87. "Al-Jami`"
Allah has said, Lord! Surely You are the One Who gathers men on a Day about which there is no doubt; surely Allah will not fail His promise. (3:9)
Al-Jami` is an Attribute of Allah derived from jami`, its root word, which means: to gather, assemble, horde, or combine. The Day of Gathering is the Day of Judgment. It is called so because Allah will gather on it the early generations of His creation and the last ones, the jinns and mankind, all the residents of the heavens and the earth, each and every servant of Allah and his deeds, every oppressor and those whom he oppressed, and every prophet and those to whom he was sent. He will also combine between the rewards of those who obeyed Him and the penalty of those who disobeyed Him.
The subject of jami`, gathering or combining, is referred to in several verses of the Holy Qura'n such as the following: Allah: there is no god but He; He will most certainly gather you together on the Resurrection Day; there is no doubt about it. (4:87) He has ordained mercy on Himself; most surely He will gather you on the Day of Resurrection, there is no doubt about it. (6:12) And on that Day, We will leave some of them in conflict with others, and the trumpet will be blown, so We will gather them all together. (18:99) Say: Our Lord will gather us together, then will He judge between us with the truth, and He is the greatest Judge, the all-Knowing. (34:26) Say: Allah gives you life, then He causes you to die, then He will gather you to the Day of Resurrection wherein there is no doubt... (45:26)
And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and what He has spread forth in both of them of living beings, and when He pleases, He is all-Powerful to gather them together. (42:29) On the Day when He gathers you for the Day of Gathering, that is the Day of loss and gain: whoever believes in Allah and does good, He will remove from him his evil and cause him to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow to abide therein forever; that is the great achievement. (64:9)
One whose knowledge is perfected and whose conduct is good deserves to be called jami`. For this reason, a perfect person is one who does not put out the light of his piety by the light of his knowledge; so is one who combines perfect vision with foresight.

88. "Al-Ghaniyy"
Allah has said, O men! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah while Allah is self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy. (35:15)
Both "al-Ghaniyy" and "al-Mughni" are among the Attributes of Allah.
Linguistically, ghina, the root word of "al-Ghaniyy", means: independence by virtue of having self-sufficiency. It is the opposite of faqr, poverty, want, indigence, need, and the like. Independence or self-sufficiency is of various types: one is the absence of need, and none is independent of needing anyone or anything other than Allah. This meaning is implied in the verse saying, "His is whatever in the heavens and in the earth, and most surely Allah is the self-Sufficient, the Praised" (Qura'n, 22:64). The other is the small or limited number of one's needs, which is pointed out in this verse: "And found you in want and made you free from want" (Qura'n, 93:8). A third is what is mentioned by a few ignorant folks among the unbelievers who claimed that Allah was poor while they were rich, whereupon the One Who has all the Glory and Honours responded by telling them that "Allah has certainly heard the statement of those who said: Allah is poor and we are rich" (Qura'n, 3:181). They had said so upon hearing the verse saying, "Who will loan Allah a beautiful loan...?" The Almighty answered them by saying, "O men! You are the ones who stand in need of Allah while Allah is self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy" (Qura'n, 35:15). The Almighty emphasized the same fact in another verse: "... and whoever disbelieves, then surely Allah is self-Sufficient, above any need of the worlds" (Qura'n, 3:97).
Al-Ghaniyy has no need, within Himself or in His Attributes or deeds, for anything or anyone at all. He needs none while everything and everyone need Him. Al-Ghaniyy is the Perfect One due to what He has and what is with Him. Our Lord, the Most Praiseworthy, is referred to as such because need is a deficiency, and the needy person is incapable of attaining what he desires or aspires for. The one who is needed has an advantage, because of what he has, over the one who is in need of him. Deficiency is out of the question in the case of the Absolute al-Ghaniyy, and incapacitation cannot be attributed to Him, Praise to Him, nor can anyone do Him a favour, for everything is His own creation and invention; He formed and created it, and it is totally dependent on Him in everything. Everything is exactly what the Creator wants it to be.
Everyone else besides Allah is needy while He, al-Ghaniyy, does not need anyone. The Holy Prophet is quoted saying, "Wealth is not abundance of availability; rather, it is the richness of one's own soul." The highest degree of wealth is satisfaction, contentment, with what is available with you; therefore, there is, indeed, no wealth like the feeling of contentment. A man may be very poor, yet he tries his best to look good in the eyes of the people. Notice what the Almighty says about such persons: "... the ignorant man perceives them rich on account of their abstaining (from begging)" (Qura'n, 2:273).
The Almighty exists by virtue of the necessity for His existence, on His own merits; therefore, He needs none besides Himself. Everything and everyone besides Him may exist, yet its existence comes about when He creates it; so, He, and He alone, Praise to Him, is al-Ghaniyy.

89. "Al-Mughni"
Allah, al-Mughni, has said, ... and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you out of His grace if He pleases; surely Allah is Knowing, Wise. (9:28)
Al-Mughni has granted His favours to His servants abundantly and facilitated for them the achievement of their goals and objectives, and the meeting of their everyday needs. There is no independence nor self-sufficiency except that He caused it to exist. He enriches His friends from the treasures of His lights, facilitates for those who live in the universe to access the means of their livelihood and sustenance by His decree. He enriches every truth which He provides in a measure, for He, and only He, knows its secrets, what is hidden of it and what is apparent.
Allah is the Enricher, yet a servant of His whom He has enriched cannot be thought at all as being absolutely independent. The least of his affairs proves that he needs al-Mughni; therefore, he is never independent; rather, he may be independent of anyone except Allah Who provides him with what he needs while not jeopardizing the causes for his needs. The true independent person is one who does not need anyone at all. One who needs and finds what he needs is independent only by way of analogy, which is the most that can be said about anyone besides Allah. As regarding the lack of need, this is out of the question for anyone besides Him. But if one needs none save Allah, then he will be called ghaniyy. Had he had no need at all, the verse saying "... and Allah is self-Sufficient while you have need (of Him)" (Qura'n, 47:38) would not have been accurate. Had there been any possibility at all that Allah could in any way be regarded as in need of anything, there would have been no need for the Almighty to be al-Mughni, the Enricher.
Al-Mughni makes whomsoever from among His servants self-sufficient. He grants independence and self-sufficiency to His servants, and He can be regarded as granting them self-sufficiency. And Allah also makes some of His servants independent of others, for all needs are in reality met by Him: His creatures cannot do anything for themselves without His help; so, how can they be thought to help others when they themselves need to be helped? He grants independence and self-sufficiency to whomsoever He pleases from among His servants according to His wisdom and will; He says the following in Surat h: "... Our Lord gave everything its creation then guided" (Qura'n, 20:50).
About Himself, al-Mughni has said, ... if they are needy, Allah will make them free from want by His grace. (24:32) And that He enriches and Who withholds. (53:48) And He found you in want and made you free from want. (93:8)
One of the ways to derive a code of ethics from al-Ghaniyy and al-Mughni is that one realizes that he needs Him constantly, and that he trusts in what Allah has more than he does in what he himself has, and to be good in conducting generosity and benevolence towards other servants of Allah. One of the norms of conduct of a believer with regard to the Attribute "al-Mughni" is that once he realizes Him to be the One and only One Who is Independent of any need, the One Who satisfies all the needs of His servants, he will rely on Him in everything and refer to Him in every matter.

90. "Al-Mani`"
Allah, Glory and Praise are due to Him, and only to Him, has said, Or do they have gods who can defend them against Us? (21:43)
Al-Mani` is one of Allah's Attributes and is derived from man`, the opposite of giving or granting. It also means: to protect, to stop one thing from harming another or one group of people from annihilating another. It is used to describe the defense of a house, a fortified fortress, etc, against an enemy. It means: to protect and support. It means He has the power to stop the causes of annihilation or deficiency in both creeds and bodies. He wards off evil to protect and safeguard; He stops giving to whomsoever He pleases in order to try or to protect them. He gives life to whomsoever He loves or does not love, but He does not grant the bliss of the hereafter except to those whom He loves.
Al-Mani` protects and supports those who obey Him, and He stops some of His servants from doing what He does not want them to do while giving them what they want. He wards off the causes of perdition and diminution in matters related to creeds and nations due to what He creates of causes prepared for their preservation. Obstruction from the causes of annihilation, and the preservation of what is guarded against extinction, are the objectives of man` and are the ultimate goal. If man`, prohibition, is needed for the purpose of preservation, and the latter is not needed for the sake of the first, then every protector defends and protects. Not everyone who prohibits protects except that he prohibits the causes of annihilation and diminution.
Al-Mani` prohibits affliction from reaching His friends, or the complete abstention from giving to whomsoever He pleases. If He prohibits affliction from reaching His friends, this is due to His beautiful Grace, and if He stops giving to them, it will still be a great favour from Him.
Allah grants the pleasures of the life in this world to those whom He loves and to those whom He does not, but He does not protect the heart of a servant of His except when the latter is one of His close friends.
Al-Mani` wards off the causes of annihilation and diminution of creed and body by creating the means which protect it against annihilation and diminution. So, He creates some causes and prohibits others; He gives everything what serves its interests and prohibits what causes its damage. He makes some wealthy by giving them, and He stops giving to whomsoever He pleases to try them by affliction. He enriches and impoverishes; He makes some happy and some miserable; He grants some and withholds from others; He grants some and deprives others; so, He is both al-Mu`ti, the Giver, and al-Mani`, the One Who withholds. And He withholds giving from whomsoever He pleases, and His withholding may contain giving in disguise. He may withhold giving one of His servants abundant wealth and instead give him accomplishments and beauty. He may deprive one of His servants from enjoying good health and make him pleased with His decree. Al-Mani` is also al-Mut'i: for within the withholding there may be giving, and within the giving there may be withholding.
The Messenger of Allah used to say the following after finishing each of the prescribed daily prayers: "There is no god but Allah, the One and only God; His is the Kingdom; His is the Praise, and He can do everything. Lord! None can prohibit what You grant, nor can anyone grant what You withhold, and none is capable of stopping the implementation of Your will."

91. "Al-Darr"
Allah has said, Say: I do not control for myself any harm, nor can I benefit myself in aught except what Allah pleases. (10:49)
Both al-Darr and al-Nafi` are among the Attributes of Allah.
Most references wherein these Attributes are discussed have combined both Attributes together. Combining both of these Attributes is better: it conveys a stronger meaning of the Almighty's Power to do whatever He wills, however He wills; none benefits nor harms others besides Him.
Language says that darr, harm, is the opposite of nafi`, benefit or advantage. Allah is al-Darr, that is, the One Who can harm anyone He wants in any way He wishes; He impoverishes some of His servants or causes them to fall prey to sickness according to His wisdom; so, He determines everything, and He alone facilitates the means of harm as a trial from Him whereby He purges the sins or subjects one of His servants to a test in order to raise his status. He decrees harm to some of His servants and effects His decree through certain means. He is the Wise One in whatever He does, the most Merciful in His judgment. If He decrees some harm, it is only for the sake of the general good, and if He decrees an ailment, it is but the useful medicine in the life of this world and the life hereafter.
Allah has said, "If Allah touches you with affliction, there is none to remove it but He..." (Qura'n, 6:17).
Prophet Moses once complained to his Lord about a tooth-ache, so the Almighty instructed him to apply a certain type of herb on the area of his pain, which he did, and the aching stopped. A few days later, the same pain came back to him, so he went and took the same herb and applied it, but this time his pain intensified many times more. He complained to Allah saying, "Lord! Did You not order me to apply this type of herb and tell me where I could find it?" The Almighty inspired him, "O Moses! I am the One Who heals and Who grants good health; I am the One Who causes harm and Who benefits. You came to Me the first time, so I removed the cause of your ailment, whereas this time you went to the plant (on their own) instead and did not come to Me."
The Messenger of Allah has said, "Anyone who claims that Allah commends the doing of wrong deeds and of sins tells lies about Allah. And anyone who claims that goodness and evil are possible without the will of Allah strips Allah of His Authority. And anyone who claims that sins are committed without Allah's Might tells a lie about Allah, and whoever tells lies about Allah, He will lodge him into the fire." In this tradition, by goodness and evil he means health and sickness respectively due to this verse: "... and We try you by evil and by good by way of probation" (Qura'n, 21:35).
Imam al-Baqir is quoted saying, "Allah, the Exalted and the Great, is more compassionate towards His creation than forcing them to commit sins then penalizing them for doing so, and Allah is more Mighty than willing to do something and it does not take place." He was asked once whether there was a distance between compulsion and destiny, and his answer was, "Yes! One more spacious than that between the heavens and the earth!" He has also said, "There should neither be compulsion nor an unrestricted freedom; the best course is a middle one." When he was asked about the middle course, he said, "Let me give you an example: You may see a man committing a sin, and you may try to stop him from doing so but he refuses to desist, whereupon you leave him to commit that sin. When he does not listen to you but insists on sinning, it does not mean that you yourself have encouraged him to commit that sin."

92. "Al-Nafi`"
As regarding the Attribute "al-Nafi'", Allah subhanahu wa ta`la has said, "Whatever benefit comes to you (O man! ), it is from Allah, and whatever misfortune befalls you, it is from your own self" (Qura'n, 4:79).
Al-Nafi` is the source of any benefit and goodness for the life in this world and for the creed. He alone grants good health, wealth, happiness, authority, guidance and piety. He enables all His creatures to receive the benefits He creates for them. He has facilitated the path leading to Him for those who aspire to tread it, Who benefitted the souls through His prophets, Who nourished the bodies through food, Who warded off disease through medicine, Who kept affliction away through favours and goodness, and Who has benefitted everyone, be he an angel, a human, or a jinn.
Ibn `Abbas says, "I was sitting once behind the Messenger of Allah so he said to me, `Young man! I would like to teach you a few words [of wisdom]: If you safeguard your rights towards Allah, He will protect you. If you remain mindful of Allah's rights on you, you will find Him looking after you. If you have a plea, then plead to Him; if you seek help, seek it from Him, and bear in mind that if all people gather to benefit you in anything, they will not be able to do so except in what He has already allotted for you, and if they all gather together to harm you in any way, they will never be able to do so except if He has already decreed it on you; the ink has dried, and the tablets have been removed.'"
Al-Darr al-Nafi` is the One from Whom everything good or bad ensues; all is attributed to Allah and is affected either through the angels, mankind, inanimate objects, or by other means; so, do not think that poison, for example, kills by itself, or that food by itself satisfies hunger. Angels, mankind, demons, or anything else in existence, such as planets, stars, or other things, are all under His control; they do not do anything except what He has made them do. Their totality, in addition to the eternal Power, is like a pen in the hand of the writer as conceived by an illiterate. If a ruler signs the order to penalize or reward someone, the pen whereby he signs such an order cannot tell the difference between one order and another, or between what harm it is causing or what benefit, or even the difference between one of its users and the other. This is the case with all means and causes.
Both al-Darr and al-Nafi` are referred to in various places in the Holy Qura'n; among them are:
Say: I do not control any benefit nor any harm for my own soul except as Allah pleases; had I known the unknown, I would have had much of good and no harm would have touched me; I am only a warner and giver of glad tidings to people who believe. (7:188) Say: I do not control for myself any harm, nor any benefit, except whatever Allah pleases; every nation has a term; when their term comes, they shall not remain behind for an hour, nor can they go before (their time). (10:49) Yet when He removes the evil from you, lo! A party from among you associates others with their Lord. (16:54) And when We make people taste of mercy, they rejoice in it, and if evil befalls them for what their hands have done, lo! They despair. (30:36)
The portion a servant of Allah may obtain of the inspiration of these Attributes is that he becomes "harmful" towards the enemies of Allah while benefitting the friends of Allah. In Surat al-Ma'ida, the Almighty describes the faithful as "... lowly before the believers, mighty against the unbelievers" (Qura'n, 5:54). Such a believer does not plead to anyone, nor does he fear anyone except his Lord; he relies wholly on Allah. One who fully realizes that his Lord, the Most Exalted One, is the One and only Who creates and makes things available, Who alone brings new things into existence, he will then submit to Him and rely on Him regarding all his affairs; he will then live enjoying a peaceful mind; he will be secure from people, and he will provide counsel for everyone. His heart will have no room for deception nor treachery.
It is good to combine both of these Attributes, al-Darr and al-Nafi`, together, for at them it is said that all Attributes end; He, Glory to Him, controls the means for people's harm and benefit, and none can harm anyone nor benefit anyone besides Him; "... and suffices your Lord for a Guide and a Helper" (Qura'n, 25:31). One who remembers both of these Attributes will submit totally to Allah and will always feel that everything is from Him and returns to Him.

93. "Al-Noor"
The Almighty has said, Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; a likeness of His light is a niche wherein there is a lamp; the lamp is in a glass, and the glass is as if it were a brightly shining star lit from a blessed olive-tree, neither eastern nor western, the oil whereof almost emanates light though fire does not touch it: light upon light; Allah guides whomsoever He pleases to His light, and Allah sets forth parables for men, and Allah is Cognizant of all things. (24:35)
In language, noor is light, whatever its glow, rays, or reflection may be. It aids vision. There are two kinds of light: a light related to the life of this world, and a light related to the life hereafter. The first, let us say the secular, is also of two types: one is what the mind, the intellect, can see; it is a Divine light, the light of reason, of the Holy Qura'n. The other is related to the physical one, that of things which emit or reflect light such as the sun and the moon. An example for the Divine light is implied in a verse such as this: "... there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah" (Qura'n, 5:15). Reference to the physical light exists in the verse saying, "He it is Who made the sun a shining brightness and the moon a light (a reflection)" (Qura'n, 10:5). Here, the sun is mentioned before the moon because its light is more commonly associated with what we can see than the moon.
Al-Noor is the Apparent One Who has manifested Himself fully. The One Who is apparent on His own and Who makes everything else apparent and visible is called al-Noor Who takes things out of non-existence and brings them into the world of existence. Al-Noor, Glory to Him, has filled our world with light and brought it into existence, Who determined it since time immemorial, Who has illuminated the apparent existence through the sun and the stars, Who illuminated the world of spirits through the Messenger of Allah, the master of the first generations and of the last, and He illuminated the hearts through the light of His Divinely revealed Books. He illuminated those endowed with knowledge with the light of Divine manifestations. Al-Noor has illuminated the hearts of the truthful through His Unity, and the conscience of those who love Him by His support for them. He beautified the complexions and brought life to the souls of the pious through their adoration. He guides the hearts to prefer and opt for what is right, Who guides the innermost conscience to silently address Him.
Noor, light, then, has many meanings. One of them is the light of knowledge and scholarship, which is the dawn of the truth as seen by the heart of a knowledgeable believer. The Attribute "al-Noor" has been mentioned in the text of the Holy Qura'n and is attributed to Allah in many places the best known of which is 24:35 cited above.
Ibn `Abbas says that the meaning of this verse is that Allah is the Guide of the residents of the heavens and of the earth; the similitude of His guidance in the heart of a believer is like pure oil which shines even before fire touches it; therefore, when fire does touch it, it intensifies its light, so it intensifies and adds light to its light. The Attribute "al-Noor" is indicative of the fact that Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
There are many other verses wherein reference to Allah's light is made; among them are the following: They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah insists on perfecting His light though the unbelievers are averse thereto. (9:32) What?! Is he whose heart Allah has opened for Islam, so he is in a light from his Lord (like the hard-hearted one)? Nay! Woe unto those whose hearts are hard against the remembrance of Allah; surely they are in clear error. (39:22) And the earth shall beam with the light of its Lord, and the Book shall be laid down, and the prophets and the witnesses shall be brought forth, and judgment shall be issued between them with equity, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. (39:69)
There are more than forty references to light in the text of the Holy Qura'n. Some scholars are of the view that the Attribute "al-Noor" is Allah's Greatest Name. They say that they cannot see anything in existence without seeing the meaning of this Attribute manifested in it.
The Messenger of Allah used to supplicate to his Lord in the morning saying, "Lord! I invoke You to create light in my heart, light in all parts of my body, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light in my hair, light in my complexion, light in my flesh, light in my blood, light in my bones, light before me, light behind me, light on my right, light on my left, light above me, light underneath me! Lord! I implore You to increase my light, to grant me light, and to create light for me."

94. "Al-Hadi"
The Most Glorified and Exalted One has said, ... and sufficient is your Lord as a Guide and a Helper. (25:31)
"Al-Hadi" is an Attribute derived, linguistically, from hidya, guidance, which means: to attract someone to something, such as attracting the heart of a believer to al-Hadi, to the One Who provides such guidance. Guidance means bringing the hearts closer to the Almighty.
Guidance is the following of one's sound reason and common sense and the graceful way of bringing someone to the anticipated goal. He guides the elite from among His servants whom He has chosen to know His Essence, so much so that they see things through Him, and He guides the commoners among them to witness His creatures, so much so that they have seen them as signs of His being their Creator and Sustainer. He has guided everything He created to whatever means whereby it can satisfy its needs. He has guided the baby to suck the breast of its mother, the young birds to pick the seeds, and the bees to build their honey-combs in hexagonal shapes which are the best to suit the forms of their bodies, and such examples are quite lengthy indeed.
Al-Hadi guides the guilty to repentance, and those blessed with knowledge to the facts regarding nearness to Him. Al-Hadi occupies the hearts by truthfulness and equity, the bodies by life and death. Al-Hadi has given everything He has created its shape and characteristics, and He guides whom He creates to the goals behind His creating them, to issues related to their life in this world and to those related to their creed, in addition to everything else related to them. He guides the hearts to know Him and the souls to obey Him; He guides the guilty to the path of repentance, the sincere ones to nearness to Him after being far from it. He keeps the hearts filled with love for equity and truth; He enables them to treat people justly. Al-Hadi is in all reality Allah. Al-Hadi has guided the elite from among His servants to wisdom and knowledge.
Whenever the Messenger of Allah woke up during the night for prayers, he would supplicate to his Lord saying, "Lord! God of Gabriel, Michael and Israfil, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unknown and the Witness! You judge between Your servants regarding that wherein they dispute! I plead to You to guide me to that wherein they have differed, by Your will, for You guide whomsoever You please to a straight path."

95. "Al-Badee`"
Allah, Glory and Exaltation are His, has said, Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth! When He decrees an affair, He only says to it "Be!" and it is. (2:117)
In language, to originate is to bring about something without following a model or an example. Al-Badee` is the Unique One; there is nothing similar to Him in His essence, qualities, or whatever He does; He has manifested the wonders that He has created as the most beautiful indications of His wisdom. He has created all cosmic worlds without a prior model. He, Exalted is His Name, has said, "Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth! How could He have a son when He has no consort, and He (Himself) created everything, and He knows all things?" (Qura'n, 6:101).
"Badee`" means: originator; one who does something new, originating its existence. "Bid'a" means something new, an innovation, simply because nobody before had said or advocated it. Allah is the Originator of all things without following a prior model. He did not learn their creation from anyone else; rather, He initiated the creation of all beings, so He is their Maker, the One Who started their existence. The Almighty, al-Badee`, has brought everything into existence without the use of a tool or any material, without being limited to time or space in order to be able to do that.
Al-Badee` has manifested the wonderful things of what He has done and the extra-ordinary proofs of His wisdom. He is the Absolute One Who has no peer similar to Him in His qualities, wisdom, or anything related to Him; He, and only He, is the Absolute al-Badee` Who has created everything without following a prior model.
Since there is none like Him in His essence, characteristics, actions, or anything related to Him, that makes Him the Absolute Originator. If such a thing is known commonly, it cannot be called badee' at all; so, this Attribute does not fit anyone besides Allah. None was ever like Him nor ever will; therefore, His example never existed at all and never will, and whatever exists besides Him exists because of Him; He, and He alone, is the Originator since time immemorial and forever.
Anas ibn Malik is quoted saying that the Messenger of Allah once heard a man supplicating thus, "Lord! I plead to You by the fact that to You is all Praise due; there is no god but You; You are the One Who never stops giving, Who originated the heavens and the earth, the One to Whom all Glory and Honour belong! I plead to You to grant me a place in Your Paradise, and I seek refuge with You against the fire," whereupon the Prophet said, "He surely has pleaded to Allah by His Attribute which, if one pleads to Him by it, He grants the plea and gives what He is asked."
A believer's share of this Glorious Attribute is that if he repeats it quite often, Allah will cause the springs of wisdom to flow from his tongue; he will be wise in his intentions, for intention is the bedrock of action. A servant of Allah who remembers and repeats this Attribute quite often, being fully aware of its meanings, will be exposed to the beauty of its light. Allah, the Truth, Exalted and Blessed is He, will permit him to enter into the circle of invention; He will make him a master obeyed by others. One of the norms of conduct of whoever mentions this Attribute quite often is the avoiding of innovations in the creed and full adherence to the Sunnah.

96. "Al-Baqi"
Allah, Glory and Exaltation are His, has said, "... and Allah is better and more abiding" (Qura'n, 20:73).
"Al-Baqi" is one of Allah's Attributes the root word of which is baqa': the opposite of extinction. It also means: obedience to Allah and awaiting His rewards, or the lingering status of goodness.
The reality of al-Baqi, Glory to Him, is in His ever-enduring existence; endurance is one of His characteristics. Al-Baqi, Glory to Him, always exists and Whose existence is necessitated by virtue of His own merits. He is ever-Present, Who remains existing forever, from the beginning of any beginning and for eternity. The Absolute al-Baqi is the One the duration of Whom never ends, and such a duration is described as abadi, perpetual, eternal, endless. The Absolute al-Qadeem is the One the time of Whose beginning, if there is such a thing, goes back to the very beginning of time, and such a duration is called azali, eternal. When you say that His existence depends on His own merits, this Attribute will then include both meanings.
What affects the determining of the "past" and the "present" are certain variables; both words describe time, and nothing measures time other than change. One Who is above change by virtue of motion is above being affected by time; therefore, neither "past" nor "future" can apply to Him. The Truth, Exalted is He, is before time, since He Himself created time, and nothing in Him changed, and He was before time, and He remains after His creation of time just as He has always been and will always be. Those who have claimed that duration is a characteristic added to the essence of al-Baqi are far from the truth, and still further from the truth than them are those who claim that time is an additional quality in as far as the Eternal One is concerned. There is no need to bother the reader with details about such confusion regarding existence, duration, and which qualities endure.
Allah's existence stands on its own merits and is self-necessitating, that is, it does not accept extinction in any way. The duration of anything which is self-sustaining during the past and will remain so in the future as well as it did in the past is called old, and its duration in the future is called existence.
The subject of enduring and duration attributed to Allah has been referred to in the text of the Holy Qura'n in more than one place. Examples are the following: ... and the sustenance of your Lord is better and more abiding. (20:131) And there will endure forever the person of your Lord, the Lord of glory and honour. (55:27) ... what is with Allah is better and more lasting for those who believe and rely on their Lord. (42:36)
... ever-abiding good deeds are with your Lord best in recompense and best in yielding fruit. (19:76)
The good fortune a servant of Allah may receive if he remembers this Attribute quite often is that the Almighty will reveal to him enduring facts and will make him observe the perishing trails, so he will flee eagerly to al-Baqi and decorate his conduct with the meanings its qualities and moral code suggest.

97. "Al-Warith"
Allah has said, ... Allah's is the heritage of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is aware of everything you do. (3:180)
Al-Warith, Glory to Him, remains after the extinction of all beings. He inherits everything after the extinction of everyone and everything. He is the Heir: on the Day of Judgment, it will be loudly called out, "To whom does the kingdom belong this Day? To Allah, the One, The Subduer (of all)" (Qura'n, 40:16).
The root word of the Attribute "al-Warith" is "waratha," inherited: He will inherit all beings after their extinction. He is the only One Who remains after those who used to think that they possessed wares and items, the things which He had given them, will be gone; their existence, as well as that of what He has given them, is dependent on Him, and on none else. He has said, "And most surely We bring to life, and We cause death, and We are the heirs" (Qura'n, 15:23).
What Allah's servants used to own will go back to Him; there is no partner with Him. Al-Warith is the One to Whom all possessions will go back after the death of their "owners." He will be the One Who will call on that Day, the Day of Judgment, as in 40:16, "To whom does the kingdom belong this Day?" and He will be the One Who will answer by saying, "To Allah, the One, The Subduer (of all)" (Qura'n, 40:16)." Most people mistakenly think that they have possessions which are their own, but the reality of the matter will be unfolded before their eyes on that Day. This call represents a fact which will then be revealed to everyone.
Reference to the subject of heritage as applied to the Almighty occurs in some Qura'nic verses such as the following: And most surely We bring to life and cause death, and We are the heirs. (15:23) Surely We inherit the earth and all those on it and to Us shall they all be returned. (19:40) And We desired to bestow a favour upon those who were deemed weak in the land and make them the Imams and make them the heirs. (28:5) Lord! Do not leave me alone, and You are the best of inheritors. (21:89)
The Messenger of Allah used to supplicate saying, "Lord! I plead to You to grant me the enjoyment of my hearing and vision, and to make them my heirs."

98. "Al-Rasheed"
Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala has said, And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near: I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me; therefore, they should answer My call and believe in Me so that they will be rightly guided. (2:186)
The Attribute "al-Rasheed" is derived from Rushd, its root word, which means: guidance, righteousness, and uprightness, the antithesis of straying and crookedness. Its derivation accepts two possibilities: one is al-Rasheed, which means the same as al-Rashid, the Wise One, so Wise is He that there is nothing among His deeds that can be regarded as wasteful or wrong. The other is that it may mean the same as al-Badee`, and Allah's irshad, that is, His leading His ervants to the right path, is due to His hidaya, guidance. Al-Rasheed is the One Whose management of all affairs achieves its objectives without anyone else besides Him directing or assisting it, Who is none but Allah, Glory to Him. Al-Rasheed pleases whoever He wills by providing him with His guidance, making whoever He wills miserable by distancing him from His guidance. He is the One in Whose management there is no lapse, and in Whose assessment there is no fault.
Al-Rasheed is characterized by complete perfection, great wisdom, ultimate guidance. He is the One Whose management of all affairs reaches its ultimate goal and success. He guides His creatures and leads them to what is best for them. He guides them through His wisdom towards the attainment of their well-being in the life of this world and in the life to come. Al-Rasheed has made those with whom He is pleased happy, Who guided His friends to Him; there is no negligence in His management of the affairs nor in His assessment, and He is known for His justice and favours.
Al-Rasheed is al-Murshid, the One Who inspires right guidance for those who obey Him, and He has led all beings to His guidance, the One Whose rope is strong, Whose command is wise. In Surat al-Kahaf, we read the following verse, "Lord! Grant us mercy from You, and provide for us a right course in our affairs" (Qura'n, 18:10), and, "... whomsoever He causes to err, you shall not find for him any friend to lead (him) rightly" (Qura'n, 18:17).
If a servant of Allah wishes to be on the right track, his guidance will be proportionate with his terse management in the attainment of his secular and religious objectives. One must deal with his Lord, al-Rasheed, in a way whereby he properly relies on his Lord to guide him. His Lord will then lead him to reform his own self first, to refer all his affairs to Him, and to seek refuge with Him whenever evil touches him and pray for His help whenever he is afflicted, just as Allah has told Moses to do: "And when he (Moses) turned his face towards Midyan, he said: Maybe my Lord will guide me to a course nearer to the right path than this" (Qura'n, 18:24). Thus ought a servant of Allah behave: when he wakes up, he should rely on his Lord, and whatever matter faces him, he should seek Allah's help in its regard then await what signal his heart will respond thereto. He will then help him do whatever he needs to do and will suffice him regarding all his affairs. If he does contrary to what Allah guides him, He will then reprimand him so that he would know that his Lord found him to be insolent, hence he abandons his self-reliance and forsakes following his own mind and trickery. A servant of Allah ought to quite often remember the Attribute "al-Rasheed" and cling to its meaning so that he may be led to the commendable conduct, and Allah will then grant him wisdom and bestow His blessings upon him.

99. "Al-Saboor"
The Praised and Glorified One has said, ... nor did they weaken, nor did they abase themselves, and Allah loves those who are patient. (3:146)
"Al-Saboor" is an Attribute of Allah linguistically derived from the noun sabr which means: withholding one's self from expressing its overwhelming grief. Al-Saboor is most patient, Whose patience is greater than anyone else's. The month of Raman is called the month of patience and perseverance: during its days, the believer withholds himself/herself from yielding to the desires.
Al-Saboor, Glory to Him, is the Clement One Who does not surprise those who disobey Him by suddenly inflicting His penalty on them; rather, He forgives and postpones His carrying out of such a penalty. Al-Saboor does not rush to do anything too early; rather, He manages the affairs according to a measure; He conducts them according to a well-defined plan of His; He does not delay them from reaching their destined courses out of laziness or laxation, nor does He advance their execution. Rather, He does everything exactly at its right time, in the best way, as it ought to be. All of this He does without facing hardship which may frustrate His will. Al-Saboor gives you and is true to you even when you are rude to Him. He comes to you forgiving even when you shun Him and revolt against Him.
Al-Saboor does not rush to penalize those who disobey Him or to chastise those who sin. He does not do anything except when it is most opportune due to His wisdom, honour, and sublimity. He is not harmed by those who commit sins. He takes the guilty by the forelocks. Al-Saboor commands and respites those to whom He issues His command; He observes and does not rush, nor does He do anything prematurely. He commands and His command is according to a certain measure. He cancels the penalty even after it becomes due. Al-Saboor inspires patience and perseverance for all His creatures. The meaning of the Attribute "al-Saboor" is very close to that of the other Attribute "al-aleem". The difference between the first and the latter is that with al-Saboor, nobody can feel safe against His penalty, as is the case with al-aleem.
In Surat Ali-`Imran, the Almighty says, "O you who believe! Be patient, excel in patience, and remain steadfast" (Qura'n, 3:200), that is, be patient while obeying Allah, make your hearts accustomed tolerating affliction in the cause of Allah, and train your innermost conscience to be eager for Allah. It also means: Be patient for the sake of Allah; persevere while seeking Allah's Pleasure; remain in Allah's camp. Patience regarding what Allah decrees is a trial, and patience for the sake of Allah is a hardship, while patience with Allah is loyalty [to Him]. The Messenger of Allah has said, "None is more patient regarding the pain of what he hears than Allah: they ascribe sons to Him even as He grants them good health and sustenance." [11]
One of the manifestations of a believer's good conduct in deriving a moral code from the inspiration of the Attribute "al-Saboor" is that he keeps in mind its beautiful meanings, so he is patient under all circumstances. One who examines how Allah treats His servants, how He is patient in the face of their rudeness and disobedience, while He keeps giving them one respite after another, will learn how to treat people applying Allah's manners to the best of his ability. Whenever patience is repeated by a servant of Allah, it becomes a habit, and he will then be following its guiding light. Such is the status of those who persevere in the sight of Allah, Glory and Praise to Him, as explained in the text of the Holy Qura'n. We are told that the group of those who were patient will be advanced before others by the token of the verse saying, "Those who are patient, and the truthful, and the obedient, and those who spend (benevolently) and those who ask forgiveness in the morning..." (Qura'n, 3:17). Thus, such a group will have a higher status than that of other groups of His servants. The Praised One has said, "If there are twenty patient ones among you, they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred, they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve" (Qura'n, 8:65). This is victory with regard to prowess and number granted by Allah whereby He blesses those from among His servants who persevere. "Lord! Pour down upon us patience, and make our steps firm, and assist us against the unbelieving people" (Qura'n, 2:250), "Lord! Pour upon us patience and cause us to die as Muslims" (Qura'n, 7:126).
[1] This tradition is recorded on p. 12, "Kitab al-Adab," Vol. 8 of al-Bukhari's Sahih.
[2] The word "lucky" is used here only because the Holy Qura'n states in 41:35 that the residents of Paradise will surely be the very lucky ones. The Almighty's use of this word is quite different from that of humans. It is humans' use of this word that we reject.
[3] Muslim, Sahih. It also is stated on page 260 of his "Book of Athkar."
[4] Abu Dawud, Al-Athkar, p. 81.
[5] Notice that the word "heavens" is used throughout this book as singular due to its reference to one: the sky. If it is at all used in the plural, it will then be referring to the seven layers or spheres of the sky. As for the word "heaven," it is often used by non-Muslims to refer to Paradise. Non-Muslims' concept of Paradise is certainly different from that of Muslims.
[6] Abu Dawud, Jami` al-Fawa'id, Vol. 2, p. 410.
[7] al-Tirmithi, Sunan, Vol. 4, p. 379.
[8] Muslim, sahih, Vol. 4, traditions 33 and 35.
[9] The people of `Ad were Arabs who lived in upper Hijaz near the area where the people of Thamud, also Arabs, used to live. Prophet Hud was sent to them; they did not heed his warning, so they were annihilated. As for the people of Thamud, these used to live in Wadi al-Qura in the 8th century B.C.
[10] These are: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammed.
[11] al-Bukhari, Sahih, Vol. 9, p. 206.