The 99 Names, Allah the One and Only
I have been studying the 99 names of Allah and learning more about Allah’s names the One and Only from Amr Khaled. According to one tradition, Muhammad heard a man praying to “the One and Only, the Eternal Cause of all beings the One Who begets not, and was not begotten, the One beyond compare.” Muhammad told him that this man had just uttered God’s Most Magnificent Name.
Amr Khaled (عمروخالد): Allah the One and Only
To learn more about the 99 names in Islam, I have been learning from Amr Khaled (عمرو خالد). This is the sixth of seven episodes.
0:00-0:50
“as it contains God’s Attribute, Onea nd Only, so angels wished to pray for him! There is no deity but God; before we take a break. I would like to address Muslims who know that God is the One and Only, but only mouth these Names without feeling them in their hearts though they repeat “There is no deity but God” in the call to Prayer…Utter this Testification during the break, feeling it deep in your hearts! Say: “There is no deity but God” and try to feel it with your hearts, and souls, believing that there is no one greater and mightier than God, the One; [there are video problems here]…”
“We should live by: “Therer is no deity but God”. See you after the break!”
“There is no deity but God” – Muslims live by it, die by it and believe they will enter Paradise by it
0:51-1:41
“In the Name of God; praise be to Him; peace be upon the Prophet Muhammad! There is no deity but God! We live by it and say it on dying. We will meet God and be resurrected with it! With it, we will enter Paradise and feel reassured in the grave! With it, we will appear before God, Glory be to Him! With it, we will answer the two angels in the grave; there is no deity but God. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said one should rejuvenate his Faith, for it wears out just as clothes do. Just as clothes wear out, one’s Faith may be worn out sometimes.”
“The Companions asked how to rejuvenate their Faith and he told them to say, “There is no deity but God’. We should say it and feel God’s Name, “the Only” and what Monotheism is all about! There is no deity but God; “Say: ‘He is God, the One and Only.””
Surely my prayer and my devotion, my life and my death are all for God, the Lord of the Worlds
1:42-6:33
“How should we live to please God, the One and Only? Having known the One and Only and comprehended the Testification of Faith how can we live by His Name, the One and Only, to please Him? This Chapter is known as: “Sincerity of Faith” Chapter [Quran 112]. Again, it is the Chapter of “Sincerity of Faith”. This implies that whenever you say something, whenever you do something, in action or inaction, you should seek nothing but to please God; submitting your will to Him and devoting yourself to Him, and none but Him! To have sincere Faith in God, the One and Only, do not be conscious of people and how they regard you. All you should care about is how God will regard you, that is the point! To be devoted to God, the One and Only, you should only be concerned to show your good deeds only to God. You should be eager to please God alone, not to show off among people.”
“God says: “Say, ‘Surely my prayer and my devotion, my life and my death are all for God, the Lord of the Worlds. No partner has He, and this is what I have been commanded.'”
“In Arabic, “my prayer” implied servitude or acts of worship while “my devotion” implies one’s way of life; some think wrongly that Sincerity of Faith has to do only with acts of worship such as Prayer, Fasting, Vigil Prayer…etc. This is not true; God says: “Say, ‘Surely my prayer and my devotion, my life…”; Sincerity of Faith includes devoting all one’s life to God and devote your money and family to God. What do the words “my life” imply in this verse? Everything I do in my life should be devoted to God, the One and Only! Enjoy having children, but raise them with the intention of them growing up to be righteous worshippers of God, serving Islam & making reforms [there are video problems here]…”
“Your money should be spent on things pleasing to God in the first place, also, you should treat your spouses in a way that pleases God. Work hard at your work places to please God in the first place. Employers should treat their employees in a way that pleases God. You should do so, not caring for others’ opinion, but God’s pleasure: “Say, ‘Surely my prayer and my devotion, my life and my death are all for God, the Lord of the Worlds.'”
“Be sincere, and devote everything you have, every cell in your body, to God! Don’t let the opinion of others influence you; only care to please God! Seek God’s pleasure in every act! Muhammad said: “The reward of the deeds depends upon the intentions…” God says in a Divine Saying: “I am the One, Who does not stand in need of a partner. If anyone does anything in which he associates anyone else with Me, I shall abandon him with the one whom he associates with Me.”
“Never try to act to please anyone other than God, as God is the One and Only, so dedicate your acts to Him alone! Thus, never do something devoting it to God and anyone else along with Him! “I am the One…Who does not stand in need of a partner. If anyone does anything in which he associates anyone else with Me, I shall abandon him with the one whom he associates with Me.”
“Imagine yourself on Judgment Day, having done so many good deeds, yet each of these good deeds was done to please someone other than God, and was not intended to please God alone, and thus, you will receive no reward for them!”
“What I want you to learn from this program is Sincerity of Faith; believe that there is no deity but God, the One and Only & lead a normal life, get married, have children, gain money, and enjoy your life and be happy, yet do all this intending to please God alone! All your acts and life must be devoted to God alone! Think how to please God through your work! Think how to please God through your knowledge! Try to please God while at work! Try to please God through your good appearance, strength, knowledge, properties, money, children and so on! This is true sincerity of Faith. You should seek God’s pleasure through everything you do or own! This way, you will be truly living by God’s Names, the One and Only, and acting on them in your life! You will live by: “There is no deity but God.””
“God says: “…they were not enjoined but to worship God alone in sincere devotion.” “Say, ‘I am commanded to worship God, making religion sincerely His.'” “Surely sincere Religion is for God alone…”
Amr Khaled gives an example of pure intentions from cows’ milk
6:34-end
I will give a beautiful Qur’anic example; God says: “And surely in the cattle here is a lesson for you. We give you to drink from what is inside their abdomens, [there are video problems here]…. a milk pure and pleasant for those who drink it.” Ruminants’ milk is formed by blood and their udders are close to where they excrete yet milk is very pure and clear! That is why God says in the verse: “…a milk pure and pleasant…” Do acts of worship with “pure” intention to please no one but God! Remember this example about pure milk whenever acting and make your intention to please God as pure as milk!”
“What if milk contained even a very small amount of blood? If you saw any slight change in the color of milk, you would never drink it! Can you do deeds intending to please God alone?”
“The last ten days of Ramadan are an excellent chance for everyone to sincerely worship God, being devoted to Him and seeking only His pleasure! Believe sincerely in God, the One and Only, and that there is no deity but Him. Seek nothing but pleasing God! Can you live as such during the last 10 days of Ramadan?”
“Someone told me that whenever he drank the water of Zamzam, he would implore God to grant him sincerity of Faith! Muhammad said: “The water of Zamzam is (good) for whatever it was intended.” The man would implore God to instill sincerity of Faith in his heart, as he drank Zamzam water. He would also ask God to let sincereity show on his face, and to let sincerity be evident in his speech, drinking Zamzam water. Even more, the man implored God to fill his heart and soul with sincerity of Faith.”
“Spend th next 10 days seeking nothing but to please God, the One and Only! Try to live by “Sincerity of Faith” Chapter, and believe in its implications! Be devoted to God and submit to Him during the last ten days of Ramadan! Try to follow in the footsteps of Muhammad and the Companions. Muhammad used to say, when getting up at midnight to pray: “O God! To You I commit myself…and turn in repentance.”
The 99 Names of Allah and Believing in the Name of Jesus
Only Jesus lived a life completely devoted and pleasing to God. This is proven from His resurrection from the dead. If Jesus did not please God perfectly in His body and life, then His body would be decaying and corrupted in the grave.
Amr Khaled can say that he is doing “his best” and that his listeners should do “their best.” However, your best will always fall short of God Who is perfectly holy and just (Isaiah 64:6). The best good work we can do is to believe in Jesus’ Name (John 2:23; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9-11).
Amr Khaled asked, “What if milk contained even a very small amount of blood? If you saw any slight change in the color of milk, you would never drink it! Can you do deeds intending to please God alone?”
The answer is that you and I have not done pure deeds of good, holiness, and sincerity for the last ten days of Ramadan or the other days of our lives. To think that you have done so is a sin itself. Please consider the following questions:
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Is it a “good work” for Muslims to deny God’s work in history (Jesus’ death on the cross)?
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Is it a “good work” for Muslims to deny Jesus’ resurrection from the dead?
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Is it a “good work” for Muslims to call God’s Word, the Bible, “corrupt”?
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Is it a “good work” for Muslims to deny what God has revealed about monotheism through Jesus?
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Is it a “good work” for Muslims to hope that God will deny His perfect purity and justice in order to let those who are not perfectly pure, just, and obedient into heaven?
Conclusion of Amr Khaled’s lecture on Allah, the One and Only
Here is the 7th and final episode of Allah’s beautiful names “one and only.”
0:00-3:52
“Joseph survived the temptation of the treasurer’s wife due to his devotion: “Thus did We turn away from him the evil and indecency, indeed he was one of Our sincere servants.” Satan defied God saying he could tempt humans. “Then by Your Supreme Power, I shall lead them all astray, Except Your sincere servants among them.” So, sincerity of Faith and devotion are crucial indeed! Let’s intend to devote all our acts to God! Let’s live in the next ten days devoting all our acts to God alone!”
“”Say: ‘He is God, the One and Only…” implies He has no partners! This verse is in “Sincerity of Faith” Chapter; we learned this verse by heart at school. We used to recite that Chapter, “Sincerity of Faith”, unaware of the meaning of sincerity though this very Chapter calls for devoting all our acts to God alone!”
The sincere devotion of Khalid ibn Al-Walid to Allah, the One and Only
“Umar ibn Al-Khattab discharged Khalid ibn Al-Walid, the greatest military leader, but he continued serving Islam best as a soldier. [there are video problems here]…” “Perfect your work to please no one but God! Always devote your acts to God! Khalid ibn Al-Walid served the army more after he had been discharged! After being discharged, Khalid ibn Al-Walid exerted himself, intending to conquer the Levant to please God, not Umar ibn Al-Khattab! Word hard just to please God! Employees and public servants should work hard, sincerely intending to please God alone! Imagine the result?”
The sincere devotion of Zin Al-Abedin to Allah, the One and Only
“Zain Al-Abedin was a role model that should inspire us to be devoted to God! Zain Al-Abedin bin Al-Hassan bin Ali used to provide food for all his city’s people as he would put rice, sugar & other foods by their doors every night! Some do so in Ramadan! Zain Al-Abedin would leave the food at doors, then leave! In the morning, people would find food by their doors; none knew who used to do so until he died as none did the same after him! When his corpse was being washed, people knew he provided that food as those washing him found a dark line on his back as a result of carrying heavy sacks of food on his back! Zain Al-Abedin died, but God willed to disclose that sincere devoted man’s secret to people so people would learn of his good deeds! God did not conceal his good deeds as He conceals people’s sins; he was sincerely devoted to God and He willed people to know of his sincerity only after he had died! They realized he was the one who used to provide food for them!”
“Be sincerely giving, not showing off or seeking fame; just seek God’s pleasure. Be devoted to God alone and act sincerely to please Him!”
The sincere devotion Muhammad related of a Muslim fighter to Allah, the One and Only
“Prophet Muhammad wanted to give a Muslim fighter his share in the booty, but that fighter refused as he did not seek such gains; he only sought to have an arrow shot at his neck! He was martyred when an arrow was shot at his neck and the Prophet wondered if that was the same man he had talked to; he knew he was & he (PBUH) said God had fulfilled that man’s sincere wish!”
“Be devoted to God and act sincerely to please Him! I am not saying you should abstain from helping people in public; Prophets and religious scholars are famous. Do good and help people in public, provided you seek nothing but God’s pleasure! “Those who spend their wealth…in secret and in public…” God says so for people to know therer are good people they are to imitate!”
3:53-4:50
“This brings us to the end of the program. Rejuvenate your Faith saying, “There is no deity but God.” Acting on these words sincerely can outweigh all your sins!”
“In the end, you are to do two things: Those who have acquaintances in the West are to reason with them! [there are video problems here]…” “for them to be true servants of God, the One and Only, and Monotheists they should act on “Sincerity of Faith” Chapter!”
“To conclude, let’s agree on two things: Rejuvenate Faith in God’s Oneness by feeling the Testification of Faith! Then comes the practical task: devote all acts to God in the next 10 days letting God bear witness we are trying to please Him! Devote your lives to God and let Him bear witness to that! Think of the acts you can devote to Him once this program ends! In the end, I ask God to forgive us all!”
4:51-end
The program concludes in prayer.
The Sincerest Beliefs Muslims have about the 99 Names of Allah are Sincerely Wrong
Amr Khaled said that by sincerely acting on the words “There is no deity but God” – a Muslims deeds can outweigh all his sins. The reality is that it will only add to the burden of one’s sin because no mere man can sincerely act on these words perfectly and perpetually.
As I mentioned above, there are many sincere beliefs Muslims have about the “One and Only” that are sincerely wrong.
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Islam denies Jesus’ good work in dying on the cross.
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Islam denies God’s good work in raising Jesus from the dead.
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Muslims deny the goodness of God’s Word by calling the Bible “corrupt”.
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Muslims say they believe in the “One and Only” but they do not believe in the monotheism revealed by the One and Only.
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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. 1Muslims 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). Don’t let Amr Khaled love God for you by doing all the thinking. Don’t let other Muslims love God for you by doing all the thinking. Don’t simply cut and paste arguments from Islamic websites.
Jesus taught that the second greatest commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). If you have sincerely devoted your life to loving God and your neighbor, then please accept my invitation to think and learn why Christians do not believe the Qur’an is the Word of God.
Jesus taught that loving God will all our heart, soul, and mind is the first and greatest of the commandments (Matthew 22:37-38). Don’t think that Amr Khaled can love God for you by doing all the thinking. Don’t leave it to others Muslims to think for so you don’t have to love God with your mind. Merely cutting and pasting arguments from Islamic websites is not the kind of sincerity and love God requires. You must love God for yourself and with your own mind.
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