Religious scholars have related that Allah has three thousand Names. One thousand are only known by angels, 1,000 known only by prophets, 300 are in the Torah (Old Testament), 300 are in Zabur (Psalms of David), 300 are in the New Testament & 99 are in the Qur'an. This makes 2,999 Names. One Name which has been hidden by Allah is called Ism Allah al-a'zam: The Greatest Name of Allah.
All of Allah's Names are great, but since He has hidden this particular Name it is referred to as The Greatest Name. The Name is mentioned in the Qur'an as this Hadees states:
Asma, radiyallahu anha, reports that Prophet Muhammad, peace & blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "The Greatest Name of Allah" is in these two verses of the Qur'an, He who is worshipped by you is One God, there is no god but Him, the Compassionate & the Beneficent (surah 2, 163), also is in the first part of surah Aal-e-Imran, Alif Lam Mim - Allah, there is no god but Him, the Alive, the Self-Subsisting."
Aisha, radiyallahu anha, mentioned that Ya Rab (Oh Lord) is the Greatest Name.
Whoever reads the Qur'an must have read the Greatest Name of Allah, probably without knowing it. Some of the companions of the Prophet, may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him, knew the Name Ali Karamallahu wajhahu (the fourth caliph), may Allah exalt him, was one who knew the Greatest Name.
Allah has hidden certain things out of His mercy. He has hidden the most righteous people in His eyes (Auliya), so people should respect one another indiscriminately. He has hidden the night of Qadr (the holy night in which Qur'an began to be revealed) & the surah of Qadr (97th chapter) mentions that the night of Qadr is better than 1,000 months. According to Hadees. this night is usually regarded as being the 27th night of Ramadan. It is hidden so people should act properly & obey His orders throughout Ramadan.
He has hidden His consent, so people should always do good deeds. He has hidden His Greatest Name in the Qur'an, so people should read the entire Qur'an.
One should memorize the 99 Names for one's own benefit. However, learning the Names by heart is not the aim. The aim is to find the One who is Named.
There is a Hadees related by Abu Umama which says that the Greatest Name with which prayer is accepted is in these three surahs of Qur'an: Al-Baqarah, Aal-e-Imran & Taha.
In Al-Baqarah the verse is Wa ilahukum alahun-wahid... verse 163.
In Aal-e-Imran the verse is Alif Lam Mim Allahu la ilaha illa huwalhayyul-Qayyum (1, 2).
In Taha the verse is Wa-'anati wu-joo-hu... (111).
The Names of Allah are connected with the life of man. All aspects of life can be seen in the Names. When a man is given a Name which relates to one of the 99 Names of Allah it should always be preceded by Abd (servant of).
He who would like to repeat a Name of Allah should first say at least 700 times: La ilaha illallah-o-Muhammad-ur-Rasulallah (There is no god but God & Muhammad is His Messenger).
To begin, one should clean oneself with a full ablution making certain that all parts of the body are touched by water. If this is not possible one should perform wuzoo (the washing of the parts of the body which are generally exposed), as if preparing for prayers. On the days of the repetition one should not eat meat. The place chosen for the repetition should be clean. If these guidelines are observed the answer of Allah could be quick.
Preferably the person should be alone & the repetitions said during the night.
Be warned, "He who has no knowledge of how to use a sword will injure himself." There must be respect, care & good intentions or an injury could occur. The effect of continuous repetition with bad intention or not according to a way prescribed by a shaikh could cause harm to members of one's household or oneself. This true story of Osman Baba illustrates the point.
Osman Baba repeated Ya-Qahhar (Oh Destroyer) many times until he became obsessed by this Attribute. If he threw a piece of cotton at someone & it hit him. he would die. The people complained to Waliyuddin “Quddisa Sirruh" who told them to take a piece of cotton & throw it at the back of Osman. When it hit him he turned & said. "Oh Waliyuddin. you have killed me" & he died.
The power was given to him by Allah because he repeated the Name. There are some who want something eagerly or impatiently & attempt to receive it by repetition of the Names without first knowing whether this would be good for them. They keep repeating without knowing. They keep saying I Want It. They do not say. "Allah, if it is good for me. let me have it."
The correct way to the Names is to be on the Right Path. Allah may give to someone who is not on the Right Path but to those on the Right Path He gives. If you say these Names & do not receive, it may be that this is not a good thing for you: something not always understood.
While one is repeating a Name there should be no speaking & no interruptions. If thoughts intrude while you are repeating the Name, then remain seated with closed eyes. Make your humility perfect. Imagine that you are dead & the mourners have departed, leaving you alone to face the Judgment. Concentrate all your senses, expel all preoccupations & wayward impulses of the heart & direct your perception toward Allah. Now, continue to repeat the Name.
However, to be interfered with by Shaytan (the Devil) in thoughts may mean that Shaytan found something good in that person in the way of Allah. Faith & righteousness are aspects that Shaytan wishes to prevent in one.
Shaytan is not able to interfere with a person who has reached a certain level with Allah. A beginner in the Way of Allah is more open to the attacks of Shaytan. but he should continue to obey Allah's orders so that he may be free from these attacks & may reach the station of Wali (Friend), or Arif (knows Allah) which is beyond the reach of Shaytan.
Pir Nureddin Jerrahi, may Allah be pleased with him, instructed his murids not to drink water after evening so they would be able to have spiritual dreams. The lessons of the shaikh are given to the dervish according to his dreams. Through these dream interpretations the shaikh knows what lessons to give or to change the Name the dervish might be practicing.
If one drinks an entire bottle of medicine without the prescription of the doctor he will not get better & may even die. The repetition of the Names is the medicine & the shaikh is the doctor. The acuteness of the illness is important, the medicine & the doctor are important, the time that one takes the medicine & the time between taking the medicine are important, iind the amount of medicine prescribed is important. The doctor has wisdom of medicine while only Allah has the power to heal.
Yunus Musuli owned a small jewelry shop in the Istanbul bazaar. One day. Pir Nureddin Jerrahi. founder of the Jerrahi Order of Halveti dervishes, walked by the shop & saw the jeweler. He thought the man had an inner light & asked his khalifa whether this man should be taken as a dervish. His khalifa knew the man & said yes.
Pir Nureddin went into the shop. He was eating a peach as he looked around. He repeated a few words, breathed on the peach pit. & it grew & changed into a large, faultless emerald. He asked the jeweler it's value. The man was astonished at it's size & beauty. "I do not have enough money or property to purchase such a jewel, but I would give all that I have for it." he said.
Pir Nureddin breathed on the emerald & it changed back into the peach pit. "Is this what you would give everything for?" he asked. The jeweller was astonished at what he had witnessed & became a dervish of Pir Nureddin.
Pir Nureddin said that to make things into gold you must first make your breath gold. The way to do this is to be on the Right Path & study zikrullah with a shaikh.
Allah hears what is in a person's heart. Whether you speak aloud or have silent words for Allah, there is no difference, for He knows what is in your heart.
The beginning of the path is Allah. The center of the road & the way through is Allah. The end of the path is Allah. That whieh leads people to disaster is to forget Allah. The tongue mentions zikr (there is no god but God), but it is the neart that understands.
The Messenger of Allah, may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him. has said: "There is a piece of flesh in the body. If it is sound, the entire body is sound. If it is unsound, the entire body is unsound. It is the heart."
Allah, who does not fit into heavens or worlds, fits into the hearts of men. The process used to clean the heart is zikrullah. Zikr is a key to the secrets of life. When you remember Him & recite His Names standing up. He will remember you when you stand up from your grave. When you ask His forgiveness He will forgive. Allah gives to all because He is Rahman. Not to forget, one has to remember continuously. Mention His Name over that which you eat. If you wish to be near Him become the slave to His slave.
To be far is to have the hope to be near. To be near is to have the taste of fear of being far. This taste of fear is not necessarily suffering.
La ilaha illallah (there is no god but God) is the Name of Union. It contains a negation & a confirmation. This is a story that reveals the meaning of la ilaha illallah.
There was once a person who knew the truth of God & had reached it through his heart. He appeared no different than any ordinary man. He applied to the religious order & asked them to give him a building for himself & his one murid (student). Those in the office which assigns buildings to shaikhs looked at his poor appearance, tattered clothes, his weakened condition & failed to see the treasure in his essence. They decided to give a small broken house which they did not know what to do with to this man. so that he might at least repair it & live in it with his one murid.
He accepted the house, repaired the outside & filled the interior with the light of love. Eventually people who could see this light were drawn to him. More & more the house became honored, for the honor of a house is revealed by the dweller.
The office which assigns position & housing became aware of the students crowding around this shaikh whom they did not think much of & decided to test him. He stated his readiness to be examined.
The scholars said that the first lesson of a dervish is "la ilaha illallah." & asked him to tell what this meant. He asked if he should give an answer that they expect or should he answer as he really knows it to be. The examiners said that the way they knew was common & that he should tell the way he understands it's meaning.
If you wish the answer the way I understand it, then I cannot do it alone. I ask permission to have with me the one dervish with whom I sought the house.
He sat with his one dervish in front of the religious scholars & began the zikr. When he said la ilaha, he disappeared & when he said illallah, he reappeared. Again he said la ilaha & disappeared, then said illallah & reappeared. The third time he disappeared on la ilaha & reappeared on illallah. The fourth time he said la ilaha the entire crowd including the examiners disappeared & when he said illallah they all reappeared. Now they understood that under this poor appearance there existed a great treasure. This is the way he showed the meaning of la ilaha illallah.
In the following text the commentaries & number of repetitions suggested are open to be altered or determined by the shaikh of an Order. The information given is an introduction to the meanings & effects of the Names. It is advisable to follow the guidance of a shaikh.
The first Name in the text refers to the Attribute of Allah. The repetition preceded by Ya refers to the appeal to that Attribute.
Shemsuddin Halveti al-Jerrahi
Al-Hajj Shaikh Muzaffereddin
