Like this, by Allah -azwj , is the straying!

Like this, by Allah -azwj , is the straying!’. [33] Ism of Allah -azwj is ‘Ghair’ Allah: عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) عَنْ أَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ وَ اشْتِقَاقِهَا اللَّهُ مِمَّا هُوَ مُشْتَقٌّ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِي يَا هِشَامُ اللَّهُ مُشْتَقٌّ مِنْ إِلَهٍ وَ الْإِلَهُ يَقْتَضِي مَأْلُوهاً وَ الِاسْمُ غَيْرُ الْمُسَمَّى فَمَنْ عَبَدَ الِاسْمَ دُونَ الْمَعْنَى فَقَدْ كَفَرَ وَ لَمْ يَعْبُدْ شَيْئاً وَ مَنْ عَبَدَ الِاسْمَ وَ الْمَعْنَى فَقَدْ كَفَرَ وَ عَبَدَ اثْنَيْنِ وَ مَنْ عَبَدَ الْمَعْنَى دُونَ الِاسْمِ فَذَاكَ التَّوْحِيدُ أَ فَهِمْتَ يَا هِشَامُ Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father, from Al Nazar Bin Suweyd, from Hisham Bin Al Hakam, ‘He asked Abu Abdullah -asws about the Names of Allah -azwj and their deriving Allah -azwj from what He -azwj is Derived’.

So he -asws said to me: ‘O Hisham! Allah -azwj is derived from ‘God’ and ‘The God’, it requires its worshipper. ‘وَ الِاسْمُ غَيْرُ الْمُسَمَّى’ And the name is other than the named . So the one who worships the Name besides the Meaning, so he has blasphemed and has not worshipped anything; and the one who worships the Name and the Meaning, so he has blasphemed and has worshipped two; and the one who worships the Meaning besides the Name, so that is the Tawheed (Oneness).

Do you understand, O Hisham?’ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ زِدْنِي قَالَ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَ تِسْعِينَ اسْماً فَلَوْ كَانَ الِاسْمُ هُوَ الْمُسَمَّى لَكَانَ كُلُّ اسْمٍ مِنْهَا إِلَهاً وَ لَكِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعْنًى يُدَلُّ عَلَيْهِ بِهَذِهِ الْأَسْمَاءِ وَ كُلُّهَا غَيْرُهُ يَا هِشَامُ الْخُبْزُ اسْمٌ لِلْمَأْكُولِ وَ الْمَاءُ اسْمٌ لِلْمَشْرُوبِ وَ الثَّوْبُ اسْمٌ لِلْمَلْبُوسِ وَ النَّارُ اسْمٌ لِلْمُحْرِقِ أَ فَهِمْتَ يَا هِشَامُ فَهْماً تَدْفَعُ بِهِ وَ تُنَاضِلُ بِهِ أَعْدَاءَنَا وَ الْمُتَّخِذِينَ مَعَ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ غَيْرَهُ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ He (Hisham) said, ‘So I said, ‘Increase it for me’.