ALLAH is above Us All ( He is above Us all, no one is above Him ). Who can Only Help Us. And is there for Us Always when we need Help.

The question of God's existence has preoccupied men's minds for many centuries. Those who believe in God seem to agree that the limited finite human intelligence cannot prove the existence of the infinite boundless God. It can only illustrate or demonstrate his existence to the satisfaction of the curious human mind.

Those who deny God claim to rely on science, philosophy, or special theories of knowledge. Their arguments are sometimes inapplicable, sometimes irrelevant, always complex, and often incomprehensible. However, the developed mind will find its way to Allah. Failure to find the way does not mean that there is no way. Denial of reality does not make it unreal.

As we look around in our environments, we see that every family has a head: every school has a principal, every city or town has a mayor; every province or state has a premier/governor; and every nation has a head of state. Moreover, we know beyond doubt that every beautiful art is the creation of some great artist. All this is obvious, yet it does not satisfy the hunger for knowledge and the curiosity of man about the great things in the world. One often wonders at the beauties of nature with its scenic charm and marvels; the almost endless horizons in the sky and their far-reaching expansions; the ceaseless succession of day and night in the most orderly manner; the course of the sun, the moon, and the great stars; the world of animate and inanimate objects, the continuous process and evolution of man, generation after generation. One often wonders because one would like to know the maker and maintainer of all these things with which we live and which we immensely enjoy.

Can we find an explanation of the great universe? Is there any convincing interpretation of the secret of existence? We realise that no family can function properly without a responsible head, that no city can prosperously exist without sound administration, and that no state can survive without a chief of some kind.

We also realise that nothing comes into being on its own. Moreover we observe that the universe exists and functions in the most orderly manner, and that it has survived for hundreds of thousands of years. Can we, then, say that all this is accidental and haphazard? Or can we attribute the existence of man and the whole world to mere chance?

If man were to come into being by accident or by sheer chance, his entire life would be based on chance, and his whole existence would be meaningless, and no rational being would leave his existence at the mercy of fluctuating chance. Every reasonable human being tries to make his life as meaningful as possible and set for himself a model of conduct according to some design. Individuals, groups and nations do plan their course of action. And every careful plan produces some desired effects. The fact of the matter is that man does engage in planning of one sort or another, and can appreciate the merits of good planning.

Yet man represents only a very small portion of the great universe. And if he can make plans and appreciate the merits of planning, then his own existence and the survival of the universe must also be based on a planned policy. This means that there is a Designing Will behind our material existence, and that there is a Unique Mind in the world to bring things into being and keep them moving in order. The marvellous wonders of our world and the secrets of life are too great to be the product of random accident or mere chance.

In the world, then there must be a Great Force in action to keep everything in order.

In the beautiful nature there must be a Great Artist who creates the most charming pieces of art and produces everything for a special purpose in life. This Force is the strongest of all forces, and this Artist is the greatest of all artists. The true believers and deeply enlightened people recognise this Artist and call Him Allah ( His True and Real Name ) or God. They call Him God because He is the Creator and the Chief Architect of the world, the Originator of life and the Provider of all things in existence. He is not a man because no man can create or make another man. He is not an animal, nor is He a plant. He is neither an idol nor is He a statue of any kind because none of these things can make itself or create anything else. He is not a machine. He is neither the sun nor is He the moon or any other star, because these things are controlled by a great system, and are themselves made by someone else. He is different from all these things, because He is the Maker and Keeper of them all. The maker of anything must be different from and greater than the thing which he makes. We also know that nothing can come to life on its own, and that the marvellous world did not create itself or come into existence by accident. The continuous changes in the world prove that it is made and everything which is made must have a maker of some sort.

The Maker and Sustainer of the world, the Creator of and Provider for man, the Active Force and Effective Power in nature are all one and the same, and that is known to be Allah or God. This is the secret of all secrets and the Most Supreme of all beings. The Holy Qu'ran, the True Book of God say's:

"Belief in God and His great power alone can provide mankind with the best Possible explanation of many mysterious things in life. This is the safest way to true knowledge and spiritual insight, the right path to good behaviour and sound morals, the surest guide to happiness and prosperity.

Once man believes that God exists he must know His attributes and names. Generally speaking every perfection and absolute goodness belong to Him, and no defect or wrong applies to Him. In specific terms, one should know and believe the following:

1. God is only One, has no partner or son, and neither gives birth, nor is He born. He is eternally besought by all and has no beginning or end, and none is equal to Him ( Holy Qu'ran )

2. He is the Merciful and the Compassionate, the Guardian and the True Guide, the Just and the Supreme Lord, the Creator and the Watchful, the First and the Last, the knowing and the Wise, the Hearing, and the Aware, the Witness and the Glorious, the Able and ' the Powerful. ( Holy Qu'ran example )

3. He is the Loving and the Provider, the Generous and the Benevolent, the Rich and the Independent, the Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the Appreciative, the unique and the Protector, the Judge and the Peace. ( Holy Qu'ran example )

Each one of these names and attributes of God is mentioned in various places in the Holy Qu'ran. We all enjoy the care and mercy of God Who is so Loving and Kind to His creation. If we try to count His favours upon us, we cannot, because they are countless ( Holy Qu'ran )

God is High and Supreme, but he is very near to the pious thoughtful people; He answers their prayers and helps them. He loves the people who love Him and forgives their sins. He gives them peace and happiness, knowledge and success, life and protection. He welcomes all those who want to be at peace with Him and never rejects any of them. He teaches man to be good, to do the right and to keep away from the wrong. Because He is so Good and Loving. He recommends and accepts only the good and right things. The door of His mercy is always open to any who sincerely seek His support and protection. ( Holy Qu'ran )

The Love of God for His creatures is immense and beyond human imagination. We cannot measure or count His favours. He creates us and takes good care of us, not only from the time of our birth onward, but even long before that. He makes us in the best form of creation and gives us all the senses and faculties that we need for our growth. He helps us when we cannot help ourselves, and provides for us and for our dependents. He creates in man the mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good and righteous, the feelings and sentiments to be kind and humane.

By His mercy we gain true knowledge and see the real light. Because He is Merciful He creates us in the most beautiful shape and provides us with the sun and the moon, the land and the sea, the earth and the skies, the plants and the animals. He is the Creator of all these things and many others for our benefit and use. He makes things that are of service to us in this life, and gives man dignity and intelligence, honour and respect, because man is the best of all created things and is God's viceroy on earth. The mercy O god gives us hope and peace, courage and confidence. It enables us to remedy our griefs and sorrows, to overcome our difficulties and obtain success and happiness. Indeed, the mercy of God relieves the distressed, cheers the afflicted, consoles the sick, strengthens the desperate, and comforts the needy. In short, the mercy of God is active everywhere all the time in every aspect of our lives. Some people may fail to recognise it only because they take it for granted. But it is real and we can feel it with our hearts and appreciate it with our minds. The Loving Merciful God never forgets us or lets us down or ignores our sincere calls upon Him. By His Mercy and Love He has shown us the Right Way and sent to us messengers and teachers, books and revelations - all are meant for our help and guidance. The last Messenger from God is Muhammad ( S.A.W ), and the most genuine existing book of Allah is the Qu'ran. From the traditions of Muhammad ( S.A.W ) and the teachings of the Qu'ran, we learn about the Forgiving God. If a person commits a sin or does something wrong, then he is violating the law of God, committing a grave offence against God and abusing his own dignity and existence. But if he is sincere and wishes to repent, regrets his wrong deeds and wants to return to God, faithfully seeks pardon from God and honestly approaches him, then God will certainly accept him and forgive him. Even those who reject God or his Oneness are assured of forgiveness, should they realise there erroneous attitude and resolve to come back to God. In this connection the Qu'ran say's: "God forgives not that partnership should be setup with him; but He forgives anything else, to whom he pleases and; to setup partners with God is to devise a sin most heinous indeed. ( Qu'ran ) "Say oh my servants who have transgressed against their souls! despair not the mercy of God: for God forgives all sins: for he is most forgiving, most merciful. Turn to your Lord ( in repentance ) and submit to him, before the penalty comes on you; after that you shall not be helped. And follow the best of the courses revealed to you from your Lord, before the penalty comes on you on a sudden while you perceive not !" ( Qu'ran ) In return for all these great favours and kindness God does not need anything from us, because He is the needless and the independent. He does not ask us to pay him back, for we cannot reward him or value his immeasurable favours and mercy. What He commands us to do, however, is only to be good, to be thankful and to be appreciative, to follow his recommendations and in force his law, to be the proper manifestation of his goodness and excellent attributes, to be his honest agents and true representatives on earth. He does not want to enslave us because he is the One who grants us dignity and honour. He does not wish to subjugate us, because He is One who is emancipates us from fear and superstitions. He does not desire to humiliate us because He is the One who creates us and exalts our ranks above all other beings. So whatever rules and prescriptions He passes unto us are designed for our own benefit and good. They are meant to help us enjoy our lives with one another in Peace and Kindness, in brotherhood and co-operation. They are destined to make us attain his most pleasant company and adopt the surest approach to Eternal Happiness in life after death. There are various ways to know God and there are many things to tell about him. The Great wonders and impressive marvels of the world are like open books in which we can read about God. Besides, God Himself comes to our Aid through the many messengers and revelations He has sent down to man. These messengers and revelations tell us everything we need to know about God. So by reflecting on nature, by hearing the words of the messengers, and by reading the Divine revelations we can gain most convincing knowledge about God and find the Straight Path to Him. The aforesaid discussion brings forth the following facts: There is God. He is ONE. 2. He is the creator, sustainer and provider of this universe and there is no partners unto Him. 3. He is the One and the Only One who can guide us in the Right Path in all walks of our life. It is in following His guidance the success and salvation of man, Here and in the Hereafter lies, says the Qu'ran: "Allah Himself bears witness that there is no God but He and likewise do the Angels and the men possessed of knowledge bear witness in truth and justice that there is no God but He the Almighty the All-Wise". ( 3: 18 Holy Qu'ran ) "Say, 'God's guidance is the ( only ) Guidance And we have been directed to submit ourselves to the Lord of the Worlds" ( 6: 71 Holy Qu'ran ) Now it is the duty of everyone of us to acknowledge Him, acquire the Knowledge of His guidance and lead a life of complete submission to His guidance. If We don't we are the Only Losers Here, We Must hold on to the Rope Of Allah Firmly, and never let go

AN EXPLANATION OF THE PERFECT NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH "He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator, The Fashioner, to Him belong the most beautiful names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, do declare His praises and glory. And He is the Exalted in Might, The Wise. (Quran 59:24) "The most beautiful names belong to God: so call on Him by them;..." (7:180) It is not possible to perfectly translate the names and attributes of Allah from their original Arabic into English. However, here are some fairly close explanations. ^= letter ain of arabic '= letter hamza of arabic Allah Allah, He who has the Godhood which is the power to create the entities. Ar-Rahmaan The Compassionate, The Beneficient, The One who has plenty of mercy for the believers and the blasphemers in this world and especially for the believers in the hereafter. Ar-Raheem The Merciful, The One who has plenty of mercy for the believers. Al-Malik The King, The Sovereign Lord, The One with the complete Dominion, the One Whose Dominion is clear from imperfection. Al-Quddoos The Holy, The One who is pure from any imperfection and clear from children and adversaries. As-Salaam The Source of Peace, The One who is free from every imperfection. Al-Mu'min Guardian of Faith, The One who witnessed for Himself that no one is God but Him. And He witnessed for His believers that they are truthful in their belief that no one is God but Him. Al-Muhaimin The Protector, The One who witnesses the saying and deeds of His creatures. Al-^Azeez The Mighty, The Strong, The Defeater who is not defeated. Al-Jabbaar The Compeller, The One that nothing happens in His Dominion except that which He willed. Al-Mutakabbir The Majestic, The One who is clear from the attributes of the creatures and from resembling them. Al-Khaaliq The Creator, The One who brings everything from non-existence to existence. Al-Bari' The Evolver, The Maker, The Creator who has the Power to turn the entities. Al-Musawwir The Fashioner, The One who forms His creatures in different pictures. Al-Ghaffaar The Great Forgiver, The Forgiver, The One who forgives the sins of His slaves time and time again. Al-Qahhaar The Subduer, The Dominant, The One who has the perfect Power and is not unable over anything. Al-Wahhaab The Bestower, The One who is Generous in giving plenty without any return. He is everything that benefits whether Halal or Haram. Al-Razzaaq The Sustainer, The Provider. Al-Fattaah The Opener, The Reliever, The Judge, The One who opens for His slaves the closed worldy and religious matters. Al-^Aleem The All-knowing, The Knowledgeable; The One nothing is absent from His knowledge. Al-Qaabid The Constricter, The Retainer, The Withholder, The One who constricts the sustenance by His wisdomand expands and widens it with His Generosity and Mercy. Al-Baasit The Expander, The Englarger, The One who constricts the sustenance by His wisdomand expands and widens it with His Generosity and Mercy. Al-Khaafid The Abaser, The One who lowers whoever He willed by His Destruction and raises whoever He willed by His Endowment. Ar-Raafi^ The Exalter, The Elevator, The One who lowers whoever He willed by His Destruction and raises whoever He willed by His Endowment. Al-Mu^iz The Honorer, He gives esteem to whoever He willed, hence there is no one to degrade Him; And He degrades whoever He willed, hence there is no one to give Him esteem. Al-Muthil The Dishonorer, The Humiliator, He gives esteem to whoever He willed, hence there is no one to degrade Him; And He degrades whoever He willed, hence there is no one to give Him esteem. As-Samee^ The All-Hearing, The Hearer, The One who Hears all things that are heard by His Eternal Hearing without an ear, instrument or organ. Al-Baseer The All-Seeing, The One who Sees all things that are seen by His Eternal Seeing without a pupil or any other instrument. Al-Hakam The Judge, He is the Ruler and His judgment is His Word. Al-^Adl The Just, The One who is entitled to do what He does. Al-Lateef The Subtle One, The Gracious, The One who is kind to His slaves and endows upon them. Al-Khabeer The Aware, The One who knows the truth of things. Al-Haleem The Forebearing, The Clement, The One who delays the punishment for those who deserve it and then He might forgive them. Al-^Azeem The Great One, The Mighty, The One deserving the attributes of Exaltment, Glory, Extolement,and Purity from all imperfection. Al-Ghafoor The All-Forgiving, The Forgiving, The One who forgives a lot. Ash-Shakoor The Grateful, The Appreciative, The One who gives a lot of reward for a little obedience. Al-^Aliyy The Most High, The Sublime, The One who is clear from the attributes of the creatures. Al-Kabeer The Most Great, The Great, The One who is greater than everything in status. Al-Hafeez The Preserver, The Protector, The One who protects whatever and whoever He willed to protect. Al-Muqeet The Maintainer, The Guardian, The Feeder, The Sustainer, The One who has the Power. Al-Haseeb The Reckoner, The One who gives the satisfaction. Aj-Jaleel The Sublime One, The Beneficent, The One who is attributed with greatness of Power and Glory of status. Al-Kareem The Generous One, The Bountiful, The Gracious, The One who is attributed with greatness of Power and Glory of status. Ar-Raqeeb The Watcher, The Watchful, The One that nothing is absent from Him. Hence it's meaning is related to the attribute of Knowledge. Al-Mujeeb The Responsive, The Hearkener, The One who answers the one in need if he asks Him and rescues the yearner if he calls upon Him. Al-Wasi^ The Vast, The All-Embracing, The Knowledgeable. Al-Hakeem The Wise, The Judge of Judges, The One who is correct in His doings. Al-Wadood The Loving, The One who loves His believing slaves and His believing slaves love Him. His love to His slaves is His Will to be merciful to them and praise them:Hence it's meaning is related to the attributes of the Will and Kalam (His attribute with which He orders and forbids and spoke to Muhammad and Musa -peace be upon them- . It is not a sound nor a language nor a letter.). Al-Majeed The Most Glorious One, The Glorious, The One who is with perfect Power, High Status, Compassion, Generosity and Kindness. Al-Ba^ith The Reserrector, The Raiser (from death), The One who resurrects His slaves after death for reward and/or punishment. Ash-Shaheed The Witness, The One who nothing is absent from Him. Al-Haqq The Truth, The True, The One who truly exists. Al-Wakeel The Trustee, The One who gives the satisfaction and is relied upon. Al-Qawiyy The Most Strong, The Strong, The One with the complete Power. Al-Mateen The Firm One, The One with extreme Power which is un-interrupted and He does not get tired. Al-Waliyy The Protecting Friend, The Supporter. Al-Hameed The Praiseworthy, The praised One who deserves to be praised. Al-Muhsee The Counter, The Reckoner, The One who the count of things are known to him. Al-Mubdi' The Originator, The One who started the human being. That is, He created him. Al-Mu^eed The Reproducer, The One who brings back the creatures after death. Al-Muhyi The Restorer, The Giver of Life, The One who took out a living human from semen that does not have a soul. He gives life by giving the souls back to the worn out bodies on the resurrection day and He makes the hearts alive by the light of knowledge. Al-Mumeet The Creator of Death, The Destroyer, The One who renders the living dead. Al-Hayy The Alive, The One attributed with a life that is unlike our life and is not that of a combination of soul, flesh or blood. Al-Qayyoom The Self-Subsisting, The One who remains and does not end. Al-Waajid The Perceiver, The Finder, The Rich who is never poor. Al-Wajd is Richness. Al-Waahid The Unique, The One, The One without a partner. Al-Ahad The One. As-Samad The Eternal, The Independent, The Master who is relied upon in matters and reverted to in ones needs. Al-Qaadir The Able, The Capable, The One attributed with Power. Al-Muqtadir The Powerful, The Dominant, The One with the perfect Power that nothing is withheld from Him. Al-Muqaddim The Expediter, The Promoter, The One who puts things in their right places. He makes ahead what He wills and delays what He wills. Al-Mu'akh-khir The Delayer, the Retarder, The One who puts things in their right places. He makes ahead what He wills and delays what He wills. Al-'Awwal The First, The One whose Existence is without a beginning. Al-'Akhir The Last, The One whose Existence is without an end. Az-Zaahir The Manifest, The One that nothing is above Him and nothing is underneath Him, hence He exists without a place. He, The Exalted, His Existence is obvious by proofs and He is clear from the delusions of attributes of bodies. Al-Baatin The Hidden, The One that nothing is above Him and nothing is underneath Him, hence He exists without a place. He, The Exalted, His Existence is obvious by proofs and He is clear from the delusions of attributes of bodies. Al-Walee The Governor, The One who owns things and manages them. Al-Muta^ali The Most Exalted, The High Exalted, The One who is clear from the attributes of the creation. Al-Barr The Source of All Goodness, The Righteous, The One who is kind to His creatures, who covered them with His sustenance and specified whoever He willed among them by His support, protection, and special mercy. At-Tawwaab The Acceptor of Repentance, The Relenting, The One who grants repentance to whoever He willed among His creatures and accepts his repentance. Al-Muntaqim The Avenger, The One who victoriously prevails over His enemies and punishes them for their sins. It may mean the One who destroys them. Al-^Afuww The Pardoner, The Forgiver, The One with wide forgiveness. Ar-Ra'uf The Compassionate, The One with extreme Mercy. The Mercy of Allah is His will to endow upon whoever He willed among His creatures. Malik Al-Mulk The Eternal Owner of Sovereignty, The One who controls the Dominion and gives dominion to whoever He willed. Thul-Jalali wal-Ikram The Lord of Majesty and Bounty, The One who deserves to be Exalted and not denied. Al-Muqsit The Equitable, The One who is Just in His judgment. Aj-Jaami^ The Gatherer, The One who gathers the creatures on a day that there is no doubt about, that is the Day of Judgment. Al-Ghaniyy The Self-Sufficient, The One who does not need the creation. Al-Mughni The Enricher, The One who satisfies the necessities of the creatures. Al-Maani^ The Preventer, The Withholder. Ad-Daarr The Distresser, The One who makes harm reach to whoever He willed and benefit to whoever He willed. An-Nafi^ The Propitious, The One who makes harm reach to whoever He willed and benefit to whoever He willed. An-Noor The Light, The One who guides. Al-Haadi The Guide, The One whom with His Guidance His belivers were guided, and with His Guidance the living beings have been guided to what is beneficial for them and protected from what is harmful to them. Al-Badi^ The Incomparable, The One who created the creation and formed it without any preceding example. Al-Baaqi The Everlasting, The One that the state of non-existence is impossible for Him. Al-Waarith The Supreme Inheritor, The Heir, The One whose Existence remains. Ar-Rasheed The Guide to the Right Path, The One who guides. As-Saboor The Patient, The One who does not quickly punish the sinners. "...There is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things). Qur'an [42:11] (Arabic transliteration: Laysa Kamithlihi Shayun Wa Huwa As-Sami' ul-Basir) NOTE: I found many different versions of the 99 names. The above 99 are on a poster I have. Another list includes Al-Mu'tiy - The Bestower, The Giver and does not have Al-Ahad - The One. Another list did not have Al-Razzaaq -The Sustainer, The Provider but did have Al-Maajid The Noble, The One who is Majid. Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala)'s names are not limited to 99, which is a common misconception. There are a couple of evidences, one is the du`aa where one calls upon Allah by the names He (subhanahu wa ta`ala) has kept to Himself (obviously not taking these names since Allah has not revealed them to us); another is the fact that in the narrations of the famous ninety nine names hadith that do contain 99 names, the names are not consistent between narrations (for example, imam al-bayhaqi reports two versions of this hadith, with different 99 names in each). It is suggested by one commentator that the names were not explicitly stated by the rasul (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam).