ه بسم ن اللـ ـ حم حيم الر الر

Indeed all praise is due to Allah (swt)We praise him we seek His help we seek His forgiveness and we

seek refuge with Him from the evil of our souls and the evil of our actions Whomsoever Allah (swt)

guides none can misguide and whomsoever Allah (swt) leaves to stray none can guide I bear witness

that there is none worthy of worship save Allah (swt) the One who has no partner and I bear witness

that Muhammad (saw) is His servant and Messenger The best speech is the speech of Allah and the best

guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (saw) The worst of all matters are those newly introduced in

the religion Every newly introduced matter is an innovation and every innovation is going astray All

going astray leads to Hellfire

We ask Allah (swt) that he make this action sincerely for Him as all good contained in these notes is

from Him and we ask Allah (swt) to forgive us for any errors as they are all from us

Please use these notes to complement your personal notes and not to supplement them

Jazakum Allahu Khairan

Scribe Team

TABLE OF CONTENTS Valley of the Seekers Seminar Background Notes 4

ALLAH 7

Al-ILLAH THE LORD 7

Al-RABB THE LORD 7

AL-KHALIQ THE CREATOR 8

AL-KHALLAQ THE KNOWING 8

AL-BARI THE EVOLVER THE ORIGINATOR 8

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS 9

AL-WITR THE ONE 10

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY 10

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE 10

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT 11

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING 12

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE SELF-EXISTING 13

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR 13

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED 14

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY 14

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING 115

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN 115

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH 16

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED 16

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED 16

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST 17

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST 17

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD 17

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER 17

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER 18

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING 18

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE 18

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED 19

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY 19

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT 19

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY 20

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT 20

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT 21

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG 21

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS 21

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM 22

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING 22

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR 23

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE 23

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR 24

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT 24

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER 25

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN 25

AL-WAKEEL THE ULTIMATE TRUSTEE 27

Valley of the Seekers Seminar Background Notes Short story from the Prophet pbuhrsquos life The kufar asked the Prophet pbuh ldquowhat is Allah What is the nature of Allah And what is He made of (gold silver etc)rdquo Surat Al-Ikhlas was revealed in response to their questioning and so the Prophet pbuh recited the surah to them We might be asked about Allah swt daily so we need to be able to answer these important questions We also need to live with these Names and manifest these attributes in our daily lives When we know the meanings of Allah swtrsquos names we are able to apply it to our daily lives For instance in a time of struggle we know that we need to be Thankful because Allah swtrsquos name is As-Shakur and therefore we need to be thankful at all times This seminar is centered on

This lecture will insharsquoAllah take us to jannah

Prophet pbuh said that lsquowhosoever memorizes these names shall enter jannahrsquo Do we really need to memorize them What does it mean ldquomen ahsahardquo mean

The name of this course is how to live with the names of Allah swt we will learn how to implement the names of Allah swt

Allah swt honoured the people of knowledge (ahle el 3elm) Allah swt also favors them as well Allah swt will elevate their ranks in jannah many folds as well Ranks are not just a single rank in jannah but it is many ranks Iman is one of the things that people need to have including knowledge Allah swt did not specify how many ranks Allah swt just stated ranks and Allah swt alone knows how many What knowledge is greater than learning the names of Allah swt If we do not know the meanings of Allah swtrsquos names and who Allah swt is then how can we answer who Allah is

Ibn Taymiyyah said that Allah swt talks about the names and attributes of Allah swt more than the mentioning of food annah and other things Allah swt states And I have not created the Jin and man but that they worship Me Holy Quran 51 57 Than how can we warship Allah swt if we do not know him therefore we need to know him so that we are able to worship him Allah swt does not want part of our love but He wants us to love Him 100 The knowledge of Allah swt is knowledge that without it you feel like you would die like if you were prevented from attaining this knowledge you would feel like dying Many of the incidents in our lives should make you think of some of the names of Allah swt it should automatically make you think of the names of Allah swt constantly Sometimes the sheikh Riad dreams about the name of Allah swt Abu Hurayrah narrates that the Prophet pbuh said ldquoAllah has 99 Names ndash one hundred less one whoever learns them shall enter paradiserdquo [Bukhari Muslim] Page 3

The above hadith does not mean that Allah swt only has 99 names but it means that Allah swt cannot have less than 99 names

What does ldquomen ahsahardquo mean Ibn Ul-Qayyim states on page 3 The meaning of ldquomen ahsahardquo means

o Memorize them o Believe in them ie Allah is the Ar-Razzaaq o Understand them o To act upon them

o To recite the Qurrsquoan and complete it (Because you will come across the names of Allah swt when you read the entire Qurrsquoan)

You can relate a name to a situation for instance Say that you have a financial problem or you want a baby Anything you want you need to know what name to use when you are making dua in-front of Allah swt Al-asma al hosna ndash why are they called that Asmarsquo= al-ism (the name) = sumu (majesty) Asmarsquo means names Al-Husna = most beautiful They are called Al- Husna due to

1 The refer to the divine essence with attributes of perfection that exist in Him 2 Allah swt has promised a beautiful reward for whoever ldquomemorizesrdquo them 3 Their knowledge is the most beautiful and most beloved to Allah swt 4 It is named after the noblest of them all which is Allah swt

The elements of Allah swt 1 Belief in the existence of Allah swt 2 Belief in the Lordship of Allah swt 3 Belief in His Divinity (His Olheyaa) 4 Believe in His Names and Attributes

True enslavements revolve around three pillars See page 7 1 Love of Allah swt 2 Hope of His Mercy 3 Fear of His punishment

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya said that a bird has a head and two wings therefore can a bird fly with one wing or just two wings without a head Hence just like the bird we have to love Allah swt out of LOVE HOPE and FEAR There are people who worship Allah swt out of just one of the three Your worship is complete when you maintain the three in a balance Allah swt questions ldquoThen do they not look at the camels- how they are created [Al-Ghashiyah 8817] Why did Allah swt choose camels and not elephant Through Allahrsquos creation we can learn about Allah swt Allah swt wants us to learn about Him through his creation ie Camels Here are some scientific facts about camel There is a lot of hair on either side of the camel to protect them from the airs They can actually curve their ears depending on where the wind is coming from A camelrsquos nose has rim that helps them cover when there is sand wind Their eyes have a double raw of eye lashes that help them to interlace and keeps out the sand

from their eyes The tail has hairs on the sides to protect from wind The neck is long so that it can reach leaves high on trees and can go to the ground to eat Hump of the camel is a fat piece and it is a source of energy when food source is very little

They use this hump as food when there is no food The stomach of a camel has four sides (sections) their digestive system is strong so that it can

digest anything at all (even rubber) This is why Allah swt says donrsquot they look at the camels and how it was created SUBHAN ALLAH

Al- Illah Al-Rab Most people do not know the difference between al 3afu and al khafar

This book (seminar) is complied into four themes (the names) Themes are on page 10 Perfection of his right to be worshiped ldquoMankind worship your Lord (Rabba-kum) who created you and those before you that you may become righteous [Al-Baqarah 221]

Ibn Uthaymeen book of the 99 names of Allah swt was used Yasir Qadhi addresses the names of Allah swt as well From among the names of Allah swt 81 names are from the Quran and 10 from the hadith WHAT ARE THE EXACT NUMERS Tonight we will focus on Allah Al-ilah Al-rabb

Ism Allah al lsquoadam (the greatest name of Allah swt) ndash if you were to make duaa on this name Allah swt will answer you duaa insharsquoAllah This greatest name is

ALLAH Al Razi says that it is derived from al Ilah but others say that it is not derived from it

Al-ILLAH THE LORD Means our lsquoebada - the only sole that should be worshiped is Allah swt Al-Ilah also means where the hearts find rest (tasqon al khuloob) Al illah al marsquoloob tarsquolaoho el kholoob ndash means hearts longlove Allah swt Imam al-Ghazi said that when we say lsquola illaha ila Al-Rahmanrsquo this does not get accepted instead we must say lsquola illaha ila Allahrsquo - even though the other names are also the names of Allah swt

Al-RABB THE LORD The Lord - the one who nurtures lsquoRab ul baytrsquo in Arabic is the keeper of the house like the father Al-Rabb means al marsquobood (the One who is worshiped) The people of Quresh had tawheed al rubobeya which is that when you asked them who created the world they say Allah but at the same time they lacked tawheed of uloheya (Divinity) Who is Allah swt Allah swt states that He the jinns and humanrsquos are in a strange relationshiphellip That Allah says lsquoI create and they worship other than Himrsquo Ie Worshiping the sun cows etc During the time of prophet Suleiman pbuh people used to worship the sun the hudhud (a type of bird) got upset and complained to prophet Suleiman about their worship to the sun Than who is Allah swt ALLAH IS THE ONLY ONE THAT ANSWERS THIS QUESTION Men howa Allah Allah answers this question in the ayaat of the Qurrsquoan like

Allah swt says that everything in this earth is making dikhr of Allah swt (praising Allah swt) We do not hear their tasbeeh The fact that we do not hear their tasbeeh is a nersquoma (blessing) ndashalhamdulillah We need to teach people about Allah swt and why we should worship him Some of our worship is missing elements because it is not coming from the heart When was the last time you enjoyed the sweetness of sujood The sahabah used to repeat one Surah from the Qurrsquoan over and over while crying Have you felt the sweetness of saying ldquoSubhana rabi al arsquolaardquo Allah swt is mentioned 2698 times in the Qurrsquoan The name ALLAH contains all the other names For example Al-Rahman is one of the names of Allah Just like the rest of the 99 name But we cannot say ldquoAllah is one of the names of al-Azizrdquo so therefore Allah is the combined name of all the names Similarly if you have stress the name you can use that contains all of the names is ALLAH Always return to Allah swt Look at Allah swt creation renew your attention to Allahrsquos creation We as humans get used to things we see in our world sometimes we need to get unused to these things For instance the clouds contain soo much water and if Allah swt allowed for it to fall on us at one time it would harm us but from Allahrsquos mercy it falls in drops (rain)

AL-KHALIQ THE CREATOR Al-Khaliq comes from the root word خلق to create something based on a pattern or model which one has devised To create is to evoke something into being out of non-existence by an act of will Al-Khaliq is the One who plans and determines how when and where to create The One who creates something from nothing (ie ex hihilo) The names Al-Khaliq and Al-Khallaq are found in surah Al-hash ldquohowa Allahu ul khaliq and khallaq al baree al musaweer A good example of how beautiful and magnificent our creator is by remembering Amazing bird video we watched which copied all the sounds in our world The video was on birds that can make all different types of sounds like a car horn police car siren etc Al-Khaliq is the One who created this beautiful bird with such amazing abilities

AL-KHALLAQ THE KNOWING Al-Khallaq comes from the root word خلق The knowing creator ndash indicative of the extreme intensifies the meaning Al-Khallaq is an extreme exaggeration Khallaq takes the form of farsquo3al (this is a name that is an indication to something extreme) Similarly Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur Recall the story of the wife of the ministry of Egypt who tried to seduce Yusuf pbuh Part of the surah states ldquowa khalekhat al abwabrdquo which is an extreme itrsquos an exaggeration

AL-BARI THE EVOLVER THE ORIGINATOR Al-Bari comes from the root word برأ which is to create out of nothing To evolve is to exhibit or produce by development Evolution implies the process of production and development according to plan

Al-Bari is the one that creates out of nothing Creation precedes evolution since the effect of the will precede the action For instance Allah swt created the angels from nour (light) jinns form fire and humans from clay

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS Al-Musawwir comes from the root word صور is to form Fashioning emphasizes the act of composing and giving form shape and inherent qualities thereby yielding the final product The fashioner is the one who has given everything a special form and a special manner whereby it is distinguished Sawarah is to form Giving form and shape which inherits qualities An excellent example to understand this and many names is the human being Look at how Allah swt created the human being We are a miracle walking on earth If we look at the development of the embryo in the motherrsquos womb we understand Allahrsquos miracle Look at specifically the different liquids that are found in the human body The earsrsquo liquid has a specific role and responsibility there is different liquid that comes from the eyes mouth and nose Ear liquid has a bitter taste that helps you protect your ear from insects entering your ear There are parts of our body that are always open but nothing ever enters them Imagine if your eye lashes were to grow soo long how would you walk Or if your eye brows grew long Why donrsquot these two things (eye lashes and eye brows) grow too long SubhanrsquoAllah One look at ourselves is enough to make us understand the name Al-Musawwir Who made you in this fashion ALLAH swt We were created out of nothing and imagine the exact same thing that we are made of can also make us unclean SubhanrsquoAllah here is the stages of development simple Allah swt describes the stages of development

1 Drop of fluid (nutfa ndash semen) How can an illiterate person tell them things that we are only discovering in recent days lsquoInna khalakhna el insane men nutfaten amshajen nabtaleehi fa jarsquoalnaho sameersquon baseerarsquo See page 13

2 Inner layer development of embryo 3 Outer layer nutrition of embryo Imagine we were created from something like water a

liquid Ever wonder how can something liquid turn into bones Like a hard substance SUBHANrsquoALLAH Every bone in our body is different with different bone density Following bones the flesh part - where does it come from Then the skin and following that the thing moves IMAGINE - SubhanrsquoAllah

Last rule from page 6 We believe in the attributes of Allah swt without Distorting it Denying the meaning of them Without liking him to His creation

A surah that clarifies that we cannot compare Allah swt to his creation is in surat Al fajr ayah 22

Hence we cannot compare Allah swt with the angels Another good example is people asking how does Allah swt come down in the 3rd of the night We should not ask about these types of question We also know that Allah swt has hands but we cannot say it is the same hands as ours So we should not ask about these types of specificity Yet another example is that Allah swt smiles when a wife wakes her husband up for prayer How and is this smile similar to

ours we cannot say The idea is that we do not compare Allah swtrsquos characteristics and attributes to his creation

AL-WITR THE ONE Al-Witr comes from the root word وتر This name is not mentioned in the Qurrsquoan but it is mentioned in hadith Hadith that was narrrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah Ibn Amr classified as sahih by Shaikh Al-Albani ldquoAllah is One and He loves that which is odd-numberedrdquo Allah swt wants us to be different he does not want us to be the same as others Allah swt wants us to live a life of passion of greatness Odd numbers is witr and shafrsquo are even numbers For example Tawaf around the karsquoba is 7 which is a witr number The number of times we go from the safa and marwa is 7 times The number between the earth and heaven is also 7 The Prophet pbuh used of fast 3 days of every month

Allah swt is complete and therefore He is witr On the other hand we need a partner because we humans are shafrsquo Another hadith the Prophet said lsquodo witr because Allah swt loves odd numbersrsquo GEM LEAVE A LEGACY SO THAT WE ARE REMEMBERED LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS A Sunnah to revive is the number and manner of rakat the Prophet pbuh used to pray He prayed 5 or 7 or more without any tashahud so he only used to do the tashahud in the last rakah (the most the Prophet pbuh went up to is 11 rakahs) The minimum rakahs for witr prayer is one prayer or 3 and you can do more than that but only odd numbers Duaa al Qunut was performed by the Prophet pbuh when there was a calamity The number of rakahs prayered for Qunut one rakah which is the least but the best is to pray 3 rakahs and more (odd numbers)

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY Al-Wahid comes from the root word وحد which means to be one unique He is the one who is singled out in all aspects of perfection such as nothing else shares with Him these The one source from which all creation springs forth Al-Wahid is mentioned 13 times in the Qurrsquoan

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE Al-Ahadrsquos root word is أحد means to be the only one The One who has no second [that shares] in the lordship nor in the essence nor in the attributes The One who was not begotten and has never begotten Al-Ahad is mentioned only once in the Qurrsquoan but the surah that mentioned it is equivalent to 13 of the Qurrsquoan The surah is Al-Ikhlas

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

TABLE OF CONTENTS Valley of the Seekers Seminar Background Notes 4

ALLAH 7

Al-ILLAH THE LORD 7

Al-RABB THE LORD 7

AL-KHALIQ THE CREATOR 8

AL-KHALLAQ THE KNOWING 8

AL-BARI THE EVOLVER THE ORIGINATOR 8

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS 9

AL-WITR THE ONE 10

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY 10

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE 10

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT 11

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING 12

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE SELF-EXISTING 13

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR 13

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED 14

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY 14

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING 115

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN 115

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH 16

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED 16

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED 16

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST 17

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST 17

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD 17

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER 17

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER 18

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING 18

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE 18

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED 19

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY 19

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT 19

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY 20

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT 20

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT 21

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG 21

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS 21

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM 22

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING 22

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR 23

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE 23

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR 24

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT 24

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER 25

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN 25

AL-WAKEEL THE ULTIMATE TRUSTEE 27

Valley of the Seekers Seminar Background Notes Short story from the Prophet pbuhrsquos life The kufar asked the Prophet pbuh ldquowhat is Allah What is the nature of Allah And what is He made of (gold silver etc)rdquo Surat Al-Ikhlas was revealed in response to their questioning and so the Prophet pbuh recited the surah to them We might be asked about Allah swt daily so we need to be able to answer these important questions We also need to live with these Names and manifest these attributes in our daily lives When we know the meanings of Allah swtrsquos names we are able to apply it to our daily lives For instance in a time of struggle we know that we need to be Thankful because Allah swtrsquos name is As-Shakur and therefore we need to be thankful at all times This seminar is centered on

This lecture will insharsquoAllah take us to jannah

Prophet pbuh said that lsquowhosoever memorizes these names shall enter jannahrsquo Do we really need to memorize them What does it mean ldquomen ahsahardquo mean

The name of this course is how to live with the names of Allah swt we will learn how to implement the names of Allah swt

Allah swt honoured the people of knowledge (ahle el 3elm) Allah swt also favors them as well Allah swt will elevate their ranks in jannah many folds as well Ranks are not just a single rank in jannah but it is many ranks Iman is one of the things that people need to have including knowledge Allah swt did not specify how many ranks Allah swt just stated ranks and Allah swt alone knows how many What knowledge is greater than learning the names of Allah swt If we do not know the meanings of Allah swtrsquos names and who Allah swt is then how can we answer who Allah is

Ibn Taymiyyah said that Allah swt talks about the names and attributes of Allah swt more than the mentioning of food annah and other things Allah swt states And I have not created the Jin and man but that they worship Me Holy Quran 51 57 Than how can we warship Allah swt if we do not know him therefore we need to know him so that we are able to worship him Allah swt does not want part of our love but He wants us to love Him 100 The knowledge of Allah swt is knowledge that without it you feel like you would die like if you were prevented from attaining this knowledge you would feel like dying Many of the incidents in our lives should make you think of some of the names of Allah swt it should automatically make you think of the names of Allah swt constantly Sometimes the sheikh Riad dreams about the name of Allah swt Abu Hurayrah narrates that the Prophet pbuh said ldquoAllah has 99 Names ndash one hundred less one whoever learns them shall enter paradiserdquo [Bukhari Muslim] Page 3

The above hadith does not mean that Allah swt only has 99 names but it means that Allah swt cannot have less than 99 names

What does ldquomen ahsahardquo mean Ibn Ul-Qayyim states on page 3 The meaning of ldquomen ahsahardquo means

o Memorize them o Believe in them ie Allah is the Ar-Razzaaq o Understand them o To act upon them

o To recite the Qurrsquoan and complete it (Because you will come across the names of Allah swt when you read the entire Qurrsquoan)

You can relate a name to a situation for instance Say that you have a financial problem or you want a baby Anything you want you need to know what name to use when you are making dua in-front of Allah swt Al-asma al hosna ndash why are they called that Asmarsquo= al-ism (the name) = sumu (majesty) Asmarsquo means names Al-Husna = most beautiful They are called Al- Husna due to

1 The refer to the divine essence with attributes of perfection that exist in Him 2 Allah swt has promised a beautiful reward for whoever ldquomemorizesrdquo them 3 Their knowledge is the most beautiful and most beloved to Allah swt 4 It is named after the noblest of them all which is Allah swt

The elements of Allah swt 1 Belief in the existence of Allah swt 2 Belief in the Lordship of Allah swt 3 Belief in His Divinity (His Olheyaa) 4 Believe in His Names and Attributes

True enslavements revolve around three pillars See page 7 1 Love of Allah swt 2 Hope of His Mercy 3 Fear of His punishment

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya said that a bird has a head and two wings therefore can a bird fly with one wing or just two wings without a head Hence just like the bird we have to love Allah swt out of LOVE HOPE and FEAR There are people who worship Allah swt out of just one of the three Your worship is complete when you maintain the three in a balance Allah swt questions ldquoThen do they not look at the camels- how they are created [Al-Ghashiyah 8817] Why did Allah swt choose camels and not elephant Through Allahrsquos creation we can learn about Allah swt Allah swt wants us to learn about Him through his creation ie Camels Here are some scientific facts about camel There is a lot of hair on either side of the camel to protect them from the airs They can actually curve their ears depending on where the wind is coming from A camelrsquos nose has rim that helps them cover when there is sand wind Their eyes have a double raw of eye lashes that help them to interlace and keeps out the sand

from their eyes The tail has hairs on the sides to protect from wind The neck is long so that it can reach leaves high on trees and can go to the ground to eat Hump of the camel is a fat piece and it is a source of energy when food source is very little

They use this hump as food when there is no food The stomach of a camel has four sides (sections) their digestive system is strong so that it can

digest anything at all (even rubber) This is why Allah swt says donrsquot they look at the camels and how it was created SUBHAN ALLAH

Al- Illah Al-Rab Most people do not know the difference between al 3afu and al khafar

This book (seminar) is complied into four themes (the names) Themes are on page 10 Perfection of his right to be worshiped ldquoMankind worship your Lord (Rabba-kum) who created you and those before you that you may become righteous [Al-Baqarah 221]

Ibn Uthaymeen book of the 99 names of Allah swt was used Yasir Qadhi addresses the names of Allah swt as well From among the names of Allah swt 81 names are from the Quran and 10 from the hadith WHAT ARE THE EXACT NUMERS Tonight we will focus on Allah Al-ilah Al-rabb

Ism Allah al lsquoadam (the greatest name of Allah swt) ndash if you were to make duaa on this name Allah swt will answer you duaa insharsquoAllah This greatest name is

ALLAH Al Razi says that it is derived from al Ilah but others say that it is not derived from it

Al-ILLAH THE LORD Means our lsquoebada - the only sole that should be worshiped is Allah swt Al-Ilah also means where the hearts find rest (tasqon al khuloob) Al illah al marsquoloob tarsquolaoho el kholoob ndash means hearts longlove Allah swt Imam al-Ghazi said that when we say lsquola illaha ila Al-Rahmanrsquo this does not get accepted instead we must say lsquola illaha ila Allahrsquo - even though the other names are also the names of Allah swt

Al-RABB THE LORD The Lord - the one who nurtures lsquoRab ul baytrsquo in Arabic is the keeper of the house like the father Al-Rabb means al marsquobood (the One who is worshiped) The people of Quresh had tawheed al rubobeya which is that when you asked them who created the world they say Allah but at the same time they lacked tawheed of uloheya (Divinity) Who is Allah swt Allah swt states that He the jinns and humanrsquos are in a strange relationshiphellip That Allah says lsquoI create and they worship other than Himrsquo Ie Worshiping the sun cows etc During the time of prophet Suleiman pbuh people used to worship the sun the hudhud (a type of bird) got upset and complained to prophet Suleiman about their worship to the sun Than who is Allah swt ALLAH IS THE ONLY ONE THAT ANSWERS THIS QUESTION Men howa Allah Allah answers this question in the ayaat of the Qurrsquoan like

Allah swt says that everything in this earth is making dikhr of Allah swt (praising Allah swt) We do not hear their tasbeeh The fact that we do not hear their tasbeeh is a nersquoma (blessing) ndashalhamdulillah We need to teach people about Allah swt and why we should worship him Some of our worship is missing elements because it is not coming from the heart When was the last time you enjoyed the sweetness of sujood The sahabah used to repeat one Surah from the Qurrsquoan over and over while crying Have you felt the sweetness of saying ldquoSubhana rabi al arsquolaardquo Allah swt is mentioned 2698 times in the Qurrsquoan The name ALLAH contains all the other names For example Al-Rahman is one of the names of Allah Just like the rest of the 99 name But we cannot say ldquoAllah is one of the names of al-Azizrdquo so therefore Allah is the combined name of all the names Similarly if you have stress the name you can use that contains all of the names is ALLAH Always return to Allah swt Look at Allah swt creation renew your attention to Allahrsquos creation We as humans get used to things we see in our world sometimes we need to get unused to these things For instance the clouds contain soo much water and if Allah swt allowed for it to fall on us at one time it would harm us but from Allahrsquos mercy it falls in drops (rain)

AL-KHALIQ THE CREATOR Al-Khaliq comes from the root word خلق to create something based on a pattern or model which one has devised To create is to evoke something into being out of non-existence by an act of will Al-Khaliq is the One who plans and determines how when and where to create The One who creates something from nothing (ie ex hihilo) The names Al-Khaliq and Al-Khallaq are found in surah Al-hash ldquohowa Allahu ul khaliq and khallaq al baree al musaweer A good example of how beautiful and magnificent our creator is by remembering Amazing bird video we watched which copied all the sounds in our world The video was on birds that can make all different types of sounds like a car horn police car siren etc Al-Khaliq is the One who created this beautiful bird with such amazing abilities

AL-KHALLAQ THE KNOWING Al-Khallaq comes from the root word خلق The knowing creator ndash indicative of the extreme intensifies the meaning Al-Khallaq is an extreme exaggeration Khallaq takes the form of farsquo3al (this is a name that is an indication to something extreme) Similarly Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur Recall the story of the wife of the ministry of Egypt who tried to seduce Yusuf pbuh Part of the surah states ldquowa khalekhat al abwabrdquo which is an extreme itrsquos an exaggeration

AL-BARI THE EVOLVER THE ORIGINATOR Al-Bari comes from the root word برأ which is to create out of nothing To evolve is to exhibit or produce by development Evolution implies the process of production and development according to plan

Al-Bari is the one that creates out of nothing Creation precedes evolution since the effect of the will precede the action For instance Allah swt created the angels from nour (light) jinns form fire and humans from clay

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS Al-Musawwir comes from the root word صور is to form Fashioning emphasizes the act of composing and giving form shape and inherent qualities thereby yielding the final product The fashioner is the one who has given everything a special form and a special manner whereby it is distinguished Sawarah is to form Giving form and shape which inherits qualities An excellent example to understand this and many names is the human being Look at how Allah swt created the human being We are a miracle walking on earth If we look at the development of the embryo in the motherrsquos womb we understand Allahrsquos miracle Look at specifically the different liquids that are found in the human body The earsrsquo liquid has a specific role and responsibility there is different liquid that comes from the eyes mouth and nose Ear liquid has a bitter taste that helps you protect your ear from insects entering your ear There are parts of our body that are always open but nothing ever enters them Imagine if your eye lashes were to grow soo long how would you walk Or if your eye brows grew long Why donrsquot these two things (eye lashes and eye brows) grow too long SubhanrsquoAllah One look at ourselves is enough to make us understand the name Al-Musawwir Who made you in this fashion ALLAH swt We were created out of nothing and imagine the exact same thing that we are made of can also make us unclean SubhanrsquoAllah here is the stages of development simple Allah swt describes the stages of development

1 Drop of fluid (nutfa ndash semen) How can an illiterate person tell them things that we are only discovering in recent days lsquoInna khalakhna el insane men nutfaten amshajen nabtaleehi fa jarsquoalnaho sameersquon baseerarsquo See page 13

2 Inner layer development of embryo 3 Outer layer nutrition of embryo Imagine we were created from something like water a

liquid Ever wonder how can something liquid turn into bones Like a hard substance SUBHANrsquoALLAH Every bone in our body is different with different bone density Following bones the flesh part - where does it come from Then the skin and following that the thing moves IMAGINE - SubhanrsquoAllah

Last rule from page 6 We believe in the attributes of Allah swt without Distorting it Denying the meaning of them Without liking him to His creation

A surah that clarifies that we cannot compare Allah swt to his creation is in surat Al fajr ayah 22

Hence we cannot compare Allah swt with the angels Another good example is people asking how does Allah swt come down in the 3rd of the night We should not ask about these types of question We also know that Allah swt has hands but we cannot say it is the same hands as ours So we should not ask about these types of specificity Yet another example is that Allah swt smiles when a wife wakes her husband up for prayer How and is this smile similar to

ours we cannot say The idea is that we do not compare Allah swtrsquos characteristics and attributes to his creation

AL-WITR THE ONE Al-Witr comes from the root word وتر This name is not mentioned in the Qurrsquoan but it is mentioned in hadith Hadith that was narrrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah Ibn Amr classified as sahih by Shaikh Al-Albani ldquoAllah is One and He loves that which is odd-numberedrdquo Allah swt wants us to be different he does not want us to be the same as others Allah swt wants us to live a life of passion of greatness Odd numbers is witr and shafrsquo are even numbers For example Tawaf around the karsquoba is 7 which is a witr number The number of times we go from the safa and marwa is 7 times The number between the earth and heaven is also 7 The Prophet pbuh used of fast 3 days of every month

Allah swt is complete and therefore He is witr On the other hand we need a partner because we humans are shafrsquo Another hadith the Prophet said lsquodo witr because Allah swt loves odd numbersrsquo GEM LEAVE A LEGACY SO THAT WE ARE REMEMBERED LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS A Sunnah to revive is the number and manner of rakat the Prophet pbuh used to pray He prayed 5 or 7 or more without any tashahud so he only used to do the tashahud in the last rakah (the most the Prophet pbuh went up to is 11 rakahs) The minimum rakahs for witr prayer is one prayer or 3 and you can do more than that but only odd numbers Duaa al Qunut was performed by the Prophet pbuh when there was a calamity The number of rakahs prayered for Qunut one rakah which is the least but the best is to pray 3 rakahs and more (odd numbers)

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY Al-Wahid comes from the root word وحد which means to be one unique He is the one who is singled out in all aspects of perfection such as nothing else shares with Him these The one source from which all creation springs forth Al-Wahid is mentioned 13 times in the Qurrsquoan

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE Al-Ahadrsquos root word is أحد means to be the only one The One who has no second [that shares] in the lordship nor in the essence nor in the attributes The One who was not begotten and has never begotten Al-Ahad is mentioned only once in the Qurrsquoan but the surah that mentioned it is equivalent to 13 of the Qurrsquoan The surah is Al-Ikhlas

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY 19

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT 19

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY 20

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT 20

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT 21

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG 21

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS 21

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM 22

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING 22

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR 23

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE 23

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR 24

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT 24

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER 25

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN 25

AL-WAKEEL THE ULTIMATE TRUSTEE 27

Valley of the Seekers Seminar Background Notes Short story from the Prophet pbuhrsquos life The kufar asked the Prophet pbuh ldquowhat is Allah What is the nature of Allah And what is He made of (gold silver etc)rdquo Surat Al-Ikhlas was revealed in response to their questioning and so the Prophet pbuh recited the surah to them We might be asked about Allah swt daily so we need to be able to answer these important questions We also need to live with these Names and manifest these attributes in our daily lives When we know the meanings of Allah swtrsquos names we are able to apply it to our daily lives For instance in a time of struggle we know that we need to be Thankful because Allah swtrsquos name is As-Shakur and therefore we need to be thankful at all times This seminar is centered on

This lecture will insharsquoAllah take us to jannah

Prophet pbuh said that lsquowhosoever memorizes these names shall enter jannahrsquo Do we really need to memorize them What does it mean ldquomen ahsahardquo mean

The name of this course is how to live with the names of Allah swt we will learn how to implement the names of Allah swt

Allah swt honoured the people of knowledge (ahle el 3elm) Allah swt also favors them as well Allah swt will elevate their ranks in jannah many folds as well Ranks are not just a single rank in jannah but it is many ranks Iman is one of the things that people need to have including knowledge Allah swt did not specify how many ranks Allah swt just stated ranks and Allah swt alone knows how many What knowledge is greater than learning the names of Allah swt If we do not know the meanings of Allah swtrsquos names and who Allah swt is then how can we answer who Allah is

Ibn Taymiyyah said that Allah swt talks about the names and attributes of Allah swt more than the mentioning of food annah and other things Allah swt states And I have not created the Jin and man but that they worship Me Holy Quran 51 57 Than how can we warship Allah swt if we do not know him therefore we need to know him so that we are able to worship him Allah swt does not want part of our love but He wants us to love Him 100 The knowledge of Allah swt is knowledge that without it you feel like you would die like if you were prevented from attaining this knowledge you would feel like dying Many of the incidents in our lives should make you think of some of the names of Allah swt it should automatically make you think of the names of Allah swt constantly Sometimes the sheikh Riad dreams about the name of Allah swt Abu Hurayrah narrates that the Prophet pbuh said ldquoAllah has 99 Names ndash one hundred less one whoever learns them shall enter paradiserdquo [Bukhari Muslim] Page 3

The above hadith does not mean that Allah swt only has 99 names but it means that Allah swt cannot have less than 99 names

What does ldquomen ahsahardquo mean Ibn Ul-Qayyim states on page 3 The meaning of ldquomen ahsahardquo means

o Memorize them o Believe in them ie Allah is the Ar-Razzaaq o Understand them o To act upon them

o To recite the Qurrsquoan and complete it (Because you will come across the names of Allah swt when you read the entire Qurrsquoan)

You can relate a name to a situation for instance Say that you have a financial problem or you want a baby Anything you want you need to know what name to use when you are making dua in-front of Allah swt Al-asma al hosna ndash why are they called that Asmarsquo= al-ism (the name) = sumu (majesty) Asmarsquo means names Al-Husna = most beautiful They are called Al- Husna due to

1 The refer to the divine essence with attributes of perfection that exist in Him 2 Allah swt has promised a beautiful reward for whoever ldquomemorizesrdquo them 3 Their knowledge is the most beautiful and most beloved to Allah swt 4 It is named after the noblest of them all which is Allah swt

The elements of Allah swt 1 Belief in the existence of Allah swt 2 Belief in the Lordship of Allah swt 3 Belief in His Divinity (His Olheyaa) 4 Believe in His Names and Attributes

True enslavements revolve around three pillars See page 7 1 Love of Allah swt 2 Hope of His Mercy 3 Fear of His punishment

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya said that a bird has a head and two wings therefore can a bird fly with one wing or just two wings without a head Hence just like the bird we have to love Allah swt out of LOVE HOPE and FEAR There are people who worship Allah swt out of just one of the three Your worship is complete when you maintain the three in a balance Allah swt questions ldquoThen do they not look at the camels- how they are created [Al-Ghashiyah 8817] Why did Allah swt choose camels and not elephant Through Allahrsquos creation we can learn about Allah swt Allah swt wants us to learn about Him through his creation ie Camels Here are some scientific facts about camel There is a lot of hair on either side of the camel to protect them from the airs They can actually curve their ears depending on where the wind is coming from A camelrsquos nose has rim that helps them cover when there is sand wind Their eyes have a double raw of eye lashes that help them to interlace and keeps out the sand

from their eyes The tail has hairs on the sides to protect from wind The neck is long so that it can reach leaves high on trees and can go to the ground to eat Hump of the camel is a fat piece and it is a source of energy when food source is very little

They use this hump as food when there is no food The stomach of a camel has four sides (sections) their digestive system is strong so that it can

digest anything at all (even rubber) This is why Allah swt says donrsquot they look at the camels and how it was created SUBHAN ALLAH

Al- Illah Al-Rab Most people do not know the difference between al 3afu and al khafar

This book (seminar) is complied into four themes (the names) Themes are on page 10 Perfection of his right to be worshiped ldquoMankind worship your Lord (Rabba-kum) who created you and those before you that you may become righteous [Al-Baqarah 221]

Ibn Uthaymeen book of the 99 names of Allah swt was used Yasir Qadhi addresses the names of Allah swt as well From among the names of Allah swt 81 names are from the Quran and 10 from the hadith WHAT ARE THE EXACT NUMERS Tonight we will focus on Allah Al-ilah Al-rabb

Ism Allah al lsquoadam (the greatest name of Allah swt) ndash if you were to make duaa on this name Allah swt will answer you duaa insharsquoAllah This greatest name is

ALLAH Al Razi says that it is derived from al Ilah but others say that it is not derived from it

Al-ILLAH THE LORD Means our lsquoebada - the only sole that should be worshiped is Allah swt Al-Ilah also means where the hearts find rest (tasqon al khuloob) Al illah al marsquoloob tarsquolaoho el kholoob ndash means hearts longlove Allah swt Imam al-Ghazi said that when we say lsquola illaha ila Al-Rahmanrsquo this does not get accepted instead we must say lsquola illaha ila Allahrsquo - even though the other names are also the names of Allah swt

Al-RABB THE LORD The Lord - the one who nurtures lsquoRab ul baytrsquo in Arabic is the keeper of the house like the father Al-Rabb means al marsquobood (the One who is worshiped) The people of Quresh had tawheed al rubobeya which is that when you asked them who created the world they say Allah but at the same time they lacked tawheed of uloheya (Divinity) Who is Allah swt Allah swt states that He the jinns and humanrsquos are in a strange relationshiphellip That Allah says lsquoI create and they worship other than Himrsquo Ie Worshiping the sun cows etc During the time of prophet Suleiman pbuh people used to worship the sun the hudhud (a type of bird) got upset and complained to prophet Suleiman about their worship to the sun Than who is Allah swt ALLAH IS THE ONLY ONE THAT ANSWERS THIS QUESTION Men howa Allah Allah answers this question in the ayaat of the Qurrsquoan like

Allah swt says that everything in this earth is making dikhr of Allah swt (praising Allah swt) We do not hear their tasbeeh The fact that we do not hear their tasbeeh is a nersquoma (blessing) ndashalhamdulillah We need to teach people about Allah swt and why we should worship him Some of our worship is missing elements because it is not coming from the heart When was the last time you enjoyed the sweetness of sujood The sahabah used to repeat one Surah from the Qurrsquoan over and over while crying Have you felt the sweetness of saying ldquoSubhana rabi al arsquolaardquo Allah swt is mentioned 2698 times in the Qurrsquoan The name ALLAH contains all the other names For example Al-Rahman is one of the names of Allah Just like the rest of the 99 name But we cannot say ldquoAllah is one of the names of al-Azizrdquo so therefore Allah is the combined name of all the names Similarly if you have stress the name you can use that contains all of the names is ALLAH Always return to Allah swt Look at Allah swt creation renew your attention to Allahrsquos creation We as humans get used to things we see in our world sometimes we need to get unused to these things For instance the clouds contain soo much water and if Allah swt allowed for it to fall on us at one time it would harm us but from Allahrsquos mercy it falls in drops (rain)

AL-KHALIQ THE CREATOR Al-Khaliq comes from the root word خلق to create something based on a pattern or model which one has devised To create is to evoke something into being out of non-existence by an act of will Al-Khaliq is the One who plans and determines how when and where to create The One who creates something from nothing (ie ex hihilo) The names Al-Khaliq and Al-Khallaq are found in surah Al-hash ldquohowa Allahu ul khaliq and khallaq al baree al musaweer A good example of how beautiful and magnificent our creator is by remembering Amazing bird video we watched which copied all the sounds in our world The video was on birds that can make all different types of sounds like a car horn police car siren etc Al-Khaliq is the One who created this beautiful bird with such amazing abilities

AL-KHALLAQ THE KNOWING Al-Khallaq comes from the root word خلق The knowing creator ndash indicative of the extreme intensifies the meaning Al-Khallaq is an extreme exaggeration Khallaq takes the form of farsquo3al (this is a name that is an indication to something extreme) Similarly Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur Recall the story of the wife of the ministry of Egypt who tried to seduce Yusuf pbuh Part of the surah states ldquowa khalekhat al abwabrdquo which is an extreme itrsquos an exaggeration

AL-BARI THE EVOLVER THE ORIGINATOR Al-Bari comes from the root word برأ which is to create out of nothing To evolve is to exhibit or produce by development Evolution implies the process of production and development according to plan

Al-Bari is the one that creates out of nothing Creation precedes evolution since the effect of the will precede the action For instance Allah swt created the angels from nour (light) jinns form fire and humans from clay

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS Al-Musawwir comes from the root word صور is to form Fashioning emphasizes the act of composing and giving form shape and inherent qualities thereby yielding the final product The fashioner is the one who has given everything a special form and a special manner whereby it is distinguished Sawarah is to form Giving form and shape which inherits qualities An excellent example to understand this and many names is the human being Look at how Allah swt created the human being We are a miracle walking on earth If we look at the development of the embryo in the motherrsquos womb we understand Allahrsquos miracle Look at specifically the different liquids that are found in the human body The earsrsquo liquid has a specific role and responsibility there is different liquid that comes from the eyes mouth and nose Ear liquid has a bitter taste that helps you protect your ear from insects entering your ear There are parts of our body that are always open but nothing ever enters them Imagine if your eye lashes were to grow soo long how would you walk Or if your eye brows grew long Why donrsquot these two things (eye lashes and eye brows) grow too long SubhanrsquoAllah One look at ourselves is enough to make us understand the name Al-Musawwir Who made you in this fashion ALLAH swt We were created out of nothing and imagine the exact same thing that we are made of can also make us unclean SubhanrsquoAllah here is the stages of development simple Allah swt describes the stages of development

1 Drop of fluid (nutfa ndash semen) How can an illiterate person tell them things that we are only discovering in recent days lsquoInna khalakhna el insane men nutfaten amshajen nabtaleehi fa jarsquoalnaho sameersquon baseerarsquo See page 13

2 Inner layer development of embryo 3 Outer layer nutrition of embryo Imagine we were created from something like water a

liquid Ever wonder how can something liquid turn into bones Like a hard substance SUBHANrsquoALLAH Every bone in our body is different with different bone density Following bones the flesh part - where does it come from Then the skin and following that the thing moves IMAGINE - SubhanrsquoAllah

Last rule from page 6 We believe in the attributes of Allah swt without Distorting it Denying the meaning of them Without liking him to His creation

A surah that clarifies that we cannot compare Allah swt to his creation is in surat Al fajr ayah 22

Hence we cannot compare Allah swt with the angels Another good example is people asking how does Allah swt come down in the 3rd of the night We should not ask about these types of question We also know that Allah swt has hands but we cannot say it is the same hands as ours So we should not ask about these types of specificity Yet another example is that Allah swt smiles when a wife wakes her husband up for prayer How and is this smile similar to

ours we cannot say The idea is that we do not compare Allah swtrsquos characteristics and attributes to his creation

AL-WITR THE ONE Al-Witr comes from the root word وتر This name is not mentioned in the Qurrsquoan but it is mentioned in hadith Hadith that was narrrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah Ibn Amr classified as sahih by Shaikh Al-Albani ldquoAllah is One and He loves that which is odd-numberedrdquo Allah swt wants us to be different he does not want us to be the same as others Allah swt wants us to live a life of passion of greatness Odd numbers is witr and shafrsquo are even numbers For example Tawaf around the karsquoba is 7 which is a witr number The number of times we go from the safa and marwa is 7 times The number between the earth and heaven is also 7 The Prophet pbuh used of fast 3 days of every month

Allah swt is complete and therefore He is witr On the other hand we need a partner because we humans are shafrsquo Another hadith the Prophet said lsquodo witr because Allah swt loves odd numbersrsquo GEM LEAVE A LEGACY SO THAT WE ARE REMEMBERED LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS A Sunnah to revive is the number and manner of rakat the Prophet pbuh used to pray He prayed 5 or 7 or more without any tashahud so he only used to do the tashahud in the last rakah (the most the Prophet pbuh went up to is 11 rakahs) The minimum rakahs for witr prayer is one prayer or 3 and you can do more than that but only odd numbers Duaa al Qunut was performed by the Prophet pbuh when there was a calamity The number of rakahs prayered for Qunut one rakah which is the least but the best is to pray 3 rakahs and more (odd numbers)

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY Al-Wahid comes from the root word وحد which means to be one unique He is the one who is singled out in all aspects of perfection such as nothing else shares with Him these The one source from which all creation springs forth Al-Wahid is mentioned 13 times in the Qurrsquoan

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE Al-Ahadrsquos root word is أحد means to be the only one The One who has no second [that shares] in the lordship nor in the essence nor in the attributes The One who was not begotten and has never begotten Al-Ahad is mentioned only once in the Qurrsquoan but the surah that mentioned it is equivalent to 13 of the Qurrsquoan The surah is Al-Ikhlas

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

Valley of the Seekers Seminar Background Notes Short story from the Prophet pbuhrsquos life The kufar asked the Prophet pbuh ldquowhat is Allah What is the nature of Allah And what is He made of (gold silver etc)rdquo Surat Al-Ikhlas was revealed in response to their questioning and so the Prophet pbuh recited the surah to them We might be asked about Allah swt daily so we need to be able to answer these important questions We also need to live with these Names and manifest these attributes in our daily lives When we know the meanings of Allah swtrsquos names we are able to apply it to our daily lives For instance in a time of struggle we know that we need to be Thankful because Allah swtrsquos name is As-Shakur and therefore we need to be thankful at all times This seminar is centered on

This lecture will insharsquoAllah take us to jannah

Prophet pbuh said that lsquowhosoever memorizes these names shall enter jannahrsquo Do we really need to memorize them What does it mean ldquomen ahsahardquo mean

The name of this course is how to live with the names of Allah swt we will learn how to implement the names of Allah swt

Allah swt honoured the people of knowledge (ahle el 3elm) Allah swt also favors them as well Allah swt will elevate their ranks in jannah many folds as well Ranks are not just a single rank in jannah but it is many ranks Iman is one of the things that people need to have including knowledge Allah swt did not specify how many ranks Allah swt just stated ranks and Allah swt alone knows how many What knowledge is greater than learning the names of Allah swt If we do not know the meanings of Allah swtrsquos names and who Allah swt is then how can we answer who Allah is

Ibn Taymiyyah said that Allah swt talks about the names and attributes of Allah swt more than the mentioning of food annah and other things Allah swt states And I have not created the Jin and man but that they worship Me Holy Quran 51 57 Than how can we warship Allah swt if we do not know him therefore we need to know him so that we are able to worship him Allah swt does not want part of our love but He wants us to love Him 100 The knowledge of Allah swt is knowledge that without it you feel like you would die like if you were prevented from attaining this knowledge you would feel like dying Many of the incidents in our lives should make you think of some of the names of Allah swt it should automatically make you think of the names of Allah swt constantly Sometimes the sheikh Riad dreams about the name of Allah swt Abu Hurayrah narrates that the Prophet pbuh said ldquoAllah has 99 Names ndash one hundred less one whoever learns them shall enter paradiserdquo [Bukhari Muslim] Page 3

The above hadith does not mean that Allah swt only has 99 names but it means that Allah swt cannot have less than 99 names

What does ldquomen ahsahardquo mean Ibn Ul-Qayyim states on page 3 The meaning of ldquomen ahsahardquo means

o Memorize them o Believe in them ie Allah is the Ar-Razzaaq o Understand them o To act upon them

o To recite the Qurrsquoan and complete it (Because you will come across the names of Allah swt when you read the entire Qurrsquoan)

You can relate a name to a situation for instance Say that you have a financial problem or you want a baby Anything you want you need to know what name to use when you are making dua in-front of Allah swt Al-asma al hosna ndash why are they called that Asmarsquo= al-ism (the name) = sumu (majesty) Asmarsquo means names Al-Husna = most beautiful They are called Al- Husna due to

1 The refer to the divine essence with attributes of perfection that exist in Him 2 Allah swt has promised a beautiful reward for whoever ldquomemorizesrdquo them 3 Their knowledge is the most beautiful and most beloved to Allah swt 4 It is named after the noblest of them all which is Allah swt

The elements of Allah swt 1 Belief in the existence of Allah swt 2 Belief in the Lordship of Allah swt 3 Belief in His Divinity (His Olheyaa) 4 Believe in His Names and Attributes

True enslavements revolve around three pillars See page 7 1 Love of Allah swt 2 Hope of His Mercy 3 Fear of His punishment

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya said that a bird has a head and two wings therefore can a bird fly with one wing or just two wings without a head Hence just like the bird we have to love Allah swt out of LOVE HOPE and FEAR There are people who worship Allah swt out of just one of the three Your worship is complete when you maintain the three in a balance Allah swt questions ldquoThen do they not look at the camels- how they are created [Al-Ghashiyah 8817] Why did Allah swt choose camels and not elephant Through Allahrsquos creation we can learn about Allah swt Allah swt wants us to learn about Him through his creation ie Camels Here are some scientific facts about camel There is a lot of hair on either side of the camel to protect them from the airs They can actually curve their ears depending on where the wind is coming from A camelrsquos nose has rim that helps them cover when there is sand wind Their eyes have a double raw of eye lashes that help them to interlace and keeps out the sand

from their eyes The tail has hairs on the sides to protect from wind The neck is long so that it can reach leaves high on trees and can go to the ground to eat Hump of the camel is a fat piece and it is a source of energy when food source is very little

They use this hump as food when there is no food The stomach of a camel has four sides (sections) their digestive system is strong so that it can

digest anything at all (even rubber) This is why Allah swt says donrsquot they look at the camels and how it was created SUBHAN ALLAH

Al- Illah Al-Rab Most people do not know the difference between al 3afu and al khafar

This book (seminar) is complied into four themes (the names) Themes are on page 10 Perfection of his right to be worshiped ldquoMankind worship your Lord (Rabba-kum) who created you and those before you that you may become righteous [Al-Baqarah 221]

Ibn Uthaymeen book of the 99 names of Allah swt was used Yasir Qadhi addresses the names of Allah swt as well From among the names of Allah swt 81 names are from the Quran and 10 from the hadith WHAT ARE THE EXACT NUMERS Tonight we will focus on Allah Al-ilah Al-rabb

Ism Allah al lsquoadam (the greatest name of Allah swt) ndash if you were to make duaa on this name Allah swt will answer you duaa insharsquoAllah This greatest name is

ALLAH Al Razi says that it is derived from al Ilah but others say that it is not derived from it

Al-ILLAH THE LORD Means our lsquoebada - the only sole that should be worshiped is Allah swt Al-Ilah also means where the hearts find rest (tasqon al khuloob) Al illah al marsquoloob tarsquolaoho el kholoob ndash means hearts longlove Allah swt Imam al-Ghazi said that when we say lsquola illaha ila Al-Rahmanrsquo this does not get accepted instead we must say lsquola illaha ila Allahrsquo - even though the other names are also the names of Allah swt

Al-RABB THE LORD The Lord - the one who nurtures lsquoRab ul baytrsquo in Arabic is the keeper of the house like the father Al-Rabb means al marsquobood (the One who is worshiped) The people of Quresh had tawheed al rubobeya which is that when you asked them who created the world they say Allah but at the same time they lacked tawheed of uloheya (Divinity) Who is Allah swt Allah swt states that He the jinns and humanrsquos are in a strange relationshiphellip That Allah says lsquoI create and they worship other than Himrsquo Ie Worshiping the sun cows etc During the time of prophet Suleiman pbuh people used to worship the sun the hudhud (a type of bird) got upset and complained to prophet Suleiman about their worship to the sun Than who is Allah swt ALLAH IS THE ONLY ONE THAT ANSWERS THIS QUESTION Men howa Allah Allah answers this question in the ayaat of the Qurrsquoan like

Allah swt says that everything in this earth is making dikhr of Allah swt (praising Allah swt) We do not hear their tasbeeh The fact that we do not hear their tasbeeh is a nersquoma (blessing) ndashalhamdulillah We need to teach people about Allah swt and why we should worship him Some of our worship is missing elements because it is not coming from the heart When was the last time you enjoyed the sweetness of sujood The sahabah used to repeat one Surah from the Qurrsquoan over and over while crying Have you felt the sweetness of saying ldquoSubhana rabi al arsquolaardquo Allah swt is mentioned 2698 times in the Qurrsquoan The name ALLAH contains all the other names For example Al-Rahman is one of the names of Allah Just like the rest of the 99 name But we cannot say ldquoAllah is one of the names of al-Azizrdquo so therefore Allah is the combined name of all the names Similarly if you have stress the name you can use that contains all of the names is ALLAH Always return to Allah swt Look at Allah swt creation renew your attention to Allahrsquos creation We as humans get used to things we see in our world sometimes we need to get unused to these things For instance the clouds contain soo much water and if Allah swt allowed for it to fall on us at one time it would harm us but from Allahrsquos mercy it falls in drops (rain)

AL-KHALIQ THE CREATOR Al-Khaliq comes from the root word خلق to create something based on a pattern or model which one has devised To create is to evoke something into being out of non-existence by an act of will Al-Khaliq is the One who plans and determines how when and where to create The One who creates something from nothing (ie ex hihilo) The names Al-Khaliq and Al-Khallaq are found in surah Al-hash ldquohowa Allahu ul khaliq and khallaq al baree al musaweer A good example of how beautiful and magnificent our creator is by remembering Amazing bird video we watched which copied all the sounds in our world The video was on birds that can make all different types of sounds like a car horn police car siren etc Al-Khaliq is the One who created this beautiful bird with such amazing abilities

AL-KHALLAQ THE KNOWING Al-Khallaq comes from the root word خلق The knowing creator ndash indicative of the extreme intensifies the meaning Al-Khallaq is an extreme exaggeration Khallaq takes the form of farsquo3al (this is a name that is an indication to something extreme) Similarly Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur Recall the story of the wife of the ministry of Egypt who tried to seduce Yusuf pbuh Part of the surah states ldquowa khalekhat al abwabrdquo which is an extreme itrsquos an exaggeration

AL-BARI THE EVOLVER THE ORIGINATOR Al-Bari comes from the root word برأ which is to create out of nothing To evolve is to exhibit or produce by development Evolution implies the process of production and development according to plan

Al-Bari is the one that creates out of nothing Creation precedes evolution since the effect of the will precede the action For instance Allah swt created the angels from nour (light) jinns form fire and humans from clay

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS Al-Musawwir comes from the root word صور is to form Fashioning emphasizes the act of composing and giving form shape and inherent qualities thereby yielding the final product The fashioner is the one who has given everything a special form and a special manner whereby it is distinguished Sawarah is to form Giving form and shape which inherits qualities An excellent example to understand this and many names is the human being Look at how Allah swt created the human being We are a miracle walking on earth If we look at the development of the embryo in the motherrsquos womb we understand Allahrsquos miracle Look at specifically the different liquids that are found in the human body The earsrsquo liquid has a specific role and responsibility there is different liquid that comes from the eyes mouth and nose Ear liquid has a bitter taste that helps you protect your ear from insects entering your ear There are parts of our body that are always open but nothing ever enters them Imagine if your eye lashes were to grow soo long how would you walk Or if your eye brows grew long Why donrsquot these two things (eye lashes and eye brows) grow too long SubhanrsquoAllah One look at ourselves is enough to make us understand the name Al-Musawwir Who made you in this fashion ALLAH swt We were created out of nothing and imagine the exact same thing that we are made of can also make us unclean SubhanrsquoAllah here is the stages of development simple Allah swt describes the stages of development

1 Drop of fluid (nutfa ndash semen) How can an illiterate person tell them things that we are only discovering in recent days lsquoInna khalakhna el insane men nutfaten amshajen nabtaleehi fa jarsquoalnaho sameersquon baseerarsquo See page 13

2 Inner layer development of embryo 3 Outer layer nutrition of embryo Imagine we were created from something like water a

liquid Ever wonder how can something liquid turn into bones Like a hard substance SUBHANrsquoALLAH Every bone in our body is different with different bone density Following bones the flesh part - where does it come from Then the skin and following that the thing moves IMAGINE - SubhanrsquoAllah

Last rule from page 6 We believe in the attributes of Allah swt without Distorting it Denying the meaning of them Without liking him to His creation

A surah that clarifies that we cannot compare Allah swt to his creation is in surat Al fajr ayah 22

Hence we cannot compare Allah swt with the angels Another good example is people asking how does Allah swt come down in the 3rd of the night We should not ask about these types of question We also know that Allah swt has hands but we cannot say it is the same hands as ours So we should not ask about these types of specificity Yet another example is that Allah swt smiles when a wife wakes her husband up for prayer How and is this smile similar to

ours we cannot say The idea is that we do not compare Allah swtrsquos characteristics and attributes to his creation

AL-WITR THE ONE Al-Witr comes from the root word وتر This name is not mentioned in the Qurrsquoan but it is mentioned in hadith Hadith that was narrrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah Ibn Amr classified as sahih by Shaikh Al-Albani ldquoAllah is One and He loves that which is odd-numberedrdquo Allah swt wants us to be different he does not want us to be the same as others Allah swt wants us to live a life of passion of greatness Odd numbers is witr and shafrsquo are even numbers For example Tawaf around the karsquoba is 7 which is a witr number The number of times we go from the safa and marwa is 7 times The number between the earth and heaven is also 7 The Prophet pbuh used of fast 3 days of every month

Allah swt is complete and therefore He is witr On the other hand we need a partner because we humans are shafrsquo Another hadith the Prophet said lsquodo witr because Allah swt loves odd numbersrsquo GEM LEAVE A LEGACY SO THAT WE ARE REMEMBERED LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS A Sunnah to revive is the number and manner of rakat the Prophet pbuh used to pray He prayed 5 or 7 or more without any tashahud so he only used to do the tashahud in the last rakah (the most the Prophet pbuh went up to is 11 rakahs) The minimum rakahs for witr prayer is one prayer or 3 and you can do more than that but only odd numbers Duaa al Qunut was performed by the Prophet pbuh when there was a calamity The number of rakahs prayered for Qunut one rakah which is the least but the best is to pray 3 rakahs and more (odd numbers)

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY Al-Wahid comes from the root word وحد which means to be one unique He is the one who is singled out in all aspects of perfection such as nothing else shares with Him these The one source from which all creation springs forth Al-Wahid is mentioned 13 times in the Qurrsquoan

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE Al-Ahadrsquos root word is أحد means to be the only one The One who has no second [that shares] in the lordship nor in the essence nor in the attributes The One who was not begotten and has never begotten Al-Ahad is mentioned only once in the Qurrsquoan but the surah that mentioned it is equivalent to 13 of the Qurrsquoan The surah is Al-Ikhlas

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

o To recite the Qurrsquoan and complete it (Because you will come across the names of Allah swt when you read the entire Qurrsquoan)

You can relate a name to a situation for instance Say that you have a financial problem or you want a baby Anything you want you need to know what name to use when you are making dua in-front of Allah swt Al-asma al hosna ndash why are they called that Asmarsquo= al-ism (the name) = sumu (majesty) Asmarsquo means names Al-Husna = most beautiful They are called Al- Husna due to

1 The refer to the divine essence with attributes of perfection that exist in Him 2 Allah swt has promised a beautiful reward for whoever ldquomemorizesrdquo them 3 Their knowledge is the most beautiful and most beloved to Allah swt 4 It is named after the noblest of them all which is Allah swt

The elements of Allah swt 1 Belief in the existence of Allah swt 2 Belief in the Lordship of Allah swt 3 Belief in His Divinity (His Olheyaa) 4 Believe in His Names and Attributes

True enslavements revolve around three pillars See page 7 1 Love of Allah swt 2 Hope of His Mercy 3 Fear of His punishment

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya said that a bird has a head and two wings therefore can a bird fly with one wing or just two wings without a head Hence just like the bird we have to love Allah swt out of LOVE HOPE and FEAR There are people who worship Allah swt out of just one of the three Your worship is complete when you maintain the three in a balance Allah swt questions ldquoThen do they not look at the camels- how they are created [Al-Ghashiyah 8817] Why did Allah swt choose camels and not elephant Through Allahrsquos creation we can learn about Allah swt Allah swt wants us to learn about Him through his creation ie Camels Here are some scientific facts about camel There is a lot of hair on either side of the camel to protect them from the airs They can actually curve their ears depending on where the wind is coming from A camelrsquos nose has rim that helps them cover when there is sand wind Their eyes have a double raw of eye lashes that help them to interlace and keeps out the sand

from their eyes The tail has hairs on the sides to protect from wind The neck is long so that it can reach leaves high on trees and can go to the ground to eat Hump of the camel is a fat piece and it is a source of energy when food source is very little

They use this hump as food when there is no food The stomach of a camel has four sides (sections) their digestive system is strong so that it can

digest anything at all (even rubber) This is why Allah swt says donrsquot they look at the camels and how it was created SUBHAN ALLAH

Al- Illah Al-Rab Most people do not know the difference between al 3afu and al khafar

This book (seminar) is complied into four themes (the names) Themes are on page 10 Perfection of his right to be worshiped ldquoMankind worship your Lord (Rabba-kum) who created you and those before you that you may become righteous [Al-Baqarah 221]

Ibn Uthaymeen book of the 99 names of Allah swt was used Yasir Qadhi addresses the names of Allah swt as well From among the names of Allah swt 81 names are from the Quran and 10 from the hadith WHAT ARE THE EXACT NUMERS Tonight we will focus on Allah Al-ilah Al-rabb

Ism Allah al lsquoadam (the greatest name of Allah swt) ndash if you were to make duaa on this name Allah swt will answer you duaa insharsquoAllah This greatest name is

ALLAH Al Razi says that it is derived from al Ilah but others say that it is not derived from it

Al-ILLAH THE LORD Means our lsquoebada - the only sole that should be worshiped is Allah swt Al-Ilah also means where the hearts find rest (tasqon al khuloob) Al illah al marsquoloob tarsquolaoho el kholoob ndash means hearts longlove Allah swt Imam al-Ghazi said that when we say lsquola illaha ila Al-Rahmanrsquo this does not get accepted instead we must say lsquola illaha ila Allahrsquo - even though the other names are also the names of Allah swt

Al-RABB THE LORD The Lord - the one who nurtures lsquoRab ul baytrsquo in Arabic is the keeper of the house like the father Al-Rabb means al marsquobood (the One who is worshiped) The people of Quresh had tawheed al rubobeya which is that when you asked them who created the world they say Allah but at the same time they lacked tawheed of uloheya (Divinity) Who is Allah swt Allah swt states that He the jinns and humanrsquos are in a strange relationshiphellip That Allah says lsquoI create and they worship other than Himrsquo Ie Worshiping the sun cows etc During the time of prophet Suleiman pbuh people used to worship the sun the hudhud (a type of bird) got upset and complained to prophet Suleiman about their worship to the sun Than who is Allah swt ALLAH IS THE ONLY ONE THAT ANSWERS THIS QUESTION Men howa Allah Allah answers this question in the ayaat of the Qurrsquoan like

Allah swt says that everything in this earth is making dikhr of Allah swt (praising Allah swt) We do not hear their tasbeeh The fact that we do not hear their tasbeeh is a nersquoma (blessing) ndashalhamdulillah We need to teach people about Allah swt and why we should worship him Some of our worship is missing elements because it is not coming from the heart When was the last time you enjoyed the sweetness of sujood The sahabah used to repeat one Surah from the Qurrsquoan over and over while crying Have you felt the sweetness of saying ldquoSubhana rabi al arsquolaardquo Allah swt is mentioned 2698 times in the Qurrsquoan The name ALLAH contains all the other names For example Al-Rahman is one of the names of Allah Just like the rest of the 99 name But we cannot say ldquoAllah is one of the names of al-Azizrdquo so therefore Allah is the combined name of all the names Similarly if you have stress the name you can use that contains all of the names is ALLAH Always return to Allah swt Look at Allah swt creation renew your attention to Allahrsquos creation We as humans get used to things we see in our world sometimes we need to get unused to these things For instance the clouds contain soo much water and if Allah swt allowed for it to fall on us at one time it would harm us but from Allahrsquos mercy it falls in drops (rain)

AL-KHALIQ THE CREATOR Al-Khaliq comes from the root word خلق to create something based on a pattern or model which one has devised To create is to evoke something into being out of non-existence by an act of will Al-Khaliq is the One who plans and determines how when and where to create The One who creates something from nothing (ie ex hihilo) The names Al-Khaliq and Al-Khallaq are found in surah Al-hash ldquohowa Allahu ul khaliq and khallaq al baree al musaweer A good example of how beautiful and magnificent our creator is by remembering Amazing bird video we watched which copied all the sounds in our world The video was on birds that can make all different types of sounds like a car horn police car siren etc Al-Khaliq is the One who created this beautiful bird with such amazing abilities

AL-KHALLAQ THE KNOWING Al-Khallaq comes from the root word خلق The knowing creator ndash indicative of the extreme intensifies the meaning Al-Khallaq is an extreme exaggeration Khallaq takes the form of farsquo3al (this is a name that is an indication to something extreme) Similarly Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur Recall the story of the wife of the ministry of Egypt who tried to seduce Yusuf pbuh Part of the surah states ldquowa khalekhat al abwabrdquo which is an extreme itrsquos an exaggeration

AL-BARI THE EVOLVER THE ORIGINATOR Al-Bari comes from the root word برأ which is to create out of nothing To evolve is to exhibit or produce by development Evolution implies the process of production and development according to plan

Al-Bari is the one that creates out of nothing Creation precedes evolution since the effect of the will precede the action For instance Allah swt created the angels from nour (light) jinns form fire and humans from clay

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS Al-Musawwir comes from the root word صور is to form Fashioning emphasizes the act of composing and giving form shape and inherent qualities thereby yielding the final product The fashioner is the one who has given everything a special form and a special manner whereby it is distinguished Sawarah is to form Giving form and shape which inherits qualities An excellent example to understand this and many names is the human being Look at how Allah swt created the human being We are a miracle walking on earth If we look at the development of the embryo in the motherrsquos womb we understand Allahrsquos miracle Look at specifically the different liquids that are found in the human body The earsrsquo liquid has a specific role and responsibility there is different liquid that comes from the eyes mouth and nose Ear liquid has a bitter taste that helps you protect your ear from insects entering your ear There are parts of our body that are always open but nothing ever enters them Imagine if your eye lashes were to grow soo long how would you walk Or if your eye brows grew long Why donrsquot these two things (eye lashes and eye brows) grow too long SubhanrsquoAllah One look at ourselves is enough to make us understand the name Al-Musawwir Who made you in this fashion ALLAH swt We were created out of nothing and imagine the exact same thing that we are made of can also make us unclean SubhanrsquoAllah here is the stages of development simple Allah swt describes the stages of development

1 Drop of fluid (nutfa ndash semen) How can an illiterate person tell them things that we are only discovering in recent days lsquoInna khalakhna el insane men nutfaten amshajen nabtaleehi fa jarsquoalnaho sameersquon baseerarsquo See page 13

2 Inner layer development of embryo 3 Outer layer nutrition of embryo Imagine we were created from something like water a

liquid Ever wonder how can something liquid turn into bones Like a hard substance SUBHANrsquoALLAH Every bone in our body is different with different bone density Following bones the flesh part - where does it come from Then the skin and following that the thing moves IMAGINE - SubhanrsquoAllah

Last rule from page 6 We believe in the attributes of Allah swt without Distorting it Denying the meaning of them Without liking him to His creation

A surah that clarifies that we cannot compare Allah swt to his creation is in surat Al fajr ayah 22

Hence we cannot compare Allah swt with the angels Another good example is people asking how does Allah swt come down in the 3rd of the night We should not ask about these types of question We also know that Allah swt has hands but we cannot say it is the same hands as ours So we should not ask about these types of specificity Yet another example is that Allah swt smiles when a wife wakes her husband up for prayer How and is this smile similar to

ours we cannot say The idea is that we do not compare Allah swtrsquos characteristics and attributes to his creation

AL-WITR THE ONE Al-Witr comes from the root word وتر This name is not mentioned in the Qurrsquoan but it is mentioned in hadith Hadith that was narrrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah Ibn Amr classified as sahih by Shaikh Al-Albani ldquoAllah is One and He loves that which is odd-numberedrdquo Allah swt wants us to be different he does not want us to be the same as others Allah swt wants us to live a life of passion of greatness Odd numbers is witr and shafrsquo are even numbers For example Tawaf around the karsquoba is 7 which is a witr number The number of times we go from the safa and marwa is 7 times The number between the earth and heaven is also 7 The Prophet pbuh used of fast 3 days of every month

Allah swt is complete and therefore He is witr On the other hand we need a partner because we humans are shafrsquo Another hadith the Prophet said lsquodo witr because Allah swt loves odd numbersrsquo GEM LEAVE A LEGACY SO THAT WE ARE REMEMBERED LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS A Sunnah to revive is the number and manner of rakat the Prophet pbuh used to pray He prayed 5 or 7 or more without any tashahud so he only used to do the tashahud in the last rakah (the most the Prophet pbuh went up to is 11 rakahs) The minimum rakahs for witr prayer is one prayer or 3 and you can do more than that but only odd numbers Duaa al Qunut was performed by the Prophet pbuh when there was a calamity The number of rakahs prayered for Qunut one rakah which is the least but the best is to pray 3 rakahs and more (odd numbers)

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY Al-Wahid comes from the root word وحد which means to be one unique He is the one who is singled out in all aspects of perfection such as nothing else shares with Him these The one source from which all creation springs forth Al-Wahid is mentioned 13 times in the Qurrsquoan

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE Al-Ahadrsquos root word is أحد means to be the only one The One who has no second [that shares] in the lordship nor in the essence nor in the attributes The One who was not begotten and has never begotten Al-Ahad is mentioned only once in the Qurrsquoan but the surah that mentioned it is equivalent to 13 of the Qurrsquoan The surah is Al-Ikhlas

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

This book (seminar) is complied into four themes (the names) Themes are on page 10 Perfection of his right to be worshiped ldquoMankind worship your Lord (Rabba-kum) who created you and those before you that you may become righteous [Al-Baqarah 221]

Ibn Uthaymeen book of the 99 names of Allah swt was used Yasir Qadhi addresses the names of Allah swt as well From among the names of Allah swt 81 names are from the Quran and 10 from the hadith WHAT ARE THE EXACT NUMERS Tonight we will focus on Allah Al-ilah Al-rabb

Ism Allah al lsquoadam (the greatest name of Allah swt) ndash if you were to make duaa on this name Allah swt will answer you duaa insharsquoAllah This greatest name is

ALLAH Al Razi says that it is derived from al Ilah but others say that it is not derived from it

Al-ILLAH THE LORD Means our lsquoebada - the only sole that should be worshiped is Allah swt Al-Ilah also means where the hearts find rest (tasqon al khuloob) Al illah al marsquoloob tarsquolaoho el kholoob ndash means hearts longlove Allah swt Imam al-Ghazi said that when we say lsquola illaha ila Al-Rahmanrsquo this does not get accepted instead we must say lsquola illaha ila Allahrsquo - even though the other names are also the names of Allah swt

Al-RABB THE LORD The Lord - the one who nurtures lsquoRab ul baytrsquo in Arabic is the keeper of the house like the father Al-Rabb means al marsquobood (the One who is worshiped) The people of Quresh had tawheed al rubobeya which is that when you asked them who created the world they say Allah but at the same time they lacked tawheed of uloheya (Divinity) Who is Allah swt Allah swt states that He the jinns and humanrsquos are in a strange relationshiphellip That Allah says lsquoI create and they worship other than Himrsquo Ie Worshiping the sun cows etc During the time of prophet Suleiman pbuh people used to worship the sun the hudhud (a type of bird) got upset and complained to prophet Suleiman about their worship to the sun Than who is Allah swt ALLAH IS THE ONLY ONE THAT ANSWERS THIS QUESTION Men howa Allah Allah answers this question in the ayaat of the Qurrsquoan like

Allah swt says that everything in this earth is making dikhr of Allah swt (praising Allah swt) We do not hear their tasbeeh The fact that we do not hear their tasbeeh is a nersquoma (blessing) ndashalhamdulillah We need to teach people about Allah swt and why we should worship him Some of our worship is missing elements because it is not coming from the heart When was the last time you enjoyed the sweetness of sujood The sahabah used to repeat one Surah from the Qurrsquoan over and over while crying Have you felt the sweetness of saying ldquoSubhana rabi al arsquolaardquo Allah swt is mentioned 2698 times in the Qurrsquoan The name ALLAH contains all the other names For example Al-Rahman is one of the names of Allah Just like the rest of the 99 name But we cannot say ldquoAllah is one of the names of al-Azizrdquo so therefore Allah is the combined name of all the names Similarly if you have stress the name you can use that contains all of the names is ALLAH Always return to Allah swt Look at Allah swt creation renew your attention to Allahrsquos creation We as humans get used to things we see in our world sometimes we need to get unused to these things For instance the clouds contain soo much water and if Allah swt allowed for it to fall on us at one time it would harm us but from Allahrsquos mercy it falls in drops (rain)

AL-KHALIQ THE CREATOR Al-Khaliq comes from the root word خلق to create something based on a pattern or model which one has devised To create is to evoke something into being out of non-existence by an act of will Al-Khaliq is the One who plans and determines how when and where to create The One who creates something from nothing (ie ex hihilo) The names Al-Khaliq and Al-Khallaq are found in surah Al-hash ldquohowa Allahu ul khaliq and khallaq al baree al musaweer A good example of how beautiful and magnificent our creator is by remembering Amazing bird video we watched which copied all the sounds in our world The video was on birds that can make all different types of sounds like a car horn police car siren etc Al-Khaliq is the One who created this beautiful bird with such amazing abilities

AL-KHALLAQ THE KNOWING Al-Khallaq comes from the root word خلق The knowing creator ndash indicative of the extreme intensifies the meaning Al-Khallaq is an extreme exaggeration Khallaq takes the form of farsquo3al (this is a name that is an indication to something extreme) Similarly Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur Recall the story of the wife of the ministry of Egypt who tried to seduce Yusuf pbuh Part of the surah states ldquowa khalekhat al abwabrdquo which is an extreme itrsquos an exaggeration

AL-BARI THE EVOLVER THE ORIGINATOR Al-Bari comes from the root word برأ which is to create out of nothing To evolve is to exhibit or produce by development Evolution implies the process of production and development according to plan

Al-Bari is the one that creates out of nothing Creation precedes evolution since the effect of the will precede the action For instance Allah swt created the angels from nour (light) jinns form fire and humans from clay

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS Al-Musawwir comes from the root word صور is to form Fashioning emphasizes the act of composing and giving form shape and inherent qualities thereby yielding the final product The fashioner is the one who has given everything a special form and a special manner whereby it is distinguished Sawarah is to form Giving form and shape which inherits qualities An excellent example to understand this and many names is the human being Look at how Allah swt created the human being We are a miracle walking on earth If we look at the development of the embryo in the motherrsquos womb we understand Allahrsquos miracle Look at specifically the different liquids that are found in the human body The earsrsquo liquid has a specific role and responsibility there is different liquid that comes from the eyes mouth and nose Ear liquid has a bitter taste that helps you protect your ear from insects entering your ear There are parts of our body that are always open but nothing ever enters them Imagine if your eye lashes were to grow soo long how would you walk Or if your eye brows grew long Why donrsquot these two things (eye lashes and eye brows) grow too long SubhanrsquoAllah One look at ourselves is enough to make us understand the name Al-Musawwir Who made you in this fashion ALLAH swt We were created out of nothing and imagine the exact same thing that we are made of can also make us unclean SubhanrsquoAllah here is the stages of development simple Allah swt describes the stages of development

1 Drop of fluid (nutfa ndash semen) How can an illiterate person tell them things that we are only discovering in recent days lsquoInna khalakhna el insane men nutfaten amshajen nabtaleehi fa jarsquoalnaho sameersquon baseerarsquo See page 13

2 Inner layer development of embryo 3 Outer layer nutrition of embryo Imagine we were created from something like water a

liquid Ever wonder how can something liquid turn into bones Like a hard substance SUBHANrsquoALLAH Every bone in our body is different with different bone density Following bones the flesh part - where does it come from Then the skin and following that the thing moves IMAGINE - SubhanrsquoAllah

Last rule from page 6 We believe in the attributes of Allah swt without Distorting it Denying the meaning of them Without liking him to His creation

A surah that clarifies that we cannot compare Allah swt to his creation is in surat Al fajr ayah 22

Hence we cannot compare Allah swt with the angels Another good example is people asking how does Allah swt come down in the 3rd of the night We should not ask about these types of question We also know that Allah swt has hands but we cannot say it is the same hands as ours So we should not ask about these types of specificity Yet another example is that Allah swt smiles when a wife wakes her husband up for prayer How and is this smile similar to

ours we cannot say The idea is that we do not compare Allah swtrsquos characteristics and attributes to his creation

AL-WITR THE ONE Al-Witr comes from the root word وتر This name is not mentioned in the Qurrsquoan but it is mentioned in hadith Hadith that was narrrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah Ibn Amr classified as sahih by Shaikh Al-Albani ldquoAllah is One and He loves that which is odd-numberedrdquo Allah swt wants us to be different he does not want us to be the same as others Allah swt wants us to live a life of passion of greatness Odd numbers is witr and shafrsquo are even numbers For example Tawaf around the karsquoba is 7 which is a witr number The number of times we go from the safa and marwa is 7 times The number between the earth and heaven is also 7 The Prophet pbuh used of fast 3 days of every month

Allah swt is complete and therefore He is witr On the other hand we need a partner because we humans are shafrsquo Another hadith the Prophet said lsquodo witr because Allah swt loves odd numbersrsquo GEM LEAVE A LEGACY SO THAT WE ARE REMEMBERED LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS A Sunnah to revive is the number and manner of rakat the Prophet pbuh used to pray He prayed 5 or 7 or more without any tashahud so he only used to do the tashahud in the last rakah (the most the Prophet pbuh went up to is 11 rakahs) The minimum rakahs for witr prayer is one prayer or 3 and you can do more than that but only odd numbers Duaa al Qunut was performed by the Prophet pbuh when there was a calamity The number of rakahs prayered for Qunut one rakah which is the least but the best is to pray 3 rakahs and more (odd numbers)

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY Al-Wahid comes from the root word وحد which means to be one unique He is the one who is singled out in all aspects of perfection such as nothing else shares with Him these The one source from which all creation springs forth Al-Wahid is mentioned 13 times in the Qurrsquoan

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE Al-Ahadrsquos root word is أحد means to be the only one The One who has no second [that shares] in the lordship nor in the essence nor in the attributes The One who was not begotten and has never begotten Al-Ahad is mentioned only once in the Qurrsquoan but the surah that mentioned it is equivalent to 13 of the Qurrsquoan The surah is Al-Ikhlas

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

Allah swt says that everything in this earth is making dikhr of Allah swt (praising Allah swt) We do not hear their tasbeeh The fact that we do not hear their tasbeeh is a nersquoma (blessing) ndashalhamdulillah We need to teach people about Allah swt and why we should worship him Some of our worship is missing elements because it is not coming from the heart When was the last time you enjoyed the sweetness of sujood The sahabah used to repeat one Surah from the Qurrsquoan over and over while crying Have you felt the sweetness of saying ldquoSubhana rabi al arsquolaardquo Allah swt is mentioned 2698 times in the Qurrsquoan The name ALLAH contains all the other names For example Al-Rahman is one of the names of Allah Just like the rest of the 99 name But we cannot say ldquoAllah is one of the names of al-Azizrdquo so therefore Allah is the combined name of all the names Similarly if you have stress the name you can use that contains all of the names is ALLAH Always return to Allah swt Look at Allah swt creation renew your attention to Allahrsquos creation We as humans get used to things we see in our world sometimes we need to get unused to these things For instance the clouds contain soo much water and if Allah swt allowed for it to fall on us at one time it would harm us but from Allahrsquos mercy it falls in drops (rain)

AL-KHALIQ THE CREATOR Al-Khaliq comes from the root word خلق to create something based on a pattern or model which one has devised To create is to evoke something into being out of non-existence by an act of will Al-Khaliq is the One who plans and determines how when and where to create The One who creates something from nothing (ie ex hihilo) The names Al-Khaliq and Al-Khallaq are found in surah Al-hash ldquohowa Allahu ul khaliq and khallaq al baree al musaweer A good example of how beautiful and magnificent our creator is by remembering Amazing bird video we watched which copied all the sounds in our world The video was on birds that can make all different types of sounds like a car horn police car siren etc Al-Khaliq is the One who created this beautiful bird with such amazing abilities

AL-KHALLAQ THE KNOWING Al-Khallaq comes from the root word خلق The knowing creator ndash indicative of the extreme intensifies the meaning Al-Khallaq is an extreme exaggeration Khallaq takes the form of farsquo3al (this is a name that is an indication to something extreme) Similarly Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur Recall the story of the wife of the ministry of Egypt who tried to seduce Yusuf pbuh Part of the surah states ldquowa khalekhat al abwabrdquo which is an extreme itrsquos an exaggeration

AL-BARI THE EVOLVER THE ORIGINATOR Al-Bari comes from the root word برأ which is to create out of nothing To evolve is to exhibit or produce by development Evolution implies the process of production and development according to plan

Al-Bari is the one that creates out of nothing Creation precedes evolution since the effect of the will precede the action For instance Allah swt created the angels from nour (light) jinns form fire and humans from clay

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS Al-Musawwir comes from the root word صور is to form Fashioning emphasizes the act of composing and giving form shape and inherent qualities thereby yielding the final product The fashioner is the one who has given everything a special form and a special manner whereby it is distinguished Sawarah is to form Giving form and shape which inherits qualities An excellent example to understand this and many names is the human being Look at how Allah swt created the human being We are a miracle walking on earth If we look at the development of the embryo in the motherrsquos womb we understand Allahrsquos miracle Look at specifically the different liquids that are found in the human body The earsrsquo liquid has a specific role and responsibility there is different liquid that comes from the eyes mouth and nose Ear liquid has a bitter taste that helps you protect your ear from insects entering your ear There are parts of our body that are always open but nothing ever enters them Imagine if your eye lashes were to grow soo long how would you walk Or if your eye brows grew long Why donrsquot these two things (eye lashes and eye brows) grow too long SubhanrsquoAllah One look at ourselves is enough to make us understand the name Al-Musawwir Who made you in this fashion ALLAH swt We were created out of nothing and imagine the exact same thing that we are made of can also make us unclean SubhanrsquoAllah here is the stages of development simple Allah swt describes the stages of development

1 Drop of fluid (nutfa ndash semen) How can an illiterate person tell them things that we are only discovering in recent days lsquoInna khalakhna el insane men nutfaten amshajen nabtaleehi fa jarsquoalnaho sameersquon baseerarsquo See page 13

2 Inner layer development of embryo 3 Outer layer nutrition of embryo Imagine we were created from something like water a

liquid Ever wonder how can something liquid turn into bones Like a hard substance SUBHANrsquoALLAH Every bone in our body is different with different bone density Following bones the flesh part - where does it come from Then the skin and following that the thing moves IMAGINE - SubhanrsquoAllah

Last rule from page 6 We believe in the attributes of Allah swt without Distorting it Denying the meaning of them Without liking him to His creation

A surah that clarifies that we cannot compare Allah swt to his creation is in surat Al fajr ayah 22

Hence we cannot compare Allah swt with the angels Another good example is people asking how does Allah swt come down in the 3rd of the night We should not ask about these types of question We also know that Allah swt has hands but we cannot say it is the same hands as ours So we should not ask about these types of specificity Yet another example is that Allah swt smiles when a wife wakes her husband up for prayer How and is this smile similar to

ours we cannot say The idea is that we do not compare Allah swtrsquos characteristics and attributes to his creation

AL-WITR THE ONE Al-Witr comes from the root word وتر This name is not mentioned in the Qurrsquoan but it is mentioned in hadith Hadith that was narrrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah Ibn Amr classified as sahih by Shaikh Al-Albani ldquoAllah is One and He loves that which is odd-numberedrdquo Allah swt wants us to be different he does not want us to be the same as others Allah swt wants us to live a life of passion of greatness Odd numbers is witr and shafrsquo are even numbers For example Tawaf around the karsquoba is 7 which is a witr number The number of times we go from the safa and marwa is 7 times The number between the earth and heaven is also 7 The Prophet pbuh used of fast 3 days of every month

Allah swt is complete and therefore He is witr On the other hand we need a partner because we humans are shafrsquo Another hadith the Prophet said lsquodo witr because Allah swt loves odd numbersrsquo GEM LEAVE A LEGACY SO THAT WE ARE REMEMBERED LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS A Sunnah to revive is the number and manner of rakat the Prophet pbuh used to pray He prayed 5 or 7 or more without any tashahud so he only used to do the tashahud in the last rakah (the most the Prophet pbuh went up to is 11 rakahs) The minimum rakahs for witr prayer is one prayer or 3 and you can do more than that but only odd numbers Duaa al Qunut was performed by the Prophet pbuh when there was a calamity The number of rakahs prayered for Qunut one rakah which is the least but the best is to pray 3 rakahs and more (odd numbers)

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY Al-Wahid comes from the root word وحد which means to be one unique He is the one who is singled out in all aspects of perfection such as nothing else shares with Him these The one source from which all creation springs forth Al-Wahid is mentioned 13 times in the Qurrsquoan

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE Al-Ahadrsquos root word is أحد means to be the only one The One who has no second [that shares] in the lordship nor in the essence nor in the attributes The One who was not begotten and has never begotten Al-Ahad is mentioned only once in the Qurrsquoan but the surah that mentioned it is equivalent to 13 of the Qurrsquoan The surah is Al-Ikhlas

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

Al-Bari is the one that creates out of nothing Creation precedes evolution since the effect of the will precede the action For instance Allah swt created the angels from nour (light) jinns form fire and humans from clay

AL-MUSAWWIR THE FASHIONER OF FORMS Al-Musawwir comes from the root word صور is to form Fashioning emphasizes the act of composing and giving form shape and inherent qualities thereby yielding the final product The fashioner is the one who has given everything a special form and a special manner whereby it is distinguished Sawarah is to form Giving form and shape which inherits qualities An excellent example to understand this and many names is the human being Look at how Allah swt created the human being We are a miracle walking on earth If we look at the development of the embryo in the motherrsquos womb we understand Allahrsquos miracle Look at specifically the different liquids that are found in the human body The earsrsquo liquid has a specific role and responsibility there is different liquid that comes from the eyes mouth and nose Ear liquid has a bitter taste that helps you protect your ear from insects entering your ear There are parts of our body that are always open but nothing ever enters them Imagine if your eye lashes were to grow soo long how would you walk Or if your eye brows grew long Why donrsquot these two things (eye lashes and eye brows) grow too long SubhanrsquoAllah One look at ourselves is enough to make us understand the name Al-Musawwir Who made you in this fashion ALLAH swt We were created out of nothing and imagine the exact same thing that we are made of can also make us unclean SubhanrsquoAllah here is the stages of development simple Allah swt describes the stages of development

1 Drop of fluid (nutfa ndash semen) How can an illiterate person tell them things that we are only discovering in recent days lsquoInna khalakhna el insane men nutfaten amshajen nabtaleehi fa jarsquoalnaho sameersquon baseerarsquo See page 13

2 Inner layer development of embryo 3 Outer layer nutrition of embryo Imagine we were created from something like water a

liquid Ever wonder how can something liquid turn into bones Like a hard substance SUBHANrsquoALLAH Every bone in our body is different with different bone density Following bones the flesh part - where does it come from Then the skin and following that the thing moves IMAGINE - SubhanrsquoAllah

Last rule from page 6 We believe in the attributes of Allah swt without Distorting it Denying the meaning of them Without liking him to His creation

A surah that clarifies that we cannot compare Allah swt to his creation is in surat Al fajr ayah 22

Hence we cannot compare Allah swt with the angels Another good example is people asking how does Allah swt come down in the 3rd of the night We should not ask about these types of question We also know that Allah swt has hands but we cannot say it is the same hands as ours So we should not ask about these types of specificity Yet another example is that Allah swt smiles when a wife wakes her husband up for prayer How and is this smile similar to

ours we cannot say The idea is that we do not compare Allah swtrsquos characteristics and attributes to his creation

AL-WITR THE ONE Al-Witr comes from the root word وتر This name is not mentioned in the Qurrsquoan but it is mentioned in hadith Hadith that was narrrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah Ibn Amr classified as sahih by Shaikh Al-Albani ldquoAllah is One and He loves that which is odd-numberedrdquo Allah swt wants us to be different he does not want us to be the same as others Allah swt wants us to live a life of passion of greatness Odd numbers is witr and shafrsquo are even numbers For example Tawaf around the karsquoba is 7 which is a witr number The number of times we go from the safa and marwa is 7 times The number between the earth and heaven is also 7 The Prophet pbuh used of fast 3 days of every month

Allah swt is complete and therefore He is witr On the other hand we need a partner because we humans are shafrsquo Another hadith the Prophet said lsquodo witr because Allah swt loves odd numbersrsquo GEM LEAVE A LEGACY SO THAT WE ARE REMEMBERED LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS A Sunnah to revive is the number and manner of rakat the Prophet pbuh used to pray He prayed 5 or 7 or more without any tashahud so he only used to do the tashahud in the last rakah (the most the Prophet pbuh went up to is 11 rakahs) The minimum rakahs for witr prayer is one prayer or 3 and you can do more than that but only odd numbers Duaa al Qunut was performed by the Prophet pbuh when there was a calamity The number of rakahs prayered for Qunut one rakah which is the least but the best is to pray 3 rakahs and more (odd numbers)

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY Al-Wahid comes from the root word وحد which means to be one unique He is the one who is singled out in all aspects of perfection such as nothing else shares with Him these The one source from which all creation springs forth Al-Wahid is mentioned 13 times in the Qurrsquoan

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE Al-Ahadrsquos root word is أحد means to be the only one The One who has no second [that shares] in the lordship nor in the essence nor in the attributes The One who was not begotten and has never begotten Al-Ahad is mentioned only once in the Qurrsquoan but the surah that mentioned it is equivalent to 13 of the Qurrsquoan The surah is Al-Ikhlas

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

ours we cannot say The idea is that we do not compare Allah swtrsquos characteristics and attributes to his creation

AL-WITR THE ONE Al-Witr comes from the root word وتر This name is not mentioned in the Qurrsquoan but it is mentioned in hadith Hadith that was narrrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abdullah Ibn Amr classified as sahih by Shaikh Al-Albani ldquoAllah is One and He loves that which is odd-numberedrdquo Allah swt wants us to be different he does not want us to be the same as others Allah swt wants us to live a life of passion of greatness Odd numbers is witr and shafrsquo are even numbers For example Tawaf around the karsquoba is 7 which is a witr number The number of times we go from the safa and marwa is 7 times The number between the earth and heaven is also 7 The Prophet pbuh used of fast 3 days of every month

Allah swt is complete and therefore He is witr On the other hand we need a partner because we humans are shafrsquo Another hadith the Prophet said lsquodo witr because Allah swt loves odd numbersrsquo GEM LEAVE A LEGACY SO THAT WE ARE REMEMBERED LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS A Sunnah to revive is the number and manner of rakat the Prophet pbuh used to pray He prayed 5 or 7 or more without any tashahud so he only used to do the tashahud in the last rakah (the most the Prophet pbuh went up to is 11 rakahs) The minimum rakahs for witr prayer is one prayer or 3 and you can do more than that but only odd numbers Duaa al Qunut was performed by the Prophet pbuh when there was a calamity The number of rakahs prayered for Qunut one rakah which is the least but the best is to pray 3 rakahs and more (odd numbers)

AL-WAHID THE ONE THE CREATOR OF DIVERSITY FROM UNITY Al-Wahid comes from the root word وحد which means to be one unique He is the one who is singled out in all aspects of perfection such as nothing else shares with Him these The one source from which all creation springs forth Al-Wahid is mentioned 13 times in the Qurrsquoan

AL-AHAD THE ONE AND ONLY THE UNIQUE Al-Ahadrsquos root word is أحد means to be the only one The One who has no second [that shares] in the lordship nor in the essence nor in the attributes The One who was not begotten and has never begotten Al-Ahad is mentioned only once in the Qurrsquoan but the surah that mentioned it is equivalent to 13 of the Qurrsquoan The surah is Al-Ikhlas

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

Ibn al Batar (RA) said ldquoAllah swt is not a body because a body is made of composed thingsrdquo Al junair (RA) said ldquoTawhid is to know and believe that the creator is different from the creationrdquo Imam al Bukhari (RA) said ldquoAl-Ahad is the One who is no similar or equal to anythingrdquo Abu Hanifa (RA) also stated ldquoAllah is one not as in numbers but that there is no partners with Himrdquo Video ldquoshaykh Mohammed Hassanrdquo The man was looking for Allah Al-Wahid Al-Ahad It is soo easy for us to say the words ldquola illaha ilah Allahrdquo It is a blessing and do we understand it Sheikh Riad shared a story of a man in the UK who couldnrsquot say the shahada on his death bed The manrsquos tongue was crippled and he was literally trying to pull his tongue out so he can force his tongue to say the Shahada Recall when Bilal (RA) was being tortured he kept saying ldquoAhad Ahadrdquo because Allah swt is the One and Only that could help him Bilal (RA) kept repeating Ahad ahad because it kept fueling the kufar with anger If we are able to live with Al-Ahad we will be able to say ldquola illaha illah Allahrdquo in the time of death insharsquoAllah Ibn lsquoAsaker (one of the salaf- RA) story of the man who owned a donkey and decided to take a man from Damascus to another smaller town and then the man he was transporting wanted to kill him just like he had killed all the other people in the valley they were passing So the owner asked him if he can pray two rakahs and when he started he forgot all the Qurrsquoan out of fear although he had it all memorized

Recitation of the Qurrsquoan ldquoa Ilahun marsquoa Allahrdquo this aya is repeated - is there any God other than Allah swt May Allah swt make us of those that their last words in this dunia are La illaha illa Allah AMEEN May we be resurrected with these words ldquohowa Al-Wahid Al-Ahadrdquo We need to live with Al-Wahid Al-Ahad in sincerity in our daily lives sincerity in private and in public

The sahaba (RA) asked the Prophet pbuh ldquoWho will earn the prophetrsquos intercessionrdquo and he said ldquothe one who says La Illaha ila Allah with sincerityrdquo ndash May Allah swt make us among those that say the kalema with sincerity

AL-SAMAD THE ETERNALLY BESOUGHT Al-Samadrsquos root word is صمد which means to turn to to need to be sublime everlasting He is the One upon whom the whole creation relies in all of its needs predicaments and necessities The One who is eternal and above Whom there is none The One who is unaffected unchanged and without any needs This name was mentioned in the Qurrsquoan only once The word samad in Arabic means direction and when it is applied to Allah swt it is that the hearts are directed to him Al-Samad is the One that all of creation needs and He does not lsquoTasmado al kholoob illayehrsquo Al-Samad is the one clear of any cavities any imperfections Ibn Abas (RA) said ldquothe eternally besought of all the chief who is best at his nobility the great one who is best in his greatness the tolerant one who is best in his toleration the omnipotence who is best in his omnipotence Al-Haleem the all knowing who is best at his knowledge the self who has no fear around whom all creatures turns and whom they seek after for all their needs and actions The surah is Al-Ikhlas aya 1-4

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

AL-SAYYID THE MASTER Al-Sayyidrsquos root word is سود which means the Owner the Master The sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He did not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo This name comes from Hadith As-Sayyid the Sovereign of the universe all of creation is enslaved to Him The One Who is needed in an absolute sense No created being is independent of Him If He idd not create them they would not exist and if He did not sustain them after creating them they would not remain ldquoAs-Sayyid is Allahrdquo Narrated by lsquoAbdullah Ibn Ush-Shakkir and classified as sahih by Shaykh al-Albani]

AL-HAYY THE EVER-LIVING Al-Hayyrsquos root word is هي is to be living The One who is undyling everlasting The One who calls all life into being and makes each living thing different and distinct Hyy is life which is the opposite of death We tend to always find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together How can we live with al hay daily Allah swt says in Surat Al-Furqan ayah 58

ldquoAnd rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt [Allah] with His praise And sufficient is He to be with the sins of His servants Acquaintedrdquo There are three types of hayya (lifersquos)

1 The life of the bodies (life of the abdaan) There are many people who are alive but they are empty from the inside The only thing that matters to them is their appearance (the exterior- appearance) We should contemplate on the type of hayya we have

2 Hayaat of the erada wal himma (the life of passion and will) This is a life that matters one that contains a mission a task that you want to accomplish A person who has this second type of hayaa has a goal a vision and a message that the individual is carrying and would like accomplish We should not be saying to ourselves ldquoana hoona wala adree li mada ana honardquo- lsquoI am here and I do not know why I am herersquo We need to have a mission and know exactly why we are here Keep in mind that a vision is different from a mission A mission is not reached and is not finished it is ever lasting until you die You vision can change and you should be able to alter it depending on the circumstance (vision = changeable and flexible)

GEM WE NEED TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS FOCUSED FULL OF PASSION AND DRIVE

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

3 Hayaat al farah wal suroro wal ounse billah This is that you know your goal and you are set and

now you are accomplishing farah (happiness) where you are so close to Allah swt

AL- QAYYUM THE SUSTAINER OF [ALL] EXISTENCE THE SELF-SUBSISTING THE

SELF-EXISTING Al-Qayyum root word is قوم which to stand up to rise up to ascend The One who is free of any dependence on anything else for existence Qwm ndash to stand up Remember we said that usually we find Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum together all the time Ahl el 3lm (the people of Knowledge) said that Al-Hayy signifies the ever living life and Al-Qayyum signifies the self sustainer Allah swt states in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 255

ldquoAllah ndash there is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him the Ever-Living the Sustainer of [all] existence Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and their preservation tires Him not And He is the Most High the Most Great [Al-Baqarah 2255]

AL-WAARITH THE ULTIMATE INHERITOR THE SUPREME HEIR Al-Waarith root word is ورث means to inherit to be the owner or sustainer after someone The One to whom all possessions return when the possessor is gone The One who inherits all that we have done The One who has everlasting ownership of all that has ever been and that will ever be The supreme heir Our children inherit our wealth when we die but Allah swt is the supreme heir Allah swt states in surah Al-Hajar ayah 23 ldquoAnd certainly We We it is who give life and we are the inheritorsrdquo Since Allah swt is the supreme inheritor Allah swt has everything that He initially gives to us because we are all going to die and everything returns to Him All of the things we have in our life is owned by Allah

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

swt the supreme owner Everything in the universe in the end goes back to Allah swt and everything we have is given to us by Allah swt For instance Prophet Zakariya pbuh said in surat al anbeya (89) ldquooh Allah donrsquot leave me as one (by himself) and you are the best of all inheritorsrdquo he wanted a child and knew that everything returned back to Allah swt

AL-GHANIY THE FREE OF NEED Al-Ghaniyrsquos root word is غني means to be rich wealthy He is Free of need self-sufficient completely and unrestrictedly diference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs In Arabic the word Ghaniy is someone who is rich But in terms of Allah swt it means that Allah is free of any needs He is Free of need self-Sufficient completely and unrestrictedly deference is given to His perfection and the perfection of His attributes He is not in need of anyone He transcends all needs Normally we find in the Qurrsquoan Al-Ghaniy with Al-Hameed Abu Dharr al-Ghifari narrates that the Prophet peace be upon him said that Allah said ldquoO My slaves all of you are astray except those whom I guide so ask Me for guidance and I will guide you O My slaves all of you are hungry except those whom I feed so ask Me for food and I will feed you O My slaves all of you are naked except those whom I clothe so ask Me for clothing and I will clothe youhellip O My slaves if the first of you and the last of you your humans and your jinn were to stand on a single plain and ask of Me and I were to give each one what he asked for that would not cause any loss to Me greater than what is lost when a needle is dipped into the seardquo The opposite of Ghaniy is fakheer which is us as in we are in need of Allah swt Anything that has no deficiency is Allah swt

AL-HAMID THE PRAISEWORTHY Al-Hamidrsquos root word is حمد which means to praise to speak well of The One who is worthy of all thankful praise The One and only One who truly deserves all praise honour and adoration Praise is for what is complete and perfect There is a difference between shukr and hamd Shukr is to thank someone hamd is to praise Allah swt Therefore we thank people and we praise Allah swt Sh Riad shared with the class that there was a sister that had said ldquoI want to thank Allah Al-Hamid for the ability to thank himrdquo ldquoAllahuma ini a3oodo bika men zawale nersquomatek ndash Oh Allah I ask you that you do not perish your nersquom that you have bestowed upon merdquo Fuj3ad (sudden) Nekhma (opposite of ne3ma) wa tahawael lsquoafeyatek The Prophet pbuh used to ask Allah swt to protect him from sudden lack of nersquoma We often forget all the things we are blessed with in this life For instance ne3matel wajood is the fact that Allah swt created us as a human being subhan Allah wal hamdulillah Fascinating Facts Sh Riad shared with us during the seminar Blessings

The heart beats per day 1000 times

Eye blinks 12-14 thousand blinks per day

16000 breaths per day

12 intestinal movements per day

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

Kidney cleans itself 36 times per day All of these ne3am is free and we do not even acknowledge them nor thank Allah swt for them because most of the time we are unaware that these things are happening within our body Ne3matul herasa is the nersquoma of Allah swtrsquos protection over us Allah swt says which means that if we would to be thankful to Allah swt for His blessings He would increase us The opening Surah from the Qurrsquoan is surat Al-Fatiha ayah 1

AL-MALIK THE SOVEREIGN THE KING Al-Malikrsquos root word is ملك which means to possess to own exclusively The One who is king of all beings The One who is the owner and ruler of this world The One who has supreme authority and who is relied upon by everyone His Dominion and Will are preponderating and conquer all under His Sovereignty Al-Malik and Al-Malīk have a root word which is malaka Al-Malik is an indication to something that is more extreme than al malīk Allah swt states in Surat Tā-Hā ayah 114

So high [above all] is Allah the Sovereign the Truth And [O Muhammad] do not hasten with recitation of+ the Qurrsquoan before its revelation is completed to you and say ldquoMy Lord increase me in knowledgerdquo Tā-Hā 20114+ Sh Al uthaymeen mentioned Al-Malik and Al-Malīk

Al-MALĪK THE OMNIPOTENT KING THE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN Al- Malīkrsquos root word is ملك Al- Malīk is indicative to the extreme emphasis in al-mulk (sovereignty) Allah swt says in Surat Al-Qamar ayah 55

In a seat of honour near an Absolute Sovereign Perfect in Ability [Al-Qamar 5455] AL-MAWLA THE MASTER Al-Mawlarsquos root word is مول which is the Master In Arabic the term Mawla can be used for ar-rab the master the beloved (al-muhibb) the follower (at-tābi) the neighbor the cousin the slave Allah is the Mawla the Patron Supporter and the Protector of the believers

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

Allah swt states in surat Al-Anfāl ayah 40

But if they turn away ndash then know that Allah is your Protector (mawla) Excellent is the Protector and Excellent is the Helper (Nasir) [Al-Anfāl 840] Allah swt is the mawla and Nasir So Al-Mawla means that Allah swt has access to everything and at anytime The idea here is that Allah swt owns and has access at anytime and to everything Allah swt is the King of all KINGS The kingdom of Allah swt does not perish at all The kingdom of Allah swt cannot be eliminated The difference between Allah swtrsquos mulk and human beingrsquos mulk is that the personrsquos kingdom can be taken away from him On the other hand Allah swtrsquos kingdom is never perishing Allah swt questions lsquoLee men al mulk el youmrsquo ndash to whom does the kingdom belong to today No one can claim the sovereignty of Allah swt where as the kingdoms on this earth can be claimed by his children and others The kingdom of Allah swt is the true KINGDOM whereas the kingdom of this life is not true Why did Allah swt start with RABB MALIK and then ILLAH Here is the answer Khalakahum be rabobiateh (he created them) Malik as in that He owns us and Illah as in we are to worship him Allah swt created us (He is the creator) then he is the Malik and therefore Allah swt owns us and lastly since we were created by Allah swt we are to worship him alone

AL-ALī THE MOST HIGH Al-Alīrsquos root word is علي which means to be high The One Who is above and exceeds all others The Most High above whom there is nothing higher The lowest a man can go is in sujood and that is why we say subhana rabbi al a3la in our sujood The Prophet pbuh stated that the duaa in the sujood is mustagab The Prophet pbuh said that we are prohibited from reciting Qurrsquoan in rukorsquo and sujood because we are suppose to glorify our Lord in those positions with ishtihad (Hard work)

AL-ALā THE MOST HIGH THE EXALTED Al-Alārsquos root word is علي which means to be elevated

ldquoExalt the name of your Lord the Most Highrdquo Al-Alā 871+

AL-MUTAāL THE EXALTED THE MOST EXALTED Al-Mutaālrsquos root word is علي

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

AL-AWWAL THE FIRST Al-Awwalrsquos root word is أول which means to be first to be before The One who is the first the beginning the foremost The prior-Existing One who existed before all of creation Nothing is before Him There are certain names that cannot be used in isolation unless they are used with their sister words like Al-Awwal and A-Ākhir (Allah swt is the First and is also the Last ndash nothing will come after him)

AZ-ZāHIR THE SCENDANT THE MANIFEST Al-Zahirrsquos root word is ظهر means to be visible manifest obvious distinct The One who has manifested all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation Nothing is above Him His attributes are show through all of his creation and therefore we do not see Allah swt but we believe in him throughout his creation

AL-BāTIN THE INTIMATE THE INNER THE INWARD Al-Bātinrsquos root word is بطن which is to be concealed The One who is veiled from our sensory perception The One who is unseen yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs Nothing is nearer than Him Allah swt is unseen in our senses but He is there

ldquoHe is the First and the Last the Ascendant and the Intimate and He is of all things Knowingrdquo

[Al-Hadīd 571+

AL-MUQADDIM THE EXPEDITER Al-Muqaddimrsquos root word is قدم which is to bring forward The One Who gives precedence to whatever has to be given precedence with regard to rulings and the order of things This attribute of Allah swt is in the hadith (Sahih Muslim) ldquoThe Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say in the night prayer ldquoO Allāh to You be praise You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To you be praise You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and everyone in them To You be praise You are the truth Your promise is true Your words are true the meeting with You is true Paradise is true Hell is true and Hour is true the Prophets are true Muhammad is true O Allah to You I have submitted in You have I put my trust in You I have believed to You I have repented with Your help and guidance I have debated and to You I turn for judgment You are our Lord unto You is our return Forgive me for my past and future sins for those I have committed secretly and those I have committed openly and for whatever You know more about than I You are the One Who brings forward and the One Who puts back You are my God there is no deity worthy of worship but You And there is no power and no strength except with Yourdquo

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

Narrated by lsquoAbdullāh Ibn lsquoAbbās and reported by Bukhārī+

AL-MU˙AKHKHIR THE DELAYER Al-Mursquoakhkhir root word is آخر This attribute is also found in hadith There are two types of taqdīm (expediting)

Taqdīm al-kawnī universal expediting

Taqdīm ash-sharī preference in status Taqdīm Al-kawni means that Allah swt has created certain things before something else On the other hand taqdīm ash-sharrsquoī is that Allah swt has given higher status over other things like the Prophets pbut have higher status then the average human being and even Allah swt gave higher status more than others

AL-WāSI THE ALL-EMBRACING THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING Al-Wāsirsquos root word is وسع to be sufficient in compacity or size to comprehend embrace The One whose expansive essence holds and embraces all of creation The One whose power knowledge mercy and generosity are boundless This name of Allah swt comes from wāsi Allah is the all encompessing the all embracing subhanahu wa tarsquoala In the Qurrsquoan we see ldquowasersquoon lsquoaleemrdquo and Allah swt gives and know to whom He gives Allah swt has knowledge of everything and knows might a person do with what Allah swt gives himher and that they actually harm themselves Therefore we should not ask why Allah swt did not give us certain things that we want because our vision and knowledge is very little and Allah swt knows everything Allah swt gives to whom He wishes because He is Al-Wāsi Allah swt says in Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 261

ldquoThe likeness of those who spend their wealth in Allāhrsquos way is as the likeness of a grain which grows seven ears in every ear a hundred grains Allāh increases manifold to whom He will Allāh is All-Embracing All-Knowingrdquo Al-Baqarāh 2261+

AS-SUBBūH THE GLORIFIED ONE As-Subbūhrsquos root word is سبح which means to glorify The One Who is above all that is not befitting to Him and He is above all the shortcomings and (imperfect) qualities which are inherent in His creation

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

This attribute of Allah swt is found in hadith and not in the Qurrsquoan Picture this We are in the land of resurrection and everyone is waiting for Allah swt to start the Hisab Everyone starts hearing and see a light coming and 8 angels are carrying the thrown of Allah swt The Prophet pbuh described that the ears and shoulders of one of the angels is the distance between the heaven and the earth Therefore imagine 8 angles carrying the thrown of Allah swt The angels are saying ldquoya hayyu ya khaoomrdquo and they are able to lift the lsquoarsh (thrown) Instead the angels start saying ldquosubuh khodoos rab ul malaeekatuhu war rouhrdquo while the 8 angels carry the thrown of Allah swt

AL-AZīM THE MOST GREAT THE MAGNIFICIENT THE EXALTED Al-Azīmrsquos root word is عظيم which means to be large vast huge great in rank importance or dignity powerful imposing The One who is greatest mightiest grandest and above all The One who is of perfect and absolute greatness Allah swt states in surat Ash-Ashūrā ayah 4

ldquoTo Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and He is the Most High the Most greatrdquo [Ash-shūrā 424+

AL-AZĪZ THE AL-MIGHTY Al-Azīzrsquos root word is عزيز means to be mighty potent strong powerful The One whose dignity majesty and power are unique precious and unattainable by mankind The One who has complete mastery over all of creation From lsquoeza dignity and mighty Al-Azīz means that Allah swt is the exalted Therefore we were created by him and we should not be humiliated and abused Human beings are the slaves of Al-Azīz and not the slave of anything or anyone else This name of Allah expresses that He will always triumph and that He can never be refuted for only He has true power Allah swt favored us and therefore we should not humiliate ourselves Al-Azīz cannot be defeated Humans can be Azīz because they might be better at one thing but there are things that they can be defeated on Al-Azīz is only Allah swt

AL-RAHIM THE MOST BENEFICENT The attribute Al-Rahim was mentioned 14 times in the Qurrsquoan Al-Aziz Al-Hakeem (the all wise) Al-Raheem Al-Khawi (the all strong subhanah) and Al-lsquoAleem (all of these were mentioned 95 times) but singly they were mentioned 14 times Surat Al-Anfal describes the battle of badr The Muslims did not go out to fight and were not ready to fight The Muslims were 300 and the non-Muslims were 1000 Allah swt planned this war and even the

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

land to be chosen Why the land of badr Allah swt has many soldiers (angles wind etc) The Muslims were extremely tired so much so that they were not ready The Muslims were sleeping and the guards were sleeping that their swords fell 7 times Allah swt send down so much rain where it was difficult to walk on wet sand (full of water) The camp of the Muslims on the other side rained a little bit therefore the land was stable for the Muslims And because it rained a little bit the rain also refreshed the Muslims after their nap The rain and sleep was the nasser of Allah swt So another nasr of Allah was that the Muslims all had the same dream They dreamed that all the non-Muslims looked like there were so few and the Qurash saw that the Muslims were large in numbers When the Muslims had the dream it gave them the power and boost they needed to fight Another help that the Muslims received from Allah swt were angels ndash Allah swt send down thousands of angels to help the Muslims The Muslims said that when they went to strike the non-Muslim before the sword hit them the angels got them already The angels came to the aid of the Muslims in a head coving that was green Another instance where Allah swt send his ANGELS to aid the Muslims was in the battle of hunan The angels in this battle came as ants and the non-Muslims got scared and ran away The battle of al khandaq- Allah swt send his angels in the form of winds The winds (angels) were extremely strong that the non-Muslims ran away and so the Muslims did not have to fight Allah swt send down his nusr in many forms SubhanrsquoAllah The Prophet pbuh said that ldquothis religion of Islam will reach the four corners of the world and there will be no house left that has not heard of Islamrdquo Out of every 5 people that become Muslim only one is male although they say Islam oppresses women Even more the mass media portrays Islam as a religion of ISM Omar (RA) had so much Azia and knowledge Allah swt is Al-Aziz therefore humiliation for anyone is not allowed Allah swt does not allow oppression or humiliation so we should not accept Humiliation ALLAH SWT GAVE US lsquoZA (Dignity) IN ISLAM AND IF WE SEEK lsquoZA IN ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ISLAM ndash ALLAH SWT WILL DISGRACE US

AN-NASSIR THE HELPER THE ONE WHO PROVIDES VICTORY An-Nassirrsquos root word is نصر which means to assist and make victorious As Allah promises victory belongs only to those who believe in our Lord and struggle to attain His good pleasure and consent Nasara- comes from victory The names of Allah swt - Al-Azim Al-Aziz and An-Nassir are usually found together GEM BE ONE FOR ONE AND ON ONE BE ONE FOR ALLAH SWT NOT FOR ANYONE ELSE SO THERFORE

YOU ARE THE SLAVE OF ALLAH SWT

Remember that the Qurrsquoan came down in three stages

AL-KABBIR THE MOST GREAT Al-Kabbirrsquos root word is كبر which means to be great in size vast formidable The One whose greatness is beyond measure The One whose nature is Greatness The phrase Allahu Akbar uses this same k-b-r root and means Allah is the greatest

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

Al-Kabbir is the most great In Arabic the word kbr means pride or arrogance As Muslims when we pray we start our prayer with ldquoAllahu akbarrdquo and this signifies that we are leaving our lives behind and we are going to the Most Great

AL-MUTAKABBIR THE SUPREMELY GREAT Al-Mutakabbirrsquos root wordكبر which means to be great in rank dignity nobility majesty The One who is above any evil defect and deficiency due to His greatness The One who has rights privileges and attributes which others do not have The word mutakabbir in Arabic signifies someone who is arrogant Arrogance is something blame worthy for human beings but for Allah swt He is Al-Mutakabbir Recall that one of the things that lead to hell fire is kbr Surat al zumar addresses those that have kbr and how they go to hell fire in groups The people who have arrogance during their life time will say when they go to hell fire that yes the Prophets (pbut) came to them but that they were too arrogant to follow them Allah swt is Al-Mutakabbir that he did not create us so He can oppress us How can we be arrogant when our beginning is a despised drop of sperm our end is a corpse (a piece of nothing) and in between we carry fesses In Arabic ldquoawaluka nutafaten Matdera wa akheiruka gefatun khadera wa bena daleeka tahmalu al lsquoaderardquo There is a Hadith of the Prophet pbuh (reported by al tirmidhi) that he described that ldquoon the day of resurrection the arrogant will be gathered as tiny menwomen (as small as ants) and humiliation will be all around them They will be as small as ants because in life they thought they were bigger and arrogant The arrogant will be driven to a prison in hell called Bowlas with the highest fire raising over them and they will be giving a cocktail called ldquothe juice of the inhabitance of hell - TEEBAT AL KHABALrdquo

AL-QAWIY THE SUPREMELY-STRONG Al-Qawiyrsquos root word is قوة which means to be strong vigorous potent The One whose strength is supreme The One who possesses unlimited strength and endurance The one whose vigor and strength prevails over all of creation According to Hadith found in Muslim ldquoThe believer is more beloved to Allah swt (Al-Qawiy) then the weak believerrdquo Strength here means spiritual physical mental strength

AL-MAJEED THE MOST GLORIOUS Al-Majeedrsquos root word is مجيد which means to be glorious dignified majestic noble honorable The One who is glorious dignified majestic bountiful and exceedingly generous He is described with the attributes of glory greatness and magnificence Hersquos glorified and magnified in the hearts of His close ones In the Qurrsquoan we find lsquoHameedun Majeedrsquo together And in our Salah we say ldquoRabana walaka Al-Hamd hamdan kateeran tayeaban mubarakanhelliprdquo after we stand up from our rukursquo Whosoever you love and you do not praise you do not really love himher Therefore when you praise someone without loving

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

that person you are not praising him enough Hence we should praise Allah swt enough and love him enough Praise should come with a lot of love

AL-MATEEN THE POSSESSOR OF STRENGTH THE FIRM Al-Mateenrsquos root word is متن which means to be strong solid firm hard The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination Al-Mateen also means strength and firm The One who is most steadfast and solid The One whose strength produces certitude The One who can easily overcome anything through supreme firmness and strength of determination

AL-QAHHAR THE SUBDUER THE SUPERB VANQUISHER THE EVER-DOMINATING Al-Qahharrsquos root word is قهر which means to control dominate and overpower The superb Vanquisher dominates everything in His kingdom Everything submits and surrenders to Him Al-Qahhar is more intensive than Al-Qaaher Allah swt said to the heavens and the earth ldquocome willingly or by force and they (the heavens and earth) said we submit willinglyrdquo Allah swt Al-Qahhar says in Surat Al-Anlsquoām ayah 44

ldquoSo when they forgot that by which they had been reminded We opened to them the doors of everything [good] thing until when they rejoiced in that which they were given We seized them suddenly and they were [then] in despair [Al-Anlsquoām 44+ The above ayah is addressing the nations that were disobedient to Allah swt Therefore Allah swt says that He has opened the doors of everything pleasant to them and when they are in the middle of their enjoyment Allah swt takes from them forcefully everything because they did not want to surrender to Him willingly Allah swt also vanquishes things with their opposites For instance the sea Allah swt can make it beautiful and peaceful but then it can also become a deadly force Allah swt also ordered the knife that prophet Ibrahim pbuh was going to slaughter his son with to not cut Allah swt also made the fire not burn Ibrahim pbuh when the non-Muslims threw him in the fire Therefore Allah swt is Al-Qahhar and therefore can make the things that are not willingly submissive to him ndash submissive forcefully ldquoEITHER YOU SURRENDER AND GIVE UP THE SIN WILLINGLY OR ALLAH SWT AL-QAHHR WILL MAKE YOU GIVE IT UP BY FORCErdquo From Allahrsquos mercy He gives us chances and waits for us to give up our sins willingly Therefore He is giving us chances after chances Is today the day you give it up

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

AL-QAAHER THE EVER-DOMINATING THE CONQUEROR Al-Qaaherrsquos root word is قهر which means to overcome conquer He is The Vanquisher without being unfair on the contrary He is wise and knowledgeable Everything surrenders to Allah swt and on the Day of Judgment Allah swt will say ldquoTo whom does the kingdom belong to todayrdquo No one but Allah swt is Al-Qaaher Allah swt will also vanquish the siraat in judgment day Allah swt will make it easy for the believers to pass the siraat and hard for the non-believers Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoBE SUBMISSIVE TO ALLAH SWT AND DO NOT OPPRESS ANYONE SPECIALLY THE ORPHANS AND THE WEAKrdquo

AL-JABBAR THE SUPERB COMFORTERTHE RESTORER THE IRRESISTIBLE Al-Jabbarrsquos root word is جبر which means the splint which is used to set the broken bones to restore something to sound The One who irresistibly restores all of creation to soundness and sufficiency The One who compels each and every thing according to divine will yet is never compelled This name of Allah swt encompasses love mercy tenderness and compassion People think of this name as hard but it is actually the opposite Because you are broken and oppressed Allah swt will comfort you Therefore this attribute of Allah swt in reality is the one that an individual can use to complain to Al-jabbar There are two types of breaking (1) broken bones (2) heart breaks Therefore broken bones are easy and we know who to go to mend our broken bones But it is Allah swt only that can mend our broken hearts Allah swt is the only One that can mend your heart and avenge your brokenness Imagine that Allah swt is giving you this assistance free of services all you need is two rakahs and talking to Al-Jabbar and getting it out of your heart Sheikh Riadrsquos advice ldquoKeep on knocking on Allahrsquos door and maybe insharsquoAllah He will open for yourdquo And Do not be sad if the answer you are looking for does not come fast but keep in doing it and insharsquoAllah Allah will make you happy GEM ldquoALLAH SWT IS THERE TO LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIES BUT GIVE ALLAH SWT A CHANCErdquo Remember that Allah swt said lsquoI have prohibited oppression upon myself and therefore do not oppress one another and do not transgress the rights of anyonersquo because Al-Jabbar might come and revenge for the person you are oppressing For instance sometimes we treat people unjustly (we oppress someone) and then we undergo a punishment of some sort and then we go back to Allah swt and ask him for His help and then Allah swt transforms that punishment from being a punishment to a blessing Sheikh Riad used the example of the man who used to make fun of the blind man and then Allah swt gave blind children Al-Jabbar mends hearts example of Musa pbuh and his mother And how Allah swt told her to release him into the ocean to save him And so she did because she placed her trust in Allah swt and Allah swt Al-Jabbar mended her heart and returned Musa pbuh to her Allah swt mends your broken hearts with our repentance For example the Prophet pbuh used to advice ldquorefkhan bel qawareerdquo which means lsquobe kind to womenrsquo Allah Al-Jabbar mends our hearts with our daily Salah Al-Jabbar inputs our optional (sunnan) prayers in the place of any Salahs that we might have missed

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

Al-Jabbar also mends the hearts of the orphans Because the Prophet pbuh said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be like this (pointing his two fingers and making them close)

AL-HAKAM THE SUPREMEM JUDGE THE ARBITRATOR Al-Hakamrsquos root word is حكم which means to pass judgment to decide pass a verdict The One who judges between His servants in this life and the life of the Hereafter with His justice and fairness He is the judge in His regulation and decree The One who makes the final decision of the natural of all matters The One who arbitrates all disputes This attribute of Allah swt is found in Hadith Hanirsquo Ibnu Yazid said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said ldquoAllah is the Supreme Judge and to Him belong all rulingsrdquo Reported by An-Nassirsquo Abu Dawud and classified as Sahih by sheikh Al-Albani

Al-HAQQ THE TRUTH THE JUST AND CORRECT Al-Haqqrsquos root word is حق which means to be genuine authentic real sound substantial The One whose existence is undeniable He is the Truth in His essence and attributes Allah is the Truth and what they supplicate to other than Him is falsehood This name ldquoAl ndashhaqq was created by haqq Allah swt created the heavens and the earth by the truth The lesson that can be derived from this name we should all live by the truth to tell the truth to never hide the truth to love the truth and to die for the truth If we love the truth you love Allah swt because Allahrsquos name is Al-Haqq Allah swt says ldquoina akramakum atqakumrdquo ndash the most kareem of you is the one who has more taqwa There are nine things that are true

1 Knowledge of Allah is the Truth 2 His words are a truth 3 His promise is a truth 4 The day we meet Him is a truth 5 Jannah is a truth 6 Hellfire is a truth 7 The Prophets are a truth 8 The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a truth 9 The hour is Truth (the day of Judgment)

Allah swt says in Surat Al-Mutaffifin ayah 1

The people of Al-Mutaffifin are those that do not speak the truth and cheat when they do business Allah swt also states in Surat Al-Arsquoraf ayah 44

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

This ayah addresses how people from heaven will call on the people of hell and ask ldquohave you found what Allah swt has promised yourdquo and the people of hell will answer with yes and vise versa People that lived by the truth

Omar (RA) and Abu Bakr (RA)

Samarkand The Muslims went and invaded Samarkand without any notice or darsquowa The Muslims went and invaded the country and had control of the country The priests of that country heard that the ruler (Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz) was a Just ruler Therefore the priest went to meet with him and told him what had happened When Omar Ibn Abdul Aziz wrote a letter to the Muslim ruler In the letter he said to appoint a ruler to be the judge They had a meeting and the Muslims said that they had invaded the country because they did not have time to give them darsquowa Instead they just invaded them without darsquowa Hence the ruling was that they leave the country by the next day Therefore the Muslims left the next day Due to the amazing actions of the Muslims the people of that country embraced Islam

Yet another story A mother send her son to another city to study The advice she gave him was that he should always tell the truth While travelling they came accross a man named Al-fudathe ibn ayyad so they would ask everyone do you have money and everyone would lie And this man would still take the money from them even though they lied about it He got to the boy and asked him ldquodo you have any moneyrdquo And then the boy said yes The boy was asked why didnrsquot he lie and he said because my mother told me to always speak the truth Therefore fudathe ibn ayyad became a scholar after that and changed his life around

AL-HASSEEB THE RECKONER Al-Hasseebrsquos root word is حسب means to number calculate give without measure The One Who is All-Knowing of His servants and sufficient for those who put their trust in Him The One who takes account of all actions and reckons them The One who is the measurer and accountant of every deed The One who gives what is sufficient and necessary in every situation ldquoMa le hada elketaba la Yuqadiru ela saqeratun wala kaberatan ela ahsahardquo ndash the people who will be suffering in hell fire while they read all their actions in their books will be asking the above quotation When the non-believers threw Ibrahim pbuh in the fire he pbuh said ldquohasbi Allah wa nersquom Al-Wakeelrdquo surrendering his matter to Allah swt

AL-WALIY THE PROTECTING FRIEND THE NEARBY GUARDIAN Al-Waliyrsquos root word is ولي which means to be near close nearby defend and guard Al-Wali emphasizes the aspects of lordship ownership and mastery of the One who is also friend and helper Al-Wali also emphasizes the nearness and loving protective guarding and helping aspects of the One who is also the Lord and master

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

People can be wali (saints) and anyone can be a wali but Al-Waliy can only be Allah swt Al-Waliy is the One who protects you and is a guardian for his slaves Allah swt says in surat Yunus ayah 62

Allah swt says that ldquoawliya Allah surely should not have no sadness and no grieve because Allah swt is taking care of themrdquo Therefore you do not have to be a saint to be a wali Allah swt will eliminate your grave and life because Allah swt says in surat Al-Baqarah ayah 257

Allah is the ally of those who believe He brings them out from darknesses into the light And those who disbelieve ndash their allies are Taghut They take them out of the light into darknesses Those are the companions of the Fire they will abide eternally therein [Al-Baqarah 257] Allah swt will give you victory if He is your wali Allah swt in the Qurrsquoan talks to those he is protecting those that are close to Him ldquoAllah is your mawla and he is the best to give you victoryrdquo In this hadith Qudsi ldquowhoever shows hostility towards you Allah swt declares war against themrdquo Allah swt says that my servant does not draw near me with anything more than in his religious practices and the more nawafel (voluntary acts) my slave does the more Allah swt loves his slave In this case Allah swt becomes the personrsquos eyes and ears To earn the Walaya of Allah one needs

o Firm belief in Allah (True believer - Surat Yūnus ayah 62) Those who are devoted to Allah swt with believe and who have piety (taqwa) while avoiding the bad

o Adhere to the Salat (the prayers ndash mandatory prayers) o Voluntary prayersacts (An-Nawafel like Fasting seeking forgiveness) o Helping others (the needy)

Sheikh Riad shared the story of Abu Bakr (RA) and how he always left the Masjid after salah so Omar (RA) followed him to see where he is going Then he went into the same house Abu Bakr was at and went to ask if the old lady knew who that man was Then she said that she didnrsquot know who he was but that he comes ndash cleans cooks and feeds her and then leaves Omar (RA) he was thinking he can never win with Abu Bakr (RA) because he is always doing great things So after Abu Bakr died (RA) Omar (RA) took over the tasks that Abu Bakr used to do So when he went to feed the women she asked him ldquowho are yourdquo and he asked her ldquohow did you knowrdquo And she said the other man (Abu Bakr (RA))

used to mesh the food before he fed her And then Omar (RA) said that he couldnrsquot out do Abu bakr (RA) while he was alive and even when he was dead

This Hadith is known as the hadith of the wood ldquoWa kafa bi illahi kafeela wakeelardquo The story of the man who made the promise and borrowed the money it is hadith of the wood

AL-WAKEEL THE ULTIMATE TRUSTEE Al-Wakeelrsquos root word is وكل which means to appoint or entrust for the care or management of something It also means to reply upon confide in lean upon submit to) The One and only One who can be entrusted with the management and resolution of all affairs The One who may be trusted to do better for us than we do for ourselves This name fits those that have huge dreams but do not try it out because they are afraid to fail and they are not giving their trust in Allah swt What does it mean to entrust Allah swt It means that you do take actions towards what you want you take the means but you put your trust in Allah swt Tawakul comes from the name Al-Wakeel Allah swt says in surat Al-Talaq ldquoand whomever fears (has taqwa) Allah swt Allah swt will make a way out for that person (will solve and show new ways of solving the problem) and Allah swt will provide for that person from ways they did not know at all And whosoever puts their trust in Allah Allah swt shall come to his assistance Therefore put your trust in Allah swt He will never disappoint you If you place your trust in Allah swt completely you will got o Jannah without hisab (judging) The Prophet pbuh said in a hadith when he was taken into the journey of isra wal marsquoraj he saw a prophet with two followers and another with many followers and one without any followers Then the Prophet pbuh saw a group of followers and then he asked Jabril ldquoare these my followersrdquo and he said no Then Prophet Mohammed pbuh saw a horizon that was so large and then Jabril said lsquothose are your followersrsquo 70000 of the prophetrsquos pbuh followers will enter jannah without judgment Those are the people that had their full trust in Allah swt Al-Wakeel Then lsquoOkasha asked the Prophet pbuh to pray for him to be one of the 70000 and the Prophet pbuh makes duaa for him to be one of them The Prophet pbuh asked Allah swt to increase the number more than 70000 people and then Allah swt said that he will increase that number in that every 70000 each person can take with them another 70000 with them to Jannah without any reckoning Therefore the number is 70000 to the square of 2 = 45 million people

سم ه ب ن اللـ ـ حم حيم الر الر Indeed all praise is due to Allah (swt)We praise him we seek His help we seek His forgiveness

and we seek refuge with Him from the evil of our souls and the evil of our actions Whomsoever

Allah (swt) guides none can misguide and whomsoever Allah (swt) leaves to stray none can

guide I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship save Allah (swt) the One who has no

partner and I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His servant and Messenger The best

speech is the speech of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (saw) The

worst of all matters are those newly introduced in the religion Every newly introduced matter is

an innovation and every innovation is going astray All going astray leads to Hellfire

We ask Allah (swt) that he make this action sincerely for Him as all good contained in these

notes is from Him and we ask Allah (swt) to forgive us for any errors as they are all from us

Please use these notes to complement your personal notes and not to supplement them

Jazakum Allahu Khairan

Scribe Team

TABLE OF CONTENTS The Names that Manifest His Sovereignty 5

Al-lsquoAleem The All ndash Knowing 5

Al-Arsquoalem The Knower 5

Al-Hakim The All ndash Wise 5

Al-Khabeer The All ndash Aware 5

Ar-Raqeeb The All ndash Watchful 9

As-Shaheed The Omniscient Witness the Testifier 9

Al-Muhaymin The Safeguarder The Ever-Watching 9

As-Samirsquo The All ndash Hearing 10

Al-Basser The All ndash Seeing 11

Al-Muheet The All ndash Encompassing 11

Al-Hafeedh The Protector The Guardian 11

Al-Haafedh The Preserver 12

The Names that Manifest Absolute Beauty 12

Al-Jameel The Beautiful The Graceful 12

Al-Quddus The Most Holy The All ndash Perfect 12

As-Salam The source of Peace The Flawless 12

At-Tayyeb The Good 13

The Names that Trigger the Love of Allah in the Heart 13

Al-Jawwaad The Bestower of Good 13

Al-Muhsin The Supreme Doer of Good 13

Al-Mannan The Bestower 14

Ar-Rarsquouf The Most Kind The Gentle 14

Al-Barr The All ndash Good 14

Al-Hafiy The most welcome The Most Affectionate 14

Al-Wahhab The superb Bestower 14

Ar-Rahman the Most Beneficent 15

Ar-Raheem the Most Merciful 15

Al-Kareem The Generous The All ndash Laudable 17

Al-Akram The Ever Most Generous 17

Al-Qabid The Withholder The Restrainer The Constrictor 18

Al-Basit The Expander The Extender The Releaser 18

Al-Mursquoti The Superb Giver 18

Al-Mubin The Manifest The Clear 18

As-Shaafi The Ultimate Healer 19

Al-hayiy The Ultimate Modest 19

Al-Mursquomin The Giver of Security The Remover of Fear 20

As-Shakur The Appreciative 20

As-Shakir The Recognizer and Rewarder of Good 21

Al-Latif The Most Subtle 21

Ar-Rafiq The Most Gentle 21

Al-Halim The Most Forbearing The Most Serene 21

Al-Wadud The Most Affectionate The Most Loving 22

At-Tawwab The Acceptor of Repentance The Oft-Forgiving 22

Al-Ghaffar The All ndash Forgiving 23

Al-Ghafur The Forgiving The Pardoner 23

Al-lsquoAfu The Effacer of the Sins The Pardoner 23

Al-Muqeet The Ultimate Nourisher The Superb Sustainer 24

Ar-Razzaaq The Ultimate Provider 24

Al-Fattah The Granter of Success The Ultimate Opener The Superb Arbiter 25

Al-Qareeb The Near The Close 25

Al-Mujeeb The Answers of Prayers The Supreme Answerer 26

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST HIS SOVEREIGNTY

AL-lsquoALEEM THE ALL ndash KNOWING

Al-lsquoAleem comes from the root word علم to know to have knowledge to be cognizant to be

aware Al-lsquoAleem is the One who comprehends everything AlrsquoAleem is the One who is intuitively

aware of all things even before they happen The One who knows with certainty Al-lsquoAleem is

indicative of the extreme form of AlrsquoAlem

AL-ArsquoALEM THE KNOWER

Al-lsquoAlem comes from the root word علم knowledgeable Al-lsquoAlemrsquos knowledge is absolute and

through He knows everything

AL-HAKIM THE ALL ndash WISE

Al-Hakim which comes from the root word حكمه to be wise Al-Hakim is the One to whom

belongs the highest wisdom the One who is All-Wise in His creation and command Al-Hakim

perfected everything He created

There are two types of wisdom

1 Wisdom concerning His creation

2 Wisdom in His legislation and command

AL-KHABEER THE ALL ndash AWARE

AlrsquoAleem and Al-Arsquolem denote knowing with certainly especially intuitive knowing omniscience

Al-Khabir denotes an understanding of the inner qualities secrets and true reality

There are 3 levels of Allahrsquos knowledge

1 His knowledge of the past

2 His knowledge of the future

3 His knowledge of the present

Allah (swt) also says in Suratrsquol Al-lsquoAn`am verse 59

سم ه ب ن اللـ ـ حم حيم الر الر Indeed all praise is due to Allah (swt)We praise him we seek His help we seek His forgiveness

and we seek refuge with Him from the evil of our souls and the evil of our actions Whomsoever

Allah (swt) guides none can misguide and whomsoever Allah (swt) leaves to stray none can

guide I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship save Allah (swt) the One who has no

partner and I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His servant and Messenger The best

speech is the speech of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (saw) The

worst of all matters are those newly introduced in the religion Every newly introduced matter is

an innovation and every innovation is going astray All going astray leads to Hellfire

We ask Allah (swt) that he make this action sincerely for Him as all good contained in these

notes is from Him and we ask Allah (swt) to forgive us for any errors as they are all from us

Please use these notes to complement your personal notes and not to supplement them

Jazakum Allahu Khairan

Scribe Team

TABLE OF CONTENTS The Names that Manifest His Sovereignty 5

Al-lsquoAleem The All ndash Knowing 5

Al-Arsquoalem The Knower 5

Al-Hakim The All ndash Wise 5

Al-Khabeer The All ndash Aware 5

Ar-Raqeeb The All ndash Watchful 9

As-Shaheed The Omniscient Witness the Testifier 9

Al-Muhaymin The Safeguarder The Ever-Watching 9

As-Samirsquo The All ndash Hearing 10

Al-Basser The All ndash Seeing 11

Al-Muheet The All ndash Encompassing 11

Al-Hafeedh The Protector The Guardian 11

Al-Haafedh The Preserver 12

The Names that Manifest Absolute Beauty 12

Al-Jameel The Beautiful The Graceful 12

Al-Quddus The Most Holy The All ndash Perfect 12

As-Salam The source of Peace The Flawless 12

At-Tayyeb The Good 13

The Names that Trigger the Love of Allah in the Heart 13

Al-Jawwaad The Bestower of Good 13

Al-Muhsin The Supreme Doer of Good 13

Al-Mannan The Bestower 14

Ar-Rarsquouf The Most Kind The Gentle 14

Al-Barr The All ndash Good 14

Al-Hafiy The most welcome The Most Affectionate 14

Al-Wahhab The superb Bestower 14

Ar-Rahman the Most Beneficent 15

Ar-Raheem the Most Merciful 15

Al-Kareem The Generous The All ndash Laudable 17

Al-Akram The Ever Most Generous 17

Al-Qabid The Withholder The Restrainer The Constrictor 18

Al-Basit The Expander The Extender The Releaser 18

Al-Mursquoti The Superb Giver 18

Al-Mubin The Manifest The Clear 18

As-Shaafi The Ultimate Healer 19

Al-hayiy The Ultimate Modest 19

Al-Mursquomin The Giver of Security The Remover of Fear 20

As-Shakur The Appreciative 20

As-Shakir The Recognizer and Rewarder of Good 21

Al-Latif The Most Subtle 21

Ar-Rafiq The Most Gentle 21

Al-Halim The Most Forbearing The Most Serene 21

Al-Wadud The Most Affectionate The Most Loving 22

At-Tawwab The Acceptor of Repentance The Oft-Forgiving 22

Al-Ghaffar The All ndash Forgiving 23

Al-Ghafur The Forgiving The Pardoner 23

Al-lsquoAfu The Effacer of the Sins The Pardoner 23

Al-Muqeet The Ultimate Nourisher The Superb Sustainer 24

Ar-Razzaaq The Ultimate Provider 24

Al-Fattah The Granter of Success The Ultimate Opener The Superb Arbiter 25

Al-Qareeb The Near The Close 25

Al-Mujeeb The Answers of Prayers The Supreme Answerer 26

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST HIS SOVEREIGNTY

AL-lsquoALEEM THE ALL ndash KNOWING

Al-lsquoAleem comes from the root word علم to know to have knowledge to be cognizant to be

aware Al-lsquoAleem is the One who comprehends everything AlrsquoAleem is the One who is intuitively

aware of all things even before they happen The One who knows with certainty Al-lsquoAleem is

indicative of the extreme form of AlrsquoAlem

AL-ArsquoALEM THE KNOWER

Al-lsquoAlem comes from the root word علم knowledgeable Al-lsquoAlemrsquos knowledge is absolute and

through He knows everything

AL-HAKIM THE ALL ndash WISE

Al-Hakim which comes from the root word حكمه to be wise Al-Hakim is the One to whom

belongs the highest wisdom the One who is All-Wise in His creation and command Al-Hakim

perfected everything He created

There are two types of wisdom

1 Wisdom concerning His creation

2 Wisdom in His legislation and command

AL-KHABEER THE ALL ndash AWARE

AlrsquoAleem and Al-Arsquolem denote knowing with certainly especially intuitive knowing omniscience

Al-Khabir denotes an understanding of the inner qualities secrets and true reality

There are 3 levels of Allahrsquos knowledge

1 His knowledge of the past

2 His knowledge of the future

3 His knowledge of the present

Allah (swt) also says in Suratrsquol Al-lsquoAn`am verse 59

TABLE OF CONTENTS The Names that Manifest His Sovereignty 5

Al-lsquoAleem The All ndash Knowing 5

Al-Arsquoalem The Knower 5

Al-Hakim The All ndash Wise 5

Al-Khabeer The All ndash Aware 5

Ar-Raqeeb The All ndash Watchful 9

As-Shaheed The Omniscient Witness the Testifier 9

Al-Muhaymin The Safeguarder The Ever-Watching 9

As-Samirsquo The All ndash Hearing 10

Al-Basser The All ndash Seeing 11

Al-Muheet The All ndash Encompassing 11

Al-Hafeedh The Protector The Guardian 11

Al-Haafedh The Preserver 12

The Names that Manifest Absolute Beauty 12

Al-Jameel The Beautiful The Graceful 12

Al-Quddus The Most Holy The All ndash Perfect 12

As-Salam The source of Peace The Flawless 12

At-Tayyeb The Good 13

The Names that Trigger the Love of Allah in the Heart 13

Al-Jawwaad The Bestower of Good 13

Al-Muhsin The Supreme Doer of Good 13

Al-Mannan The Bestower 14

Ar-Rarsquouf The Most Kind The Gentle 14

Al-Barr The All ndash Good 14

Al-Hafiy The most welcome The Most Affectionate 14

Al-Wahhab The superb Bestower 14

Ar-Rahman the Most Beneficent 15

Ar-Raheem the Most Merciful 15

Al-Kareem The Generous The All ndash Laudable 17

Al-Akram The Ever Most Generous 17

Al-Qabid The Withholder The Restrainer The Constrictor 18

Al-Basit The Expander The Extender The Releaser 18

Al-Mursquoti The Superb Giver 18

Al-Mubin The Manifest The Clear 18

As-Shaafi The Ultimate Healer 19

Al-hayiy The Ultimate Modest 19

Al-Mursquomin The Giver of Security The Remover of Fear 20

As-Shakur The Appreciative 20

As-Shakir The Recognizer and Rewarder of Good 21

Al-Latif The Most Subtle 21

Ar-Rafiq The Most Gentle 21

Al-Halim The Most Forbearing The Most Serene 21

Al-Wadud The Most Affectionate The Most Loving 22

At-Tawwab The Acceptor of Repentance The Oft-Forgiving 22

Al-Ghaffar The All ndash Forgiving 23

Al-Ghafur The Forgiving The Pardoner 23

Al-lsquoAfu The Effacer of the Sins The Pardoner 23

Al-Muqeet The Ultimate Nourisher The Superb Sustainer 24

Ar-Razzaaq The Ultimate Provider 24

Al-Fattah The Granter of Success The Ultimate Opener The Superb Arbiter 25

Al-Qareeb The Near The Close 25

Al-Mujeeb The Answers of Prayers The Supreme Answerer 26

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST HIS SOVEREIGNTY

AL-lsquoALEEM THE ALL ndash KNOWING

Al-lsquoAleem comes from the root word علم to know to have knowledge to be cognizant to be

aware Al-lsquoAleem is the One who comprehends everything AlrsquoAleem is the One who is intuitively

aware of all things even before they happen The One who knows with certainty Al-lsquoAleem is

indicative of the extreme form of AlrsquoAlem

AL-ArsquoALEM THE KNOWER

Al-lsquoAlem comes from the root word علم knowledgeable Al-lsquoAlemrsquos knowledge is absolute and

through He knows everything

AL-HAKIM THE ALL ndash WISE

Al-Hakim which comes from the root word حكمه to be wise Al-Hakim is the One to whom

belongs the highest wisdom the One who is All-Wise in His creation and command Al-Hakim

perfected everything He created

There are two types of wisdom

1 Wisdom concerning His creation

2 Wisdom in His legislation and command

AL-KHABEER THE ALL ndash AWARE

AlrsquoAleem and Al-Arsquolem denote knowing with certainly especially intuitive knowing omniscience

Al-Khabir denotes an understanding of the inner qualities secrets and true reality

There are 3 levels of Allahrsquos knowledge

1 His knowledge of the past

2 His knowledge of the future

3 His knowledge of the present

Allah (swt) also says in Suratrsquol Al-lsquoAn`am verse 59

Al-Qabid The Withholder The Restrainer The Constrictor 18

Al-Basit The Expander The Extender The Releaser 18

Al-Mursquoti The Superb Giver 18

Al-Mubin The Manifest The Clear 18

As-Shaafi The Ultimate Healer 19

Al-hayiy The Ultimate Modest 19

Al-Mursquomin The Giver of Security The Remover of Fear 20

As-Shakur The Appreciative 20

As-Shakir The Recognizer and Rewarder of Good 21

Al-Latif The Most Subtle 21

Ar-Rafiq The Most Gentle 21

Al-Halim The Most Forbearing The Most Serene 21

Al-Wadud The Most Affectionate The Most Loving 22

At-Tawwab The Acceptor of Repentance The Oft-Forgiving 22

Al-Ghaffar The All ndash Forgiving 23

Al-Ghafur The Forgiving The Pardoner 23

Al-lsquoAfu The Effacer of the Sins The Pardoner 23

Al-Muqeet The Ultimate Nourisher The Superb Sustainer 24

Ar-Razzaaq The Ultimate Provider 24

Al-Fattah The Granter of Success The Ultimate Opener The Superb Arbiter 25

Al-Qareeb The Near The Close 25

Al-Mujeeb The Answers of Prayers The Supreme Answerer 26

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST HIS SOVEREIGNTY

AL-lsquoALEEM THE ALL ndash KNOWING

Al-lsquoAleem comes from the root word علم to know to have knowledge to be cognizant to be

aware Al-lsquoAleem is the One who comprehends everything AlrsquoAleem is the One who is intuitively

aware of all things even before they happen The One who knows with certainty Al-lsquoAleem is

indicative of the extreme form of AlrsquoAlem

AL-ArsquoALEM THE KNOWER

Al-lsquoAlem comes from the root word علم knowledgeable Al-lsquoAlemrsquos knowledge is absolute and

through He knows everything

AL-HAKIM THE ALL ndash WISE

Al-Hakim which comes from the root word حكمه to be wise Al-Hakim is the One to whom

belongs the highest wisdom the One who is All-Wise in His creation and command Al-Hakim

perfected everything He created

There are two types of wisdom

1 Wisdom concerning His creation

2 Wisdom in His legislation and command

AL-KHABEER THE ALL ndash AWARE

AlrsquoAleem and Al-Arsquolem denote knowing with certainly especially intuitive knowing omniscience

Al-Khabir denotes an understanding of the inner qualities secrets and true reality

There are 3 levels of Allahrsquos knowledge

1 His knowledge of the past

2 His knowledge of the future

3 His knowledge of the present

Allah (swt) also says in Suratrsquol Al-lsquoAn`am verse 59

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST HIS SOVEREIGNTY

AL-lsquoALEEM THE ALL ndash KNOWING

Al-lsquoAleem comes from the root word علم to know to have knowledge to be cognizant to be

aware Al-lsquoAleem is the One who comprehends everything AlrsquoAleem is the One who is intuitively

aware of all things even before they happen The One who knows with certainty Al-lsquoAleem is

indicative of the extreme form of AlrsquoAlem

AL-ArsquoALEM THE KNOWER

Al-lsquoAlem comes from the root word علم knowledgeable Al-lsquoAlemrsquos knowledge is absolute and

through He knows everything

AL-HAKIM THE ALL ndash WISE

Al-Hakim which comes from the root word حكمه to be wise Al-Hakim is the One to whom

belongs the highest wisdom the One who is All-Wise in His creation and command Al-Hakim

perfected everything He created

There are two types of wisdom

1 Wisdom concerning His creation

2 Wisdom in His legislation and command

AL-KHABEER THE ALL ndash AWARE

AlrsquoAleem and Al-Arsquolem denote knowing with certainly especially intuitive knowing omniscience

Al-Khabir denotes an understanding of the inner qualities secrets and true reality

There are 3 levels of Allahrsquos knowledge

1 His knowledge of the past

2 His knowledge of the future

3 His knowledge of the present

Allah (swt) also says in Suratrsquol Al-lsquoAn`am verse 59

ldquoAnd with Him are the keys of the unseen none knows them except Him And He knows what is

on the land and in the sea Not a leaf falls but that He knows it And no grain is there within the

darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry thing+ but that it is written+ in a clear recordrdquo

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Prophet (SAW) said Every child is born with a true faith of

Islam (ie to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism Christianity

or Magainism as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal Do you find it mutilated Then Abu

Hurayrah recited the holy verses The pure Allahs Islamic nature (true faith of Islam) (ie

worshipping none but Allah) with which He has created human beings No change let there be in

the religion of Allah (ie joining none in worship with Allah) That is the straight religion (Islam)

but most of men know not [Bukhari]

Ibn lsquoAbbas (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) was asked about the offspring of the pagans He

said Allah knows what they would have done (were they to live) [Bukhari]

The children of the mushrikeen will be asked by Allah (SWT) to enter a piece of what looks like

Hellfire as a test of their obedience to Allah (SWT) If they enter it (the fire) it will be cool and

calm on them as theyrsquove entered Jannah for obeying Allah (SWT) Those who refuse will enter

Hellfire for if they are disobedient to all now they would have been disobedient had they lived

Allah (swt) also says in Surat Al-lsquoAn`am verse 39

ldquoBut those who deny Our verses are deaf and dumb within darknesses Whomever Allah wills -

He leaves astray and whomever He wills - He puts him on a straight pathrdquo

This ayah is further explained by verse 69 in Surat Al-`Ankabūt in which Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd those who strive for Us - We will surely guide them to Our ways And indeed Allah is with

the doers of goodrdquo

Allah (swt) also says in Surat Al-Fath verse 27

ldquoCertainly has Allah showed to His Messenger the vision in truth You will surely enter al-Masjid

al-Haram if Allah wills in safety with your heads shaved and [hair] shortened not fearing

[anyone] He knew what you did not know and has arranged before that a conquest near [at

hand+rdquo

Surat al-Fath was revealed during the reconciliation of Al-Hudaybiyyah During the month of

Dhul-Qa`dah in the sixth year of Hijrah the idolaters prevented the Prophet (SAW) from

reaching Masjid Al-Haram to perform the `Umrah he intended They stopped the Prophet from

reaching Makkah at that time but then were prone to peace negotiations A peace treaty was

conducted stipulating that the Messenger would return this year and then come back for

`Umrah the following year The Messenger agreed However some of the Companions disliked

these terms including `Umar bin Al-Khattab After the Prophet slaughtered his sacrificial animals

in the area where he was stopped and headed back to Madinah Allah (SWT) in His Infinite

Knowledge revealed this Surah about what occurred between him and the idolaters Allah

declared the Al-Hudaybiyyah peace treaty a manifest victory because of the benefits peace

would carry and the good results that did originate from it as there was peace in the land for 10

years which is why the Surat is called Al-Fath (The Victory)

This ayah again demonstrates that Allah (SWT) is Al-AlrsquoAleem (The All-Knowing) and Al-Hakim

(The All-Wise)

In Surat al-lsquoA`raf ayah 54 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoIndeed your Lord is Allah who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established

Himself above the Throne He covers the night with the day [another night] chasing it rapidly

and [He created] the sun the moon and the stars subjected by His command Unquestionably

His is the creation and the command blessed is Allah Lord of the worldsrdquo

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) says in Tafseer ldquoAllah mentioned this period to teach His slaves

deliberation and kindness To manifest His power to the angels step by step because Allah (SWT)

has decreed a course for everythingrdquo

Ibn al-Jawzi (rahimahullah) in his Tafseer said ldquoIf it is said why did He not create it in an instant

when He is Able to do so There are five answers to this question

1 He wanted to create something each day to show His power to the angels and those who

witnessed it

2 He was preparing things for Adam and his offspring before Adam existed to emphasize

Adamrsquos high standing before the angels

3 Doing things in a short time is more indicative of power and deliberation is more

indicative of wisdom Allah wanted to manifest His wisdom in that just as He manifested

His power when He said lsquoldquoBerdquo And it isrsquo

4 He taught deliberation to His slaves because if the One Who does not make mistakes

created the universe in a deliberate manner then it is more appropriate for those who

are vulnerable to making mistakes to do things in a deliberate manner

5 Creation was accomplished step by step lest anyone think that this happened as the

result of an accident of nature

AR-RAQEEB THE ALL ndash WATCHFUL

Ar-Raqeeb comes from the root word راقب to look watch to be vigilant Ar-Raqeeb is the One

who watches all things The One who is the ever vigilant witness The One who observers all

thoughts deeds and feelings

AS-SHAHEED THE OMNISCIENT WITNESS THE TESTIFIER

As-Shaheed comes from the root word شاهد to bear witness to offer testimony As-Shaheed is

the One who directly and ever-presently observes everything in creation The one from whose

knowledge nothing is hidden

Ibn Abbas (RA) said ldquoThe sins of the heart and those hearts that oppose the legislation of Allah

are greater (and worse) than the actions of the limbs because sins of the heart show that you

fear others more than Allahrdquo (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

Muslims need to purify our inner selves just like outer deeds which we polish for others

AL-MUHAYMIN THE SAFEGUARDER THE EVER-WATCHING

Al-Muhaymin comes from the root word هيمن to watch over to oversee Al-Muhaymin is the

One who is ever watchful The One who see all hidden matters

Aside We need to go back and teach our kids that we can fool others but Al-Muhaymin is

always watching us Taking example from the story of how Abu Hanifahrsquos parents were married

and pious young milk girl who feared Allah related below we instill in our children that

awareness that no matter what their doing Allah is watching

Narrated `Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Aslam from his father from his grandfather who said

When I was accompanying `Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) on his patrol of Madinah at night he felt

tired so he leant against a wall It was the middle of the night and (we heard) a woman say to

her daughter ldquoO my daughter get up and mix that milk with some waterrdquo

The girl said ldquoO Mother did you not hear the decree of Amir al-Mursquominin todayrdquo

The mother said ldquoWhat was thatrdquo

The girl said ldquoHe ordered someone to announce in a loud voice that milk should not be mixed

with waterrdquo

The mother said ldquoGet up and mix the milk with water you are in a place where `Umar cannot

see yourdquo

The girl told her mother ldquoAmir al-Mursquominin may not see me but Allah (SWT) can I cannot obey

Him (Allah) in public and disobey Him in privaterdquo

`Umar (RA) heard this and told me

ldquoO Aslam go to that place and see who that girl is and to whom she was speaking and whether

she has a husbandrdquo

So I went to that place and I saw that she was unmarried the other woman was her mother

and neither of them had a husband I came to `Umar (RA) and told him what I had found out He

called his sons together and said to themldquoDo any of you need a wife so I can arrange the

marriage for you If I had the desire to get married I would have been the first one to marry this

young womanrdquo

`Asim said ldquoI do not have a wife so let me marry herrdquo

So `Umar arranged for her to be married to `Asim She gave him a daughter who grew up to be

the mother of `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz (rahimahullah) who was called Umar al Thani (the second

Umar)

There are 3 methods of watchfulness

1 Allah (SWT)

2 The angels

3 The personrsquos consciousness

AS-SAMIrsquo THE ALL ndash HEARING

As-Samirsquo comes from the root word سمع to hear to listen As-Samirsquo is the One whose hearing

and attention comprehends everything The One who pays attention to every supplication and

invocation The One who listens to every voice

The hearing of Allah (SWT) comprises three meanings

1 Hearing of the voices

In first ayah of Surat Al-Mujadila Allah (SWT) says

ldquoCertainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you O Muhammad+

concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah And Allah hears your

dialogue indeed Allah is Hearing and Seeingrdquo

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Aishah said Blessed is He Whose hearing has

encompassed all things I heard what Khawlah bint Tha`labah said while some of it I

could not hear She was complaining to Allahs Messenger about her husband She said

`O Allahs Messenger He spent my wealth exhausted my youth and my womb bore

abundantly for him When I became old unable to bear children he pronounced the

Ziharon me O Allah I complain to you Soon after Jibril brought down the ayahrdquo

2 Understanding

3 Acceptance

Allah (SWT) accepting the duaas of believers In Surat Ibrahim ayah 39 Prophet Ibrahim

said ldquoPraise to Allah who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac Indeed my

Lord is the Hearer of supplicationrdquo

AL-BASSER THE ALL ndash SEEING

Al-Basser comes from the root word بصر to see behold notice Al-Basser is the One whose

insight sees all things clearly both apparent and the hidden The One who sees and understands

all that has passed before and all that will happen The One who has insight into all things The

One who perceives every detail

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) defines the degrees of Al-Baseerah (insight) as follows

1 Al-Baseerah in His names and Attributes

2 Al-Baseerah in His legislations and orders

3 Al-Baseerah in His promises and warnings

AL-MUHEET THE ALL ndash ENCOMPASSING

Al-Muheet comes from the root word أحاط to cover to encompass The One who has

knowledge of everything has power over everything His mercy encompasses everything and He

is dominant over everything

AL-HAFEEDH THE PROTECTOR THE GUARDIAN

Al-Hafeedh comes from the root word حفظ to guard protect Al-Hafeedh is the One who

protects and preserves all from perishing The One who is vigilantly guarding every detail of that

has been created Al-Hafeedh is more intensive than Al-Haafedh

AL-HAAFEDH THE PRESERVER

Al-Haafedh comes from the root word حفظ to preserve Al-Haafedh is the One whose power

preserves the heavens and the earth The One who is the guardian and preserver of all the

worlds

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST ABSOLUTE BEAUTY

AL-JAMEEL THE BEAUTIFUL THE GRACEFUL

Al-Jameel comes from the root word جميل beauty Allah (SWT) is beautiful in His divine

essence names actions and attributes

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAllah loves His blessings to be manifested upon his creations

And it is from this gratitude in His blessings that shows outer beauty The Internal beauty is from

your good manners and characterrdquo

Some of the beautiful manners mentioned in the Quran are

Beautiful patience

Beautiful forgiveness

To live with Allah Al-Jameel one needs to

Beautify our actions and moral conducts

Beautify our tongues by speaking truth

Beautify our hearts with sincere devotion

Beautify our faculties with obedience

Beautify our bodies by showing Allahrsquos blessings upon us

Beautify our clothing by keeping them pure and clean

AL-QUDDUS THE MOST HOLY THE ALL ndash PERFECT

Al-Quddus comes from the root word قدس to be clean pure far from impurity or imperfection

Al-Quddus is the One who is far from and untouched by worldly imperfections or faults He is

far removed from any defect just as He is far removed from anything resembling Him

AS-SALAM THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE FLAWLESS

As-Salam comes from the root word قدس to be peaceful free from faults complete and whole

As-Salam is the One who is perfect whole prosperous and content The One who is the source

of all peace wholeness and safety

Shaykh As-Sarsquoadi said ldquoAs-Salam is similar in meaning to Al-Quddus in that they both negate any

form of imperfection while at the same time include unlimited perfection in every way This is

due to the fact when deficiency has been removed then all that remains is perfection

AT-TAYYEB THE GOOD

At-Tayyeb comes from the root word طيب to purify He is The Good and only accepts that

which is good and pure He is above having any faults or shortcomings

Abu Hurayrah (RA)narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO people Allah is Good and does not

accept anything but that which is goodrdquo [Muslim]

This hadith sets forth a basic principle of Islam that a Muslim must seek lawful provision for

himself and avoid what is unlawful It shows us that engaging in forbidden acts directly affects a

Muslimrsquos relationship with Allah so much so that his supplications and his good deeds may not

be accepted from him

A Muslimrsquos wealth must be good and pure It must be earned in a lawful manner and spent in a

lawful manner A Muslim who has unlawful wealth in his possession must repent and rid himself

of it

THE NAMES THAT TRIGGER THE LOVE OF ALLAH IN THE

HEART

AL-JAWWAAD THE BESTOWER OF GOOD

Al-Jawwaad comes from the root word جد to give liberally and freely Al-Jawwaad is the One

who gives freely and endlessly without expectation of any return

AL-MUHSIN THE SUPREME DOER OF GOOD

Al-Muhsin comes from the root word حسن to beautify something to give generously To Him

belongs the absolute goodness

One needs to be a Muhsin (Doer of Good) in 3 things

1 In dealing with Allah(SWT)

2 In dealing with onersquos self

3 In dealing with people

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIhsan is to worship Allah as if you see

Him and if you do not achieve this state of devotion then (take it for granted that) Allah sees

you[Bukhari]

There are 4 elements of exclusive Ihsan

1 Guidance to His religion

2 Easiness to adhere to His commands

3 Steadfastness

4 Granting of Paradise

AL-MANNAN THE BESTOWER

Al-Mannan comes from the root word من to confer favors Al-Mannan is the One who bestows

and confers His favors on His slaves

lsquoAnas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO Allah there is no god but You the Bestower

the Originator of the heavens and the earth the Possessor of majesty and honorrdquo [at-Tirmidhi]

Bestowing favors (Al-Mennah) is of two kinds

1 By action (praiseworthy)

2 By word (blameworthy)

AR-RArsquoUF THE MOST KIND THE GENTLE

Ar-Rarsquouf comes from the root word رافه to be king gentle and compassionate Ar-Rarsquouf is the

One who bestows boundless clemency tenderness and affection

The term Ar-Rarsquouf indicates tender affection and is regarded as the utmost mercy and

compassion the ultimate limit of Ar-Rahim The meaning is similar to At-Rahim but focuses

attention on the utmost tenderness kindness and affection which accompanies the outpouring

of mercy and compassion

AL-BARR THE ALL ndash GOOD

Al-Barr comes from the root wordبر to be beneficent bestow bountiful gifts Al-Barr is the One

who bountifully bestows the gifts of tolerance gentles goodness and kindness The One who is

merciful and compassionate

AL-HAFIY THE MOST WELCOME THE MOST AFFECTIONATE

Al-Hafiy comes from the root word حفي to greatly welcome Al-Hairy is the intensive form of Al-

Barr and the most generous

AL-WAHHAB THE SUPERB BESTOWER

Al-Wahhab comes from the root word هبة to give for no compensation Al-Wahhab is the One

who continually bestows gifts favors and blessings upon all of creation He bestows precious

unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return and without

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

Allah (swt) also says in Surat Al-Fath verse 27

ldquoCertainly has Allah showed to His Messenger the vision in truth You will surely enter al-Masjid

al-Haram if Allah wills in safety with your heads shaved and [hair] shortened not fearing

[anyone] He knew what you did not know and has arranged before that a conquest near [at

hand+rdquo

Surat al-Fath was revealed during the reconciliation of Al-Hudaybiyyah During the month of

Dhul-Qa`dah in the sixth year of Hijrah the idolaters prevented the Prophet (SAW) from

reaching Masjid Al-Haram to perform the `Umrah he intended They stopped the Prophet from

reaching Makkah at that time but then were prone to peace negotiations A peace treaty was

conducted stipulating that the Messenger would return this year and then come back for

`Umrah the following year The Messenger agreed However some of the Companions disliked

these terms including `Umar bin Al-Khattab After the Prophet slaughtered his sacrificial animals

in the area where he was stopped and headed back to Madinah Allah (SWT) in His Infinite

Knowledge revealed this Surah about what occurred between him and the idolaters Allah

declared the Al-Hudaybiyyah peace treaty a manifest victory because of the benefits peace

would carry and the good results that did originate from it as there was peace in the land for 10

years which is why the Surat is called Al-Fath (The Victory)

This ayah again demonstrates that Allah (SWT) is Al-AlrsquoAleem (The All-Knowing) and Al-Hakim

(The All-Wise)

In Surat al-lsquoA`raf ayah 54 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoIndeed your Lord is Allah who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established

Himself above the Throne He covers the night with the day [another night] chasing it rapidly

and [He created] the sun the moon and the stars subjected by His command Unquestionably

His is the creation and the command blessed is Allah Lord of the worldsrdquo

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) says in Tafseer ldquoAllah mentioned this period to teach His slaves

deliberation and kindness To manifest His power to the angels step by step because Allah (SWT)

has decreed a course for everythingrdquo

Ibn al-Jawzi (rahimahullah) in his Tafseer said ldquoIf it is said why did He not create it in an instant

when He is Able to do so There are five answers to this question

1 He wanted to create something each day to show His power to the angels and those who

witnessed it

2 He was preparing things for Adam and his offspring before Adam existed to emphasize

Adamrsquos high standing before the angels

3 Doing things in a short time is more indicative of power and deliberation is more

indicative of wisdom Allah wanted to manifest His wisdom in that just as He manifested

His power when He said lsquoldquoBerdquo And it isrsquo

4 He taught deliberation to His slaves because if the One Who does not make mistakes

created the universe in a deliberate manner then it is more appropriate for those who

are vulnerable to making mistakes to do things in a deliberate manner

5 Creation was accomplished step by step lest anyone think that this happened as the

result of an accident of nature

AR-RAQEEB THE ALL ndash WATCHFUL

Ar-Raqeeb comes from the root word راقب to look watch to be vigilant Ar-Raqeeb is the One

who watches all things The One who is the ever vigilant witness The One who observers all

thoughts deeds and feelings

AS-SHAHEED THE OMNISCIENT WITNESS THE TESTIFIER

As-Shaheed comes from the root word شاهد to bear witness to offer testimony As-Shaheed is

the One who directly and ever-presently observes everything in creation The one from whose

knowledge nothing is hidden

Ibn Abbas (RA) said ldquoThe sins of the heart and those hearts that oppose the legislation of Allah

are greater (and worse) than the actions of the limbs because sins of the heart show that you

fear others more than Allahrdquo (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

Muslims need to purify our inner selves just like outer deeds which we polish for others

AL-MUHAYMIN THE SAFEGUARDER THE EVER-WATCHING

Al-Muhaymin comes from the root word هيمن to watch over to oversee Al-Muhaymin is the

One who is ever watchful The One who see all hidden matters

Aside We need to go back and teach our kids that we can fool others but Al-Muhaymin is

always watching us Taking example from the story of how Abu Hanifahrsquos parents were married

and pious young milk girl who feared Allah related below we instill in our children that

awareness that no matter what their doing Allah is watching

Narrated `Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Aslam from his father from his grandfather who said

When I was accompanying `Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) on his patrol of Madinah at night he felt

tired so he leant against a wall It was the middle of the night and (we heard) a woman say to

her daughter ldquoO my daughter get up and mix that milk with some waterrdquo

The girl said ldquoO Mother did you not hear the decree of Amir al-Mursquominin todayrdquo

The mother said ldquoWhat was thatrdquo

The girl said ldquoHe ordered someone to announce in a loud voice that milk should not be mixed

with waterrdquo

The mother said ldquoGet up and mix the milk with water you are in a place where `Umar cannot

see yourdquo

The girl told her mother ldquoAmir al-Mursquominin may not see me but Allah (SWT) can I cannot obey

Him (Allah) in public and disobey Him in privaterdquo

`Umar (RA) heard this and told me

ldquoO Aslam go to that place and see who that girl is and to whom she was speaking and whether

she has a husbandrdquo

So I went to that place and I saw that she was unmarried the other woman was her mother

and neither of them had a husband I came to `Umar (RA) and told him what I had found out He

called his sons together and said to themldquoDo any of you need a wife so I can arrange the

marriage for you If I had the desire to get married I would have been the first one to marry this

young womanrdquo

`Asim said ldquoI do not have a wife so let me marry herrdquo

So `Umar arranged for her to be married to `Asim She gave him a daughter who grew up to be

the mother of `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz (rahimahullah) who was called Umar al Thani (the second

Umar)

There are 3 methods of watchfulness

1 Allah (SWT)

2 The angels

3 The personrsquos consciousness

AS-SAMIrsquo THE ALL ndash HEARING

As-Samirsquo comes from the root word سمع to hear to listen As-Samirsquo is the One whose hearing

and attention comprehends everything The One who pays attention to every supplication and

invocation The One who listens to every voice

The hearing of Allah (SWT) comprises three meanings

1 Hearing of the voices

In first ayah of Surat Al-Mujadila Allah (SWT) says

ldquoCertainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you O Muhammad+

concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah And Allah hears your

dialogue indeed Allah is Hearing and Seeingrdquo

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Aishah said Blessed is He Whose hearing has

encompassed all things I heard what Khawlah bint Tha`labah said while some of it I

could not hear She was complaining to Allahs Messenger about her husband She said

`O Allahs Messenger He spent my wealth exhausted my youth and my womb bore

abundantly for him When I became old unable to bear children he pronounced the

Ziharon me O Allah I complain to you Soon after Jibril brought down the ayahrdquo

2 Understanding

3 Acceptance

Allah (SWT) accepting the duaas of believers In Surat Ibrahim ayah 39 Prophet Ibrahim

said ldquoPraise to Allah who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac Indeed my

Lord is the Hearer of supplicationrdquo

AL-BASSER THE ALL ndash SEEING

Al-Basser comes from the root word بصر to see behold notice Al-Basser is the One whose

insight sees all things clearly both apparent and the hidden The One who sees and understands

all that has passed before and all that will happen The One who has insight into all things The

One who perceives every detail

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) defines the degrees of Al-Baseerah (insight) as follows

1 Al-Baseerah in His names and Attributes

2 Al-Baseerah in His legislations and orders

3 Al-Baseerah in His promises and warnings

AL-MUHEET THE ALL ndash ENCOMPASSING

Al-Muheet comes from the root word أحاط to cover to encompass The One who has

knowledge of everything has power over everything His mercy encompasses everything and He

is dominant over everything

AL-HAFEEDH THE PROTECTOR THE GUARDIAN

Al-Hafeedh comes from the root word حفظ to guard protect Al-Hafeedh is the One who

protects and preserves all from perishing The One who is vigilantly guarding every detail of that

has been created Al-Hafeedh is more intensive than Al-Haafedh

AL-HAAFEDH THE PRESERVER

Al-Haafedh comes from the root word حفظ to preserve Al-Haafedh is the One whose power

preserves the heavens and the earth The One who is the guardian and preserver of all the

worlds

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST ABSOLUTE BEAUTY

AL-JAMEEL THE BEAUTIFUL THE GRACEFUL

Al-Jameel comes from the root word جميل beauty Allah (SWT) is beautiful in His divine

essence names actions and attributes

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAllah loves His blessings to be manifested upon his creations

And it is from this gratitude in His blessings that shows outer beauty The Internal beauty is from

your good manners and characterrdquo

Some of the beautiful manners mentioned in the Quran are

Beautiful patience

Beautiful forgiveness

To live with Allah Al-Jameel one needs to

Beautify our actions and moral conducts

Beautify our tongues by speaking truth

Beautify our hearts with sincere devotion

Beautify our faculties with obedience

Beautify our bodies by showing Allahrsquos blessings upon us

Beautify our clothing by keeping them pure and clean

AL-QUDDUS THE MOST HOLY THE ALL ndash PERFECT

Al-Quddus comes from the root word قدس to be clean pure far from impurity or imperfection

Al-Quddus is the One who is far from and untouched by worldly imperfections or faults He is

far removed from any defect just as He is far removed from anything resembling Him

AS-SALAM THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE FLAWLESS

As-Salam comes from the root word قدس to be peaceful free from faults complete and whole

As-Salam is the One who is perfect whole prosperous and content The One who is the source

of all peace wholeness and safety

Shaykh As-Sarsquoadi said ldquoAs-Salam is similar in meaning to Al-Quddus in that they both negate any

form of imperfection while at the same time include unlimited perfection in every way This is

due to the fact when deficiency has been removed then all that remains is perfection

AT-TAYYEB THE GOOD

At-Tayyeb comes from the root word طيب to purify He is The Good and only accepts that

which is good and pure He is above having any faults or shortcomings

Abu Hurayrah (RA)narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO people Allah is Good and does not

accept anything but that which is goodrdquo [Muslim]

This hadith sets forth a basic principle of Islam that a Muslim must seek lawful provision for

himself and avoid what is unlawful It shows us that engaging in forbidden acts directly affects a

Muslimrsquos relationship with Allah so much so that his supplications and his good deeds may not

be accepted from him

A Muslimrsquos wealth must be good and pure It must be earned in a lawful manner and spent in a

lawful manner A Muslim who has unlawful wealth in his possession must repent and rid himself

of it

THE NAMES THAT TRIGGER THE LOVE OF ALLAH IN THE

HEART

AL-JAWWAAD THE BESTOWER OF GOOD

Al-Jawwaad comes from the root word جد to give liberally and freely Al-Jawwaad is the One

who gives freely and endlessly without expectation of any return

AL-MUHSIN THE SUPREME DOER OF GOOD

Al-Muhsin comes from the root word حسن to beautify something to give generously To Him

belongs the absolute goodness

One needs to be a Muhsin (Doer of Good) in 3 things

1 In dealing with Allah(SWT)

2 In dealing with onersquos self

3 In dealing with people

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIhsan is to worship Allah as if you see

Him and if you do not achieve this state of devotion then (take it for granted that) Allah sees

you[Bukhari]

There are 4 elements of exclusive Ihsan

1 Guidance to His religion

2 Easiness to adhere to His commands

3 Steadfastness

4 Granting of Paradise

AL-MANNAN THE BESTOWER

Al-Mannan comes from the root word من to confer favors Al-Mannan is the One who bestows

and confers His favors on His slaves

lsquoAnas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO Allah there is no god but You the Bestower

the Originator of the heavens and the earth the Possessor of majesty and honorrdquo [at-Tirmidhi]

Bestowing favors (Al-Mennah) is of two kinds

1 By action (praiseworthy)

2 By word (blameworthy)

AR-RArsquoUF THE MOST KIND THE GENTLE

Ar-Rarsquouf comes from the root word رافه to be king gentle and compassionate Ar-Rarsquouf is the

One who bestows boundless clemency tenderness and affection

The term Ar-Rarsquouf indicates tender affection and is regarded as the utmost mercy and

compassion the ultimate limit of Ar-Rahim The meaning is similar to At-Rahim but focuses

attention on the utmost tenderness kindness and affection which accompanies the outpouring

of mercy and compassion

AL-BARR THE ALL ndash GOOD

Al-Barr comes from the root wordبر to be beneficent bestow bountiful gifts Al-Barr is the One

who bountifully bestows the gifts of tolerance gentles goodness and kindness The One who is

merciful and compassionate

AL-HAFIY THE MOST WELCOME THE MOST AFFECTIONATE

Al-Hafiy comes from the root word حفي to greatly welcome Al-Hairy is the intensive form of Al-

Barr and the most generous

AL-WAHHAB THE SUPERB BESTOWER

Al-Wahhab comes from the root word هبة to give for no compensation Al-Wahhab is the One

who continually bestows gifts favors and blessings upon all of creation He bestows precious

unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return and without

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

ldquoIndeed your Lord is Allah who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established

Himself above the Throne He covers the night with the day [another night] chasing it rapidly

and [He created] the sun the moon and the stars subjected by His command Unquestionably

His is the creation and the command blessed is Allah Lord of the worldsrdquo

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) says in Tafseer ldquoAllah mentioned this period to teach His slaves

deliberation and kindness To manifest His power to the angels step by step because Allah (SWT)

has decreed a course for everythingrdquo

Ibn al-Jawzi (rahimahullah) in his Tafseer said ldquoIf it is said why did He not create it in an instant

when He is Able to do so There are five answers to this question

1 He wanted to create something each day to show His power to the angels and those who

witnessed it

2 He was preparing things for Adam and his offspring before Adam existed to emphasize

Adamrsquos high standing before the angels

3 Doing things in a short time is more indicative of power and deliberation is more

indicative of wisdom Allah wanted to manifest His wisdom in that just as He manifested

His power when He said lsquoldquoBerdquo And it isrsquo

4 He taught deliberation to His slaves because if the One Who does not make mistakes

created the universe in a deliberate manner then it is more appropriate for those who

are vulnerable to making mistakes to do things in a deliberate manner

5 Creation was accomplished step by step lest anyone think that this happened as the

result of an accident of nature

AR-RAQEEB THE ALL ndash WATCHFUL

Ar-Raqeeb comes from the root word راقب to look watch to be vigilant Ar-Raqeeb is the One

who watches all things The One who is the ever vigilant witness The One who observers all

thoughts deeds and feelings

AS-SHAHEED THE OMNISCIENT WITNESS THE TESTIFIER

As-Shaheed comes from the root word شاهد to bear witness to offer testimony As-Shaheed is

the One who directly and ever-presently observes everything in creation The one from whose

knowledge nothing is hidden

Ibn Abbas (RA) said ldquoThe sins of the heart and those hearts that oppose the legislation of Allah

are greater (and worse) than the actions of the limbs because sins of the heart show that you

fear others more than Allahrdquo (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

Muslims need to purify our inner selves just like outer deeds which we polish for others

AL-MUHAYMIN THE SAFEGUARDER THE EVER-WATCHING

Al-Muhaymin comes from the root word هيمن to watch over to oversee Al-Muhaymin is the

One who is ever watchful The One who see all hidden matters

Aside We need to go back and teach our kids that we can fool others but Al-Muhaymin is

always watching us Taking example from the story of how Abu Hanifahrsquos parents were married

and pious young milk girl who feared Allah related below we instill in our children that

awareness that no matter what their doing Allah is watching

Narrated `Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Aslam from his father from his grandfather who said

When I was accompanying `Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) on his patrol of Madinah at night he felt

tired so he leant against a wall It was the middle of the night and (we heard) a woman say to

her daughter ldquoO my daughter get up and mix that milk with some waterrdquo

The girl said ldquoO Mother did you not hear the decree of Amir al-Mursquominin todayrdquo

The mother said ldquoWhat was thatrdquo

The girl said ldquoHe ordered someone to announce in a loud voice that milk should not be mixed

with waterrdquo

The mother said ldquoGet up and mix the milk with water you are in a place where `Umar cannot

see yourdquo

The girl told her mother ldquoAmir al-Mursquominin may not see me but Allah (SWT) can I cannot obey

Him (Allah) in public and disobey Him in privaterdquo

`Umar (RA) heard this and told me

ldquoO Aslam go to that place and see who that girl is and to whom she was speaking and whether

she has a husbandrdquo

So I went to that place and I saw that she was unmarried the other woman was her mother

and neither of them had a husband I came to `Umar (RA) and told him what I had found out He

called his sons together and said to themldquoDo any of you need a wife so I can arrange the

marriage for you If I had the desire to get married I would have been the first one to marry this

young womanrdquo

`Asim said ldquoI do not have a wife so let me marry herrdquo

So `Umar arranged for her to be married to `Asim She gave him a daughter who grew up to be

the mother of `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz (rahimahullah) who was called Umar al Thani (the second

Umar)

There are 3 methods of watchfulness

1 Allah (SWT)

2 The angels

3 The personrsquos consciousness

AS-SAMIrsquo THE ALL ndash HEARING

As-Samirsquo comes from the root word سمع to hear to listen As-Samirsquo is the One whose hearing

and attention comprehends everything The One who pays attention to every supplication and

invocation The One who listens to every voice

The hearing of Allah (SWT) comprises three meanings

1 Hearing of the voices

In first ayah of Surat Al-Mujadila Allah (SWT) says

ldquoCertainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you O Muhammad+

concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah And Allah hears your

dialogue indeed Allah is Hearing and Seeingrdquo

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Aishah said Blessed is He Whose hearing has

encompassed all things I heard what Khawlah bint Tha`labah said while some of it I

could not hear She was complaining to Allahs Messenger about her husband She said

`O Allahs Messenger He spent my wealth exhausted my youth and my womb bore

abundantly for him When I became old unable to bear children he pronounced the

Ziharon me O Allah I complain to you Soon after Jibril brought down the ayahrdquo

2 Understanding

3 Acceptance

Allah (SWT) accepting the duaas of believers In Surat Ibrahim ayah 39 Prophet Ibrahim

said ldquoPraise to Allah who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac Indeed my

Lord is the Hearer of supplicationrdquo

AL-BASSER THE ALL ndash SEEING

Al-Basser comes from the root word بصر to see behold notice Al-Basser is the One whose

insight sees all things clearly both apparent and the hidden The One who sees and understands

all that has passed before and all that will happen The One who has insight into all things The

One who perceives every detail

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) defines the degrees of Al-Baseerah (insight) as follows

1 Al-Baseerah in His names and Attributes

2 Al-Baseerah in His legislations and orders

3 Al-Baseerah in His promises and warnings

AL-MUHEET THE ALL ndash ENCOMPASSING

Al-Muheet comes from the root word أحاط to cover to encompass The One who has

knowledge of everything has power over everything His mercy encompasses everything and He

is dominant over everything

AL-HAFEEDH THE PROTECTOR THE GUARDIAN

Al-Hafeedh comes from the root word حفظ to guard protect Al-Hafeedh is the One who

protects and preserves all from perishing The One who is vigilantly guarding every detail of that

has been created Al-Hafeedh is more intensive than Al-Haafedh

AL-HAAFEDH THE PRESERVER

Al-Haafedh comes from the root word حفظ to preserve Al-Haafedh is the One whose power

preserves the heavens and the earth The One who is the guardian and preserver of all the

worlds

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST ABSOLUTE BEAUTY

AL-JAMEEL THE BEAUTIFUL THE GRACEFUL

Al-Jameel comes from the root word جميل beauty Allah (SWT) is beautiful in His divine

essence names actions and attributes

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAllah loves His blessings to be manifested upon his creations

And it is from this gratitude in His blessings that shows outer beauty The Internal beauty is from

your good manners and characterrdquo

Some of the beautiful manners mentioned in the Quran are

Beautiful patience

Beautiful forgiveness

To live with Allah Al-Jameel one needs to

Beautify our actions and moral conducts

Beautify our tongues by speaking truth

Beautify our hearts with sincere devotion

Beautify our faculties with obedience

Beautify our bodies by showing Allahrsquos blessings upon us

Beautify our clothing by keeping them pure and clean

AL-QUDDUS THE MOST HOLY THE ALL ndash PERFECT

Al-Quddus comes from the root word قدس to be clean pure far from impurity or imperfection

Al-Quddus is the One who is far from and untouched by worldly imperfections or faults He is

far removed from any defect just as He is far removed from anything resembling Him

AS-SALAM THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE FLAWLESS

As-Salam comes from the root word قدس to be peaceful free from faults complete and whole

As-Salam is the One who is perfect whole prosperous and content The One who is the source

of all peace wholeness and safety

Shaykh As-Sarsquoadi said ldquoAs-Salam is similar in meaning to Al-Quddus in that they both negate any

form of imperfection while at the same time include unlimited perfection in every way This is

due to the fact when deficiency has been removed then all that remains is perfection

AT-TAYYEB THE GOOD

At-Tayyeb comes from the root word طيب to purify He is The Good and only accepts that

which is good and pure He is above having any faults or shortcomings

Abu Hurayrah (RA)narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO people Allah is Good and does not

accept anything but that which is goodrdquo [Muslim]

This hadith sets forth a basic principle of Islam that a Muslim must seek lawful provision for

himself and avoid what is unlawful It shows us that engaging in forbidden acts directly affects a

Muslimrsquos relationship with Allah so much so that his supplications and his good deeds may not

be accepted from him

A Muslimrsquos wealth must be good and pure It must be earned in a lawful manner and spent in a

lawful manner A Muslim who has unlawful wealth in his possession must repent and rid himself

of it

THE NAMES THAT TRIGGER THE LOVE OF ALLAH IN THE

HEART

AL-JAWWAAD THE BESTOWER OF GOOD

Al-Jawwaad comes from the root word جد to give liberally and freely Al-Jawwaad is the One

who gives freely and endlessly without expectation of any return

AL-MUHSIN THE SUPREME DOER OF GOOD

Al-Muhsin comes from the root word حسن to beautify something to give generously To Him

belongs the absolute goodness

One needs to be a Muhsin (Doer of Good) in 3 things

1 In dealing with Allah(SWT)

2 In dealing with onersquos self

3 In dealing with people

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIhsan is to worship Allah as if you see

Him and if you do not achieve this state of devotion then (take it for granted that) Allah sees

you[Bukhari]

There are 4 elements of exclusive Ihsan

1 Guidance to His religion

2 Easiness to adhere to His commands

3 Steadfastness

4 Granting of Paradise

AL-MANNAN THE BESTOWER

Al-Mannan comes from the root word من to confer favors Al-Mannan is the One who bestows

and confers His favors on His slaves

lsquoAnas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO Allah there is no god but You the Bestower

the Originator of the heavens and the earth the Possessor of majesty and honorrdquo [at-Tirmidhi]

Bestowing favors (Al-Mennah) is of two kinds

1 By action (praiseworthy)

2 By word (blameworthy)

AR-RArsquoUF THE MOST KIND THE GENTLE

Ar-Rarsquouf comes from the root word رافه to be king gentle and compassionate Ar-Rarsquouf is the

One who bestows boundless clemency tenderness and affection

The term Ar-Rarsquouf indicates tender affection and is regarded as the utmost mercy and

compassion the ultimate limit of Ar-Rahim The meaning is similar to At-Rahim but focuses

attention on the utmost tenderness kindness and affection which accompanies the outpouring

of mercy and compassion

AL-BARR THE ALL ndash GOOD

Al-Barr comes from the root wordبر to be beneficent bestow bountiful gifts Al-Barr is the One

who bountifully bestows the gifts of tolerance gentles goodness and kindness The One who is

merciful and compassionate

AL-HAFIY THE MOST WELCOME THE MOST AFFECTIONATE

Al-Hafiy comes from the root word حفي to greatly welcome Al-Hairy is the intensive form of Al-

Barr and the most generous

AL-WAHHAB THE SUPERB BESTOWER

Al-Wahhab comes from the root word هبة to give for no compensation Al-Wahhab is the One

who continually bestows gifts favors and blessings upon all of creation He bestows precious

unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return and without

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

AR-RAQEEB THE ALL ndash WATCHFUL

Ar-Raqeeb comes from the root word راقب to look watch to be vigilant Ar-Raqeeb is the One

who watches all things The One who is the ever vigilant witness The One who observers all

thoughts deeds and feelings

AS-SHAHEED THE OMNISCIENT WITNESS THE TESTIFIER

As-Shaheed comes from the root word شاهد to bear witness to offer testimony As-Shaheed is

the One who directly and ever-presently observes everything in creation The one from whose

knowledge nothing is hidden

Ibn Abbas (RA) said ldquoThe sins of the heart and those hearts that oppose the legislation of Allah

are greater (and worse) than the actions of the limbs because sins of the heart show that you

fear others more than Allahrdquo (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

Muslims need to purify our inner selves just like outer deeds which we polish for others

AL-MUHAYMIN THE SAFEGUARDER THE EVER-WATCHING

Al-Muhaymin comes from the root word هيمن to watch over to oversee Al-Muhaymin is the

One who is ever watchful The One who see all hidden matters

Aside We need to go back and teach our kids that we can fool others but Al-Muhaymin is

always watching us Taking example from the story of how Abu Hanifahrsquos parents were married

and pious young milk girl who feared Allah related below we instill in our children that

awareness that no matter what their doing Allah is watching

Narrated `Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Aslam from his father from his grandfather who said

When I was accompanying `Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) on his patrol of Madinah at night he felt

tired so he leant against a wall It was the middle of the night and (we heard) a woman say to

her daughter ldquoO my daughter get up and mix that milk with some waterrdquo

The girl said ldquoO Mother did you not hear the decree of Amir al-Mursquominin todayrdquo

The mother said ldquoWhat was thatrdquo

The girl said ldquoHe ordered someone to announce in a loud voice that milk should not be mixed

with waterrdquo

The mother said ldquoGet up and mix the milk with water you are in a place where `Umar cannot

see yourdquo

The girl told her mother ldquoAmir al-Mursquominin may not see me but Allah (SWT) can I cannot obey

Him (Allah) in public and disobey Him in privaterdquo

`Umar (RA) heard this and told me

ldquoO Aslam go to that place and see who that girl is and to whom she was speaking and whether

she has a husbandrdquo

So I went to that place and I saw that she was unmarried the other woman was her mother

and neither of them had a husband I came to `Umar (RA) and told him what I had found out He

called his sons together and said to themldquoDo any of you need a wife so I can arrange the

marriage for you If I had the desire to get married I would have been the first one to marry this

young womanrdquo

`Asim said ldquoI do not have a wife so let me marry herrdquo

So `Umar arranged for her to be married to `Asim She gave him a daughter who grew up to be

the mother of `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz (rahimahullah) who was called Umar al Thani (the second

Umar)

There are 3 methods of watchfulness

1 Allah (SWT)

2 The angels

3 The personrsquos consciousness

AS-SAMIrsquo THE ALL ndash HEARING

As-Samirsquo comes from the root word سمع to hear to listen As-Samirsquo is the One whose hearing

and attention comprehends everything The One who pays attention to every supplication and

invocation The One who listens to every voice

The hearing of Allah (SWT) comprises three meanings

1 Hearing of the voices

In first ayah of Surat Al-Mujadila Allah (SWT) says

ldquoCertainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you O Muhammad+

concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah And Allah hears your

dialogue indeed Allah is Hearing and Seeingrdquo

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Aishah said Blessed is He Whose hearing has

encompassed all things I heard what Khawlah bint Tha`labah said while some of it I

could not hear She was complaining to Allahs Messenger about her husband She said

`O Allahs Messenger He spent my wealth exhausted my youth and my womb bore

abundantly for him When I became old unable to bear children he pronounced the

Ziharon me O Allah I complain to you Soon after Jibril brought down the ayahrdquo

2 Understanding

3 Acceptance

Allah (SWT) accepting the duaas of believers In Surat Ibrahim ayah 39 Prophet Ibrahim

said ldquoPraise to Allah who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac Indeed my

Lord is the Hearer of supplicationrdquo

AL-BASSER THE ALL ndash SEEING

Al-Basser comes from the root word بصر to see behold notice Al-Basser is the One whose

insight sees all things clearly both apparent and the hidden The One who sees and understands

all that has passed before and all that will happen The One who has insight into all things The

One who perceives every detail

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) defines the degrees of Al-Baseerah (insight) as follows

1 Al-Baseerah in His names and Attributes

2 Al-Baseerah in His legislations and orders

3 Al-Baseerah in His promises and warnings

AL-MUHEET THE ALL ndash ENCOMPASSING

Al-Muheet comes from the root word أحاط to cover to encompass The One who has

knowledge of everything has power over everything His mercy encompasses everything and He

is dominant over everything

AL-HAFEEDH THE PROTECTOR THE GUARDIAN

Al-Hafeedh comes from the root word حفظ to guard protect Al-Hafeedh is the One who

protects and preserves all from perishing The One who is vigilantly guarding every detail of that

has been created Al-Hafeedh is more intensive than Al-Haafedh

AL-HAAFEDH THE PRESERVER

Al-Haafedh comes from the root word حفظ to preserve Al-Haafedh is the One whose power

preserves the heavens and the earth The One who is the guardian and preserver of all the

worlds

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST ABSOLUTE BEAUTY

AL-JAMEEL THE BEAUTIFUL THE GRACEFUL

Al-Jameel comes from the root word جميل beauty Allah (SWT) is beautiful in His divine

essence names actions and attributes

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAllah loves His blessings to be manifested upon his creations

And it is from this gratitude in His blessings that shows outer beauty The Internal beauty is from

your good manners and characterrdquo

Some of the beautiful manners mentioned in the Quran are

Beautiful patience

Beautiful forgiveness

To live with Allah Al-Jameel one needs to

Beautify our actions and moral conducts

Beautify our tongues by speaking truth

Beautify our hearts with sincere devotion

Beautify our faculties with obedience

Beautify our bodies by showing Allahrsquos blessings upon us

Beautify our clothing by keeping them pure and clean

AL-QUDDUS THE MOST HOLY THE ALL ndash PERFECT

Al-Quddus comes from the root word قدس to be clean pure far from impurity or imperfection

Al-Quddus is the One who is far from and untouched by worldly imperfections or faults He is

far removed from any defect just as He is far removed from anything resembling Him

AS-SALAM THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE FLAWLESS

As-Salam comes from the root word قدس to be peaceful free from faults complete and whole

As-Salam is the One who is perfect whole prosperous and content The One who is the source

of all peace wholeness and safety

Shaykh As-Sarsquoadi said ldquoAs-Salam is similar in meaning to Al-Quddus in that they both negate any

form of imperfection while at the same time include unlimited perfection in every way This is

due to the fact when deficiency has been removed then all that remains is perfection

AT-TAYYEB THE GOOD

At-Tayyeb comes from the root word طيب to purify He is The Good and only accepts that

which is good and pure He is above having any faults or shortcomings

Abu Hurayrah (RA)narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO people Allah is Good and does not

accept anything but that which is goodrdquo [Muslim]

This hadith sets forth a basic principle of Islam that a Muslim must seek lawful provision for

himself and avoid what is unlawful It shows us that engaging in forbidden acts directly affects a

Muslimrsquos relationship with Allah so much so that his supplications and his good deeds may not

be accepted from him

A Muslimrsquos wealth must be good and pure It must be earned in a lawful manner and spent in a

lawful manner A Muslim who has unlawful wealth in his possession must repent and rid himself

of it

THE NAMES THAT TRIGGER THE LOVE OF ALLAH IN THE

HEART

AL-JAWWAAD THE BESTOWER OF GOOD

Al-Jawwaad comes from the root word جد to give liberally and freely Al-Jawwaad is the One

who gives freely and endlessly without expectation of any return

AL-MUHSIN THE SUPREME DOER OF GOOD

Al-Muhsin comes from the root word حسن to beautify something to give generously To Him

belongs the absolute goodness

One needs to be a Muhsin (Doer of Good) in 3 things

1 In dealing with Allah(SWT)

2 In dealing with onersquos self

3 In dealing with people

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIhsan is to worship Allah as if you see

Him and if you do not achieve this state of devotion then (take it for granted that) Allah sees

you[Bukhari]

There are 4 elements of exclusive Ihsan

1 Guidance to His religion

2 Easiness to adhere to His commands

3 Steadfastness

4 Granting of Paradise

AL-MANNAN THE BESTOWER

Al-Mannan comes from the root word من to confer favors Al-Mannan is the One who bestows

and confers His favors on His slaves

lsquoAnas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO Allah there is no god but You the Bestower

the Originator of the heavens and the earth the Possessor of majesty and honorrdquo [at-Tirmidhi]

Bestowing favors (Al-Mennah) is of two kinds

1 By action (praiseworthy)

2 By word (blameworthy)

AR-RArsquoUF THE MOST KIND THE GENTLE

Ar-Rarsquouf comes from the root word رافه to be king gentle and compassionate Ar-Rarsquouf is the

One who bestows boundless clemency tenderness and affection

The term Ar-Rarsquouf indicates tender affection and is regarded as the utmost mercy and

compassion the ultimate limit of Ar-Rahim The meaning is similar to At-Rahim but focuses

attention on the utmost tenderness kindness and affection which accompanies the outpouring

of mercy and compassion

AL-BARR THE ALL ndash GOOD

Al-Barr comes from the root wordبر to be beneficent bestow bountiful gifts Al-Barr is the One

who bountifully bestows the gifts of tolerance gentles goodness and kindness The One who is

merciful and compassionate

AL-HAFIY THE MOST WELCOME THE MOST AFFECTIONATE

Al-Hafiy comes from the root word حفي to greatly welcome Al-Hairy is the intensive form of Al-

Barr and the most generous

AL-WAHHAB THE SUPERB BESTOWER

Al-Wahhab comes from the root word هبة to give for no compensation Al-Wahhab is the One

who continually bestows gifts favors and blessings upon all of creation He bestows precious

unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return and without

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

`Umar (RA) heard this and told me

ldquoO Aslam go to that place and see who that girl is and to whom she was speaking and whether

she has a husbandrdquo

So I went to that place and I saw that she was unmarried the other woman was her mother

and neither of them had a husband I came to `Umar (RA) and told him what I had found out He

called his sons together and said to themldquoDo any of you need a wife so I can arrange the

marriage for you If I had the desire to get married I would have been the first one to marry this

young womanrdquo

`Asim said ldquoI do not have a wife so let me marry herrdquo

So `Umar arranged for her to be married to `Asim She gave him a daughter who grew up to be

the mother of `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz (rahimahullah) who was called Umar al Thani (the second

Umar)

There are 3 methods of watchfulness

1 Allah (SWT)

2 The angels

3 The personrsquos consciousness

AS-SAMIrsquo THE ALL ndash HEARING

As-Samirsquo comes from the root word سمع to hear to listen As-Samirsquo is the One whose hearing

and attention comprehends everything The One who pays attention to every supplication and

invocation The One who listens to every voice

The hearing of Allah (SWT) comprises three meanings

1 Hearing of the voices

In first ayah of Surat Al-Mujadila Allah (SWT) says

ldquoCertainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you O Muhammad+

concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah And Allah hears your

dialogue indeed Allah is Hearing and Seeingrdquo

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Aishah said Blessed is He Whose hearing has

encompassed all things I heard what Khawlah bint Tha`labah said while some of it I

could not hear She was complaining to Allahs Messenger about her husband She said

`O Allahs Messenger He spent my wealth exhausted my youth and my womb bore

abundantly for him When I became old unable to bear children he pronounced the

Ziharon me O Allah I complain to you Soon after Jibril brought down the ayahrdquo

2 Understanding

3 Acceptance

Allah (SWT) accepting the duaas of believers In Surat Ibrahim ayah 39 Prophet Ibrahim

said ldquoPraise to Allah who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac Indeed my

Lord is the Hearer of supplicationrdquo

AL-BASSER THE ALL ndash SEEING

Al-Basser comes from the root word بصر to see behold notice Al-Basser is the One whose

insight sees all things clearly both apparent and the hidden The One who sees and understands

all that has passed before and all that will happen The One who has insight into all things The

One who perceives every detail

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) defines the degrees of Al-Baseerah (insight) as follows

1 Al-Baseerah in His names and Attributes

2 Al-Baseerah in His legislations and orders

3 Al-Baseerah in His promises and warnings

AL-MUHEET THE ALL ndash ENCOMPASSING

Al-Muheet comes from the root word أحاط to cover to encompass The One who has

knowledge of everything has power over everything His mercy encompasses everything and He

is dominant over everything

AL-HAFEEDH THE PROTECTOR THE GUARDIAN

Al-Hafeedh comes from the root word حفظ to guard protect Al-Hafeedh is the One who

protects and preserves all from perishing The One who is vigilantly guarding every detail of that

has been created Al-Hafeedh is more intensive than Al-Haafedh

AL-HAAFEDH THE PRESERVER

Al-Haafedh comes from the root word حفظ to preserve Al-Haafedh is the One whose power

preserves the heavens and the earth The One who is the guardian and preserver of all the

worlds

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST ABSOLUTE BEAUTY

AL-JAMEEL THE BEAUTIFUL THE GRACEFUL

Al-Jameel comes from the root word جميل beauty Allah (SWT) is beautiful in His divine

essence names actions and attributes

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAllah loves His blessings to be manifested upon his creations

And it is from this gratitude in His blessings that shows outer beauty The Internal beauty is from

your good manners and characterrdquo

Some of the beautiful manners mentioned in the Quran are

Beautiful patience

Beautiful forgiveness

To live with Allah Al-Jameel one needs to

Beautify our actions and moral conducts

Beautify our tongues by speaking truth

Beautify our hearts with sincere devotion

Beautify our faculties with obedience

Beautify our bodies by showing Allahrsquos blessings upon us

Beautify our clothing by keeping them pure and clean

AL-QUDDUS THE MOST HOLY THE ALL ndash PERFECT

Al-Quddus comes from the root word قدس to be clean pure far from impurity or imperfection

Al-Quddus is the One who is far from and untouched by worldly imperfections or faults He is

far removed from any defect just as He is far removed from anything resembling Him

AS-SALAM THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE FLAWLESS

As-Salam comes from the root word قدس to be peaceful free from faults complete and whole

As-Salam is the One who is perfect whole prosperous and content The One who is the source

of all peace wholeness and safety

Shaykh As-Sarsquoadi said ldquoAs-Salam is similar in meaning to Al-Quddus in that they both negate any

form of imperfection while at the same time include unlimited perfection in every way This is

due to the fact when deficiency has been removed then all that remains is perfection

AT-TAYYEB THE GOOD

At-Tayyeb comes from the root word طيب to purify He is The Good and only accepts that

which is good and pure He is above having any faults or shortcomings

Abu Hurayrah (RA)narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO people Allah is Good and does not

accept anything but that which is goodrdquo [Muslim]

This hadith sets forth a basic principle of Islam that a Muslim must seek lawful provision for

himself and avoid what is unlawful It shows us that engaging in forbidden acts directly affects a

Muslimrsquos relationship with Allah so much so that his supplications and his good deeds may not

be accepted from him

A Muslimrsquos wealth must be good and pure It must be earned in a lawful manner and spent in a

lawful manner A Muslim who has unlawful wealth in his possession must repent and rid himself

of it

THE NAMES THAT TRIGGER THE LOVE OF ALLAH IN THE

HEART

AL-JAWWAAD THE BESTOWER OF GOOD

Al-Jawwaad comes from the root word جد to give liberally and freely Al-Jawwaad is the One

who gives freely and endlessly without expectation of any return

AL-MUHSIN THE SUPREME DOER OF GOOD

Al-Muhsin comes from the root word حسن to beautify something to give generously To Him

belongs the absolute goodness

One needs to be a Muhsin (Doer of Good) in 3 things

1 In dealing with Allah(SWT)

2 In dealing with onersquos self

3 In dealing with people

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIhsan is to worship Allah as if you see

Him and if you do not achieve this state of devotion then (take it for granted that) Allah sees

you[Bukhari]

There are 4 elements of exclusive Ihsan

1 Guidance to His religion

2 Easiness to adhere to His commands

3 Steadfastness

4 Granting of Paradise

AL-MANNAN THE BESTOWER

Al-Mannan comes from the root word من to confer favors Al-Mannan is the One who bestows

and confers His favors on His slaves

lsquoAnas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO Allah there is no god but You the Bestower

the Originator of the heavens and the earth the Possessor of majesty and honorrdquo [at-Tirmidhi]

Bestowing favors (Al-Mennah) is of two kinds

1 By action (praiseworthy)

2 By word (blameworthy)

AR-RArsquoUF THE MOST KIND THE GENTLE

Ar-Rarsquouf comes from the root word رافه to be king gentle and compassionate Ar-Rarsquouf is the

One who bestows boundless clemency tenderness and affection

The term Ar-Rarsquouf indicates tender affection and is regarded as the utmost mercy and

compassion the ultimate limit of Ar-Rahim The meaning is similar to At-Rahim but focuses

attention on the utmost tenderness kindness and affection which accompanies the outpouring

of mercy and compassion

AL-BARR THE ALL ndash GOOD

Al-Barr comes from the root wordبر to be beneficent bestow bountiful gifts Al-Barr is the One

who bountifully bestows the gifts of tolerance gentles goodness and kindness The One who is

merciful and compassionate

AL-HAFIY THE MOST WELCOME THE MOST AFFECTIONATE

Al-Hafiy comes from the root word حفي to greatly welcome Al-Hairy is the intensive form of Al-

Barr and the most generous

AL-WAHHAB THE SUPERB BESTOWER

Al-Wahhab comes from the root word هبة to give for no compensation Al-Wahhab is the One

who continually bestows gifts favors and blessings upon all of creation He bestows precious

unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return and without

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Aishah said Blessed is He Whose hearing has

encompassed all things I heard what Khawlah bint Tha`labah said while some of it I

could not hear She was complaining to Allahs Messenger about her husband She said

`O Allahs Messenger He spent my wealth exhausted my youth and my womb bore

abundantly for him When I became old unable to bear children he pronounced the

Ziharon me O Allah I complain to you Soon after Jibril brought down the ayahrdquo

2 Understanding

3 Acceptance

Allah (SWT) accepting the duaas of believers In Surat Ibrahim ayah 39 Prophet Ibrahim

said ldquoPraise to Allah who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac Indeed my

Lord is the Hearer of supplicationrdquo

AL-BASSER THE ALL ndash SEEING

Al-Basser comes from the root word بصر to see behold notice Al-Basser is the One whose

insight sees all things clearly both apparent and the hidden The One who sees and understands

all that has passed before and all that will happen The One who has insight into all things The

One who perceives every detail

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) defines the degrees of Al-Baseerah (insight) as follows

1 Al-Baseerah in His names and Attributes

2 Al-Baseerah in His legislations and orders

3 Al-Baseerah in His promises and warnings

AL-MUHEET THE ALL ndash ENCOMPASSING

Al-Muheet comes from the root word أحاط to cover to encompass The One who has

knowledge of everything has power over everything His mercy encompasses everything and He

is dominant over everything

AL-HAFEEDH THE PROTECTOR THE GUARDIAN

Al-Hafeedh comes from the root word حفظ to guard protect Al-Hafeedh is the One who

protects and preserves all from perishing The One who is vigilantly guarding every detail of that

has been created Al-Hafeedh is more intensive than Al-Haafedh

AL-HAAFEDH THE PRESERVER

Al-Haafedh comes from the root word حفظ to preserve Al-Haafedh is the One whose power

preserves the heavens and the earth The One who is the guardian and preserver of all the

worlds

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST ABSOLUTE BEAUTY

AL-JAMEEL THE BEAUTIFUL THE GRACEFUL

Al-Jameel comes from the root word جميل beauty Allah (SWT) is beautiful in His divine

essence names actions and attributes

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAllah loves His blessings to be manifested upon his creations

And it is from this gratitude in His blessings that shows outer beauty The Internal beauty is from

your good manners and characterrdquo

Some of the beautiful manners mentioned in the Quran are

Beautiful patience

Beautiful forgiveness

To live with Allah Al-Jameel one needs to

Beautify our actions and moral conducts

Beautify our tongues by speaking truth

Beautify our hearts with sincere devotion

Beautify our faculties with obedience

Beautify our bodies by showing Allahrsquos blessings upon us

Beautify our clothing by keeping them pure and clean

AL-QUDDUS THE MOST HOLY THE ALL ndash PERFECT

Al-Quddus comes from the root word قدس to be clean pure far from impurity or imperfection

Al-Quddus is the One who is far from and untouched by worldly imperfections or faults He is

far removed from any defect just as He is far removed from anything resembling Him

AS-SALAM THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE FLAWLESS

As-Salam comes from the root word قدس to be peaceful free from faults complete and whole

As-Salam is the One who is perfect whole prosperous and content The One who is the source

of all peace wholeness and safety

Shaykh As-Sarsquoadi said ldquoAs-Salam is similar in meaning to Al-Quddus in that they both negate any

form of imperfection while at the same time include unlimited perfection in every way This is

due to the fact when deficiency has been removed then all that remains is perfection

AT-TAYYEB THE GOOD

At-Tayyeb comes from the root word طيب to purify He is The Good and only accepts that

which is good and pure He is above having any faults or shortcomings

Abu Hurayrah (RA)narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO people Allah is Good and does not

accept anything but that which is goodrdquo [Muslim]

This hadith sets forth a basic principle of Islam that a Muslim must seek lawful provision for

himself and avoid what is unlawful It shows us that engaging in forbidden acts directly affects a

Muslimrsquos relationship with Allah so much so that his supplications and his good deeds may not

be accepted from him

A Muslimrsquos wealth must be good and pure It must be earned in a lawful manner and spent in a

lawful manner A Muslim who has unlawful wealth in his possession must repent and rid himself

of it

THE NAMES THAT TRIGGER THE LOVE OF ALLAH IN THE

HEART

AL-JAWWAAD THE BESTOWER OF GOOD

Al-Jawwaad comes from the root word جد to give liberally and freely Al-Jawwaad is the One

who gives freely and endlessly without expectation of any return

AL-MUHSIN THE SUPREME DOER OF GOOD

Al-Muhsin comes from the root word حسن to beautify something to give generously To Him

belongs the absolute goodness

One needs to be a Muhsin (Doer of Good) in 3 things

1 In dealing with Allah(SWT)

2 In dealing with onersquos self

3 In dealing with people

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIhsan is to worship Allah as if you see

Him and if you do not achieve this state of devotion then (take it for granted that) Allah sees

you[Bukhari]

There are 4 elements of exclusive Ihsan

1 Guidance to His religion

2 Easiness to adhere to His commands

3 Steadfastness

4 Granting of Paradise

AL-MANNAN THE BESTOWER

Al-Mannan comes from the root word من to confer favors Al-Mannan is the One who bestows

and confers His favors on His slaves

lsquoAnas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO Allah there is no god but You the Bestower

the Originator of the heavens and the earth the Possessor of majesty and honorrdquo [at-Tirmidhi]

Bestowing favors (Al-Mennah) is of two kinds

1 By action (praiseworthy)

2 By word (blameworthy)

AR-RArsquoUF THE MOST KIND THE GENTLE

Ar-Rarsquouf comes from the root word رافه to be king gentle and compassionate Ar-Rarsquouf is the

One who bestows boundless clemency tenderness and affection

The term Ar-Rarsquouf indicates tender affection and is regarded as the utmost mercy and

compassion the ultimate limit of Ar-Rahim The meaning is similar to At-Rahim but focuses

attention on the utmost tenderness kindness and affection which accompanies the outpouring

of mercy and compassion

AL-BARR THE ALL ndash GOOD

Al-Barr comes from the root wordبر to be beneficent bestow bountiful gifts Al-Barr is the One

who bountifully bestows the gifts of tolerance gentles goodness and kindness The One who is

merciful and compassionate

AL-HAFIY THE MOST WELCOME THE MOST AFFECTIONATE

Al-Hafiy comes from the root word حفي to greatly welcome Al-Hairy is the intensive form of Al-

Barr and the most generous

AL-WAHHAB THE SUPERB BESTOWER

Al-Wahhab comes from the root word هبة to give for no compensation Al-Wahhab is the One

who continually bestows gifts favors and blessings upon all of creation He bestows precious

unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return and without

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

AL-HAAFEDH THE PRESERVER

Al-Haafedh comes from the root word حفظ to preserve Al-Haafedh is the One whose power

preserves the heavens and the earth The One who is the guardian and preserver of all the

worlds

THE NAMES THAT MANIFEST ABSOLUTE BEAUTY

AL-JAMEEL THE BEAUTIFUL THE GRACEFUL

Al-Jameel comes from the root word جميل beauty Allah (SWT) is beautiful in His divine

essence names actions and attributes

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAllah loves His blessings to be manifested upon his creations

And it is from this gratitude in His blessings that shows outer beauty The Internal beauty is from

your good manners and characterrdquo

Some of the beautiful manners mentioned in the Quran are

Beautiful patience

Beautiful forgiveness

To live with Allah Al-Jameel one needs to

Beautify our actions and moral conducts

Beautify our tongues by speaking truth

Beautify our hearts with sincere devotion

Beautify our faculties with obedience

Beautify our bodies by showing Allahrsquos blessings upon us

Beautify our clothing by keeping them pure and clean

AL-QUDDUS THE MOST HOLY THE ALL ndash PERFECT

Al-Quddus comes from the root word قدس to be clean pure far from impurity or imperfection

Al-Quddus is the One who is far from and untouched by worldly imperfections or faults He is

far removed from any defect just as He is far removed from anything resembling Him

AS-SALAM THE SOURCE OF PEACE THE FLAWLESS

As-Salam comes from the root word قدس to be peaceful free from faults complete and whole

As-Salam is the One who is perfect whole prosperous and content The One who is the source

of all peace wholeness and safety

Shaykh As-Sarsquoadi said ldquoAs-Salam is similar in meaning to Al-Quddus in that they both negate any

form of imperfection while at the same time include unlimited perfection in every way This is

due to the fact when deficiency has been removed then all that remains is perfection

AT-TAYYEB THE GOOD

At-Tayyeb comes from the root word طيب to purify He is The Good and only accepts that

which is good and pure He is above having any faults or shortcomings

Abu Hurayrah (RA)narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO people Allah is Good and does not

accept anything but that which is goodrdquo [Muslim]

This hadith sets forth a basic principle of Islam that a Muslim must seek lawful provision for

himself and avoid what is unlawful It shows us that engaging in forbidden acts directly affects a

Muslimrsquos relationship with Allah so much so that his supplications and his good deeds may not

be accepted from him

A Muslimrsquos wealth must be good and pure It must be earned in a lawful manner and spent in a

lawful manner A Muslim who has unlawful wealth in his possession must repent and rid himself

of it

THE NAMES THAT TRIGGER THE LOVE OF ALLAH IN THE

HEART

AL-JAWWAAD THE BESTOWER OF GOOD

Al-Jawwaad comes from the root word جد to give liberally and freely Al-Jawwaad is the One

who gives freely and endlessly without expectation of any return

AL-MUHSIN THE SUPREME DOER OF GOOD

Al-Muhsin comes from the root word حسن to beautify something to give generously To Him

belongs the absolute goodness

One needs to be a Muhsin (Doer of Good) in 3 things

1 In dealing with Allah(SWT)

2 In dealing with onersquos self

3 In dealing with people

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIhsan is to worship Allah as if you see

Him and if you do not achieve this state of devotion then (take it for granted that) Allah sees

you[Bukhari]

There are 4 elements of exclusive Ihsan

1 Guidance to His religion

2 Easiness to adhere to His commands

3 Steadfastness

4 Granting of Paradise

AL-MANNAN THE BESTOWER

Al-Mannan comes from the root word من to confer favors Al-Mannan is the One who bestows

and confers His favors on His slaves

lsquoAnas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO Allah there is no god but You the Bestower

the Originator of the heavens and the earth the Possessor of majesty and honorrdquo [at-Tirmidhi]

Bestowing favors (Al-Mennah) is of two kinds

1 By action (praiseworthy)

2 By word (blameworthy)

AR-RArsquoUF THE MOST KIND THE GENTLE

Ar-Rarsquouf comes from the root word رافه to be king gentle and compassionate Ar-Rarsquouf is the

One who bestows boundless clemency tenderness and affection

The term Ar-Rarsquouf indicates tender affection and is regarded as the utmost mercy and

compassion the ultimate limit of Ar-Rahim The meaning is similar to At-Rahim but focuses

attention on the utmost tenderness kindness and affection which accompanies the outpouring

of mercy and compassion

AL-BARR THE ALL ndash GOOD

Al-Barr comes from the root wordبر to be beneficent bestow bountiful gifts Al-Barr is the One

who bountifully bestows the gifts of tolerance gentles goodness and kindness The One who is

merciful and compassionate

AL-HAFIY THE MOST WELCOME THE MOST AFFECTIONATE

Al-Hafiy comes from the root word حفي to greatly welcome Al-Hairy is the intensive form of Al-

Barr and the most generous

AL-WAHHAB THE SUPERB BESTOWER

Al-Wahhab comes from the root word هبة to give for no compensation Al-Wahhab is the One

who continually bestows gifts favors and blessings upon all of creation He bestows precious

unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return and without

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

Shaykh As-Sarsquoadi said ldquoAs-Salam is similar in meaning to Al-Quddus in that they both negate any

form of imperfection while at the same time include unlimited perfection in every way This is

due to the fact when deficiency has been removed then all that remains is perfection

AT-TAYYEB THE GOOD

At-Tayyeb comes from the root word طيب to purify He is The Good and only accepts that

which is good and pure He is above having any faults or shortcomings

Abu Hurayrah (RA)narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO people Allah is Good and does not

accept anything but that which is goodrdquo [Muslim]

This hadith sets forth a basic principle of Islam that a Muslim must seek lawful provision for

himself and avoid what is unlawful It shows us that engaging in forbidden acts directly affects a

Muslimrsquos relationship with Allah so much so that his supplications and his good deeds may not

be accepted from him

A Muslimrsquos wealth must be good and pure It must be earned in a lawful manner and spent in a

lawful manner A Muslim who has unlawful wealth in his possession must repent and rid himself

of it

THE NAMES THAT TRIGGER THE LOVE OF ALLAH IN THE

HEART

AL-JAWWAAD THE BESTOWER OF GOOD

Al-Jawwaad comes from the root word جد to give liberally and freely Al-Jawwaad is the One

who gives freely and endlessly without expectation of any return

AL-MUHSIN THE SUPREME DOER OF GOOD

Al-Muhsin comes from the root word حسن to beautify something to give generously To Him

belongs the absolute goodness

One needs to be a Muhsin (Doer of Good) in 3 things

1 In dealing with Allah(SWT)

2 In dealing with onersquos self

3 In dealing with people

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIhsan is to worship Allah as if you see

Him and if you do not achieve this state of devotion then (take it for granted that) Allah sees

you[Bukhari]

There are 4 elements of exclusive Ihsan

1 Guidance to His religion

2 Easiness to adhere to His commands

3 Steadfastness

4 Granting of Paradise

AL-MANNAN THE BESTOWER

Al-Mannan comes from the root word من to confer favors Al-Mannan is the One who bestows

and confers His favors on His slaves

lsquoAnas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO Allah there is no god but You the Bestower

the Originator of the heavens and the earth the Possessor of majesty and honorrdquo [at-Tirmidhi]

Bestowing favors (Al-Mennah) is of two kinds

1 By action (praiseworthy)

2 By word (blameworthy)

AR-RArsquoUF THE MOST KIND THE GENTLE

Ar-Rarsquouf comes from the root word رافه to be king gentle and compassionate Ar-Rarsquouf is the

One who bestows boundless clemency tenderness and affection

The term Ar-Rarsquouf indicates tender affection and is regarded as the utmost mercy and

compassion the ultimate limit of Ar-Rahim The meaning is similar to At-Rahim but focuses

attention on the utmost tenderness kindness and affection which accompanies the outpouring

of mercy and compassion

AL-BARR THE ALL ndash GOOD

Al-Barr comes from the root wordبر to be beneficent bestow bountiful gifts Al-Barr is the One

who bountifully bestows the gifts of tolerance gentles goodness and kindness The One who is

merciful and compassionate

AL-HAFIY THE MOST WELCOME THE MOST AFFECTIONATE

Al-Hafiy comes from the root word حفي to greatly welcome Al-Hairy is the intensive form of Al-

Barr and the most generous

AL-WAHHAB THE SUPERB BESTOWER

Al-Wahhab comes from the root word هبة to give for no compensation Al-Wahhab is the One

who continually bestows gifts favors and blessings upon all of creation He bestows precious

unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return and without

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

There are 4 elements of exclusive Ihsan

1 Guidance to His religion

2 Easiness to adhere to His commands

3 Steadfastness

4 Granting of Paradise

AL-MANNAN THE BESTOWER

Al-Mannan comes from the root word من to confer favors Al-Mannan is the One who bestows

and confers His favors on His slaves

lsquoAnas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoO Allah there is no god but You the Bestower

the Originator of the heavens and the earth the Possessor of majesty and honorrdquo [at-Tirmidhi]

Bestowing favors (Al-Mennah) is of two kinds

1 By action (praiseworthy)

2 By word (blameworthy)

AR-RArsquoUF THE MOST KIND THE GENTLE

Ar-Rarsquouf comes from the root word رافه to be king gentle and compassionate Ar-Rarsquouf is the

One who bestows boundless clemency tenderness and affection

The term Ar-Rarsquouf indicates tender affection and is regarded as the utmost mercy and

compassion the ultimate limit of Ar-Rahim The meaning is similar to At-Rahim but focuses

attention on the utmost tenderness kindness and affection which accompanies the outpouring

of mercy and compassion

AL-BARR THE ALL ndash GOOD

Al-Barr comes from the root wordبر to be beneficent bestow bountiful gifts Al-Barr is the One

who bountifully bestows the gifts of tolerance gentles goodness and kindness The One who is

merciful and compassionate

AL-HAFIY THE MOST WELCOME THE MOST AFFECTIONATE

Al-Hafiy comes from the root word حفي to greatly welcome Al-Hairy is the intensive form of Al-

Barr and the most generous

AL-WAHHAB THE SUPERB BESTOWER

Al-Wahhab comes from the root word هبة to give for no compensation Al-Wahhab is the One

who continually bestows gifts favors and blessings upon all of creation He bestows precious

unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return and without

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

them having done anything prior to the bestowal He bestows upon them out of love and

affection for them Someone who bestows once is a bestower but He who bestows various

gifts over and over again is ldquoThe Superb Bestowerrdquo

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoExchange gifts to increase love between yourdquo [Sunan Abu Dawood]

(Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

The gifts of Allah (SWT) will never bring any harm upon the recipient

There is a difference between Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) and Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

Ar-Razzaq provides regular sustenance which is based upon how much effort you put in

you have to take action and work to receive the fruits of your labor

Al-Wahhab bestows upon chosen believers unexpected gifts for which they have not

worked

We truly do not know the number of حب Allah (SWT) the Superb Bestower has blessed us with

Your children

Your spouses

The ability to forgive and forget

Allah (SWT) besots gifts for two reasons

1 Out of love for you

2 To have you return to Him

AR-RAHMAN THE MOST BENEFICENT

Ar-Rahman comes from the word رحمة to have tenderness gentleness and kindness The root

also indicates womb meaning that which provides protection and nourishment and that رحمة

from which all of creation is brought into being The One who continually showers all of Creation

with blessings and prosperity without any disparity The One who is most kind loving and

merciful

AR-RAHEEM THE MOST MERCIFUL

Ar-Raheem comes from the word رحمة to have mercy to have piety Ar-Raheem is the One

who grants even more grace and greater rewards in response to our good actions and high

thoughts The One who has mercy on the merciful

Ar-Rahman is mentioned 57 times in the Quran and Ar-Raheem is mentioned 114 times

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said ldquoAr-Rahman the one who asks he gives Ar-Raheem becomes

upset when not askedrdquo

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

Ar-Rahman is comprehensive to all of mankind while Ar-Rahmeen is special only to believers

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoAr-Rahman indicates an attribute of His divine essence Ar-

Raheem is the One who bestows his rahma (mercy) on all of mankindrdquo

There are mainly two types of Rahma

1 Specific Rahma

2 General Rahma

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoA`raf ayah 156

ldquoAnd decree for us in this world that which is+ good and also+ in the Hereafter indeed we have

turned back to You [ Allah ] said My punishment - I afflict with it whom I will but My mercy

encompasses all things So I will decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give zakah and

those who believe in Our verses ldquo

Umar ibn Khattab (RA) narrated that there were brought some prisoners to Allahs Messenger

(SAW) amongst whom there was also a woman who was searching (for someone) and when she

found a child amongst the prisoners she took hold of it pressed it against her chest and

provided it suck Thereupon Allahs Messenger (SAW) said Do you think this woman would ever

afford to throw her child in the Fire We said By Allah so far as it lies in her power she would

never throw the child in Fire Thereupon Allahs Messenger (may peace be upon him) said Allah

is more kind to His servants than this woman is to her child [Muslim]

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

AL-KAREEM THE GENEROUS THE ALL ndash LAUDABLE

Al-Kareem comes from the word كريم to be noble grand generous and giving Al-Kareem is the

One whose kind noble and generous essence is most esteemed valued and honored The One

who is endlessly gives all manner of precious gifts including support and refuge

AL-AKRAM THE EVER MOST GENEROUS

Al-Akram comes from the root word كرم to be more generous Al-Akram is the extreme

indicator of Al-Kareem

Imam al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said ldquoAl-Akram depicts Allahrsquos divine essence and Al-Kareem

depicts Allahrsquos actionsrdquo

Al-Kareem has favored and selected us Muslims over all of His creations know then that Allah

(SWT) will NEVER let you down

Allah (SWT) says in Surat Al-lsquoIsra ayah 70

ldquoAnd We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and

provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created

with definite+ preferencerdquo

Allah (SWT) has honored man in many ways

Molding

Breathed into man of His spirit

Commanding the angels to prostrate to him

Made him from clay and water

Made him His successor on earth

Made the angels his guardian in life and servants in the Here

Allah (SWT) has honored you with Islam so do not disgrace yourself by committing sins We

the last of all His creations will be the first to enter Jannah

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahs Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWe who are the last shall be

the first on the Day of Resurrection except that every Ummah was given the Book before us and

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

we were given it after them It was this day which Allah prescribed for us and guided us to it and

the people came after us with regard to it the Jews observing the next day and the Christians the

day following thatrdquo [Muslim]

To live with Al-Kareem and Al-Akram one needs to

Build their self-respect

Not degrade others

Honor people as Al-Kareem will then honour you

Think of a sin that is degrading you and cease it immediately

AL-QABID THE WITHHOLDER THE RESTRAINER THE CONSTRICTOR

Al-Qabid comes from the root word قبض to take in hand to have absolute ownership of

something Al-Qabid is the One whose wisdom causes withholding either physically or

spiritually The One whose wisdom decides when to withhold something or make something

scarce The One in whose hand all hearts are held The One whose hand collects all souls at the

time of death

Anas ibn Malik narrated that the prophet (SAW) said ldquoAllah is the One who withholds bestows

and sets values I hope that i will not meet Allah with anyone demanding restitution from me for

any wrongdoing I may have done to him with regard to his blood and wealthrdquo

AL-BASIT THE EXPANDER THE EXTENDER THE RELEASER

Al-Basit comes from the root word بسو to grant abundance to expand to enlarge Al-Basit is

the One who makes ample and plentiful all that is needed The One who makes the way wide

and open The One who stretches out a helping hand to mankind

Al-Basit is the opposite of Al-Qabid

AL-MUrsquoTI THE SUPERB GIVER

Al-Mursquoti comes from the root word معط to give Al-Mursquoti is the One who gives and amplifies all

in abundance

AL-MUBIN THE MANIFEST THE CLEAR

Al-Mubin comes from the root word بين to clarify to give the ultimate evidence Allah is the

One who makes all things clear to His slaves by guiding them to the guided path By making

clear to them the deeds by which they will deserve reward or punishment He makes clear all

which they bring forth

Al-Mubin is similar to Az-Zahir the One who manifests all of creation and whose essence is

shown throughout all of creation

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

AS-SHAAFI THE ULTIMATE HEALER

As-Shaafi comes from the root word شفاي to cure Only As-Shaafi can remove an illness for He

is the One who created it He is The Healer of all diseases

There are two types of cures

1 Cure of the heart and soul

2 Cure of the body

AL-HAYIY THE ULTIMATE MODEST

Al-Hayiy comes from the root word هياء to be shy modest and chaste Al-Hayiyrsquos modesty is

based on kindness goodness generosity and majesty By His mercy generosity perfection and

forbearance Allah is too modest to expose His slaves or carry out His punishment on the He is

too modest to reject anyone who stretches froth his hand to Him and He loves people who are

modest

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoHe is The Modest who does not expose His slave even though

he audaciously commits sin But He covers him for He is the Concealer the One who forgivesrdquo

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RA) narrated ldquoThe Prophet was more shy than a virgin in her separate room And if he saw a thing which he disliked we would recognize that (feeling) in his facerdquo [Bukhari]

The one who does not have Hayarsquo (modesty) does not have Emaan (faith) as narrated by Abu Hurayrah the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoEmaan has over seventy branches and modesty is a branch of Emaanrdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

There are two types of modesty 1 Modesty built through natural inclination

2 Modesty built through our Emaan and acquired through following the deen

How can we acquire modesty

Realization of Emaan

Adherence to Salah

Keeping righteous company

Look at the extreme amount of Hayarsquo that lsquoAisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) possessed even in the presence of the deceased

Aisha (RA) said I used to enter the room where the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and my father (Abu Bakr) were later buried in without having my garment on me saying it is only my husband and my father But when lsquoUmar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) was later buried in (the same place) I did not enter the room except that I had my garment on being shy from lsquoUmar (Paraphrased unable to find exact hadith)

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

AL-MUrsquoMIN THE GIVER OF SECURITY THE REMOVER OF FEAR

Al-Mursquomin comes from the root word أمن to be secure safe to grant protection Al-Mursquomin is

the one who faithfully bestows the fits of peace safety and security

This name has two meanings

Trust and Belief (Attasdeeq)

Security

Allah (SWT) as He is the One that gives security guards the Quran as He says in Surat Al-Hijr

ayah 9

ldquoIndeed it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed We will be its guardianrdquo

AS-SHAKUR THE APPRECIATIVE

As-Shakur comes from the root word شكر to offer thanks As-Shakur is the One who is most

thankful for righteousness and bestows great rewards for good deeds The One who gratefully

gives large rewards even for a small amount of good work The Appreciative is the One who

appreciates your deeds however small they are and doubles the rewards for you in this world

and in the hereafter

As-Shakur is a more indicative than As-Shakir

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoWhile a man was on the way he found a

thorny branch of a tree there on the way and removed it Allah thanked him for that deed and

forgave him [Bukhari]

Aside When people started to migrate to Madinah Umm Salamah and her son set out in the dead of the night to make the journey as her husband has already hijra ldquoAt Tanim she met Uthman ibn Talha (who had not yet converted) He was astonished to find her going all alone risking herself to any freebooters on the way

Uthman could not face this situation He got down from his camel and led the camel of Umm Salamah by the halter Uthman was a chivalrous Arab At every stop or watering-place he would make her camel kneel for her and then withdraw and allow her to alight with convenience He would then tie the camel to a tree and himself would go a little away from her and lie down under another tree After a few days they were in Quba (Madinah) He said to Umm Salamah Your husband lives in this village So enter it with the blessing of Allah Uthman then left her and went back to Makkah

Whenever Umm Salamah thought of her sufferings she used to proclaim By Allah never have I seen a family in Islam which suffered what the family of Abu Salamah did Nor have I ever seen a nobler man than Uthman ibn Talha [Ibn Hisham]

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

AS-SHAKIR THE RECOGNIZER AND REWARDER OF GOOD

As-Shakir comes from the root word شكر to be grateful As-Shakir is the One who

acknowledges and bountifully rewards all acts of goodness thankfulness and praise

As-Shakir is different from Al-Hamid as Al-Hamid is praising Allah (SWT) while As-Shakir is Allah

(SWT) thanking you

To live with As-Shakur and As-Shakir one needs to

Give and help

The more you give Allah (SWT) will give you even more for Allah (SWT) rewards those

that give for His sake

Perform more good deeds

Cultivate sincerity

AL-LATIF THE MOST SUBTLE

Al-Latif comes from the root word لطف to be elegant gentle and courteous Al-Latif is the One

who is most subtle and gracious The One whose nature is gentle affectionate courteous and

refined He is the One who is kind to His believing servants guiding them to that which would

benefit them and aid them via means that they are not aware by His kindness and beneficence

The One whose knowledge encompasses all the secrets and hidden matters

Al- Latif has two meanings

Al-Khabeer (The All-Knowing)

Kindness and gentleness

AR-RAFIQ THE MOST GENTLE

Ar-Rafiq comes from the root word رفق to be gentle Ar-Rafiq is gentle in His actions He

created all creation gradually bit by bit according to His wisdom and gentleness despite the fact

that He was capable of creating it all at one time and in a moment

AL-HALIM THE MOST FORBEARING THE MOST SERENE

Al-Halim comes from the root word حلم to be forbearing lenient and forgiving Al-Halim is the

One who is kind gracious and serene in all situations The One who is calm and deliberate

never hasty even with the rebellious and wrongdoers

Halim is the patience that arises from a sense of deep serenity lenience calm deliberation Al-

Halim is gentle upon those that disobey Him and in censuring them so that perchance they may

repent

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

AL-WADUD THE MOST AFFECTIONATE THE MOST LOVING

Al-Wadud comes from the root word ود to love to be affectionate Al-Wadud is the One who

loves The One who is source of all love and loving-kindness The One who loves His Prophet and

Messengers and those who follow them and they in turn love Him

Affection is more comprehensive than love Love is inner feelings yet affection is the translation

of these feelings into actions and behaviours

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated the Prophet said If Allah loves a person He calls Gabriel saying Allah loves so and-so O Gabriel Love him Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven Allah loves so-and-so therefore you should love him also and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth [Bukhari]

There are two types of Wud (Affection)

1 General Wud

Allah (SWT) creation of the night for people to rest is His general affection for humanity

2 Specific Wud

Allah (SWT) love and affection towards the believers and the righteous ones

To live with Al-Wadud one needs to

To love Allah from all your heart

Get close to Allah and invoke Him

Be kind to your spouse children family and all humanity

AT-TAWWAB THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTANCE THE OFT-FORGIVING

At-Tawwab comes from the root word توبة to return to repent to be restored At-Tawwab is

the One who beckons for our return The One who repeatedly turns mankind towards

repentance The One who forgives those who return to goodness The One who restores to

grace those who repent The One who forgives those who forgive others

Tawbah (repentance) is not only meant for the sinners the Prophet (SAW) used to ask Allah

(SWT) for his forgiveness even though he was the Prophet and was sinless We see that despite

this he used to repent to Allah more than 70 times a day

O people make Tawbah to Allah By Allah I make Tawbah to Him more than seventy times

each day[Bukhari]

At-Tawwab is two kinds

Allah bestows the repentance in the heart of His servants

The acceptance of the repentance from His servants once they repent

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

People are generally of 3 types when committing sins

Dhaalim (wrong doers)

Dhaloom (unjust)

Musrif (trangessors)

AL-GHAFFAR THE ALL ndash FORGIVING

Al-Ghaffar comes from the root word غفر to pardon to cover to forgive Al-Ghaffar is the One

who accepts repentance and veils or forgives our faults and sins time and time again The One

who sets us free from the guilt and shame of our sins and faults such that we may discover

inner harmony

AL-GHAFUR THE FORGIVING THE PARDONER

Al-Ghafur comes from the root word غفر to pardon to veil to conceal Al-Ghafur is the One

who completely forgives our sins and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins

and faults The One who accepts repentance and pardons sins and faults The One who veils or

forgives our faults and sins such that they are not seen by anyone else not even the angels

Al-Ghaffar is more intensive than Al-Ghafur

The names Ghafur and Ghaffar have 3 meanings

Allah conceals His servantsrsquo shameful deeds in this life

Allah wouldnrsquot expose His pious servantsrsquorsquo shameful deeds in the Hereafter

Allah would protect His righteous servants from Hellfire on the Day of Judgment

AL-lsquoAFU THE EFFACER OF THE SINS THE PARDONER

Al-lsquoAfu comes from the root word عفو to efface to remove to forgive Al-lsquoAfu is the One who

blots out and leaves no trace of any sin or fault The One who passes over and absolves any

fault The One who removes and obliterates all traces of wrong actions

Al-lsquoAfu has two basic meanings

1 Giving willingly without being asked

2 Eradicating wiping out of the sins

Al-lsquoAfu is more intensive and comprehensive than Al-Ghaffar Al-Ghaffar forgives the sins but Al-

lsquoAfu obliterates them

If you live with Al-lsquoAfu He shall give you the following 3

Efface the trace of your sins

Becomes pleased and satisfied

Gives you without even asking

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

The main difference between the Al-lsquoAfu and At-Tawwab is Al-lsquoAfu leads you to At-Tawwab

To live with Al-lsquoAfu one key thing is needed

Learn to efface peoplersquos sins and Al-lsquoAfu shall efface yours

AL-MUQEET THE ULTIMATE NOURISHER THE SUPERB SUSTAINER

Al-Muqeet comes from the root word قوت to feed to nourish to supply Al-Muqeet is the One

who has the ability to nourish all of creation The One who maintains all that exists and overseas

all things The One who guards and preserves

AR-RAZZAAQ THE ULTIMATE PROVIDER

Ar-Razzaaq comes from the root word رزق to receive something beneficial Ar-Razzaaq is the

One who creates all means of nourishment and subsistence The One who is the giver of all things beneficial both physical and spiritual The One who provides everything that is needed and causes the means of subsistence to come The One who bestows all means of support and growth for the body the mind and the spiritual life There is a difference between Ar-Razzaaq and Ar-Raazeq although the Al-Raazeq wasnrsquot

mentioned in the Quran

Ar-Raazeq is the One who gives to some and withholds from others

Ar-Razzaaq is the One who gives to everyone

Allahrsquos rizq is of two types

Generic which is meant for all creatures including the Jinn and the Angels

Exclusive Rizq which is also divided into two parts

o Provision of the hearts with knowledge and Emaan

o Provision of the bodies with Halal sustenance

Sometimes we think that Rizq is only money but our families homes friends children are Rizq

from Allah (SWT)

Abu Umamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me

that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full so

fear Allah and do not be desperate in seeking provision and no one of you should be tempted to

seek provision by means of committing sin if it is slow in coming to him for that which is with

Allah can only be attained by obeying Himrdquo [Al-Hilya]

To live with Ar-Razzaaq one needs to

Acquire piety

Beware of unlawful provisions

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

Endeavor towards seeking halal provisions

Actively seek forgiveness

Have self-esteem

AL-FATTAH THE GRANTER OF SUCCESS THE ULTIMATE OPENER THE SUPERB

ARBITER

Al-Fattah comes from the root word فتح to open to unlock to make victorious Al-Fattah is the

One who is the judge and revealer The One who opens what is closed and is the judge of what shall be opened The One who lifts veils and who opens the heart The One who unites the knots and softens that which has hardened The One who gives victory and opens the door to success Al-Fattah has 3 main meanings

The One who alleviates distresses and resolves all difficulties

The One who grants success

The one who arbitrates with justice between opponents

When seeking a job a person should call upon Al-Fattah

To live with Al-Fattah one needs to

Approach Al-Fattah with humbleness

Never despair the mercy of Allah

Help others for Allah to open doors for you

AL-QAREEB THE NEAR THE CLOSE

Al-Qareeb comes from the root word قرب to be close Al-Qareeb is exalted and is close to

everybody

Al-Qareeb closeness is of two types

1 The general closeness which means His being close to everyone with respect to His

knowledge awareness seeing witnessing and encompassing

2 The precise closeness is specific to His worshippers those who ask of Him and those

who love Him The reality of this type of closeness cannot be comprehended all we can

see is its resulting effects ie His kindness to His servants His care of them and His

making them to be firm upon the straight path

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

AL-MUJEEB THE ANSWERS OF PRAYERS THE SUPREME ANSWERER

Al-Mujeeb comes from the root مجب to answer to accept to respond Al-Mujeeb is the One

who answers prayers the One who responds to needs The One who penetrates through every

obstacle in order to respond The One who responds to an invitation

In Surat Al-Baqarah ayah 186 Allah (SWT) says

ldquoAnd when My servants ask you O Muhammad+ concerning Me - indeed I am near I respond

to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me So let them respond to Me [by

obedience+ and believe in Me that they may be rightly+ guidedrdquo

This is the only ayah in which Allah (SWT) tells the Prophet (SAW) when they ask about me tell

them this

Ibul Qayyim (rahimahullah) said ldquoWhen you invoke Allah in duarsquoa either 3 things will happen

1 Allah (SWT)will answer you on the spot

2 Allah (SWT) will ward off evil that was supposed to happen to you

3 Allah (SWT) will not give you what you want in this life but give it you in the akhirah

Allahrsquos answering is divided into two types

General answering (IrsquoJaaabah lsquoAammah)

Specific and exclusive answering (IrsquoJaaabah Khaassah)

The etiquettes and conditions for the Al-Mujeeb to answer your duarsquoa are

Wudursquo (ablution)

Raising the hands

Facing the Qiblah

More likely that your duarsquoa will be accepted if you face the qiblah

Praising and glorifying Allah (SWT)

Invoking Allah with His names and attributes

There are 22 instances whereby the supplication could be answered

1 Use the greatest names of Allah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated I was sitting with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) and a man was offering prayer He then made supplication O Allah I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee there is no deity but Thou Who shows favour and beneficence the Originator of the Heavens and the earth O Lord of Majesty and Splendour O Living One O Eternal One

The Prophet (SAW) then said ldquoHe has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name when supplicated by this name He answers and when asked by this name He givesrdquo [Abu Dawwod]

2 Last third of the night

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoIn the last third of

every night our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) (Allah (SWT)) descends to the lowermost

heaven and says Who is calling Me so that I may answer him Who is asking Me so

that may I grant him Who is seeking forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive himrdquo

[Bukhari]

Ammar ibn Absah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe closest any

worshipper can be to His Lord is during the last part of the night so if you can be

amongst those who remember Allah at that time then do sordquoat-Tirmidhi]

3 An hour of every night

4 The last half of the night

5 Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said ldquoThe supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejectedrdquo Abu Dawood+

6 At the time of sujood

Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoThe closest position

that a person can be from God is at the time of Sujood hence increase your Dua

7 During rainfall

8 One hour of every Friday

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA) narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) talked about Friday and said ldquoThere is an hour on Friday and if a Muslim gets it while offering Salat (prayer) and asks something from Allah then Allah will definitely meet his demandrsquo And he (the Prophet (SAW) pointed out the shortness of that particular time with his handsrdquo [Bukhari]

9 Duarsquoa after wudu

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

10 After drinking zam-zam

11 When you wake up at night

Ubada Bin As-Samit narrated that Allahrsquos Messenger (SAW) said ldquoWhomever wakes up at night and says La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la shrika lahu lahulmulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shairsquoin qadir Alhamdu lillahi wa subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahuwallah akbir wa la hawla wala quwata illa billah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah He is the only one who has no partners His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Allah All the glories are for Allah and none has the right to be worshipped but Allah And Allah is the most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah) and then says Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah Forgive me) or invokes Allah he will be responded to and if he makes ablution and performs Salat (prayer) his Salat (prayer) will be acceptedrdquo [Bukhari]

12 When visiting the sick

13 When making duarsquoa for someone in their absence

The prophet (SAW) said ldquoThere is no believing servant who supplicates for his brother in his absence where the angels do not say lsquothe same be for yoursquordquo [Muslim]

14 During the day of Arafat

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThe best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafatrdquo [At-Tirmidhi]

15 During Ramadan

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoWhen Ramadan comes the Doors of Mercy are opened and the doors of Hell are closed and the Shaytans are locked uprdquo [Muslim]

16 Duarsquoa of the oppressed

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Muarsquoad Ibn Jabal (RA) ldquoBeware of the supplication of the unjustly treated because there is no shelter or veil between it (the supplication of the one who is suffering injustice) and Allah (SWT)rdquo [Bukhari and Muslim]

17 Duarsquoa of the parent to the child

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said ldquoThree supplications will not be rejected (by Allah (SWT)) the supplication of the parent for his child the supplication of the one who is fasting and the supplication of the travelerrdquo [al- Bayhaqi at-Tirmidhi - Sahih]

18 Duarsquoa of the traveller

19 Duarsquoa of the person who is fasting

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call

20 Duarsquoa of a just Imam

21 Duarsquoa of a child to their parent

22 Duarsquoa made when Muslims get together

The Prophet (SAW) said ldquoIf a group of people sit together remembering Allah the angels will circle them mercy will shroud them peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Himrdquo [Muslim]

If you put your trust in Allah subhanahu wa tarsquoala and sincerely call upon Him He will answer

your call