Assalaamu'Alaykum,
I thought i would post this because we are very close to Ramadhan.
The Messenger has told us in more than one hadith that Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), has one greatest Name which is distinguished from His other Names. Among these ahaadeeth are the following:
a) It is narrated from Buraydah al-Aslami that the Messenger of Allah heard a man saying:
"O' Allah, I ask of You by the fact that You are Allah, there is no god except You, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, who begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him."
He (the Prophet) said:
"He has called upon Allah by His Greatest Name, which if He is asked by it, He gives, and if He is called upon by it, He responds."
[Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood - Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/703, hadith no. 2289; the editor of Al-Mishkaat judged its isnad to be saheeh (sound).]
b) It is narrated that Anas (radhiyallaahu anh) said:
I was sitting with the Prophet in the mosque, and a man was praying. He said,
"O' Allah, I ask You by the fact that all praise is due to You, there is no god except you. Al-Hannaan (the Compassionate) Al-Mannaan (the Gracious), the Originator of the heavens and the earth, O' Owner of Majesty and Honour, O' Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining One, I ask of You."
The Prophet said:
"He has called upon Allah by His greatest Name, which is He is called upon by it, He responds, and if He is asked by it, He gives."
[Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and Daarimi - Ibid, 1/704, no. 2290; the editor of Al-Mishkaat judged its isnad to be saheeh.]
c) Ibn Maajah narrated from Abu Umaamah that the Messenger of Allah said:
"The greatest Name of Allah is in three soorahs of the Qur'an, in Al-Baqarah, Aal 'Imraan and Ta-Ha."
[Ibn Maajah, At-Tahaawi in Mushkil al-Aathaar, and Ibn Mu'een in At-Taareekh wa'l-'Ilal, and others. See its isnad in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah by Shaykh Naasiruddeen al-Albaani, 2/382, hadith no. 746]
d) The aayaat in Al-Baqarah (The Cow) and Aal 'Imraan in which the greatest Name of Allah has been mentioned have been described in a report. Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and Daarimi narrated from Asmaa' bint Yazeed (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet said: The greatest Name of Allah is in these two aayaat:
"And your Ilaah [God] is One Ilaah [God - Allah], Laa ilaaha illa Huwa [there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He], the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." [Qur'aan 2: 163]
And in the beginning of Aal 'Imraan:
"Alif-Laam-Meem. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'aan, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings.] Allah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa [none has the right to be worshipped but He], Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom [the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists]. [Qur'aan 3: 1-2]
[Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/704, hadith no. 2291]
By comparing these texts in which the greatest Name of Allah is mentioned, it becomes clear that this name is "Allah" because this is the only name which is found in all of these texts in which the Messenger said the greatest Name is mentioned.
What makes it most likely that "Allah" is the greatest Name is the fact that it is reported in the Qur'aan 2697 times, (two thousand six hundred and ninety seven times, according to the counting in Al-Mu'jam al-Mufahras) and the word Allahumma is repeated five times, at the time when another name which belongs exclusively to Allah, namely Ar-Rahmaan, is repeated only 57 times. This idea (that "Allah" is the greatest Name) is also supported by the fact that is includes so many great meanings.
Reference: Belief in Allah by Umar Sulaymaan Abdullah al-Ashqar, The Greatest Name, Pg. 313 - 315]
Walaykum Salaam.
I thought i would post this because we are very close to Ramadhan.
The Messenger has told us in more than one hadith that Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), has one greatest Name which is distinguished from His other Names. Among these ahaadeeth are the following:
a) It is narrated from Buraydah al-Aslami that the Messenger of Allah heard a man saying:
"O' Allah, I ask of You by the fact that You are Allah, there is no god except You, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, who begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him."
He (the Prophet) said:
"He has called upon Allah by His Greatest Name, which if He is asked by it, He gives, and if He is called upon by it, He responds."
[Tirmidhi and Abu Dawood - Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/703, hadith no. 2289; the editor of Al-Mishkaat judged its isnad to be saheeh (sound).]
b) It is narrated that Anas (radhiyallaahu anh) said:
I was sitting with the Prophet in the mosque, and a man was praying. He said,
"O' Allah, I ask You by the fact that all praise is due to You, there is no god except you. Al-Hannaan (the Compassionate) Al-Mannaan (the Gracious), the Originator of the heavens and the earth, O' Owner of Majesty and Honour, O' Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining One, I ask of You."
The Prophet said:
"He has called upon Allah by His greatest Name, which is He is called upon by it, He responds, and if He is asked by it, He gives."
[Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and Daarimi - Ibid, 1/704, no. 2290; the editor of Al-Mishkaat judged its isnad to be saheeh.]
c) Ibn Maajah narrated from Abu Umaamah that the Messenger of Allah said:
"The greatest Name of Allah is in three soorahs of the Qur'an, in Al-Baqarah, Aal 'Imraan and Ta-Ha."
[Ibn Maajah, At-Tahaawi in Mushkil al-Aathaar, and Ibn Mu'een in At-Taareekh wa'l-'Ilal, and others. See its isnad in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah by Shaykh Naasiruddeen al-Albaani, 2/382, hadith no. 746]
d) The aayaat in Al-Baqarah (The Cow) and Aal 'Imraan in which the greatest Name of Allah has been mentioned have been described in a report. Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and Daarimi narrated from Asmaa' bint Yazeed (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet said: The greatest Name of Allah is in these two aayaat:
"And your Ilaah [God] is One Ilaah [God - Allah], Laa ilaaha illa Huwa [there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He], the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." [Qur'aan 2: 163]
And in the beginning of Aal 'Imraan:
"Alif-Laam-Meem. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'aan, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings.] Allah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa [none has the right to be worshipped but He], Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom [the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists]. [Qur'aan 3: 1-2]
[Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/704, hadith no. 2291]
By comparing these texts in which the greatest Name of Allah is mentioned, it becomes clear that this name is "Allah" because this is the only name which is found in all of these texts in which the Messenger said the greatest Name is mentioned.
What makes it most likely that "Allah" is the greatest Name is the fact that it is reported in the Qur'aan 2697 times, (two thousand six hundred and ninety seven times, according to the counting in Al-Mu'jam al-Mufahras) and the word Allahumma is repeated five times, at the time when another name which belongs exclusively to Allah, namely Ar-Rahmaan, is repeated only 57 times. This idea (that "Allah" is the greatest Name) is also supported by the fact that is includes so many great meanings.
Reference: Belief in Allah by Umar Sulaymaan Abdullah al-Ashqar, The Greatest Name, Pg. 313 - 315]
Walaykum Salaam.