40 111 fbi FootJItPJ 0/ tbe Propb!t
Quran, prayer, and life after death. The Erst Muslims were called to a pro...-
found ani radical spirirual conversion, and this had been well understood
by o pponents within their own clans, who fcared the considerable
upheavals the new religion was bound to bring about in the beliefs and
organization of their society.The OnMw oj GodThe Quranic message primarily focused o n asserting the oneness o f God
(dl-launiJ). Together with the notion of God as RAbb, o r Educator, which
we saw emerge in the first Rcvc=lations, the divine name Allah was of
course to appear, as well as phrases associating His being with peace and
mercy. Thus, the Angel Gabriel addressed the Prophet with the phrases
" Peace be upon you, Messenger o f God" (as-sa/am alqyleulJI,ya rasul Allah)
and " God's peace and mercy be upon you" (Ja/mn AI/ah 11'0 rahmotuhll
olqyk). Those phrases have been used b y Muslims since the beginning to
g reet one another and invoke God through His [\..'0 names: Peace (or-
Salam) and the Most Merciful (ar-Ri1hman, also translated as the Most
G nlLiu us ur Un: Most Kind). Purthermorc, each chaptcr o f the Quran
begins with a phrase of sa nctificatio n with which the s peake r recalls tl:e
presence of the One and His supreme qualities: ''In the name of God [I
begin with the name o f God], the 1\'{ 05 t Gracious, the ~Iost MercifuL"
Very early on, the Quran made the name or-&bman equivalent to the
name A/lab: "Call upon God [AlIahJ or call upon the Most Kind, the Most
Merciful, the Most Gracio u s [ar-Rab!flanJ: by whatever name you call upon
Him, to Him belong the most beautiful names."s
This omnipresence of the reference to the One and His differem
names is essential Indeed, it was to sh ape the type o f relationship the fim
believers established with God: the recognition of His Presence and the
assurance that His benevo lence is a gift as well as a pro mise of peace. This
is most aptly illustrated by the su rah "AI-Rahman," which addresses both
human beings and jinns and enjoins them to observe nature and recog-
nize His Being and His beneficence:^6
The Most Gracious! It is H e Who has taught the Quran. H e has created
hUIUa:I,,-He ha.5 taught them intelligent 5 ?C<'ch. The sun and the moon fol
low COur5e:S exactly computed. And the St'1I.rs and the: tre:es bow in adora·
tion. And the firmament has H e raised high. and He has set \IP the balance: