Amr Khaled, the 99 Names of Allah: The One and Only (Part 1-2)

99 Names of Allah, The Most Beautiful Names

Muhammad is reported to have said in a hadith that Allah has 99 names,
There are ninety-nine names of Allah; he who commits them to memory would get into Paradise. Verily, Allah is Odd (He is one, and it is an odd number) and He loves odd number. And in the narration of Ibn ‘Umar (the words are):” He who enumerated them.” (Sahih Muslim 35:6475).
The Quran speaks of Allah’s most beautiful names (Quran 7:180), and encourages Muslims to call upon Allah by these names,
  • Say: Call upon Allah or call upon, the Beneficent Allah; whichever you call upon, He has the best names; and do not utter your prayer with a very raised voice nor be silent with regard to it, and seek a way between these. (Quran 17:110)
  • Allah! there is no god but He! To Him belong the most Beautiful Names. (Quran 20:8)
  • He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (Quran 59:24)

The 99 Names taught by Amr Khaled (عمروخالد): Allah the One and Only

Amr Khaled, one of the most influential Muslims in the world
Amr Khaled, one of the most influential Muslims in the world

Amr Khaled, one of the most influential Muslims in the world

To learn more about the 99 names in Islam, I am learning from Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد).

Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد) is a Muslim preacher who has more than 2,000,000 Facebook fans.  He has been described as combining “the trendiness of Egyptian pop singer Amr Diab with the down-home missionary appeal of Western televangelist Billy Graham, and the self-help wisdom of popular American TV psychologist Dr. Phil” (Lindsay Wise, “Words from the Heart“).

In this series, Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد) is teaching on two of Allah’s Names: “the One” and “the Only” as found in Quran, 112:1, “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only.”

At the end of this post I discuss why some of the sincere beliefs Muslims have about Allah the “One and Only” that are sincerely wrong.

Here is Part 1 of his teaching on the 99 Names of Allah, also known as the “The Most Beautiful Names”:

0:00-1:16 In the Name of God, praise be to Him & Peace be upon Prophet Muhammad.  Welcome to a new program where we will study one of God’s Names.” “Today, we will study two Names that are instilled deep inside everyone.  Muslims should live by these two Names of God and one would not be Muslim unless he believes in them.  Since creation, everyone knows these two Names of God instinctively.

Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد) defines the meaning of God’s Names: One and Only

Today we are going to study God’s Names, “The One and Only.”  Speaking of God’s Names, “The One and Only” we should define them precisely: these two Names imply God is the One and Ony Lord with no associates; He is the One Who has no rival, partner, or peer for “nothing is like Him; this is the meaning of God’s Names “One and Only.

Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد) explains the difference between “the One” and “the Only”

These 2 Names imply God has no partner and nothing is like Him.  There is a difference between ‘the One’ and ‘the Only’.  ‘The One’ means God has no partner & ‘the Only’ means nothing is lke Him.  So “the One and Only” together sum up this great fact: “There is no deity but God!” which is the focal point of today’s program.

1:17-2:51

Today’s program is challenging to present because it is directed to two different groups of people.  Since we are talking about God’s Names, “The One and Only”, we will be addressing those who do not believe in the Oneness of God and those who doubt that the Universe is controlled by One God.  I must address those people while covering God’s Names “One and Only” and in the meantime, today’s program is also directed to the believers who just mouth: “There is no deity but God” without really sensing it!  Live by: “There is no deity but God” and “He is God, the One and Only…”

In which Chapter is this verse found?  In “Sincerity of Faith” Chapter.  It is called, “Sincerity of Faith” Chapter!  This program is challenging; in it we address two different kinds of people.  In it, we will talk about basics with polytheists, trying to convince them of the Oneness of God.  Also, we will tell the believers that expressing Monotheism with just words repeating: “There is no deity but God” in every Prayer is not enough; every act in their lives and every move they make must express it spelling out devotion to God, the One and Only.  Since God is the One and Only, you should be devoted to Him alone, as God says in “Sincerity of Faith”: “He is God, the One and Only…”  This is why I believe today’s program is challenging!  God help us!

3:02-4:25

I will cite proofs and recite verses that are quite logical trying to convince polytheists taht there is no deity but God.  At the same time, I will tell the believers who believe in the Oneness of God they should not only testify there is no deity but God with their tongues, but also with their hearts, eyes and limbs acting upon it sincerely.

While I am addressing polytheists, keep repeating: “There is no deity but God’ so your souls and lives may be rejuvenated; these are our goals!  By the end of today’s program, I hope to accomplish two things: 1st, proving to polytheists that there is no deity but God; those with sound minds will have no problem believing this.  2nd, convincing the believers to devote their entire lives to God.  You should devote your lives to God and worship no one other than Him dedicating all your acts in life to winning the pleasures of God.  Live, think, work, marry, procreate and use your money just to please God!  You can enjoy worldly pleasures, but with the intent of pleasing God!  So we are tackling a very serious topic.  So let’s begin studying God’s Names, ‘The One and Only’.

Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد) says Monotheism is based on God’s Names ‘the One and Only’

‘The Only’ is mentioned just once in the Qur’an

4:26-6:15

The Only’ is mentioned once in the Qur’an; God says: “Say: ‘God is…the Only…”; this Chapter equals, in value, one third of the Qur’an.  Also, the Qur’an provides hundreds of proofs of Monotheism.  Suffice it to say Monotheism is based on God’s Names ‘the One and Only’ and those who profess Islam must utter the Testification of Faith that is based on these two Names.  So, today we are studying a great Name of God, ‘The Only.’

‘The One’ is mentioned 15 times in the Qur’an

God’s Name, ‘The One’ is mentioned 15 times in the Qur’an.  6 times of which the Name is mentioned with God’s Name, ‘The Subduer’.  God says, “…God is the Creator of all things and He is the One, the Subduer.”

I’ll start by addressing the polytheists and reasoning with them.  Let’s think about the Signs proving God’s Oneness.  I will discuss the great proofs of God’s Oneness and cite related examples.  I will mention the six major proofs of the Oneness of God one by one….Let me tell the polytheists of the first proof of the Oneness of God.  I will cite proofs and recite verses that are quite logical but theirs is not a firm belief and they can easily be caused to have doubts.  So, I am also addressing those young Muslims whose belief in Monotheism can easily be shaken by skeptics.

Amr Khaled’s first proof for God’s Oneness: All creatures are created in the same way

6:16-7:39

The first proof of the Oneness of God is that all creatures are created in the same manner.  What does this mean?  All creatures are created in the same manner; a male impregnates a female so a new creature will come to life.  Humans, animals and plants all reproduce in the same way and there is no other form of reproduction.  How amazing!

A man’s sperm that fertilizes an egg in a woman’s womb can be enough to produce an embryo.  A male animal’s sperm fertilizes the egg in a female animals’w womb to reproduce.  Similarly, when a drop of rain falls on the earth, it may cause seeds to grow!  ‘The Night-Visitor’ Chapter highlights this point: “So let Mankind reflect on what he is created, (Mankind) was created of a liquid poured out.  It issues (as a result) of the conjunction of the sexual area of the man and sexual area of the woman.”  God says in the next verses “By the sky that returns the rain: And the earth ever growing with vegetation.”  One drop of rain that falls on the earth can be enough to cause seeds to grow.

Unborn child at 5-6 weeks
Unborn child (embryo) at 5-6 weeks

Let me tell you something amazing: during the first weeks of development, human embryos and animal embryos are said to be nearly identical.  There is something even more amazing, it is said all creatures have almost the same body systems, take for example the respiratory system.  Almost all creatures have respiratory systems, have skin and have eyes.  This can only indicate that there is only One Creator.  Had there been 2 creators, each would have had his own style.  In order to show their creativity, each would have created creatures a very different way from the other!

While I am talking, keep repeating ‘There is no deity but God.'”

“The 1st proof of God’s Oneness is all creatures are created in the same way.”

Amr Khaled’s second proof for God’s Oneness: God’s Universe runs by fixed norms.

8:46-end

“2nd, God’s Universe runs by fixed norms.  For example, the first norm is that of gradation; what does this mean?…”

In the previous episode Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد) explained:

Amr Khaled’s first proof for God’s Oneness: All creatures are created in the same way

Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد) discusses proofs for God’s Oneness.  His first proof for God’s Oneness was that “all creatures are created in the same way.”  In this second episode, Amr Khaled proceeds to develop a second proof for God’s Oneness: “God’s Universe runs by fixed norms.”

Part 2 of Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد) teaching on the most beautiful names, the One and Only.

Amr Khaled’s second proof for God’s Oneness: God’s Universe runs by fixed norms.

0:05-1:40

The Sun rises small in the sky every morning and then it gets bigger until it reaches the center of the sky and then it starts setting until it disappears.  God says, “And for the moon we have appointed phases until she returns like an old (Orjoon).”  ‘Old Orjoon’ in Arabic refers to an old palm-tree.  Look at the moon when it rises and when it sets bearing in mind this verse: “…like an old palm-tree (Orgoon).”  This implies palm-trees grow older as well.  As for people, God says: “God is the One Who created you from weakness, then He gave you strength after weakness, then he ordained you for weakness and old age after strength…”Had there been two deities, one of them could have willed Man to be old, then get younger for example!  So, there is no deity but God, controlling the Universe through fixed norms.  The norm of gradation in the Universe is a proof of the Oneness of God.  Nothing in the Universe appears or disappears out of nowhere, the dawn does not break suddenly.  God says: “And by the dawn as it starts to breathe…”  The dawn breaks gradually!  “And by the night as it comes darkening on…”  The sun rises step by step, pregnancy lasts 9 months; heaven and earth were created in 6 days.  So everything in the Universe happens gradually!

“There is no deity but God, the One and Only.”

Prophet Abraham’s challenge to King Nimroud

1:41-3:28

“One of the fixed norms in the Universe is gradation.  So, God has fixed norms in the Universe.  Recall the debate between Abraham & the Canaanite king, Nimroud. 1In Islamic tradition, Nimrod was “Abraham’s antagonist.  Nimrod was, as is told in the Bible, the first potentate on earth. His empire included Babel and the surrounding countries (Gen 10:8-12). According to Islamic tradition, Abraham was his contemporary. Although Nimrod  is not named in the Qurʾān, he is, according to the exegetical literature, the qurʾānic tyrant who pretends to be able to give lifeand death, a claim which Abraham successfully refutes (Quran 2:258). Nimrod is also said to have been the one who tried to burn Abraham in a furnace, from which he was saved by God’s command: “O fire! Be cool!” (Quran 21:67-9).”

“In Islamic tradition, as expounded in exegetical (tafsīr) and “stories of the prophets” literature, the story of Nimrod and Abraham is richly adorned with elements taken from extra-biblical Jewish and Christian sources. It resembles the story of Pharaoh and Moses as told in the Qurʾān. Like Pharaoh, Nimrod ordered all children who were still nursing to be killed when he was informed — either in a dream or by the astrologers — that a child was going to be born who would contest his claim to be God. He distributed food to his subjects, dismissing, however, without supply those who refused to confess his deity. Abraham’s dispute as told in Quran 2:258 allegedly occurred when he appeared before the king to obtain his family’s ration. Naturally, he went away empty-handed, but miraculously brought home excellent food. According to another version the dispute took place when Abraham was summoned because he had destroyed the idols.”

“The building of the tower of Babel has also been ascribed to Nimrod; he wanted to see Abraham’s God, a parallel to Pharaoh’s high palace built for the same purpose (Quran 28:38). Nimrod’s tower was destroyed by a heavy storm: “God took their structures from their foundations” (Quran 16:26). As a result, human language was confused. Another version says that Nimrod erected a high building to look down on Abraham in the furnace. The high building sometimes is said to be the pyramids. In fact, the names Pharaoh and Nimrod are exchangeable. Nimrod even went so far as trying to kill Abraham’s God: He rose to the sky in a chest lifted by eagles and fancied that he had killed God when the arrow he had shot returned smeared with blood. His death was as painful as that of Titus the conqueror of Jerusalem as told in the Talmud (Gittin 56b): a gnat penetrated into his brain, tormenting him for four hundred years, the same length of time he had ruled as an ungodly king” (Heribert Busse “Nimrod.”  Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān. General Editor: Jane Dammen McAuliffe . Brill (Leiden and Boston), 2005. CD-ROM version).

Nimroud said to Abraham: “I give life and cause death.”  Abraham asked him to change God’s Norms in the Universe, saying: “Indeed God causes the sun to rise from the east…”  He challenged the king to change this norm, if he was a deity.  Prophet Abraham’s words were based on the Oneness of God.  Many read this story in the Qur’an without thinking about it, as it it is just an example, but it refers to a great fact; there are fixed norms that demonstrate the Oneness of God.  Abraham told the king to change the Universe norms if he was a deity!  He challenged the king to change them to prove his divinity.  “…God causes the sun to rise from the east, so…make it rise from the west.”  So was the one who disbelieved dumbfounded knowing that Abraham could give many other examples of God’s Power.  He was dumbfounded as he had no reply to Abraham’s words!”

“Indeed, there is no deity but God!  The way of creation and fixed norms in the Universe prove God’s Oneness.  For example, the electrons in atoms move counterclockwise.  The galaxy moves counterclockwise, and the same goes for the Earth, the Sun and the Moon.  We circumambulate the Kaaba counterclockwise!  Everything moves in the same direction.  Indeed, there is no deity but God Whose rules do not deviate.”

3:29-4:54

“On top of this, everything in the Universe moves in an oval orbit!  There are some films that show the celestial bodies moving in an oval orbit, not circular.  All planets, the Sun, the Moon and the electrons move in an oval orbit.  Everything, from galaxies to electrons, moves in the same way.  All this should prove the Oneness of God and that there is no deity but God, the Creator.  I rarely recite Qur’anic verses, but I am citing examples that address logic.”

“Also, all celestial bodies in the Universe rotate on a tilted axis.  When we studied globes of the Earth in school we noticed it has a tilted axis and not a vertical one.  Celestial bodies rotate on tilted axes.  This also proves the Oneness of God.”

“The Signs of God’s Oneness cited so far are: There is one way of creation.  There are fixed norms in the Universe; we could cite more fixed norms of the Universe until Ramadan ends!  I gave you just a few examples; look on the Internet for more.  Discuss these proofs of the Oneness of God with others.”

Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد) says motherhood is a fixed norm in the universe

4:55-5:55

“Another fixed norm in the Universe is the concept of motherhood.  All female creatures, like fish in seas, have the instinct of motherhood.  When a whale gives birth to its young, two other whales come to help the mother give birth to its young protecting it from other fish.  Motherhood is a shared instinct in all females.  It is even found in plants; when some trees are about to die from drought, they transfer all their resources to their seeds so the species would survive.  The Universe is based on the concept of motherhood and care.  Can you see the concept I’m explaining here?”

“The same concept was expressed by Abraham when he said to Nimroud: “God…causes the sun to rise from the east, so…make it rise from the west.”  I am still providing proofs of the Oneness of God.”

Amr Khaled’s third proof for God’s Oneness

5:56-7:37

“The third proof of the Oneness of God is so amazing and simple… [there are video problems here]…”

“Had there been two deities, one of them might have subjected the earth for Jinn or might have subjected it for lions!  The whole Universe is designed in a way that shows Man is superior, and the way Man himself was created shows it too.  Man has 2 hands and 2 legs, not 4 legs like many animals, so he would use them to invent things and work.  So, Man’s body shape indicates that he was created superior to all creatures, is there any other species chosen to be superior, contrary to what God willed?  It is a shame that Man disbelieves even though he is walking proof of the Oneness of God!  God has chosen Man to be superior, and Man’s creation testifies to it.  Lions were not created for a leadership role on the Earth, but Man was, and everything about him proves it.  Man has been given intellect and many other abilities!”

“So this is the third proof of the Oneness of God.  Had there been two deities, they would have quarreled, each of them seeking to take over and control the Universe!  Had there been 2 deities, the sun might have risen from the east one day and it might have risen from the west the following day!  So, indeed there is no deity but God!”

“Muhammad said the Sun would rise from the west at the end of time as it is God, and no one else, Who revealed this to Muhammad.”

Amr Khaled’s fourth proof for God’s Oneness: The integration of everything in the Universe

7:38-end

“A fourth proof of the Oneness of God is the integration evident in everything in the Universe; everything fits and works together, serving the same end.  See how the rain falls?  Remember what we said on God’s Name, the Creator!  The Sun, the sea, the clouds and the wind cooperate so that they may produce water.  The Universe is a big factory where five distinct departments work together: The Sun, the sea, the wind…etc.  They all cooperate so rain may fall; they must have been created by One God.  This integration in the Universe proves God’s Oneness.”

“Oxygen comprises 21% of the atmosphere and carbon dioxide comprises 1% of the atmosphere.  Man takes in oxygen on breathing.  Imagine if one day, we ran out of oxygen!  We would die, because we would be unable to breathe without oxygen!  Since God is the One and Only Who caused this integration in the Universe, He has let Man take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide (CO2); plants take in CO2 & give out oxygen to keep the ratio of each fixed.”

Some of the Sincerest Beliefs Muslims have about the 99 Names of Allah are Sincerely Wrong

In a later episode, Amr Khalid says that by sincerely acting on the words “There is no deity but God” – a Muslims deeds can outweigh all his sins.  This is untrue.  This kind of belief will only add to the burden of one’s sin because no mere man can sincerely act on these words perfectly and perpetually.

There are many sincere beliefs Muslims have about the “One and Only” that are sincerely wrong:

  • Islam denies Jesus’ good work in sacrificially dying on the cross.

  • Islam denies God’s good work in raising Jesus from the dead.

  • Muslims often deny the goodness of God’s Word by calling the Bible “corrupt”.

  • Muslims say they believe in the “One and Only” but they do not believe in the monotheism revealed by the One and Only.

  • It is a great sin to deny God.  It is an even greater sin to think that God will deny Himself by ignoring His perfect purity and justice in order to let those who are not perfectly pure, just, and obedient into heaven. 2Muslims say they believe in Allah the One and Only.  However, they must hope that God will judge in a manner that is not in accord with His Oneness.

Jesus taught that loving God will all our heart, soul, and mind is the first and greatest of the commandments (Matthew 22:37-38).  You must love God for yourself and with your own mind.  

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