EMQ » July–September 2020 » Volume 56 Issue 3
By Scott Clark
Previously published in French as: Abdu Injiiru, ‘Les 99 noms de Dieu: un pont pour amener les Musulmans aux Ecritures’, Le Sycomore 9, no. 2 (2015), 24–29.
For centuries Muslims have affirmed that God has ninety-nine beautiful names. There is some debate amongst Christians about whether those ninety-nine names provide a legitimate bridge to understand the God of the Bible. This article will explore four queries to address this discussion.
Query 1: Are all the 99 names of God true to the Scriptures?
For many years I didn’t believe in using the ninety-nine names of God as a bridge to reaching Muslims, for these names did not seem to reflect the truth about God. When I had read Samuel Zwemer’s, The Moslem doctrine of God, a kind of “theology proper,” which includes his translation of the ninety-nine names of God,[1] I was initially impressed with how closely these names matched the biblical attributes of God until the twenty-fifth name, Al-Mudhillu.[2] Zwemer paraphrased it as “The One-who-leads-astray” while other scholars translated it as “The Deceiver.” Since, in the Scriptures and in my own “proper theology,” God is clearly not a deceiver, I abandoned any idea of employing the ninety-nine names as an outreach tool.
Some twenty years later while working among Muslims in Africa, a change in my thinking began when a Muslim teacher, a friend of mine and a skilled translation proof-reader, showed me a Muslim booklet on the ninety-nine names of God translated in a neighboring language. He asked me if, together we could translate these names into his mother tongue. I replied that I was not interested because I believed that a few of these names could not be correctly ascribed to God. I cited the twenty-fifth name, Al-Mudhillu, “The deceiver.” He immediately informed me that I had misunderstood this word, that it means “Dishonorer” and appears in symmetrical distinction with the twenty-fourth, Al-Mu’izzu “The Honorer.” While this is one of the “uncomfortable” or “severe” names of God, including the eighty-first, Al-Muntaqimu, “The Avenger,” it was nevertheless a true glorious facet of God’s character.
Eventually, after checking out a newer book by David Bentley[3] on the ninety-nine names of God, who agreed with my Muslim friend, I consented that we would try and translate these names into his language. I had no idea at the time that it would take us two full years of Wednesday afternoons to complete this project. Meanwhile, these names have become for me sweet, absorbing, and absolutely delightful. As in a multi-faceted diamond, each of the ninety-nine names reflects a bit more light of the glory of God. In his remarkable book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer quotes Fredrick Faber:
Only to sit and think of God,
Oh what joy it is!
To think the thought, to breathe the Name,
Earth has no higher bliss.[4]
Query 2: Is it appropriate to appeal to the 99 names of God to reach Muslims?
When we eventually published the booklet, we titled it, The 99 Names of God in the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil. In the Introduction, we explained that the Tawrat are the five books of Moses, the Zabur is the Psalms, and the Injil is the New Testament. According to Qur’an 10:94, 16:43, 29:47, these books are to be read and discussed with the “people of the book” (Jews and Christians). Since there are already numerous books and even iPhone apps on the market that deal with the ninety-nine names from the Qur’an, Hadith, and other Islamic sources,[5] we endeavored, instead, to understand the meaning of these names based on the scriptures. It was important that we were not just “proof-texting,” but making sure that these attributes of God are truly derived from the full context of the biblical verses examined, now quoted in the booklet.
Sharing and distribution of the 99 Names booklet continues to receive little resistance in most Muslim contexts where many of them use a prayer rosary having ninety-nine beads which stand for each name of God, or thirty-three beads that users go through three times. When my wife and I recently passed through Istanbul, we saw colorful sets of beads for sale in the shops, along with plaques, posters. and even refrigerator magnets with these names written on it. However, in most places where Arabic is not understood, the meaning of these names remains hidden. Our experience is that Muslims are happy to accept our 99 Names booklet and then are pleasantly surprised by understanding the majesty of God through the names’ meanings. In fact, some Muslims are so used to being “preached at” by Christians, they are pleased to find Christians who affirm such a Muslim cultural icon like the ninety-nine names.
One of the glorious things about sharing the 99 Names of God booklet, is how it affords us a natural and respectful way in which to engage Muslims with the Scriptures, since each of the ninety-nine names of God is accompanied by one or more passages of scripture. Not only are their “own” names of God affirmed, but readers learn part of the path of life (Psalm 16:11 and eventually that path leads to the resurrected Messiah!). This builds trust in the relationship, which is a bridge that can bear the weight of yet more truth. Reading these scriptures gives Muslims a chance to savor the Word of God for themselves. Through our prayers, trusting in God’s grace, and the power inherent in his Word, many Muslims will want more of the Word of God.
When I am in a taxi, on the train or just having some tea and I see someone with their prayer beads, I ask a simple question, “Do you understand the meaning of those beads?” After they respond that they really do not know what they mean, Muslims are pleased to take a booklet that explains each one. Sometimes, if time and the setting are conducive, one can go over some of the names and even talk openly about Jesus. Using the ninety-nine names in this way avoids the extremes of confrontation and syncretism, providing a middle ground or kerygmatic approach that positively proclaims Christ and relationship with Him.[6]
Query 3: What objections are there to use the 99 names of God?
Of course, not everyone agrees with using the ninety-nine names as a bridge to reaching Muslims. Some Christians find that certain names do not fit their understanding of God’s nature. Some of those names to which I have heard objections include number eighty-one, “The Avenger,” sixty-one, “The Bringer of Death,” forty-one, “The Reckoner,” twenty-two, “The Abaser,” seventy-six, “The Hidden,” and ninety-one, “The Distresser.” Some find it hard to understand how a loving God could bring distress upon humans, as he did to the Egyptians (Psalm 78:40–51; 106:39; Deuteronomy 11:4–6; Jeremiah 15:6). It is even harder for some to understand why God should afflict us, his children, for our own good (Psalm 119:71). Christians themselves may have to reflect carefully on how these “severe” names of God reveal truth about Him. As the apostle Paul said in Romans 11:22, “Note the kindness and the severity of God.” Even though God is full of mercy and forgiveness he enacts judgment on those who abuse the poor and vulnerable and will “avenge” or “make right” the wrongs of evil men. Paul again quotes Deuteronomy 32:35: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). While God continually shows his mercy, he also warns of his wrath to come (Romans 5:9, Ephesians 5:6, 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:16; 5:9; Revelation 1:7). Christians ought to embrace these biblical names and share all the names of God with those who are already culturally predisposed to believe in these names.
The 99 Names are not for everyone to use, nor for every Muslim context. For example, my Iranian friends, many of whom reject much in Arabic culture and are moving away from anything that even “smells Islamic,” will dismiss out of hand use of this tool. However, those Muslims who know that the ninety-nine names exist, who have prayer beads, and who respect and hold “sacred” the Arabic language and script,[7] will be attracted to what these names truly mean. Many will be surprised that they were already explained in the Bible, and that they reveal God’s majesty and glory. Those who taste of the Lord will want more of God and of his gospel. “O taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8). The ninety-nine names lift up God’s holiness and our need for mercy, leading many to ask about Jesus who himself fulfills all the names. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved!” (Joel 2:32, ESV). Should we not walk through this open door of opportunity?
Query 4: How does using of the 99 names of God lead towards life in Jesus?
It should be noted that these ninety-nine names do not directly preach the Good News, neither about Jesus who died on the cross and rose again for human sins, nor about how humans must repent, believe in His name and receive the Holy Spirit. The Engle scale[8] recognizes that Christians should not dump their “gospel truck load” before others who are not ready to listen. In fact, some Muslims come from sects or traditions that wonder if anything can be known about God at all! Instead, Christians should start where others are, letting them move up the Engle scale. To that end, the ninety-nine names can create awareness among Muslims of how true, sweet and delightful God’s Word is. Because these ninety-nine names already exist within their socio-cultural context, giving the names their biblical meaning will lift up God’s divine majesty in a way that piques their interest, and help Christians give a more natural presentation of who Jesus is and what he has done.
As for myself, I am convinced that these ninety-nine could not have been realized without consulting the canon of scripture. These names are of such majesty that they are clearly derived from the Old and New Testaments. Even some Muslim scholars admit that these ninety-nine names do not all come from the Qur’an![9] So, where did they come from? The first two names mentioned: Ar-Raḥmānu, “The Gracious or Beneficent,” and Ar-Raḥīmu, “The Merciful” doubtlessly come directly from the Hebrew Scriptures, for it would be hard to find another explanation. These vast descriptors of the Godhead did not come out of thin air. The LORD, Yahweh, proclaimed his name (singular, Exodus 34:5) with many magnificent attributes (names) as He Himself revealed to Moses: “The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty’” (Exodus 34:6–7). This statement occurs several times in the Bible (Nehemiah 9:17, 31; Psalm 103:8–10; 111:4; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). Similarly, the Arabic expression bismillah, in the phrase “in the name of God the merciful and gracious” is well known in every Muslim culture on the globe. Thus, instead of standing against everything in Islam (such as use of the bismillah), Christians do well to judge carefully and appeal to the biblical truths that God has left in Islamic culture to proclaim his gospel.
Conclusion
The 99 Names of God remains a remarkable bridge tool to reach your Muslim friends. This tool will help many engage with the Scriptures that will, in turn, lead them to experience who Jesus is (John 5:39). A new tool to help those interested, The 99 Names of Allah App is available on the Google Play store here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ipsapps.ara.names.arabic&hl=en_US
Polemic approaches are not generally as persuasive as personal reflection on the living and abiding Word of God. We can trust the scriptures and Christ the “Living Word” to penetrate into the “thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Although we know that Jesus is the “the name that is above every name,” explaining the ninety-nine names may prove a first step in our Muslim friends’ bending their knee and confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father (Philippians 2:9–11).
Scott Clark holds an MA in Intercultural Ministry from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He has worked in Scripture Engagement among Muslims for thirty years in the Sahel region of Africa. He and his team have recently published the full Bible in the Fulani language (Fulfulde) in Arabic script.
Notes
[1] Samuel M. Zwemer, The Moslem Doctrine of God (New York: American Tract Society, 1905), 34–46.
[2] In this article, Arabic words follow the American Library of Congress guide to transliteration, http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/arabic.pdf.
[3] David Bentley, The 99 Beautiful Names of God for ALL the People of the Book (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1999), 25.
[4] A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1961). Electronic version, http://www.heavendwellers.com/hdt_knowledge_of_the_holy.htm.
[5] Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali, Al-Ghazali on the Ninety-nine Beautiful Names of God, trans. David B. Burrell and Nazih Daher (Cambridge: Islamic Text Society, 1995).
[6] Martin Accad, “Christian Attitudes towards Islam and Muslims: A Kerygmatic Approach” in Toward Respectful Understanding and Witness among Muslims: Essays in Honor of J. Dudley Woodberry, ed. Evelyne A. Reisacher (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 2012), 29–48.
[7] Murray Decker and Abdu Injiiru, “Living Letters: The Arabic Script as a Redemptive Bridge in Reaching Muslims,” International Journal of Frontier Missiology 29, no. 2 (Summer 2012): 75–82, http://ijfm.org/PDFs_IJFM/29_2_PDFs/IJFM_29_2-Decker&Injiiru.pdf.
[8] http://www.hazelden.org.uk/pt02/art_pt068_modified_engel_full.htm.
[9] Mahmoud Abdul Razek Al Radwany, “Of the 99 Names of Allah That We Repeat: Only 69 Are Authentic,” published in the Egyptian daily, Al Ahram, on Nov 18, 2005. His objections are mostly grammatical in that a ‘name’ in Arabic must be a noun: “Only 69 of those Names are authenticated from the Qur’an and Sunnah, while 29 are not authentic in that 22 are verbs or adjectives, and 7 are ‘modafa’ or ‘added to.’” https://www.gawaher.com/topic/24279-99-names-of-allah-that-we-repeat-only-69-are-authentic/entry227645.
EMQ, Volume 56, Issue 3. Copyright © 2020 by Missio Nexus. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from Missio Nexus. Email: EMQ@MissioNexus.org.
