- Names of Allah
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- Names of Allah- 1996
Allâh’s Beautiful Name: Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem:
In this lecture we will be explaining the nineteenth of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names, namely “Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem” (The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful), which some religious scholars consider the Greatest of Allah’s Divine Names, for Allah, Glory to Him, says
“Say (O Muhammad): ‘Invoke Allah or invoke the Most Gracious. By whatever Name you invoke Him (it is the same), for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. And offer your prayer neither aloud nor in a low voice, but follow a moderate way between that.”
In fact, mercy that we witness in the whole universe is but a substantiation of Allah’s Name “Ar-Rahman” (The Most Gracious). However, before we start explaining these Names, I think it is necessary to put forward some definitions that have to do with them, in order to clarify the difference between them right from the beginning. Some people might ask: What is exactly the difference between “Ar-Rahman” (The Most Gracious) and “Ar_Raheem” (The Most Merciful)?
As one of the greatest religious scholars holds, Allah’s Names “Ar-Rahman” (The Most Gracious) and “Ar-Raheem” (The Most Merciful) are both derived from the Arabic word “Ar-Rahmah” (Mercy), which necessitates the existence of someone who needs Mercy and on whom we have Mercy. No one can ever be merciful to Allah, All Mighty, because He, Glory to Him, is Omnipotent and, therefore, needs mercy from none; while a human being does need Mercy from his Creator, All Mighty, for he is weak and helpless, and because he is poor and not self-existent. Therefore, Allah, All Mighty, is Self-Existent and Merciful, simply because He is the Lord; while man is weak and not self-existent and, hence, he is in bad constant need of his Lord, Allah, All Mighty. If a human being denies his being one of Allah’s slaves, this means that he has forgotten that he is in bad constant need of His Infinite Divine Mercy; and those who previously claimed that they were not in need of Allah’s Divine Mercy were afflicted with drought and misfortunes. In this context, I would like to reiterate that so long as you are a slave of Allah, you are in need of His Divine Mercy: O Allah! Have Mercy on us, for You are the Most Merciful! And do not torment us, for You are Powerful over us!
Someone through whom people’s needs are fulfilled unintentionally and carelessly does not deserve to be described as being merciful. Your need might sometimes be fulfilled through someone; but if he does not really intend to have mercy on you, he is not described as being merciful. That is why people usually say, “A detrimental thing might sometimes be useful.”
Quite often, Allah, Most Merciful, drives to you a good thing on the hand of someone who is not at all willing to do such good thing to you but, rather, even desires to do evil to you. Somehow, Allah makes his ill will in your favor. Once again, someone through whom people’s needs are fulfilled unintentionally and carelessly does not deserve to be described as being merciful. A merciful person is someone who really desires to have mercy on sh3er intentionally and carefully. This means that if you do not really want to be merciful, you are by no means as such, i.e. you are by no means merciful unless you really intend to be so.
Therefore, if someone claims that he desires to fulfill someone else’s need but does not do, although he can do, is not considered as merciful. He is considered as merciful only if he does fulfill someone else’s need. If he desires to fulfill someone else’s need but fails to do so, because he lacks the ability, he is considered as merciful, but his mercy is not perfect because it has not been accomplished.
By virtue of the foregoing definitions and explanations, you are not considered as being merciful, i.e. Allah will never accept you or be pleased with you, Allah will never love you, and Allah will never bring you near to Him, unless you desire to, and really do, have mercy on other fellow humans. That is why people rightly say, “A good deed is good only when (it is) accomplished.”
Sometimes, you verbally express your being sorry for someone else’s misfortune, but fail to translate such verbal sorrow into action. In this case your feeling of sorrow is invalid and meaningless. What is the use of mere words, mere feelings, mere warm greetings, or mere tears? They do nothing! Real substantial good work, and not void emotions, is what makes someone feel loving and indebted to you. I knew some people who were very poor. When their father died, their rich relatives came to offer them the deepest and most sincere verbal condolences; but unfortunately, they failed to offer anything substantial at all.
In other words, the feelings that someone might have towards another human are void and meaningless unless they are translated into good substantial work. That is why Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says
“If someone seeks help from Allah, help him. If someone asks you by Allah, give him. If someone seeks refuge with Allah, give him refuge. If someone does you a favor, reward him; and if you have nothing (to reward him), invoke good for him until you know that you have dully rewarded him.”
Warm words and bombastic expressions are void and meaningless unless they are followed by real substantial work of mercy and care. Sometimes, a son comes to visit his mother and to offer utmost verbal respect, mercy and love. But then he leaves for his wife, family, children and work after he offers to his mother nothing but void meaningless emotional words. His words might be sweet and warm, and he might kiss his mother’s hands and feet; but this is by no means real mercy or love, as it lacks substantial sacrifice. In other words, it is clever but not at all truthful or merciful.
Religious scholars say: Real mercy is to give generously and willingly to someone in need, i.e. when you desire to, and really, be generous and merciful to him in both word and deed.
Allah, All Mighty, is “Raheem” (Merciful); therefore, if you strive to fulfill people’s needs, to be generous to them, to give them of that which Allah, Glory to Him, has given you, to do them some timely favors, to lend them a hand in times of need, and to stand with them in times of trouble and hardship, you are beloved and favored by the Lord, Allah, Most Merciful.
Now, there is more than one kind of mercy: General Mercy and Perfect Mercy. Perfect Mercy is that which comprises both desire and work. General Mercy is that which reaches all people, i.e. those who deserve it and those who do not, like, for instance, rain that Allah sends down for the benefit of all people. There is also Special Mercy that is singled out only for those who deserve it.
In order to make things clear, let us have the following example: A father has five children, all of whom sit together at one table to have food, all of whom wear good clothes, and all of whom have nice warm bedrooms and comfortable beds. The father gives all his children equally, because his mercy is the same for all of them. But one of these children might be closer to the father than sh3er, as he is more dutiful, loyal and sincere to him; therefore, the father sometimes singles this son out for certain extra favors.
Allah, Most Gracious, says in a Divine Hadith:
“O My salve! You have an obligation to fulfill for Me, and I have provision to provide you. Even if you fail to fulfill your obligation for Me, I do not fail to provide you with your provision.”
In other words, whether you are a believer or a disbeliever, Allah, Most Gracious, allows you to eat and drink and enjoy food and drink, cold water, warm weather and beautiful landscape, He allows you to enjoy your life with your wife and children. But Allah, Most merciful, does not bestow His Divine Love upon you, and He does not fill your heart with enlightenment, tranquility or peace unless you deserve that. This means that Allah, All Mighty, has a General Mercy that He gives to all of His slaves, and a Special Mercy that He gives only to the elite of His slaves. In this context, Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, says
“And (remember) when Abraham said: ‘My Lord! Make this township secure, and provide its people with fruits: such of them as believe in Allah and the Last day.’ He (Allah) said: ‘As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave him in contentment for a while, but then I shall compel him to the torment of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination.”
Even if you enjoy a comfortable life, eat the most delicious food, live in a luxurious home, have a good wife whom you love, or feel that you are superior to other fellow humans, do not take for granted that this is a manifestation of Allah’s Divine Mercy upon you! This is because Allah, All Mighty, gives this present world to those whom He loves and those whom He does not love. This is Allah’s General Mercy, which embraces all things:
“O My slave! You have an obligation to fulfill for Me, and I have provision to provide you. Even if you fail to fulfill your obligation for Me, I do not fail to provide you with your provision.”
I repeat: to eat and drink, to enjoy your life with your wife and children, to own a big luxurious home, to have a good social position or reputation, to live a brilliant successful life, or to excel in business or science, …etc, does not mean that Allah loves you. He loves you when He bestows His Special Mercy on you:
“And when he (Joseph) attained his full manhood, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. Thus We reward the good-doers.”
Special Divine Mercy is when Allah, Most Merciful, bestows tranquility and peace upon your heart and, hence, makes you in utmost spiritual enhancement and exhilaration in one hour that cannot be matched by the whole life of this present world. In this context, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says
“I have an hour with my Lord in which I am happier than a sent Prophet or an intimate angel; I stay with my Lord: He feeds me and gives me to drink.”
Dear brothers! Ask yourself this question: “What kind of Donation does Allah give me?” He might give you the same kind of Donation that He gave to Korah, who transgressed against his people, Moses’ people, with that which Allah had given him:
“We gave him of the treasures whose keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men.”
And He might give you the same kind of Donation that He gave to Pharaoh. But Real Divine Donation is that which Allah gave to Moses and Joseph, (PBUT):
“Thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of dreams (and other things) and perfect His Favor on you and on the offspring of Jacob, as He perfected it on your fathers, aforetime, Abraham and Isaac! Verily, your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”
With Allah, there is choice and there is intimacy, and there is a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise) near Him, the Omnipotent King, there is Light, which Allah casts into your heart and which enables you to see goodness as it really is and evil as it really is, there is the feeling that Allah loves you, and there are lots of good emotions and feelings. One of our brother went to perform the Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca), and when he came back, he told me honestly: “By Allah! In the whole world, there is none happier than I am, unless he is more pious and dutiful to the Lord than I am.” This might seem a bit exaggerated, but it is not, although the man is very poor and has nothing of this present world. He swore to me that none was happier than he was except those who were more pious and dutiful to Allah. Such is Special Divine Mercy. In other words, Allah might give you wealth, but He fills your heart with fear and anxiety; He might give you good health, but He makes you the most miserable of all mankind; and He might give you a high social status, but He does not accept you. When Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), said to Mou’ath Bin Jabal
“I swear by Allah that I love you!” He told him, “Shoot Sa’d! I sacrifice my father and mother for you!” He also said about him, “That is my uncle! Show me a better uncle than him.”
It is really a great thing that the best man of all mankind, Prophet Muhammad, (PBUH), loves you!
If you are beloved to Allah, if you stay the nights in worship and prayer, if you lower your gaze at indecent or unlawful things, if you spend of your wealth for the Cause of Allah, if you attend religious lectures, if you help the poor and needy, if you do deeds of righteousness, and if you offer something valuable to a believing brother, such accumulated good things are conducive to what knowledgeable religious scholars call “Divine Manifestations”, whereby Allah, Most Gracious, manifests Himself to your heart and fills it with happiness. That is why Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says
“To walk with a brother of mine in order to fulfill his need is better for me than to fast and seclude myself in my mosque for a whole month.”
Notice how miserable and depressed, how lost and astray, how confused and suspicious, and how pessimistic and torn, are those who are barred from the Most Gracious Lord. They might have the whole world, but Allah has deprived them of the happiness of being intimate to Him.
I like to repeat the story of the man who committed a sin and was, thus, barred from Allah, Most Gracious. He sat waiting for a misfortune to come; but when the misfortune did not come he turned to the Lord, Allah, Most Gracious, and said: “O Allah! I disobeyed you, but You did not punish me.” But he felt deep in his heart: “O My slave! I did punish you, but you did not realize that I did! Didn’t I deprive you of the sweetness of speaking to Me?!”
Undoubtedly, persistent good work is conducive to good happy endings. For example, a young man spends all of his time at work, at home or at mosques, reading the Holy Quran and Prophetic Hadith, and doing favors to other fellow humans, while other young men spend their times at frivolous indecent parties where they watch sex movies, indulge in low immoral jokes or gambling or flirt girls in the streets. In recompense for the righteous young man’s good work, Allah makes his heart an abode for His Divine Light and Guidance. That is why Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says
“Allah’s Friends of my nation: whenever they are seen, Allah is remembered by them.”
In other words, the moment your eye meets a true believer; his good righteous words and behavior remind you of Allah. That is why Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says the foregoing Hadith. This issue reminds us of Allah’s General and Special Mercy upon His slaves. Allah’s General Mercy is available to everyone: everyone eats and drinks, everyone breathes, everyone goes to bed in the evening, everyone is healthy and wealthy, so to speak, everyone is happy and comfortable with their wives and children, and everyone is happy and comfortable with their work. This is General Divine Mercy, which is available equally to believers and unbelievers, Muslims and non-Muslims. Sometimes, unbelievers even excel over believers in such forms of Mercy. But Special Divine Mercy is singled out only for true believers, in whose hearts Allah, Most Gracious, casts His Divine Light, whom Allah teaches (as Allah does not take an ignorant person for a friend: if He took him for a friend, He would teach him), whom Allah guides to the Straight Path, whom Allah inspires to their own good, whom Allah sends good righteous people to accompany, whose good work Allah puts in the proper place. This is Allah’s Special Divine Mercy.
The foregoing facts remind us of Allah’s Being with His slaves, which is also of two kinds: General and Special. Allah, All Mighty, is with each and every one of His creatures. To this effect, Allah, All Mighty, says
“And it is He (Allah) Who created the heavens and the earth in six days and then rose over the Throne (in a manner that suits His Divine Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, and what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you wherever you may be. And Allah is the All-Seer of what you do.”
In other words, Allah is with both believers and unbelievers, monotheists and polytheists, atheists and non-atheists, happy or wretched, obedient and disobedient, generous and miserly, clean and filthy, noble and lowly, pure and impure, good and evil, …etc. But there are certain Quranic Verses like:
“And know that Allah is with the pious (and dutiful to Allah).”
“O you who believe! Seek help in patience and prayer. Truly, Allah is with those who are patient.”
“And Allah said: ‘I am with you provided you perform prayer, give the alms, believe in My Messengers and honor and assist them, and lend a good loan to Allah; verily, I shall expiate your sins and admit you to Gardens under which rivers flow. But if any (of you) disbelieves, after this, he has indeed gone astray from the Straight Path.”
Heroism and wisdom both necessitate that you should strive to attain Allah’s Special Being with you, and that you should strive to attain His Special Divine Mercy. As a father, if one of your children were disobedient, undutiful, impolite or ill mannered, you would be angry with him, and you might even hate his bad character or behavior. You might address him with anger and resentment: “Here! sit down! Eat your food! I don’t like you! Take whatever you like! Take all things! I hate you! …etc.” But a dutiful child: a loving compassionate look from the father is priceless, and a nice word from the father is unmatched by the whole world. Once again, dear brother, it is not enough to get Allah’s General Mercy, which embraces all things, it is not enough to breathe the air, to eat, to drink, to sleep, to get married, to work, or to earn money, for these things are common among all human beings, as Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says
“Verily, Allah gives this present world to those whom He loves and those whom He does not love.”
The thing for which you should strive is Allah’s Special Divine Mercy, whereby He teaches you, casts His Divine Light into your heart, teaches you interpretation of the Holy Quran and Prophetic Tradition, inspires wisdom to you, inspires you to do the right thing in the right way in the right time and with the right person. In this context, Allah, Most Gracious, says
“He (Allah) gives wisdom to whomsoever He wills, and whosoever is given wisdom is indeed given a lot of good, but none remember save those possessed of sound minds.”
In other words, you should strive to make Allah, Most Gracious, teach you, grant you wisdom, provide you with good sustenance, and use you in good righteous things. In this context, I would like to remind my dear readers of this nation: Whenever I see someone has been given a decent job by which he serves Muslims, I tell him, “If you desire to see your position with Allah, see where He uses you.”
You have a decent job by which you serve other fellow humans, you demand reasonable wages from them and serve them honestly and truthfully: This is noble work! Allah enables you to work in certain religious jobs, such as teaching Tajweed and recitation of the Holy Quran: This is beautiful! Allah enables you to teach Islamic Jurisprudence and law: this is even more beautiful! Allah enables you to teach people interpretation of the Holy Quran: This is even better! Remember this golden rule: “If you desire to see your position with Allah, see where He uses you.” Think of your job! Is it based on mercy and compassion towards other fellow humans or transgression against them? Is it based on spreading peace among people, or spreading terror among them? Is it based on giving or taking? Is it based on tranquility or worry? Is it based on mercy or tyranny? There are some people who would never accept jobs that entail harm to other fellow humans even if they were offered fabulous amounts of money for such jobs. They would say, “May Allah forbid! May Allah forbid! Allah is the Owner of all Riches! Allah is the Most Generous! Shall I live at the expense of the sufferings and pains of other people?! Shall I build my glory on their destruction?! Shall I make a fortune at the expense of their poverty?! Shall I build my comfort at the expense of their discomfort?! Shall, I build my life on their death?! May Allah forbid! Allah is the Owner of all Riches!
Therefore, Allah’s Special Mercy is conditional on man’s faithful obedience, sincere strife, generosity, giving charities, helping the weak, having mercy on orphans, helping widows, enquiring about neighbors, attending religious lectures, lowering of one’s gaze, remembrance of Allah, reading the Holy Quran and Prophetic Sunna. All of these are channels that link you with Allah’s Special Divine Mercy and make you feel that you are a really distinguished person who enjoys a special status with Allah: a status that is manifested by Allah’s Divine Kindness, Care and Protection. This is Allah’s Special Being with you: Help, Support, Protection, and Care. This gives you a feeling of supremacy and excellence, because you are intimate to Allah. To this effect, Allah, Most Gracious, says
“Verily, those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, the Most Gracious (Allah) will bestow love on them.”
It is really a great thing to keep remembering Allah and to understand Allah’s Divine Book, the Holy Quran. I would like to reiterate, dear readers, that Allah’s Special Divine Mercy requires great efforts on your part. That is why Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says
“We have come back from the Minor Strife (i.e. the fight against enemies) to the Major Strife (i.e. the fight against one’s caprices and desires).”
Now, there is something that I like to call a “reservation”: When a human being has mercy upon another, he says, “My heart was broken at his miserable appearance!” You might sometimes find a poor child standing miserably at the corner of the street in the cold at a late hour of the night, trying to sell bread, matches or the like. Don’t you feel sorry for him? Isn’t your heart broken for him? Don’t you wonder where his family is? Don’t you feel that it is necessary to help him and his family? Such feeling is a kind of mercy. In other words, the heart of a Muslim is full of mercy; and he realizes that those who do not have mercy shall never receive mercy. It is really both painful and miserable to feel that you are the cause of other people’s sufferings or that you can help them out of their sorrows but you do not help them.
When someone stands before a miserable person, he feels very sorry and merciful for him. But does Allah have the same feelings? The answer is: No, of course not! Allah is far above such anthropomorphic feelings, i.e. His Divine Nature is by no means like that of human beings. Nevertheless, He has Mercy on His creatures.
Another thing: When a human being has mercy on another, he so does in order to comfort himself from feelings of sorrow that disturb him, i.e. in order to sooth his own feelings. This is a point of weakness in man. But Allah, All Mighty, has Mercy on His creatures for their own sake, not for His. In fact, here we have two delicate points: First, Allah is far above any anthropomorphic feelings of sorrow that accompany man’s mercy upon sh3er. Second, when a human has mercy on someone, he does so only to calm down his own feelings of sorrow that disturb him. This means that human mercy is imperfect. But Allah, All Mighty, has Mercy on His creatures only because He desires to do so, not because He needs to do so in order to calm down any feelings of sorrow that disturb Him. Once again, Allah, All Mighty, is far above any anthropomorphic feelings or qualities.
Now, we get to another very delicate issue, namely the difference between Allah’s Beautiful Names “Ar-Rahaman” (The Most Gracious) and “Ar-Raheem” (The Most Merciful).
Some religious scholars say that Allah, All Mighty, is “Rahman” (Most Gracious) in His own Divine Self, while He is “Raheem” (Most Merciful) in His Divine Acts. Others say that Allah is “Raman” (Most Gracious) in the present world, while He is “Raheem” (Most Merciful) in the Hereafter. To make things clear, let us have the following example: A loving father and a loving mother both have an ill son whose hand needs to be amputated for one reason or another. The mother refuses most strongly to have her son’s hand amputated, while the father insists that the son’s hand must be amputated. Which is more merciful, the mother or the father? The father is, of course, more merciful because he knows that such amputation will save the son’s life although it seems, at first sight, to be merciless. The mother’s unrealistic mercy will certainly cause her son a lot of mischief. Therefore, Allah’s Name “Rahman” (Most Gracious) is to be detected in this Quranic Verse:
“O my father! Verily, I fear lest a torment from the Most Gracious, should overtake you, so that you become a companion of Satan (in Hell-Fire).”
Here is a very serious question: You say that Allah, All Mighty, is “Raheem” (Most Merciful), but what about the great many earthquakes and volcanoes about which we hear everyday? What about floods, famines, civil wars, oppression, injustice, tyranny, poverty, epidemics, plagues, …etc.? The answer is: All of these seemingly evil things have to do with Allah’s Beautiful Name “Ar-Rahman” (The Most Gracious), simply because this Divine Name embraces both this present world and the world to come. If someone gets ill, this misfortune belongs only to this present world. Poverty, diseases, deprivation, oppression, humiliation,...etc, are all painful. But if such painful things are conducive to an everlasting Bliss, they are no longer considered as evil. Therefore, whenever you see something that is seemingly wrong or evil, you should know for sure that Allah, Most Gracious, does harm in order to do good, takes away in order to give, tries in order to reward, humiliates in order to honor, and withholds in order to give generously. That is why knowledgeable religious scholars most beautifully say, “Absolute Evil does not exist in the universe.” But what does “Absolute Evil” mean? It means “Evil that is meant to be as such, i.e. that does not lead to any good”.
The loving compassionate father whose heart abounds in mercy for his son in the foregoing example insists to have his son’s hand amputated in order to save his son’s whole life. This example should be clear to all dear readers: All of the disasters and misfortunes that visit people in this present life are meant to prevent more serious ones. Allah, Most Gracious, addresses this issue
“And verily, We shall make hem taste of the near (easier) torment prior to the supreme torment in order that they may return (in repentance).”
Allah, All Mighty, is both “Raheem” (Most Merciful) and “Rahman” (Most Gracious). He, Glory to Him, is “Raheem” (Most Merciful) in the sense that He endues you with good health, grants you wealth and property, gives you a home to live in, provides you with tranquility and peace of mind; but, at the same time, He is “Rahman” (Most Gracious) in the sense that He always takes your Hereafter into consideration, He helps you to do righteous things, and He prepares you for the Everlasting Bliss in the Hereafter. For the sake of the Everlasting Bliss, you may be made to sacrifice everything.
I knew someone who was a very rich person. He had a big house with a big garden. He had a lot of servants to look after the house and garden. He also had three expensive cars and a very large business and factory in the fashion business. He had lots of money and enjoyed a luxurious life. But some time later, I saw him in one of the poor places of Damascus. He told me that he had lost all his wealth. He said, “Now, I sleep on a table in my factory and eat cheap canned food directly from the cans because I no longer have any plates. But how did the man lose all of his wealth? It is a very long story. Now, with respect to this story, do we have to do with Allah’s Divine Name “Ar-Rahman” (The Most Gracious) or “Ar-Raheem” (The Most Merciful)? The answer is: “Ar-Rahman” (The Most Gracious), because such a misfortune is in favor of the man’s life in the Hereafter. In other words, he did not offer prayers, he was irreligious, he used to drink wine, he used to transgress against honor and dignity of other fellow humans. Allah, Most Gracious, desired to make him turn to Him with repentance and reform, so He caused him to lose all of his wealth. I swear by Allah, the One and Only God! Each and every story similar to the foregoing one is, itself, a Divine Declaration, since Allah, Most Gracious, says
“And verily, We shall make hem taste of the easier torment prior to the supreme torment in order that they may return (in repentance).”
The foregoing story seems to substantiate this Quranic Verse very clearly.
Therefore, dear reader, it is wise to turn to the Lord, Allah, Most Gracious, willingly while you are healthy and wealthy, so to speak, and to seek His Love and Good Pleasure before it is too late.
Allah, All Mighty, is the Most Gracious in this present world and the Hereafter. For your own happiness in the Hereafter, He may withhold the entire present world from you, for He knows what is good for you, but you do not. To this effect, the Quranic supplication goes:
“And of them (mankind) there are some who say: ‘Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire.”
And Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, says
“Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed (in Him)? And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing.”
One of the marvelous sayings of a knowledgeable religious scholar goes: “Perhaps you will ask: ‘What does Allah’s Being the Most Merciful mean?’ A merciful one does not hesitate to help a person who is afflicted with a misfortune, suffering or illness; and the Lord, Allah, is the Most Merciful and is Able to remove all misfortunes, poverties, troubles, distresses, illnesses, hardships, …etc, so why doesn’t He do that?” In fact, this is a very serious question: The present world abounds in illnesses, misfortunes, and hardships, …etc, and Allah is Able to remove them all most easily, so why does He not do that? The answer is: A compassionate, loving, but ignorant, mother may refuse to have her beloved child undergo a dangerous, although very necessary, surgical operation; but the child’s wise father insists that the child must undergo such operation. An ignorant person misbelieves that the child’s mother is more merciful than the father; but a wise person believes that the father’s insistence reflects his perfect mercy, compassion, and sympathy towards his child. A wise person sees the ignorant mother an enemy in the apparel of a friend. This is because a merciful but ignorant person is an enemy in the apparel of a friend. An ignorant father may sometimes send his son to a foreign country for fun, giving him lots of money. Such father is, indeed, a mere enemy to his son if the son commits grievous sins, like adultery, or alcoholism, if he becomes disdainful to his own country and people, if he believes that people of such foreign country are better and more developed than his own countrymen, or if he loses his entire religion there. I reiterate: such a father is a real enemy of his own son although he may wrongly think or claim that he loves him. In fact, all those who invite you to enjoy the perishable pleasures and enjoyments of this present world at the expense of your obedience to your Lord, Allah, All Mighty, are mere enemies although they claim to be sincere loving friends.
In fact, Allah, Most Merciful, may sometimes be hard with you for the sake of your Hereafter. Someone might say: This is a real misfortune! But I reiterate that if Allah, Most Merciful, desires to cure one of His slaves, He knows well how to do so; and He, All Mighty, usually befalls him from where he has never reckoned. In this context, people rightly say, “From his secure place a careful person is usually attacked.” They also say, “No care avails anything against Divine Decree.”
An American cardiologist once considered running as a perfect protection for the heart. He wrote articles and delivered lectures to convince people of the validity of his medical point. He also used to run for two hours everyday, as if running were a god that would protect him from all diseases. But Allah disproved his opinion because he died while he was running.
Sometimes, a doctor dies of a disease of his won specialization. Why does this happen? The answer is: when a specialized person puts his trust in his knowledge and experience but not in his Lord, Allah, All Mighty, Allah bsh3er him from the very place that he thinks as safe and secure.
This is a very delicate issue: Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, has created you for the Hereafter, and, therefore, He may sacrifice your entire present world for the sake of your Hereafter. However, if you are clever enough, you should beseech Him to make you prosperous and happy in both the present world and the world to come. In other words, you should turn to Him, all willingly, with sincere devotion and seek His Divine Favors if you desire to be happy and prosperous in this present world and the Hereafter. To this effect, the Quranic Verse goes
“And of them (mankind) there are some who say: ‘Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire.”
You should never forget this Quranic Verse:
“Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed (in Him)? And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing.”
Allah is the Rich, so why should He impoverish you? Why does He straiten your provision for you? Undoubtedly, Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, makes you poor and straitens your provision for you simply because He loves you and is Merciful to you, and in order to drive you back to Him as a slave. That is why it is wisely said that a little pain is laudable if it leads to endless pleasure.
Some religious scholars say: Allah is “Raheem” (Merciful) to His slaves in the sense that He desires Good for them. Therefore, there is no absolute Evil in the world, i.e. seemingly evil things must necessarily include Good in them. For example, a surgical operation is seemingly unpleasant and undesirable, but in essence it is not only merciful but also necessary. Similarly, all of the misfortunes that Allah afflicts His slaves with should be looked at from this perspective. That is why Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, says
“Those who remember Me are the ones who deserve My Love. Those who are thankful to Me are the ones who deserve My Increase. Those who disobey Me: I do not make them despair of My Mercy. If they repent, I am their Lover, but if they do not repent, I am (as it were) their Physician: I afflict them with misfortunes in order to purify them from sins and defects. A good deed is recompensed ten folds by Me, and I increase (the good recompense); and an evil deed is recompensed only one fold by Me, and I pardon. And I am more Merciful to my slave than a mother is to her babe.”
Before I wrap up, I would like to put forward a very delicate question: If you fail to see anything good imbedded in an evil thing, and if you think that such good thing, which is imbedded in the evil thing, is attainable without the occurrence of the evil thing, what should you do? Religious scholars say that you should not trust your limited human mind simply because it is unable to show you all things that happen as they really are. I reiterate, dear readers: it is impossible that a misfortune happens in the whole world without any reason, without a good thing being imbedded therein, or without a noble or paramount purpose lurking behind it. In other words, absolute Evil does not exist in the universe. Let me put it this way: All things that happen in the universe are subject to Allah’s Divine Will, which is associated with His Absolute Divine Wisdom, which is, in turn, associated with the Absolute Good. To this effect, the Quranic Verse goes
“Say: ‘O Allah, Owner of the Kingdom! You give the kingdom to whomsoever you will and take away the kingdom from whomsoever you will. You honor whomsoever you will and abase whomsoever you will. In Your Hand is (all) Good. Verily, You are Powerful over all things.”
The Verse says
“In Your Hand is (all) Good”
it does not say, “In Your Hand is both Good and Evil”. Honor that comes from Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, is Good, and so is humiliation that comes from Him. Giving the kingdom by Allah is Good, and so is taking away the kingdom by Him. The human mind is by no means able to read between the lines of the book of the universe. Therefore, if Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, endues someone with adequate knowledge and deep insight that enable him to understand misfortunes in a way that befits Allah’s Divine Wisdom and Mercy and His Beautiful Divine Names and Attributes, he will certainly be contented with His Divine Decree and Foreordainment, he will see Allah’s Divine Power lurking behind all things, and he will see Allah’s Divine Hand over people’s hands. In short, if man deviates from Monotheism, he is easy prey to endless unbearable sufferings. In this context, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says
“If your commanders are the best ones from among you and your wealthy ones are the most generous ones from among you, and if your affairs are subject to mutual counseling among you, then, the surface of the earth is better for you than its interior. But if your commanders are the worst ones from among you, your wealthy ones are the most niggardly ones from among you, and your affairs are under your women’s command, then the interior of the earth is better for you than its surface.”
To wrap up, if man deviates from Islamic Monotheism, he falls easy prey to endless misery and wretchedness. Islamic Monotheism means that you see none besides Allah, All Mighty, that you see that all things inevitably end well (In Your Hand is (all) Good), that you beseech the Lord, Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, to have Mercy on you in both this present world and the Hereafter and to give you, in this world, that which is good, and, in the Hereafter, that which is good.
