Beautiful names of our Rabb
Al-Ahad
Meaning – The One and Only.
Allah Al Ahad Himself says –
Say: He is Allah (Who is) One.
(Holy Qur’an 112:1)
SubhanAllah! Whenever I hear the beautiful attribute of Al Ahad, what comes to mind immediately is the example of Bilal (r.a) who was a slave of Umayyah bin Khalaf, who became enraged when he discovered that his own slave, whom he considered as weak and submissive to his commands has accepted Islam without his permission. He started torturing Bilal (r.a) because of his belief in Allah Al Ahad, The Oneness and The Tawheed of Allah (swt). Every day Umayyah bin Khalaf, used to put Bilal (r.a) in the scorching heat of the sun, on the burning desert soil, depriving him even of a single drop of water. He used to intensify the torture by placing a heavy weight rock on the chest of Bilal (r.a) and he used to publicly carry out the humiliation to instill fear in the hearts of others, so that they remain firm in the pagan beliefs of associating partners like Al Laat and Al Uzza with Allah (swt), but alhamdulillah Bilal (r.a) despite being weak as a slave, became so resolute and firm in his belief on Allah Al Ahad that he said again and again the unadulterated truth –
“Ahadun Ahad”, “The One! The One!”
We need to understand here that when Bilal (r.a) was a slave to a man (Umayyah bin Khalaf), he used to be weak to an extent that it enraged Umayyah bin Khalaf that how can such a weak slave like Bilal accept the Oneness of Allah (swt) without his permission, but the moment Bilal (r.a) liberated himself from the mental shackles of the slavery of Umayyah bin Khalaf and submitted himself to the servitude as a slave to Allah Al Ahad, he (r.a) not only became determined and firm but also he got truly liberated.
Imagine! The amazingly beautiful ways of being in servitude to Allah Al Ahad only, Abubakr (r.a) paid the money to Umayyah bin Khalaf to set Bilal (r.a) free. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself appointed Bilal (r.a) for one of the most honourable work, he (r.a) became the mu’azzin, the caller of the azaan.
Bilal (r.a) proclaimed the Oneness of Allah Al Ahad on the conquest of Makkah (Fatah Makkah) by climbing on the roof top of Kaaba.
SubhanAllah! This is the beauty of submitting to Allah Al Ahad only, that even a weak slave like Bilal (r.a) became so determined and firm and was liberated and he (r.a) was blessed to be the mu’azzin, the caller of azaan proclaiming The Oneness of Allah Al Ahad. From an ordinary and oppressed slave, he became the one who climbed the Kaaba and proclaimed The Oneness of Allah Al Ahad! Allah Al Ahad chose him (Bilal r.a) to proclaim His Oneness through azaan not only from the Kaaba, but also from Masjid e Nabawi (in Madina) and even from Masjid al Aqsa (Jerusalem) when it was liberated by the second caliph Umar (r a).
Imagine! Three holy sites in Islam – The Kaaba, Masjid e Nabawi and Masjid al Aqsa and Bilal (r.a) was chosen to proclaim the Oneness of Allah (swt) from all of them.
Alhamdulillah.
This is an inspiration for all of us.
As humans, we submit or serve someone or the other,
we might submit out of compulsion, it might be an oppressive master like Umayyah bin Khalaf or it can be in form of submission to a person whom one considers as an ideal hero, or it can be our own whims and desires!
We, as believers, should submit and be in servitude to the One and Only – Allah Al Ahad only.
The servitude to Allah Al Ahad alone will liberate us from all the manacles, shackles and chains of the servitude to humans or other ideas or objects. This is the true liberation.
Say, ‘Surely my prayer and my devotion, my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. No partner has He, and this is what I have been commanded…’ (Holy Qur’an, 6:162)
May Allah Al Ahad make us among those who submit to Him alone. Ameen.