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Showing posts with label Allāh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Allāh. Show all posts

Tuesday 21 January 2020

99 Attributes of Allah: Al-Hafīz - The Preserver, the All Watching


One of the 99 attributes of Allah is Al Ḥafīẓ " ٱلْحَفِيظُ " (pronounced Al Hafeez), which means The Preserver, the Protector, the Guardian, the Oft-Conservator and the All Watching.


وَمَا كَانَ لَهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن سُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِالْآخِرَةِ مِمَّنْ هُوَ مِنْهَا فِي شَكٍّ ۗ وَرَبُّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَفِيظٌ

"And he has no authority over them, but so that We may distinguish the one who believes in the hereafter from the one who is in doubt concerning it, and your Lord preserves all things" (Quran, 34:21)

The above verse from Surah Saba explains the attribute of Allah wherein it is being said that Allah is the One whose power preserves the heavens and the earth. The One who is the guardian and preserver of all the worlds.

Al Ḥafīẓ  comes from the verb ‘hifz – to preserve’ and literally means ‘to preserve, to guard and to protect’. In Surah 11 Hud, verse 57, it is said:


فَاِنۡ تَوَلَّوۡا فَقَدۡ اَبۡلَغۡتُكُمۡ مَّاۤ اُرۡسِلۡتُ بِهٖۤ اِلَيۡكُمۡ​ؕ وَيَسۡتَخۡلِفُ رَبِّىۡ قَوۡمًا غَيۡرَكُمۡۚ وَلَا تَضُرُّوۡنَهٗ شَيۡـئًا​ ؕ اِنَّ رَبِّىۡ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ حَفِيۡظٌ‏ 


"If you, then, turn away (from the truth), know that I have delivered the message with which I was sent to you. Now my Lord will set up another people in place of you and you shall in no way be able to harm Him. Surely my Lord keeps a watch over everything."


وَالَّذِيۡنَ اتَّخَذُوۡا مِنۡ دُوۡنِهٖۤ اَوۡلِيَآءَ اللّٰهُ حَفِيۡظٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ​ۖ وَمَاۤ اَنۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ بِوَكِيۡلٍ‏ 


"Those who have taken others than Him as their protectors beside Him, it is Allah Who oversees them; you are no guardian over them." (Surah 42. Ash-Shura: 6)

Al-Hafīz is the One who protects that which He has created, and Whose knowledge encompasses that which He has brought into existence. He protects His servants from falling into sin and disaster, and He takes care of them in all situations. He records the deeds of His slaves and the reward or punishment for that.

Al-Hafīz has two meanings: One is the opposite of oversight or forgetfulness, and its meaning is derived from knowing. When we say that the Almighty safeguards things, we mean that He knows them in all their quantities and intricacies, and that such knowledge is not altered by diminution, oversight, negligence, or forgetfulness. The other is that al-Hafeez safeguards things against loss: He guards them, and all His characteristics and perfection are above extinction. He has also said: "Attend constantly to prayers and to the middle prayers, and stand up truly obedient to Allah" (Quran, 2:238), and, "His Dominion overspreads the heavens and the earth, and their upholding wearies Him not. He is All-High, All-Glorious." (Quran, 2:255).

Related names:
  • Raqīb refers to the One who has the attribute of watchfulness.
  • Wakīl refers to the One who is the trusted administrator.
  • Māni' - the One who protects and defends against harmful situations.
  • Muhaymin refers to the One who is the ever-watchful guardian and protector.
Thus one who contemplates on the meanings of al-Hafeez and eagerly longs for Him with all his heart is one in whose heart the love for His Lord is borne; the Lord Who protects His servant even when the latter is disobedient to Him, falling short of worshiping Him, lagging behind in adoring Him.

He reawakens his heart from its inattentiveness. It is then that Allah makes his heart like a preserved treasure of secrets, so he takes courageous stands, safeguarding his senses against committing sins, protecting his heart against spiritually harmful insinuations. 

You may refer to our post "99 Attributes of Allāh" for complete list of 99 attributes of Allah Almighty with meaning and explanation.

You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran

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Tuesday 17 December 2019

99 Attributes of Allah: Al Ghaffar - The Repeatedly Forgiving


Allah is Al-Ghaffār " ٱلْغَفَّارُ " The Repeatedly Forgiving, Absolute Forgiver, Pardoner, Condoner [He Who is Ready to Pardon and Forgive].

One of the many attributes of Allah is that He is the Most Forgiving and Repeatedly Forgiving, for as long as a believers realizes his bad acts or sins, repents and asks forgiveness of Allah. This attributes is repeated many a times in the Qur'an to reassure believers that He is there to forgive their sins as long as they continue turn to him:

وَاِنِّىۡ لَـغَفَّارٌ لِّمَنۡ تَابَ وَاٰمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًـا ثُمَّ اهۡتَدٰى‏ 

(Surah 20 Ta Ha: 82) "But I am indeed Most Forgiving to him who repents and believes and does righteous works and keeps to the Right Way."

Allah exhibits his attribute of Perpetual Forgiver in the above said verse and reassures all believers that He will forgive all those who repent and thereafter do righteous things. Here one must remember that repentance has four stages: (1) Repentance: to refrain from rebellion, disobedience, shirk or disbelief, (2) Faith: sincere belief in Allah and the Messenger and the Book and the Hereafter, (3) Righteous works: to do good deeds according to the instructions of Allah and His Messenger, (4) Guidance: to follow the right way steadfastly and to refrain from straying into any wrong path.

And:
فَقُلۡتُ اسۡتَغۡفِرُوۡا رَبَّكُمۡؕ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ غَفَّارًا ۙ‏


(Surah 71 Nuh: 10) I said to them: “Ask forgiveness from your Lord; surely He is Most Forgiving.

We must always be repenting and asking forgiveness f Allah. You never know He likes your true repentance and forgives all your sins. But asking Al Ghaffar is the first step. If one shies away and does not ask for forgiveness, how would he be forgiven. One has to invoke Allah's mercy for being forgiven.

Al Ghaffar stems from the root gh-f-r which means (1) to cover, veil, conceal, hide (2) to pardon, to forgive, to set aright (3) to cover a thing to protect it from dirt.

In Qastalānī's commentary on Bukhārī, it is said that the root gh-f-r means a covering or protection which is either between man and the commission of sin [protecting, or watching over], or between sin and the effects of that sin [forgiving, veiling or concealing].

Here we must also remember that Allah veils and shields most of the sins and keeps our honour intact. Had it not been Allah's countless bounties and being oft forgiving attribute, most of us would stand naked and exposed of our sins we commit everyday. He does so that being grateful for this great favour of His, we may repent and earnestly request Him to condone our sins and misdeeds, which may otherwise lead us to the Hell Fire.

It may be added here that the root gh-f-r has given rise to three Beautiful Names that are all used in the Qur'ān: Ghaffār, Ghafūr and Ghāfir. We have already written about the attribute Al GhafūrHowever, only Ghaffār and Ghafūr were included in the list of 99 Names narrated by Tirmidhi. In al-Nihāyah (a dictionary of hadīth), it is said that Ghāfir refers to the One who protects us from the commission of sins, and that Ghafūr refers to the One who forgives our sins and faults.

The word "Ghāfir" appears in the Quran as under:

غَافِرِ الذَّنۡۢبِ وَقَابِلِ التَّوۡبِ شَدِيۡدِ الۡعِقَابِ ذِى الطَّوۡلِؕ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَؕ اِلَيۡهِ الۡمَصِيۡرُ‏ 

(40:3) the Forgiver of sins, the Accepter of repentance, the Stern in retribution, the Bountiful. There is no god but He. To Him are all destined to return.

One of the companions of the Messenger of Allah was asked once, "What did you hear the Messenger of Allah say with regard to one's silent supplication?" He answered by saying that he had heard the Messenger of Allah say, "Allah, the most Honored, the Most Great, will touch His servant who believes in Him with His mercy by veiling his sin from the public in the life of this world, and in the life hereafter He will ask him about each and every sin and fault he had committed. Once he admits all of them and realizes that he is going to perish on their account, the Almighty will say, `I have veiled your sins in the past short life, and in this one I am going to forgive them.' Then he will be handed the book of his good deeds."

In view of Allah's attribute of Repeatedly Forgiving, we must not hesitate to ask forgiveness umpteen number of times for it is Allah's promise that He would forgive each repenting believer till death finally starts knocking on his door. So never be disappointed and dejected in case you sin, for the doors of repentance is always open.

Disclaimer: The data for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

You may refer to our post "99 Attributes of Allāh" for complete list of 99 attributes of Allah Almighty with meaning and explanation.

You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran

Photo | References1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Tuesday 10 December 2019

99 Attributes of Allah: Al Badi' - The Originator


Allah is Al-Badiʿ "ٱلْبَدِيعُ" - (pronounced Al Badee) The Originator, The Incomparable, The Unattainable, The Beautiful.

 بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۖ وَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمۡرً۬ا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ ۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ 

"The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it: "Be!" - and it is". (Al-Baqarah 2:117)

A similar description of this attribute of Allah appears in Surah 6 Al An'am:101:

بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُنْ لَهُ صَاحِبَةٌ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

"[He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing."

Allah, All Mighty, is the Innovator of the heavens and the earth and the One Who created the heavens and the earth according to no former example and with no helper or teacher. It is He, Glory to Him, Who innovated the essences, properties, qualities, sizes, shapes, forms, colors, movements, …etc, of all things, including mankind, animals and plants. In other words, everything in the entire universe shows clearly that Allah, All Mighty, is the “Badee’” (Innovator) of the heavens and the earth, that He, Glory to Him, is “Badee’” (Unique) in Himself, i.e. nothing is the like of Him, whether in His Divine Self, Attributes, Acts, or Creativity. 

Allah is The Originator, One who originates, commences, invents and creates all that exists, from something that never existed before and according to no former example and without getting help or information from anyone.. Those who associate others with Allah should be questioned: Can their deities originate anything that never existed before. If no, which certainly will be, then their deity can not be god, but a mere fallacy of mind.

Linguistically speaking, the word “Badee’” is derived from the verb “Abda’a” (to innovate), i.e. “to do or create something unprecedented”.

Dr. Muhammad Ratib An-Nabulsi, while explaining the meaning of the attribute Al Badi' writes [5]:
The best airplane a man has ever made is by no means comparable to a bird. Not only that, but also all man-made things are mere imitations or copies of things existing in the universe, which is nothing but one of the countless creatures of Allah, All Mighty. It is only Allah, All Mighty, Alone, Who created the whole universe according to no former example. Who said that the Earth should be round? Who said that the earth should go round itself and round the Sun?
Who created light? Who made the Sun a source of light and warmth? Who gave water its properties? Who gave the air its properties? Who gave each and every element its properties? If all solids melted at the same temperature, and if all substances had the same properties, the whole universe would be a gigantic mass of gas, liquid or solid. In the whole universe, with all its stars, planets, galaxies, and other heavenly objects, with their movements and distances among them: the entire universe with all the things therein and the earth with all things thereon; no two leaves are like each other. This means that Allah, All Mighty is All-Embracing and All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, and His Creativity is Infinite. Also, no human being can imagine or draw a leaf that does not exist in the world, simply because there are innumerable kinds, forms, shapes and colors of leaves of trees.
That is why one of the knowledgeable religious scholars, said, “If two leaves were similar to each other, Allah’s Creativity would not be Infinite.”

Disclaimer: The data for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

You may refer to our post "99 Attributes of Allāh" for complete list of 99 attributes of Allah Almighty with meaning and explanation.

You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran

Photo | References1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Thursday 21 November 2019

99 Attributes of Allah: As Salam - The Giver of Peace


As-Salām " ٱلْسَّلَامُ " The Giver of Peace, The Ever-Tranquil is He, Allāh, the Almighty, The Source of Peace, The Flawless, The Source of Wholeness and Well-Being.

Everyone wishes to be in peace and let others be in peace too. All greetings around the world begin with peace and Who else would be better giver and wisher of peace can be other than the Creator of the world? Allah, the As-Salām is the ultimate source of giving peace and tranquility to the entire mankind.


The Arabic word Salām (pronounced Salaam) comes from the root letters seen-laam-meem (S - L - M) that is salama which denotes safety, security, freedom and immunity. From the same root originates the Muslim greeting “salaam”. In Surah al-Furqan Ayah 63, it is said, “and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace,” meaning they don’t want anything to do with their conversation. 

As Salām as an attribute of Allah appears, along with many other attributes of Allah, in the 23rd verse of Surah 59. Al-Hashr:


هُوَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِىۡ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ​ۚ اَلۡمَلِكُ الۡقُدُّوۡسُ السَّلٰمُ الۡمُؤۡمِنُ الۡمُهَيۡمِنُ الۡعَزِيۡزُ الۡجَـبَّارُ الۡمُتَكَبِّرُ​ؕ سُبۡحٰنَ اللّٰهِ عَمَّا يُشۡرِكُوۡنَ‏ 

(59:23) He is Allah: there is no god but He: the King, the Holy, the All-Peace, the Giver of security, the Overseer, the Most Mighty, the Overpowering, the All-Great. Exalted be He from whatever they associate with Him.

Here in this verse above, the attribute As Salām as used in the original means peace and Secure, Allah’s being called As Salām means that He is peace and safety personified. He is far exalted that some calamity or weakness or defect should befall Him, or His Perfection should suffer a decline or blemish.

Many seek peace by struggling, battling and trying to impose their will on others, yet external peace will only prevail as a reflection of inner peace. The only path to outer peace is awareness of the tranquil depths of  inner peace, and the only source of such inner peace is the One known as as-Salām.

When Muslims greet each other and say “Asalaam o Alaykum (السلام عليكم),” we mean, “You’re safe from me and you’ll not receive any sharr [evil] from me.” Therefore, it is incumbent upon the other Muslim an appropriate response to such a greeting is "and upon you be peace" (wa-ʻalaykum as-salām).

The Hebrew greeting shālôm ʻalêḵem, (שלום עליכם) is the equivalent of the Arabic expression "Asalaam o Alaykum (السلام عليكم)", the response being עליכם שלום ʻalêḵem shālôm, 'upon you be peace'.


وَاللّٰهُ يَدۡعُوۡۤا اِلٰى دَارِ السَّلٰمِؕ وَيَهۡدِىۡ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ اِلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِيۡمٍ‏ 

(Surah 10. Yunus: 25) (You are being lured by this ephemeral world) although Allah calls you to the abode of peace and guides whomsoever He wills to a straightway.

In the verse above, Jannah has been called Dar-us-Salām because it will be free of all grief, death, worries, tensions, fatigues, enmities, hatred, and will be a place of safety and tranquility. 

From the root word S-L-M, following words are derived, which all mainly mean peace:
  • سلام salām 'Peace'
  • السلام عليكم as-salāmu ʿalaykum 'Peace be upon you'
  • إسلام Islām 'Acceptance, entrusting one's wholeness to God'
  • مسلم Muslim 'One who Accepts'
  • تسليم taslīm – 'delivering SLM – to give a salutation or a submission'
  • إستسلام Istislām –'the act of submission'
  • مستسلم mustaslim – One who submits – no longer seeking opposition/conflict, the one who has submitted
  • سالم sālim – 'subject of SLM' – its SLM, 'the vase is SLM', 'the vase is whole, unbroken'
  • مُسَلَّم musallam – 'undisputed'
The most precarious situations to which human beings are exposed are three: The time of birth, the time of death, and the time of resurrection. So Allah honored Prophet Yahya (peace be upon him) in all these three situations, granting him peace, safety and security against their woes. He saved him from the perils of all these three situations and granted him security against fear. 

Muslims are repeatedly enjoined by the Holy Quran to disseminate peace and to be receptive to those who offer it:

O you who believe! Enter into peace one and all... (2:208) And if they incline to peace, do incline to it too and trust in Allah. (8:61) And the servants of al-Rahman are the ones who walk on earth humbly, and when the ignorant ones address them, they say: Salam (Peace)! (25:63) And when those who believe in Our Signs come to you, say: Peace be on you! Your Lord has ordained mercy on Himself... (6:54) So turn away from them and say, Peace! For they shall soon come to know. (43:89)

The greeting of peace is an integral part of the creed of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would quite often enjoin the Muslims to disseminate the greeting of peace among them. The Prophet of Allah has been quoted as saying at many a instance: 

"Disseminate the greeting of peace among you so you may achieve peace and security. Whoever upholds three things will have combined in him the meaning of conviction: (1) fairness to his own self, (2) disseminating of the greeting of peace to everyone, and (3) spending wisely out of what he saves." Afshu al Salama baynakum: Disseminate the greeting of peace among you.

In one of his supplications, the Messenger of Allah used to say, "Lord! Make us harbingers of peace to Your friends!" The Holy Quran tells us that the name of Paradise is "Dar al Salam," the abode of peace; He, Glory and Exaltation to Him, says, 

لَهُمۡ دَارُ السَّلٰمِ عِنۡدَ رَبِّهِمۡ​ وَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمۡ بِمَا كَانُوۡا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ 

(Surah 6. Al-An'am:127) Theirs shall be an abode of peace with their Lord - their Protector - in recompense for all they have done.

We must therefore always be seeking peace, security and safety from none other than Allah, the As Salām, for there is no safety in the whole universe except that which is attributed to Allah for He is the Creator Who designs and controls all things. If you are afraid, remember Him, and He will fill your heart with peace. If you get connected with Him, He purifies you from all defects and faults. He guides you to peaceful ways in your business, in your marriage and in your relationships. If you adhere to His commands and enjoinments in the Qur’an, He will guide you in everything and every issue, (work, provision, health, marriage and children) in peaceful ways. He invites you to the Home of peace that is Jannah.

You may refer to our post "99 Attributes of Allāh" for complete list of 99 attributes of Allah Almighty with meaning and explanation.

Photo | References1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
You may also refer to our following reference pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran:
If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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