Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,
«إِنَّ للهِ تِسْعًا وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا مِائَةً إِلَّا وَاحِدًا، مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ وَهُوَ وِتْرٌ يُحِبُّ الْوِتْر»
(Verily, Allah has ninety-nine Names, a hundred less one; whoever counts (and preserves) them, will enter Paradise. Allah is Witr (One) and loves Al-Witr (the odd numbered things),) The Two Sahihs collected this Hadith. We should state that Allah's Names are not restricted to only ninety-nine. For instance, in his Musnad, Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah said;
«مَا أَصَابَ أَحَدًا قَطُّ هَمٌّ وَلَا حَزَنٌ فَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي عَبْدُكَ، ابْنُ أَمَتِكَ، نَاصِيَتِي بِيَدِكَ مَاضٍ فِيَّ حُكْمُكَ، عَدْلٌ فِيَّ قَضُاؤُكَ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُهِفي كِتَابِكَ أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِكَ أَوِ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِي عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْقُرآنَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبِيعَ قَلْبِي، وَنُورَ صَدْرِي، وَجَلَاءَ حُزْنِي، وَذَهَابَ هَمِّي، إِلَّا أَذْهَبَ اللهُ حُزْنَهُ وَهَمَّهُ وَأَبْدَلَ مَكَانَهُ فَرَحًا»
(Any person who is overcome by sadness or grief and supplicates, `O Allah! I am Your servant, son of Your female servant. My forelock is in Your Hand. Your decision concerning me shall certainly come to pass. Just is Your Judgement about me. I invoke You by every Name that You have and that You called Yourself by, sent down in Your Book, taught to any of Your creatures, or kept with You in the knowledge of the Unseen that is with You. Make the Glorious Qur'an the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the remover of my grief and the dissipater of my concern.' Surely, Allah will remove his grief and sadness and exchange them for delight.) The Prophet was asked "O Messenger of Allah! Should we learn these words'' He said,
«بَلَى يَنْبَغِي لِكُلِّ مَنْ سَمِعَهَا أَنْ يَتَعَلَّمَهَا»
(Yes. It is an obligation on all those who hear this supplication to learn it.) Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said about Allah's statement,
﴿وَذَرُواْ الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِى أَسْمَـئِهِ﴾
(and leave the company of those who belie His Names) "To belie Allah's Names includes saying that Al-Lat (an idol) derived from Allah's Name.'' Ibn Jurayj narrated from Mujahid that he commented,
﴿وَذَرُواْ الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِى أَسْمَـئِهِ﴾
(and leave the company of those who belie His Names) "They derived Al-Lat (an idol's name) from Allah, and Al-`Uzza (another idol) from Al-`Aziz (the All-Mighty).'' Qatadah stated that Ilhad refers to associating others with Allah in His Names (such as calling an idol Al-`Uzza). The word Ilhad ﴿used in the Ayah in another from﴾ means deviation, wickedness, injustice and straying. The hole in the grave is called Lahd, because it is a hole within a hole, that is turned towards the Qiblah (the direction of the prayer).
﴿وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَآ أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَبِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ ﴾
(181. And of those whom We have created, there is a community who guides (others) with the truth, and establishes justice therewith.) Allah said,
﴿وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَآ﴾
(And of those whom We have created), in reference to some nations,
﴿أُمَّةٍ﴾
(a community), that stands in truth, in words and action,
﴿يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ﴾
(who guides (others) with the truth), they proclaim it and call to it,
﴿وَبِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ﴾
(and establishes justice therewith), adhere to it themselves and judge by it. It was reported that this Ayah refers to the Ummah of Muhammad . In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Mu`awiyah bin Abi Sufyan said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي ظَاهِرِينَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ مَنْ خَذَلَهُمْ وَلَا مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَة»
(There will always be a group of my Ummah who are apparent on the Truth, unabated by those who fail or oppose them, until the (Last) Hour commences.) rIn another narration, the Messenger said,
«حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ اللهِ وَهُمْ عَلَى ذَلِك»
(Until Allah's command (the Last Hour) comes while they are still like this. ) and in yet another narration,
«وَهُمْ بِالشَّام»
(And they will dwell in Ash-Sham (Greater Syria).)
﴿وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَايَـتِنَا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴾
﴿وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ ﴾
(182. Those who reject Our Ayat, We shall gradually seize them with punishment in ways they perceive not.) (183. And I respite them; certainly My plan is strong.) Allah said,
﴿وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَايَـتِنَا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴾
(Those who reject Our Ayat, We shall gradually seize them in ways they perceive not) meaning, the doors of provisions will be opened for them and also the means of livelihood, in this life. They will be deceived by all this and think that they are on the correct path. Allah said in another instance,
﴿فَلَمَّا نَسُواْ مَا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُواْ بِمَآ أُوتُواْ أَخَذْنَـهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ مُّبْلِسُونَ - فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ وَالْحَمْدُ للَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ ﴾
(So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened for them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them (in punishment), and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrow. So the root of the people who did wrong was cut off. And all the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.)﴿6:44-45﴾. Allah said here,
﴿وَأَمْلَى لَهُمْ﴾
(And I respite them) prolong what they are in,
﴿إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ﴾
(certainly My plan is strong) and perfect.
﴿أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُواْ مَا بِصَاحِبِهِم مِّن جِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴾
(184. Do they not reflect There is no madness in their companion. He is but a plain warner.) Allah said,
﴿أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُواْ﴾
(Do they not reflect) `those who deny Our Ayat,'
﴿مَا بِصَاحِبِهِم﴾
(there is not in their companion), Muhammad ,
﴿مِّن جِنَّةٍ﴾
(madness) Muhammad is not mad, rather, he is truly the Messenger of Allah, calling to Truth,
﴿إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ﴾
(but he is a plain warner), and this is clear for those who have a mind and a heart by which they understand and comprehend. Allah said in another Ayah,
﴿وَمَا صَـحِبُكُمْ بِمَجْنُونٍ ﴾
(And (O people) your companion is not a madman.)﴿81:22﴾ Allah also said,
﴿قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَعِظُكُمْ بِوَحِدَةٍ أَن تَقُومُواْ لِلَّهِ مَثْنَى وَفُرَادَى ثُمَّ تَتَفَكَّرُواْ مَا بِصَـحِبِكُمْ مِّن جِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ لَّكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَىْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ ﴾
(Say: "I exhort you to one (thing) only, that you stand up for Allah's sake in pairs and singly, and reflect, there is no madness in your companion. He is only a warner to you in face of a severe torment.'') ﴿34:46﴾ meaning, `I ask you to stand for Allah in sincerity without stubbornness or bias,'
﴿مَثْنَى وَفُرَادَى﴾
(in pairs and singly) ﴿34:46﴾ individuals and in groups,
﴿ثُمَّ تَتَفَكَّرُواْ﴾
(and reflect) ﴿34:46﴾, about this man who brought the Message from Allah, is he mad If you do this, it will become clear to you that he is the Messenger of Allah in truth and justice. Qatadah bin Di'amah said, "We were informed that the Prophet of Allah once was on (Mount) As-Safa and called the Quraysh, subtribe by subtribe, proclaiming,
«يَا بَنِي فُلَانٍ، يَا بَنِي فُلَانٍ فَحَذَّرَهُمْ بَأْسَ اللهِ وَوَقَائِعَ الله»
(O Children of so-and-so, O Children of so-and-so! He warned them against Allah's might and what He has done (such as revenge from His enemies).) Some of them commented, `This companion of yours (Prophet Muhammad) is mad; he kept shouting until the morning' Allah sent down this Ayah,
﴿أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُواْ مَا بِصَاحِبِهِم مِّن جِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴾
(Do they not reflect There is no madness in their companion. He is but a plain warner) ﴿7:184﴾.'''
﴿أَوَلَمْ يَنظُرُواْ فِى مَلَكُوتِ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَمَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ وَأَنْ عَسَى أَن يَكُونَ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴾
(185. Do they not look in the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all things that Allah has created; and that it may be that the end of their lives is near. In what message after this will they then believe) Allah asks, those who denied faith, did they not contemplate about Our Ayat in the kingdom of the heavens and earth and what was created in them Do they not contemplate about all this and learn lessons from it, so that they are certain that He Who has all this, has no equal or rival All this was made by He Who Alone deserves the worship and sincere religion, so that they might have faith in Him and believe in His Messenger, all the while turning to Allah's obedience, rejecting any rivals to Him, and rejecting idols. They should be warned that their lifes may have reached their end, and they, thus, face their demise while disbelievers, ending up in Allah's torment and severe punishment. Allah said,
﴿فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴾
(In what message after this will they then believe) Allah says, what more warnings, and discouragements should compel them to believe, if the warnings and threats that Muhammad brought them from Allah in His Book do not compel them to do so Allah said next,
﴿مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِى طُغْيَـنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ﴾
(186. Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him; and He lets them wander blindly in their transgressions.) Allah says, those who were destined to be misguided, then none can lead them to guidance, and even if they try their best effort to gain such guidance, this will not avail them,
﴿وَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ فِتْنَتَهُ فَلَن تَمْلِكَ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئاً﴾
(And whomsoever Allah wants to put in Fitnah (error, because of his rejecting of Faith, or trial), you can do nothing for him against Allah) ﴿5:41﴾, and,
﴿قُلِ انظُرُواْ مَاذَا فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَمَا تُغْنِى الآيَـتُ وَالنُّذُرُ عَن قَوْمٍ لاَّ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴾
(Say: "Behold all that is in the heavens and the earth,'' but neither Ayat nor warners benefit those who believe not) ﴿10:101﴾.
﴿يَسْـَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَـهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ رَبِّي لاَ يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَآ إِلاَّ هُوَ ثَقُلَتْ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ لاَ تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلاَّ بَغْتَةً يَسْـَلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِىٌّ عَنْهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ اللَّهِ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴾
(187. They ask you about the Hour (Day of Resurrection): "When will be its appointed time'' Say: "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord (Alone). None can reveal its time but He. Heavy is its burden through the heavens and the earth. It shall not come upon you except all of a sudden.'' They ask you as if you have a good knowledge of it. Say: "The knowledge thereof is with Allah (Alone), but most of mankind know not.'')