Hisham ibn al-Hakam says he asked Imam al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali about the Names of Allah and their derivations and roots. “What is the root from which the word Allah is derived?” The Imam replied, “O Hisham, the word Allah is derived from ’ilah, that is, the One Who is worshipped and the One who is worshipped is supposed to be worthy of being worshipped. The Name of Allah is different from His Own Self. Whoever worships the Name, not the meaning has become a misbeliever and has, in fact, worshipped nothing. Whoever worships the Name and its meaning jointly, he becomes a polytheist because of worshiping two gods. Whoever worships the meaning of the word Allah only he, in reality, has worshipped Allah…”