I obviously dealt with some kind of approach to the Attributes of God in Lesson Two, for which there are only references. It also has two titles, as the syllabus changed over the years (though without any need to change much of what I was saying). The references for this talk were mainly Tosun Bayrak's book 'The Most Beautiful Names', plus the usual Qur'an quotes you can find here. And finally there's a few odd bits of stuff that was handwritten on attached bits of paper.
ISLAMIC OUTREACH - Lesson Three
Belief in God /
Knowing God and His Attributes
Recap last week and the meaning of Hahut
Because the Hahut is All Possibility it contains the Possibility of its own negation and limitation. That is the Absolute limits itself as its own Absoluteness requires and thus creates the world which is apparently "other" than God, a "seeming negation" of the Absolute, nonetheless existing in and of the Absolute.
Hadith Qudsi - I was a hidden treasure; I willed to be known, therefore I created the world
Name Allah is proper name of Essence
Read Bayrak - Allah p.5
The Bridge between Manifestation (the last 3 of the Divine Presences) and the Hahut is the differentiation of the Hahut in the Lahut.
The Lahut is "Relatively Absolute". From our perspective it is no different from the Absolute, but can be approached in terms of different qualities. The Forgiver is not the same as the Avenger.
This is the world of the Divine Names. But why would we want to bother to study these names.
Talk around Ali Ashraf foreword to Bayrak
The Names are divided first into two categories; the Names of the Essence such as Allah and Ar-Rahman and the Names of the Qualities. They can also be divided into the Names of Mercy, or Beauty (Jamal) and the Names of Rigor, or Majesty (Jalal).
Altogether the Asma 'l Husna. Many names, some direct from Quran some derived, others traditional. Hadith saying "To God belong 99 Names", so though there are many more, individual lists are usually limited to that number.
Lahut, as the domain of the Names of the Qualities is Creator in regard to the world, and God as "Person". God Who hears prayers, Who slays, Who gives life, Who creates, Who accepts repentance.
Quran refers to God's Face, His Hand, etc., the traces of Being conceptualised.
Lahut, where the created and the uncreated meet.
Hadith - The first thing God created was the pen. He created the tablet and said to the pen: "Write!" And the pen answered "What shall I write?" He said: "Write My knowledge of My creation till the Day of Resurrection."
Allah is Name of the Essence. So is ar-Rahman. Treated as synonymous in Quran. Pagan Makkans refused to recognise it when drawing up the treaty of Hudaybiyah, showing that unlike "Allah" they associated it specifically with the new Revelation.
Read Rahman from Bayrak
Read Qur'an quotes with Names
Random names from Bayrak
Judgement & Reckoning
Power
Knowledge - Wisdom
Will
Sight
Hearing
Guide
God's Covenant
Friend & Companion
Lordship
Signs
Trust
Fear
Devising
Life Giving
Death Giving
Protector
Terrible in Retribution
Guardian
Pronouns - I, You, We, He
How should we relate to God?
Awe
Penitence
Trust
Service
Submission
Gratitude
Acceptance