Taken from the book: THE NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES OF Allah : ACCORDING TO THE DOCTRINE OF AHL-US-SUNNAH WAL JAMA’AH - p. 140-146
Author: Shaikh Umar al Ashqar
Publishers: JIMAS
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All of Allah’s Names are Most Excellent and His Attributes are Perfect and Sublime. His Names contain His Attributes. Some of Allah’s Names are more virtuous than others and some Attributes are more virtuous than others.
It has been confirmed in authentic ahadeeth that Allah has a Greatest name which, if He is supplicated with, He responds to and if He is asked with, he gives. It is also confirmed that Allah wrote in a Book, which is with Him above the Throne, that His Mercy overcomes His Anger and in another narration precedes His Anger.
Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, also points out that a single Attribute can have difference of virtue within itself. Allah’s being pleased with the Prophets, for example, is greater than His being pleased with others and His Mercy for them is more perfect than it is for others; His Speaking to some of His Slaves is more perfect than it is to others and so forth. [Majmo’ al Fataawa 17/212]
A proof that their exists disparity of virtue and excellence in His Names is that He, the Exalted, the Blessed has, from amongst His Many Fine Names, One which is the Greatest and the most Illustrious out of them all. This has been confirmed in many authentic ahadeeth, for example:
1 - It is related by at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibban and Al-Hakim, with a correct chain of narrators, from Buraydah al-Aslamih (radiAllahu 'anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (sulAllahu 'alayhi wassalaam) heard a man supplicating and he was saying: “O Allah! I beseech You in that I testify that You, You are Allah. There is no diety worthy of worship except You, that One, the Eternally Besought of all, who begot none nor was begotten and for whom there is no equal.” He, sulAllahu 'alayhi wassalam, said: “By the One in whose Hand is my soul, he has asked Allah by His Greatest Name which, if He is supplicated with He responds to and if He is asked with, He gives.”
2- It is also related by at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasaa’ee, Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim, with a correct chain of narrators, from Anas (radiAllahu 'anhu) who was sitting with the Prophet sulAllahu 'alayhi wassalaam and a man was praying. The man then supplicated: “O Allah! I ask You in that All Praise is for You, there is no diety worthy of worship except You, the Benefactor, Creator of the Heavens and the earth, Possessor of Majesty and Honour, the Living, the Sustainer.” The Prophet sulAllahu 'alayhi wassalaam said: “He has supplicated Allah with the Greatest Name, which if He is supplicated with, He responds to and if He is asked, He gives.”
3 - It is related in “Sunan Ibn Maajah” and “Mustadrak” of al-Hakim and 'Mu’jam al Kabeer" of at-Tabraanee, with a correct chain of narrators, from Abu Umaamah (radiAllahu 'anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (sulAllahu 'alayhi wassalaam) said: “The Greatest Name of Allah, which, if He is supplicated with, He responds to is to be found in three Surahs of the Qur’an: in Surah al Baqarah, Aal-i-'Imraan, and Ta Ha.”
4 - The two verses of al-Baqarah and Aal-i-'Imraan, in which the Greatest Name of Allah has been mentioned, has also been specified. At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah, and ad-Darimi all relate, with a correct chain of narrators, from Asma bint Yazeed (radiAllahu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (sulAllahu ‘alayhi wassalaam) said: “The Greatest name of Allah is in these two verses: “And Your God is One God. There is no diety worthy of worship except Him, the Beneficent, the Merciful” [Surah al Baqarah 2:163] and also in the opening of Aal-i-'Imran: “Alif - Lam - Meem. Allah! There is no diety worthy of worship except Him. The Living, the Sustainer.” [Surah Aal-i-'Imran 3:1-2]” [Mishkat al Masabih 1/704 and Saheeh al Jami’ 1/329 and Al-Wasaabil at-Tayyib p.161 and Jaami’ al Usool 4/169]
Some scholars have denied the existance of any disparity of virtue and excellence between Allah’s Names. They include Abu Ja’far at-Tabaree, Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’aree, Abu Hatim, Ibn Hibban and al-Qadi Abu Bakar al-Baaqilani and some scholars also ascribe this opinion to al-Imaam Malik, rahimahumullah.
The arguement of these scholars is that the existance of disparity between the Names with respect to Excellence makes one imagine that a name that is lesser in Excellence than another Name is in some way defective compared with the more excellent Name. However, it is not possible to incline to such an opinion, as there are authentic ahadeeth of the Messenger of Allah (sulAllahu 'alayhi wassalaam) which confirm the existance of Allah’s Greatest Name. The reason for which they deny disparity of excellence between Allah’s Names, and of which one must beware, disappears when the issue is clarified by those with knowledge, for anyone who is faced with this apparent arguement, and not by denying the reality which the texts have brought. In my opinion the generality of the Muslims are not open to such suggestions, let alone the Muslim scholars, because if the Muslim who is perceptive in his religion hears Allah’s Names and Attributes nothing comes to his mind except perfection and greatness. Imperfection or defect does not cross his mind for a moment.
Those who reject the opinion that there is disparity between the Names of Allah with respect to Excellence see that the Greatness (al-'Adhameeyah) mentioned in the ahadeeth is for all His Names, i.e. every one of His Names deserves that description. However, this is highly unlikely because the texts indicate that while all His Names are great, one of them has been singled out as being the Greatest.
Some scholars say that what is meant by “Greatness” is the immense reward a person will recieve from supplicating with the Name that he is using in his supplication.
Others say that “the Greatness” is complete absorption in invocation to the extent that nothing enters the mind of the person supplicating except the Creator, the Blessed, the Exalted, while he is entreating. While in this state a person’s supplication will be answered and his request will be fulfilled. [al Fath al-Baaree 11/224]
Those who believe that Allah has a specific Name, which is the Greatest of His Names, and they are the majority of the people of knowledge, have disagreed about the matter. Some of them say: “Allah has kept knowledge of this Name to Himself and no one in His creation has been made aware of it.”
This opinion is, however, cancelled by the fact that the Messenger (sulAllahu 'alayhi wassalaam) informed us in more than one hadeeth that it is limited to a number of Names which one of his companions supplicated with or which are contained in some verses of the Qur’an.
Those who say that it is known, have also differed. Some of them say it is the name Allah or the Beneficient (ar-Rahman). Some of those who say the Greatest Name is made up of several names say that it is Allah the Beneficient the Merciful (Allahu ar-Rahman ar-Raheem) while others say it is the Living the Sustainer (al-Hayy al Qayyim). A third group says it is the Compassionate the Benefactor Creator of the heavens and earth the Possessor of Majesty and Honour the Living the Sustainer (al-Hannaan-ul-Mannaan Badee’-us-Samawati wal-Ard Dhul-Jalaali wal-Ikraam al-Hayyul Qayyum).
It is also said that it is the Possessor of Majesty and Honour (Dhul Jalaali wal Ikraam) or Allah there is none worthy of worship except Him the One the Eternally Besought of all, who did no beget nor has begotten, and who has no equal (Allahu laa ilaha illa hu, al Ahad as Samad, alladhee lam yalid wa lam yulad, wal lam yakun lahu kufuan ahad). Other opinions have also been put forward. [Fath ul Baaree 11/224]
The Name which Shaikh al Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, rahimahullah, considered to be the Greatest name of Allah was The Living (al-Hayy). This is because the Living necessitates all the other Attributes and it is their origin. For this reason the greatest verse in the Quran is: “Allah! There is no diety worthy of worship except Him, the Living the Sustainer.” [Surah al Baqarah 2:255]
Also, there is nothing living except that it feels and wants and so it necessitates all the Attributes. Therefore, if necessity was sufficient as evidence then the Attribute The Living would be enough. [Majmoo’ al Fataawa 18/311]