180 Preface وَلِلَّهِ الأَسماءُ الحُسنىٰ فَادعوهُ بِها ۖ وَذَرُوا الَّذينَ يُلحِدونَ في أَسمائِهِ ۚ سَيُجزَونَ ما كانوا يَعمَلونَYusuf AliThe Most Beautiful Names1 belong to God. so call on him by them; but shun such men as use profanity in his names: for what they do, they will soon be requited.As we contemplate God’s nature, we can use the most beautiful names we can think of, to express His attributes. There are ninety-nine of such attributes. In the opening Sūra, we have these indicated in a few comprehensive words, such as al Raḥmān (most Gracious), al Raḥīm (most Merciful), Rabb at 'alamin (Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds). Our bringing such names to remembrance is part of our Prayer and Praise. But we must not associate with people who use God’s names profanely, or so as to suggest anything derogatory to His dignity or His unity. Cf. 17:110.