وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى
ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنۢبِـُٔونِى بِأَسْمَآءِ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِن كُنتُمْ
صَـٰدِقِينَ
(2:31) And He taught Adam the names – all of them. Then He showed them to the angels and said, “Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful.”
When you read the Tafseer of the above aya, you get a better sense of how the conversation between the angles and Allah Subhanahu Wa Tala unfolded. The objective was to showcase the superiority of Adam Aleyhe Salam in terms of knowing the names of the things the angles did not know yet.
Name: A divine gift. Allah Subhanahu Wa Tala Himself taught Adam Aleyhe Salam names.
What’s in a name?
Everything. A life story.
The Cave of Hira will forever be known for the place were the first revelation of Quran, the divine book, to the last Prophet Muhammad SallAllah hu Alihye Wasalm through angle Jibrail Aleyhe Salam was descended. It was the month of Ramadan.
Names are carriers of legacies. Names are an interesting insight into our lives, the kind of people we were and the kind we left the world as.
Names are remembrance to emotions once felt.
When someone is in love or newly wed and happy .. ask them how they feel about taking the name of their beloved… the universal statement is, “I feel butterflies.”
When you ask someone about their dear ones departed… how they feel when they see or hear the name, they say their heart breaks.. a sharp pain takes over the chest even if for a split second.
In Quran Surah Hujrat 49 aya 11 Allah Subhanahu Wa Tala says:
O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former; nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former, nor defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. How bad is it, to insult one’s brother after having Faith [i.e. to call your Muslim brother (a faithful believer) as: “O sinner”, or “O wicked”, etc.]. And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.).
Pretty evident where I am trying to get at. The trend to insult each other “lovingly” with profanity does not sit well with the Adab (manners). The stark contrast between what is right and what is deemed ok in our society in casual acceptable conversations make me wonder no it makes me worried, it makes me cringe.
The sacrifices we will make to fit in. The profanity we will swallow to be a part of culture that strips us away from Haya.
What’s the solution? Reminders, being more aware of the media consumption.
Living a life of mindful behavior.
What we say is what we become.
What we hear is what we begin to believe about ourselves.
I read day in and day out about the trauma parents pass on to children. And that’s a recorded fact. However, what about the trauma friends are passing on to each other in the name of trending insults. What does that do to their self esteem. How are we not seeing the damage?
The ugly is packaged with admirable labeling.
Names are a wonderful gift, given by the divine to connect, communicate and live by.
May our name be amongst the
Abideen
Mutaqen
Saleheen
Mukhliseen
Muqarabeen
Shakireen
Sabireen
Muhsineen. ….
Such are the traits we want to be remembered by.
We are not just raising “Iman and Emily ” or “Ayesha and Adam ” or “Zara and Zoe”.
We are raising Iman who loved fasting and was always mindful in her dealings with people and Emily who led people with compassion to solutions. Ayesha who faced tests of life with grace and humility. Adam who who strove hard in the path of Allah Subhanahu Wa Tala, was a great daee’,his recitation of Quran was loved. Zainab spent her life in the pursuit of knowledge and shared her learning with the world, Zoe loved charity and found ways to help wherever she would go.
May we raise Allah’s beloved. Ameen. May we honor our names and may we be honored by angles, just like our Father Adam Aleyhe Salam was. Ameen.
