I would like to provide some additional information in regards to the Names that have been recommended for dhikr, especially for those who want to be conscious of what they’re repeating so it may be more beneficial.
The name MUREED points to Allah’s attribute of will! Our being is comprised firstly of Allah’s attributes. Although we have come to life with the attribute of life and our bodies are renewed with the name Baith according to the dimension it occupies, life will continue indefinitely... Based on the name Aleem, we are conscious beings with knowledge...
As a result of the name Mureed, Allah’s attribute of will becomes manifest in us and we become perceived as beings with will. We gain perceptivity with the attribute ‘Sami’ and sight and comprehension with the attribute ‘Basir’... The attribute ‘Kalam’ gives us the ability of expression and all of this is the manifestation of the attribute of ‘Power’.
The secret of the name Mureed, as far as I’m aware, has been disclosed for the first time to us. I’ve not encountered this dhikr in any previous teaching; in fact, many have not even heard of this name before, as it usually isn’t listed among the other divine names and attributes. Surely this is also due to divine wisdom...
As far as our observations are concerned and as a result of certain practices in which we have engaged, the name Mureed possesses a certain type of power that enables the most speedy progress and development in man.
In terms of intellectual knowledge, most of us are cognitively aware of many things, but when it comes to putting our knowledge into practice, we generally fail. There is only one cause for this, a weak power of will. The repetition of the name Mureed is a profoundly effective solution in strengthening one’s willpower. When one begins to engage in this dhikr, his willpower begins to strengthen and thus he finds it much easier to practice the things that he previously could not. For example, one may have an addiction problem or find it difficult to pray, or perhaps he can’t devote himself to study and higher learning as he would like to; in any case, this name strengthens one’s willpower and enables him to achieve these things.
However, I would like to add an important note… Just as medicine is taken in certain dosages, so too the dhikr of divine names must not exceed a specific number, for the dhikr of divine names continually supplements the brain. In the same way that a diabetes patient needs additional sugar if the level of insulin is insufficent, and if no additional sugar is provided, the metabolism goes back to its default state. As long as dhikr is performed, whether its meaning is known or not, whether one believes it or not, it will fulfill its function. From experience, it takes no more than fifteen days for the metabolism to return to its normal state after abandoning dhikr.
The important point is to be mindful of the fact that you’re not performing dhikr to a god in space, but that you’re activating certain divine names and attributes of Allah, the infinite, limitless existence who is totally present in every iota of your being! And you can only know Allah to the degree that you’re able to perceive Him, whether in yourself or your surroundings.
This is why, in my opinion, the name Mureed is the fastest way to knowing Allah. Though one must always ask that the process of ‘getting to know Allah’ is enabled with an ease of comprehension lest the inability to grasp and digest this information leads to other handicaps!
As for the name MUMIN… This name allows one to reach the light (nur) of faith… What does the light of faith mean?
Man spends his whole life based on the logic he forms with his conditionings. He rejects and refuses everything that goes against his conditioning-based logic. But when one begins to obtain the light of faith, he stops rejecting the things that go against his logic and begins to research its possibility… He begins to realize that certain things may be beyond his mental capacity. He abandons thoughts, such as, ‘Things are the way I know them to be, I know everything, anything that goes against my logic is obsolete,’ and expands his perception to greater and newer information…
This expansion of perception is what the light of faith is. Indeed, it is this very quality that allows one to remain open to and perceive new and different possibilities.
The name FATTAH triggers new insights. Not only does it aid in resolving external complications, but it also unblocks and clears internal issues, enabling one to experience inner self-conquest!
The name QUDDUS is beneficial in the area of cleansing one from his ego-identity, for man, due to his nature, thinks he is the mind-body… Imagine someone sitting in a 1958 Chevrolet thinking he is the car… You ask him, who are you? He answers, “I’m a 58 Chevy” unaware of the fact he’s not the automobile and that he’s going to, at some point, step out of it!
If one looks at the mirror and thinks he’s the image reflecting back at him, not realizing at some point he’s going to leave this body and continue his life in another dimension with another form, there is a serious situation!
The name Quddus enables one to realize this truth – that man is essentially a divine being, that he is consciousness beyond matter and spirit!
The name RASHID gives spiritual maturity and direction.
Spiritual maturity, in terms of the physical body, begins with adolescence, when the hormones of sexuality are activated and the intellect is strengthened through increased mental activity. These hormones also affect the biochemistry of the brain causing negatively charged energy, what we call ‘sin’ in religious terminology, to be uploaded to the spirit, a holographic radial body… According to another understanding, however, spiritual maturity begins at the age of 18.
It begins to form when one begins to ponder life after death and channels his life accordingly. The manifestation of the name Rashid begins at this point and may continue up to the state of ‘self-conquest’ (fath), which is the actualization and fruition of the divine attributes.
As for the name HAKEEM… The root of denial lies in the inability to comprehend. One denies what one cannot understand and fathom. Once we understand why something is the way it is, and why and how something is formed, all of our evaluations change! This name expands one’s capacity to understand the underlying reason and wisdom behind all happenings.
The name HALIM activates tolerance and placidity, collectivity and the ability to control impulsive behavior… The first thing one must be able to control to strengthen spiritually is impulsive and reactive behavior. This kind of conduct will destroy not only the person’s external world, causing his life to become depressive and stressful, but also his internal world, pulling a pitch-black curtain between himself and Allah. The name Halim brings order to one’s internal and external worlds, enabling him to remain open to new understandings with tolerance and maturity, and rids him of anger, stress and impulsive behavior in a short time.
The name WADUD increases and strengthens one’s sense of love, enabling the person to approach the whole of existence with love and to feel the love of Allah everywhere and in everything… It transforms his life to one full of love…
The name NUR increases one’s comprehension and strengthens the spirit.
The name BAITH is generally understood as resurrection into a new body at the place of gathering (mahshar) after death. However, this is a great misconception and a very primitive understanding. The name Baith is active and observable at all times. Resurrection occurs at every instance… When death occurs, the person is separated from their biological body and is immediately resurrected into their radial-spirit body, thus continuing life without interruption. More information on this can be obtained in Imam Ghazali’s book, Asma’ul Husna, or in the section on death in my book Muhammad’s Allah.
In short, the name Baith helps us to both understand the reality of resurrection and add advanced qualities to our renewed existence at every instance, our constant and continual resurrection…
The name RAHMAN subjects us to divine grace and protects us from destructive behavior. For, it is the grace of Rahman that ceases the fire of destruction. The manifestations of this name vary greatly in those who are at advanced levels, though that’s another topic altogether.
Also, some people ask whether they should add ‘O’ (Al or Ya) to the names while doing dhikr, as in Ya Mureed, Al Quddus, etc... Since we are not addressing a deity-god, there is no need for this.
The meanings and effects of the names not mentioned here can be found in the chapter the Beautiful Names.