99 Names Plus One Silent One – OpEd

God's name Al-Ghafūr (the forgiving One) occurs 91 times in the Quran and is often mentioned alongside Ar-Raheem (the merciful One): which is mentioned 72 times with Al-Ghafūr, one of the most common sets of pairs of Allah's names.;

Al-Ism al-Aʿẓam (Arabic: الاسم الأعظم), literally "the Greatest Name", also known as Ism Allah al-Akbar (اسم الله الأکبر, 'the Greatest Name of God'), refers in Islam to the greatest name of Allah, known only by all the prophets.

The name of God used most often in the Hebrew Bible is in Hebrew: יהוה, YHWH. Jews traditionally do not pronounce the name of YHWH, and instead refer to God as HaShem, literally "the Name". In prayer YHWH is substituted with the pronunciation Adonai, meaning "My Lord". The Yahweh name for the God of the Israelites, represents the biblical pronunciation of "YHWH," is the Hebrew name revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus.;

After revealing directly to the People of Israel the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17 "YHWH said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken (directly) to you from heaven: Do not make any gods alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold. Make a (simple) altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep, goats and cattle. Wherever I cause my name (YHWH) to be honored, I will come to you and bless you." (Exodus 20:22-24) Thus, YHWH spoke directly to the entire People of Israel at Mount Sinai promising that wherever his name was recorded he would grant his presence and blessing.

The Qur'an contains 99 Arabic names (attributes or character traits) for the multifaceted essence ; ;of the one God, but not one of them connects the one God with one people, while one of the dozens of Biblical names for God is 'The God of the Hebrews'. "But they (Aaron and Moses) said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us,". "So let us take a three-day journey (Hajj) into the wilderness so we can offer sacrifices to the LORD our God. " (Exodus 3:18 and 5 other verses in the Book of Exodus in the Torah).;

The Hebrew Prophet Malachi (2:5 New International translation) states: "My covenant was with him (Messengers Abraham, Jacob, Moses and David), a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them (the commandments) to him (Banu Israel); this called for reverence and he (Banu Israel) revered me and stood in awe of my name (YHVH for Jews and Allah for Muslims).";

Awe and reverence for the one always forgiving God are basic for all monotheistic religions. As the Qur'an says: "Hold firmly to what We have given (the Torah) you (Banu Israel) and remember what is in it (the commandments)." (2:63).

A place is never holy through the choice of humans, but because it has been chosen by God, and revealed by God's prophets. Believers in God's Prophets can see the site's holiness. Unbelievers are blind to it. Islam has two sacred sites rather than one because even before he left the rejection of the idol-worshipping Arabs of Makkah, for the future promise of Medina, Prophet Muhammad had already visited the other holy site in Jerusalem (Isra Qur'an 17:1-2), to personally experience Allah's signs. Thus, both sacred scriptures use similar words to describe the two sanctuaries: Beitullah, BeitEl, Bayt al-Maqdis, and Beit HaMikdash to illustrate how they fit together like a pair of lungs.;

In the Hebrew Bible, Prophet Abraham is the first person to be called a "Hebrew" (Genesis 14:13). The term Hebrew comes from the verb;'to go over a boundary'—;like the Euphrates or Jordan river—;or;'to be an immigrant.';The first thing God told Prophet Abraham;in the Biblical account;was: "Leave your country, your kindred, and your father's household, and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing....";(Bible,;Genesis 12:1-2)

So Prophet Abraham was;what we can call;the first;'Islamic Hebrew';or the first 'Muslim Hebrew,'as the Qur'an;indicates: "He (Abraham) was not;Yahuudiyyaan, "a Jew", nor;Nasraaniyyaan,;'a Christian,';but rather a;Haniifaan,;'a Muslimaan,'...;(Quran,;3:67) i.e. 'a monotheistic Hebrew believer submitting (islam) to the one imageless God';who;created all space and time and;who made Prophet Abraham-the-Hebrew's descendants through Prophets Isaac and Jacob (Israel);into a great multitude of monotheists called the Children of Israel —B'nai Israel in Hebrew and Banu Israel in Arabic.

In addition, Prophet Isaiah said: "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he [Abraham] was only one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.;(Bible,;Isaiah 51:1-2)

And the Qur'an states: "You have an excellent example to follow in Abraham.";(Quran,;60:4)
;"Follow the way of Abraham as people of pure (monotheistic) faith.";(Quran,;3:95)

What makes Prophet Abraham-the-Hebrew an excellent example of pure faith according to three different religion's Sacred Scriptures? It;is that all three scriptures proclaim Abraham to be the one "whom God chose to be His friend": the Arabic;Qur'an 4:125, the Hebrew Bible;Isaiah 41:8; and the Greek New Testament Book of;James [the brother of Jesus] 2:23.

Prophet Abraham-the-Hebrew,;"whom God chose to be His friend,";—as far as we know—;is;also the only prophet to have two sons who were also prophets. And these two sons of Abraham, Prophet Ishmael and Prophet Isaac, are the only two Prophets who each had a descendant many many centuries later, who proclaimed a sacred scripture;each of which;has become the basis for;one of;the two largest religions in the whole world.

Prophet Abraham was the first of those we know to receive a Sacred Scripture;(Quran 87:18-19). All of the others were among his descendants. Is being 'the first' what makes Abraham so special that his name appears 69 times in the Qur'an, second only to Moses (136 times)? No.

Prophet Abraham is famous for the numerous ways God tested him, especially the two terrible tests:;banishing Hagar and his first born son Ishmael;(Qur'an 2:124,;&;Genesis 16:1-16);and calling on Abraham to make his son a;sacrificial;offering to God. (Qur'an 37:100-113;&;Genesis 22:1-24)

Most Muslim commentators say the son, unnamed in the Qur'an, was Ishmael;(Arabic Isma'il). Some Muslims assert it was Isaac. Perhaps both participated in the test at different times, so that each son could produce descendants who in time would become a blessing for other nations of the earth. (Genesis 22:16-18;&;Qur'an 4:163)

Because Muslims were the last major Abrahamic religion they needed only one Prophet and one book. Jews, as the first ongoing long lasting monotheistic community, needed many dozens of Prophets and Sacred Scriptures.

While Christians, Jews and Muslims should make no disrespectful distinction between any of their prophets or their sacred scriptures, we cannot help but notice that the circumstances and style of the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an as written revelations are very distinct:

The Hebrew Sacred Scriptures are a vast collection (305,358 Hebrew words) of Divinely inspired books written over a period of almost a thousand years, by 48 male prophets and 7 female prophetesses (Talmud;Megillah 14a); plus many more anonymous Divinely-inspired historians, poets, and philosophers. The Arabic Qur'an is much shorter (a total of 77,934 Arabic words) recited by only one prophet during a period of less than two dozen years and written down by his own disciples.

Most people in the world have learned of Prophet Abraham, not by reading a book of Jewish history or religion, but by listening to and reading from the Christian Bible or the Muslim Qur'an. This unique and amazing situation is a reflection of a promise made to Prophet Abraham-the-Hebrew more than 36 centuries ago, and recorded in both the Torah and the Qur'an:

"I swear (says God) because you did this —not withholding your son, your favorite one— I will bestow My blessing on you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes.; All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My ;command." (Bible,;Genesis 22:16-18) and "Indeed, We chose him (Prophet Abraham) as one pure and most distinguished in the world, and he is surely among the righteous in the Hereafter.";(Qur'an 2:130)