It is necessary to retain the dignity of the holy names of Allah, like His essence and attributes, in the heart and express it in behavior.
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| Respect for Allah in the heart |
How to develop respect for Allah in the heart
It is necessary to retain the dignity of the holy names of Allah, like His essence and attributes, in the heart and express it in behavior. The name of Allah and His remembrance are the most honorable things for a believer. Allah the Almighty says, ‘And the remembrance of Allah is the best. Allah is aware of what you do.’
(Surah: Ankabut, verse: 45)
The honor of the name of Allah
Like the essence of Allah, the honor of His name is infinite. An idea of the honor of His name can be obtained from several verses of the Holy Quran. For example, it is said, ‘How great is the name of your Lord, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful?' (Surah: Ar-Rahman, verse: 78)
Another verse says, ‘He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator, the Fashioner—His are the best names.
Whatever is in the heavens and the earth proclaims His holiness and greatness. He is the Mighty, the Wise.’ (Surah: Al-Hashr, verse: 24)
The honor of the name is immeasurable.
Like the essence and attributes of Allah, the honor and dignity of His holy names are immeasurable. It is not possible for any human being to determine their proper level.
The Holy Quran states, ‘Say, “If the sea were "ink" for recording the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were finished—even if We brought the like of it to help Him.” (Surah: Al-Kahf, verse: 109)
Human Responsibility
Human responsibility is to respect the name of Allah the Almighty as much as possible, or rather, to try to respect it properly, to acknowledge His honor and dignity. And that will be through one’s faith, devotion, love, worship, obedience, and behavior. The Holy Quran states, ‘What is the matter with you that you do not acknowledge the greatness of Allah? ‘And He it is Who created you in stages.’ (Surah Nuh, verses 13-14)
How to show respect
Experienced scholars say that people show respect for the great name of Allah in three ways.
Which are—
- By acknowledging respect: The believer acknowledges the honor and dignity of the name of Allah in his heart, mouth, and actions. It has been said, ‘What is the matter with you that you do not acknowledge the greatness of Allah?' And He it is Who created you in stages.’ (Surah Nuh, verses 13-14)
- By declaring the greatness of the name: The believer should declare the greatness of the name of Allah with greatness. As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught in the prayer supplication (sana)—‘I declare Your holiness, O Allah! With your praise. Your name is good, and Your glory is high, and there is no god but You.’ (An-Nasa’i, Hadith: 899)
- Reveals his inability: Since the servant is incapable of expressing the appropriate respect and dignity of Allah, he will reveal his inability before Allah. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray like this: ‘O Lord! Praise be to You, befitting Your glorious countenance and Your kingdom.’ (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith: 3801)
Actions that awaken respect
Respect for the name of Allah is awakened in the heart through some acts.
For example—
- Meditating on Allah: Meditating on Allah helps a person to become aware of the dignity of Allah. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Consider Allah, and you will find Him before you.’ (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 2516)
- Doing more and more dhikr: Reciting the Holy Quran and dhikr of Allah increases the respect and dignity of Allah in a person’s heart. It is said, ‘The believers are those whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned, and when His verses are recited to them, it increases their faith, and upon their Lord they rely.’ (Surah: Anfal, verse: 2)
- Fearing Allah: If the fear of Allah is awakened in the heart, respect for the name of Allah increases. It is said, ‘O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should, and do not die except as believers.’ (Surah: Ale Imran, verse: 102)
- Respecting the Law of Allah: Showing respect for the Law of Allah, i.e., the symbol of religion, is a requirement of faith for the believer. It is said, ‘If anyone respects the signs of Allah, it is from the piety of his heart.’ (Surah: Hajj, verse: 32)
- Praying for the love of Allah: Love and affection for Allah awaken the servant’s love for His name. For this reason, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray, ‘O Allah! I ask You for the taste of seeing Your pure face and the desire to meet You.’ (Sunan an-Nasa’i, Hadith: 1306)
Punishment for not respecting
Those who do not show due respect to Allah have been warned in several places in the Quran.
For example--
Allah says, ‘They do not respect Allah as they should. On the Day of Resurrection, the whole earth will be in His hand, and the heavens will be folded up in His right hand. Glory and exalted is He, far above what they associate with Him.’ (Surah: Jum’ar, verse: 67)
In explaining the aforementioned verse, Allama Sa’di (may Allah have mercy on him) said, ‘The polytheists could not determine the proper status of Allah, nor could they respect Him as they should; rather, they do such things that diminish the status of Allah. For example, associating partners with Allah who are not equal to Him in any aspect of existence, qualities, actions, benefits, harms, etc. No one in the creation is equal to Allah; on the contrary, the heavens and the earth and everything in them declare the holiness and greatness of Allah and obey Him.’ (Tafsir Saadi: 1/729)
May Allah grant everyone the ability to protect the honor of His name. Amen.
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