Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
With the name of G-d, Merciful Benefactor, Merciful Redeemer: These words are known as the basmalah. They introduce all but one of the 114 chapters of al-Qur’an, the Muslim holy book. A Muslim may speak the basmalah hundreds of times during the day, beginning with rising in the morning for fajr, the dawn prayer (the first of the five mandatory prayers) and before any intentional action or endeavor throughout the day.
Al-Qur’an identifies the proper name of the G-d as Allāh (subhanahu wa ta`ala — great and sublime is He), which is the first divine name contained in the basmalah. What people gain by naming the G-d is an ability to call upon the true sense of the essence of something that cannot otherwise be located in language. Muslims aim to call upon it all the time.
Different religions and secular cultures use distinct names, attributes, or descriptions for the G-d. There seems to be an implicit right for each to name, as well as defend, its concept of G-d. In Islam, traditionally there are 99 attributes used to describe Allah including ar-Rahman (Merciful Benefactor) and ar-Rahim (Merciful Redeemer), with which the basmalah concludes.
All these names belong to Allāh, the creator of the galactic heavens and whatever they contain. Allāh is unique and without partners. Al- Qur’an is the revelation that the G-d placed upon the heart of the Prophet Muhammad (salli Allahu `alayhi wa sallim — G-d’s peace and blessing be upon him) and that was then delivered by the Prophet to the people of the Arabian peninsula. Subsequently the universal message of al-islãm (submission to the will of Allah) spread worldwide.
Muslims consider Islam to be the latest and final revelation of the Abrahamic traditions, which include Christianity and Judaism. In the final revelation and religion of al-islãm, they consider monotheism to be corrected and completed. Muslims consider al-Qur’an to be a fulfillment of the divine message of prior revelations. They may wonder how it is that Christians and Jews, who are also monotheists, can reject or ignore this revelation. As al-Qur’an puts it:
Say: O people of the book! Do you disapprove of us for no other reason than that we believe in Allah and the revelations that have come to us and that which came before (us), and (perhaps) that most of you are rebellious and disobedient? (5:59)
All three Abrahamic traditions, as well as some secularists, in many ways compete in a battle for the Book. The arrogance of certainty most often compels religious and secular believers alike to proclaim the truth as if they own it or exclusively understand it. And as an African proverb states, “When elephants fight, the grass suffers.”
We ourselves are not so different from those other believers. As we move to take back the name of G-d in our search for our individual truth, we must be careful not to cause humanity to suffer from our actions.
Spiritual roots of human conflict
Al-Qur’an states that Allāh created humankind and out of wisdom divided it into males and females, tribes and nations. It further states that the best of us are the ones who are the most righteous, i.e. the most concerned with promoting lovingkindness (49:13). Human conflict develops, for the most part, when we deviate from wanting for our brothers and sisters the same, or better, than what we want for ourselves (an-Nawawi, Forty Hadith, no. 13).
Throughout the ages, tribal, religious, and secular/political rivalries have been the cause of much distress all over the world. Religious fanaticism and the arrogance of certainty in the interpretation of sacred texts have taken a particularly large toll on society. Today, many young people look at the actions of those who claim to be religious and decide to stay far away from self-righteous individuals or organized religions. Though Freud is sometimes dismissed as an atheist by people of faith, his profound statement on the character of religion is still relevant and should be taken seriously:
Religion has clearly performed great services for human civilization. It has contributed much towards the taming of the asocial instincts. But not enough. It has ruled human society for many thousands of years and has had time to show what it can achieve. If it had succeeded in making the majority of mankind happy, in comforting them, in reconciling them to life and making them into vehicles of civilization, no one would dream of attempting to alter the existing conditions. (The Future of an Illusion, 1961, p. 47)
That religious people fight each other for power over the minds and lives of other human beings alienates the young from religion — and such behavior appears in many ways to be at odds with what the religions teach. Perhaps competition is inescapably part of human nature. If so, al-Qur’an tells us that the proper competition among religious individuals, as well as among their organizations, should be the competition for doing good (2:149). That is what is required of them by their books and religious creeds: the single-minded pursuit of lovingkindness.
Wickedness
The spirit of mischief-makers and deceivers often challenges the doers of good. Ephesians 6:12 emphatically captures this sentiment. It mentions that spiritual wickedness and other dark forces oppose good deeds:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Muslims know from al-Qur’an that while there is and can be only one G-d — one creator, one sustainer, one forgiver, one judge for all the universe — there are many spirits (jinn) abroad in the world, and most dangerous among them is the spirit of wickedness. Aligning ourselves with the guidance of G-d leads ultimately to Paradise while aligning ourselves with the spirit of wickedness leads ultimately to Hell.
Many are the jinns and men We have made for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle — nay more misguided, for they are heedless of warning (7:179).
As the aforementioned verse states, there are some people who are destined for Hell. Indeed, they were created for Hell. Only Allāh knows why this is so. This fate awaits both some humans and some of the jinn (spiritual beings). It may be that for them Hell is a temporary place for cleansing. Allāh is the best Knower!
But who is who, and where any of us will end up, is something that no mortal can know before the Day of Judgment. A famous hadith states:
…verily, one of you behaves like the people of Paradise… and that which has been written overtakes him and so he behaves like the people of the Hellfire and then he enters it; and one of you behaves like the people of Hellfire …and that which has been written overtakes him and so he behaves like the people of Paradise and then he enters it. (an-Nawawi, hadith no. 4)
Human beings cannot know whether people will finally be judged good or evil because we cannot know the depths of their hearts, where their true intentions lie. A tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that the spiritual value of a person’s actions is based on their intentions (an-Nawawi, hadith no. 1). We receive spiritual rewards or adverse consequences according to our intentions.
Allāh in His Wisdom permits every kind of human behavior. Al- Qur’an revealed that Allāh created humans in the best mold (95:4- 5); then permitted them free will to make behavioral choices. These choices operate within the limits of the divine plan. Some people behave like saints; others like human devils. Only Allāh can weigh the worth of a soul. But you and I can weigh the worth of our own behavior, and the behavior of others, one action at a time.
Religion and psycholigical wellness
Oppression in any form is expressly forbidden in the religion of al- islãm. There is no excuse or justification for it. In an extra-Qur’anic divine utterance also recorded in the canonical hadith collection Sahih Muslim, G-d declares:
O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself, and I have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except those whom I have guided, so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you. (an-Nawawi, hadith no. 24).
However some individuals use and interpret religious principles in an oppressive fashion in order to satisfy their own psychological needs. It may be that some of these people are acting out their aggression, self-hate, or childhood abuse. They may not have processed these feelings and have symptoms of arrested emotional development. The psychologist Abraham Maslow describes them as misunderstood, or undiagnosed. He explains as follows:
Some of these chronically misunderstood people retreat into religion, where they proceed to do exactly as they did before. They complain and commiserate with themselves, shifting the burdens onto the shoulders of a benevolent God. They think only about themselves. It is therefore natural for them to believe that God, this extraordinarily honored and worshipped being, is concerned entirely with servicing them and is responsible for their every action….They approach their god just as they approach their fellow human beings, complaining, whining, yet never lifting a finger to help themselves or to better their circumstances. Cooperation, they feel, is an obligation only for others. (Maslow, Toward a Psychology of Being, p. 214).
However, in the worst cases, disturbed people may move into vengeful action. Their intensity may even be able to convince some others to join their nefarious demented plans. And they sometimes claim that they are doing these awful actions in the name of G-d.
Yet the idea of religion remains a force for good, allied as it is with the wellsprings of sincerity. Carl Jung observed:
…I attribute a positive value to all religions. In their symbolism I recognize those figures which I have met with in the dreams and fantasies of my patients. In their moral teachings I see efforts that are the same as or similar to those made by my patients, when, guided by their own insights and inspirations, they seek the right way of dealing with the forces of inner life (Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul, p. 119).
Taking back the name of G-d?
We take back the name of G-d with love and charity. We take back the name of G-d by helping the homeless and shielding the helpless.
…Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the griefs on the Day of Judgment. Whosoever alleviates [the lot of] a needy person, Allah will alleviate [his lot] in this world and the next. Whosoever shields a Muslim, Allah will shield him in this world and the next. Allah will aid a servant so long as the servant aids his brother. (an-Nawawi, hadith no. 36)
In reality, we cannot take back something that is not ours. We do not own the name of G-d. In fact, we cannot own something greater than ourselves. We cannot take the name of G-d from others. They also do not own it. What we must do as religious folk is elevate the name of G-d. We can sing His praises and glorify His Holy Name in whatever tongue we speak; in whatever place we worship; in whatever land we live!
The battle is not to take back the name of G-d. G-d is very well capable of keeping and defending His name. The battle is against the spirits of mischief and deception. The deception is perpetrated by the doers of evil. When the doers of good put on the whole armor of G-d (Ephesians 6:11-18) they will be successful. The name of G-d will be preserved by those who proclaim His glory and compete in the doing of good.
Amin!