46. "Al-Wasi`"
The Most Exalted and Glorified One has said, "... whither you turn, there is Allah's purpose; surely Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing" (Qura'n, 2:115).
"Al-Wasi`" is one of Allah's Attributes, and its root word is derived from si`a, spaciousness, expanse, capacity, abundance, plentitude, etc. One may have an abundance of knowledge if he is acquainted with a good deal of it, or he may have an abundance of means. In his book Al-Nihaya, Ibn al-Atheer, who discusses Allah's Attributes, says that al-Wasi` can enrich everyone who is indigent, Whose mercy encompasses everything. His authority never ends; His benevolence is unlimited; His domain is endless. He never stops giving; He is never distracted by knowing something from knowing another, nor by one issue from taking care of another. His knowledge encompasses everything. His knowledge encompasses everything; His might suffices everything. His mercy is spacious; He is independent; His authority is above everything; His knowledge, might, and benevolence are the greatest. He is the One for the meanings of Whose Attributes there can be no limit, Whose knowledge is spacious, and so are His mercy and forgiveness; His domain is tremendous.
The Absolute al-Wasi` is Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. There is no shore for the spacious ocean of His knowledge. Had the seas been ink, they would have been consumed before His words can ever be exhausted. There is no end for what He is capable of giving and blessing.
The Holy Qura'n has indicated that Allah's knowledge is vast and endless; in Surat al-Ana`m, the Almighty says, "And his people disputed with him. He said: Do you dispute with me regarding Allah, and He has, indeed, guided me? And I do not fear in any way those that you set up with Him unless my Lord pleases; my Lord comprehends all things in His knowledge; will you not then mind" (Qura'n, 6:80)? The Holy Qura'n has described Allah's mercy as vast; in Surat al-A`raf it is stated that, "And ordain for us good in this world's life and in the life hereafter, for surely we turn to You. He said: (As for) My chastisement, I will afflict with it whomsoever I please, and My mercy encompasses all things; so I will ordain it (especially) for those who guard (themselves against evil) and pay the zakat and those who believe in Our signs" (Qura'n, 7:156). In Surat Taha, His knowledge is described as vast: "Your only God is Allah; there is no god but He; He comprehends all things in (His) knowledge" (Qura'n, 20:98). Other references to the vastness of His knowledge, to His mercy and might, are as follows: Our Lord comprehends all things in His knowledge; in Allah do we trust: Lord! Decide between us and our people with the truth, and You are the best of those who decide. (7:89) Those who bear the Throne and those around Him celebrate the praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask protection for those who believe (saying): Lord! You encompass all things in mercy and knowledge; therefore, grant protection to those who turn (to You) and follow Your way, and save them from the punishment of hell. (40:7) And the heavens We raised high with power, and most surely We make things ample. (51:47)
We ought to ponder on Allah's vast knowledge, for He is the Absolute al-Wasi` Whose Grace has encompassed everything in existence, in fact, even prior to their existence, and even before the existence of time itself, since He has always been for all eternity. His knowledge encompasses everything. Nothing He knows distracts Him from knowing something else. His might overwhelms everything; no issue distracts Him from another. His Hearing encompasses everything; no person's supplication can distract Him from hearing the supplication of another. His benevolence includes all His creation; His helping one particular needy person does not prohibit Him from helping another.
One of the ways for learning a code of ethics derived from this Attribute, "al-Wasi`," is that you should include all servants of Allah in your good treatment and kindness at all times; be gracious to all people. Help them when they seek your help, and treat all of them with the best treatment. A servant of Allah ought to remember and seek wisdom from the conduct of the Messenger of Allah who was saying his prayers once when he overheard a bedouin supplicating to his Lord saying, "O Allah! Have mercy on me and on Muhammed, and do not be merciful to anyone else besides us." The Prophet said to him, "You have prayed Him to limit what is limitless," meaning the mercy of Allah. The Messenger of Allah has also said, "If Allah grants you an increase [of His blessings], do give your own self an increase."

47. "Al-Hakeem"
Allah has said, "... and if You forgive them, then surely You are the Mighty, the Wise" (Qura'n, 5:118).
"Hakeem" is a superlative form, a form for the glorification of the One Who has all the wisdom; hence, al-Hakeem is the very greatest in His wisdom. Allah is the most wise in creating everything and in perfecting such a creation. His wisdom means His prior knowledge of everything and His bringing everything into existence most wisely and most perfectly.
Wisdom means: the best way of knowing something utilizing the very best of means. "Al-Hakeem" carries the same meaning as that of "al-`Aleem." Nobody knows Allah except Allah; therefore, al-Hakeem cannot be anyone but Allah: He knows the origins of all things through His eternal and perpetual knowledge which nobody can ever conceive as being liable to extinction.
"Al-Hakeem" may also mean His being Holy, too Holy to do anything which does not beseem Him. In Surat al-Mominoon, Allah says, "What?! Did you then think that We had created you in vain and that you will not be returned to Us?!" (Qura'n, 23:115). Some scholars have said that al-Hakeem is equitable in His assessment, benevolent in His management of affairs, the One Who has determined the measure of everything, the One Whose wisdom is the very ultimate end, the One Who places everything in its right place. Nobody can really appreciate Allah's wisdom other than Allah Himself.
Al-Hakeem is free from seeking any self-interest, nor can anyone object to anything He does. Al-Hakeem is adorned with wisdom, and wisdom is knowing the best of things through the best means. The best of everything is Allah; so, He is the Absolute al-Hakeem; He knows everything by the very best means of eternal and everlasting knowledge, the knowledge which nobody can conceive as ever coming to naught, nor can there be any doubt about it, and nobody can be described as such except Allah.
Some scholars say that wisdom means getting to know the truth for its own sake, and to know goodness in order to act upon it. A servant of Allah, though his portion of knowledge and potential may be little, such a shortcoming is evident in him when compared to Allah's knowledge and might and to the knowledge and ability of the angels. Yet whatever amount human beings have been given is quite significant by the token that Allah Himself has deemed it great when he said, "... and whoever is granted wisdom is indeed granted a great deal of goodness" (Qura'n, 2:269). Abraham prayed his Lord for wisdom saying, "Lord! Grant me wisdom" (Qura'n, 26:83). Allah said the following about David (prophet David): "We granted him wisdom and a clear judgment" (Qura'n, 38:20). Scholars have said that wisdom means knowledge.
Knowledge may either be knowing what can exist without our choice or doing, which is theoretical knowledge, or it may be knowledge of what can happen by our choice and doing, which is practical knowledge. Theoretical knowledge may either be the means towards an end, or it may be an end by itself. The means, for example, may be the science of logic the deduction of which is determined by what concepts and assertions mankind can conceive in a way which does not permit except a very rare margin of error.
As regarding what is considered as the ultimate end, be informed that things may be classified into three categories: They may either comprise a form, or they actually are not supposed to exist in a certain form, or either case may be applicable to them. What is supposed to be in a form should either be in a particular one, and the science which researches such portion of what exists is called natural science or physics. What ought not be a particular form and ought to be in some other form, the science that researches it is called the science of mathematics. As regarding the other category which is not supposed to be in a particular form at all, the science that researches it is called theology.
As regarding the third kind, the one which may be in a particular form or may not, the science researching it is called the inclusive science, and it is like the knowledge of the unit, the multiplicity, the causation, the deduction, the completion or the deficiency. All of this falls under the category of theoretical knowledge.
Practical knowledge may either be the researching of the conditions of man regarding his own body, which is called the science of physiology, or his conditions with members of his household, which is called the science of domestic management, or his conditions (ties to, relationship...) with the rest of the world, which is called political science.
The person who personified wisdom in his everyday conduct among people is the Messenger of Allah by the token of this verse of Surat Ali-`Imran: "Certainly Allah conferred a benefit upon the believers when He raised among them a Messenger from among themselves reciting to them His signs and purifying them and teaching them the Book and the wisdom although before then they were surely in manifest error" (Qura'n, 3:164).
The wisdom in as far as the servants of Allah are concerned is to say and to do what is right as much as it is humanly possible. Allah says in Surat al-Baqarah, "He grants wisdom to whomsoever He pleases, and whoever is granted wisdom is indeed granted a great deal of good and none but men of understanding mind" (Qura'n, 2:269). A wise person among people is one who precisely calculates intricate things; he masters them and skillfully executes them. Wisdom is the greatest knowledge, and its greatness depends on the greatness of what is known, and surely there is nothing greater than Allah. Anyone who gets to know Allah is wise even if his share of all other secular branches of knowledge is most modest. The ratio of the wisdom of any of Allah's servants to that of Allah is like the ratio of such servant's knowledge to that of Allah, and what a vast difference it is! And what a vast distance it is between both norms of knowledge! Yet despite the huge gap between both matters, wisdom is regarded as the most precious of all types of knowledge and the most fruitful, and anyone who is endowed with wisdom is surely granted a great deal of good.
To derive a good conduct from the attribute al-Hakeem requires a servant of Allah to be wise, that is, to do his best in whatever good deeds he does, and that his condition is pleasing to others, that is, based on following the commandments of Allah and distancing himself from whatever He has enjoined us to be distant from. He takes extreme care in performing his religious obligations, distancing himself from following his own whims and desires, staying away from any doubtful matter.
The Messenger of Allah has said, "The apex of wisdom is fearing Allah." A wise person is one who indicts his own self and who learns about what will come after death. A feeble person is one who follows his own desires and still wants even more from Allah. The Messenger of Allah has made many wise statements in this regard. A bedouin once came to the Messenger of Allah and asked him to teach him something good to say. He told him to say, "There is no god except Allah, the One and only God Who has no partner; Allah is Great, Greater than everything; Praise, a great deal indeed of Praise, is due to Allah; Glory to Allah, Lord of the Worlds; there is no power nor might except in Allah, the Honoured One, the Wise." The bedouin said, "All this is for my Lord; what about something for my own self?!" The Messenger of Allah taught him to say, "Lord! I invoke You to forgive me, to have mercy on me, to grant me guidance, to grant me good health, and to grant me an increase in sustenance." [8]
As regarding what some people consider as having "wisdom," anyone who knows "everything" without knowing Allah is not worthy of being called wise because he has missed the knowledge of the best and the most significant of everything. One who knows Allah is a wise person even if his share of all other branches of knowledge is very shallow, even if he stutters or is unable to absorb them. One who knows Allah is one whose speech will sound different from that of anyone else, one who seldom indulges in frivolous matters. On the contrary, his speech will be inclusive, and he does not seek any vanishing interest.

48. "Al-Wadood"
The Most Glorified and Exalted One has said, "And He is the Forgiving, the Loving" (Qura'n, 85:14).
"Al-Wadood" is an Attribute derived from the Arabic word "wudd" which conveys the meaning of love and friendship, and it applies to all avenues of goodness. Allah is "al-Wadood" because He loves His servants and they love Him; He says the following in Surat al-Ma'ida: "O you who believe! Whoever among you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring people whom He loves and who love Him, who are humble before the believers and mighty against the unbelievers...." (Qura'n, 5:54).
The condition of true love is that it does not increase on account of loyalty, nor does it decrease on account of aversion. Al-Wadood ever tries to show His love for His friends by manifesting His knowledge to them. The "wadood" person is one who prefers you over all others, who removes from your heart any desire to notice or to love anyone else but him. Al-Wadood very much loves His servants, Who tries to be loved even by the sinners through His forgiveness, and by all His creation by sustaining them and granting them sufficiently. Allah's righteous servants love Him due to their knowledge of His perfection and the perfection of His qualities, and due to His readiness to forgive.
For all these reasons, al-Wadood is the Loving and the Beloved One. If a servant of Allah dives deeply into the depths of the knowledge of Allah's perfection, the perfection which causes a servant of Allah to love his Lord more and more, his knowledge will be crystallized, and he will find a great deal of contentment while worshipping Him accordingly. His knowledge of Him will then bear good fruits, and he, the servant of Allah, will turn to be the one who loves Him. He may also be understood to be the One Who loves His servants and the love for Whom bears good fruits according to the degree of love in the heart of each one of those who love Him. If someone sees through his heart his Lord to be self-Sufficient, Gracious, Honoured, Omnipotent, everyone is in need of Him while He does not need anyone or anything, yet He loves His servants and wishes the best for them and even tries to get closer to them by granting them His favours..., such a person will surely have been blessed with true vision and a clear sight.
One who tries to fashion his conduct according to the inspiration of this Attribute ought to know that he should love all those whom Allah loves such as the prophets, successors of the prophets, and the scholars. He should love everything Allah loves and with which He is pleased such as acts of righteousness, piety, good deeds and exemplary conduct with others.
Such a person should be compassionate towards all people: He loves to see the disobedient returning to their Lord obediently, the righteous remaining firm in their righteousness. He becomes compassionate towards all servants of Allah, forgiving those who abuse them, being kind to all people especially his family and kin. It is recorded that the holy Prophet has said to Imam `Ali, "If you wish to surpass those who are close to Allah, then join your ties with those who have cut them off from you, grant those who deprived you, and forgive those who wrong you." The attribute "al-Wadood" deserves from the servants of Allah that they wish one another what they wish for their own selves, and even more so! They should prefer others over their own selves. A righteous man once said, "I wish to be a bridge over the fire whereupon people pass [to heaven] unharmed."
The perfection of such following is that anger, grudge, or harm received do not stop anyone who exemplifies this Attribute in his conduct from favouring others over himself and from being good to them; thus are we taught by our master the Messenger of Allah. Four of his teeth were once broken, and his face was bleeding, yet all of that uncalled for abuse to which he was exposed at the hands of the infidels did not stop him from praying for them or from wishing them good. Ibn `Abbas is quoted saying that he had heard the Messenger of Allah, who had just finished his prayers, supplicating thus: "Lord! I plead to You for mercy from You whereby You guide my heart, manage my affairs, unite my kinsfolk, and bring reform to those who are absent from among my kin. I plead to You for security on the Promised Day, for Paradise on the Day of Eternity, in the company of the witnesses who are near to You, those who bow down and prostrate, who fulfill their promise..., for surely You are the Most Merciful One, the Compassionate."
Regarding the explanation of the verse saying, "... for them will Allah bring about love" (Qura'n, 19:96), the "love" referred to here means that Allah will make His creation love them, that is, He will make His servants experience love and affection on their own account. Supporting this explanation is a tradition wherein the Messenger of Allah says, "If Allah loves one of His servants, He calls upon Gabriel to tell him so, whereupon Gabriel loves that person, so he calls upon the residents of the heavens saying, `Allah loves so-and-so; therefore, you, too, should love him,' whereupon the residents of the heavens respond to him in the affirmative. Love for him will thus be disseminated among the residents of the earth."

49. "Al-Majeed"
Allah has said, "The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O Ahl al-Bayt (People of the Prophet's House); surely He is Praised, Glorified" (Qura'n, 11:73).
In language, majd is glory; when combined with good deeds, a person's own prestige will be enhanced, so he will be called glorious. It also conveys the meanings of manliness, generosity, open-handedness, and gracious conduct.
"Al-Majeed" connotes general honour or abundance of wealth. A man who is majeed is extremely generous. Al-Majeed is Glorified to the utmost extent of Glorification due to His own merits, qualities, and actions. He is also Great in His attributes, beautiful in His power and authority. Al-Majeed has the utmost limit of glory; His benevolence is great. Al-Majeed is the great One, the One Whose status is Sublime, Who is most Benevolent. His status is tremendous, Whose Benevolence is great. He is Honoured, Whose actions are beautiful, Who is generous in giving. Al-Majeed grants His favours to all others, Who is Glorified because of His actions, Who is Praised by His creation due to His greatness. He alone has the perfect Honour, the vast kingdom since time immemorial, the One Who does not disappoint anyone, Whose will is always carried out. Whose Honour is not earned, Whose actions are never abhorred, Whose benevolence is beautiful, Who gives most generously...
All meanings of perfect and inclusive glory are always rendered to Allah, and all of them combined are but a drop in the ocean of His Glory. Glory is also attached to His prophets, to the successors of the latter, and to the mujahidin.
Allah has described the Holy Qura'n as majeed, saying, "Qaf. I swear by al-Qura'n al-majeed..." (Qura'n, 50:1). The Holy Qura'n is majeed because of the abundance of wealth of knowledge, ethics, and sublime objectives it contains and due to the benefits it contains; so, it is beneficial for man both in the life of this world and in the life to come.
One who personifies in his conduct the essence of this attribute ought to be gracious in all circumstances and most cultured.

50. "Al-Ba`ith"
Allah has said, "And the hour is coming; there is no doubt about it, and Allah shall resurrect those who are in the graves" (Qura'n, 22:7).
"Al-Ba`ith" is an attributes linguistically derived from bai`th which means: exciting or stimulating action, something stirring someone to action, sending someone somewhere, going out seeking revenge, or simply waking up someone. It also means sending a soldier to war: bai`th means army. It also means to bring life back to the dead.
The word "al-Ba`ith" conveys more than one meaning: 1) the Almighty will bring His creation back to life on the Day of Judgment as stated in Surat al-Hajj quoted above. 2) He sends messengers to His servants: In Surat al-Nahl, He says, "And certainly We raised in every nation an prophet" (Qura'n, 16:36). 3) He commissions His servants to perform specific tasks by creating the impulses and motivations in them. 4) He sends aid to His servants who need it and helps the sinners by accepting their repentance.
Al-Ba`ith resurrects those in the graves, stirs things into motion, causes determination, manifests the knowledge of the unknown, brings His servants back to life, resurrects His creation on the Day of Judgment, Who records what the breasts conceal. Ba`th is the life hereafter. One who knows the real meaning of resurrection knows the real meaning of this Attribute. Most people have numerous general misconceptions and ambiguous presumptions about it. They imagine that death is the end of everything, and that resurrection starts a new creation from nothing, just as the first creation was started. Their belief that death is the end of everything is surely erroneous, for we have come to learn from studying the Sunnah that the grave is either a pit of fire or a piece of Paradise. The dead are either happy or miserable. The happy ones, such as the martyrs, are not dead; rather, Allah says the following about them in Surat Ali-`Imran (the Family of Amram): "And do not reckon those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead; nay! They are alive receiving sustenance from their Lord, rejoicing in what Allah has given them out of His grace, and they rejoice for the sake of those who, (being left) behind them, have not yet joined them, that they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve" (Qura'n, 3:169-170). The miserable, too, are living, leading a miserable life. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah once addressed the latter in the aftermath of the Battle of Badr saying, "I have found what my Lord has promised me to be the truth; so, have you found what your Lord promised you to be true?" He was asked, "How can you address people who have turned into a stink?" He answered by saying, "You do not hear me better than they, except that they cannot answer me back."
Al-Ba`ith is also the One Who inspires determination in the heart of people to undertake lofty objectives on the battlefields of jihad, and to purify themselves. Al-Ba`ith plants the will to rise up to lofty endeavors, Who removes from your heart the evil whisperings, Who purges the innermost conscience from scruples and purifies the deeds from filthiness. He sends His messengers to convey His commandments: "Allah raised prophets as bearers of glad tidings and as warners" (Qura'n, 2:213). He brings the dead back to life: "Then We resurrected you after your death..." (Qura'n, 2:56). He wakes up those who sleep by reawakening their bodies: "He it is Who takes your souls at night (while asleep), and He knows what you acquire during the day, then He raises you up therein so that an appointed term may be fulfilled, then to Him is your return, then will He inform you of what you were doing" (Qura'n, 6:60). Glory, then, to Him for resurrecting the dead and recording what the breasts conceal.
The subject of bai`th is referred to in numerous places of the Holy Qura'n; these are some of them: Certainly We raised in every nation an prophet saying: Worship Allah and shun Satan. So there were some of them whom Allah guided, and there were others against whom error was due; therefore, travel in the land and witness what the end of those who rejected [Our signs] was. (16:36) And during part of the night pray Tahajjud beyond what is incumbent upon you so that your Lord may raise you to a position of great glory. (17:79) Then We raised them up so that We might ascertain which of the two parties was best able to compute the time during which they remained (asleep). (18:12) Those who disbelieve think they shall never be resurrected. Say: Aye! By my Lord! You shall most certainly be resurrected, then you shall most certainly be informed of what you did, and that is easy for Allah. (64:7)
The portion of inspiration a servant of Allah may be able to derive from the attribute al-Ba`ith is his knowledge that a soul first has no knowledge of anything, just like the body. Allah says the following in Surat al-Ana`m: "Is he who was dead then We brought him back to life and made for him a light whereby he walks among people like one who is in utter darkness from which he can never come forth? Thus what they did was made fair-seeming to the unbelievers" (Qura'n, 6:122), and in Surat al-Nahl He says, "He sends the angels with the inspiration by His command to whomsoever He pleases of His servants saying: Give the warning that there is no god but I; therefore, be careful (of your duty) to Me" (Qura'n, 16:2). If a servant of Allah strives hard to learn, he will be as though he has instilled a new life in his soul after its death, and if he strives to teach the ignorant ones, he will be as though he brought their souls back to life after their death.

51. "Al-Shaheed"
Allah has said, "Is it not sufficient as regarding your Lord that He is Witness over all things?" (Qura'n, 41:53).
According to Mu`jam maqayees al lugha by Ibn Faris, the topic of the verb shahida, saw, witnessed, or testified, indicates, linguistically, presence, knowledge, and the dissemination of such knowledge. The attribute "al-Shaheed" is derived from shuhood, [eye] witnesses, and it requires knowledge by observation: Allah is al-Shaheed because He is present and observes all beings whom He has created and whom He will create at any time and in any place, and He is fully aware of such beings; "... and He is with you wherever you may be." Al-Shaheed is a superlative of al-Shahid, the Witness. In his work Taj al-Aroos, al-Zubaidi has indicated that al-Shaheed is one of Allah's Attributes meaning: "the One Who is faithful in His witness and from Whose knowledge nothing at all escapes." His knowledge is the very ultimate regarding all apparent matters, all things to observe and to witness. The Holy Qura'n states the following in Surat Ali-`Imran: "Allah bears witness that there is no god but He" (Qura'n, 3:18). Al-Shahid knows and manifests the knowledge of what He knows to a select group from among His most sincere and loyal servants. Allah has proven His being One through all what He has created. Al-Shaheed is ever-present; from His kingdom nothing at all can be absent; everything is included within the realm of His kingdom.
Addressing the Messenger, Allah says the following in Surat al-Nisa': "... and We have sent you (O Muhammed