Thoughts about the
many names of God

Speaking of Religion
The Rev. Dr. Tim Griffin

One of the central teachings of the Abrahamic religious traditions is remembrance. For example, during the prayer over the elements at communion, Christians are instructed to "do this for the remembrance of me."
Thus in accordance with Jesus’ words, Christians receive the elements of the communion meal as a way of remembering Jesus and thereby of remembering God’s saving work through Jesus.
But, as I have noted before, the "remembering" here is not simply a matter of calling things to mind. Rather we are re-membering — re-connecting with God through Christ — in the act of receiving communion. So this is not simply thinking about God or the Christ; it is becoming one with God and the Christ.
It is not surprising, then, that the believer is portrayed as actually ingesting Christ in the elements of the meal. And it is this union that transforms the believer so that he/she can continue Christ’s work in and for the world.
A similar insight underlies the practice of the Sufis of Islam who recite the names of God. According to the tradition, the Quran reveals 99 names for God.
Of course, these are not names in our understanding of the word. They are rather what we would call descriptions of qualities that characterize God’s essence as it is known through God’s interactions with humanity.
Thus, for example, the name traditionally cited first is "Ar-Rahman," which means "the Compassionate." This name, along with that traditionally listed second, "Ar-Rahim (the merciful)," is found at the beginning of most every Surah (chapter) of the Quran.
Reciting the names of God is a way of prayer in which the believer remembers God. This particular way of prayer is called "Dhikr," which means, appropriately enough, "remembrance." Thus by reciting God’s names or attributes, one remembers God.
But Dhikr is not merely a matter of remembering God, if by that we mean calling God to mind. On the contrary, as with the Christian communion, the believer recites the names of God as a way of being united to God, or, better yet, of uncovering the union that underlies one’s very being.
This may become clearer if we consider that for Islam, as for Judaism and Christianity, humanity is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, if God revealed to Muhammad 99 names or attributes that are characteristic of God, then these names or attributes must also apply to humanity as God’s image and likeness.
So, although we do not possess these attributes to the extent or as perfectly as God does, and although we may have separated ourselves from God through our manner of life, we each possess these attributes, at least potentially. Through God’s grace and one’s own effort, these potential attributes can be made actual in one’s life.
So Dhikr is not merely a matter of remembering God. It is also a way of remembering one’s true self. It is a matter of re-connecting to God and fully actualizing our birthright as creatures created by God and in God’s image and likeness. The point of Dhikr is, then, personal transformation — becoming who we were created to be. What better prayer could you offer to God than to take the life God has entrusted to you and transform it into what God created it to be.
Thus the point of Dhikr is both to remember God and to remember oneself. But equally as important, as we begin to manifest the 99 qualities of God in our life, we bring God into the world in our very person. This idea of emptying oneself so that one may be filled with God is also found in numerous traditions, including Christianity.
As Christians, we are taught that Christ emptied himself, giving himself fully and freely to the will of God. According to Sufism, as we begin to manifest God more fully and freely manifesting the 99 attributes in our lives, our small egoistic self is extinguished and God is increasingly manifest to the world through us.
When you think about the state of our world today — the bloodshed, the hatred, the senseless violence, and the dishonesty and insincerity of our political leaders — is there anything more important than re-membering God? And is there any greater gift that we could offer to God, to ourselves or to the world than to manifest God in our lives? ••
Father Tim Griffin is priest-in-charge at the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, at 1946 Welsh Road in Bustleton.