Names of Allah: AL-HADI - MELCA

AL-HADI (The Guide)

There are two kinds of people: those who know and so can appreciate Allah's power, and those who do not. The latter lead an ordinary life and die. Throughout their lives, they are reluctant to wonder why they exist or who created them, whether they have any responsibilities toward Him, or the infinite power of our Lord, Who created the entire universe, including them, from nothing. Instead, they busy themselves with such mundane issues as their education, how to get promoted at work, or their children's future. Of course such matters deserve some attention, but it is a great mistake to make them the goal of one's life. Such minor issues hinder people from seeing the countless miracles surrounding them. Furthermore, even if they can see these miracles, they shy away from pondering over them.

Those who feel the urge to get acquainted with the signs of Allah's existence and absolute power, and then begin to appreciate them, lead a totally different life. Out of their strong conscience, they observe their surroundings with awe and acknowledge that He created whatever they see. Aware of their responsibilities toward our Lord, the All-Mighty, they do what is pleasing to Allah, live according to His rules, and, most important of all, realize that each person will be called to account in the Hereafter.

Allah guides the members of the first group. Although they have always remained a minority, their way has always been the right one. Allah relates the difference between these two groups, as follows:

No doubt, being one of these people is a great blessing granted by Allah, for unless otherwise willed by Him, no one can guide anyone else to the truth and the righteous path:

AL-KHAFIDH ( The Abaser )

Everyone can see, think, and draw conclusions from what they think. For instance, our body's flawless functioning indicates an intricate design. Considering the wisdom inherent in this design's details will make one realize that someone must have planned, designed, and created all of these intricacies.

This process holds true for those who use their faculties. However, other people pay no heed whatsoever to the incidents they encounter. Unfortunately, this second group represents the majority. As we said earlier, they are born, grow up, lead an ordinary life, and then die. However, Allah praises those who think and learn, and humiliates those who do not. As the Qur'an states:

Allah exalts those people who think and take heed. True servants of Allah, they are distinguished from all others. Those who do not think and do not use the faculties with which Allah has blessed them, on the other hand, lead a simple life like that of the animals, for they seek only to meet their physical needs. Allah debases such people, for they choose this animal-like life by refusing to exercise their conscience and think. The Qur'an describes them in the following terms:

AL-HAFEEDH ( The Guardian; The Preserver)

Today, all of our scientific data indicates that the universe was brought into existence from nonexistence. Those atoms that existed when the universe first came into existence, and those that make up every living and non-living being today, are the very same atoms. Science further verifies that the number of atoms in existence has never changed. Those atoms, which spread at a tremendous speed throughout the universe after it came into existence, today make up stars, Earth, the air, water on Earth's surface and even in your body. The fact that they accomplish this with such a superior order reveals the existence of the Power that controls each atom, for the existence of this order necessitates the existence of the Power that establishes it.

At this point, we come across one fact: Allah, Who created matter from non-existence and established a flawless order, surely knows about each stage of this process, for even a single second of such an intricate and complex system could not have formed randomly. This fact reveals His infinite power. Moreover, He continues to observe and protect this order. The verse, “Your Lord is always watching” (Surah al-Fajr, 89:14) reveals Allah’s everlasting protection of the universe:

The Prophet (saas) said:

"Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you." (Hadith at-Tirmidhi)

AL- HAKIM ( The Judge)

Allah created all people and placed them on Earth, a place of trial set up to distinguish the good people from the evil ones. He sent Messengers with books that would enable the people to distinguish right from wrong. Throughout history, all Messengers warned their peoples and summoned them to the straight path. But over time, people distorted these books by replacing parts of the divine messages with personal judgments designed to protect their own interests. Despite this, Allah sent down an incorruptible Qur’an as a “guide” to them: “We have sent down the Reminder and will preserve it” (Surat al-Hijr, 15:9).

The Qur'an is the sole reference for arriving at the truth, for only It is unique and contains all of His commands. Those who embrace this Book and strive to fulfill its commands have found the true path. Those who judge according to Allah's commands and fulfill His demands will be rewarded in the Hereafter.

AL- HAKEEM (The All-Wise )

As we mentioned earlier, everything around us contains obvious signs of creation. Galaxies proceed toward a certain direction, Earth follows a particular orbit, living organisms contain intricate systems discovered only recently, and events occur in perfect order in the micro-universe, which is invisible to the naked eye... As science proceeds, the cumulative information reveals ever more clearly the delicacy inherent in the universe's design.

Modern science has unearthed the following fact: All events that have occurred since the universe's creation have developed according to a particular plan. The end result is Earth and all of its inhabitants. Given this, all of us have the responsibility to recognize that we are surrounded with the most suitable conditions and to grasp the divine wisdom behind the universe's formation.

Living amidst such blessings, we need to remember that everything is created for a certain purpose. After all, we are living on a planet designed to meet all of our needs perfectly. Just thinking about this fact is enough to realize that everything has been created with wisdom. As the Qur'an states:

AL-HAQQ ( The Truth, The Real )

As is the case with all living and non-living beings, space and time are also created concepts. In a moment when space and time were non-existent, the universe was suddenly created from non-existence, and from within this universe emerged the concepts of space and time. Indeed, as we go back in time, we encounter a limit that we can never cross: the moment the universe was created. Modern science has determined this limit to be 10-43 seconds after the moment the universe was created. Before this, space and time could not be defined.

At this point, we encounter a dimension in which space and time did not exist. As these two concepts that limit humanity were "created" at a certain time, spacelessness and timelessness existed before this "creation." The One Who created these concepts is Allah, Who is utterly exalted above them and, consequently, Everlasting. This fact never changes, for only He has genuine existence. Outside His existence, everything is mortal and doomed to perish. As the Qur'an informs us, the only Truth is Him:

"You are the Truth, Your saying is the Truth, Your promise is the Truth, and the meeting with You is the Truth, and Paradise is the Truth, and the (Hell) Fire is the Truth." (Sahih Bukhari)

AL-KHALIQ( The Creator )

Bees accomplish their tasks perfectly. Worker bees construct the hive, ventilate it, and maintain a constant temperature in it. They also bring in the nutrients they collect from flowers. The queen bee, on the other hand, remains in the hive and ensures the community's continuity. The gnat larva changes its skin four times before it fully completes its development. Toward the end of the pupa period, the pupa cocoon, which is covered with a special viscous liquid that protects the gnat's head from contact with water, is torn at the top and the adult gnat climbs onto the water with only its feet touching it.

Bees and gnats are only two types of living beings on this planet. Yet, as is the case with all other living beings, Allah determines when they will be born, live, and die. From the time they are born, they live as Allah considers proper for them and commands them to live. Never do they transgress the boundaries of their assigned duties. This holds true for lizards that survive in deserts where the temperature reaches 50° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit), as well as for penguins living in polar regions where the temperature can drop far below -50° Celsius (-58° Fahrenheit) or sponges whose habitat is thousands of meters below the ocean's surface. The earlier ones also lived in the same way and the latter ones will continue to do so, for Allah determines a way of life for each living being. Therefore, no living being can determine how it will live, for this determination lies only with Allah, to Whom they all submit.

Humanity is a tiny part of life, a being Allah created from a drop of water and granted a way of life. Thus, only He can determine when a person will be born or die, control the aging process, or will one to be immune or susceptible to any weakness or disease. The unprecedented nature of His power and His control over everything is related in the Qur'an, as follows:

AL-HALEEM ( The All-Clement, The Lenient)

The Qur'an, which Allah revealed from His Sight to humanity, is the last Just Book. It still exists in its pure and uncorrupted state, for He has promised to preserve it, and He always keeps His promises. In this Book, Allah explains how to serve Him, what is allowed and what is prohibited, gives the good news that those who devote their lives to Him and strive to earn His good pleasure will enter Paradise and remain therein forever, and that those who turn their backs upon Him will enter Hell and be punished for all eternity.

Yet despite these facts, the majority of people disregard the Qur'an, and some of them never pick it up at all. Ignoring Allah's verses, they indulge in this world's pleasures and never worry about having to account for themselves after death or their next life. Ignoring the limits that He has set, they do not display the moral excellence Allah expects from them, share their possessions with others, or help them when they are in need. Furthermore, when they are called to have faith in Allah, they claim to know what they are doing. Very few of them have a genuine faith in Allah and meticulously comply with His commands.

Some reflection upon these facts can help us comprehend Allah's infinite compassion and mercy. Although unbelievers intentionally turn their faces away from the just religion and transgress the limits set by Allah, He does not punish them right away. Rather, He grants them various blessings and allows them to live in abundance. Moreover, He gives them time so that they may see the truth and return to the straight path. Islam is easy to practice, another expression of Allah's infinite mercy. In addition, He does not hold people responsible for their forgetfulness or their mistakes, and does not impose any responsibility upon the blind, the lame, and the sick. He relieves people's burdens by instructing them about patience and trust in Him. All of these examples are enough to grasp Allah's infinite mercy and compassion and the unbelievers' ungratefulness.

We need to keep another point in mind as well: Allah is infinitely just and, both in this world and the next, He will recompense people according to the best of what they did. This attribute is related in several verses, as follows:

AL-HAMEED ( The Praiseworthy)

All plants and animals live and glorify Allah wherever He has placed them. A fish in the ocean or a cactus in the desert lead their lives with great submission, according to what Allah has determined for them, and their maintenance of His order indicates this glorification. Everything in the heavens and Earth, oceans consisting of tons of water, mountains rising thousands of meters, clouds drifting in the sky, and thunderstorms also glorify Allah and indicate His infinite knowledge and power. Yet those who do not believe fail to grasp this glorification, as stated below:

On the other hand, believers grasp our Lord's greatness, glorify Him, and thank Him for the blessings He grants, for they know that He expects them to be thankful servants. Allah commands thus:

AL-HASEEB (The Reckoner)

Allah creates us and forms each one of us in our mother's womb with such great care that all of us are unique beings. While we are unconscious and still gestating, Allah protects and feeds us. Those nine months spent in the mother's womb is utterly a dark period, for no one knows all of the miraculous events that occur during that time. Only Allah knows these events, for He knows each person from the moment he or she was a single cell until the moment of his or her death.

Allah witnesses and remembers each person's deeds and thoughts, for He controls both the inner thoughts and the outer deeds. In brief, He controls everyone's spirit.

People forget their acts and words, and their experiences become dim memories. For example, something that happened a decade ago often seems meaningless. It is as if a major part of our past experiences have been deleted. But on the Day of Judgment, Allah will cause us to confront all of our good and evil deeds. Thus, we need to remember that He is with us all the time. Allah informs us about His name the Reckoner in the following verses:

AL-HAYY ( The Living)

Being weak, what we can actually do is very limited. After we are born, we spend 5-10 years developing our intelligence through education and need constant care. Later on, we spend a great deal of time meeting our bodily needs (e.g., sleeping, and working to acquire food, clothing, and a place to live) and keeping ourselves clean and fresh.

Almost one-quarter of our life is spent in sleep. No matter how much we resist the need to sleep and use that time to engage in other activities, we cannot endure sleep deprivation for more than a few days. Indeed, such a lack of sleep affects our nervous systems by leaving us drowsy and unable to concentrate, and leads to poor memory and physical performance. If sleep deprivation continues, mood swings may develop.

All creatures have a fragile nature. Allah, the Creator of all beings, is al-Hayy (The Living). He controls everything at every moment, knows everything, and has power over all things. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep, and is exalted above all forms of weakness. He gives various weaknesses to His servants, and commands them to recognize these weaknesses, serve Him, and ask Him for everything. Given these inherent weaknesses, we turn to our Lord, aware that we cannot live for another second unless He wills it. Several verses inform us about this attribute, as follows:

AL-QABIDH (The Seizer, The Restricter)

Allah, the sole Owner of everything, created all beings and furnished Earth with blessings that will meet their needs. All forms of wealth actually belong to Him, for He is its sole owner. In this world, Allah does not grant wealth to everyone. Yet, both the well-off and the poor need to remember that Allah grants and owns everything.

Allah tests those people to whom He grants wealth by how they use this blessing, and expects them to be thankful. Meanwhile, He restricts the wealth of others as a test of their gratefulness to Him. Consequently, whatever people lack or possess are not gains for them; rather, they are a test from Allah to see whether they want the life of this world or the next.

Allah also grants many spiritual blessings in this worldly life. When He wills, He may test people through the imperfections related to these blessings by creating various tests. On the other hand, due to their insistence upon unbelief, Allah may repay unbelievers in this world by willing them to experience trouble and anxiety in their hearts. In such a situation, people have to realize that Allah saves them from all forms of trouble and hardship. Just as He restricts, He also expands (al-Basit). To the hearts of His sincere servants who only turn to Him for help, Allah gives serenity, peace, and a feeling of relief. He supports them with His help, love, and mercy, and also alleviates their tasks. In the Qur'an, Allah reminds us that all hearts find peace only in the remembrance of our Lord, as follows:

AL-QABIL ( The Acceptor of Repentance)

All human beings are very vulnerable, for we cannot survive unless all conditions essential for life are provided for us. And yet some people tend to grow insolent, arrogant, and ungrateful toward Allah, as the following verses indicate:

Allah is fully aware of this inherent evil tendency. He knows that humanity is fallible, ignorant, and ungrateful, and yet He is always compassionate and merciful toward people. Out of His compassion, He showed humanity the way to salvation: repentance.

Allah gives all of us countless opportunities to purify ourselves through repentance. Regardless of what we have done or of our former ungratefulness, we can attain salvation if we are sincere, remain true to Allah, fear and are aware of Allah, and truly repent.

This attribute is a clear indication of Allah's compassion and mercy upon people. Allah, Who is not in need of anything,wouldn't have forgiven anyone if He willed. But out of His infinite compassion, He knew that people would need this compassion and mercy, and so gave the good news that He would accept the repentance of any sincere person. As the Qur'an states:

AL- QADEE ( The Ruler; He Who Completes His Task)

Allah is infinitely powerful. As the verses inform us, He wills something into existence by saying "Be." No doubt this is an obvious manifestation of Allah's greatness and absolute control over the universe.

From humanity's perspective, all life on Earth operates according to the law of cause and effect. For instance, objects depend upon Earth's gravity to remain stationary, while ships float only because water holds them up. But Allah is exalted above all of these causes and effects, for He creates all causes and the ensuing effects within the framework of certain laws and cause-and-effect relations to reveal whether we are His true servants. No doubt, Allah can easily create things without a cause. Indeed in the Qur'an, Allah relates some of His miracles, such as the birth of Prophet 'Isa (as) without a father:

Allah informs us that everything is possible when He commands "Be." That Allah has infinite power, owns the entire universe, and rules humanity is related in several verses, as follows:

AL- QADEEM ( The Giver of Advance Warning)

Allah, Who is infinitely just, sent Messengers to tell humanity about Him. Through the just Books He gave to His Messengers, He granted all people discrimination, taught them how to worship Him correctly, and made them aware of the morality that will earn His good pleasure. He provided knowledge of the Unseen: Death may come at any time, the Hour is drawing nigh, no one will be wronged while accounting for his or her deeds on the Day of Judgment, and those who reject Him in this world will be punished in the next world.

By means of such warnings, including "No indeed! Truly it is a reminder, and whoever wills pays heed to it" (Surah 'Abasa, 80:11-12), Allah states that we can learn from the Qur'an and be guided. In addition, He gives a detailed account of what happens to those who are ungrateful, as well as what happened to earlier communities of unbelievers, so that His servants can take heed. Allah commands thus:

As the verse above informs us, "anyone who wills can take the Way to Our Lord." However, those who insist on turning away deserve a grievous end, for Allah gives the most just judgment.

AL-QADEER ( The Powerful)

As Allah informs us in many verses, every event is known to Him, for He wills it into existence just by saying: "Be." He knows when each leaf falls, when each woman or female animal becomes pregnant, and whatever happens at any location in the universe. If He wills, He can replace an unbelieving society with a new one. He grants or withdraws enormous possessions to whomever He wills, punishes an unbelieving society at a time and by a method of His choice, and makes the ground infertile or dry and devoid of life. Nothing that exists can prevent Him from doing what He wills, for His power is infinite, as revealed in the following verses:

Just as He punishes an unbelieving nation, He has the power to grant mercy to His sincere servants. In the Qur’an, we find many examples of His power. As a manifestation of His name, al-Qadeer, Allah has always helped His sincere servants and shown them a way out of their hard and difficult situation. He saved Prophet Ibrahim (as) from a pit of fire, rescued Prophet Yusuf (as) from the depths of a well, and released Prophet Yunus (as) from the darkness in the fish’s stomach. Similarly, Allah granted a child to Prophet Zakariyya (as) when he was old and his wife was infertile, and thereby manifested His power over everything. Throughout history, Allah has supported all of His Messengers and believers and helped them with His mercy and power in return for their patience and trust in Him.

AL-KAFI ( The Sufficient One )

Those who do not have a firm belief in Allah are afraid of many things, such as other people and natural disasters. Others are obsessed with losing their possessions or their loved ones. However, Allah addresses those who have firm belief in Him as follows:

As Allah informs us, He is the One God. Believers are well aware that nothing can harm or help them without Allah's permission. In the face of hardship, they turn to Allah out of their awareness that only He will help and answer their prayers. They do so because they know that He is the Almighty and that all other beings are powerless, unless He wills otherwise.

Thus, for believers only Allah can answer their calls for help and guidance. This means that they have no need to fear any other being or person. About this issue, the latter part of the verse above, “Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?” reads as follows:

AL-QAHHAR ( The Crusher; The Subduer; The Dominator; The All-Conquering )

Just as Allah relieves us of our sufferings and gives relief to our hearts, He has the power to punish us. The Qur'an gives examples of nations that He caused to perish at a time when they did not expect it—in the early morning—for they turned away from the just religion and rebelled against Allah. He sent them hurricanes that destroyed their houses and rained stones of hard baked clay upon them. To those whom He warned, He sent thunderstorms to raze their cities and sent earthquakes to turn the land upside down. Allah ruined them by sending a great blast. Allah's punishment is incomparable to any other punishment.

These are some of the punishment that Allah makes people taste in this world. But Hell's unprecedented torments deserve more consideration. Those who fail to appreciate Allah's power and who remain ungrateful, despite His infinite mercy, will be punished in the Hereafter.

When Allah casts the unbelievers into the midst of the Blazing Fire, they will encounter a form of misery previously unknown: Every time their skins are burned off, Allah will replace them and build walls of fire above them. The pain experienced in this world is utterly insignificant compared to the one in Hell. Indeed, the Qur'an informs us that the people of Hell will plead to Allah to kill them so that their pain will end. In Hell, Allah will punish unbelievers with His infinite power. This promise, which is certain to happen, is related in the following verses:

Allah manifests His attribute of al-Qahhar upon those people who deny and refuse to believe in the Hereafter. However, Allah is infinitely compassionate and merciful toward His servants. After His servants’ sincere repentance, Allah forgives their sins. He helps His sincere servants in both worlds and supports them with feelings of mercy, peace, and trust. In the Qur’an, Allah reveals His blessings upon believers and informs us that He does not punish His sincere servants, as follows:

AL-QA'IM ( The Self-Sustaining)

Some people believe that Allah created the universe's flawless system and then left it to its own devices. Though not often expressed, people harbor this mistaken belief in their subconscious. Those who do not want to acknowledge their responsibility to Allah and do not perform the deeds that He demands from them believe that this belief provides a way to escape their responsibilities.

However, there are such causes and laws adorned with delicate details underlying all of existence that, such complex systems cannot proceed without a superior power supervising them. People who can hear, see, and deduce from these experiences recognize this fact immediately. Indeed, Allah relates that He is the One Who holds the heavens, Earth, and everything in between, as follows:

As this verse states, Allah created the universe and keeps a firm hold on it. Life exists only because He holds sway over it. This is also true for the stability of the universe's extraordinarily intricate balances and the existence of the subtleties inherent in those systems. The Qur'an relates these facts, as follows:

AL-QAREEB ( The Nigh; The One Who Is Near )

Those who fail to appreciate Allah in the way He should be appreciated, as well as those who do not live according to the Qur'an, have vague and inadequate information about His existence. When asked, these people state that Allah created the heavens and Earth. Yet they assume that He is in the heavens and thus very far from them, although He forms and designs each person. The fact is, however, He introduces Himself to His servants through the verses sent from His Sight. He reveals just how close He is to His servants, as follows:

When two people are talking, the third is Allah; when three people are talking, the fourth is Allah. If one whispers, Allah hears it; if one moves a little, Allah sees it. Allah, Who knows all of a person's thoughts, is with each person while he or she is sitting, walking, or speaking. While engaging in all of these, people cannot see Allah, but He sees them.

AL-QASIM ( He Who Shares; Who Allocates Blessings, Justice, and Wisdom )

Trees that have lived in the Amazon for hundreds of years, a herd of penguins living on a remote glacier-surrounded island, a 30-year-old cactus in the desert, ants feeding on the mushrooms they grow on a garden of rainforest leaves, and an army of living beings that have existed for millions of years… All living beings need nourishment. Some desperately need water, whereas some others can survive without water for years. Some like hot weather, while others cannot survive in such a climate even for a minute. Furthermore, for all these living beings to remain together on this planet, many conditions have to exist at the same time. Allah, the Creator of all living beings, provides for each living being's needs separately and from the same soil.

Allah manifests His infinite compassion and mercy by meeting the needs of all that exists and allocating His mercy among all living beings. Allah created various blessings for our survival and provides for all of our needs. Indeed, Allah calls attention to this important fact:

AL-QAWEE ( The All-Strong )

Throughout history, Allah sent Messengers to many nations and revealed the straight path to them. The Messengers told their people that Allah is the only God and that they need to fear Him, in the sense of being in awe of Him, and observe His commands. However, as Allah informs us in "That was because their Messengers brought them the Clear Signs but they remained unbelievers. So Allah seized them. He is Most Strong, Severe in Retribution" (Surah Ghafir, 40:22), most of the nations called Allah’s wrath upon themselves by denying and rejecting His Messengers.

In every age, unbelievers rebelled against the Messengers, made their lives difficult, and insisted upon doing so until Allah punished them. Holding power, wealth, and status in this world made them regard themselves as right and encouraged them to insist upon their arrogance. But they forgot one important fact: Allah is the Almighty.

Unbelievers who fail to understand this important fact have nothing in their hearts and minds but the quest of greatness. They disregard the fact that Allah can demolish all of one's possessions by sending a storm, raze all crops by heavy rains, wipe out all of one's relatives by a microbe, and destroy one's wealth in countless ways. To conclude, Allah punishes them in both this world and the Hereafter. In the Qur'an, Allah says this about the unbelievers:

Allah is infinitely merciful toward His servants, who can appreciate His superior morality, sublimity, and grandeur in the best possible way. The Qur'an states that believers are given the good news of Allah's mercy, as follows:

AL-KABEER ( The Great )

Allah has all creatures under His control. He knows when a buried seed will sprout, the orbit of a comet approaching Earth, the exact time when a living being will be born or die, the orbits of the electrons rotating around an atom's nucleus, and everything else. With His infinite power, Allah has control over all the thoughts of all people, both in their subconscious as well as their intentions while doing something.

Allah predetermines every detail of a person's life. Given that only He knows the Unseen, His infinite wisdom, knowledge, forgiveness, compassion, and punishment is far beyond human comprehension. No one can make even a minor alteration to His decisions. If Allah wishes to send something harmful or good, no one can deflect it.

Humanity is obliged to bow with reverence before such a great power and take refuge in our Lord, the All-Wise, and ask for mercy from Him, for we cannot attain salvation until Allah has mercy upon us and forgives us. That He is the All-High and Most Great is stated in the following verses:

AL-KAREEM ( The Generous )

Allah created the universe and formed it according to His own attributes. Everything that exists belongs to Him. All beauties and subtleties are manifestations of His wisdom. Like all other beings, we come into being by His will. Each person, once a lump of flesh in his or her mother's womb, is born, grows up, and manifests Allah's artistry with his or her beautiful face. Indeed Allah relates humanity's superiority, as follows:

Yet, although people can think, many of them never wonder how they came into being and who is responsible for the countless blessings surrounding them. The Qur'an asks:

On the other hand, those who use their intellect wonder who created them, who is responsible for the infinite blessings that they could never have attained on their own, and who has enabled them to think, use their intellect, and perceive all that is around them. These people reach the following conclusion: Our Lord, Who created them and granted all of the superior blessings that they could never attain on their own, is very generous. This Creator is Allah, the Lord of the heavens and Earth, and He reminds people to:

In other words, each person is responsible for turning toward Allah, the Gracious Creator, in order to thank Him. Allah grants countless blessings and, in return, asks only that people serve Him and abandon their arrogance. Allah's sincere servants, all of whom assume and display this morality, will be generously rewarded for their virtuous conduct.

AL-QUDDUS ( The Holy; The All-Pure )

Allah is the sole Creator of all that exists, whether in the various micro- and macro-universes. Many people fail to see this all-pervasive order and stability when they gaze around themselves.

As Allah states in "Allah keeps a firm hold on the heavens and Earth, preventing them from vanishing. And if they vanished, no one could then keep hold of them" (Surah Fatir, 35:41), He regulates and protects all of the various universes' existing systems.

Given that we are inherently feeble, we sometimes err, forget, make mistakes, and become heedless. We also have many weaknesses. For example, we need to take care of our bodies, which involves endless routines to keep them clean and fresh. If we become too tired, are deprived of sleep for a few days, or do not drink for a prolonged time, we become weak. Yet, Allah, Who possesses everything and owns the most beautiful names, is surely beyond all weaknesses. Allah's infinite power, wisdom, glory, and unbounded knowledge are related in the Qur'an, as follows:

And the Prophet (saas) used to say in his prayer, as related in the following hadith:

"Praise and Holiness to You, Lord of the angels and souls." (Sahih Muslim)

AL-LATEEF (The Gentle, The Subtle)

As mentioned earlier, there are two kinds of people: those who submit to Allah and those who rebel against Him. Among humanity, He made a very few of them truly submissive to Him. In many verses, Allah relates that the majority of people will not have faith and will not attain the straight path. These people deserve Hell, for they adhered to Satan's path, failed to remember Allah, and denied His existence despite their own certainty. People who submit themselves to Allah and live for His good pleasure, on the other hand, lead a beautiful life both in this life and beyond. No doubt, Allah's sending His Messengers and Books in order to guide humanity is one of His favors. In the Qur'an, Allah's kindness to believers is stated, as follows:

Allah, Who is Gentle, also shows His kindness to His faithful servants by helping them. In the Qur'an, He gives many examples of His help and support to His sincere servants. One of these concerns Prophet Musa's (as) people, who were saved from Pharaoh's violence and made inheritors of the land. This fact is related in the following verses:

As the sole protector and helper of believers, Allah will help them in the Hereafter, transform their evil into good, and show them great kindness:

AL-MAKIR ( The Planner )

Those who plotted against the just religion throughout history strove to distance people from it for their own selfish desires (e.g., greed for power, personal interests, and so on). In the Hereafter, they will be told: "No, it was your scheming night and day when you commanded us to reject Allah and assign equals to Him." (Surah Saba', 34:33) Yet there is a very important point that we need to remember here:

As is related in the verse above, "all planning belongs to Allah." Thus, against all of the unbelievers' plots, Allah devises the best plan. Allah calls attention to the deadlock facing unbelievers:

As this verse relates, Allah protects all believers from these pl ots. This is very easy for Allah, Who turns all plots against His Messengers and believers into failures and makes unbelievers suffer the ensuing dire consequences, for "… Allah is swifter at planning..." (Surah Yunus, 10:21)

No doubt, Allah creates every incident with a purpose and for the ultimate good. He uses the unbelievers' plots against believers to test them. He then extends His help to those servants who can discern the good and beauties in the events He creates, and turns all of these to their benefit.

MALIK YAWM AD-DEEN ( The King of the Day of Judgment )

On the Day of Judgment, people will be resurrected and gathered together to account for their deeds. On that Day, they will have neither the will nor the opportunity to pay attention to the people around them, whether they are their parents, spouses, or children. Due to this Day's fearsome nature, everyone will pay attention only to themselves, for:

On that Day, anything to which a person attaches too much attention will be reduced to insignificance. From then on, any mundane relation or kinship will lose all importance, for the only value that will remain is one's faith in Allah. No one will be able to help another person, for only Allah, if He wills, can save a person from this detrimental situation.

Each of us will be alone before Allah's presence, the Owner of the Day of Judgment, just as we were alone when we were first created. Each of our deeds and thoughts will be displayed on the Day of Judgment, for He never forgets any detail, no matter how small. Allah creates a setting that befits His Honor and calls His servants to account. However, He saves anyone He wills through His mercy.

On this Day, when unbelievers will be overwhelmed by a grievous regret, believers will be joyful and exuberant:

That is because "Allah will certainly help Messengers and those who believe both in the life of the world and on the Day the witnesses appear." (Surah Ghafir, 40:51)

The sole king of that Day is Allah, for He is the only One Who can command. The related verses read:

MALIK AL-MULK ( The Master of the Kingdom )

When you look around, everything that you see has an owner. The chair on which you sit is made up atoms, each one of which was created by Allah. A flower grows by combining such favorable circumstances as sunlight, water, and so on, all of which are granted by Allah. The sea lying beyond your window and all its inhabitants exist only because Allah wills them to exist.

Even your body is under the sway of Allah, Who created you. All of your organs and veins, as well as your nervous system and cells, are works of our Lord's superior wisdom and intelligence. None of the things were desired by you and then brought into existence by you. Once you opened your eyes to this world, you saw both the flawless system in your body and in the universe. However, you did not have any of them before, and you could not have acquired them through your own will in the latter part of your life. This fact surely holds true for all human beings. This being the case, Allah is the Lord and Creator of everything.

Despite this obvious fact, some people disregard all of these and, ignoring Allah's clear existence, assume that they own all of these things. Despite all of our weaknesses, along with their feelings of superiority, they grow arrogant and attempt to deny our Creator. However, this denial only harms them, because as Prophet Musa (as) said: "If you were to be ungrateful, you and everyone on Earth, Allah is Rich Beyond Need, Praiseworthy." (Surah Ibrahim, 14:8)

AL-MAJEED ( The Most Glorious One )

Allah's glory manifests itself in every corner of the universe. All people recognize Allah's Highness, even those who deny Him or say: "We disbelieve," are, in actuality, well aware of His power and glory, for they witness His creation all around them. However, due to their arrogance, they do not believe.

The universe's glorious beauties and flawless systems also befit His glory. Clouds that carry tons of water in the sky, stars that are millions of light years away from us, waterfalls that fall with an enormous noise and intensity, unbounded oceans, mountains with snowy summits extending high into the sky, woods that are inhabited by living beings of countless colors, and noises are only a few of the beauties created by Allah.

An earthquake that razes a region in a few seconds, a volcanic eruption burying a city under a storm of hot lava, a hurricane causing extensive damage to the region it strikes, a devastating flood, a fatal lightning flash, a hurricane raging over cities, a flood ravaging populated areas, or a tornado sweeping away homes also are signs of Allah's power. These are only a very few signs showing Allah's power. As the Qur'an states:

AL-MALJA ( The Refuge )

All people are in need of prayer. A person who prays simply refers the situation to Allah, the Creator and Lord of the universe, and takes refuge in Him. Being aware that the solution lies only with Allah, the Almighty, taking Him as a friend and taking refuge in Him are great sources of security for His servants.

This taking refuge displays our weakness, for each of us has only limited power and will live only for a while. Therefore, we are obliged to seek His help. Allah, Who created us from a drop of water and the entire universe from nothing, can easily meet our needs and remove any problems. Other than Him, there is no being or thing in which to take refuge. Whoever is in the heavens or on Earth seeks His help. Those things or people from which people seek help and guidance cannot even help themselves. As Allah reveals:

In the face of a threat or danger, all people understand that there is no one in whom to take refuge except for Allah. This is stated in the Qur'an, as follows:

That people think only of Allah in times of hardship indicates that we innately know that Allah is our only true refuge. This being the case, we should take refuge in Allah before it is too late: