The Hundredth Name by Shulaymith Levey Oppenheim

BOOK REVIEW 

Title: The Hundredth Name

Author: Shulaymith Levey Oppenheim

I do not recommend this book.

Concerns: suggested 100th secret name of Allah, Audhubillah

Summary:

Salah is a 7 year old boy who is worried about his camel Qadiim. This camel is his favourite animal among all other animals his family cares for. Salah is uneasy about the sadness he sees in Qadiim's eyes and is determined to make his camel happy. When his father tells Salah about Allah's 100th secret name, Salah wakes up at night to pray in hopes that this name will be revealed to Qadiim and bring him happiness.

Review:

This book was published in 1997 and it is still available to purchase today. Which is what pushed me to do the review after having this book on my shelf for over a year. It is the first time I have come across a story that suggests Allah has a secret 100th name in addition to the common 99 names we are familiar with. Based on my research, there is no existing proof that this special name exists. Rather, the position of scholars of Qur'an and Sunnah is that Allah's names aren't limited to the 99 names we know of, these are the names known to us through ayat and authentic hadith. Thus we must only call upon Him according to the ones we know. And for the rest, unknown to us, remain with Allah, and not for us to assume how many and what they are. This author isn't Muslim but seems to have a couple of other titles with Muslim stories. After reading this one, as a Muslim, it doesn't inspire me to read the others.

While this book touches upon the power of prayer, kindness to animals and a special father/son bond, I just cannot overlook the huge Islamic flaw in it. The story centers around that 100th name which makes it difficult for me to swallow and ignore.