we adopt this approach, all sciences and research dealing with human existence and behaviour can now be linked to the Divine Names and Attributes of God, in varying shades of evolution. It can now come under a single platform based on Tawheed. (Mokhtar Stork, 21 April 2022/19 Ramadhan 1443). This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/.
