089a Asmaul Husna

8/13/2019 089a Asmaul Husna

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WHATS IN A NAME?

A name is a mark or a sign which serves as a symbol for therecognition of a person or a thing. We recognise something orsomeone by their name. A name evokes a wide possible rangeof opinions and emotions. The more knowledge you have of athing or a person, the stronger the emotion when the name iscalled out. For instance, the words, ma, mum, mother,mummy, evoke love and affection whilst the word ghostevokes fear, mystery.. The power of a recognisable name is becoming increasinglyvalued and valuable. Consider the sponsorship at sportingevents and the advertisements you see everywhere. In thiscase the name calls to mind goods of particular quality from aparticular source.When you remember someones or somethings name, you arepaying it them a subtle compliment. You are saying to it them

that they have made an impression on you and it gives them asense of importance. Similarly when you do not recallsomeones name it indicates their lack of impression on you.The word name is therefore synonymous with the wordreputation or character when it comes to human beings.The acquiring of knowledge about the attributes of Allah isclosely related to our knowledge of recognition of Allah.

Just as we identify a writer from his/her style of writing and byparticular words and phrases which are peculiar to him/her; inthe same way every creation of Allah performs the followingtwo main functions:a) Identifying it's Creatorb) Projecting the attributes of it's Creator and recognising the

purpose of it's creation.

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ASMAA UL HUSNAThe most beautiful names (of Allah)

Say (O Muhammad): Call upon Allah or call upon The Merciful,whichever you call upo n, He has the best names..

Suratu Bani Israil 17:110

The word Allah in the Quran is the name of an essence of His99 beautiful names and qualities like Merciful, Kind,Knowing... Whatever little information the human being can get aboutAllah can only be acquired through His names. Otherwise, wehave no access.Allah's attributes are utterly separate from ours and cannot beexamined through a comparison with our attributes. Forexample, when we boast of our knowledge, we are not oneand identical with our knowledge. During infancy there was notrace of learning or knowledge in our beings, but later wegradually acquired a certain amount of knowledge by learning.The attribute of knowledge is an accident and our essence is asubstance; each is independent of the other. But the case ofthe divine attributes is fundamentally different. When we saythat Allah is all-knowing, what we mean is that He is the sourceof knowledge: the attribute is not something other than theentity it describes although it is conceptually distinct. In reality,His attributes are identical with His essence; for His essencedoes not constitute a substance to which accidents might

adhere. He is absolute being, identical with knowledge, power,

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life, stability and realization; He is not subject to any mental orexternal limit or restriction.

Our whole word in essence is a name of Allah because nothingwhich exists can come into existence automatically.These qualities and Names are therefore an infra-structure forhuman akhlaq because in Islam, the human being is therepresentative of Allah. The Prophet (S.A.W.) has said:

Adopt the akhlaq of Allah In the same way, in order to arrive at the ideal society of theQuran, we must build our society with the Divine Qualities.The human being in social life needs peace in his life and As-Salaam Peace is one of the Names of Allah. A person alsoneeds kindness and forgiveness for well being in individual lifeas well as in society and Ar-Rahmaan and Ar-Raheem are twoof His names.Society likewise in order to attain solidarity, power andconfidence needs eiman faith. Al- Mumin The believer is oneof the Qualities of Allah.In order to attain control over our affairs and independence wemust develop strength within ourselves. Al-Qawiyyu -ThePowerful and Al-Ganiyyu The Independent (rich) are two

more of His Qualities.The human being and human society is distinguished by havingcreative ability, and inventiveness. Al-Khaliqu The Creator, Al-Baariu The Originator, Al-Musawwiru The Fashioner areamong Allahs other Names and Qualities. If you were to play tennis, you would not go onto the courtwith bedroom slippers. Similarly, we have to learn and apply

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the right name and thus the right akhlaq in the appropriatesituation.

All the Asmaaul Husna - qualities can be reflected in our soulsindividually and our society be filled with peace, purity,kindness, faith, confidence, honesty, trust, knowledge,awareness, dignity and might.

Each name of Allah is a Dua in itself . When reciting any one ofHis beautiful Names, ponder over them and try to apply themto your life..

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REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH

Allah in the Quran says:

Remember your Rabb within your nafs, humbly and fearfully,not loud of voice, in the morning and evening.

Suratul A-raaf 7:205

In Al-Kafi, a hadith reported from Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir(A.S.) states;It is written in the Tawraat that has not been altered thatMusa (A.S.) asked his Rabb: Ya Rabbiy! Are You near me sothat I should pray to You in whispers or are You far so that Ishould cry out to You? Allah revealed to him: O Musa! I am

the companion of one who remembers Me!

Imam Khumayni (A.R.) writes:Remembrance is a result of contemplation. Contemplation isthe search and remembrance is its attainment.Although the remembrance of Allah is a quality of the heart, itis better that the remembrance by the heart is followed by oral

zhikr . ..Our shaykh, the perfect aarif Shahabadi would say:The zhakir (one who remembers), during zhikr must be likeone teaching words to alittle child that has not yet learnt tospeak. He repeats the words until the childs tongue opens andthe latter utters the words. After that the child has articulatedit, the teacher follows the child and his fatigue caused byrepetition is removed, as if he has received an encouraging

assistance from the child. In the same way, one who does zhikr

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must teach zhikr to his heart which has not learnt to articulateit First it is the tongue which is zhakir and following it, theheart too becomes zhakir with the aid and instructions fromthe tongue.

Prophet Isa (A.S.) had asked Allah who the nearest person tohim on the earth at that moment was and Allah had given himthe directions to find her. Allah had called her a Mu'mina. Hermark was that she was a rememb ering abidah of Allah. Hefinds her. She was a being without legs, arms, and eyes.Homeless and destitute, she was left at the mercy of thepassers by to give her something to survive on. Yet with hertongue, she was busy thanking Allah, and praising Him callingout: Ya Allah! Alhamdulillah. You have granted me so much,how will I ever thank You. You have granted me what You havenot granted so many more. Why? I don't know. It is only amanifestation of Your grace. Alhamdulillah....

Prophet Isa (A.S.) greeted her and she responded back withbetter ones, addressing him as Rooh Allah. He was perplexed.He asks her: O' Mu'mina! what is it that Allah has granted youthat you are so thankful for? Surely Allah is gracious. But inyour case, one mig ht see how much Allah has not given you. O' Rooh Allah she responded "He has granted me Hisremembrance. He has withheld from me feet that might walk

on the path of haaram. He has withheld from me hands thatwould act on haram. He has withheld from me eyes that wouldglance at Haram. Yet I do recognise you without their aid. Andmy tongue, He has occupied with His praise. Alhamdulillah.Tell me how many has He blessed as such?"

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NAMES GIVEN TO THE RABB OF THE HEAVENS AND THEEARTH

In the religious terminology of the world, we fond that everyhuman being in his/her own way and dialect, has given somebeautiful name for the Rabb of the heavens and the earth.

The English and other allied European languages call their Rabbof the heavens and the earth. The word God comes from theGermanic word Gott meaning the supreme or ultimate reality,the being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who iscreator and ruler of the universe. (Extract from MerriamWebstr Collegiate Dictionary) In the Latin dominated languagesof Western Europe, the term used for God is Deus (Dieu inFrench, Dios in Spanish, Dio in Italian). In all these Deusmeans heaven.

The Hindu word for the Almighty God is Pramatma. In Sanskrit(ancient Indian language) Atma means soul and Pram -atmameans the great and holy soul or the holy spirit. Despite thefact that Hindus believe that God is everything and everythingis God, the classical name for this Supreme God is Om whichmeans Guardian or Protector.

In Jewish scriptures He is known as Yhwh/Elohim translated inEnglish as the Lord God. Yhwh , Yehova, Yahuwa all mean thesame thing. Ya both in Hebrew and Arabic means Oh! Huwaor Hu means He in Hebrew and Arabic. So Yehowa means OhHE!Now lets look at the word Elo him which is made up of Eloh +Im. In Hebrew, the suffix Im is a plural of respect. Eloh or Elah

or Ilah means God.

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ALLAH

The name Allah solely belongs to the One and Only God. Itcombines all His names attributes and needs no introductionfrom others, whilst the other names are recognised whenadded to the name Allah. Allah is not given to anyone otherHim, nor should it be ever used for anyone besides Him. It

means One Who deserves to be loved and into whomeveryone seeks refuge. Unlike the word God which can be made into Gods andGoddess, there is no feminine of the word Allah and neither isthere a plural.Suratul Ikhlas sums up the concept of Allah in a nutshell.

(I begin) in the name of Allah, the Kind, the Merciful.1. Say ! He Allah is One.2. Allah is He on Whom all depend.3. He does not give birth and neither was He given birth to.4. And none is like Him.

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This sura was revealed to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) in Makkawhen the Jews were continuously asking him to describe theidentity of Allah . As an answer to their queries this sura wasrevealed. It is said that one third of the Quran is anexplanation of this very principle. Perhaps that is why theProphet (S.A.W.) has said that the recitation of this sura oncecarries the thawaab of reciting one third of the Quran. In this sura Allah uses the word ahad as opposed to wahid todepict his oneness. Wahid is the numerical digit one in Arabicwhich is divisible and can also be preceded and followed byother numbers. Ahad depicts one in the sense of the absoluteone which can neither be divided, multiplied, preceded orfollowed.

In the beginning of the sura Allah denies the view of themushrikeen who believe in more than one God or associatepartners to God. He then denies the views of the Kuffar who

view that God is in need. Finally the view of the Christians andthe Jews is denied in their thinking that God has a son orprogeny..

In Suratush Shuara, Prophet Ibraheem (A.S.) introduces Allahas:

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..Who created me, and it is He who guides me, And Who feeds me and provides me with drink,And when I am ill, He heals me,And Who causes me to die and then gives me life (Again),And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the day of judgement.

Suratush Shuara 26:78-82

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THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH

The first sentence of the Kalima (Shahada) is the basis of thelife of a Muslim. There is no God.. depicts that nothing in theUniverse is superior to Allah and thus nothing in the world is tobe worshipped, however powerful they may seem to be. It isonly when one rejects (negates) every idea of nature worship,

idol worship and human worship, that one is able to believe inthe positive truth of tawheed. The sentence has both anegative and positive aspect. Both aspects are instrumental increating the belief that all human beings are equal. Whennobody is superior, no one is inferior. The superiority lies onlywith Allah and the aim of life to get close to Him beingaccessible to one and all.

Imam Ali (A.S.) has said:Whenever an abd of Allah says , it ascends

piercing every ceiling, erasing his/her sins as it passes by themtill it reaches its equivalent in good deeds.

Imam Jafer As -Sadiq (A.S.) has said:The testimony of is the price of Janna

He also said: If one says a hundred times before

going to bed, Allah builds him/her a mansion in Janna, andwhoever seeks Allahs forgiveness a hundred times beforegoing to bed, his/her sins will fall down as leaves fall downfrom the trees.

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THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL

The Arabic words Rahmaan and Raheem are both intensiveforms of referring to different aspects of Allahs attribute ofMercy (Rahma).Mercy may imply pity, long suffering patience, and forgivenessall of which one who sins needs and Allah bestows it in

abundant measure.It has been reported that when Allah breathed life into ProphetAdam (A.S.) he sneezed and immediately said All praise be toAllah, the Lord of the worlds (the 1 st aya of Suratul Hamd afterBismillah.) Allah responded: Your Rabb is Merciful to you OAdam.. Prophet Adam (A.S.) stretched his hand and placed iton his head saying Oh! Allah asked what was wrong. Prophet

Adam (A.S.) replied I have sinned Allah asked how heknew that Prophet Adam (A.S.) replied Mercy is for thesinners. It became customary for all the descendants ofProphet Adam (A.S) to put their hands on their heads whentroubled or afflicted by a calamity. (Allah The concept of God in Islam byYasin T al-Jibouri pg.219)

However, there is Mercy that goes before even the need arises that which Allah provides to all His creation nurturing them,protecting them, guiding them, preserving them and leadingthem to a higher order. For this reason the attribute Ar-Rahmaan is not appl icable to any but Allah. The masumeenhave said that Rahmaan is a name which denotes unreservedMercy whilst Raheem denotes reserved Mercy.

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It is narrated that Prophet Sulayman (A.S.) was sitting by aseashore when he saw an ant carrying a grain go towards thewater. He watched as a frog appeared, opened its mouth asthe ant approached and entered its mouth. The frog dived intothe waters. Prophet Sulayman (A.S.) was reflecting on what hehad just seen when he saw the frog appear. It opened itsmouth a nd the ant walked out without the grain in its mouth.Prophet Sulayman (A.S.) called her and asked her where shehad been. She said Ya Nabiyallah! In the bottom of the sea isa hollow rock where lives a blind worm. Allah assigned the taskof carrying it s food to me. The frog is assigned the task ofcarrying me so the water does not harm me. ProphetSulayman (A.S.) asked her: Do you ever hear the worm praiseAllah? The ant replied: Yes The worm says O one whodoes not forget me in the depth of this rock, in the midst of thiswater I plead to You by Your sustaining me not to forget Yourbelieving ibaad (pl of abd) and to include them in Your Mercy.

. (Allah The concept of God in Islam by Yasin T al -Jibouri pg.334)

The Prophet (S.A.W.) said: One who has no mercy towardspeople is deprived of the Mercy of Allah. Be merciful to thoseon earth so that those in the heavens may be merciful to you. The Prophet (S.A.W.) is referred to by Allah as Rahmatul lilaalemeen (A mercy to the worlds).

Mercy or rahma is the ability to stroke when one has the rightand the power to strike. It is the ability to care when one hasthe right and the power to turn away. It is the ability to lovewhen one has the right and the power to hate.

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THE KINGAl-Malik conveys the meaning of One who is free, by virtue ofHis own merits and characteristics from depending on anythingin existence whilst everything in existence depends on Him. Inother words, nothing in existence can do without Him, whereaseverything that exists derives its existence from Him orbecause of Him. Everything/everyone is His. He can exercise His

authority on anything /anyone under His possession.He is the one and only real King who will remain forever rulingnot only over bodies or physical existences but over the heartand souls too.A land owner is maalik of the land one who is legally boundto obey the king the malik with regard to land related lawswhereas the opposite is not possible.

In the Quran, A llah describes Himself as the Owner of thewhole domain saying:

Say! (O Muhammad) O Allah! The Master of the kingdom; Yougive the kingdom to whomsoever You wish and You take awaythe kingdom from whom so ever Youwish... Suratu Ali Imran 3:26 The aim is to be aware that Allah is the sole and ultimateauthority in both creation and legislation. Everything is theoutcome of His creation and is held by Him. It must beremembered that the kingdom in question is not just thetemporary glory of the world.In Suratul Mulk, Allah says:

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Blessed is He in whose hands is the kingdom and He haspower over all things; It is He who created death and life thatHe may test you as to which of you does the best of deeds;and He is the Honourable, the Forgiving.Suratul Mulk 62-1,2From these ayaat of the Quran, we see that Alla h refers to

death and life as creations and He alone controls both.Namrud addressing Prophet Ibraheem (A.S.) said:

I am your great lord -

Prophet Ibraheem (A.S.) replied:

My Lord gives life and death -

Namrud said he could do that as well. He called 2 men andordered one to be killed and the other to be spared.

I give life and death. -

Prophet Ibraheem (A.S.) told him to raise the one whom he hadkilled. Namrud had no answer.Applying AL-Malik to our lives means to be able to have

kingship (total control) of our nafs. The acquisition of Mulkmeans to have authentic power. one that perceivesmeaningfulness and purpose in every aspect of creation andamr of Allah. (No grief nor sadness, no fear). It has 3 mainaspects Hayaat (Immortality), Nur (radiance), Sukun(Contentment). It means iving to die and not dying to live. Itallows one to discriminate between right and wrong and to

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question the purpose of existence thus transforming onessituation.As Imam Husayn (A.S.) said Life is nothing but hijra and jihad.A prince once asked a wise man whom he admired if there wasanything he could do for him.How can you possibly ask me that when I have two servantswho are your masters? the wise man replied The prince asked: Who are these two? The wise man responded: Inappropriate anger and desires. Ihave conquered them while they have conquered you. I ruleover them while they rule over you!

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THE HOLY

Al-Quddoos is derived from the word quds meaning purity. Itmeans purity in all aspects. That is to say that Allah is pure andfree from all flaws, defects, errors, drawbacks, faults. He isabove all human weaknesses.It means the One who is so pure and holy that His

characteristics cannot be perceived by the senses.

The human being is by nature averse to everything that he/sheperceives to be defective or faulty and a human being is bynature inclined towards absolute perfection. Although peoplevary regarding their identification and perception of perfection,each of us having perceived something as an ideal, turns

towards it. When we find something better or higher orattention diverts If we ponder for a moment at the perfectionof our Rabb, we will realise that the search is over forperfection lies only with Him.

When we have acknowledged His perfection and purity, itevokes in us reverence. When we stand before Him especially

during Salaa it must be with cleanliness, tahara, discipline andhumility and behaviour that befits one who is The Holy.

It is reported that the great alim Muqaddis Ardebeli (A.R.)never stretched his legs, even when he slept. Never did heexplain this peculiar habit.

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In the last moment of life, he had no choice, but to stretch hislegs for one who is about to depart from this world is to havehis legs outstretched, facing Qibla.The family and friends heard Ardebeli utter this to Allah:Forgive me, for my stretched legs are but a necessity at thi stime. I never stretched them before for fear of disrespectingYou, for I know that You are present, always. Forgive me, fornow I must. How does one apply Al- Quddoos to ones life? Firstly, we mustunderstand what perfection is for Al-Quddoos is purity in allaspects in other words perfection.In the world we can often distinguish perfection of things e.g. aperfect apple is identified by its flavour, colour, delicacy,shape but the most difficult task is to define is a perfecthuman being. Because our current understanding of progressin perfection is to control the environment, it produces acompetition that affects every aspect of our life. In this one

persons gain in this power is anothers loss. Sadly all ourinstitutions display this power it shapes our economics ourexistence Money is a symbol of external power those whohave the most have the most ability to control theirenvironment and those within it Anything we fear to lose ahome, a car, a persons affection are all symbols of externalpower. External power is pursued by the ego it is the go

which judges, manipulates, exploits.Spiritual intelligenceshows us another kind of power one that perceivesmeaningfulness and purpose in every aspect of creation andamr of Allah. (No grief nor sadness, no fear. It has 3 mainaspects Haya (Immortality), Nur (radiance), Sukun(Contentment ).It means the development of all hree types of intelligence IQ

Rational, logical, rule bound thinking EQ (Emotional

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intelligence) - Habit bound, emotional thinking and SQ(Spiritual intelligence) the thinking with which we addressmeaning, direction and value to our actions. He mostimportant being SQ which makes us re spond to the Quranallowing us to witness janna and jahannam on earth and thatwhich takes us closer to Allah. So perfecton and purity is theability in a person to bring higher vision and value to othersand showing them how to use it; in other words a person whomotivates others. He/she is incapable of making anyone oranything a victim; one who does not use any force againstanother.All our Prophets and Masumeen were perfecthuman beings. They taught us with that which awakens in usthe recognition of truth.

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THE GIVER OF PEACE

Salaam means peace. It conveys unconditional security andassurance of tranquility. There can be no peace or tranquilityfrom anyone other than Him. In the Quran, Allah says:

Indeed (only) with the remembrance of Allah are hearts atrest... Suratur Rad 13: 28

The word Islam comes from the root word salama whichmeans peace. A Muslim is one who is at peace with his/herRabb. It is only achieved when there is submission to His will.Believing that in submitting to Him alone, will give freedomform everything else and peace in all circumstances of life.

There once was a King who offered a prize to the artist whowould paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. TheKing looked at all the pictures, but there were only two hereally liked and he had to choose between them.One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirrorfor peaceful towering mountains were all around it. Overheadwas a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw thispicture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.The other picture had mountains too. But these were ruggedand bare. Above was an angry sky from which rain fell, and inwhich lightening played. Down the side of the mountaintumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.But when the King looked, he saw behind the waterfall a tinybush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird

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had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angrywater, sat the mother bird on her nest in perfect peace.The King chose the second picture explaining his reason:Because, peace does not mean to be in a place where there isno noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in themidst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That isthe real meaning of peace.

Salaam is also the greeting of a Muslim. The Prophet (S.A.W.)has said:The greeting of salaam is an integral part of the deen of Islam

Greet each other with Salaam so that you may achieve peaceand security. Who so ever upholds three things will have achieved yaqeen(certainty)- 1) Fairness to his nafs 2) greeting everyone withsalaam 3) spending wisely out of what he/she sa ves.

When we greet someone with salaam, we are assuring him/herof safety and security, granting him/her immunity from evil orill intentions on our part.In the Quran, one of the names given to Janna is Dar usSalaam the abode of peace.It is reported from Thawban, a slave of the Prophet (S.A.W.)that whenever the Prophet (S.A.W.) finished his salaa, he

would pray in his dua:Rabb! You are As -Salaam, from You is peace, Glory be toYou Applying As-Salaam to life means to be able to be at peace having contentment of the heart. A human being is constantlyin search of peace. In everything we do, we are looking forinner peace, happiness and calm. We have to eat, sleep and

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pay our bills but that does not bring peace peace comes fromallowing the nafs to reach up and connect with Allah.This can only be achieved through submission to His will. Allahin the Quran says:

.your God is One God, therefore to Him should yousubmit. Suratul Hajj - 22:34 Submission is not taken in any passive sense but as a positiveact of committing ones elf to bring ones attitudes, likes,dislikes, and behaviour in harmony with the will of Allah. Insimple words, it means to adopt Islam as a way of life, obeyingthe awamir (plural of amr - order) of Allah, and not disobeyingHim in words, actions or thoughts.

The relationship between the human being and Allah is that ofservant and Master, created and Creator. Allah has made Hisorders known through His Prophets who communicated it tohumankind. The ahlulbayt after the Prophet (S.A.W.) continuedto provide guidance.Submission comes with knowledge. Knowledge makes oneaware of what is wajib, haram, mustahab, makruh & jaaiz, howto fulfil my wajibaat .. Those who worship without knowledgemay end up receiving more harm then benefit. How many

times has one who worships tired him/herself out inworshipping whilst persistently committing a sin.One who submits to the orders of Allah, should not beginanything unless he/she knows the amr (order) of Allahregarding the matter. i.e. is it wajib, haram..what is thecorrect way of performing it?In Hadith e Qudsi, Allah says:

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My abd (servant) draws nearer to Me with nothing morepleasing than that which I have made wajib on him/her, andthen continues to draw near Me with mustahabaat until I lovehim/her; and when I love him/her I become his/her hearingwhen he/she hears, his/her sight when he/shesees..Should he/she ask Me, I shall surely grant his/herrequest; should he/she ask Me for protection, I shall surelyprotect him/her;.. Tasleem (submission) is not only for thrice a day, or for onemonth of fasting or the odd attendance at the masjid. Allahdoes not want half measures - He wants complete of us. Heasks us to hand over our whole nafs to Him - and in return Hegives Himself.

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THE GRANTER OF SECURITY

Al-Mumin means the One who provides the means of security,blocking all avenues of fear. To say Allah grants His ibaad (pl ofabd) security against all that they fear must be understood inthe light of the circumstances of the life in this world and in thehereafter.

When Namrud and his people decided to kill Prophet Ibraheem(A.S.) they put him under house arrest and made preparationsto build a large fire. It is said that they collected timber for amonth. When the fire was lit, they catapulted ProphetIbraheem (A.S.) towards it. It is reported that the angels fromthe heavens offered to help Prophet Ibraheem (A.S.). Even

Jibraail asked if he could help To all of them ProphetIbraheem (A.S.) replied From you, I do not. Sufficient for meis He is whom I have placed my trust. Allah ordered the fire:

We said: O Fire! Be cold and safety for Ibraheem. Suratul Ambiya 21:69

How do we reflect this attribute of Allah in our lives? He simpleanswer would be to have eiman (faith). But what is eiman?The Prophet (S.A.W.) has said:

Eiman is divided into 2 halves; one half lies in sabr (Pa tience)and the other half in shukr (thankfulness).

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The Prophet (S.A.W.) has also said:

Islam is outward whereas eiman is in the heart (inward).Imam Jafer As -Sadiq (A.S.) explained the difference betweenIslam (in the personal sense) and eiman:Eiman means -acknowledgement made by the tongue,covenant made in the heart,and actions performed by the body

Eiman has a daar (zone) of its own, just as Islam and kufr have.A person is a Muslim b efore he/she becomes a muminSo,when someone commits a big or small act which Allah hasforbidden (sin), he/she comes out of the zone of eiman andloses his/her title to eiman, although the title of Islam stillremains with him/her. And when he/she turns away fromhis/her sin and does tawba and istighfaar (repents), he/she

returns to the zone of eiman.

Imam Jafer As -Sadiq (A.S.) also said:Islam is the deen of Allah. One who acknowledges the deenof Allah is a Muslim, and one who acts according to that whichAllah has commanded is a Mumin. Eiman is iqraar (testimony) accompanied with deeds and Islam

is iqraar (testimony) without deeds.

Eiman is not restricted to the solitary sphere of an individualsexistence but it covers all human activity in all aspects -political, social, economic, educational, cultural, etc.. It iseiman which creates a feeling of outrage against corruption,exploitation, tyranny and oppression.

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A religion is of little value if it only brings inner light and peaceto the individual. It must be able to offer decisive and clearguidance to human beings in every kind of social role orprofession, and in each and every phase of their life and career.Only eiman can claim to possess the ability to satisfy fully thisrequirement.It manifests itself towards others as safety as the followinghadith illustrates.The Prophet (S.A.W.) has said:

A Muslim is one from whose hands and tongue other Muslimsare safe. Someone asked Imam Muhammad Baqir (A.S.)What is the smallest pun ishable sin that one commits againstanother person? Imam asked him to stretch his hand. Then Imam asked forpermission to squeeze it.Imam squeezed his hand gently. The man gasped a little.

Imam said: That is the smallest punishable sin.

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GUARDIAN OVER ALL

Al-Muhaymin means that he is the one who oversees all ofcreation all our actions. He provides sustenance and decreesour life spans through His Knowledge, Control and Protection.Anyone who oversees something is its gu ardian havingabsolute power and authority over it. Al-Muhaymin is the One

who encompasses in His knowledge the management of theaffairs of all His creation from the smallest atom to the largestplanet in the cosmos.

In the Arabic language it is common to describe someone whoprotects someone else as their muhaymin. Arabs describe theprotection of the young birds by their mother enveloping them

under her feathers as being muhaymin over them.If we reflect at the world around us we see the effect of Al-MuhayminImam Jafer As -Sadiq (A.S.) in his discourse to his companionMufadhdhal said:Look at the creation of a bird, see how it has been createdlight and small in volume to enable it to fly,two legs instead

of foursince their food consists of seeds and that which does not needchewing they have no need of teeth. Instead, Allah created forthem a hard and sharp beak which cannot break when tearingoff meat and does not suffer injury when collecting seeds.To enable digestion of food which is not chewed, they havebeen given a powerful digestive system and a warm body..

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Furthermore, birds reproduce by laying eggs so that they canremain light enough to fly; if their off springs were to grow intheir stomachs, they would become too heavy to fly

In every aspect of life we see the guardianship Allah provides all we have to do is look.

On ourselves we need to reflect this attribute when we interactwith those who need our guardianship. The needy, theorphans The following example may help to understandhow to aply it tp our lives.Imam Hasan (A.S.) and Imam Husayn (A.S.) had just buried theirfather and were returning to the city when they heardsomeone crying and calling out :Where are you? O you who visited me and had mercy on me! They went to inquire and found that it was a leper for whomImam Ali (A.S.) had provided a shelter outside the town of

Kufa. Imam used to visit the leper daily, dressing his woundsand feeding him for he had lost the use of his hands.When Imam Hasan & Husayn (A.S.) informed him of theshahadat of their father, the leper asked to be taken to thegrave where he breathed his last. Imam Jafer As -Sadiq (A.S.) has said:Who so ever puts an affectionate hand on the head of an

orphan will be rewarded by Allah with a radiance (light) forevery hair which will pass from below his hand.

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THE MIGHTY59:23

The root word of this attribute is izz meaning might, power,strength, victory and elevation. Al- Aziz is the one Who Alonehas all honour, He is never humiliated neither imaginationnor intellect can conceive Him. He can never be harmed, He isalways victorious. It also means The Incomparable. The

Prophet (S.A.W.) used to say I seek refuge with Your Might,for You Who is the One and only God who never dies, while jinn and humans die.

The battle of Badr illustrates the manifestation of Al-Aziz inthose who sincerely believed in Him.In Suratu Aali Imraan, aya 122, Allah says:

And indeed Allah assisted you at Badr when you were weak,so be careful (to your duty) to Allah so that you may be of thethankful ones. When you said to the believers Does it notsuffice you that your Lord should assist you with threethousand angels sent down.. The battle of Badr was the first of the great battles of Islam.When the Prophet heard the news that there was a trade

caravan going to Syria from Makka under the leadership of AbuSufyan he sent two men to gather information about it. It wasdiscovered that it was a large caravan in which all the Makkanshad shares. The Quraysh had decided to put all their savingsinto it and use the profits on arms, horses and other items ofwar to use against the Muslims.

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The news was disturbing. The Prophet (S.A.W.) left Madinawith 313 men, 2 horses and 70 camels to go to Badr which wasa stopping point for the caravans.The Quraysh had confiscated all the property of all the Muslimswho had left Makka for Madina and the Prophet thereforedecided to confiscate the property of the caravan incompensation.Abu Sufyan feared an attack from the Muslims and sent amessenger to Makka telling them of his fears. On receiving themessage, an army of 1000 men, 100 horses and 700 camelsunder the leadership of Abu Jahl left Makka to go to Badr.Meanwhile Abu Sufyan took a different route back to Makkaavoiding Badr. Once he was back in Makka he called Abu Jahlback but Abu Jahl was too proud and wanted to crush theMuslims with his large army.The two armies met at Badr on 17 th Ramadhan 2 A.H.In the beginning as per Arab custom, single combat (one to

one) took place. The famous Quraysh warriors Utbah, Shaybaand Walid came to challenge three Ansars from Madina. TheQuraysh refused to fight any of the Ansars, demanding theirequals and so the Prophet (S.A.W.) sent Ubayda, Hamza andImam Ali (A.S.) The three Kuffar were killed (Ubayda was hurt). The Quraysh got disturbed and began attacking en masse.In the thick of the battle the Prophet prayed to Allah. In Surat

ul Anfal, aya 9 Allah gave the answer:When you asked for help from your Lord, He answered you.Indeed I will aid you with a thousand of the angels in rows afterrows.The enemies got frightened and began to retreat. The skill ofImam Ali (A.S.), the other Muslim soldiers and the sight of somany angels struck terror in the enemies hearts.

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70 Kuffar were killed including their leader Abu Jahl. Imam Ali(A.S.) killed 36 of them. 14 Muslims were martyred.70 prisoners were taken by the Muslims. The prisoners weretreated with kindness and some became Muslims. In later dayssome of the prisoners said: Blessed be the men of Madina ,they made us ride whilst they walked, they gave us wheat andbread to eat when there was little of it contenting themselveswith plain dates. The rich prisoners paid ransom and were set free. Others wereasked to gain their freedom by teaching 10 Muslims to readand write.To apply AL-Aziz to our lives

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THE SUPREME

Linguistically, Al- Jabbar is derived from the word jabr which isthe opposite of breaking. It suggests the mending of somethingthat is broken, crushed, shattered, fractured.. The adjectivejabbaar is also said to mean great, inaccessible. Linguists sayAl-Jabbar means the most Great, the Supreme Al-Jabbar also

means the One Whose will prevails. Nothing can happen in Hisdomain except what He pleases. It may also mean the OneWho repairs, improves, reforms, corrects. He is t he one whonot only mends what is broken but also enriches the one whois in want..

Al-Jabbar also connotes forcefulness. The human being cannot

choose how or when he/she wishes to be born, neither canhe/she control the time or circumstances of death. The sunmoves in its orbit without deviating an inch it has no choice.In all of creation we see manifest signs of His Supremacy.

Firawn was one who refused to acknowledge these signs.When . Firawn learnt of the escape of the Bani Israail from Egypt,

he followed them with a huge army. The Bani Israail saw Firawnapproaching as they came near the Red Sea. They feared for theirlives. Prophet Musa (A.S.) struck the waters of the sea with hisstaff and the waters parted, making a dry path. The peoplerushed through and crossed safely. When Firawn saw the path heentered the sea at the head of his army. But while he was in themiddle of the sea the waters suddenly closed around him and hismen.

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In the final moments of his life Firawn recognised the Supremacyof Allah and he desperately offered his repentance saying. Isolemnly declare that there is no god but the Lord of Musa, and Iam one of the believers. However, it was too little too late. Firawn and his people drowned under the deep sea and Allahcaused their dead bodies to be thrown onto the shore. Thepreserved body of Firawn can be seen in the Cairo museum eventoday, a lasting lesson for humankind.

When the word Jabbar is used for a human being it denotesarrogance, cruelty, and hard hardheartedness as the forcefulnessof exerting ones will as a human being is selfishness. Allah isbeyond all need, and His will is sheer Rahma

Al-Jabbar must evoke in us humility towards Allah. A Rabb, soGreat and so Powerful yet so Rahmaan and Raheem. Imam

Jafer As -Sadiq (A.S.) is reported to have said:Allah inspired Prophet Musa (A.S.) saying: Do you know, OMusa, why I chose you from among My creation to hear Myword?No! Ya Rabb said Prophet Musa (A.S.) Allah said: From the inhabitants of the ea rth, I found none morehumble than you.

Prophet Musa (A.S.) went immediately into sijda, and rubbed hischeeks on the earth as a sign of humility to his Rabb, theSupreme.Allah said: O Musa! Raise your head and pass your hand overthe place where you did sijda, then wipe your face with it andwhatever you can touch of your body, for this will be yoursecurity against any sickness or ailment, affliction or handicap.

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THE POSSESSOR OF EVERY GREATNESS

Understanding Al -Mutakabbir requires a good deal if insightand reasoning. Its root word kibriyaa means greatnessincorporating the concept of ones perfection. Nobody can bedescribed as perfect except Allah. Al- Mutakabbir is the OneWho possesses all greatness and Who rightly deserves pride

and glory.

To begin to understand His Greatness, we must learn to gobeyond our own mind, our ego and our tools or perception. Tolook for His greatness with our logic and intellect is like tryingto capture the suns rays in our hands. From the per spective ofabsolute reality, there is no other Greatness. It is the principal

law of existence. If you place an object of 100 cubic feet in aspace of 100 cubic feet, no other object can share that place.Likewise, if you have an object of infinite size, no other objectcan possibly occupy any space or any time. There is nocompetition in greatness with Him.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) said Allah has said: Pride is My cloak,

Greatness is My garment; whoever disputes with me regardingeither, I shall surely hurl him/her in the fire. This implies that pride, greatness and might befit only Allahand none other.

As with Al-Jabbar, it evokes humility and keeping away fromthe evil of self-conceit, vanity, arrogance and pride in a humanbeing.

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The Prophet (S.A.W.) has said: Never can the person who possesses a speck of kibr (pride)inside his/her heart enter Janna.Kibr is caused when one thinks that he/she possesses somekind of excellence. When this happens the person feels thatothers are inferior and a feeling of self-esteem develops in thenafs showing itself in actions. Even basic actions like walkingand talking change. The intensity of kibr takes over a personwithout him/her realising it. He/she creates an artificial halo ofsacredness around him/her.

It is said that pride comes before a fall. Imam Jafer As -Sadiq(A.S.) is reported to have said:There is no person who does not have a harness to his/herhead. Whenever he/she has kibr (is proud), an angel says Behumble, lest Allah should disgrace you Thus, in his/her eyes

he/she may be the greatest of human beings whereas in theeyes of the people he/she is the smallest of creatures. Whenhe/she is humble and modest Allah removes the harnessfrom his/her head and an angel says Elevate yourself, forAllah is elevating you. Thus, he/she is the smallest of personsin his/her own eyes whilst the most elevated and noble in theeyes of others.

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THE CREATOR

Al-Khaaliq is derived from khalq meaning creating. Al -Khaaliqis the one who brings things into existence from non-existence.

Science says that it is life that creates life. However, no singlecell has been discovered that was created from lifeless matter.

According to science, the earth went through long periods inwhich there was no possibility of life because of the extremeheat prevailing. The atmosphere was full of molten metals andvolcanic eruptions. Later, when the crust of the earth began tocool, only inorganic matter could be found there for millions ofyears. In short, throughout the tumultuous changes thatoccurred to the surface of the earth, there was no trace of life

on it. How then did life certainly come forth?Al-Khaaliq is the one who has created not only all life forms butthe complete adaptation of every species of animal to itsconditions of living each created with its particularinstruments needed for its condition of life.When prophet Musa (A.S.) was asked by Firawn Who is yourRabb?

Prophet Musa (A.S.) replied:

..Our Rabb is He who endowed all things with a particular form of creation and then guided it . Suratu Taha 20:50

Lets look at some of the unmatched wonders of creation. Afemale moth emits soft signals that a male moth can pick up

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from an incredible distance sending its own signals in return.However, much one would want to disturb thesecommunications, one is unable to do so. Does this frail creaturecarry a transmitter or a receiver? A tiny cricket rubs its legstogether and the sound can be heard upto a kilometre away ona quiet still night. In order to summon its mate, the makecricket sets sixty tons of air into motion and the female cricketresponds, although no audible sound comes from her?

The harmony and interconnectedness of millions of naturalphenemona in our world can only be explained on the basis ofone theory namely that there is a Creator Al-Khaaliq whohas established creation by means of a limitless and infinitepower with a programme for each element of creation.

If we occasionally perceive weak points in nature, it does notimply inadequacy of the Creator because our thoughts and

perceptions are too limited to perceive all the mysteries andenigmas of the universe our intellect cannot comprehend theaims and goals of existence. If we are unable to understand thefunction of a small screw in a great machine, it does not give usthe right to accuse its inventor / designer as ignorant?Imam Jafer As -Sadiq (A.S.) said to his companion Mufadhdhal:I swear by my own nafs that Allah has not failed to make

Himself known to the ignorant, for they see clear proofs anddecisive indications of the Creator in His creation and beholdwondrous phenemona in the kingdom of the heavens and onearth that point to their Creator.

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THE MAKER

Baraa means creating or initiating creation without a previousmodel. Baraa also implies a process of evolving from apreviously created matter. Al- Baari is thus the Maker or theEvolver. He is the one who moulds each form and framecreating all things in proportion. It follows on from Al-Khaaliq

the One who creates out of nothing.

The creation of Prophet Adam (A.S.) described in NahjulBalagha Sermon 1 reflects the attribute Al- Baari.

Allah gathered together earth having various properties(hard, soft, saline, acidic etc. ) He moistened it and allowed it to

ferment till it became one cohesive mass and took up a form.He then gave it a shape, various twists and curves in it s bodyand limbs, joints and segments. He then allowed the figure toremain for a period known to Him till it became solid andstrong enough to support the whole being and bear its weight.It continued like that until He infused into it the divine spiritand the figure stood up to be a man.

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THE FASHIONER

Al-Musawwir is the one who fashions or designs, givingsomething its distinctive form, colour or shape, making itexactly suited to given end or objective. He creates the humanbeing with different physiques, size, complexions e tc Itfollows on from Al-Khaalq and Al- Baari. First creating out of

nothing, then making a prototype and then from the prototypedifferent forms exactly suited to their situations.

Lets look at the designing in the various methods that plantsutilise to spread their seeds.All fruits with a single seed have a hard protective casing with aseam along its length which is bounded by an adhesive which

dissolves only in the earth. When you next throw an inedibleseed onto the ground, pause to glorify its Designer.Look at Velcro fastening? So simple and effective tiny hooksgripping looped fibres. The idea comes from seeds such asburdock which have a row of hooks to grip the coats of passinganimals. The seeds are then carried until they are brushed offby undergrowth and grow into new plants.

There is the squirting cucumber that bursts open to shoot itsseeds like bullets from a gun.The coconut which floats away from its parent tree on ocean

currents before reaching dry land. Special fibres around theseed help it to float.There are parachutes from the dandelion.Who taught the burdock to grow hooks, the cucumber toproduce explosives that can shoot its seeds, the coconut to

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thoughtfully provide a ring to help its seeds float, the humbledandelion the intricate laws of dynamics? If not AL-Musawwiru,then who?

Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (A.S.) has said:..If you wish to view His Grandeur, observe the greatness ofHis creation.

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THE WISE

Hakeem is a superlative form, a form for the glorification of theOne Who has all the Wisdom. Wisdom means the best way ofknowing something, utilising the very best of means.Al-Hakeem is One who is Just in His assessments, Rahmaan inthe management of affairs, One Who has determined the

measure of everything, One Who places everything in its rightplace.

When one acknowledges Allah as the Wise, then it follows thathe/she will act on His orders without any questions or dispute that which we call submission. Submission is not the absenceof reason, it is a skill in its own right, which, when cultivated,

allows us to experience the ultimate. The divine Architectthrough His Wisdom provided us with a road map and guidesthat illumina te the worlds many winding dark paths, so thatwe too may reflect His wisdom.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) has said:The apex of wisdom is to have taqwa in Allah

Taqwa comes from the word wiqaya meaning to guardoneself applied to something which is exposed to danger andcorruption. In essence it is submitting to His Wisdom andfulfilling all the waajibaat and keeping away from all themuharrimaat.

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Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, upon whom be peace, said in answer tosomeone who was questioning him about the nature of God:"He is something utterly other than all things; He alone isidentical with the very essence of being. He is not a body andhas no form. The senses cannot perceive Him and He cannot besought out. He escapes the grasp of the five senses; fantasyand imagination are unable to perceive Him. The passage oftime and the succession of ages in no wise diminish Him and Heis exempt from all mutation and change."

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THE KNOWER OF THE UNSEEN AND SEEN

Aalim is derived from the word ilm meaning knowledge. Forus as human beings, the world is divided into two parts Thehidden (ghayb) and the manifest (shahada). Things are hiddenin the sense that certain truths, being infinite and non materialcannot be perceived by the outer senses. Allahs knowledge

encompasses everything. The events that occur in the mostdistant part of the universe, happenings that occurred billionsof years ago or will occur billions of years later all arecontained in the sphere of His knowledge. He is aware of thecourse of the stars, the depths of the oceans, the norms andlaws of nature as the following aya of Quran so vividlyportrays.

And with Him are the keys of the unseen treasures noneknows them but He, and He knows what is in the land and thesea; and there falls not a leaf but He knows it, nor a grain in thedarkness of the earth, nor anything green nor dry but (it is all)in a clear book.

Sur atul Anaam 6:59

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In order to understand His knowledge, we as human beings tryto apply our intelligence to search and reflect stretching thelimits of our thoughts however, our mental apparatus lackthe skills required to reach our goal.

Imagine that you are watching cars moving down a street froma small window. You see one car at a time pass by the window,appearing at one end and disappearing from the other. Thesmall window compares to our field of vision it determines apast and a future for the cars. Our situation with respect to thepast and future of the world is like the person watching thecars through the small window. Once we realise that Allah isabove time and place, we understand that all past and futureevents are always present and existent in front of Him like apicture.

We, as His best creation therefore ought to have a sense of

responsibility to a Creator who is aware of the most subtledeed and our innermost thoughts. As the Quran says:

And Allah knows what you do. Suratul Baqara 2:283

It is reported that before Zulaykha tried to seduce Prophet

Yusuf (A.S.) she covered the statue of the deity she worshippedwith a cloth. Prophet Yusuf (A.S.) asked her the reason for heraction and she said that she felt ashamed to do somethingwrong in front of her god to which Prophet Yusuf (A.S.) repliedthat if she was fearful of a god of stone, how could he notfear/respect His Kareem Rabb (the most Honourable Nourisherand Cherisher)

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SURATUL HASHR (59)Ayaat 22, 23 and 24

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In the name of Allah, the Kind, the Merciful

He is Allah besides Whom there is no god;The Knower of the unseen and the seen,He is the Kind, the Merciful

(59:22)

He is Allah, besides Whom there is no god,The King, the Holy, the Giver of Peace, the Granter of Security,Guardian over all, the Mighty, the Supreme, the Possessor ofevery greatness,Glory be to Allah form what they associate (with Him).

(59:23)

He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner,His are the most excellent names,Whatever is in the heavens and the earth declares His glory,

And He is the Mighty, the Wise.(59:24)

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SURATUL HASHR (59:22, 23 & 24)

My shaykh would ask me to recite the last ayaat of SuratulHashr (59:18-24) after daily prayers and to contemplate overtheir meaning, especially in the late hours of the night whenthe heart is relaxed. He said that it was very effective for curingthe soul and for holding the mischief of the self and Shaytan atbay. He would recommend us to be with wudhoo at all times,for, he would say, it is like a warriors armour.

Ayatullah Al Khumaini (A.R.)(Selected Sayings compiled by the W F of KSIMC)

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089a Asmaul Husna

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