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God Is Al-Mu’min: What Does It Mean?

nature-ocean

Allah to Whom be ascribed all perfection and majesty knows his self, his name and everything he has got

No king would allow anyone from his pasture to be named after him although he is human, he eats, drinks, and sleeps as we do. He has a body, he gets thirsty, hungry, mad, sick and he dies.

There is no difference between him and any of his followers; nevertheless, his pride and dignity refuse to let anyone to be named after him. But, Allah, the Great and Almighty called us, after we had known Him and obeyed his order, “believers”, (mu’mineen). It is the plural form of the word “believer”, (mu’min), that is by Allah’s saying:

He is Allah, than Whom there is no other god, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the Majestic, the Compeller, the Superb. Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him). (Al-Hashr 59:23)

But this name needs a moment of thinking, Allah (the Great and Almighty) is a believer, believer in what? We believe in Allah, his messenger, the Day of Judgment, but what does Allah (the Great and Almighty) believe in?

Provider of Safety

It was said “believer” (al-mu’min) is an agentive derived from the verb “to become safe”. The verb “to become safe” has two meanings; the first one is ‘believing’.

When the imam reads Surat Al-Fatihah (the 1st chapter of the Qur’an) and when he finishes, all the people in the mosque say “Amen” (Ameen), which means God, we believe what this imam said and we are with him, so the verb “to become safe” (amina) means believe on the one hand, and there is a verse which emphasizes this, Allah (the Great and Almighty) said:

They said: “O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Yusuf (Joseph) by our belongings and a wolf devoured him, but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth”. (Yusuf 12:17)

On the other hand it means ‘being safe’, Allah the Great and Almighty said:

(He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear. (Quraish 106:4)

Allah’s name “the believer” (Al-Mu’min) is taken from believing or being safe! How do you understand this name with the first meaning?

The truth is that man may or may not understand his self. If he didn’t know his self and got involved in something beyond his level, he would have a great loss. We would say: ”If you had known what you have had, you wouldn’t have got involved”. He who does something beyond his level doesn’t know the essence of what he has or what his capabilities are. That person doesn’t know his self.

On the other side there is another who knows his self quite well, all his deeds are compatible with what he has. That example clarified some facts to you, the first meaning of “the believer” that Allah to Whom be ascribed all perfection and majesty knows his self, his name and everything he has got, that is the first meaning.

Believing

The second meaning: Allah the Great and Almighty believes His messengers. He sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a messenger, He believed him; that is He made people believe him through a miracle.

He sent Moses as a prophet and believed him; that is He made people believe him through a miracle. He sent Jesus as a messenger and gave him a miracle to make people believe him, so the second meaning is “believing”.

This means that Allah keeps His promises by His deeds, keeping Allah’s promises is a confirmation of His promises. He promised you the good life. If you have the good life, it means that He kept His promise. Keeping the promise is evidence to the truthfulness of His prophets.

That is He gives them the proofs that make people believe them. He gives the believers proofs. Dear brother, you read the Qur’an, what makes you cling to it and be attached to it? Because all the events you are living are confirmation of this Qur’an. If you buy and sell honestly, you will have great comfort and Allah will provide you with good income and draw people to you. If you are honest, Allah will lift your name among people.

So if you apply what you are asked to do, all the events come to confirm this promise or show you that this promise is true. It is one of the meanings of “the believer” that is; making His prophets as believers supported by miracles makes His Qur’an believable, that is if you believe in it and make good deeds, you will be granted a good life. What made you believe His words; this good life or the wretched life?

If you are rightly guided by Allah the Great and Almighty in all your aspects of life, you will see that all the events confirm what came in the Glorious Qur’an.

Therefore, Allah the Great and Almighty is a “believer”, that is He made his servants as believers, since all Allah’s deeds are confirmation of His promises and threats, Allah To Whom all be ascribed all perfection and majesty said:

Truly, Allah defends those who believe. Verily, Allah likes not any treacherous ingrate to Allah (those who disobey Allah but obey Satan). (Al-Hajj 22:38)

You must have felt in many incidents where Allah inspires someone you don’t know to defend you, when Allah (the Great and Almighty) says:

He (Allah) said: “Get you down (from Paradise to the earth, both of you, together, some of you are enemies to some others. Then if there comes to you guidance from Me then whoever follows My guidance he shall neither go astray, nor shall be distressed. (Ta-Ha 20:123)

You feel you are rightly guided, and have right vision, clear insight and your interpretation of events is right because you followed Allah’s order. Eventually, the events came as confirmation to what Allah said.

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Source: nabulsi.com

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Why Is Allah Al-Kareem (The Most Generous)?

Al-Kareem (The Most Generous) is one of the Attributes of Allah because of the following reasons:

1- The Most Generous forgives the sins of His servants

generous nature

When Allah gives, He gives His servant abundantly, and when He is disobeyed, He covers the sins of His servant.

As we have discussed earlier, the word Kareem has many meanings. When we say that Allah (may His Glory be glorified) is Kareem, this means that He overlooks His servants’ flaws, unlike the mean person who traces down people’s shortcomings.

Also, Allah is Kareem in the sense that He overlooks the sins of His servants, unlike the mean person who looks for the trivial violations of other people.

This Divine overlooking is different from being unaware, and though Allah overlooks, everything with Him is in (due) proportion.

Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal. (Ghafir 40:19)

Not a secret is hidden from Him. Al-Kareem overlooks others’ faults, whereas the mean person traces them down. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Take refuge in Allah from the following destructive three: a bad neighbor who covers your good and spreads out your evil, a bad wife who is foul-mouthed in your presence and treacherous in your absence, and a bad leader who ignores your good deeds and does not forgive your wrongdoings.” (Narrated by Abu Hurairah)

Al-Kareem is the One Who covers people’s sins and hide their flaws, and this is a Divine Attribute of Allah (Glorified and Sublime be He).

2- Allah abundantly rewards the one who obeys Him

When you say Al-Kareem, this means that when Allah’s worshipping servants shows little submissiveness towards Him, Allah will reward them abundantly. Can you believe that the bite of food which you put in your wife’s mouth will become on the Day of Resurrection as great as the mountain of Uhud. Thus, let your commerce be doing good deeds and be rewarded by Allah.

Is there any investing company which gives you 100 thousand million Liras as profits for one Lira? There is none. On the other hand, the one bite of food, which you put in your wife’s mouth, is considered a sadaqah (charity) you give, and it will be as huge as the mountain of Uhud on the Day of Resurrection. Allah says:

And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious). (Aal `Imran 3:11)

3- Allah raises high the fame of the unknown wretched servant of His

When we say Allah is Al-Kareem (Most Generous), this means that He makes man, who is wretched poor and needy, a well-known man. Furthermore, Allah will raise high his servant’s fame and rank and will cast love for him in the hearts of His creations.

“O My salve! You desire (something) and I desire (something else). If you surrender to that which I desire, I suffice you concerning that which you desire; but if you refuse to surrender to that which I desire, I tire you out in that which you desire, and then you get nothing but that which I desire.” (Mentioned in the relic)

Allah will make this poor, weak, wretched and needy servant someone to be mentioned by concealing his flaws from people and showing them the goodness he has.

And fulfill (your obligations to) My Covenant (with you) so that I fulfill (My Obligations to) your covenant (with Me), and fear none but Me. (Al-Baqarah 2:40)

“Abu Sa`eed (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘Allah (the Most High) says, ‘When engrossment with the Qur’an preoccupies a person from making dhikr and asking from me, I grant him better than what I grant to those who ask from Me.’ The Rank of the Word of Allah over other forms of speech is like the rank of Allah over all His creation.” (At-Tirmidhi)

4- Allah clarifies to us the purpose of His Ordainments

When we say Al-Kareem this means that Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, is Generous enough to give the purpose of His orders to His servants, though He Has the power to impose His orders without any justification.

The powerful person gives orders without explaining the purpose of doing them, and he just says, “Do what I ordered you, or I will crush you”. The Creator of the heavens and the earth says to you:

O you who believe! Observing sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become (the pious). (Al-Baqarah 2:183)

Allah gives you the purpose of sawm (which is that you may become the pious).

Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them. (At-Tawbah 9:103)

Hence, justifying the Divine Orders is out of the Karam (generosity) of Allah the Almighty. Some ruthless fathers give orders to their sons and hit them if they do not obey, whereas the merciful father gives his orders to his son and says, ‘O son, obeying my orders will add up to your own good, future, reputation and superiority’.

5- Allah subjugated everything to man, because the latter accepted to bear the trust

When we say Allah is Kareem (Generous), this means that He subjugated everything to us just because we, as human beings, bore the trust:

All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favor and kindness from Him﴿ (Al-Jathiyah 45:13)

He it is Who created for you all that is on earth. (Al-Baqarah 2:29)

These things are subjected exclusively for you. There are hundreds of thousands of kinds of flowers, plants and indoor ornamental plants which live without the sunlight, and they are all subjected for you. A joke goes as follows: A man gave a Jasmine to a donkey, and it ate it. The moral: Jasmine is created for man to smell, but the one who gives it to the donkey is a donkey himself.

All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favour and kindness from Him. (Al-Jathiyah 45:13)

Hence, when we say that Allah is Al-Kareem this means that when He gives, He gives His servant abundantly, and when He is disobeyed, He covers the sins of His servant.

6- All hopes are pinned on Him

When we say Allah is Al-Kareem (the Most Generous), it means that all hopes are pinned to Him. In order to understand this point, consider the example of a very generous person who said to another person, ‘Ask for my help whenever you need something, and do not ask anyone else to help you’. There are very generous people to such an extent that they feel jealous if you humiliate yourself and ask someone else other than them to help you fulfill your need. Hence, The Almighty Allah gets angry if His servant asks someone else to fulfill his need. The poet said:

Do not ask the son of Adam for a need

and ask Him whose gates never close

for the Lord gets Upset if you stop asking Him

while the son of Adam gets upset when asked for help

7- Allah never abandons the one who seeks His shelter and takes refuge with Him

Al-Kareem has another meaning: Allah never abandons whoever seeks His shelter and takes refuge with Him:

And will never decrease the reward of your good deeds. (Muhammad 47:35)

Pin all your hopes on Allah, put all your trust in Him and count on Allah.

One of the basic weakness of your faith you more confidence to treasure in your hands than what’s on the side of Allah. (At-Tirmidhi)

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Source: nabulsi.com

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Beautiful Names of Allah: Al-Mu’min (The Believer)

Allah (the Great and Almighty) is a believer, believer in what? We believe in Allah, His Messenger, the Day of Judgment, but what does Allah the Great and Almighty believe in?

believer

“The Believer” makes His prophets as believers supported by miracles, makes His Qur’an believable.

It was said “believer” (al-mu’min) is an agentive derived from the verb ‘to become safe’, (amina, ya’manu, amnan, and amaanan). The verb “to become safe” has two meanings; the first one is believing.

When the imam reads Surat Al-Fatihah and when he finishes, all the people in the mosque say ‘Amen’ (ameen), which means God, we believe what this imam said and we are with him, so the verb ‘to become safe’ (amina) means to believe on the one hand, and there is a verse which emphasizes this, Allah said:

They said: “O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Yusuf (Joseph) by our belongings and a wolf devoured him, but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth. (Yusuf 12:17)

On the other hand, it means ‘being safe’, Allah the Great and Almighty said:

(He) Who has fed them against hunger, and has made them safe from fear. (Quraish 106:4)

Allah’s name “the Believer” (Al-Mu’min), is it taken from believing or being safe? How do you understand this name with the first meaning?

The Believer …The Knowledgeable

The truth is that man may or may not understand his self. If he didn’t know his self and got involved in something beyond his level, he would have a great loss. We would say: ”If you had known what you have had, you wouldn’t have got involved”. He who does something beyond his level doesn’t know the essence of what he has or what his capabilities are. That person doesn’t know his self.

On the other side, there is someone who knows his self quite well, all his deeds are compatible with what he has. That example clarified some facts to you, the first meaning of “the believer” that Allah, to Whom be ascribed all perfection and majesty, knows his self, his name and everything he has got, that is the first meaning.

Believing

The second meaning: Allah, the Great and Almighty, believes His messengers. He sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a messenger, He believed him; that is He made people believe him through a miracle. He sent Moses as a prophet and believed him; that is He made people believe him through a miracle. He sent Jesus as a messenger and gave him a miracle to make people believe him, so the second meaning is “believing”.

This means that Allah keeps His promises by His deeds, keeping Allah’s promises is a confirmation of His promises. He promised you the good life. If you have the good life, it means that He kept His promise. Keeping the promise is an evidence to the truthfulness of His prophets. That is He gives them the proofs that make people believe them. He gives the believers proofs.

Dear brother, you read the Qur’an, what makes you cling to it and be attached to it? Because all the events you are living are confirmation of this Qur’an. If you buy and sell honestly, you will have great comfort and Allah will provide you with good income and draw people to you. If you are honest, Allah will lift your name among people.

So if you apply what you are asked to do, all the events come to confirm this promise or show you that this promise is true.

It is one of the meanings of “the believer” that is; making His prophets as believers supported by miracles makes His Qur’an believable, that is if you believe in it and make good deeds, you will be granted a good life. What made you believe His words? This good life or the wretched life?

If you are rightly guided by Allah (the Great and Almighty) in all your aspects of life, you will see that all the events confirm what came in the Qur’an. Therefore, Allah is a “believer”, that is He made his servants as believers, since all Allah’s deeds are confirmation of His promises and threats, Allah, to whom all be ascribed all perfection and majesty, said:

Truly, Allah defends those who believe. Verily, Allah likes not any treacherous ingrate to Allah; those who disobey Allah but obey Satan. (Al-Hajj 22:38)

You must have felt in many incidents where Allah inspires someone you don’t know to defend you, when Allah the Great and Almighty says:

He (Allah) said: “Get you down (from Paradise to the earth, both of you, together, some of you are enemies to some others. Then if there comes to you guidance from Me then whoever follows My guidance he shall neither go astray, nor shall be distressed”. (Ta-Ha 20:123)

Security

The third meaning is that he provides security. Simply, we mention the eye. If you drive your vehicle at daytime, you will feel safe because the vision is distant, but at night you are dazzled with lights and you feel worried.

Driving at night is associated with worry and surprises since the light in the vehicle does not reveal everything and it is limited. The longer the sight, the more security there is. Then He gave you the eye in order to see your way, gave you the ear in order to discover movements during the night.

Therefore, sensitive hearing is one way of security; the eye is a mean of security, smell is another mean of security, if the food smells bad, it means that it is rotten. He made the nose above the mouth to give you nutritional security.

He gave you a hand to draw back damage, a foot to move from one way to another, all these to provide you with security, and this is another meaning of “the believer”.

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Source: nabulsi.com

Dr. Al-Nabulsi is an outstanding Syrian Islamic scholar. He has written a number of Islamic books, most remarkable of which are: “Encyclopedia of the Beautiful Names of Allah”, “Encyclopedia of Scientific Miracles of the Holy Quran and Prophetic Sunna”, “Outlooks on Islam”, besides articles for some Syrian, Arab, Islamic, and Western magazines and newspapers. He also delivers a number of lessons, symposiums and interviews on Arab, Islamic radios and TVs.

 

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Beautiful Names of Allah: As-Salam (The Source of Peace)

The Divine Name of Allah “As-Salam” (The Source of peace, safety and perfection), is mentioned in some of the verses of the Qur’an:

As-Salam, peace

Allah is Free from all kinds of imperfection, His Attributes are free from all kinds of defects, His Acts are free from absolute evil.

He is Allah. There is no god but Him, the King, the Holy, As-Salam (the Source of Peace, safety and Perfection), the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah! (High is He) above all that they associate as partners with Him. (Al-Hashr 59:23)

Allah calls to the Home of Peace (i.e. Paradise) and guides whom He wills to the Straight Path. (Yunus 10:25)

And if he (the dying person) be of those of the Right Hand, then there is safety and peace for those of the Right Hand. (Al-Waqi`ah 56:90,91)

…and

And peace be on him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be raised up alive. (Maryam 19:15)

This Divine Name of Allah means that He, All-Mighty, All-Majestic, is the Source of Peace and Safety, which also means that He, Glorified and Exalted, is free from any kind of defect, His Attributes are free from any kind of imperfection, His Acts are free from any kind of evil.

But here we have to elaborate some delicate expressions: He is Free from any kind of defect, His Attributes are free from any kind of imperfection, and His Acts are free from any kind of evil.

But isn’t there evil in this present world? So how come that scholars, when they interpret such a Great Divine Name of Allah, say that His Acts are free from any kind of evil?!

How Do You Think of Allah, As-Salam

At the outset, and in answer to this question, I give special importance to this point, because if you properly understand it, dear reader, you think well of your Lord, Allah, Most Gracious. And undoubtedly, to think well of Allah is the price of Paradise.

In fact this statement has to be understood to mean that Allah’s Acts are free from any kind of absolute evil. But what is absolute evil?!

It is evil that we do just for evil itself. For example, if someone has a serious inflammation in his vermiform appendix, doesn’t the surgeon, whom we wish to carry out such an operation, use a special knife whereby he cuts his flesh? And doesn’t his blood gush out after he has been anesthetized? When he comes round, doesn’t he feel pain?

Do we really desire to cut his body just because we like to harm him or save him? Doesn’t such well-experienced surgeon cut open the patient’s body and cut off his inflamed vermiform appendix saving him from danger and bringing him health, safety and comfort?

But when someone stabs another just for the sake of killing him without any crime he has committed, we say: This is an absolute evil deed, i.e. doing evil things just for the sake of evil. But when a surgeon cuts open his patient’s abdomen to eradicate his inflamed vermiform appendix and bring him safety and comfort is by no means absolute evil, because it is conducive to good favorable results in the end. In this sense should we understand Allah’s Divine Name “As-Salam”, i.e. the One Who provides safety and peace.

Allah’s Acts are, hence, free from any kind of absolute evil; but when man does evil for the sake of evil, this is absolute evil.

Therefore, in the light of the afore-mentioned we should believe that there is no absolute evil in Allah’s Acts. Yes, indeed, there is no absolute evil in Allah’s Acts. But there are kinds of evil that Allah, Alone, knows; and such kinds of evil are necessary to bring about good desirable results.

Man has been created for eternal happiness. But if he deviates from his target, he must be corrected, he must be treated, he must be pushed forward, and he must be deterred. Something must be done to push him towards his noble target.

Hence, he who believes that in Allah’s Acts there is absolute evil, or that Allah, Most Gracious, does evil just for the sake of evil, does not know Allah at all. To this effect, Allah, Most Merciful, says:

Say, ‘O Allah! Possessor of the Kingdom! You give the kingdom to whom You will; and You take the kingdom from whom You will; and You endue with honor whom You will; and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the Good. Verily, You are Powerful over all things. (Aal `Imran 3:26)

For Man’s Good

For example, is there in the whole world a real father who sees his son commit a crime or a grievous sin – such as stealing money, robbing others of their possessions, telling big lies, transgressing against the rights of others or killing unlawfully other fellow humans – and yet stands hand-folded and does nothing to deter his son by scolding, advising, beating, warning, reproaching, blaming, …etc.?!

And is there in the whole world a real father who intentionally injures or does harm to his dutiful righteous son who does no evil things at all?

Such simple human fathers can never do such unfair and unjust evil things as those mentioned above.

Hence, absolute evil does not exist in Allah’s Acts; and whatever disaster befalls humans is due to what their hands have earned. Moreover, the more grievous the deviation, the harder the treatment.

That was the first meaning of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Name “As Salam”, i.e. Allah is Free from all kinds of imperfection, His Attributes are free from all kinds of defects, His Acts are free from absolute evil.

Any kind of evil that Allah, Most Gracious, inflicts on His creatures is meant for the near or far benefit of mankind.

For example, someone might lose all his wealth, or suffer from an incurable disease that forces him to spend all his money for its treatment. Such total loss of wealth, and such incurable disease both seem to be seriously evil to those who undergo them.

But when we remember that man has been created for an eternal happiness, that such disease or loss do serve as a kind of treatment to drive him back to his Lord, Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, and that the ultimate goal of such loss or disease is a noble one, i.e. ultimate good for man.

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Source: nabulsi.com

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Beautiful Names of Allah: Al-Mu`ti (The Giver)

Al-Mu`ti in the Prophet’s Sunnah

That name Al-Mu`ti (the Giver) was not mentioned in the Noble Qur’an, but it was mentioned in the Sunnah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

Beautiful Names of Allah: Al-Mu`ti (The Giver)

Allah the Almighty prohibits in order to give, takes in order to give, lowers in order to raise.

“Whosoever Allah means goodness for is educated in religion, and Allah is the Giver and I am the divider, and from this nation, there will still be some people who are conspicuous for those against them until Allah’s order is manifested while they are conspicuous.” (Al-Bukhari)

Knowledge .. the Greatest Gift from Allah

The first inclination of the hadith is that the dignity of knowledge is the greatest, Allah the Almighty said:

.. and He taught you that which you knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of Allah unto you (O Muhammad). (An-Nisaa’ 4:113)

Because Allah the Almighty created a power of perception in man. Unless man seeks knowledge, he will be degraded from his level of humanity to a level that does not suit him.

Therefore, the dignity of knowledge is the greatest to Allah the Almighty, if you want the world, you must seek knowledge, and if you want the afterlife, you must seek knowledge as well.

Are those who know equal to those who know not? (Az-Zumar 39:9)

..Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. (Al-Mujadalah 58:11)

Allah adopted work and knowledge in the noble Qur’an as two favorite values among His creation, for man’s heroism is that his excellence criteria are the same as those in the noble Qur’an. People in the world honor the rich and powerful people, but the noble Qur’an showed us that the rank of knowledge is the highest one.

Are those who know equal to those who know not? (Az-Zumar 39:9)

Knowledge of Allah, His Creation and His Orders

As you all know, there is knowledge of Allah, knowledge of His creation and of His orders. Knowledge of His creation and His orders needs a thorough study, a book, a teacher, a certificate, a test _ that is the thorough study, but knowledge of Allah needs mujahadah (fight).

The first indication in the hadith is:

“Whosoever Allah means goodness for, educates him in religion.”

Heroism is not to seek knowledge in your marginal time, it must be part of your life scheme. Because there are people who seek knowledge in their free time, but they have primary things that nothing can exceed.

But to the believer, seeking knowledge is a major part of his life which nothing is more important than. `Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O son, knowledge is better than money, because knowledge guards you, and you guard money, money is decreased by spending and knowledge thrives with spending, my son! the money treasurers died while they were still alive, and scholars are alive forever, their dignitary are missing and their lessons exist in the hearts”.

Therefore, man has low needs and high needs, the high need is seeking knowledge. Unless man seeks knowledge, he will never get high to the level of his humanity. And in the noble Qur’an, man without knowledge was described as:

They are only like cattle_ nay, they are even farther astray from the Path (i.e. even worse than cattle). (Al-Furqan 25:44)

The likeliness of those who were entrusted with the (obligation of the Torah) (i.e. to obey its commandments and to practice its laws), but who subsequently failed in those (obligations), is as the likeliness of a donkey which carries huge burdens of books (but understands nothing from them). (Al-Jumu`ah 62:5)

.. So his parable is the parable of a dog: if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out. Such is the parable of the people who reject Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) (Al_A`raf 7:176)

Even more eloquent than that:

…they are as blocks of wood propped up. (Al-Munafiqun 63:4)

So seeking knowledge is what raises man to the level of his humanity, and to a level that suits him.

The Giver, The Preventer

Always with the beautiful names of Allah, there are names that must be mentioned together such as: the name “the Harmful” and the name “The Beneficial”, we say “The Harmful the Beneficial”, “The Giver the Preventer”, “The Honoring the Degrader”, why is that? How Allah is the Giver and the Preventer? Because Allah the Almighty prohibits in order to give, takes in order to give, lowers in order to raise, humiliates in order to honor. He is the Giver. As man took charge and failed to achieve that, then comes the treatment.

The difference is very clear, between someone who appoints an employee and gives him six months under probation. The employer’s mission is to count the employee’s mistakes, but mercilessly, if they are too much, he will cancel the contract. But if that employee is his son, he will watch him, stop him at every mistake and guide him.

Because the father’s mercy requires follow up, and because Allah the Almighty is merciful with His creatures, if man makes a mistake, He will continue with him with the treatment.

I imagine if Allah does not discipline his slaves, most of them will go to hell. But some were educated by disease, others with worry or with the phantom of a catastrophe, or with a specific hardship. Allah, the Almighty, drives us to His door, and that is from the graces of Allah the Almighty, He is a Giver and a preventer, a degrader and a raiser, honoring and humiliating. It was mentioned in the quotes:

“This world is a world of twisting not evenness” (Ibn Omar reported)

The world does not get even to anyone, and that is for a great wisdom Allah wanted.

“and a house of grief not of joy”

It has sorrow, pain, separation of the loved ones, diseases that inflects the children sometimes.

“and a house of grief not of joy, whosoever knows it..”

That means: whoever knows the fact of life.

“will never be pleased for a welfare”

Because it is temporary.

“ and will never grief a hardship”

Because it is temporary. Death ends everything, it ends the power of the powerful, the wealth of the wealthy, the intelligence of the smart, the health of the healthy, therefore:

“Whoever understands it will never be pleased for a welfare, and never grief for a hardship, Allah the Almighty created the world as a house of affliction”

..for sure We are ever putting (men) to the test. (Al-Mu’mimun :30)

Therefore:

“Allah the Almighty created the world as a house of affliction, and the afterlife as a house of reward, so He made the affliction of the world a reason for the reward of the afterlife, and the reward of the afterlife as a compensation for the world’s affliction, so He takes in order to give, and afflicts in order to reward.”

The Giver, the Creator, the Guider

Our Lord is the one who gave each thing its form and nature then guided it aright:

The last point in this lesson, Allah the Almighty said:

Who then, Musa (Moses), is the Lord of you two? (Ta-Ha 20:49)

Pharaoh asked our master Musa:

Musa (Moses) said:

Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright. (Ta-Ha 20:50)

What is the meaning of the Prophet’s saying?

“Give the worker his wage before his sweat dries out” (Ibn Majah)

He did not say: give him a wage, but give him the wage that suits his effort and gives him his dignity. On the other side:

Musa (Moses) said: “Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright.” (Ta-Ha 20:50)

Allah is the Giver that He gave us the perfect form and nature.

He created man a perfect stature:

Verily, We created man in the best stature (mould). (At-Tin 95:4)

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Source: naulsi.com

Dr. Al-Nabulsi is an outstanding Syrian Islamic scholar. He has written a number of Islamic books, most remarkable of which are: “Encyclopedia of the Beautiful Names of Allah”, “Encyclopedia of Scientific Miracles of the Holy Quran and Prophetic Sunna”, “Outlooks on Islam”, besides articles for some Syrian, Arab, Islamic, and Western magazines and newspapers. He also delivers a number of lessons, symposiums and interviews on Arab, Islamic radios and TVs.

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Divine Unity New Muslims

Beautiful Names of Allah: Al-Kareem (The Most Generous)

The Almighty Allah called His Exalted Divine Character by the name Al-Kareem, and this name is mentioned in many verses in the Qur’an and in the authenticated Prophetic texts.

Allah says:

Al-Kareem

Al-Kareem is generous even without being asked by others.

O man! What has made you careless concerning your Lord, the Most Generous? Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion. (Al-Infitar 82: 6,7)

The religious call succeeds if it addresses both the heart and mind:

Allah addresses man’s heart and reasoning in one of the most delicate verses in the Qur’an, which indicates that the religious speech will not be fruitful unless it addresses man’s heart and mind together. Man is a comprehending mind, a loving heart and a moving body. The mind is nourished by knowledge, the heart is nourished by love, whereas the body is nourished by food and drinks.

Thus, when man fulfills the needs of these three important parts, definitely there will be prosperity. However, falling short in fulfilling any of these needs on the account of other needs will lead to extremism, and there is a big difference between prosperity and extremism.

O man! What has made you careless. (Al-Infitar 82:6)

Allah then addresses man’s heart:

Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion. (Al-Infitar 82:7)

Verily, We created man of the best stature (mould). (At-Tin 95:4)

The Work of Allah, Who perfected all thing. (An-Naml 27:88)

Allah: Al-Kareem, Al-Ghani

Dear brothers, the name Al-Kareem comes with the name Al-Ghani (The Ever-Affluent) in the following Ayah:

And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his own-self, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his own-self). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful. (An-Naml 27:40)

In the world of men, you might notice that the stingy rich man is closefisted. Allah says:
p style=”padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 30px;”>Verily, man (disbeliever) was created very impatient Irritable (discontented) when evil touches him And niggardly when good touches him. (Al-Ma`arij 70:19-21)

He does not spend unlike the Almighty Allah who is Kareem and Ghani. You also might find a generous man in spite of his poverty, or a rich man who is stingy. In fact being generous and rich is one of the noblest characteristics one can have.

And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his own-self). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful.”

Al-Kareem in Prophetic Sunnah

We have discussed how the name Al-Kareem is mentioned in the Quran so far, but what about Sunnah?

“`Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah said to me, ‘Should I not teach you some words that if you say them, Allah will forgive you, even if you were already forgiven?’ He (peace be upon him) said, ‘Say: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Most High, the Magnificent. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Ever-Forbearing. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah glory be to Allah, the Lord of the Magnificent Throne. (La Ilaha Illa Allahu Al-`Aliyu Al-`Azim, La Ilaha Illa Allahul-Al-Halimu Al-Kareem, Lailaha Illa Allah, Subhan Allahu Rabbil-Arsh Al-`Azim.)’”. (At-Tirmidhi)

“Indeed your Lord is Modest and Generous, and would never turn the hands of a slave without gain when he raises them to Him (in supplication).” (At-Tabarani)

Core of `Ibadah

Du`aa’ is the core of `Ibadah:

Hence (Allah the Almighty) says:

Say (O Muhammad, peace be upon him, to the disbelievers): “My Lord pays attention to you only because of your invocation to Him. But now you have indeed denied (Him). So the torment will be yours for ever (inseparable permanent punishment).” (Al-Furqan 25:77)

Du`aa’ is the core of `Ibadah (worshiping), because the one, who makes du`aa’ to Allah believes in Allah’s Existence, believes that Allah hears him, believes that Allah Has the Power to answer his du`aa’ and believes that Allah loves him.

Hence, if man believes that Allah exists, hears, knows everything, has the power to answer him and loves him, and that Allah is the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy, only then he will reach the highest ranks of having faith. This is why Allah loves to be supplicated persistently:

“Allah likes to see His servant resorting to Him even in the most trivial things:

(Let one of you ask his Lord concerning his needs until he asks him even for the salt of his food and a shoestring when his breaks.)

Thus, du`aa’  is the gist of `Ibadah. Allah says:

Those who remain constant in their Salat (prayers). (Al-Ma’arij 70:23)
In this Ayah “remain constant” means in their du`aa’  to Allah.

`A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported, “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what do you think, if I witness Laylat Al-Qadr, what I should say?’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘Say, O Allah You are Forgiving and Generous, and you love forgiveness, so forgive me’. (At-Tirmidhi)

One of the most repeated supplications made by the Prophet- `A’ishah reported, is the following:

“O Allah You are Forgiving and Generous, and you love forgiveness, so forgive me.” (At-Tirmizi)

These are the texts from the Qur’an and Sunnah where the name Al-Kareem is mentioned.

Al-Kareem in Arabic

According to the Arabic language Al-Kareem is an adjective in the form of the active participle, which means that it describes the one who is generous. Hence, whoever is generous is Kareem, and its antonym is La’eem (the vile).

A lot of exalted characters are included in generosity, whereas lots of indecent manners are included in vileness. In the Arabic language, the adjective Kareem might be used to describe a man, a horse, a camel a tree or any other thing.

Also, Al-Kareemah is used to mention the daughter of someone. Moreover, the word Kareem in Arabic language denotes the good thing, like the Kareem stones (like diamond and other gems), and it also describes the rich and As-Sakhi (charitable man).

The difference between Al-Kareem (the generous man)and As-Sakhi, is that As-Sakhi is generous when he is asked by others, whereas Al-Kareem is generous even without being asked by others, and this makes him more exalted than As-Sakhi.

Again, Al-Karam (the Arabic noun) denotes bestowal, greatness, honor, dignity and generosity in giving others.

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Source: nabulsi.com

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Divine Unity New Muslims

Beautiful Names of Allah: Al-`Ali (The Highest)

Who is  Allah “Al-`Ali” (The Highest)?

The One Who is above and exceeds all others. The Most High, above whom there is nothing higher.

The One Whose rank and station are the Most High.

The One Who is above and surpasses all that has ever been, all that there now is, and all that shall ever be.

Learn more about this Name of Allah “Al-`Ali” ……

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Source: Osoul Global Center (osoulcenter.com)  

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Divine Unity New Muslims

Beautiful Names of Allah: Al-Ghaffar (The All-Forgiving)

By Dr. Mohammad Ratib Al-Nabulsi

Allah’s Beautiful Name, Al-Ghaffar, comes in the Qur’an under three forms, first of which is “Ghafir”. Allah, All-Mighty, says:

Beautiful Names of Allah Al-Ghaffar The All-Forgiving

Man’s sins and wrong-doings are by no means infinite, but Allah’s Divine Forgiveness is really Infinite.

Ghafir-i-dhamb (the Forgiver of sin), the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the One Who Bestows (Favors). There is no god but He, to Him is the Final Return. (Ghafir 40:3)

The second form is “Al-Ghafour”, as in Allah’s words:

And your Lord is Al-Ghafour (the Oft-Forgiving), the Owner of Mercy. Were He to call them to account for what they have earned, then surely, He would have hastened punishment for them; but they have their appointed time, from which they will find no escape. (Al-Kahf 18:58)

In His words:

And He (Allah) is Al-Ghafour (the Oft-Forgiving), the Compassionate. (Al-Buruj 85:14)

Declare (O Muhammad) unto My slaves that truly, I am Al-Ghafour (the Oft-Forgiving), the Most Merciful. (Al-Hijr 15:49)

Say to My salves who have transgressed against themselves: ‘Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy. Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Al-Ghafour (the Oft-Forgiving), the Most Merciful. (Az-Zumar 39:53)

The third form of this Divine Name is “Al-Ghaffar” as in Allah’s words:

And verily, I am Al-Ghaffar (the All-Forgiving) for him who repents, believes and does righteousness and is moreover rightly guided. (Ta-Ha 20:82)

I said: ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord, (for) verily, He is Ghaffar (All-Forgiving). He will send rain to you in abundance, and give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers. (Nuh 71:10-12)

In short, “Ghafir”, “Ghafour” and “Ghaffar” are all used to the same purport in the Qur’an, for they are derived from the same root, “Al-Maghfirah” (i.e. Forgiveness).

Kinds of Sin

Some scholars said: “A person who disobeys Allah, All-Mighty, is described in the Qur’an as being “dhalim”, “dhaloum” or “dhallam”. For example, Allah says:

Then We gave the Book (the Qur’an) as inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose. Then, of them are some who are “dhalimun linafsih” (i.e. wrong themselves), and of them are those who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allah’s Leave, foremost in good deeds. That is indeed a great Grace. (Fatir 35:32)

Another example is Allah’s words:

Truly, We did offer the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it. But man bore it; verily he was “dhalouman” (i.e. unjust to himself) and ignorant. (Al-Ahzab 33:72)

A third example is:

Say to My slaves who “asrafou” (have transgressed) against themselves: ‘Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy. Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Az-Zumar 39:53)

Thus, the way man commits sins or does wrong to himself determines the way in which Allah responds and forgives such sins or wrong-doings.

Infinite Divine Forgiveness!

The delicate point in this context is that man’s sins and wrong-doings are by no means infinite, but Allah’s Divine Forgiveness is really Infinite. Therefore, only those who disbelieve in Allah despair of His Infinite Divine Forgiveness! Only those who are ignorant despair of Allah’s Infinite Divine Mercy! Only those who are ungrateful despair of Allah’s Infinite Divine Grace!

If your sin is finite but Allah’s Divine Forgiveness is Infinite, then it is most unwise, most ignorant, and most ungrateful to despair of Allah’s Infinite Divine Mercy. Therefore, a desperate person is an ignorant ungrateful disbeliever.

All Sins

Another delicate point with regards to this Divine Name “Al-Ghaffar” is that the verses in which this Name is mentioned include verbs in the past form, as in Allah’s Words:

He (David) said: ‘He has wronged you in demanding your ewe in addition to his ewes; and verily, many partners oppress one another, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds – and such are few.’ And David guessed that We have tried him and he sought Forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down prostrate and turned (to Allah) in repentance. So, We forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near access to Us and a good place of (final) return (Paradise). (Sad 38:24,25)

They also include verbs in the present form, as in Allah’s words:

Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives other than that to whom He wills. And whoever sets up partners with Allah has indeed invented a tremendous sin. (An-Nisaa’ 4:48)

They also come in the imperative form:

Our Lord! Verily, we have heard the call of one (Muhammad) calling to Faith: ‘Believe in your Lord!’, and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and expiate from us our evil deeds, and make us die as pious and righteous. (Aal `Imran 3:193)

They also come as verbs in the root form:

The Messenger (Muhammad) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and so do believers: each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers, saying, ‘We hear, and we obey. (We seek) “Ghufranaka” (i.e. Your Forgiveness), our Lord! And to You is the Final Return.’ (AL-Baqarah 2:185)

This means that Allah, Most Gracious, forgives you your previous, present and future sins, for He is the Oft-Forgiving. Whenever you commit sins, He is Oft-Forgiving. He, Most Gracious, also forgives all kinds of sins. In other words, for any sin or misdeed, He is the All-Forgiving. If you wrong yourself or other, He forgives you, but of course, after you have turned to Him with true repentance and sincere devotion. He, Most Merciful, forgives all kinds of sins everywhere and at all times, for He, Glory to Him, is the Oft-and-All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

In fact I say such words so that brother believers may not despair of Allah’s Infinite Divine Mercy, for only ignorant desperate disbelievers despair of Allah’s Infinite Divine Mercy.

Now the question is: why does this Divine Name come in such different forms? This is a very reasonable question.

The answer is: Linguistically speaking, such variation of word-forms of Allah’s Beautiful Name “Al-Ghaffar” denotes differences in both quantity, quality and frequency of occurrence, for Allah is Ghaffar in the sense that He is both Oft-Forgiving and All-Forgiving. In other words, whatever sins mankind commit, regardless of quality or quantity of such sins, or time or place of their occurrence, Allah forgives such sins, except for one unforgivable sin, namely associating other gods with Him in worship, which is by no means forgivable, as He, All-Mighty, says:

Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives other (sins) than that to whom He wills. And whoever sets up partners with Allah has indeed invented a tremendous (unforgivable) sin. ((An-Nisaa’ 4:48)

In this context, Allah says

Whosoever does deeds of righteousness, it is for (the benefit of) his own self; and whosoever does evil, it is against his own self. And your Lord is by no means unjust to His slaves. (Fussilat 41:46)

In other words, Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, never does injustice to any of His slaves, all of whom enjoy being under His Infinite Divine Justice.

Another thing: Linguistically speaking, the Arabic word “Ghafara” means “to cover or hide”, but when Allah speaks about Moses (peace be upon him):

He (Moses) said: ‘My Lord! I have wronged myself, so forgive me!’ Then, He (Allah) forgave him. Verily, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. (Al-Qasas 28:16)

…and also about His Messenger, Muhammad, (peace be upon him):

That Allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future, and complete His Favor on you, and guide you on the Straight Path. (Al-Fath 48:2)

He, Glory to Him, means that He pardons and forgives, i.e. He, Most Gracious, does not punish His Prophets and Messengers but rather forgives them.

The problem is that when we read one part of the Qur’an, we forget another. For example, when we read Allah’s words:

Say to My salves who have transgressed against themselves: ‘Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy. Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’ (Az-Zumar 39:53)

Here, we should not stop but rather continue reading:

And turn you in repentance and in obedience with true Faith to your Lord and submit yourselves to Him before the Torment comes upon you, and then you will not be helped. (Az-Zumar 39:54)

In other words, Allah, is Ghafour (All-Forgiving) for those who turn to Him, for those who repent, for those who abstain from committing sins and misdeeds, for those who reform, for those who ask for Forgiveness, not for those who insist on their sins and misdeeds and never think of repenting from them, thinking, wrongly and naively, that Allah, All-Mighty, is Oft-and-All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. To this effect, Allah, Glorified and Exalted, says

Declare (O Muhammad) unto My slaves that, truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful, and that My Torment is indeed the most painful torment. (Al-Hijr 15 :49,50)

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Source: nabulsi.com

 

Dr. Al-Nabulsi is an outstanding Syrian Islamic scholar. He has written a number of Islamic books, most remarkable of which are: “Encyclopedia of the Beautiful Names of Allah”, “Encyclopedia of Scientific Miracles of the Holy Quran and Prophetic Sunna”, “Outlooks on Islam”, besides articles for some Syrian, Arab, Islamic, and Western magazines and newspapers. He also delivers a number of lessons, symposiums and interviews on Arab, Islamic radios and TVs.

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Divine Unity New Muslims

Names and Attributes of God: What Does It Mean to Believe in Them?

It is necessary for a Muslim to adhere to the true methodology and the correct path in belief with regards to the names and attributes of Allah; and that belief does not materialize except through the following matters:

1- The affirmation of what Allah affirmed for Himself or what His messenger (peace be upon him) affirmed for Him from among the names and attributes and denial of what Allah denied about Himself or what His messenger denied about Him because there is no one more knowledgeable about Allah than Allah the Exalted.

Say: Are you more knowledgeable or Allah? (Al-Baqarah 2:140)

Just as there is no one more knowledgeable about Allah after Allah than His messenger  about whom Allah said:

And he does not speak out of desire. Indeed it is but a revelation inspired. (An-Najm 53:3-4)

2- The consideration that Allah the Exalted is far above being likened to His creation, as He the Exalted said:

There is nothing like Him at all; and He All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (Ash-Shura 42:11]

So Allah the Exalted is not similar to anything, and He has no equal in His creation, rather He, glorified is He, is the one characterized with the sublime and perfect attributes which are not suitable for anyone except Him, glorified and the Exalted.

3- The absence of aspiring to perceive the nature of the attributes of Allah because they are from the knowledge of the Unseen which Allah alone possesses knowledge of; and the intellect is incapable of perceiving that which is Unseen, as Allah the Exalted said:

And they cannot encompass him in knowledge. (Ta-Ha 20:110)

And He, the Glorified, said:

Do you know of any equal for Him? (Maryam 19:65)

Glorification of Allah through His Names & Attributes

Truly from among the greatest indications of the glorification of the slave for Allah the Exalted and (greatest indication of) a link in his heart with Him is that the effect of belief in the names and attributes of Allah appears in his life and in his character.

The truehearted believer is he who worships Allah through His names and attributes, and among the ways of doing that are:

1- Calling upon Allah by His Names and Attributes

Indeed from the exaltation and glorification of Allah (the Exalted) is for the Muslim to turn toward Him through supplication with his heart and limbs, in obedience to His command, as He, lofty is His praise, said:

And for Allah are Good names, so call Him by them and abandon those who disbelieve in His names. (Al-A`raf 7:180)

Calling upon Allah the Exalted by His names and attributes is of two types:

First is the supplication of worship. What it means is that mankind is a worshipper of Allah the Exalted by any categorical act of worship, whether heart based, as in having fear, hope, love, and trust; bodily (worship) as in prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, recitation of the Qur’an, glorification and remembrance; or wealth-based (worship) as in obligatory charity, voluntary charity and sacrifice.

From the supplication of worship is: remembering Allah (the Exalted), praising Him, thanking Him, and glorifying Him through His names and whatever is appropriate of the attributes which He taught us.

So the Muslim says: ‘Glory be to Allah’, ‘All praise is due to Allah’, ‘There is none worthy of worship except Allah’, and ‘Allah is great’; each of these is glorification and praise of Allah, and are calls to Allah through His names and attributes as a way of worshipping Him, glorified is He.

So the supplication of worship does not contain any request, rather its only

purpose is to worship Allah through praising Him and being pleased with mentioning His names and attributes.

Second is the supplication dealing with an issue. It is when the slave seeks from his Lord what benefits him and he asks Him to divert what harms him from a matter of the life of this world or the Afterlife; like asking Allah the Exalted for forgiveness of sins, or mercy, or guidance and success, or the achievement of paradise and rescue from the Hell-Fire.

These two types of supplication – of the act of worship and dealing with an issue – are linked. For every questioner who asks Allah the Exalted and asks Him with sincerity, fear, hope and love, then this is an act of worship; and the one who remembers Allah the Exalted by definition is seeking and asking Allah the Exalted for an elevation in status, an increase in good deeds, and pardon from sins, and this is the supplication of dealing with issues.

2- Calling Allah the Exalted by His greatest name

From the great favour of Allah upon His monotheist slaves is that He distinguished from among His good names, glorified and the exalted a name that a monotheist slave would not call Him by it except that Allah responds to his call and grants his request.

And there is no doubt that the persistence of the Muslim in calling Allah by this name is among the most important ways the heart of the believer is connected to his Lord. On authority of `Abdullah ibn Buraidah, on authority of his father, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) heard a man saying:

‘Oh Allah, truly I ask You that I bear witness that You are Allah who there is none worthy of worship except You, the One, the Eternal, who does not beget and is not begotten, and for whom there can be no equal’.

So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘By He in whose Hand is the soul of Mohammed, indeed he asked Allah by His greatest Name which when asked by it, He grants, and when called by it, He responds’. (Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah)

On authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): He was with the messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sitting and a man prayed and then supplicated:

‘Oh Allah, truly I ask You in that for You is all praise, there is none worthy of worship except You, the Giver of All Good, Maker of the heavens and the earth; Oh Possessor of Sublimity and Honour, Oh Ever-Living, Oh Eternal…’ So the Prophet said:

‘Indeed he has called Allah by His great Name which when called by it, He responds, and when asked by it, He grants’. (Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah)

So contemplate, oh Muslim, and call Allah by these great supplications. If you praise Allah the Exalted remember Him, glorify Him, and call Him by His good names and supreme attributes, rather by His great name, you have a hope of response to your supplication and materialization of your issue, and you have been promised a response based on it.

So there is no greater way to connect your heart with your Lord, to moisten your tongue with His remembrance, praise Him, and ask Him than through what is earned by a person from (utilizing) the names and attributes.

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The article is excerpted from the book “A Beneficial Summary of Rulings for New Muslim”, published by The Ministry of Endowments & Islamic Affairs, Kuwait- 2nd Edition 1436/2015.

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Major Sins New Muslims

The Concept of Sin in Islam

gloomy nature

The idea of ‘Original Sin’ or hereditary criminality has no room in the teachings of Islam.

One of the major troublesome areas of human existence is the problem of sin or evil in the world. It is commonly believed that sin started with Adam and Eve during their life in the Garden of Eden. That event led to the ‘Fall’ and has ever since branded the human race with guilt, stigma, and bewilderment.

The First Sin

Islam has taken a unique position on the whole issue, a position which is not shared by any other religion we know. The Qur’an states that Adam and Eve were directed by God to reside in the Garden of Eden and enjoy its produce as they pleased, assured of bountiful supplies and comfort. But they were warned not to approach a particular tree so that they would not run into harm and injustice.

Then Satan intrigued them to temptation and caused them to lose their joyful state. They were expelled from the Garden and brought down to earth to live, die, and taken out again at last for the Final Judgment. Having realized what they had done, they felt shame, guilt, and remorse. They prayed for God’ s mercy and were forgiven (Al-Baqarah 2:35-38; Al-A`raf 7:19-25; Ta-Ha 20:117-123).

And We said: O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Garden, and eat you freely (of the fruits) thereof where you will; but come not nigh this tree lest you become wrong-doers. But Satan caused them to deflect therefrom and expelled them from the (happy) state in which they were; and We said: Fall down, one of you a foe unto the other! There shall be for you on earth a habitation and provision for a time. Then Adam received from his Lord words (of revelation), and He relented toward him. Lo! He is the relenting, the Merciful. (Al-Baqarah 2:35-37)

This symbolic event is significantly revealing. It tells that the human being is imperfect and ever wanting even if he were to live in paradise. But committing a sin or making a mistake, as Adam and Eve did, does not necessarily deaden the human heart, prevent spiritual reform or stop moral growth.

Human Accountability

On the contrary, the human being has enough sensibility to recognize his sins and shortcomings. More importantly, he is capable of knowing where to turn and to whom he should turn for guidance.

Much more important is the fact that God is ever prepared to respond to the sincere calls of those who seek His aid. He is so Gracious and Compassionate that His forgiveness is encompassing and His mercy all–inclusive: “My mercy embraces all things” (Al-A`raf 7:156). One last revealing reading of the event is that discrimination on the basis of sex and hereditary guilt or sin are alien to the spirit of Islam.

field-nature

Whatever becomes of man after birth is the result of external influence and intruding factors.

The idea of ‘Original Sin’ or hereditary criminality has no room in the teachings of Islam. Man, according to the Qur’an and to the Prophet, is born in natural state of purity or fitrah, that is, Islam or submission to the will and law of God. Allah says:

So set your purpose (O Muhammad) for religion as a man by nature upright – the nature (framed) of Allah, in which He has created man. There is no altering (the laws of) Allah’s creation. That is the right religion, but most men know not. (Ar-Rum 30:30)

Whatever becomes of man after birth is the result of external influence and intruding factors. To put the matter in terms of modern thought, human nature is malleable; it is the socialization process, particularly the home environment, that is crucial. It plays a decisive role in the formation of human personality and the development of moral character.

This does not deny to the individual the freedom of choice or exempt him from responsibility. Rather, it is a relief from that heavy burden of hereditary criminality or instinctual sin.

Between Good & Evil

God, by definition, is Just, Wise, Merciful, Compassionate, and Perfect. He has created man by breathing into him of His own Spirit (Al-Hijr 15:29; As-Sajdah 32:9; At-Tahrim 66:12).

So, when I have made him and have breathed into him of My Spirit… (Al-Hijr 15:29)

Since God is absolutely good and His Spirit is absolutely perfect one; since man, through creation, received of the Spirit of God, then man was bound to retain at least some portion of this good Spirit of the Creator. This may account for the good dispositions of man and his spiritual longings. But, on the other hand, God created man to worship Him, not to be His equal, rival, the perfect incarnation or absolute embodiment of His goodness.

This means that no matter how much good and perfect man may be, by the grace of creation, he is still far short of the goodness and perfection of the Creator. Man is not without such qualities, to be sure. But they are limited and proportionate to man’ s finite nature, capacity, and responsibility. This may explain the imperfection and fallibility of man.

However, imperfection and fallibility are not the equivalent of sin or synonymous with criminality – at least not in Islam. If man is imperfect he is not left helpless or deserted by God to fall victim to his shortcomings. He is empowered by revelations, supported by reason, fortified by the freedom of choice, and guided by various social and psychological dispositions to seek and achieve relative perfection.

The constant gravitation between the forces of good and evil is the struggle of life. It gives man something to look forward to, ideals to seek, work to do, and roles to play. It makes his life interesting and meaningful, not monotonous and stagnant. On the other hand, it pleases God to see His servants in a state of spiritual and moral victory.

Sins/Sinful Acts

According to the moral scale of Islam, it is not a sin that man is imperfect or fallible. This is part of his nature as a finite limited creature. But it is a sin if he has the ways and means of relative perfection and chooses not to seek it.

A sin is any act, thought, or will that (1) is deliberate, (2) defies the unequivocal law of God, (3) violates the right of God or the right of man, (4) is harmful to the soul or body, (5) is committed repeatedly, and (6) is normally avoidable. These are the components of sin which is not innate or hereditary.

It is true, however, that man has the potential capacity of sin latent in him; but this is not greater than his capacity of piety and goodness. If he chooses to actualize the potential of sin instead of the potential of goodness, he will be adding a new external element to his pure nature. For this added external element man alone is responsible.

In Islam, there are major and minor sins as there are sins against God and sins against both God and man. All sins against God, except one, are forgivable if the sinner sincerely seeks forgiveness. The Qur’an has stated that truly God does not forgive the sin of shirk (polytheism, pantheism, trinity, etc.).

But He forgives sins other than this and pardons whom He wills. Yet if the polytheist or atheist comes back to God, his sin will be forgiven. Sins against men are forgivable only if the offended pardon the offender or if the proper compensations and / or punishments are applied.

In conclusion, sin is acquired not inborn, emergent not built-in, avoidable not inevitable. It is a deliberate conscious violation of the unequivocal law of God. If man does something that is truly caused by natural instincts or absolutely irresistible drives and uncontrollable urges, then such an act is not a sin in Islam.

Otherwise, God’ s purpose will be pointless and man’ s responsibility will be in vain. God demands of man what lies within the human possibilities and reaches.

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The article is excerpted from Dr. Hammudah’s well-known book “Islam in Focus”.

 

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