He is
al-Raqib - the Watchful. You're never really alone, and you're never really
free to do as you please. The eyes of Mankind may be diverted away from you but
the Eyes of Allah never sleep. He is al-Raqib Who watches His servants, each
and every one of them; He watches over you and never does He lose sight of you.
He watches your actions, and watches what goes on inside you. Blessed is the
person who remembers al-Raqib and in turns develops within themselves what is
called 'al-muraqabah' - to act under the watchful Eye of Allah and constantly
be in an amazing state of awareness.
Al-Raqib...
He is
al-Fattah - The Opener. He creates a way when there seems to be no way and
opens a door when there seems to be no key. He is the Judge Who decides what is
best, and guides you when confusion overtakes you. Whenever you reach your dead
end, don't stand there wondering what's happened, instead call out to the only
One who can create a path from absolutely nowhere: 'Ya Fattah, iftah 'alayya!'
(O Opener of ways, open up my way).
He is
al-Fattah, and as He opens up the skies upon the dead earth, and breaks away
the darkness with the dawn, so too can He open up upon your dead heart, open
your eyes to solutions, remove your obstacles, and grant you a way out.
Al-Fattah...
He is
al-'Aziz - The Honourable and AlMighty. No amount of transgression can tarnish
His 'izzah (glory) and no amount of disobedience can lower His Might. He is
al-'Aziz. To Him belongs ultimate 'izzah and as such, He grants it only to
those of His slaves who seek it through Him Alone, who do not seek it in other
than Him, and are thus saved from the dark depths of hypocrisy.
"...
And all honour, power and glory belong to Allah, His Messenger, and to the
believers, but the hypocrites do not know." [al-Munafiqun: 8]
Al-'Aziz..
He is
al-Sabur - the Patient. Every day we transgress His limits, we fall short of
His Rights, and we forget Him. But in patience He remains and forbearance does
He show, for He is al-Sabur. Don't you see how they ascribe partners and a son
to Him, how they blaspheme against Him, how they deny His very Existence, but still
He keeps them alive, still He provides for them, still He gives them Signs and
gives them more time.
Al-Sabur...
He is
al-Mu'akhir - the Delayer. He delays certain things out of Mercy for us, but
out of ignorance we become impatient. Instead of having a good opinion of Him,
a deeper certainty in His Power, and more trust in His Ways, we instead become
anxious, resentful, and unhappy. Our Iman (faith) then takes a dip because
we've failed to understand. But He is al-Mu'akhir. He delays out of goodness.
Does He not delay punishing the creation for their sins, so that they can come
to repent?
Al-Mu'akhir...
He is
al-Mubdi' - the Initiator. He initiated the creation and began it from nothing.
He originated the heavens and the earth when they were non-existent. He is
al-Mubdi' who initiates new things in your life, and creates new circumstances
- some as a blessing, some as a test, and some to just bring change into your
life and a different direction. He creates you and creates your way and all
that you will meet therein.
But just
as He is al-Mubdi', He is also al-Mu'eed - the One who repeats. As He created
the first time, He will repeat it. As He constructed existence once, He will
repeat it. But also, that smile He once placed on your face, He can certainly
repeat that. Those days of joy He caused to take place, He can certainly bring
those back. And just as He created certain things in your life, He can
certainly repeat them. The Dunya encircles, and comes back on itself, history
repeats and comes back on itself, all because of the Hand of al-Mu'eed... will
we then be steadfast?
al-Mubdi'
wal-Mu'eed...
He is
al-Khafidh - the Abaser. And He is al-Rafi' - the Exalter. He is al-Mu'izz -
the Giver of Honour. And He is al-Mudhill - the Debaser.
He raises
whom He Wills and lowers whom He wills. He hands the kingdom to whoever He
wishes and seizes it from whoever He wishes And such are the days that He gives
to Mankind; days weighed upon scales that tip according to the Decree of
al-Khafidh al-Rafi', al-Mu'izz al-Mudhill. Don't you see how civilizations rise
only to fall after some time? Don't you see how the oppressed of yesterday
become the leaders of tomorrow? Don't you see how the famous disappear into
anonymity and the unknown one becomes the well-known and remembered? The Scale
of Allah tips and so we see extraordinary days, incredible history, and ironic
happenings. He is al-Rafi' al-Mu'izz Who raises His humble Slaves, and He is
al-Khafidh al-Mudhill Who lowers every arrogant head. He turns tables as He turns
the earth, and He does so with Wisdom in a Supreme Law which cannot be
surpassed.
"Say:
'O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and
You take the kingdom from whom You will, and You endue with honour whom You
will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is all good. Verily, You
are Able to do all things.'" [Aal 'Imran: 26]
He is
al-Qahhar - The Irresistible and Supreme. He is the one Whom souls recognise
and stand in awe of. His Strength is overpowering and dominating; it breaks and
defeats forces you can see and forces you cannot see. He is al-Qahhar who
causes the backs of the oppressors to break, the necks of the Mushrikin
(polytheists) to lower, and the soul of every Man and Jinn to submit at the
time of death. He is al-Qahhar to Whom everything in the heavens and the earth
pays heed to, prostrates to, respects and fears so deeply. The King of Kings.
The AlMighty and Supreme. Nothing can break away from His Grip when He seizes
and nothing can escape His Sight or Knowledge.
"He
is the Irresistible, Supreme over His slaves, and He sends guardians over you,
until when death approaches one of you, Our Messengers take his soul, and they
never neglect their duty." [al-An'am: 61]
He is al-Hafeedh - The Preserver. All that He preserves is protected, and all that is protected by Him remains. He preserves our bodies, mind, and our very existence, and thus we're saved every day from accidents and catastrophes. He preserves our faith for us so we see ourselves being guided to knowledge, benefiting from reminders, and meeting the right people. Of the greatest thing that He has preserved is the Qur'an, and look at how it is: No word or chapter has ever changed, it remains lofty and unchallenged, and He has even appointed slaves of His to guard it; Angels from the creation above and huffadh (memorisers) from the creation on earth. He is al-Hafeedh Who can preserve you from all evil if He so wishes, so ask for the Hifdh and Ri'ayah (care) of Allah, and He will take you under His Protection.
He is al-'Adhim - the Great. He is the AlMighty and Powerful, the Exalted, Magnificent and the Most Majestic. When you realise the greatness of Allah, you begin to see how small and trivial certain things are in life. When you think about the greatness of His Kingdom in the Hereafter, you will begin to see the insignificance of this world. He is al-'Adhim with nothing greater than Him, no rival or contestant. He is our ultimate focus and He is the greatest that we can ever behold; the greatest that our minds can ever come to know, and the greatest that our hearts can ever love. Our sacrifice for Him is the greatest sacrifice, our intentions for Him are the greatest, and our deeds for Him are the greatest of deeds, simply because He is the Greatest.
Tabarakta ya Rabbana wa Ta'alayt (Blessed be You, Our Lord, and Ever-Lofty are You).
Al-'Adhim...
He is al-Wali - the Friend. He is your Friend, as well as your Creator and Lord. He is your Ally against the world, and your Protective Supporter in your time of need. We cannot begin to imagine how close He is to us. Closer than the jugular vein in our neck He said, so how close must He be... He is a Friend to your soul seeing as though He made it and knows it better than you. Everyone has an ally and a defender, and the wise one is he who makes al-Wali his Ally and Defender. Ever swift in coming to you and He is with you when you call upon Him, for a friend is never missing, and you know they are always there.
"Verily, my Wali (Friend, Protector, Supporter etc.) is Allah Who has revealed the Book, and He is an ally to the righteous." [al-A'raf: 196]
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He is al-'Adhim - the Great. He is the AlMighty and Powerful, the Exalted, Magnificent and the Most Majestic. When you realise the greatness of Allah, you begin to see how small and trivial certain things are in life. When you think about the greatness of His Kingdom in the Hereafter, you will begin to see the insignificance of this world. He is al-'Adhim with nothing greater than Him, no rival or contestant. He is our ultimate focus and He is the greatest that we can ever behold; the greatest that our minds can ever come to know, and the greatest that our hearts can ever love. Our sacrifice for Him is the greatest sacrifice, our intentions for Him are the greatest, and our deeds for Him are the greatest of deeds, simply because He is the Greatest.
Tabarakta ya Rabbana wa Ta'alayt (Blessed be You, Our Lord, and Ever-Lofty are You).
Al-'Adhim...
He is al-Wali - the Friend. He is your Friend, as well as your Creator and Lord. He is your Ally against the world, and your Protective Supporter in your time of need. We cannot begin to imagine how close He is to us. Closer than the jugular vein in our neck He said, so how close must He be... He is a Friend to your soul seeing as though He made it and knows it better than you. Everyone has an ally and a defender, and the wise one is he who makes al-Wali his Ally and Defender. Ever swift in coming to you and He is with you when you call upon Him, for a friend is never missing, and you know they are always there.
"Verily, my Wali (Friend, Protector, Supporter etc.) is Allah Who has revealed the Book, and He is an ally to the righteous." [al-A'raf: 196]
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