ISLAMNA

As-Samee (The All Hearing)

“And Allah is the All Hearing, the All Seeing. [An-Nisaa (4):134]

Allah often combines the mentioning of these attributes of hearing and seeing. Both the hearing and seeing (of Allah) encompass all of that which is related to the apparent, as well as the hidden. Therefore, the All-Hearing is the One whose hearing encompasses all that can be heard. Therefore everything in the world, whether it be high or low, that makes any sound, then He hears it. It makes no difference whether the sound is made secretly or openly. With Allah it is as if they were all one sound (i.e. He hears them all soft or loud). Yet, the sounds do not mix or become confusing to Him. All of the languages are not hidden from Him. The close (sound), the far, the secret and the open, they are all the same (i.e. heard) to Him.

“It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceals his speech or declares it openly, whether he be hidden by night or goes forth freely by day. [Ar-Rad (13):10]

Indeed Allah has heard the statement of her that disputes with you (O Muhammad) concerning her husband, and complains to Allah. And Allah hears the argument between you both. Verily, Allah is All-Hearer, All Seeing. [Al-Mujaadilah (58):1].

Aisha said (radiallahu anhaa), Blessed be hearing encompassed all sounds. Verily, the disputing woman came complaining to the messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and I was beside the room, but I still could not hear some of her speech. Then Allah revealed,

“Verily, Allah heard the statement of her that dispute with you (O Muhammad) concerning her husband. (Al-Mujaadilah (58):1]

Allah’s hearing is two types:

1. The first is His hearing all sounds whether apparent, concealed, hidden or manifest, His hearing encompasses them completely.
2. The second is His hearing of response which is for those who ask of Him, call upon Him, and worship Him. He answers them and rewards them. From this type is Allah’s statement, Verily, my Lord is the Hearer of Supplication. [Ibrahim:39). Also, there is the statement of one who is praying, Allah hears whoever praises Him. This means that He answers them.

Al-Kabeer (The Most Great)

He, glory be unto Him, the Most High, is described with the attributes of glory, grandeur, magnificence, and majesty. He is greater than everything, more Sublime and Exalted than everything. Magnificent. Magnification and grandeur belong to Him, in the hearts of His close and sincere awliyaa (amongst His slaves). Their hearts are filled with His magnificence and His splendor. Their hearts are humbled towards him, and submissive to His grandeur. [Tayseer Al-Kareem Ar-Rahman Fee Tafseer Kalaam Al-Mannaan, by As-Sadee, 5/622].

“Allah, the Exalted, said: This is because, when Allah Alone was invoked (in worship) you disbelieved, but when partners were joined with Him, you believed! So the judgment is only with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great! [Ghaafir (40):12]

Al-Majeed (The Most Glorious)

Al-Majeed means the one who possesses the most magnificent glory. This Majd (glory) is the greatness of the attributes and their extent. Thus, every description of His attributes shows the magnificence of His status. For He is Al-Aleem (the all knowing) who is perfect in His knowledge. He is Ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful) whose Mercy encompasses everything. He is Al-Qadeer (the All-powerful), who is not disabled or weakened by anything. He is Al-Haleem (the Most Gentle), who is Al-Hakeem (The Most wise), who is perfect in His wisdom. Likewise are the rest of His names and attribute that reach the limits of absolute glory. [Al-Haqq ul-Waadhih ul-Mubeen, pg. 33, and Sharhul-Qaseedah in Nooniyyah by Al-Harraas (2/71)]

“There is not any deficiency in any of His attributes nor any short comings. Allah, the Exalted said: The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O family [of Ibrahim]. Surely, he (Allah) is All-Praiseworthy, most Glorious. [Hood (11):73]

Al-Atheem (The Most Magnificent)

“Allah the Exalted says: And he feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them, and He is the Most High, the Most Magnificient. (Al-Baqarah (2):225)

Allah, the Exalted is Magnificent, and unto Him belongs every description and meaning that necessitates magnification. No creature can praise Him as He truly deserves and His praises are enumerable. Rather He is as He has praised Himself, and above what praise His servants laud Him with. Know that the meanings of the magnification that are affirmed for Allah alone are of two types:

The first of them is that He is described with every attribute that is perfect. He has the most perfect of this perfection, and the most magnificent of it, and the most extensive of it. He has all encompassing knowledge, and authoritative power. He is the ultimate greatness and magnificence. From His magnificence is that the heavens and the earth are in the Palm of the Most Beneficent, smaller than a mustard seed. This was stated by Ibn Abbaas and others.

“Allah the Exalted said: And they did not make just estimate of Allah such as is due to Him. And on the Day of Resurrection the whole earth will be grasped by His hand, and the heavens will be rolled up His right Hand. [A-Zumar (39):67]

“The Exalted said, Verily Allah grasps the heavens and the earth lest they should move away from their places, and if they were to move away from their places, there is no one that could grasp them after Him. [Fatir (35):41].

“And He the Exalted said: The heavens may nearly be rent asunder above them (by His majesty). [Ash-Shooraa (42):5].

In the Saheeh it is reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, Verily Allah says, Pride is my cloak, and magnificent is my lower garment, so whoever dispute me concerning either one of them, I will punish him severely. [Muslim 4/2023], Abu Dawud (4/59), and Ibn Majaah (2/1397), and Ahmad (2/376) with similar wording]. Therefore greatness and pride belong to Allah, and magnificent as well the amount of these two attributes (of Allah) cannot be estimated, and their essence cannot be fully comprehended.

The second type from the meanings of His, The Exalteds Magnificence is that no one of the creation deserves to be magnified as Allah is magnified. He, majestic is His majesty, deserves that His servants should magnify Him in their hearts, on their tongues, and with their limbs. They should do this by exerting their energies in learning about Him, loving Him, submitting to Him, showing humility to Him, being humble to His greatness and fearing Him. They should make their tongues praise Him, and make limbs perform thanks and worship of Him.. From His Magnification is that He should be feared with just fear as He deserves, and He should be obeyed and not disobeyed, He should remembered and not forgotten. He should treated with gratitude and not ungratefulness. From His magnification is magnifying what He has made sacred, and what He has legislated as the ritual rites. This includes special times, places and deeds.

“Thus it is, and whosoever honors the symbols of Allah, then it is truly from piety of the hearts. [Al-Hajj (22):32]

“He the Exalted said: That (the Hajj rites) and whoever honors the scared things of Allah, then that is better for him with his Lord. [Al-Hajj (30):30]

From His magnification is that He is not opposed in anything of His creation or His legislation. (3) [Al-Haqq ul-Waadhih ul-Mubeen, pg. 27-28, and Sharh ul-Qaseedah An Nooniyyah by Al-Harraas (2/71)]

Al-Haqq (The Truth)

He is the Truth in His Essence and Attributes, He is the most necessary of all existence, He is what the whole of existence needs to exist. He is the One Who was and is described with Magnificence, Beauty and Perfection. He is the One Who was and is known to be Beneficent.

His saying is the truth, His Actions are the truth, the meeting with Him is the truth, His Messengers are the truth, His Books are the truth, His religion is the truth, worshipping Him Alone is the truth, everything that has to do with Him is the truth. This is because Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is false and invalid and because Allah is the Most High, the Great.

“And say: the Truth is from your Lord, so let whosoever who wills believe, and whosoever who wills disbelieve.” (18:29)

“And what is there after truth apart from falsehood?” (10:32)

That is because Allah He is the Truth (the only true God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Baatil (falsehood) And verily, Allah He is the Most High, The Most Great. [Soorah 22 Al-Hajj, Aayah 62]

“And say: The truth is from your Lord (Rabb). Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills let him disbelieve. [Soorah 18 Al-Kahf, Aayah 29]

Such is Allah, your Lord in truth. So after the truth, what else can there be, save error? [Soorah 10 Yunus Aayah 32]

And say: Truth (i.e. tawheed, or this Quraan or Jihaad) has come and Baatil (falsehood) has vanished. Surely, baatil is ever bound to vanish. [Soorah 17 Al-Israa, Aayah 81]

And Allah taaala said, On that Day Allah will pay them the recompense of their deeds in full, and they will know Allah, - He is the Clear Truth. [Soorah 24 An-Noor, Aayah 25]

The great descriptions of Allah are true as are His promise of reward and threat of punishment. His accounting is just and there is no injustice therein.

Al-Haadee (The Director)

Ar-Rasheed (The Guide)

He is the One Who guides and directs His servants towards all that would be of benefit to them and away from all that would bring them harm. He is the One Who teaches them what they did not use to know and guides them with a guidance that keeps them firm upon the Straight Path. He is the One Who inspires their hearts with taqwaa and made them penitent and compliant to His Commands.

Ar-Rasheed also carries the meaning of Al-Hakeem (the Wise). He is Ar-Rasheed in His Actions and Sayings. All of His legislation is good, correctly guiding and wise.

“Thus have We made for every Prophet an enemy amongst the disbelievers. But sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and Helper.” (25:31)

Al-Waasi’` (The Vast)

He is the One Who is vast with respect to His Attributes and qualities and those things linked to them - this from the point of view that none can enumerate His praise as He deserves, rather He is as He has praised Himself. Vast in grandeur, authority and dominion, Vast in bestowing grace and good and Vast in Goodness and Nobility.

“The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases. Allah is the Vast, the All-Knowing.” (2:261)

“O you who believe! Whoever from amongst you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring about a people whom He will Love, and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allah and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He Wills. Allah is the Vast, the All-Knowing.” (5:54)

Al-Awwal (The First)

Al-Aakhir (The Last)

Adh-Dhaahir (The Manifest)

Al-Baatin (The Inward)

“He is the First, the Last, the Manifest and the Inward. He is the All-Knower of everything.” (57:3)

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) explained this verse in a succinct and clear way while addressing his Lord, You are the Al-Awwal, there was none before You. You are the Al-Aakhir, there will be none after You. Your are the Ath-Thaahir, there is nothing above You. You are the Al-Baatin, there is nothing closer than You. (Muslim 4/2084)

Thus the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) explained every name with its magnificent meaning, and he negated from what opposes and contradicts them. Pay attention to these splendid meanings which indicate the uniqueness of the magnificent Lord (Allah) with absolute perfection and comprehensiveness, He is the First and the Last, He is the Most High and Most Near.

His name, the First (Al-Awwal), proves that everything besides Him occurs and exists after its non-existence. The servant (of Allah) is obligated to observe the bounty of his Lord for every blessing, whether religious or worldly. This is because the cause and effect are from Him, The Exalted. His name, the Last, proves that He is the final goal, and the Eternal, who is turned to by (all) of creation with their deification, hope, fear and all of their requests His name, the Most High, alludes to the greatness of His attributes. It also implies insignificance of everything when compared to His greatness.

The essence and attributes of everything fades when compared to His loftiness. His name, the Most Near, alludes to His awareness of the secret and hidden matters. He is cognizant of the concealed, and fine intricacies of things. Likewise this name alludes to His perfect nearness, and closeness to His creatures.

However, His being the Most High and the Most Near is not contradictory because there is nothing like Allah in any of (His) characteristics. (1)[Al-Haqq ul-Waadih ul-Mubeen pg. 25, and Sharhun-Nooniyyah by Al-Harraas, 2/67].

Al-Kaafee (The Sufficient)

The One Who suffices His servants in everything that they are in need of. The One Who suffices, in a specific sense, those who believe in Him, put their trust in Him and seek their worldly and religious needs from Him.

“Allah drove back those who disbelieved in their rage and they gained no advantage. Allah sufficed for the believers in the fighting. Allah is the Strong, the Mighty.” (33:25)

“Is not Allah sufficient for His servant? Yet they try to frighten you with those who they worship besides Him! And whomsoever Allah sends astray, for him there will be no guide.” (39:36)

Al-Qareeb (The Close)

Al-Mujeeb (The Answerer)

He, Exalted is He, is close to everybody, this closeness being of two types:

1. The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His Knowledge, Awareness, Seeing, Witnessing and Encompassing.
2. The specific closeness which is specific to His worshippers, those who ask of Him, and those who love Him. The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended, all we can see is its resultant effects - His kindness to His servants, His care of them and His making them to be firm upon the Straight Path.

From the consequences of this closeness is His answering those who supplicate to Him and His granting them the ability to be penitent. He is the One Who answers, in a general sense, those who supplicate to Him whomsoever they may be and wherever they may be and whatever condition they may be in, as He has promised them. He is the One Who answers, in a specific sense, those who love Him, those who imitate and follow His Sharee`ah. He is also the One Who answers the one in dire need and those who have given up all hope of being answered by the creation and therefore their connection to Him has been strengthened in terms of love, hope and fear.

“And when My slaves ask you concerning Me, I am indeed near to them. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when He calls upon Me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me so that they may be led aright.” (2:186)

“And to the Thamood We sent their brother Saalih saying: O my people! Worship Allah besides whom there is no other deity. He brought you forth from the earth and settled you therein, then ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him in repentance. Certainly My Lord is Near, Responsive.” (11:61)