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Fatwa CenterDescribing Allaah The Almighty with the attributes He defined
Question
Despite loving Allaah The Almighty very much, I sometimes supplicate to Him by names not mentioned in the Quran or the Sunnah (tradition). Is this permissible?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
We hope that your expression of loving Allaah The Almighty or swearing to do so is in consonance with what is in your heart, for it is a part of perfect faith. It is narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that if a person has three characteristics he will taste the sweetness of faith. One of them is to love Allaah The Almighty and the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, more than anything else.
However, to call Allaah The Almighty, the Lord of the Worlds “honey” or “noble” is impermissible. That is because the Names and Attributes of Allaah The Almighty are to be taken only from the Quran and the Sunnah. It is impermissible to ascribe attributes to Allaah The Almighty except those defined by Him and the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. In his supplication, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, used to say: “O Allaah, I supplicate You by every Name that You have defined for Yourself, or that you revealed in Your Book, or that You taught one of Your creatures, or that You made exclusive to Your knowledge ….” [Ahmad]
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And to Allaah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names.}[Quran 7:180]
Therefore, supplicating Allaah The Almighty by names that neither He nor His Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, defined may be a deviation concerning His Names – which is a serious matter.
If a misfortune befalls you, resort to supplication that is valid under Sharee‘ah (Islamic legislation), such as: “Inna lillaahi wa innaa ’ilayhi raaji‘oon.” (Indeed we belong to Allaah, and indeed to Him we will return.) And to say: “Laa Ilaaha illaa Anta subhaanaka inni kuntu min ath-thaalimeen.” (There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.)
Be patient and humbly ask Allaah The Almighty to remove your misfortunes, for indeed, with hardship comes ease.
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