Customer Reviews

The Most Beautiful Names

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There is indeed beauty in the 99 names attributed to God according to the Islamic Sufism. Not only does this book explain the meaning and the nature of the names of God, but it also applies each quality to what would be the equivalent to the human condition. Thus we find that "Al-Musawwir", the Shaper of Beauty, the Perfect Artist, manifests itself in whoever is that "makes of things in accordance with the beauty, manifest in all that Allah has created, because no beauty is possible in opposition to the beauty created by Allah or other than it." (page 22). Hence the way for us artists to be thankful for our gift of creativity yet be humble about it as well.

My other favorite names are "Al-`Adl" (the Just), "Az-Zahir" (the Manifest One, closely related to Al-Musawwir in the sense that He maintains everything that is created) and "Al-Wali"(the Governor), especially because it lets us know that everything and anything that happens in our lives has been pre-ordained, thus, the power of destiny cannot be denied.

In Arabic, every word is created from a three-letter root. This book has inspired me to do my own research regarding Arabic proper names, because every proper noun has its own meaning.

For Muslims, a book like this one is a highly appreciated devotional reference, which will either be kept by the bedside or carried in a purse. I much prefer to have it always at hand, so I recommend a miniature, full color edition published by Islamic Book Service. Sadly, it seems to be out of print, but if found, it's well worth the investment.

The book ends with a list of the names of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and is illustrated throughout with calligraphic motifs of the different names of Allah.