Willingness for truth for God

The willingness to meet God, or the love towards the loved one belongs to those who have recognized Him. The more is recognition, the more is love manifested.

The love of the Prophets and Imams towards God is beyond the comprehension of man or jinns.

The man’s true possession is this love towards God. Love is a powerful wing by which man can ascend to his destination.

كَيْفَ يُنْكَرُ الْعِشْقُ وَما فِي الْوُجُودِ إلاّ هُوَ، وَلَولاهُ ما ظَهَرَ ما ظَهَرَ،وَما ظَهَرَ فَمِنَ الْحُبِّ ظَهَرَ وَبِالْحُبِّ ظَهَرَ وَالْحُبُّ سارٍ فِيهِ، بَلْ هُوَ الْحُبُّ كُلُّهُ.

It would be impossible to ignore love, since there is nothing in this world but love. If there were no love, nothing would be created. What exists is manifestation of love. Love flows in any living thing, which is nothing but love.

قالَ أمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَA: عَرَفْتُ اللهَ بِاللهِ وَعَرَفْتُ ما دُونَ اللهِ بِنُورِ اللهِ.

Imam Ali(a.s) has said: I recognized God through God Himself; and I recognized everything else through God’s Light.

Elsewhere Imam Ali(a.s) has said: عَرَفْتُ رَبِّي بِرَبِّي “I recognized God through God Himself.”

The Prophets, the Imams, the God’s perfect servants, and the bibles, especially, the Holy Qur’an have shown how to recognize God. Nobody may ignore these guidance, however.

In order to recognize God, we have to pay attention to His Names, Attributes and to the content of these names and attributes.

These Names and Attributes are referred to in more than two thousand verses of the Holy Qur’an and in invocations, especially in Jawshan Kabir and in the narrations handed down to us by the Infallible Ones (a.s). The comprehension of these Attributes created a burning love inside us through which we are driven towards human sublime worship acts and towards perfection.

God has made it possible for all of His servants to go on this path and He has not deprived anybody of this right except for those who have deprived themselves of such a right through too much engagement in sins.

The reverend Sheikh Muhammad Amili, better known as Sheikh Bahaei writes:

“When God created man, He gave him the talent to recognize Him. Then from His innumerable Attributes He implanted few in him so that through these small number of His Attributes, man could grasp God’s uncountable other Attributes. This is similar to recognize a huge wheat store through a wistful of wheat and to recognize a stream through the recognition of a jug of water. God provided man with a little sight so that he may guess the status of the whole sight. In the same ways, God provided man with a little hearing sense, with a little wisdom and with supreme power. This is similar to a grocer who takes only a little from his warehouse to present in the store. That is why it is said in the Holy Qur’an:[1] وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنْ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا “And you are not given aught of knowledge but a little.”

To enumerate all of God’s Names and Attributes is beyond the scope of this book. For an example of such a treatment, we will present here a significant narration that is referred to in well-known books on narration such as Saduq’s Tauhid, Majlisi’s Bihar, Faiz” Ilmul Yaqin:

رَوى في كِتاب التَّوحيد بإسناده عن مولانا الصادقِA، عَن أبيه محمَّد بن عليٍّ، عن أبيه عليِّ بن الحسين، عن أبيه الحسين بن عليٍّ، عن أبيه علي بن أبي طالبA قالَ: قالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ3: إنّ للّهِ تَبارَكَ وَتعالى تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْماً، مِائةً إلا واحِداً، مَنْ أحْصاها دَخَلَ الجَنَّةَ وَهِيَ:

اللهُ، الْواحِدُ، الأحَدُ، الصَّمَدُ، الأوَّلُ، الآخِرُ السَّمِيعُ، البَصِيرُ، القَدِيرُ، القاهِرُ، العَلِيُّ، الأعْلى، الباقِي، البَدِيعُ، الباري، الأكْرَمُ، الظّاهِرُ، الباطِنُ، الحَيُّ، الحَكِيمُ، العَلِيمُ، الحَلِيمُ، الحَفِيظُ، الحَقُّ، الحَسِيبُ، الحَمِيدُ، الحَفِيُّ، الرَّبُّ، الرَّحْمنُ، الرَّحِيمُ، الذّاري، الرزّاقُ، الرَّقِيبُ، الرَّؤوفُ، الرّائي، السَّلامُ، المُؤْمِنُ، المُهَيْمِنُ، العَزِيزُ، الجَبَّارُ، المُتَكَبِّرُ، السَّيِّدُ، السُّبُّوحُ، الشَّهِيدُ، الصادِقُ، الصانِعُ، الطاهِرُ، العَدْلُ، العَفُوُّ، الغَفُورُ، الغَنِيُّ، الغِياثُ، الفاطِرُ، الفَرْدُ، الفَتَّاحُ، الفالِقُ، القّدِيمُ، المَلِكُ، القُدُّوسُ، القَوِيُّ، القَرِيبُ، القَيُّومُ، القابِضُ، الباسِطُ، قاضِي الحاجاتِ، المَجِيدُ، المَوْلى، المَنّانُ، المُحِيطُ، المُبِينُ، المُقِيتُ، المُصَوِّرُ، الكَرِيمُ، الكَبِيرُ، الكافي، كاشِفُ الضُّرِّ، الوِتْرُ، النُّورُ، الوَهّابُ، الناصِرُ، الواسِعُ، الوَدُودُ، الهادي، الوَفِيُّ، الوَكِيلُ، الوَارِثُ، البَرُّ، الباعِثُ، النَّوَابُ، الجَلِيلُ، الجَوادُ، الخَبِيرُ، الخالِقُ، خَيْرُ الناصِرينَ، الدّيّانُ، الشّكُورُ، العَظِيمُ، اللَّطِيفُ، الشافي. [2]

“The Honorable Prophet of Islam(s.a.w) has said: There are ninety nine names for God; anyone who can count these names shall enter the paradise. These names are Allah……

Underneath this significant narration, Sheikh Saduq writes: Here counting by fingers or rosary is not meant. The recognition of the content of these names and attributes is of crucial significance.

It is obvious that the mere counting of these names and attributes will not be sufficient. Only through paying heed to their content man could sense their effects over his soul and heart.

For instance, considering the meaning of “Rabb” in depth, which conveys the meaning of God’s real possession over the whole creation, will liberate man from all sorts of internal and external bonds and will save man from falling into the pitfall of anti-God school of thought.

Faiz, the great Islamic scholar, in his book called “Sharh Shihab,” narrates from Sayyed Fazlullah Ravandi having said: by “Ihsa” or “counting” is meant endurance in carrying out tasks proportionate to one’s strength and stamina. Thus, the Prophet’s statement is taken to mean: anyone who observes in his actions, belief and ethics the meaning and content of these names and attributes and is persistent in his belief shall enter the Paradise.

The same great scholar, underneath the above sentence, in his precious book called Ilmul-Yaqubm Vol. 1, page 102, states: by “Ihsa” is meant to equip one’s self with the content of these names and attributes proportionate to one’s endurance. This is identical with the statement offered by the Great Prophet (s.a.w): تَخَلَّقُوا بِاْخْلاقِ اللهِ “Equip yourselves with God’s mannerisms”

Or else, if one repeated these holy words a million times without considering their true content, he is like a bird which is taught to repeat a few sounds and words with no recognition of what it repeats. This fact is confirmed in the Holy Qur’an:

وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا كَمَثَلِ الَّذِي يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسْمَعُ إِلَّا دُعَاءً وَنِدَاءً صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ   [3]

“And the parable of those who disbelieve is as the parable of one who calls out to that which hears no more then a call and a cry; deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand”

Faiz, the great scholar, in his book called “Maqsad Asna” chapter four, page 21, says concerning this issue:

“One who is happy with only repeating these names and attributes without paying attention to their true meanings should be aware of the fact that he has gained nothing much to boast about.”

The hearing of these words only needs one’s sense of hearing which every animal has it.

In order for the God’s servant to reach the perfection he desires for and to provide for his worldly and Hereafter prosperity and in order to maintain God’s consent and satisfaction, he has no way but understand the true content and meaning contained in the following sacred Names and Attributes: