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The Oneness of God and Man’s Recognition of It

The Transcendent, His Names

The Oneness of God and Man’s Recognition of It

The knowledge of God leads us to our self, as the knowledge of our self leads to God.

There is no “Islamic theology.” It is meaningless, and in actual fact wrong, to compare the often peripheral discussions that took place among Muslim scholars (particularly from the tenth century) with the radical reflections that gave birth to “Christian theology.”

Admittedly, some debates were lively, and in the course of history in the Islamic schools the meaning and significance of the names of God and of His attributes, and the status of revelation have been discussed, but the boundaries of these controversies, in contrast to the history of Catholic dogma, for example, have remained circumscribed and have never gone as far as to open to question three fundamental principles: the absolute Oneness of the Creator, the impossibility of there being a representation of Him, and the truth of His word revealed in the Qur’an.

An authentic “theology” would first and foremost have discussed these three principles. But a careful study of the history of the debates among the schools shows that the disputes took place mainly in separation from these three principles, which, at the heart of the Muslim understanding, are the basis of what is called tawheed (Oneness of Allah).

Islam begins just here: to understand Islam is to grasp the meaning and significance of the multiple dimensions of tawheed.

The concept of tawheed expresses first and essentially the fact of the absolute Oneness of God: the first principle, Creator of all, eternally present in history and at each moment, He is the Most High (Al-`Ali), beyond all that is (Al-Kabir, Al-Wasi`, Al-Jami`), infinitely Near (Al-Qarib), closer to each of us than his jugular vein:

We verily created man and We know what his soul whispers to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. ( Qaf 50:16)

He is the One (Al-Wahid), the Only One (la ilaha illa Hu, there’s no God but Him), the Absolute (As-Samad), Justice (Al-`Adl), Truth (Al-Haqq), and Light (Al-Nur).

Natural Faith

The whole of creation, in its most natural state, is the most immediate expression of the order intended by the Transcendent. Here, in the universe of the “laws of nature” and “rule of instinct,” everything is in itself already and eternally “Islamic”; submissive to and at peace with the Living One (Al-Hayy), the Eternal (Al-Qayyum), who grants life (Al-Muhyi) and brings death (Al-Mumit).

Nature is a book abounding in signs (ayat) of this essential link with the divine, this “natural faith,” this “faith within nature” that is chanted by the mountain and the desert, the tree and the bird:

Are you not aware that it is God whose limitless glory all (creatures) that are in the heavens and on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? Each (of them) knows indeed how to pray unto Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do. (An-Nur 24:41)

The seven heavens extol His limitless glory, and the earth, and all they contain; and there is not a single thing but extols His limitless glory and praise: but you (O men) fail to grasp the manner of their glorifying Him! (Al-Israa’ 17:44)

“You” refers here to human beings, beings endowed with consciousness and freedom, yet who “do not see” and “do not understand” the celebration that the creation, simply by being what it is, addresses to God, as too are the “jinn” of the Islamic tradition—beings created from fire who, like human beings, can choose to accept or refuse to hold to faith in the Creator.

Thus, with consciousness and freedom, another dimension is opened up, a dimension of faith, nature, submission, and peace, where one must listen, hear, understand, search, begin, resist, reform. Here we must learn to celebrate, learn to pray.

Inherent Recognition of Him

Humans are beings that have knowledge as well as ignorance, memory as well as forgetfulness. In contrast with the rest of creation, they have to live with dignity, risk, and freedom, all at once. What the Transcendent demands of their consciousness is to know Him or, more precisely, to recognize Him, and He has given them the means by which they can meet His demands.

The idea that an intelligent being may find itself alone, abandoned, a prey to doubt with no landmarks in the midst of the “tragedy of life” is alien to Islam: God always makes available to humankind tools and signs on the road that leads to recognizing Him.

The first space that welcomes human beings in their quest is creation itself. It is a book, as we have said, and all the elements that form part of it are signs that should remind the human consciousness that there exists that which is “beyond” them.

This revelation in and through space is wedded to revelations in time, which, at irregular intervals, came as reminders of the origin and end of the universe and of humanity. The Qur’an, the last of these revelations in the Muslim view, has as its main purpose to remind and to direct; to recall to memory the presence of the Only One, to direct the intelligence toward the knowledge of Him.

In the natural order, distinct from all the other creatures by virtue of consciousness, intelligence, and free will, human beings express needs according to the measure of their qualities and nature.

With regard to the latter, the most natural of human quests is, when all is said and done, to know the source of the power and energy that give life to the world – in fact, it is the search for the divine. The first teaching we may draw from revelation is to understand the absolute necessity for the revelation itself.

Knowledge of Him

Basically, we learn from this that we can say of God only what He says of Himself. In other words, we must be listening for what He has said and communicated to humankind throughout history about recognizing and approaching Him. By this means, the Being has offered His names to human intelligence in order to direct it toward the knowledge of Him, but never toward the definition of Him.

Nothing is like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. (Ash-Shura 42:11)

Thus, all the divine names- there’s ninety-nine names, and more, on the basis of the Qur’an and various traditions- of which we have mentioned some, make it possible to meditate and gain access to His transcendence, His closeness, His kindness, and His mercy, but all reveal, in the human heart, human insufficiency, dependence, and “need of Him.”

The second teaching of the Revelation is to invite individuals to a deep study of their own inner lives. The search for God and the sense of “the need of Him” may also arise from the indefinable work of looking inward that is required of each of us.

The knowledge of God leads us to our self, as the knowledge of our self leads to God. What is uncovered through the two revelations, al-Kitab al-mastur (the written Book) and al-Kitab al-manshur (the Book that is spread out; the universe), is a profoundly harmonious conception of the human being.

With the turning of the pages and the passage of time, it takes shape and allows us better to find an order in divine commandments, human characteristics, and the meaning of the effort toward bringing about harmony and justice, which is required of humankind.

The encounter with the Only One, the “full and natural faith” of the created universe, the “need of Him” as the essence of being human, are, I suggest, the three fundamentals of the universal at the heart of Islamic civilization. Flowing from our observations about the Transcendent and His names, we find a special concept of humankind.

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The article is an excerpt from Dr. Tariq Ramadan’s book “Western Muslims and

the Future of Islam” Oxford University Press (2004).

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Allah Is One: Why Do We Believe in That?

One of the many common questions that were asked during the Islamic Awareness Tour was “If Allah does exist, what reasons do we have to believe Allah is One?” The question about the  existence and oneness of Allah is important as it addresses a fundamental concept in Islamic theology, the concept of oneness.

Allah the One

The concept of Oneness of Allah addresses a fundamental concept in Islamic theology.

The Oneness of Allah is a central theme in the Qur’an and a message of all of the Prophets. The Qur’an eloquently describes the nature of Allah and His Oneness in the 112th Chapter,

Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah the Eternal. He begot no one nor was He begotten. No one is comparable to him.(Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4)

Before I begin to answer the question, it is important to add that the concept of Oneness in Islam is not limited to Allah’s singularity and uniqueness. There are many aspects to this concept which involve the way human beings should worship Allah, how they should understand His lordship, and how they should understand Allah’s names and attributes. It doesn’t stop there as these ideas transform an individual’s world view and outlook, as a famous Asian-subcontinent thinker once wrote,

“A believer in this…can never be narrow in outlook. He believes in a Allah Who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Master of the East and the West and Sustainer of the entire universe. After this belief he does not regard anything in the world as a stranger to himself. He looks on everything in the universe as belonging to the same Lord he himself belongs to. His sympathy, love and service are not confined to any particular sphere or group. His vision is enlarged, his intellectual horizon widens, and his outlook becomes as liberal and as boundless as is the Kingdom of Allah. How can this width of vision and breadth of mind be achieved by an atheist, a polytheist or one who believes in a deity supposed to possess limited and defective powers like a man?”

In light of this, there are many ways to answer the question referring to Allah’s singularity and uniqueness, thereby providing a positive case for the Oneness of Allah, and they range from theological to philosophical arguments. I will present the following 5 arguments:

1- Occam’s Razor
2- Logical Argument
3- Conceptual Differentiation
4- Uniqueness
5- Revelation

Why He Is One

The Qur’an rhetorically asks the question “Did the universe come out of nothing?” The answer seems quite obvious due to the metaphysical and undeniable logic that whatever begins to exist has a cause, and since the universe began to exist, therefore it must have a cause. It would be irrational to posit more than one cause for the universe, as an infinite regress of causes is impossible. The reasons for this include the absurdity of the actual infinite existing in reality. Take the following examples into consideration:

1- You have an infinite number of people in a room. If I take two people away, how many do you have left? The answer is infinity minus two. However does this make sense? If there are less than an infinite number of people in a room, you should be able to count that number in the real world. But you can’t, in other words, the infinite doesn’t make sense in the real world. In light of this, mathematicians Kasman and Newman state:

“The infinite certainly does not exist in the same sense that we say ‘There are fish in the sea’”.

2- Imagine I am a soldier and I want to shoot an enemy. In order for me to shoot, I have to ask permission from the soldier behind me to shoot, but he has also to ask permission from the soldier behind him to shoot. Now imagine this continued forever, in other words, an infinite amount of time? Will I ever shoot the enemy? The answer is obvious. In the same light, an infinite regress of causes for the universe would mean there would be no universe in existence in the first place.

So, the conclusion that the universe has a single independent uncaused cause seems quite plausible; however, you can still posit a plurality of causes all occurring at the same time. Is this a sound argument? I believe it is not a strong argument if we take Ockham’s Razor into consideration. Ockham’s Razor is a philosophical principle attributed to the 14th century logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham. This principle enjoins “Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate”, in English “Plurality should not be posited without necessity.” In other words, the simplest and most comprehensive explanation is the best explanation.

Essentially, it means that in absence of any evidence or in absence of a need for a plurality of causes we should hold onto the most comprehensive and simple explanation.

In this case, we have no evidence to say the cause for the universe is actually a combination of two, three or even one thousand causes, so the simplest and most comprehensive explanation is that this cause is one. Postulating a plurality of causes does not add to the comprehensiveness of the argument.

In other words, to add more causes would not enhance the argument’s explanatory power or scope. For example, to claim that the universe was caused by an all powerful cause is just as comprehensive than to claim it was caused by two all powerful causes. Because one all powerful cause is all that is required, simply because it is all powerful.

A contention to this argument is that if we were to apply this principle to the pyramids in Egypt, we would absurdly adopt the view that it was made by one person. However, this is a misapplication of the principle. Taking the view that the pyramids were built by one person is actually not the simplest and most comprehensive explanation as it raises far more questions than it answers. For instance, how can one man build the pyramids?

It is far more comprehensive to postulate that it was built by many men. In light of this, someone can say that the universe is so complex that it would be absurd to postulate that it was created by only one being. This contention, although valid, is misplaced. A powerful being creating the whole universe is a far more coherent and simple explanation than a plurality of causes.

Now the critic may continue and argue that the pyramids could then have been built by an all powerful being. But the problem with this is that nothing within the universe is an all powerful being, and since the pyramids were built by an efficient cause (a person or persons that act), then it follows that it must be of the same type of cause.

                                                                                                                                                   To be continued….

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Taken with slight modifications form the author’s website: ww.hamzatzortzis.com.

 

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Even Atheists Know God

Even atheists, those who reject God, at some time or other, remember God. There’s a kind of indirect proof from our human nature that we know God.

Natural Faith

Atheists

There’s something even despite of themselves that causes them to turn to this supreme power.

The first philosophical issue that is raised concerning Islam and Islamic monotheism is how does a man with his limited capabilities come to know God? To be specific we are concerned with the concept of ‘knowing’- how does he know God? What strategies are used in the knowledge and what forces are used to reach the full knowledge of God in Islam?

We do not really have to venture far to get basic insightful knowledge and information not only about God but also concerning other things. The human being is created with a natural pure disposition to realize his Creator. I’m not talking about science or about prophets or revelations.

Even on a very fundamental level we find that throughout history there is a very strange phenomena that people of different backgrounds, living in so many different parts of the world at different points in time, have always had this strong urge within themselves to look and to yearn for the Creator. They see that there is some power, a magnificent and merciful power that is sometimes interpreted in a mistaken way by materializing that in some form or other (i.e. idols).

The basic yearning has always been there. Even in places where there is no recorded history of a particular prophet there, people have yearned for a Creator. That’s what I’m referring to as an innate nature. The Arabic term is ‘fitrah’. Fitrah literally translates to: something that one is created with or created in accordance with: this innate nature.

An example of this is a verse in the Qur’an says:

So set thy face steadily and truly to the natural faith. (Ar-Rum 30:30)

Notice the term here “natural faith”. It’s not some concocted doctrine. Natural faith is established by God. God’s handiwork according to the person he has made mankind. No change in the creation of God that is the standard religion but most among mankind don’t understand.

The Qur’an relates the story of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) when his people deviated from the worship of God. He simply addresses them by saying, “Is there any doubt about God?” In other words he’s not arguing or trying to provide equations or different kinds of approaches.

If you really think about it, honestly, is there any doubt about the existence or presence of God instinctively even or innately?

Even Atheists Know God

The other thing that is quite observable is that it has been shown over and over again that even atheists, those who reject God, at some time or other when they are in real difficulty remember God.

You might have seen the writings about what happened to people during the second World War, for example, where an atheist who doesn’t believe in God or a person who just doesn’t believe period has a problem with his parachute would say, “Oh my God!”  Why would he remember that now? That shows there’s something even despite of themselves that causes them to turn to this supreme power.

Many of us in our own human experience sometimes become ill (or know someone who is ill) and is really suffering or in pain and says something to the effect, “Oh if I’m just cured, I’ll try to be better! I’ll be good!” But of course once we get over that we forget our promise.

That’s why the Qur’an analyzes this weakness in human nature. For example, in one verse it says, basically, that when people go on ships and then there’s a problem and the ship is about to sink suddenly those on board remember and they pray to God to save them. But once they get to shore, they forget. This is the kind of indirect proof from our nature, as humans, that we know God.

Knowledge of Right & Wrong

Finally, another thing that can be relevant here is derived also from the Qur’an. The Qur’an tells us that beyond this basic knowledge of the existence of the Creator, that a person is inspired with the basic knowledge of right and wrong.

One passage in the Qur’an says that God has fashioned the soul and He inspired into it the fundamental knowledge of right and wrong.

And by the soul and that (Power) which designed it, and inspired it with knowledge of evil and piety. (Ash-Shams 91:7-8)

This knowledge of course could be perverted through the influence of personal reasons or other social pressure.

So human being, by his or her nature and in his or her purity, recognizes some of these points. And these, to me, are quite legitimate sources of information.

It is not scientific in a sense that you can put it in a test tube, but it is so common and so one cannot really overlook it.

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Source: dawahskills.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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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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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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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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