Testimonials for The 99 Names of Allah
This project fills such an obvious need, and does it so beautifully, one wonders why it hadn’t happened until now. Probably so that exactly these people would be the ones to do it. It provides an entry point into a spiritual Islam that every parent would like to give to their children, and illuminating their own understanding in the process. Inshallah, it will be recognized as a classic.
Shaikh Kabir Helminski
Co-Director, The Threshold Society & Baraka Institute
I like that the book has quotes from other religions like the Torah from Judaism…it can relate to all sorts of children…it’s not just Muslim children who can learn from it.
Sandalee Ali-Sehbai
12 years old
Mashallah, this is a perfect work and all of humanity needs works like this.
Esin Çelebi Bayru
Vice President, International Mevlana Foundation
I like the book, it’s clear and easy to understand. I really like the illustrations and how it’s designed. I’ve learned more about the names, my favourite [from the sample pages] is Al-Khaliq. I will tell my friend to read it because it tells you more about our religion and helps us learn about the Names. I can read it with my parents as well and we can learn together.
Isa Alam
10 years old
I was very moved by the resource you are developing on the 99 Names. It is very special – simple yet really profound in its content. Above all, it is saturated in a most beautifully gentle and nurturing quality of love and mercy.
Dr Jeremy Henzell-Thomas
Visiting Fellow, Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge
Are the pictures done on the computer? [No – they are hand-drawn] Wow!
I really like the colours and the meanings. My favourite name is Al-Qahhar – I don’t know why but I just really like it!Hibba Hussain
9 years old
We cannot do enough for our precious children in the direction this wonderful work from Chickpea Press takes them… and us!
Gray Henry
Director, Fons Vitae Publishing & Distribution
I really enjoyed the book and how it teaches you about Allah’s Names in quite an interesting way, it’s not boring! The colours and layout make it really interesting and easy to read. One of the things that I really liked was the poems [quotes] from the Muslim teachers which gives a different perspective on each Name. My favourite Name [from the samples] is Al-Quddus, the whole spread…the snow…the explanation of purity, the love that Allah has for every individual and the poem makes me feel like Allah cares for me and is watching over me.
Sara Ahmed
16 years old
A really eye-catching and absorbing sample of the 99 Names of Allah – I couldn’t wait to turn the page and see the next Name! The drawings are really different…I think it’s really important to show drawings in Islamic books which is normally hard to find. There is nothing comparable that I have come across for my two children so I would definitely buy this personally. I also work [as a youth worker] with children who have disengaged with society and have special educational needs. Even with older children this book would hit the spot in introducing you to the love and compassion not just within society but within themselves. I would buy this for use in my life skills workshops, it’s an ideal resource for building emotional well-being in young people.
Shahnaz Hussain
Youth Worker, Kirklees Council
Mashallah this is a lovely book, the colours and drawings…this praise of Allah is wonderful. Good ideas are used to explain the Divine Names. Parents should buy this book to teach their children about the glory of the Names. I look forward to seeing all the Names completed.
Rashta Azhar
Mum of two
I like the pictures and the questions. [The book] gives good ideas about the Names and how to think about them. I like Al-Khaliq because it tells you that everything is made by Allah and I like Lady Rabia where she says how Allah is in everything.
Zahraa Azhar
8 years old
[The book] has a really good interface and layout, the colours are really striking and it’s easy to read – just enough information for each Name without becoming over-powering. Very thought-provoking questions in the reflections section. This would be really useful for dual-faith families looking to engage with and share their faith in an inclusive way.
Gulnaz Banow
Child Protection Social Worker
I wish this book was already completed and in print in order that I could gift it to every child (and every adult) I know!
The sample pages introduce the reader in a simple yet profound way to the attributes of God. The activities encourage the reader to reflect on many things including: their own being, their surroundings, what these demonstrate to them about the Divine Reality, and what type of behaviour this might inspire in them. How much faith-inspired literature out there for young hearts encourages young people to themselves ‘then reflect!’ in the very spirit of the Quran? None that I have seen.
The book also introduces the reader to a whole host of Muslim spiritual personalities who demonstrate a universal loving wisdom, and open up a new world of perspective for the reader. This book invites a recognition of what is shared by all faiths, and an openness of heart toward all human beings. Exactly what is needed in our world.
Fatimah Ashrif
Mosaic Mentor & North West Board Member
I like the feel and print of the book. The colours are soothing, and the book makes one feel peaceful. I feel it is appropriate for Year 3 children to begin reading with their parents. I love the illustrations, and think the activities are great. As someone new to Islam, it is a book I would be interested in too.
Ms. Vijay Raj
Retired Deputy Head Teacher, Marlborough Road Academy
As a father of 4 and grandfather of 6 and having been a spiritual wanderer for much of my life I can attest to the universal need for this beautiful book and the appeal of it’s beauty and message. There is so much love on every page. I look forward to reading it with my little ones, insh’Allah.
Dr. Fred A. Fischer PE, MBA, EDD
What I especially like is the layout – the Arabic, it shows you how to phonetically pronounce it correctly. And this is my favourite bit [reflections and activities] because it’s really good for people who don’t actually teach…for parents [who] don’t always know what kind of questions to ask and how to ask children. The reflections and activities are really good so anyone can come along and pick it up. The pictures are amazing. And it really does reach all levels…I would read it and find it good for myself to understand the Names, it’s a good starting point. I’m quite impressed, it’s really good.
Samia Ali
Primary Learning Mentor, Marlborough Road Academy, Salford
With the illustrations, text and design, the subtlety and depth of The Ninety Nine Names is rendered in beautifully clear terms for children of all ages. Wonder-filled scholarship within visual delight.
Sam Amico
Bookseller & Printer, Middlearth Editions
It’s great for children to share their culture with their peers, it gives them confidence in who they are. This is a beautiful book they could share in school with their friends. As a parent, I have been making books with stories about Islam and reading them in my daughters class room and school assemblies, which the children thoroughly enjoy. Also, we celebrate all faiths at our community centre and each year we have a multi faith festival to experience, share and celebrate different cultures and faiths, this book would be wonderful to read to families attending this event.
Sania Sehbai
Counsellor, local community charity trustee
My favourite is the chickpea story in Al-Qahhar. I like the talking chickpea! I like the pictures, especially Al-Khaliq.
Bilal Ahmed
9 years old
My favourite Name is Ash-Shakur because it reminds us about our blessings, what we have to be grateful about, and it reminds us about those who are less fortunate than us. And I think this is a great one for my children – I’d love to see their list of what they have to be grateful for! The book is an easy read, I love the Quran quotations and the sayings from great teachers, which everyone from any sect of Islam can relate to. And I love the reflections and activities. Parents should buy this because it teaches not just about religion but why these Names have been given by Allah and it’s great for me to learn about them!
Shazia Ahmed
Mum of two
Wouldn’t it be great to discover that God loves you? Sounds like an evangelistic message, well not quite. ‘Jesus loves you’ is a common enough slogan and ‘God is love’ is a famous verse from the Bible. You could be excused for thinking that Christianity has the monopoly on love in religion, but of course it hasn’t.
But what about ‘Allah loves you?’, or rather ‘God loves you’, with a Muslim flavour. The 99 Names of God is a great book for young people, or people of any age. It features loving representations of God as ‘Al-Wadud’ (the loving) and Compassionate. This is the heart of Islam, though reading the newspapers might persuade you otherwise. Learning about the different names of God will give you, and your young ones, an insight into the good things of an often misunderstood religion.
Julian Bond
Former Director, Christian Muslim Forum
With the abundance of literature available on Islam and Sufism, whenever anyone asks me where to start, I recommend they begin with reading the 99 Names. Nothing – apart from a study of the character of the Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w.s. – reveals the essence of Islamic spirituality better. Raising children with an understanding of the Divine Attributes immunises them against the confusions and conflicts that so often surround Islam. Even more importantly, to grow up with a sense of the universality of God, of the resonances we share with other spiritual wells, and of our interconnectedness with the universe on the grandest and the most atomic levels, roots a new generation in love and compassion. My applause goes to Chickpea Press for working to make this a reality.
Medina Tenour Whiteman
Writer, Musician, Translator and Cavemum
