Mafhum al-Asma wa al-Sifat
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah bi-al-Madinah al-Munawwarah
Mafhum al-Asma wa al-Sifat (The Concept of the Divine Names and Attributes) is a theological treatise on Islamic creed by Sheikh Saad bin Abd al-Rahman Nada, an instructor at the Islamic University of Madinah, addressing the theology of God's names and attributes in the Quran and Sunnah.
Background and Purpose
The work was composed and published in sequential installments in the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (Majallat al-Jami'ah al-Islamiyyah bil-Madinah al-Munawwarah). The author situated the study within a broader inquiry into "knowing God" (باب التعرف على الله تعالى), which he treated as the starting point of Islamic life and valid worship. Having previously addressed "the concept of Lordship" (Mafhum al-Rububiyyah) across four installments, he dedicated this series to the concept of the Divine Names and Attributes, maintaining that proper worship is impossible without knowledge of the Creator's names and exalted attributes.
Structure and Content
The author organizes the subject into two main sections:
- The Names of God (أسماء الله تعالى): Covering the linguistic and technical definitions of a name (ism), the concept of the Greatest Name (al-Ism al-A'zam), and the Name of Majesty (Lafz al-Jalalah, Allah).
- The Attributes of God (صفات الله تعالى): Expounding on the attributes of perfection implied by the Divine Names.
Method and Topics
The author initiates his survey by analyzing the names of God contained in Surat al-Fatihah before proceeding through the remaining surahs of the Quran. He emphasizes tracking and tabulating the frequency with which Divine Names recur in scripture—recording, for example, that the name Allah occurs 980 times in the Quran, and observing totals across successive installments, such as 32 names appearing 2,715 times and 39 names appearing 2,758 times. He argues that these high frequencies indicate the fundamental obligation upon Muslims to learn, enumerate, and supplicate using these names.
Each name is examined individually with regard to its morphological structure, linguistic meaning, and theological implications; for instance, he analyzes the name al-Hamid as an intensive form (fa'il) meaning al-Mahmud (the One Praised), noting that affirming absolute praise requires affirming all corresponding attributes of divine majesty and perfection. Throughout the text, Nada draws upon classical theological authorities, citing works such as the Nuniyyah and Mukhtasar al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah of Ibn al-Qayyim to underscore the role of the Divine Names in religious devotion.
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