Ninety-Nine Names of Allah

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful aid to meditation--I'd give it 10 stars!!!
Review: I am not a Muslim, but I love this book. Each page has one of the names of God, illlustrated in beautiful calligraphy, with a transliteration of the Arabic, and an English translation. For example, "Al-Hakim, The Wise, He who has wisdom in all orders and actions." Then it has a brief word of advice about praying this name and the beneficial results of that prayer. This is not a book to READ about Islam or about God, but a book to PRAY. I have bought several copies and given them as gifts to Muslim friends. It's a shame that it's out of print.

Rating:
Summary: Ninety-Nine Names of Allah
Review: NINETY-NINE NAMES OF ALLAH is not a lengthy treatise or a historical account of Allah and Islam. In fact, if you are looking for a book that sets out the principles and philosophies behind the Islamic faith then this isn't your book. This book was written for the purpose of meditation, to assist in further contemplating the glory and ineffable splendor of Allah.

The title refers to the ninety-nine names of Allah found in the Koran. Allah is said to have 3000 names: 1,000 known strictly by angels, 1,000 known only by the prophets; the 300 of the Torah (Old Testament of the Bible); the 300 of the Psalms of David; the 300 of the New Testament; the 99 of the Koran; and, the 3000th name, the greatest name, said to have been hidden by Allah.

The book itself is short, totaling a little over one-hundred pages excluding the preface. Each page contains one of the 99 names with a very brief explanation of its meaning, instruction on how to invoke its power, and the effect of doing so. And, without oversimplifying it, that's it.

You can look at this book in two ways: the first, a cute little book that would be a welcomed, though probably brief, talking piece and addition to the coffee table; and, the second, a vehicle "to find the One who is named," in which case no one can ever speculate and tell you of its potential value and rewards.
--ross saciuk

Rating:
Summary: A short book on dhikr
Review: This is a nice little book that is supposedly for meditation. On each page, it has arabic calligraphy of a particular name of God, its transliteration, its translation, and a few short words on the effects of meditating (or remembering Allah through this name, called "dhikr") using this name.

It is based on the teachings of the Sufis. Although the importance of dhikr is universally acknowledged within Islam, this is the first time I have seen someone say that remembering God through these names will produce these particular results. For example: Al-Wali, one who remembers Allah through this is likely to become a Waliullah. It does not explain from where these beliefs are derived. A nice, short, interesting piece nontheless