Al-Tahnony Interpretation of the Names of Allah, Islamic University-Gaza- Exports Knowledge to the Muslim World.
Ten years are not that much to spend for the sake of serving the nation and the religion. Ten years were only a starting point for Tahany Abu Salah, a PhD holder, to start her journey as a researcher and an authoress.
Tahany’s profound love for knowledge was planted in her heart from the very beginning of her life. Whenever her parents taught her elder siblings, she eavesdropped and learned even faster than them. A decade ago, she started weaving her love towards the Palestinian issue and Islam by joining the Islamic University of Gaza.
From threads drawn from her heart, she commenced weaving her story.
In 2010, the dawn of her journey was breaking. She joined the faculty of Arts, Arabic language studies. Her ultimate goal was obvious back then. ” My heart, aspire to higher things,” she used to address herself and remind herself of her goals.
Humanizing the Palestinian issue, making the Arabic language a language for international communication, and most importantly serving the Holy Quran are clear missions of hers.
Servitude Has Begun
In her MA thesis, she studied the 21st century Palestinian youth poetry, analytically. She read for 81 poets from Gaza and the West Bank and considered them representative of people who survived the harsh experience of wars. “Is it really true that the “homeland” is what youth lean on whenever weakened,” she wondered during her readings of their poetry. Highlighting the issues of young Palestinians, she thinks that she served the Palestinian nation.
“Now, it is time to respond to Muslim’s questioning about Quran and the names of Allah,” she said dedicatedly. “Thinking about the names of Allah is a crucial way to worship Him correctly. It paves the way of Muslims to deeply understand the traits of Allah. If a Muslim needs to have an essential knowledge about Islam, studying Allah’s names must be the starting point,” our dedicated researcher explained.
Tahany shouldered the responsibility of clarifying the reason behind mentioning specific names of Allah in each aya, verse. By the inspiration and guidance of Allah, she has chosen a proposal for her PhD thesis “Studying the Names of Allah SWT in the Holy Quran, deliberative study”
First Ray of Light
The other day at 7 AM, she was stunned by the voice call of her supervisor, Dr. Nabeel Abu Ali, who called to salute her topic that ranked the first place in Palestine and the third one in the Arab World.
Deep research was her first and foremost companion since this point. An original topic with almost no previous study was a surreal struggle. However, she recalled that throughout her BA studies, a professor has asked to do a report about the name of Allah “al rahman” in surah Mariam and why it was mentioned 16 times. This report was a miracle as her professor declared. She decided that the names of Allah must be her topic in the PhD thesis as it left a great impact on her since she handed her report.
The love of Arabic, Quran and Ummah has fueled her heart whenever her strength weakened. The belief that her knowledge is a mean by which Allah will save His book was also a motive for her.
Subverting Social Norms
Ordeals always stroke. Social norms, established to damage people’s aims also conquered Tahany. She was always told that a young woman who is still in her twenties is not capable of that aspiration, changing much about the world. Nonetheless, her eloquence has always won. “Look at the masters of your body,sir. They are the SMALLEST organs: the heart and the tongue,” she argued.
Shushing the howling voices was not enough for her. She went beyond all of that. During the three years she spent completing her PhD, she has written FOUR BOOKS. Again, disputing another established norm of “completing PhD means no time for other things.”
“Writing research papers during PhD studies mustn’t be considered as assignments. These papers must be improved and taken care of. I believe that I will cherish this effort soon,” Tahany explained why she cared for writing and publishing.
The research papers she has produced within her PhD years of study made her a prolific writer and researcher. They also inspired her to write books on criticism, literature and other topics. One of her books argued that art is not for art’s sake. She explained that art reflects societies.
Light Has Gleamed
When the time of writing her thesis came, she was faced by the fact that very little sources are there. Some topics were not included in books and therefore the research process was even harder. But Allah has not left his servant who dedicated herself for the sake of Islam and Quran. Allah has guided her and given her sufficient light to read between the lines of the verses and link between the verbs and the names of Allah at the end of the verses.
And guess what? She ended up having a new approach of interpreting the Quran which no scholar ever had the privilege to reach before.
A new interpretation is there: a new gift for Muslims is served by Dr. Tahany. “You ought to name this Tahnony Interpretation of Quran revelation,” one of her professors said proudly.
The day of the discussion was before Eid Al-Adha. On this day, Dr. Kamal Ghuneim, an internal examiner, commented: “this is the graceful topic discussed in the holy day”.
In this precious thesis, she highlighted in an unmatched talent the reason for choosing specific names of Allah rather than others in specific places of the verses. The names of Allah are numerous. “99 names are mentioned in the hadiths. Some scholars say that the names of Allah are 4000” explained the researcher.
Living with the names of Allah is a distinguished way of life. Digging deep in their meanings is the backbone of a good worship to Allah. For instance, she mentioned in her thesis the difference between the two names of Allah, al Rahim “the bestower of mercy” and al Raouf
“the Most Kind”:
“The two names seem identical in the first look. Looking deeply, however, the first means that Allah will save us from the already befallen ordeal when we call him by al Rahim. While the other, al Raouf, means that Allah will spare us going through ordeals, being called in duaa as the Most Kind”.
Moreover, she highlighted by the guidance of Allah the reason behind choosing the name of al Rahman “the bestower of mercy” rather than al Shakoor “the Most Appreciative”
in the verse of “جنات عدن التي وعد الرحمن عباده بالغيب إنه كان وعده مأتيا”
“They will have those everlasting Gardens, which the Merciful has promised to His servants, while yet they have not seen them, *37 and most surely that promise shall be fulfilled.”
“Were it chosen to be al Shakour, one may think that his or her good deeds are rewarded and that’s it. However, choosing the name al Rahman, the Bestower of Mercy, will lead the reader to think of Allah’s everlasting mercy that means his rewards are extended in this life and in the afterlife.
“I lean toward studying the names of Allah in every field. Not only do I trace them in the Quran, but in poetry as well. I studied the names of Allah mentioned in a poem by a Palestinian poet, Alaa Alqatrawi,” she added to the wonders that awed us.
Subverting International Norms
By these overflowing examples of productivity of a young woman and researcher who is coping up with the progress of the world, she doesn’t challenge the norms of her society alone. However, she made it manifest to the world that the Arabic literature is capable of tussling with the progression of international scientific research. By her thesis which is totally practical and effective on the readers, she subverts the established image about the Arabic research in the eyes of the West. They claim that our production is purely theoretical. Her actions have spoken to the whole world, “look at my works; this is a deliberative study addressing the hearts of the readers rather than merely preaching.”
Ripe Fruits
Dr. Tahany breathes out sighs of relief whenever she sees the appreciation of publishing centers of her thesis. She feels that her effort is paid off and her mission fulfilled. “I will have it published as soon as possible” she tagged.
Her good deeds and pure intentions must have been watched by Allah, the all Knowing. Therefore, she was called by a Maldives Islands’ tourist agency. They told her that they want to start welcoming tourists using Modern Standard Arabic phrases. She cherished this as the first fruit she reaps.
More Seeds to Sow
Ambitious enough to declare her restlessness, she confirms that holding the PhD is a mere passport to the world of research. In spite of her already shared research papers, published books, and sought-after articles, she admits that the hardest is yet to come.
A wide scope of research is ahead of her. Studying the names of Allah mentioned in the Prophetic Hadiths is her next topic to dive within.
