The Ninety Nine Attributes of Allah part five
60. “Al-Mu`eed”
Allah has said, “Surely He it is Who originates and reproduces, and He is the Forgiving, the Loving” (Qura’n, 85:13-14).
Linguistically, the root word of this Attribute means: to return, to go back. We supplicate thus: “Lord! We plead to You to grant us a return to Your House,” that is, to go back to the Ka`ba after having visited it or after having been there. A man who is mu`eed is one who is knowledgeable of certain issues/topics, etc. Al-ma`d means: the Day of Judgment. According to one particular tradition, the Messenger of Allah has supplicated saying, “… and make my abode in the hereafter good, for to it shall I return.” It is narrated that Gabriel asked the Messenger of Allah once, “O Muhammed! Do you have a nostalgic feeling for your place of birth, to your homeland?!” He answered him in the affirmative, whereupon Gabriel quoted the Qura’nic verse saying, “Most surely He Who has made the Qura’n binding on you will bring you back to the destination” (Qura’n, 28:85).
Al-Mu`eed brings life back to the dead. He gathers all beings for the Judgment Day together, lifting the veils from them and rewarding or punishing them, each according to what he/she had said and done. He tries them about how they fared with the blessings He bestowed upon them. Allah will cause all things (beings as well as inanimate objects) to come to naught, then He will bring them back again into existence: “Say: The One Who brought them into existence at first will give life [back] to them, and He is Cognizant of all creation” (Qura’n, 36:79).
We ought to return to Allah regarding everything, and we have to bear in mind that Allah created us when we were nothing at all; He determines our destiny.
61. “Al-Muhyi”
Allah has said, “Allah gives life and causes death, and Allah witnesses whatever you do” (Qura’n, 3:156).
Allah surely brings life to the bodies when He rejoins their souls to them. Al-Muhyi creates life and grants it to whomsoever He pleases. He creates people out of nothing, then He brings them back to life when the Day of Judgment approaches after their death. He brings life into the heart of those who know through the light of His knowledge: “Is he who was dead then We raised him to life and made for him a light whereby he walks among people like him whose likeness is that of one who is in utter darkness from which he cannot come out?” (Qura’n, 6:122). Allah gives life to the sperm and to the leech-like clot. He causes rain to pour out of the clouds in order to bring life thereby to a dead land.
References to Allah bringing life back to the dead are numerous throughout the Holy Qura’n; here are some of them: So We said: Strike him (the dead corpse) with part of it (the sacrificed cow); thus does Allah bring the dead to life, and He shows you His signs so that you may understand. (2:73) Allah gives life and causes death, and Allah sees whatever you do. (3:156) Say: O people! Surely I am the Messenger of Allah to you all, [the Messenger] of Him to Whom the kingdom of the heavens and the earth belongs; there is no god but He; He brings (beings/things) to life and causes death; therefore, believe in Allah and in His Messenger, the ummi Prophet who believes in Allah and in His words, and follow him, so that you may walk in the right way” (Qura’n, 7:158). Allah’s is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; besides Allah you have no guardian nor helper. (2:107) He gives life and causes death, and to Him you shall be brought back. (10:56) He it is Who gives life and causes death, and in His (control) is the alternation of the night and the day; do you not then understand? (3:80) He brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living and gives life to the earth after its death; thus shall you be brought forth. (30:19) One of His signs is that He shows you the lightning for fear and for hope and sends down water from the clouds, then He gives life therewith to a land after its death (barrenness); most surely there are signs in this for people who understand” (Qura’n, 30:24). He it is Who gives life and causes death; so, when He decrees an affair, He only says to it: Be, and it is. (40:68) Or have they taken guardians besides Him? But Allah is the Guardian, and He gives life to the dead, and He has power over all things. (42:9) There is no god but He; it is He Who gives life and causes death, the Lord and Cherisher of yourselves and of your earlier ancestors. (44:8)
A believer ought to adorn his conduct by remembering this Attribute quite often so that Allah may bring light into his heart through knowledge. His soul will then glow with the mysteries of manifestation. He should particularly remember Him as such in the depth of the night.
62. “Al-Mumeet”
Allah has said, “He it is Who makes (men) laugh and makes (them) weep, and He it is Who causes death and gives life” (Qura’n, 53:43-44).
Death is the antithesis of life. A wind dies when it stands still. A human dies when he sleeps; sleep is called death by way of analogy: it causes the faculties of reason and almost all other bodily movements to stop. The mawt is the land which was never tilled. One whose heart dies is dumb, stupid, idiotic, the warmth of his reason cooled down and died out.
Al-Mumeet, the Almighty, decrees death for whomsoever He pleases; none causes death except He. He has subdued His servants by death, causing them to go back to the earth from which He had created them and to be covered with dust…
Al-Mumeet has caused the heart of sinners to die because of going against His will. He is the Creator of death. He has caused the tyrants to die out of His mercy for the living. He causes the oppressors to die on account of their disrespect for Him. He causes the land to die, rendering it barren, free from vegetation, then He brings it back to life when it produces. He brings to life His Sunnah by causing His prophets to inherit it from their predecessors, and He causes the death of innovations through the life of knowledge.
Once the Messenger of Allah performed the hajj then stood over the safa, overlooking the House, the Ka`ba. Then he made three takbeers saying, “There is no god except Allah, the One and only God; there is no partner with Him; His is the kingdom; to Him is all Praise due; He brings to life and causes death; in His hand is all goodness, and He can do anything at all.”
Abu Tharr al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him, is quoted as saying that whenever the Messenger of Allah was ready to go to bed at night, he would say, “In Your Name do we die and live,” and whenever he woke up, he would say, “All Praise is due to Allah Who has brought us back to life after having caused us to die, and to Him is our final return.”
63. “Al-Hayy”
The Almighty has said, “… as for the next abode, that most surely is the (real) life, had they only known!” (Qura’n, 29:64). He has also said, “And rely on the ever-Living Who never dies” (Qura’n, 25:58).
Life is the antithesis of death. Allah brings life back to a “dead” land: He causes vegetation to grow in it; He brings it life through rain. When we discuss it as an Attribute of the Almighty, it means that He is the ever-Living Who is self-Sustaining since time immemorial and will continue to be so forever. Every living being besides Him is not alive on its own; it does not by itself sustain its life; rather, its life is sustained by al-Hayy. Al-Hayy never dies. The Holy Qura’n states the following in Surat al-Zumar: “Surely you shall die, and so shall they” (Qura’n, 39:30).
Al-Hayy is the Doer, the Aware; any deed without an origin or an awareness is dead. The least degrees of awareness is awareness of one’s own self. Anything which is not aware by itself is a dead inanimate object. Allah is the Absolute Living One, and everyone and everything that live besides Him is alive according to the extent of its awareness.
Anas ibn Malik has said, “I was once sitting with the Messenger of Allah in our circle when a man was still performing his prayers. After having bowed down, prostrated and made the tashahhud, he supplicated to his Lord saying, `Lord! I plead to You by the very fact that to You is all Praise due; there is no god but You; You are the One Who gives without reminding the takers, Who created the heavens and the earth; O You Who has all the Honour and all the Glory! O ever-Living One, O Sustainer! I plead to You…’ whereupon the Prophet said, `He surely has invoked Allah by His Greatest Attribute: He answers favourably when He is asked thereby, and He gives when invoked.'”
Al-Mumeet causes your heart to die when you fail to remember Him, and your soul to die when you continuously permit yourself to slip away from His right path, and your mind to die when you permit your desires to take control of you. Al-Muhyi brings life to the hearts of those who know and who willingly submit to Him, while al-Mumeet causes the [spiritual] death of those who go against His will.
64. “Al-Qayyum”
Allah has said, “Alif, Lam, Mim. Allah, (there is) no god but He, the ever-Living, the self-Subsisting, the One through Whom all things subsist” (Qura’n, 3:1-2).
One who is qayyim is a master and organizer of affairs. The “qayyim creed” is the Hanafi faith. The day of qiyama is the Day when everyone will stand before Allah, Lord of the Worlds, for judgment. Al-Qayyum is never created, Who manages all affairs.
Al-Qayyum exists absolutely on His own, not through others, while every being exists through Him and because of Him. Nothing, no life whatever, can ever be sustained without Him. Al-Qayyum is the ever-Lasting, the Eternal Who never suffers extinction. He effects justice and equity, Who is self-Sustaining, Who never sleeps.
According to Abdullah ibn `Abbas, whenever the Messenger of Allah used to stand up to perform his night prayers, he would say, “Lord! All Praise is due to You! You are the Lord of the heavens and the earth! All Praise is due to You! You are the Qayyum of the heavens and the earth and everything in them; all Praise is due to You! You are the Light of the heavens and the earth; all Praise is due to You! You are the King in the heavens and the earth; all Praise is due to You! You are the Truth; Your promise is true, the meeting with You is true, Your speech is the truth; Paradise is true; the fire is true; the prophets are truthful; Muhammed is truthful, and the Hour is true! Lord! To You have I submitted; in You have I believed; upon You have I relied; to You is my return; for Your sake do I dispute; Your judgment do I seek; so, I implore You to forgive my sins, the ones I have committed and the ones I may commit in the future, what I have concealed and what I have declared, for You are the One Who advances and Who postpones; there is no god but You, and there is no strength nor might except in Allah.”
According to another tradition, he has invoked His Maker saying, “O Hayy! O Qayyum! We solicit Your help by Your mercy! Lord! I invoke You to mend my affairs, all of them, and not to permit me to rely on my own self even for a twinkling of the eye, nor for a shorter time, nor on anyone from among Your creation.”
Imam `Ali has said, “During the Battle of Badr, I participated in the battle for some time, then I came to the Messenger of Allah to see what he was doing, and I found him making sajdah while repeating, `O Hayy! O Qayyum!’ So I went back to the battle-field, then I came back to him and I saw that he was still repeating the same words. I kept going there and coming back to him, and he was still doing exactly the same thing till Allah granted us victory.”
Abdullah ibn `Abbas is quoted as saying that the Greatest of all Attributes of Allah is al-Hayy al-Qayyum. Anyone who truly realizes that He, Glory to Him, is the Qa’im, Qayyim, Qiyam and Qayyum will never detach his heart from loving the Creator.
Al-Qayyum connotes His independence and the dependence of all others on Him, that He does not need anyone while everyone is in need of Him.
Allah, Glory to Him, is the Only al-Hayy al-Qayyum: He exists on His own, whereas everything that exists depends on Him to continue existing. So rely on al-Qayyum besides Whom you need no other supporter, nor is there anyone else besides Him who can sustain you, nor can anyone else teach you whatever you need to know.
65. “Al-Wajid”
Allah has said, “And whoever does evil or acts unjustly against his own soul then asks forgiveness of Allah, he shall find Allah Forgiving, Merciful” (Qura’n, 4:110). The root word of “al-Wajid” is “jidda,” abundance and independence. Al-Wajid is the most Knowing: “And [did He not] find you lost and guide you?” (Qura’n, 93:7); “… and there he finds Allah, so He pays him back his reckoning in full” (Qura’n, 24:39). The phrase “he finds Allah” means “he finds out that Allah…” Al-Wajid has everything; He lacks nothing; He is never incapable of doing whatever He pleases. Al-Wajid is the One from Whose knowledge nothing at all escapes; He does not overlook anything at all. He is the opposite of one who has lost everything. Al-Wajid lacks neither necessary things nor any of the requirements related to Divinity and its perfection; He is none but Allah, the Most Exalted One. In such sense, He, and He alone, is the Absolute al-Wajid. Anyone besides Him who may have some of the attributes of perfection while still lacking a few things is not called wajid at all.
Al-Wajid has with Him everything He wants and desires; He can affect His decree; He knows everything and He determines everything; He is capable of doing everything; nothing is beyond His reach or might; His status is Sublime. He is the Most Honoured; His Might is the most perfect; He gives abundantly and generously.
The root word of this Attribute has many other meanings such as: finding out something through the power of the senses, the reaching of a point or a goal, the existence of something, the mental realization.
66. “Al-Majid”
The Almighty has said, “… the handiwork of Allah Who has made everything thoroughly” (Qura’n, 27:88).
The root word of this Attribute is “majd,” a noun meaning glory and honours. A man may be said to be majid if he has descended from parents known to have established a deeply rooted reputation of glory and honours. A majid person is very highly distinguished; he quite often showers others with his favours.
The Attribute “al-Majid” means absolute perfection and dazzling glory; He is Beautiful in His qualities and actions, Who treats His servants most graciously, most generously, manifesting His Greatness to them through the light of His compassion for them. Among our supplications is this one: Lord! You are al-Majid al-Majid, the Doer of whatever pleases You! We plead to You to grant us security on the Promised Day; Glory to the One Who has been Gracious unto His servants through His Glory and Honours and is distinguished thereby! Glory to the One Who is Great, Whose Honour is Great, Whose Generosity is vast!
The Attribute “al-Majid” underscores the meaning of the Attribute “al-Wajid”, thus stressing their common meaning of independence. Abu Tharr al-Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him, has quoted the Messenger of Allah quoting, in turn, his Lord saying, “O servants of Mine! You are all sinners except those whom I have healed from sinning; therefore, seek My forgiveness so that I may forgive you by My might. Whoever among you comes to know that I am capable of forgiving, and he seeks My forgiveness, I shall forgive his sins and overlook them. You are all to perish except those whom I guide; therefore, seek My guidance so that I may guide you. You are all poor except those whom I enrich; therefore, ask Me so that I may grant you sustenance. O servants of Mine! If the first of you and the last, whatever is moist with you and whatever is dry, the living among you and the dead, should ever unanimously become as pious as the most pious person among My servants, it will not increase My domain as much as the wing of a mosquito. And if they all become as wretched as the worst wretch among My servants, it will not decrease My domain as much as the wing of a mosquito. If the first of you and the last, the moist with you and the dry, the living and the dead, were to ask Me, it will not decrease what is with Me in anything at all just as any of you may pass by a sea shore and immerse a needle therein then takes it out. This is so because I am al-Majid; I do whatever I please; My giving is only a word: Whenever I desire something, I say to it `Be!’ and it is.”
This Attribute instills in the hearts of the faithful the sincere desire to treat others with forgiveness, clemency, and patience. One should speak kindly to them, smile to them, and remove the dissension from among them. He should spend his wealth for the good of the poor, and he should be humble and kind to the weak among them. He should treat all people as though they were his own family members and brethren.
67. “Al-Wahid”
Allah has said, “And your Lord is One (and Only) Lord! There is no god but He” (Qura’n, 2:163). He has also said, “Say: He, Allah, is One” (Qura’n, 112:1).
Linguistically, “al-Wahid” means: the One Who does not socialize with people nor keeps them company. To believe in Tahweed is to believe that there is no partner at all with Allah in His authority, and that being One is a quality of His which nobody else shares with Him.
Tahweed means recognition of the Unity of the One Who alone manages the affairs of His servants. None creates, nor sustains, nor grants, nor withholds, nor brings back to life, nor causes death, nor manages the affairs of the domain outwardly or inwardly, except Allah. Whatever He wills comes to be, and whatever He does not never will. Not even an atom moves without His knowledge; nothing takes place without His will. No leaf falls down without His knowledge. Nothing escapes His knowledge, not even as much as the weight of an atom in the heavens or the earth, nor smaller than that nor bigger: His knowledge encompasses everything. His might overwhelms everything. His will is effected regarding everything. His wisdom dominates everything.
Tawhid, then, means that whatever comes to your mind of how He may be or anything which you think is appropriate for Him…, He is contrary to and above it, Glory to Him.
The subject of Tawhid is beyond anyone’s description, for if you discuss the Almighty, there are too many views about Him to discuss, and there are too many ways to discuss Him through Him [i.e. through His statements]. Reason recognizes Him, yet the tongue can never describe Him.
Tawhid’s meaning shatters any image and confuses all branches of knowledge, while Allah remains just as He has always been and will always be. Glory to the One Who has made no means for His creatures to really know Him except by proving to them that they can never know Him. One who falls into the seas of Tawhid will day after day feel more and more thirsty. Tawd is a prerogative, a privilege, of the Truth (the Almighty), yet His creatures are simply curious. Among people are those whose actions portray their belief in Tawhid; they look at everything that happens through Him. And there are those who, when the truth is unveiled before their eyes, feel less and less concerned about anyone besides Him; they see everyone to be as one secret within another…
Muhammed, the Messenger of Allah, has said, “Allah is One, and He loves oneness.” This tradition indicates that He loves the heart that is solely dedicated to Him, Glory and Exaltation are His.
Al-Wahid, the One and Only God, protects you, the individual that you are, against the group, a number of individuals, whereas the latter cannot protect you against Him. Al-Wahid cannot be counted. He Alone is the source of all knowledge, the Only One Who reveals what is hidden. His existence has neither a duration nor a limit, nor can anyone carry out a decision against Him, nor can His Essence ever suffer any decrease or increase whatever.
68. “Al-Samad”
Allah, Glory and Exaltation are His, has said, “Say: He, Allah, is One. Allah is He on Whom all depend” (Qura’n, 112:1-2).
Al-Samad is an Attribute of Allah whose linguistic meanings include the following: the ultimate goal, the obeyed Master without Whose command nothing can happen, the Support of those who need to be supported, the One to Whom all matters are referred, the One to Whom all issues are rendered and regarding which nobody else decides, the One to Whom pleas are directed. A-Samad is approached to grant the pleas and is pleaded to make wishes come true. He is the Master sought during the time of need. Arabs describe a household as Samad if people go there in the hope of fulfilling their worldly needs. God is the final destination, the ultimate goal. The one whom Allah enables to be sought to satisfy people’s needs, particularly those relevant to their creed, as well as those of every day life, the one who serves their interests by word and by means is truly one upon whom Allah has bestowed a great deal of goodness. It is goodness inspired by this Attribute.
Whoever recognizes Allah as the ever-Lasting Who never dies will turn away from the adornments of this fleeting life and will have no desire for its material things… One of the good manners of a believer inspired by this Attribute is that he does not seek help from anyone besides Allah to help him meet his worldly needs, nor does he rely on anyone else besides Him. He fashions his conduct after Him and becomes the one sought by people for the fulfillment of their needs. According to one hadith, the Messenger of Allah has said, “One who is most loved among people is the one who benefits them most.”
69. “Al-Qadir”
In the Holy Qura’n, we read, “Say: He has the power to send on you a chastisement from above you, or from beneath your feet, or throw you into confusion, (making you) different parties, and making some of you taste the fighting of others. See how We repeat the signs so that they may understand” (Qura’n, 6:65).
Both al-Qadeer and al-Qadir are among Allah’s characteristics. They may be derived from taqdeer, estimation or assessment, or from qudra, might, power, or ability. Al-Qadeer does whatever He does according to the requirement of wisdom, no more, nor less. Al-Qadeer is not among Allah’s ninety-nine Attributes although it is repeated more than thirty times throughout the text of the Holy Qura’n.
The root word of “al-Qadir” is the noun “qudra”, might, power, prowess, ability, etc. Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power or of Destiny, is surely the Night of the great honour. In the Holy Qura’n, we read the following verse in Surat al-Ana`m: “And they do not honour Allah the Great Honour due to Him” (Qura’n, 6:91), that is, they do not honour Him as He ought to be honoured. The word “qadr” means that Allah is capable of doing anything without tackling it or using any means, etc.; therefore, it does not exert or exhaust Him to do whatever He wants. It means authority and power, that is, the complete dealing with the entire universe, the cosmos, without being opposed by an opponent. Who can oppose Him or escape His grip? His command is that whenever He decrees anything, he says to it: “Be!” and it is. It means the One Who has the Complete power, Who is not frustrated by anything at all, He needs no means to do anything. He measures His decree, Who manages the universe with might and wisdom: “So We proportion it: how well We are at proportioning (things)!” (Qura’n, 77:23) and also, “Surely We have created everything according to a measure” (Qura’n, 54:49). The qadar is what Allah, the Most Honoured and Glorified, decrees and decides.
A servant of Allah has a measure of power to do a number of things, but it is deficient, for his ability is limited. Allah, on the other hand, makes His servants capable of doing what they do through His might. A servant of Allah has power to do a number of things, but he cannot do everything. He cannot create things out of nothing. Only Allah can.
70. “Al-Muqtadir”
As regarding the Attribute “al-Muqtadir”, the Almighty has said, “They rejected all Our signs, so We overtook them after the manner of a Mighty, Powerful One” (Qura’n, 54:42).
“Al-Muqtadir” is a superlative of “al-Qadir” which enhances the prestige and awe inspired by the latter. Al-Muqtadir controls everything through His might which encompasses all His creation. His might is endless, Who manages all affairs, Who manifests His might to the souls through the light of His Attribute al-Muqtadir and thus grants them serenity and security. They recognize and venerate His might in the late hours of the night and at both ends of the day. The meaning it suggests is: “the One Whose Might is Great, Who, through His overwhelming Power, controls all His creatures; He subdues everyone and everything in His domain. He decreed, so existence came to be as a manifestation of His might: `… and Allah holds power over all things'” (Qura’n, 18:45).
One of the signs of the good manners of a believer in as far as al-Muqtadir is concerned is that this Attribute will always fill his heart, and he always remembers it, so much so that a glimpse of its light will shine upon him and will always surround him. The following is a tradition related by Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Salami: The Messenger of Allah used to teach his companions to follow istikhara in all matters just as he used to teach them the text of the Holy Qura’n. He used to always repeat saying, “If one of you decides to do something, let him prostrate twice besides what is incumbent upon him then say: `Lord! I seek Your istikhara and Your help to enable me to achieve what I aspire to achieve! I plead to You to grant me of Your favours, for You can and I cannot, and You know and I do not, and You know the unknown. Lord! If You know that this matter (and here you indicate what it is) is good for me sooner or later, or good for my creed or sustenance, or for the ultimately good end of my affairs, then decree it for me and ease it for me, then bless it for me. Lord! If You know that it is evil for me regarding my creed or the ultimate end of my affairs, or regarding my matter sooner or later, then take me away from it and enable me to acquire goodness wherever it may be, then make me pleased therewith.'”
The Attribute “al-Muqtadir”, Praised and Glorified is He, is mentioned verbatim in two verses of the Holy Qura’n: in verses 42 and 55 of Surat al-Qamar, and once in verse 45 of Surat al-Kahaf.
71. “Al-Muqaddim”
Allah has said, “… so that Allah may forgive your past faults and your faults to come, to complete His favour unto you, and to guide you on the right path” (Qura’n, 48:2).
Linguistically, taqdeem, the root word of this Attribute, means advancing, promoting, or preferring; “al-Muqaddim” means: the One Who presents things and places them in their right place. Whoever deserves to be advanced, preferred or favoured over others, the Almighty, al-Muqaddim, advances his rank or status. And He advances the living, each according to his sincerity of worshipping Him, protecting them against falling into disobedience of Him. Al-Muqaddim since the beginning of time advanced those whom He loves and made them happy through accurate comprehension and sound judgment. He prefers those who know over those who do not. He opens the gates of true conviction (iman) for everyone. He prefers humans over all others, making them Imams. And He advances, prefers, favours scholars over ignorant folks, making the first party like stars guiding others to righteousness. He has advanced the Messenger of Allah from the very beginning and will advance him at the very end, in the Hereafter. He took a covenant from all those whom He sent into this world that: “… when a Messenger comes to you verifying that which is with you, you must believe in him, and you must support him” (Qura’n, 3:81). He also advanced him on Laylatul-Isra’, the Night Journey. Muhammed led all other Prophets in congregational prayers.
The Holy Qura’n states the following: “Do not dispute in My presence, and indeed I warned you beforehand” (Qura’n, 50:28). Muhammed, the most honoured of all prophets, as Muslims regard him, enjoys a status that tops all those of other “Ulul-`Azm” prophets[10], peace be upon all of them. Next in status are awliya’, the friends of Allah, whose status is less only than that of the prophets.
Al-Muqaddim, therefore, advances whoever He pleases on account of one’s piety and frequency of returning to Him, to His path, making them truthful; He responds favourably to their pleas. And al-Muqaddim advances the living who worship Him in ranks (in this life as well as in the one to come), protecting them against disobeying or displeasing Him.
72. “Al-Mu’akhkhir”
The Almighty has said, “Man shall on that Day be informed of what he had sent forth before and of what he had put off” (Qura’n, 75:13).
Al-Mu’akhkhir causes the polytheists to lag behind while raising the ranks of the believers. He delays the disobedient ones and grants His guidance to those who obey Him. He postpones the penalty of the oppressor because He is Compassionate and Merciful. Whenever your heart is exposed to a glimpse of the light of His Attribute “al-Mu’akhkhir,” you will be managing your affairs very well, postponing what the Legislator has decided must be postponed, and looking down at what the Wise Lord has Himself looked down upon. In Surat Ibrahim (Abraham), we read the following verse: “And do not think that Allah is heedless of what the unjust ones do; He only grants them a respite till a Day on which the eyes shall be fixedly staring (being horrified)” (Qura’n, 14:42). He has forewarned people regarding the Day when His chastisement will approach them, so those who have wronged their own souls will plead to thus: “Lord! Grant us a respite till a near term so that we may answer Your call and follow the messengers” (Qura’n, 14:44) but they will be told: “Did you not swear before now that there would be no passing away for you?!” (Qura’n, 14:44).
The Messenger of Allah used to supplicate by saying, “Lord! I plead to You to forgive my sins, my ignorance, my extravagance, and to grant me that which You know to be better for me. Lord! I plead to You to forgive my (unintentional) sins, my deliberate sins, my ignorance, when I am serious and when I am not, and I am guilty of all of that. Lord! I plead to You to forgive what I have advanced and what I have postponed, what I have revealed and what I have declared, for You are al-Muqaddim, and You are al-Mu’akhkhir, and surely You can do whatever You please.” Both Attributes “al-Muqaddim” and “al-Mu’akhkhir” are not mentioned in the text of the Holy. The discussion of advancing something and postponing something else has been dealt with in the Holy Qura’n with reference to mankind in verses such as these: Man shall on that Day be informed of what he sent forth before and what he put off. (75:13) Surely We know those of you who have gone before and We certainly know those who shall come later. (15:24) And We do not delay it except till an appointed term (11:104).
One of the signs of a believer’s good conduct with regard to both of these Attributes is that he should take a middle course between fear and excessive hope, and to always be on his alert.
73. “Al-Awwal”
Allah has said, “He is the First (al-Awwal) and the Last (al-Akhir) and the Ascendant (over all) and the One Who knows hidden things, and He is Cognizant of all things” (Qura’n, 57:3).
The Attribute “al-Awwal” means: the One upon Whom all others rely, the One Who advances all others. Applied to the Almighty, it means: He was never preceded in existence by anyone at all; He does not need anyone else at all; He is Independent of everything and everyone.
A bedouin once asked the Messenger of Allah, “Where was Allah before creation?” He answered him by saying, “Allah was and there was nothing with Him.” The bedouin asked him again, “How about now?” He answered him by saying, “He is now just as He has always been.” The Attribute “al-Awwal” exists in Surat al-adeed: “He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant (over all), the One Who knows hidden things, and He is Cognizant of all things” (Qura’n, 57:3). And He is referred to by implication in this verse: “We have ordained death among you and We are not preceded in doing so by anyone else” (Qura’n, 56:60).
“Al-Awwal” is the first of anything different from Him. He has the upper hand over His foes, an advancement due neither to time nor to place nor to anything else that can be conceived by mind nor acquired by knowledge. “Al-Awwal” means the timeless, the perpetual, the One Who has neither a beginning nor an end. He is the First without a beginning; He exists on His own even before His creatures were ever there.
He is the Eternal One Who has always been and Who is never preceded by anyone at all. Allah has said, “We have ordained death among you, and We are not preceded in doing so by anyone else” (Qura’n, 56:60). This verse indicates that He, and Only He, has such power to effect death upon His servants, and He is the First to do so without anyone preceding Him.
74. “Al-Akhir”
Allah Almighty has said, “He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant (over all), the One Who knows all hidden things, and He is Cognizant of all things” (Qura’n, 57:3).
Al-Akhir is the Last without having to have a first, the Last in His Attribute of eternity and perpetuity; He postpones anything that is to come later. He is the Last by virtue of being above any adjectives whereby He may be described, the Last above extinction. He is the Last without anyone having delayed Him and made Him so, and He is the Last due to His sustaining us. He is the Last according to the rule of necessity: He is the First to grant guidance; He is the Last to look after those whom He guides.
Allah permits the rewards to reach those who earn them and the penalty to afflict those who deserve it; so, just as He was the first since time immemorial, when there was nothing with Him at all, so will He remain the Last One and nothing will be with Him at all.
Among the good manners of a believer with respect to this Attribute is that he keeps remembering it quite often so that its light may manifest itself unto his heart, and so that he should escape this vanishing abode and look forward for the lasting one; he flees from his own self seeking Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the earth.
75. “Al-Zahir”
Allah has said, “… the One Who knows the unseen! So He does not reveal His secrets to any…” (Qura’n, 72:26).
Linguistically speaking, “al-Zahir” is derived from “zuhoor,” manifestation, appearance, sighting, etc. It means something hidden coming to appearance. It also conveys the meaning of “victor.” This meaning occurs in this verse: “… and they became the uppermost” (Qura’n, 61:14), that is, in a higher status and rank. “zahr” also means back, the opposite of “ban,” stomach or belly; so, what is zahir is the opposite of what is batin. It also means: animals used to transport people and luggage on their backs, their hrs, that is, beasts of burden, whether it is used as a figure of speech or literally. Something zaheer is very strong. According to hadith, “There is no verse in the Holy Qura’n except that it has an apparent meaning and a hidden one.” What is apparent may be the wording, and what is hidden may is the meaning, or it may mean recitation or reading versus comprehension and learning.
The meaning of the Attribute of the Almighty “al-Zahir” permits more than one interpretation:
1) He subdues His creation. 2) He knows everything apparent, just as the Attribute “al-Batin” means He knows everything hidden. 3) He is al-Zahir due to the abundance of dazzling proofs and the enlightening evidence testifying to His Glory.
Suppose someone says that if He is al-Zahir, the Apparent or the Evident One, the One about Whom there can be no doubt entertained, well, most people seem to doubt His existence nevertheless; so, how can He still be Apparent or Evident?
Allah is al-Batin, the Obscure, if sought through the senses and the imagination. He is al-Zahir, the Apparent One, if sought by the treasure of reason by way of deduction. His being obscure to many minds, despite His being so Apparent, is due to the intensity of such evidence. His being Evident is the reason why He is Obscure, and His light is the same that obscures His glow: whatever exceeds its limit turns into its own antithesis. He is Obscure if one seeks to know Him by applying his own physical senses. The senses are related to what is apparent, such as one’s complexion, physique, etc.. In fact, a person is a human being not only on account of his complexion, for even if such complexion or the rest of his parts are altered, he still remains one and the same. Actually, a person’s parts at the time when he ages are not the same when he was young. They would have suffered a great deal of change due to the passage of time and were replaced by ones similar to them through food intake. His identity, nevertheless, has not changed. Such an identity is obscure from the senses, quite clear to the mind by way of deduction.
76. “Al-Batin”
Allah has said, “He is the First and the Last and the Ascendant (over all) and the One Who knows all hidden things, and He is Cognizant of all things” (Qura’n, 57:3).
“Al-Batin” means: the One Who is obscured from the eyes of His creatures due to the intensity of His appearance, the Hidden One due to His Essence that defies the minds and intellects.
The Messenger of Allah has supplicated thus: Lord! O God of the heavens and of the great Throne! Our Lord and the Lord of everything! The One Who splits the seed and the date-stone! The one Who has revealed the Torah, the Gospel, and the Holy Qura’n! I seek refuge with You against the evil of every being whose forelock is in Your Hands! Lord! You are the First; there is nothing before You! And You are the Last; there is nothing after You. You are the Apparent; there is nothing beyond You, and You are the Hidden One; there is nothing that can reach You! I plead to You to pay our debts on our behalf, and to save us from [the humiliation of] want.
He is al-Zahir through sufficiency, al-Batin by objectivity, al-Zahir due to His bounties, al-Batin through His mercy. He is the Apparent One Who subdues everything, the Hidden One Who knows the truth about everything, the One Who is Apparent for everything by way of convincing proofs, the One Who is Hidden from any physical appearance. Glory, then, to the One Who has obscured Himself from all creation by His light, Who is Hidden from them because of the intensity of His appearance.
The Almighty has said, “… and made His favours to you complete outwardly and inwardly” (Qura’n, 31:20). Apparent are the ones we can observe, see, witness, notice, while hidden are the things with which we are not familiar. He has also pointed out to the fact that “And if you were to count Allah’s favours, you will not be able to count them” (Qura’n, 16:18 and 14:34). They are apparent to the senses, defying our intellect.
Man is a manifestation of the Attribute “al-Zahir” and, at the same time, is also a manifestation of the other Attribute “al-Batin.” Man, physically, is a manifestation of the Apparent Light, and spiritually a manifestation of the Hidden One, al-Batin. Whenever a servant of Allah repeats the Attribute “al-Batin”, his soul will feel submissive to its Creator, and he will realize that he on his own is really incapable of doing anything at all; so, it is then that the Truth will be Merciful unto him and will grant him purity of both body and soul.
77. “Al-Wali”
Allah has said, “For his sake there are angels following one another, before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah’s commandment; surely Allah does not change the condition of people until they change their own conditions, and if Allah intends evil to anyone, there is none to avert it, and besides Him they have no protector” (Qura’n, 13:11).
Al-Wali is the Owner of everything; He deals with everything as He pleases. The mawla is also a supporter or a helper.
Al-Wali manages the affairs of all creation. He initiates whatever improves the condition of His creatures. In other words, He is the Absolute and undisputed Ruler. Al-Wali is the One and only One Who manages all affairs, Who does everything, and there is no continuity nor existence without His permission; everything happens according to His judgment and by His command. Al-Wali gives graciously by halting the advent of mishaps and calamities.
Among the characteristics of al-Wali is that He manages, is capable and is the doer of whatever He pleases. Unless all these attributes are found in someone, he will not be called wali, and there is no wali for our affairs except Allah. He, and only He, single-handedly manages them first and foremost and safeguards their continuity and existence. It is also possible to attach to the wali the meaning of: One Who gives abundantly, Who wards off evil.