How Much Do You Know
About Allah, Our Creator?

Who created you? Who granted you your body, your eyes, or the color of your hair? Who determined the shape of your body or the color of your eyes? Who created all other people, the heavens, Earth, and every living being in between? Who determined the order of the planets, the Sun, and the stars in the depths of space?

Your answers to all these questions will be the same: "Allah." When asked to other people, they will also answer: "Allah." Indeed, Allah informs us in the Qur'an that people will confess this fact, as follows:

So, how well do you know our Creator, Who planned you and the entire universe with a delicate equilibrium? Are you aware that He sees and hears you every moment and knows your every act? Where do you think Allah is? Did He create you and then leave you to your own devices? Does He tell you how to live? Can you see Him? Has anyone talked with Him? What other creatures did He create? What kind of a life does He promise after death?

No doubt, many similar questions may be raised and you may answer them in your own way. While doing so, you will rely on what you have learned from your family or relatives, the people surrounding you, or the books you have read. Well, have you ever wondered if their answers are correct?

Everyone may put forward different views about Allah. Conditioned by his education, a philosopher may formulate a definition that relies on his favorite philosophers' views. A housewife who is truly ignorant of Allah believes in what she hears from her neighbors. A writer who writes about Allah may have received no theological training or even not know a single verse of the Qur'an, His final revelation to humanity. Yet anybody who reads his book considers its every line as if it were absolutely correct, internalizes it, and, with great confidence, tells it to other people. The majority of people never wonder if what they have heard is incorrect or mistaken.

We need to remember that humanity is fallible and, therefore, people may act ignorantly. For this reason, in our endeavor to know Allah, we turn to the Qur'an, the most reliable and unique source, the just Book in which Allah explains everything a person needs to know. When we refer to it for the answer to the above questions, we see that Allah is everywhere. He is nearer to you than your jugular vein, witnesses and sees everything you do, hears every word you utter, knows your innermost prayer, and is beside you at every moment. Furthermore, Allah talks to His servants with whom He wishes to speak. For instance, the Qur'an relates that He talked to Prophet Musa (as) and preferred him to all other human beings alive at that time. Allah also created angels and jinn, as well as the afterlife, where each individual will have an eternal existence in the Hereafter. Allah also explains how we should live in order to attain Paradise after death.

This book, written to introduce you Allah, seeks to replace the vague, flawed, and insignificant information that you may have acquired over the years with the genuine faith described in the Qur'an so that you may come to know Allah, the All-Mighty, better and draw nearer to Him. Allah introduces Himself to humanity through the Qur'an He sent down 1,400 years ago and informs us of His beautiful names. The various examples and explanations contained therein display Allah's infinite wisdom, intelligence, and artistry.

The verses provided under each of Allah's names are from Allah, Who mentions and then explains that particular name. Under each name, you will find concise explanations reflecting the viewpoints that will remind you of some details about the name in question. Although these explanations are inadequate, for many volumes could be written about just one of His names, we will limit ourselves to concise ponderings that will broaden the reader's viewpoint.

The Names of Allah only conveys what is written in the Qur’an, for we have no knowledge about His names other than what He teaches us. Those that are out of our knowledge are, as is the case with everything else, in our Lord’s Sight: