Ma'arifat Allah Part 2

Know Allah, Love Allah

Please note that we update Names of Allah after this note immediately:

Al Mujeeb (المجيب) - The Responsive 

 Root و ج ب

Meaning:
  1) to answer, reply, respond, and accept

2 ) to cut, pierce, or penetrate

 3)  to have a dialogue or conference.

Al-Mujeeb is the One who answers prayers, responds to needs, and accepts praise.

This root appears 43 times in the Quran in five derived forms. Example: ujeebu (“I respond”), jaboo (“carved out”),istajaaboo (“respond”) and jawaabaa (“(the) answer”).

 Al Khattabi: “Al Mujeeb, The Responsive, is the One Who responds to the call of the distressed upon Him; the one who responds to the invocation of the supplicant whenever he is in dire need”

Al Qareeb and Al Mujeeb are two favorite and loveable Names of Allah.

Ayat

And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." Indeed, those who scorn My worship will enter Hell in humiliation.

Ghafir:60

Allah has promised to respond to our invocation. Du'a is a form of worship 

Allah is Responsive to distressed people when they call upon Him with sincere hearts.

When people are helpless and no one is left to help them , they instinctively call upon Allah.

A good example is when people are sailing in a ship, and the sea suddenly gets rough, and the waves become high, At the critical point when they find themselves at the top of a huge wave, they would sincerely call upon Allah  and say 'O Allah ! If you rescue us this time, we will be very grateful' (Yunus 10 :22)

Allah responds to such supplication that are made with  sincere heart .   

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Al Mannan(المنان) - The Bestower of Favours

Root م  ن  ن
Meaning:

• To bestow a favour, to benefit
• To be bountiful 
• To be reasonable 

Allah is bountiful and is giving. He gives generously from His Bounty.
This Name does not come in the Qur'an , rather it is evidenced from the Hadith.
Allah is the Owner of favours and gifts. He created us and granted us the gifts of hearing, seeing and feeling.
He created us in the best form possible . He has bestowed upon us His Favours both seen and unseen.
One of His Best Favours is that He sent us a Messenger to recite His verses to us, and showed us a way to live our lives in the best possible way.

Ayaat.  Surah Imran 3:164
Certainly did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.

Surah Hujurat 49:17
They consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islam. Say, "Do not consider your Islam a favor to

me.Rather, Allah has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful."

Allah has praised Himself for granting His favours and Grace on His slaves. And He has dispraised those who regard it as a favour to Allah and His slaves that they spend their wealth on people and if they do any good to people.
Hadith:
Narrated Anas ibn Malik: I was sitting with the Prophet (SAWS) and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: O Allah, I ask You by virtue of the fact that praise is due to You, there is no deity but You, Who shows favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the Earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One.

The Prophet (SAWS)then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers,and when asked by this name He gives.  (Abu Dawud Book #8, Hadith #1490)

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Al Haqq (الحق) - The Truth

Root ح ق ق

Meaning to be suitable for the requirements of: 

• justice 

• wisdom 

• truth 

• right 

• reality 

• fact

Allah is the Truth; He is The Only True God, besides Whom no one deserves worship.  He is the One and Unique God.All other gods are false.

Everything that comes from Allah is true and all His Orders are true and have to be carried out.

All that Allah revealed to us is true. He sent down the Book in Truth. (Baqarah;176)

Allah  sent His Messenger in Truth (Baqarah:119)

He narrated the stories in Qur'an with Truth (Surah 18:13, 3:62)

The Promise of Allah is true and Allah does not break His Promises. (Surah 10:55)

He created the heavens and the earth in truth (An'am 6:73)

He has no need of anything else, but everything else is dependent on Him, because everything in heaven and on earth is created by Him and is enslaved by Him; none of them could move even an atom's weight except with His permission.(Surah Hijr 15:85)

He is Eternal, His is the True Existence,Ever Living. He is The First and the Last, His Existence is Perfect.

All His Names and Attributes are True. His Knowledge,Power and Honour are all Perfect

Aayah:
There the authority is [completely] for Allah , the Truth. He is best in reward and best in outcome.
(Kahf 18 : 44) 

That is because Allah is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand.
(Al Hajj 22 : 62 and Luqman 31 : 30)

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As-Subbuh (السبوح)  - The Holy: the One Who is Perfect and Has No Associates

Root س ب ح 

Meaning:

• To roll,to swim,to float
• To travel, to be swift
• To praise, magnify, glorify
• To declare God to be far removed from any imperfection/impurity

Allah is As Subbuh, The Holy, Who is far from any imperfections, shortcoming or partner-- as it is not fitting for Divinity.

An Nawwawi said “Ibn  Faris and Zubaidi said: Subbuh means the Holy ,The Exalted, Glorified , the One Who is free from defects and associates.”(Sharh An Nawawi ,4/487)
Tasbih is mentioned in the Qur’an and in the Sunnah. Tasbih means glorifying and exalting Allah and testifying that He is Free of All Defects. (An nihayah ,2/331)

Ayaat:
Allah’s glory is mentioned in the Qur'an in numerous ways and in various contexts.  “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High.” [Surah al-A`la: 1]

In this verse, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala ’s glory is mentioned in conjunction with His Supremacy.
 Allah(swt) also says: “Everything in the heavens and on Earth glorifies Allah.” [Surah al-Jumu`ah: 1]

“All that is in the heavens and on Earth glorify Allah.” [Surah al-Hashr: 1]
“The seven heavens and the Earth and all they contain glorify Him, and there is not a thing but extols His glory; but you do not understand how they glorify Him.” [Surah al-Isra': 44] 

Hadith
`A'ishah (radiallahu anha) reported: The Messenger of Allah (salallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) used to recite in his bowing and prostration: "Subbuhun Quddusun, Rabbul-mala'ikati war-ruh [You are the Most Glorious. The Most Holy. You the Rubb of the angels and of Jibril].Muslim

Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Prophet(SAWS) said, "The uttering of the words:
"Subhan-Allah (Allah is free from imperfection),
Al-hamdu lillah (all praise is due to Allah),
La ilaha illallah (there is no true god except Allah) and Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)' is dearer tome than anything over which the sun rises.''[Muslim]

This Hadeeth highlights the fact that the formulas which mention the Praise and Glory of Allah, His Majesty and Oneness are liked by the Prophet (SAWS) more than anything in the world, because this is one of the virtues which will survive and will be rewarded, while the world and all that it has will perish.

 Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The  Prophet(SAWS) said, "He who utters a hundred times in a day these words:

`La ilaha illallahu, wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd, wa Huwa `ala kulli sha'in Qadeer (there is no true god except Allah. He is One and He has no partner with Him; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent),' 

He will have a reward equivalent to that for emancipating ten slaves,
a hundred good deeds will be recorded to his credit,
hundred of his sins will be blotted out from his scroll, and he will be safeguarded against the devil on that day till the evening;
and no one will exceed him in doing more excellent good deeds except someone who has recited these words more often than him
And he who utters: `Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdih (Allah is free from imperfection and His is the praise)' one hundred times a day, his sins will be obliterated even if they are equal to the extent of the foam of the ocean.''

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

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Al- Waahid (الواحد) - The One

Root  و ح د 

Meaning:

• to be one, to be made one and to be called one  

• to connect, join and unite   

• to be unique and singular 

• to be one apart from others.

Linguistically, "al-Wahid" means: the One Who does not socialize with people nor keeps them company. 
Allah calls Himself Al-Waahid on 5 occasions in the Quran.
Al-Waahid is the source of everything in existence.
Al-Waahid is the One, He is Alone and He is Unique 

 This name always come along with Allah's powerful Name Al-Qahhaar .This Name illustrates that He has the supreme authority and ultimate power to do anything. Al-Qahhaar can subdue anyone to submit to His will.
All that is in the heavens and the earth submits, willingly or unwillingly, to Al-Waahid alone! 

Ibn Jareer: The Oneness of Allaah rules out there being anything else that could be like Him.
Allaah has no peer and no rival.
He is the One God, the One Lord.
Allah is One and is Perfect in all ways; He has no partner or associate.
His slaves must affirm His Oneness in their hearts and in their words and deeds, by acknowledging His absolute perfection and directing all acts of worship solely to Him. (Tayseer al-Kareem al-Rahmaan, 5/485)

Ayat:
The Day they come forth nothing concerning them will be concealed from Allah . To whom belongs [all] sovereignty this Day? To Allah , the One, the Prevailing. (Surah Ghafir 40:16)

Linguistically that which is  'ahad' cannot be divided into parts, whereas that which is 'waahid' appears to be divisible into separate parts. 
Some scholars differentiated between Al-Waahid and Al-Ahad by saying that 
Al-Waahid refers to His being one in His essence only,
Al-Ahad means that He is one in both His essence and His attributes [Tafseer Asmaa’ Allaah by al-Zajjaaj, p. 58] 

It was said that Al-Waahid means He is unique in His essence and does not have any peer or rival, and 
Al-Ahad is unique in His attributes. 
So al-Waahid is One in and of Himself, and al-Ahad means being One in His attributes.  

Al-Ahad is one of the attributes of Allah which belong uniquely to Him, and in which nothing or no one else has a share. (Lisaan al-‘Arab –Ahad – 1/35; wahida 8/4779 – 4783).

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Ad-Dayaan (الديان) - The Judge: 

The One Who will Recompense

From 'dana' to make someone obey and surrender

Al-Khattabi said: “Ad-Dayyaan is the One Who recompenses and also means the Judge.”
 Al-Haleemi said: “Ad-Dayyaan is the One Who takes account and recompenses. He Who recompenses the good with good and evil with evil, and never He will allow to be lost the work of anyone, be he male or female.”
Ibn al-Atheer said: “Ad-Dayyaan is the Irresistible Who subdues the people to His obedience.”
Ad Dayyaan means the one Who Judges people for their deeds after calling them to account. Allah is Most Just and Wise in His Judgement, and is also Most Merciful.

He calls His servants to account and deals with them on the basis of justice.
Allah will hold accountable for their deeds on the Day of Judgement. Angels have recorded what each one did in his life whether good or bad. (Al Araf7:8-9)
On the Day of Judgement nothing of the deeds of the people will be lost even if it were equal to the weight of an atom.( Al Zalzala 99:7-8)
The record of each person's deeds will be given to him. Some people will be given their books in their right hands while others will be given in their left hands (Al Isra 17:14)

The justice of Allah is displayed in the fact that Allah will take the grievances of the people of Hellfire from the people of Paradise before He allows them to enter Paradise. Likewise, the same is done with the people of Hellfire.

Ayat
 “This Day shall every person be recompensed for what he earned. No injustice (shall be done to anybody).” (Ghafir 40:17)

Hadeeth
‘Abdullah ibn Unays narrated that the Prophet (SAWS) said: “Allah will gather the people and call them with a voice which will be heard by those who will be far away and those who will be near, by saying: I am the King, I am the Dayyaan." (Bukhari)
Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that the Prophet(SAWS) said: “Do you know who is the one who is bankrupt?”
The Companions said:“A bankrupt person among us is one who has neither Dirhams with him nor any property.”
He (SAWS) said: “The real bankrupt person from my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat (prayers), Saum (fasting) and Sadaqah (charity), but he will find himself bankrupt on that Day, because
he had abused somebody; slandered against someone;usurped the wealth of another person,killed someone or beaten yet another person.
Then the entire oppressed persons will receive a part of the aggressor’s good deeds.If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire.” [Muslim]

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Prophet(SAWS) said:
“On the Day of Resurrection, the rights will be paid to those to whom they are due so much so that a hornless sheep will be driven to horned one (and will get its claim).” [Muslim]
This Hadith makes it abundantly clear that there will be the utmost justice on the Day of Judgment.So much so, that Allah (SWT) will redress even the grievance of the aggressed animals against the aggressors.Thus, this Hadith is a severe warning for all people.
 When animals, which are devoid of sense, will not be forgiven, how would mankind, which is gifted with sense, be? The latter will not be pardoned if they are guilty of having been unjust to anyone without adequately compensating them.

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Al Muhsin (المحسن) - The Perfectionist

Root   ح س ن  

Meaning:

• To make good, To be excellent,To beautify
• To act or behave with goodness or in a pleasing
  manner
• To benefit 

This Name is mentioned in the correct Sunnah.
Al Muhsin means The One Who does His job Properly and Perfectly, as Allah Himself is Perfect. 

Allah's Deeds are Perfect in the best way possible.  

--> Allah is perfect in:

a) His Names 

b) His Attributes 

c) His Actions

He created us as humans without asking us.( Sajda 32:7)

He gave us the ability to use our limbs,organs etc-- which are Perfect in their creation.
He Provides for us in the Best Possible way. (Ghafir 40:64) (Taghabun 64:3)
Even for the disbelievers & the sinners Allah provides them with Ehsaan

--> Allah urges us to perfect our deeds as well. 

--> He also stated that perfection and doing good are the goal of creating mankind (Al Mulk 67:2)

Hadith
Prophet(SAWS) explained the meaning of Ihsaan as ' Perfection in worshipping Allah as if you see Him. If you cannot see Him, then knowing that Allah sees you.'(Bukhari and Muslim) 

“Verily, Allah loves that when anyone of you does a job he should perfect it” (Al-Bayhaqi)
Shaddad Ibn Aws reported that the Prophet(SAWS) said' Verily Allah is Muhsin and loves good deeds. If you kill, kill properly. and if you slaughter, do it properly and sharpen your knives and make the animal feel relaxed' (Sahih Al Jaami' as Saghir , Hadith 1824)
Ibn Abi Asim also narrated that Prophet(SAWS) said, ' If you judge between people, be fair and if you slaughter, do it properly. Verily Allah is  a Perfectionist and loves perfection' (Silsilat al Ahadtih as Sahihah.470)

Ayaat:
Who perfected everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay.(Surah Sajda 32:7) 

He [the Prophet] answered, “It is that you worship Allah as if you see Him. And even though you do not see Him, [you know] He sees you.” 

When Jibreel(AS) asked the Prophet (SAWS) to tell him about Ihsaan, the Prophet (SAWS) replied by explaining  Ihsaan that it is  to worship Allah as if you see Him, or if you can not do that, to at least be aware that He sees you.
‘Worship’ as mentioned is not just referring to salah. Rather it relates to all the acts , both inward and outward, which should be carried out with complete servitude to Allah.
Some scholars say that this hadith describes 2 different levels of awareness which the believer may be at- one being higher than the other.
The higher level is al-mushaahadah or ‘personal witnessing’,-having a very strong feeling in the heart, of realisation of Allah’s presence. It is so great that a person becomes completely attuned to the act of worship , and  they perform every act of obedience in the best possible way.
The person who reaches this higher level of Ihsaan will be so happy when being alone with his Lord,and when he remembers Allah. This is the level that the Prophet (s) himself reached-
“The sweetness of my eye has been made the prayer.” (Recorded in al-Nasaai)
If a person is not able to reach this level of Ihsaan, then the next level is al-muraaqabah ‘the level of the one who is being observed and watched’.
This is the awareness that Allah is watching every act that a person performs. This should drive a Muslim to perfect and excel in their acts of worship.
Perfecting and excelling in acts of worship can lead a person to the higher level of Ihsaan.

Ihsaan leads to perfection in our prayer.A person who prays mechanically without the thought of  Allah reaching  their hearts, does not deserve the title ‘Muhsin’ 

“Allah loves the muhsineen” (Surah al-Maaidah:93)
The muhsin will receive a special reward for this attitude to worship,  

“For those who have done good is the best and even more.” (Surah Yunus:26)
 Prophet (s) explained ‘even more’ in this verse to mean seeing Allah in the Hereafter. (Muslim) 

With eternity in Paradise and seeing Allah (swt) in the Hereafter as the rewards on offer, isn’t it time we made a conscious effort to draw closer to Allah and to strive to perfect our acts of worship? 

“O Allah help me to remember You, and to thank You, and to perfect my worship for You.” 

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Al Wasi' (الوسع) - The All Encompassing, The Vast

Root :و س ع 

Meaning :

•  being vast, sufficient in capacity or size, and spacious. 
•  to be plentiful and bountiful. 
•  to embrace, comprehend 

The root appears 32 times in the Quran in 6 derived forms. Examples of these forms are wasi’a (encompasses), wus’ahaa (its capacity), and waasi’atun (spacious). 

Wasi’  is for something that has no limits; it’s something too vast to imagine. This attribute of Allah is in itself limitless, just like His other attributes, such as His Giving, Seeing, Hearing, and Knowing.
Ibn Manzur says Al Wasi is The One Whose Sustenance is sufficient for all His creatures,and Whose Mercy encompasses everything, and Whose Richness encompasses all poverty.
Ibn Al-Anbari says: Al Wasi' means the Oft Giving Who gives whatever He is asked for.
The Name Al Wasi' includes many of His Attributes and shows how limitless He is in these Qualities.
He is All Sufficient, does not require anyone--He is Rich,He doesnt need anyone while everyone needs Him.
He is Vast in Generosity-- gives to whomever He pleases. (Baqarah 2:247)
He is Vast in His Knowledge- nothing is hidden from Him (Taha 20:98 ; Al'Araf 7:89 , Luqman 31:27 ; Kahf 18:109)
He is Vast in His Mercy and Forgiveness -- whatever the sins of His slaves are, Allah's Forgiveness is greater (Al'Araf7:156 ; Ghafir 40:7 ; AnNajm 53:32, AzZumar 39:53)
We can see the Vastness of Allah's Creation --although the heavens and the earth are vast,Allah created something else that is larger and grander than the heavens adn the earth-- His Kursi (ArRa'd 13:3 ; AdhDhariyat 51:47 ; Baqarah 2:255)
Allah's Shariah and Wisdom are All Encompassing- Allah's Shariah takes care of all the needs of HIs slaves. ( Baqarah 2:115)

He is vast in his Power and Forbearance,and all other attributes.
Ayat:
Your god is only Allah , except for whom there is no deity. He has encompassed all things in knowledge."
Surah Taha 20:98 

The attribute of Allah Al Wasi opens the door of hope for the believers whenever they are confronted with hardships. 

Satan whispers to us during our times of difficulty to be stingy, to not spend in the way of Allah lest we become poor. 

Knowledge of Allah Al Wasi protects us from shaitaan's whispering.(Baqarah 2:268) 

The poor and distressed should know that  Allah is full of bounty and He grants to whomever He wills (AleImran 3: 73),(AnNur 24:32) 

When a poor man seeks marriage to protect himself,Allah promises with more provision( AnNur 24:32) 

'And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing' 

When husband/wife have to go through divorce, but fear poverty, Allah promises them of his bounty. (AnNisa 4:130) 

When people fear destruction,oppression etc which prevents them from Allah's worship in their land, they should know that Allah's earth is vast, and should seek a safer place so that they can worship Allah(Ankabut 29:56) 

If they accept the oppression and do not look for a safer place then they have done wrong to themselves. (AnNisa 4: 97-98) 

When a slave sins, he should know that Allah's Mercy is vast . (Baqarah 2: 268)

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Al Akhir  : The Last

Root ء خ ر 

Meaning:

• to be latter and to put back
• to postpone or to put at the end
• to be final, last, and ultimate.

Allah is the Last, there is nothing that will come after Him or exist after Him, for He will exist always, while everything else will eventually perish.

Allah says:
“...Everything will be destroyed except His Face…”(Al Qasas, 28 : 88)

Al-Aakhir is the last without having a first. He is above any descriptions.
He will remain the last One, with no one or nothing ever comparable to Him in essence or attributes! 

Aayah
He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.(Al Hadid, 57 : 3)

In the verse from Soorah Al Hadid, Allah puts four of His names together.
 These four names in conjuction show the vastness of Allah and the vastness of His knowledge, and they indicate that there can be no escaping or hiding from Him. 

Everything is known by Allah, for He is the First, the Last, the Outward, and the Inward.