The Night Journey (Al-Isra’)
Verses 110-111 GROUP_666 17.110-111
110
قُلِ ادْعُواْ اللّهَ أَوِ ادْعُواْ الرَّحْمَـنَ أَيًّا مَّا تَدْعُواْ فَلَهُ الأَسْمَاء الْحُسْنَى وَلاَ تَجْهَرْ بِصَلاَتِكَ وَلاَ تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلاً
Say, ‘Whether you call on God or on the Merciful One: His are the finest names.’ Pray neither in too loud a voice nor in silence, but between these two extremes. Seek a middle way
111
وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَم يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلِيٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلَّ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا
and say, ‘All praise is due to God who has never begotten a son and who has no partner in His kingdom; nor does anyone aid Him because of any weakness of His. Proclaim His greatness.’
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Commentary
(a) Those who have not found the truth at a deeper level always find themselves embroiled in petty, superficial things. Some hold that God should be called by one name, others by another name. Some hold that the words of devotions should be uttered loudly, others that they be uttered quietly. The Arabs were engaged in such debates and discussions in different ways. God said that all His names were good. He might be called by any of His names. Similarly, acts of devotion are not to be judged by quiet or loud utterances, but rather by the spirit they evince. The spirit of prayer is one of a deep consciousness of God’s greatness. Belief in God should become akin to discovering a perfect and great Being, who is independent of any help from anyone; who has no equal and no partner. When this discovery finds words and comes to the lips of the believer, it is called celebration of God’s greatness (takbir).