The Seven Names of God

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham explains that there are seven Names or Attributes of God that explain Him. The remaining ninety two Names express a non-living quality, such as Generosity, Patience and Forebearance.

God’s Essential Names are seven and He has dressed human beings with those Names. As the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said about the relationship between God and his servant in this hadith,

“My servant does not cease to approach Me through voluntary worship or good manners, until I shall love him. And then when I love him, I will be, the ears that he can hear with, the eyes that he can see with, the hand that he can feel with, the feet that he can walk with. If he asks Me, I give to him; if he seeks refuge in Me, I protect him.”

And the saying:

“O My servant! I am the One who can say to a thing “Be!” and it will be. Obey Me and I will make you to say to something “Be!” and it will be. I am the Ever-Living who does not die. Obey Me and I will make you the living, never dying.”

We can see from these descriptions, that God can dress the person that reaches Sainthood with the following seven Beautiful Names:-

• The Living al-Hayy
• The Hearing as-Sami
• The Seeing al-Basir
• The Powerful al-Qadir
• The Mighty al-Muqtadir
• The Knowing al-Alim
• The Light an-Nur

Grandshaykh Abdullah Daghestan said that when Saints reach the level of these seven Names, they reach the level of perfection. The Saints who reach this level, vanish. They know that they are nothing and that these are God’s Attributes that they are carrying. When these are carried with ego, that causes them to appear separately from God; but when the ego vanishes, this light goes back to its origin. That is why they no longer see themselves, but see only God.

Also, as the Saint has reached the level of the seven Names of God, so God appears through them. That is why they pull people to themselves through their heart and they become God’s ‘appearance’ on earth. At that time, the Saint will be a mirror of God’s reflection. He will be a mirror of God for human beings, and human beings can know their Lord through that person.

The Saint has reached the level of the seven Names of God, which God gave to all human beings, the Attributes of the Name of Allah, which encompass all other attributes because there is life and motion in them.

 

From Mawlana Shaykh Hisham’s Book, ‘Pearls and Coral.’