Excerpt from: “ʿAqīdah Tawḥīd par Jalālī ke Shubuhāt kā Izālah” by Shaykh Sayyid Tauseefur Raḥmān Rāshidī
Ashraf Jalālī stated:
“Today, people say one should not call anyone Dātā. I ask: the word Dātā is a Persian word (and for this reason, we will not accept it). It is not an Arabic term. Is this word mentioned anywhere in the Torah, Gospel, Qur’an, or Ḥadīth? On what basis do you attribute the name Dātā to the Lord, whereas the Names of Allah ﷻ are tawqīfiyyah (revealed and sanctioned by Allah)?”
Jalālī Ṣāḥib, while it is correct that Dātā is a Persian word, your objection that “Allah’s names are tawqīfiyyah” is misplaced and irrelevant here.
We never counted Dātā as an official Name among the Asmā’ul-Ḥusnā (Beautiful Names of Allah). Instead, we merely said: Only Allah ﷻ is the true Dātā (the Giver, the Bestower).
This is because the meanings of the Names of Allah ﷻ found in the Qur’an and Sunnah, such as:
ٱلرَّزَّاق (The Provider),
ٱلْوَهَّاب (The Bestower),
... are essentially translated by the Persian word Dātā.
إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْوَهَّابُ
"Indeed, You alone are al-Wahhāb (the Bestower)."
—
[Āl ʿImrān: 8]
❖ Dātā means one who gives freely and abundantly — and that is Allah ﷻ alone.
❖ No saint, scholar, or person in the grave — including ʿAlī Hujwīrī رحمه الله — can be called Dātā, because they are themselves in need (faqīr) of Allah ﷻ.
❖ A true Dātā is one whose treasures never deplete and who does not need to beg from anyone in order to give.
Jalālī Ṣāḥib, we will not allow this backdoor through which you translate Allah’s names and distribute them among the creation.
Tomorrow, someone may say:
“My pīr is so merciful, he is Raḥmān,”
… thus assigning the essence of Allah’s Name to a human being!
No! We say:
The Names of Allah, His Attributes, and their meanings are all exclusive to Him.
Allah is Dātā (The Giver)
Everyone else is a mangtay (beggar)
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ
"O mankind! You are all in need of Allah."
— [Fāṭir: 15]
Thus, ʿAlī Hujwīrī, saints, pīrs — everyone is a beggar. Only Allah is Dātā.
Allah, the Dātā, is above the Throne, while those buried beneath the earth cannot be Dātā.
Some of our opponents claim:
“Every nation calls Allah by different names in their own language — this should be accepted.”
For example, in Turkish, Allah is referred to as Tänkri.
Shāʿa dhālika wa ḍāʿa min ghayri nakīr
“This became widespread and no one objected.”
Imām Taftāzānī رحمه الله responded:
قلنا: كفى بالإجماع دليلا على الإذن الشرعي
“We say: consensus (ijmāʿ) is sufficient proof for its permissibility.”
In fact, in Sharḥ al-ʿAqā’id, Taftāzānī even added two names — al-Shāʾī (The Willer) and al-Murīd (The Intender) — to Allah ﷻ.
—
You insist that Allah’s Names must be tawqīfiyyah.
Then, on what basis did you begin calling Allah "Khudā"?
Show us:
So why the double standards?
Jalālī Ṣāḥib, while you are deeply disturbed by the use of the word Dātā, your own senior scholars justify calling Allah ﷻ:
For example, Dr. Ṭāhir al-Qādrī, in an interreligious session, stated:
“Muslims call their Lord Allah, which is an Arabic term. In English, it’s God, others call Him Barahmā. Therefore, the word Allah is not exclusive to Muslims — everyone can call Him by their own language.”
Then he invites:
“Let’s all call upon Allah together!”
The audience chants “Allah”,
Then a Hindu stands and chants “Hare Krishna”,
Then Christians say “Jesus”.
So while your own leaders are legitimizing every name for Allah, you are perturbed only by the term Dātā, which is simply a linguistic translation of al-Wahhāb.
❖ Ashraf Jalālī’s Objection on the Word
Ashraf Jalālī stated:
“Today, people say one should not call anyone Dātā. I ask: the word Dātā is a Persian word (and for this reason, we will not accept it). It is not an Arabic term. Is this word mentioned anywhere in the Torah, Gospel, Qur’an, or Ḥadīth? On what basis do you attribute the name Dātā to the Lord, whereas the Names of Allah ﷻ are tawqīfiyyah (revealed and sanctioned by Allah)?”
❖ Response:
Jalālī Ṣāḥib, while it is correct that Dātā is a Persian word, your objection that “Allah’s names are tawqīfiyyah” is misplaced and irrelevant here.
We never counted Dātā as an official Name among the Asmā’ul-Ḥusnā (Beautiful Names of Allah). Instead, we merely said: Only Allah ﷻ is the true Dātā (the Giver, the Bestower).
This is because the meanings of the Names of Allah ﷻ found in the Qur’an and Sunnah, such as:
ٱلرَّزَّاق (The Provider),
ٱلْوَهَّاب (The Bestower),
... are essentially translated by the Persian word Dātā.
❖ Quranic Reference:
إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْوَهَّابُ
"Indeed, You alone are al-Wahhāb (the Bestower)."
—
[Āl ʿImrān: 8]❖ Clarification of the Position:
❖ Dātā means one who gives freely and abundantly — and that is Allah ﷻ alone.
❖ No saint, scholar, or person in the grave — including ʿAlī Hujwīrī رحمه الله — can be called Dātā, because they are themselves in need (faqīr) of Allah ﷻ.
❖ A true Dātā is one whose treasures never deplete and who does not need to beg from anyone in order to give.
❖ Rebuke to Misuse of Translations of Divine Names:
Jalālī Ṣāḥib, we will not allow this backdoor through which you translate Allah’s names and distribute them among the creation.
Tomorrow, someone may say:
“My pīr is so merciful, he is Raḥmān,”
… thus assigning the essence of Allah’s Name to a human being!
No! We say:
The Names of Allah, His Attributes, and their meanings are all exclusive to Him.
Allah is Dātā (The Giver) Everyone else is a mangtay (beggar)❖ Quranic Confirmation:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَنتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ إِلَى اللَّهِ
"O mankind! You are all in need of Allah."
—
[Fāṭir: 15]Thus, ʿAlī Hujwīrī, saints, pīrs — everyone is a beggar. Only Allah is Dātā.
Allah, the Dātā, is above the Throne, while those buried beneath the earth cannot be Dātā.
❖ Objection: Different Nations Call God by Different Names
Some of our opponents claim:
“Every nation calls Allah by different names in their own language — this should be accepted.”
For example, in Turkish, Allah is referred to as Tänkri.
Shāʿa dhālika wa ḍāʿa min ghayri nakīr
“This became widespread and no one objected.”
Imām Taftāzānī رحمه الله responded:
قلنا: كفى بالإجماع دليلا على الإذن الشرعي
“We say: consensus (ijmāʿ) is sufficient proof for its permissibility.”
In fact, in Sharḥ al-ʿAqā’id, Taftāzānī even added two names — al-Shāʾī (The Willer) and al-Murīd (The Intender) — to Allah ﷻ.
—
Reference: Sharḥ al-ʿAqā’id, p. 60, Al-Maktabah al-Azharīyyah, Egypt
❖ Counter Question to Jalālī Ṣāḥib:
You insist that Allah’s Names must be tawqīfiyyah.
Then, on what basis did you begin calling Allah "Khudā"?
Show us:
- Which verse of the Qur’an calls Allah “Wājib al-Wujūd” (Necessary Existent)?
- Which authentic ḥadīth includes that name?
So why the double standards?
❖ Final Word:
Jalālī Ṣāḥib, while you are deeply disturbed by the use of the word Dātā, your own senior scholars justify calling Allah ﷻ:
- Barahmā,
- God,
- Jesus,
- even Hare Krishna, in interfaith gatherings.
For example, Dr. Ṭāhir al-Qādrī, in an interreligious session, stated:
“Muslims call their Lord Allah, which is an Arabic term. In English, it’s God, others call Him Barahmā. Therefore, the word Allah is not exclusive to Muslims — everyone can call Him by their own language.”
Then he invites:
“Let’s all call upon Allah together!”
The audience chants “Allah”,
Then a Hindu stands and chants “Hare Krishna”,
Then Christians say “Jesus”.
So while your own leaders are legitimizing every name for Allah, you are perturbed only by the term Dātā, which is simply a linguistic translation of al-Wahhāb.
