Book title: The Beautiful Names of Allah
No. of pages: 171 pages
Readability: This booklet is straight-forward, short and easy to read. The index is very useful in that it helps you easily navigate to whichever name of Allah (swt) you want to learn about.
What is this book about?
This booklet is basically a simple explanation of the beautiful names of Allah (swt). Each name is written in Arabic and English and the meaning of the names is explained.
Example of a page spread from this booklet (click to enlarge)
Who should read this book?
Muslims of all ages should read this booklet (or any other book about the names of Allah) to learn more about their Lord. Sometimes we get caught up trying to learn complex and philosophical ideas that we disregard the essentials, and the names of Allah (swt) is one of those essentials. We worship Allah (swt) our Creator everyday in our prayers and in our actions, but how much do we truly know about Him? Whenever you want to get to know another person, the first thing you do is find out about their characteristics so that you can get closer to them. What about your relationship with Allah (swt), how can you become close to Him and worship Him as He deserves if you don’t know much about Him? Learning about the names of Allah (swt) helps you to understand Him better, and when you pray to Him you can call Him by His appropriate name. For example, when you feel all alone and like no one understands your worries, you can call upon Him with His name “al-Qareeb (the Close one)” and “al-Aleem (the All-Knowing)”. When you want to pray against those causing oppression and harm to the Ummah, you call upon Him as “al-Qaahir (the All-Dominant)” and “al-Naseer (the Helper)”. When you feel burdened by your sins, you turn to Allah (swt), seeking forgiveness from Him with His name “al-Ghaffar (the Most Forgiving).”
Additionally, the beautiful names of Allah (swt) are mostly derived from the Qur’an, so understanding their meanings allows us to better understand the Qur’an and why a name of Allah (swt) is used in a certain context.
What is the best part about this book?
What makes this booklet really useful is that next to each name, it references ayahs from the Qur’an as evidence for that name of Allah (swt). When the name is not derived from the Qur’an, the book mentions where it is found in hadith. This is very helpful as not only does it provide evidence from text for each name, it also enhances the understanding of the name in the reader when they read the ayah, and it helps to put His name into context.
Apart from this, the booklet is beautifully printed with coloured pages and high quality design. It is an enjoyable, easy and relaxing read and I recommend for every Muslim household to get a copy and keep it in an accessible place to flip through at any time.
You can find The Beautiful Names of Allah (swt) at your local Islamic bookstore or online as a free PDF by clicking here (Try to buy the hard copy if you can, it is more enjoyable and beneficial that way!).
