Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names Of Allah And Their Meaning

Al-Waliyy (The Governor, the Supporter)

The following is the translation of some of the verses of the Holy Quraan in which the name “Al-Waliyy” is revealed.

Surah Al-Shura (Ash-Shura) 9 and 28:

9.What! Have they taken (for worship) protectors besides Him? But it is Allah,-He is the Protector, and it is He Who gives life to the dead: It is He Who has power over all things,

28. He is the One that sends down rain (even) after (men) have given up all hope, and scatters His Mercy (far and wide). And He is the Protector, Worthy of all Praise.


Surah Al-Nisaa (An-Nisaa) 45:

45. Allah has full knowledge of your enemies, and Allah is Sufficient as a Wali (Protector), and Allah is Sufficient as a Helper.


Another related name is Al-Mawla. This name came in the following verses, their translation is:


SurahAl-Hajj 78:

78. And strive hard in Allah's Cause as you ought to strive (with sincerity and with all your efforts that His Name should be superior). He has chosen you (to convey His Message of Islamic Monotheism to mankind by inviting them to His religion, Islam), and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship, it is the religion of your fatherIbrahim (Abraham) (Islamic Monotheism). It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (the Quran), that the Messenger (Muhammad SAW)may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind! So perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), give Zakat and hold fast to Allah [i.e. have confidence in Allah, and depend upon Him in all your affairs] He is your Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.), what an Excellent Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.) and what an Excellent Helper!


Surah Aali-Imraam 150:

150. But Allah is your Maula (Patron,Lord, Helper and Protector, etc.), and He is the Best of helpers.


Surah Al-Tahreem (At-Tahreem) 2:


2. Allah has already ordained for you (Muslims), the dissolution of your oaths. And Allah is your Maula (Lord, or Master, or Protector, etc.) and He is the All-Knower, the All-Wise.


As we can see the meaning of Al-Maula and Al- Waliyy are vast like, Protector, Helper, Lord, Master, Governor and Patron.

The Wilaaya of Allah for the servants is of two types. One is the Common Wilaaya and second is the special Wilaaya.


1.The Common Wilaaya:


According to this Attribute of Allah, HE plans whatever HE wants for the whole universe and for all of the servants whether Muslims or non-Muslims, and whether good and righteous ones or the evil-doers. Allah Almighty manages the affairs of all and ordains things justly for everyone according to Allah’s knowledge and wisdom. The proof of this type of the Wilaaya is given in the verse 62 of the surah Al-An’aam. Its translation is:


62. Then they (His servants) are returned to Allah , their true Lord. Unquestionably, His is the judgement, and He is the swiftest of accountants.


Here the words “Mawla-humul-Haqqi”are used which mean “their True Mawla”. This is to differentiate Allah WHO is the True Lord and Supporter, from the false supporters that the unbelievers take and instead of believing in and trusting Allah, they trust their false deities. They forget the fact that Allah gives them every blessing and Allah helps them in their hard times.


2.The Special Wilaaya:


This is the great Wilaaya mentioned in the Holy Quraan and the Sunnah. Allah the Most Merciful blesses, with this Wilaaya, the believing, obedient and Muttaqeen (God-Fearing) servants. Allah forgives their sins and helps them at their hard time.It is reported in the Saheeh-al-Bukhaari that during the battle of Uhud, Abu Sufyaan said to the Companions radiyallahu anhum: “For us is the Uzza and there is no Uzza for you”. The Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) said to the Companions radiyallahu anhum: “Answer him”. They asked: “What should we say?” The Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) said: “say: Allah is our Mawla and there is no Mawla for you.”


Thus this is the special Wilaaya which Allah ordains for the practicing Muslims, awliyaa and for the Prophets (alaihim salaam) only.


Some astray people do not obey Allah and HIS Messenger salla Allaho alaihi wasallam, and consider themselves awliya-Allah. But they are wrong. Similarly, Christians and Jews consider themselves to be the beloved of God and that only they will enter Paradise. But they are also in misunderstanding. The translation of the following verses will make it clear.


Surah Yoonus verses 62—64 (translation only):


62. Behold! verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve;


63. Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism), and used to fear Allah much (by abstaining from evil deeds and sins and by doing righteous deeds).

64. For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah. This is indeed the great success.


We must try to reach the level where Allah provides us HIS Special Wilaaya. May Allah give us that great position, aameen.

Al-Hameed (The Praiseworthy)

This beautiful name of Allah came in many verses of the Holy Quraan. The translation of some of those verses is here:

Surah Faatir 15;

15.O mankind, you are those in need of Allah , while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.

Surah Al-Hajj 24;

24. And they had been guided [in worldly life] to good speech, and they were guided to the path of the Praiseworthy.


Surah Luqmaan 12;

12. And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom [and said], "Be grateful to Allah ." And whoever is grateful, is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] - then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy.


Al-Hamd (praising Allah, Allah’s praises) is encompassing everything. All qualities and attributes of Allah are full of Praises. The actions of Allah, the Orders of Allah and HIS Justice, HIS Retribution from the enemies, HIS Grace and Bounties on His friends (awliyaa-Allah),HIS creation and Command, all are established on the bases of HIS Hamd(Praising), and HIS Praises appear from all of them. The purpose of all of the system is to show and spread HIS Hamd. In short, Allah’s Hamd is the soul of everything. Whatever is present in the universe, whether we can see it or feel it spiritually, reflects the greatness and beauty of Allah.

Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibni Temiah said that Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala informed us that all praises are for Allah and that HE is Hameedu-m-Majeed.

Here is an example: A person is very beautiful. While describing the beauty, who has the right to be praised, the beautiful person or the Creator? The answer is: “The Creator of course.”

Similarly, if a person is very intelligent or very brave, the praises become due for the Creator Allah only.

There are two types of Hamd:


1.The Praises of Allah due to Allah’s kindness and Help for the servants, the other name for it is thanks and gratitude to Allah. For e.g. someone asks how are you? You say alhamdulillah. So you praised Allah for the good health and safe circumstances that Allah has blessed you with.


The praises ofAllah for Allah’s blessings and kindness to the servants are very common because Allah is Kind to all servants whether Muslims or non-Muslim, righteous or sinners. Allah hears and accepts the du’aa of all and gives relief from pain and trouble to all kinds of people! Allah gives blessings even before a servant prays for it.


Allah Almightygives health, wealth, property, good spouse in marriage, blessings of children, good job and many other blessings which cannot be counted. Similarly, Allah gives the blessings of the faith of Islam, ability to do obligatory duties of Islam and to abstain from sinful deeds, love for the true faith and righteous deeds; and hate from unbelief and all sinful deeds. Allah opens the way of guidance for the servants so that they can work for Allah’s pleasure and stay away from HIS anger. So Allah is to be praised for all the blessings which cannot be counted. A person can find the blessings of Allah in the Holy Quraan if he / she try to read it and understand it from the beginning to the end.


Thus Hamd (praise ) of Allah and thanks to HIM for HIS grace of Islam, and HIS Hamd for our eemaan, HIS Hamd for the Blessing of the HOLY Quraan, HIS Hamd for the blessing of our families and relatives, and HIS Hamd for all the blessing whether old or new, hidden or apparent, common or special, as many praises of Allah as Allah is pleased with.


Allah Almighty informed us in surah Al-Araaf 43 about the dwellers of Paradise. When they will be admitted to Paradise, they will pay thanks to Allah and praise HIM because they will be protected from Hell (May Allah make us all among the dwellers of Paradise, aameen). The translation of the verse is:


43. And We shall remove from their hearts any lurking sense of injury;- beneath them will be rivers flowing;- and they shall say: "Praise be to Allah, who hath guided us to this (felicity): never could we have found guidance, had it not been for the guidance of Allah: indeed it was the truth, that the messengers of our Lord brought unto us."And they shall hear the cry: "Behold! The garden before you! Ye have been made its inheritors, for your deeds (of righteousness)."



2. The second typeof the praises of Allah is due to Allah’s beautiful qualities. These cannot be counted at all. The translation of a few verses of the Holy Quraan show some of them.


Surah Saba 1:


1. [All] praise is [due] to Allah,to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and to Him belongs [all] praise in the Hereafter. He is Full of Wisdom, acquainted with all things.


Surah Al-Isra 111:


111. And say: Praise be to Allah, Who hath not taken unto Himself a son, and Who hath no partner in the Sovereignty, nor hath He any protecting friend through dependence. And magnify Him with all magnificence.




Surah Al-Jaathiyah36,37:


36. Then, to Allah belongs [all] praise -Lord of the heavens and Lord of the earth, Lord of the worlds.

37. And His (Alone) is the Majesty in the heavens and the earth, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.



We must praise Allah for HIS blessings like Ibraheem alaihi salaam did. Translation of verse 39 of the surah Ibraheem is a good example:


39. "All the praises and thanks are to Allah, Who has given me in old age Isma'il (Ishmael) and Ishaque (Isaac).Verily! My Lord is indeed the All-Hearer of invocations.

Al-Muhsi (The Counter)

Allah has the count of everything as is proved by the verses of the Holy Quraan. So Allah knows how many hairs are there on the head of every human being, or how many hairs are on the sheep skin, how many leaves in each tree and so on!!! Nothing can escape the Count of Allah. Allah said in surah Al-Jinn 28 (Its translation is):

28.That He may know that they have conveyed the messages of their Lord; and He has encompassed whatever is with them and has enumerated all things in number.

Surah Al-Naba 29 (translation):

29. And all things We have enumerated in writing.


Surah Yaseen12 (translation):

12. Indeed, it is We who bring the dead to life and record what they have put forth and what they left behind, and all things We have enumerated in a clear register.


If we start counting our sins we can’t, or if we start counting our good words and bad words that we spoke in a week, we will not be able to do so. Thus Allah said in the surah Al-Mujaadilah verse 6:

Al-Mujaadilah6 (Translation):

6. On the Day when Allah will resurrect them all together (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) and inform them of what they did. Allah has kept account of it, while they have forgotten it. And Allah is Witness over all things.


Allah is always present with us. Allah said in the Holy Quraan that if we are 4 people then Allah is the 5^th ONE and in case we are 5 then Allah is the 6^thONE and so on. You can read this statement in the verse 7 of surah Al-Mujaadilah.

Surah Maryam93 and 94 (translation);

93. There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Beneficent (Allah) as a slave.

94. Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting.


As Allah Suhaanahu wa Ta’ala said in Surah Yaseen verse 12: “…… and We record what they have put forth and what they left behind, and all things We have enumerated in a clear register”, so whatever we leave behind are called“aathaar”. Accordingly, if we teach a person the Holy Quraan, our this action is counted and recorded, and after our death the reward will come after us as long as the student keeps on reading the Quraan and understands and follows it.

A child is the responsibility of parents. If a parent gives him good training and education so that the child becomes a good practicing Muslim, the hard work of the parent is counted and recorded. The reward will continuously go after the parent who has now passed away. If the child is neglected and left to go astray, the punishment will be ordained for the parent due to the negligence.

Surah Al-Kahf 49 (translation):

49. And the record [of deeds] will be placed [open], and you will see the criminals fearful of that within it, and they will say, "Oh, woe to us! What is this book that leaves nothing small or great except that it has enumerated it?" And they will find what they did present [before them]. And your Lord does not do injustice to anyone.


The Prophet(Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) used to do dhikar all the time as Aa’ishah rAa informed us. The Companions rAa tried their best to avoid useless talking because everything is counted and recorded in our books of deeds. As a result some of them used to have a count of his words spoken from one juma’ (Friday )to the other.

May Allah make us careful about our words and actions because our words and actions are counted and registered in our books of deeds and we all shall be accounted according to that record!!!

Al-Mubdee (The originator), Al-Mu-eed (The Restorer)

Allah is the Only One Creator WHO started the creation and has been repeating and restoring it. Finally when on the Last Day the whole universe will be destroyed and every one will die except Allah WHO never dies, then on the Resurrection Day Allah will restore everyone to life for the accounting and recompense.


In this world also the cycle of producing and reproducing is constantly going on. One example is the cells and tissues in our body. Cells that become old die and are replaced by new ones. All types of the cells have fixed life. For e.g. each red cell has a life span of 120 days. Similarly the cells of skin are originating from the first layer and the old ones are getting away at the surface.


These two qualities of Allah are proved in the following verses of the Holy Quraan, here only the translation of the verses is given.


Surah Al-Burooj verse 13:

13.Indeed, it is He who originates [creation] and repeats.


Surah Yoonus verse 4:

4. To Him is the return of all of you. The Promise of Allah is true. It is He Who begins the creation and then will repeat it, that He may reward with justice those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) and did deeds of righteousness. But those who disbelieved will have a drink of boiling fluids and painful torment because they used to disbelieve.


Surah Al-Aa’raf verse 29:


29. Say: "My Lord hath commanded justice; and that ye set your whole selves (to Him) at every time and place of prayer, and call upon Him, making your devotion sincere as in His sight: such as He created you in the beginning, so shall ye return."

Every reader must think about the above mentioned two verses i.e. the 4^th verse of surah yoonus and 29^th of the Al-Aa’raf. Allah has reminded us HIS Final Justice and our responsibilities and obligations towards our Kind Lord Allah. We must focus on the main purpose of the origin and returning back to Allah. The main purpose is that Allah originated this universe and created human beings not to pass time, eat and drink and enjoy life but to obey and worship Allah. Allah said in Surah Al-Dhariyaat verse 56:

Translation of surah Al-Dhariyaat (Adh-Dhariyaat) verse 56:

56. And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.

This is the very clear Command of our Beneficent Lord (Ar-Rabb) to us all of the mankind and Jinn. That we must worship only HIM in the Way Allah has taught us through HIS Prophets alaihim salaam and now through the Final Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him). We must obey and follow Allah’s Commands and Laws if we want to protect ourselves from the torment of Hell. We are surely returning un to HIM for the final judgment to pass and get the reward in Paradise or Hell as the case may be. May Allah protect us all from Hell, aameen, but we must try for it as much as we can. Our obedience to Allah’s Commands is also our worship to Allah. Our aim must be the Here-After only.


Surah Al-Roum (Ar-Rum) 11:


11. It is Allah Who begins (the process of) creation; then repeats it; then shall ye be brought back to Him.


12. And on the Day when the Hour will be established, the Mujrimun (disbelievers, sinners, criminals, polytheists, etc.) will be plunged into destruction with deep regrets, sorrows, and despair.

13. No intercessor will they have from those whom they made equal with Allah (partners i.e. their so-called associate gods), and they will (themselves) reject and deny their partners.


Please take admonition from the verses given above.


Hadrat Muhammad salla Allaho alaihhi wa sallam while in bed before sleeping used to do dhikar and du’aa of many types. One of them was:


“Allahumma aslamtu nafsee ilek, wa wajjahtu wajhee ilek, wa fawwadtu amree ilek, wa khalleetu zahree ilek, raghbatan wa rahbatan ilek, laa malja wa laa manja minka illa ilek. Allahumma amantu bi-kitaabika-lladhee anzalta wa bi-nabiyyika-lladhee arsalta.”

Translation:


O Allah, I surrender myself to YOU, and turn my face to YOU, and I entrust my matter to YOU, and I leave my back to YOU, with love and fear, There is no refuge and no way of escape from YOU except (return) to YOU. O Allah, I believe in the Book that YOU revealed and in the Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) that YOU sent.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____


We must also make the same du’aa when we are in bed to sleep.

Al-Muhyee wa Al-Mumeet


(The Giver of life and death)

Allah is the Giver of life and death. The Attribute Al-Muhyee can be compared with Al-Mubdee and Al-Mu’eed as it means the One Who gives life / originates creation and after death restores it i.e. gives it life again. All of these are the works of the Only ONE Creator and that is Allah.

As for as life is concerned, we human beings are familiar with it. But death is usually unexplained. Let us see what the Holy Quraan says on this topic.

Surah Al-Mulk verse 2, its translation is:

2.He is the One Who has created death and life that He may try you which of you is best in conduct; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving,

We see that in this verse 2 of the Surah Al-Mulk Allah has said that Allah created death and life. It means that death is something created by Allah, moreover death is created before the creation of life! What does it mean?? In fact Allah and only Allah knows best but what we can understand from the verses and commentary of the Holy Quraan is that:

In a human being there are two things, one is the soul and the other is the earthen body. Soul is related with life as at the time of death the soul separates /goes out and only the body is left which then soon starts decomposing and finally becomes dust. But the soul alone is also not given the name of a living human being rather death has happened. From this it appears that before the joining of the two the person is dead whether it is soul or body and Allah knows best. There are some verses which indicate this point. Only the translation of the verses is given here:

Surah Al-Baqarah verse 28:

28. How can you disbelieve in Allah? Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, then again will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Him you will return.


According to this verse every human being gets two deaths and two lives. First is the death when he/she is merely soul. Therefore, in surah Al-Mulk verse 2 (given above) death is mentioned first. In the verse 28 of surah Al-Baqarah all of the stages of human existence are shortly mentioned and these are said to be six. The six stages of the human existence are:

Death (only soul), life in this world (body + soul), death (body buried in grave), life (resurrection when we will stand up with body and soul), returning to Allah (for judgement in Allah’s Court), then final stage is to live in Paradise (the righteous believers) or in Hell (unbelievers, sinners). May Allah protect us all from Hell, aameen.

It is proved from the verse 172 of the Surah Al-Aa’raf that Allah had created all souls of mankind, all those that will be born until the end of this world. That had happened at the time of the creation of Adam alaihi salaam. Allah had taken promise from us all that only Allah is our GOD and LORD. The effect of that promise of the Tawheed of Allah is present in the subconscious of every human being. After that we all came to this world to pass our first life. Here we have freedom of choice to choose what we want but we are informed about the result of our choice. We are clearly informed that following the Messenger/Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) will result in success in the Here-After while unbelief/disobedience to Him will take the person to Hell.


After passing the life given in this world, The Al-Mumeet shall give us second death when the soul shall go to Heaven or to Hell underground and the body will become decay and get mixed up in the soil. For death in this world Allah has appointed special angels, the head being Izra’eel alaihi salaam. Although death comes on its ordained time and is caused by the Malikul- Mowt who takes out the soul from the body of the dying person but there is always a worldly cause for it like an illness or an accident etc. So the people always remember the cause of death and say that such and such person died due to such and such disease. But they never say that the angel of death killed him/her!!!


It is important to note that the death given by the AL-Mumeet Allah in this world is the final death. Once Resurrection happens and the Al-Muhyee /Al-Mu’eed gives to the servants 2^nd life, then we shall all return to Allah’s Court for the Final Judgment. After that the Believers with righteous deeds shall be admitted to Paradise while the disbelievers and disobedient servants shall be admitted to Hell. Then death shall be brought in the form of a sheep and slaughtered between Hell and Paradise in front of all of the dwellers of both places!! So the people of Paradise shall become very happy while the people of Hell shall become extremely grieved!!! They shall say:


11. They will say: "Our Lord! You have made us to die twice (i.e. we were dead in the loins of our fathers and dead after our deaths in this world), and You have given us life twice (i.e. life when we were born and life when we are Resurrected)! Now we confess our sins, then is there any way to get out (of the Fire)?"

(Surah Ghaafir (Al-Mo’min), verse 11.)

The answershall be:

12. (It is said unto them): This is (your plight) because, when Allah only was invoked, ye disbelieved, but when some partner was ascribed to Him ye were believing. So the judgement is only with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great!"

(Surah Ghaafir(Al-Mo’min), verse 12.)


An Other excellent quality of the Al-Muhyee wa Al –Mumeet is that HE produces dead from the living thing and living from the dead. So Allah said in the verse 19 of the surah Al-Roum (Ar-Roum), (Its English translation is):


19. It is He Who brings out the living from the dead, and brings out the dead from the living, and Who gives life to the earth after it is dead: and thus shall ye be brought out (from the dead).


Its example is the egg (dead) given by a hen or a bird (alive), a seed (dead), produced by a plant (alive) etc. Again a living chick /bird (alive) is produced from an egg (dead) and so on. There are many such examples on this earth. A grape vine becomes completely dry and dead in winter so people can enjoy sun easily. Then in spring it becomes living with green leaves and fruit. Then people can eat its fruit and enjoy cool shade under it. All these works are that of the Powerful Creator Who is The Wise and Kind (Al-Hakeem and Ar-Rahmaan). We should never forget the point of admonition in all of these signs of the Greatness of Allah.

May Allah guide us on the straight path of Islam so that we may be protected from Hell, aameen.

Al-Hayyi (The Ever-Living One), Al-Qayyoom (The Eternal Guardian, the Self-Existing One)

Here is the translation of three verses of The Holy Quraan in which these two Attributes of Allah Almighty came together.
Surah Al-Baqarah verse 255:
(2:255) Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting by Whom all subsist, there is no god but He. Neither slumber seizes Him, nor sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Who is there who might intercede with Him save with His leave?

He knows what lies before them and what is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain to anything of His knowledge save what He wills them to attain. His Dominion overspreads the heavens and the earth, and their upholding wearies Him not. He is All-High, All-Glorious.


Surah Aali-Imraan, 2:
(3:2) Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, Who sustains the entire order of the universe - there is no God but He.


Surah Taha verse 111:
(20:111) All faces shall be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting Lord, and he who bears the burden of iniquity will have failed;


Living forever / ever existence is the great quality of Allah and this Attribute is essential for other attributes, for e.g. The Supreme Being is the Owner of all power and is All-Seeing, all-Hearing and All-Knowing. All of these Attributes are related with life and we know and understand that the Supreme Being (Allah Almighty) is Ever-Existent. Similarly these Attributes of Al-Hayyi and Al-Qayyoom are also essential for the existence of the universe. So Allah is the Sovereign who has been living since ever and shall live forever. All of the creatures shall die at the end of their life-term but there is no death for Allah. Again we in our life do become drowsy and enjoy sleep every day/night. But Allah is such a Unique Being WHO has neither sleep nor drowsiness. The meaning of Aayatul-kursee (verse 255 of surah Al-Baqarah given above) explains some of the meaning of the Attributes of Al-Hayyi and Al-Qayyoom.



We all human beings and other creatures are dependent and in need of help at every step. If we start seeking help from other beings like us then it means that we take support from those who are very weak and have temporary existence. So they will die soon. But when we trust Allah, and seek help and support from HIM, then surely we trusted and relied upon the Ever-Existent and uniquely strong Being. Thus we shall never be disappointed. Therefore, Only Allah Almighty deserves our worship and none else. The Almighty Allah Who is ever-Existent to cherish us with numerous blessings and is always present and awake to hear our supplications and give us relief from any kind of trouble has the right to be obeyed and worshipped.

Therefore, Allah said in the surah Al-Furqaan verse 58;


Wa tawakkal ala Al-Hayyi-lladhee laa yamoot…..(and put your trust in the ONE Who is Living and does not die)

Translation of the full verse 58 of surah Al-Furqaan is:
58. And put your trust (O Muhammad SAW) in the Ever Living One Who dies not, and glorify His Praises, and Sufficient is He as the All-Knower of the sins of His slaves;


Surah Ghaafir verse 65 (Translation only):

65. He is the Living (One): There is no god but He: Call upon Him, giving Him sincere devotion. Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!


So any living creation/creature that will die, and any dead thing which is not alive, and the non-living things all do not deserve our worship. Only Allah WHO is Ever-Living has the right to be worshipped.


Al-Qayyoom



This Attribute means that Allah is Self-Existent and independently Established, and HE needs no support from any one. Also the whole Universe is present and working because it is supported by Allah. So the meanings of Al-Qayyoom are two- fold:


1. Allah is present, and is working and managing the whole universe without any dependence on anyone. Allah said in the verse 15 of surah Faatir, its English translation is:


15. O mankind, you are those in need of Allah , while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.



Allah is Absolutely Ghaniyyi of all the creation, so HE doesn’t need anyone for any help.


2. The Tremendous Power of Allah and HIS Planning for and management of HIS creation are such that all the creations are depending upon HIM and cannot be independent of HIM even for the moment of an eye. So the Thrown, the chair, the heavens, the earth, the mountains and all plants, the mankind, jinn and animals, all are beggars to Allah. Thus Allah said in the following verses:


Surah Faatir 41 (English translation):


41. Verily! Allah grasps the heavens and the earth lest they move away from their places, and if they were to move away from their places, there is not one that could grasp them after Him. Truly, He is Ever Most Forbearing, Oft Forgiving.


Surah Al-Room (Ar-Rum), verse 25 (translation):


25. And among His Signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His Command, then afterwards when He will call you by single call, behold, you will come out from the earth (i.e from your graves for reckoning and recompense).

Allah is managing all of the affairs of all creations /creatures without any help from anyone and also Allah never gets tired of all these works /management as Allah said in the last part of the aayatul-kursee (verse 255 of the surah Al-Baqarah, its translation is given above) ----- and their upholding wearies Him not…….

According to the scholars, these two names of Allah are so much comprehensive that all of the other beautiful names of Allah Almighty depend upon these two names. The Attributes (Qualities) of Allah Almighty related with the Person of Allah like the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, All-Knowing, All-Powerful etc. are dependent upon “Al-Hayyi”.



The Attributes (Qualities) dealing with the functions for the creations like to create, to provide, to sustain, to give health, to give life and death etc. are dependent upon “Al-Qayyoom”. Also the scholars say that these two names of Allah have the Ismi-Aazam. Ismi-Aazam is the name of Allah which if used in supplication,it shall be answered and if used to ask for some thing, the thing shall be given.



Ibn. Al-Qayyam said that the Ismi-Aazam is present in these two verses:

Aayatul-Kursee and the 2^nd verse of the Surah Aali-Imraan (both of these verses’ translation is given above.


If du’aa is made by calling Allah Almighty with these two names insha Allah the trouble /pain etc. will be removed.


Anas Bin Malik rAa said that the Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) used to say in times of trouble: “Ya Hayyu ya Qayyoom bi rahmatika astagheeth”.

(Al-Tirmidhee fi Jaami’ihi)

Al-Waajid (The Finder),Al-Maajid (The Glorious)

Al-Waajid
This beautiful name of Allah has many meanings. One of them is the One Who finds. It doesn’t mean that Allah had lost something and then finds it, no may Allah protect us from such belief. We can explain it in the light of the Holy Quraan that Allah found someone astray and guided him. Allah found someone calling HIM for help and HE helped him. Allah found someone poor and made him rich. Allah found someone in trouble and relieved him and so on. So Al-Waajid is the One Who finds you in difficulties and helps you. The proof of this meaning from the Holy Quraan is in surah Al-Duhaa (Ad-Duhaa) verses 6,7,8:

6. Did He not find you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) an orphan and gave you a refuge?

7. And He found you unaware (of the Quran, its legal laws, and Prophethood, etc.) and guided you?


8. And He found you poor, and made you rich (self-sufficient with self-contentment, etc.)?

Thus the words “wajadaka” and“yajidka” are related to “Al-Waajid.”
Again some scholars said that Al-Waajid is the One Who is Al-Ghanee (Rich, Independent).
Allah said in surah Al-Talaaq (At-Talaaq) verse 6, its English translation is:

6. Let them (divorced women) live (in iddat) where ye live according to your wealth, and harm them not so as to oppress them. And if they are with child, then spend for them till they bring forth their burden. Then, if they suckle (the child) for you, give them their due payment and consult together according to what is just and reasonable. but if ye make difficulties for one another, then let some other woman suckle (the child) for him (on the father’s behalf).


Herein the verse 6 of Surah At-Talaaq, the word ‘Wujdikum” (which means your wealth) is related to wajada-------Al-Waajid,.

Also Al-Waajid means Al-Aleem, (TheAll-Knowing).

Imam Qartabee says that Al-Waajid means that Allah is present, HE is Existing and HIS existence is Absolute. So no denial in HIS existence is possible.

Al-Maajid (The Glorious One)

I couldn’t find details of this Attribute of Allah in the books and on you tube. The only things that I found are:

This Attribute Al-Maajid is related to Al-Majeed (The Glorious, the Majestic One), and it is derived from the same root-word “majd” which means to glorify, to exalt, Glory, Honor, Distinction, Beneficent etc. (dictionary meanings). Then Al-Maajid means the Glorified One, the Majestic One ---.


The name Al-Majeed is already explained. Allah’s names Ghaafir, Al-Ghafoor and Al-Ghaffaar have similar meaning and that is "The Forgiving One”. Their difference is known to Allah only. Similarly, Al-Maajid and Al-Majeed seem to be derived from the same root word but their difference is known only to Allah. May Allah forgive us all because our knowledge about Allah’s Attributes is very limited. For details you can read the Attribute Al-Majeed in this thread.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I am very sad to write that I have been facing great difficulty in posting the beautiful names of Allah in this thread. I type the names in Microsoft Word and then paste it in this textbox. Until that it is fine. But when I post it, many words get jumbled together (the spaces between words get removed). I have to edit the post again and again, manually placing spaces. This is tiring and stressful for me. It is really a torturing thing from the forum. I had requested the forum workers to solve this problem in the helpdesk but in vain!!! I am sad that no one responded to my helpdesk post to fix the problem.

Al-Waahid (The One), Al-Ahad (The One Only, The Unique One)



Al-Waahid


This Attribute means the One. The Arabic word waahid is used for “1”. But after “1” is the long series of numbers that is 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and so on. Allah is the One God, Creator, Lord and Sustainer, is One Being not composed of many components. The Attribute Al-Waahid is followed by the Attribute Al-Ahad which means the One Only, the Unique One. So the number “1” cannot proceed ahead to other numbers. For e.g. if there is one pen then other pens similar to this pen also exist. But saying that Allah is the Waahid and the Ahad means that nothing and no one is like unto Allah so that Allah is the Only One and the Unique One.


The Attribute Al-Waahid came many times in the verses of the Holy Quraan, the translation of some of them is given below.


Surah Al-Zumar (Az-Zumar) verse 4:


4. Had Allah willed to take a son (or offspring or children), He could have chosen whom He pleased out of those whom He created. But glory is to Him! (He is above such things). He is Allah, the One, the Irresistible.


In this verse 4 of the surah Az-Zumar Allah informed us that Allah is the Lord of Glory, is very High above the quality of taking or having a son. Here Allah used the Attribute “Al-Qahhaar (The Irresistible)” after Al-Waahid. Al-Qahhaar is the Attribute from which every one of us must get frightened!!! Therefore, all of us must abstain from making someone to be HIS son. Astaghfirulah!!!


Surah Al-Baqarah verse 163 (Only translation):


(2:163) Your God is One God, there is no god but He; the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.


Here after “Ilaahun-W-Waahid” Allah repeated the words “There is no God but HE”.


Surah Yoosuf 39:


(12:39) Fellow-prisoners! Is it better that there be diverse lords, or just Allah, the One, the Irresistible?


This verse 12;39 tells us about the preaching of Yoosuf alaihi salaam to some prisoners while He was imprisoned by Zulekhaa because she failed to lead Him astray!! The Prophet Yoosuf (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) invited His fellow prisoners to Tawheed (the Absolute Oneness of God Allah.). Here also Al-Waahid is followed by the Al-Qahhaar (the Irresistible).


Surah Saad, verse 65:


(38:65) Tell them, (O Prophet):⁵⁶ “I am nothing but a warner.⁵⁷ There is no deity but Allah, the One, the Supreme,


Another translation of the verse 65 of the Surah Saad is:


65. Say (O Muhammad SAW): "I am only a warner and there is no Ilah (God) except Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) the One, the Irresistible,


We see repeatedly that the attribute “Al-Waahid” is followed by Al-Qahhaar (The irresistible). So we must note the emphasis on the Tawheed of Allah. Allah is ONE in HIS Person, ONE in HIS Attributes and ONE in HIS FUNCTIONS. There is no place for associating any partner with Allah. Associating any partner with Allah is called shirk (polytheism). Shirk is a horrible sin for which there is no forgiveness in the Here-After!!!


Allah said in the following verses (here is the translation only):


Surah Al-Nisaa (An-Nisaa) verse 171:


(4:171) O People of the Book! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and attribute to Allah nothing except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of Allah, and His command that He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and in His Messengers, and do not say: (Allah is a) trinity. Give up this assertion; it would be better for you. Allah is indeed just one God. Far is it from His glory that He should have a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. Allah is sufficient for a guardian.


Surah Al-Ma’idah 73:



(5:73) Those who said: 'Allah is one of the Three', certainly they disbelieved, for there is no god save the One God. And if they do not give up this claim, all who have disbelieved among them shall be subjected to painful chastisement.



People of the Book means Christians and Jews. We all must believe in the Al-Waahid, Al-Ahad attributes i.e. Tawheed of Allah with our hearts /minds, testify with our tongues and prove it with our actions


Al-Ahad


For the explanation of this Attribute, I am pasting the commentary of Ahad in the surah Ikhlaas from the Tafheemul-Quraan (tafheem.net).

3. The scholars have explained the sentence Huwa-Allahu Ahad syntactically, but in our opinion its explanation which perfectly corresponds to the context is that Huwa is the subject and Allahu its predicate, and Ahad-un its second predicate. According to this parsing the sentence means: He (about Whom you are questioning me) is Allah, is One and only one. Another meaning can also be, and according to language rules it is not wrong either: He is Allah, the One.


Here, the first thing to be understood is the unusual use of ahad in this sentence. Usually this word is either used in the possessive case as yaum ul-ahad (first day of the week), or to indicate total negative as Ma jaa a-ni ahad-un (No one has come to me), or in common questions like Hal indaka ahadun (Is there anyone with you), or in conditional clauses like Injaa-ka ahad-un (If someone comes to you), or in counting as ahad, ithnan, ahad ashar (one, two, eleven). Apart from these uses, there is no precedent in the pre-Quranic Arabic that the mere word ahad might have been used as an adjective for a person or thing. After the revelation of the Quran this word has been used only for the Being of Allah, and for no one else. This extraordinary use by itself shows that being single, unique and matchless is a fundamental attribute of Allah; no one else in the world is qualified with this quality: He is One, He has no equal.


Then, keeping in view the questions that the polytheists and the followers of earlier scriptures asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about his Lord, let us see how they were answered with ahad-un after Huwa-Allah.


First, it means: He alone is the Sustainer: no one else has any share or part in providence and since He alone can be the Ilah (Deity) Who is Master and Sustainer, therefore, no one else is His associate in Divinity either.


Secondly, it also means He alone is the Creator of the universe: no one else is His associate in this work of creation. He alone is the Master of the universe, the Disposer and Administrator of its system, the Sustainer of His creatures, Helper and Rescuer in times of hardship; no one else has any share or part whatever in the works of Godhead, which as you yourselves acknowledge, are works of Allah.


Thirdly, since they had also asked the questions: Of what is your Lord made? What is His ancestry? What is his sex? From whom has He inherited the world and who will inherit it after Him? All these questions have been answered with one word ahad for Allah. It means:


(1) He alone has been, and will be, God forever; neither was there a God before Him, nor will there be any after Him.


(2) There is no race of gods to which He may belong as a member: He is God, One and Single, and none is homogeneous with Him.


(3) His being is not merely One (waahid) but Ahad, in which there is no tinge of plurality in any way:


He is not a compound being, which may be analyzable or divisible, which may have a form and shape, which may be residing somewhere, or may contain or include something, which may have a color, which may have some limbs, which may have a direction, and which may be variable or changeable in any way. Free from every kind of plurality He alone is a Being who is Ahad in every aspect. (Here, one should fully understand that the word waahid is used in Arabic just like the word one in English. A collection consisting of great pluralities is collectively called waahid or one, as one man, one nation, one country, one world, even one universe, and every separate part of a collection is also called one. But the word Ahad is not used for anyone except Allah. That is why wherever in the Quran the word waahid has been used for Allah, He has been called Ilah waahid (one Deity), or AllahulWahid- al-Qahhar (One Allah Who is Omnipotent), and nowhere just wahid, for this word is also used for the things which contain pluralities of different kinds in their being. On the contrary, for Allah and only for Allah the word Ahad has been used absolutely, for He alone is the Being Who exists without any plurality in any way, Whose Oneness is perfect in every way.

Al-Samad pronounced as As-Samad (The Absolute Master and Refuge for all, The Self-Sufficient)

The Following explanation of Al-Samad (As-Samad) is from the commentary of surah Al-Ikhlaas in Tafheemul-Quraan. The translation of surah Al-Ikhlaas:

بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ

قُلۡ هُوَ اللّٰهُ اَحَدٌ​ ۚ

اَللّٰهُ الصَّمَدُ​َ

لَمۡ يَلِدۡ ۙ وَلَمۡ يُوۡلَدۡ ۙ‏ 

وَلَمۡ يَكُنۡ لَّهٗ كُفُوًا اَحَدٌ‏



Translation


(112:1) Say:¹ “He is Allah,² the One and Unique;³


(112:2) Allah, Who is in need of none and of Whom all are in need;⁴


(112:3) He neither begot any nor was He begotten,⁵


(112:4) and none is comparable to Him.”⁶


Explanation of the Attribute "As-Samad" from Tafheemul-Quraan:



4. The word used in the original is samad of which the root is smd. A look at the derivatives in Arabic from this root will show how comprehensive and vast this word is in meaning. (Lexical discussion of the meanings of the derivatives is omitted).


On the basis of these lexical meanings the explanations of the word as-Samad in the verse Allah-us-Samad, which have been reported from the companions, their immediate successors and the later scholars are given below:


Ali, Ikrimah and Kab Ahbar: Samad is he who has no superior.

Abdullah bin Masud, Abdullah bin Abbas and Abu Wail Shaqiq bin Salamah: The chieftain whose chieftaincy is perfect and of the most extraordinary kind.

Another view of Ibn Abbas: Samad is he to whom the people turn when afflicted with a calamity. Still another view of his: The chieftain who in his chieftaincy, in his nobility and glory, in his clemency and forbearance, in his knowledge and wisdom is perfect.

Abu Hurairah: He who is independent of all and all others are dependent upon him.

Other views of Ikrimah: He from whom nothing ever has come out, nor normally comes out, who neither eats nor drinks. Views containing the same meaning have been related from Shabi and Muhammad bin Kab al-Kurazi also.

Suddi: The one to whom the people turn for obtaining the things they need and for help in hardships.

Saeed bin Jubair: He who is perfect in all his attributes and works.

Rabi bin Jubair: He who is immune from every calamity.

Muqatil bin Hayyan: He who is faultless.

Ibn Kaysan: He who is exclusive in His attributes.

Hasan Basri and Qatadah: He who is ever-living and immortal. Similar views have been related from Mujahid, Mamar and Murrat alHamadani also.

Murrat al-Hamadani’s another view is: He who decides whatever He wills and does whatever He wills, without there being anyone to revise his judgment and decision.

Ibrahim Nakhai: He to whom the people turn for fulfillment of their desires.

Abu Bakr al-Anbari: There is no difference of opinion among the lexicographers that samad is the chief who has no superior and to whom the people turn for fulfillment of their desires and needs and in connection with other affairs. Similar to this is the view of Az-Zajjaj, who says Samad is He in whom leadership has been perfected, and to whom one turns for fulfillment of his needs and desires.


Now, let us consider why Allahu-Ahad has been said in the first sentence and why Allah-us-Samad in this sentence. About the word ahad we have explained above that it is exclusively used for Allah, and for none else. That is why it has been used as ahad, in the indefinite sense. But since the word samad is used for creatures also, Allah-us-Samad has been said instead of Allah Samad, which signifies that real and true Samad is Allah alone. If a creature is samad in one sense, it may not be samad in some other sense, for it is mortal, not immortal; it is analyzable and divisible, is compound, its parts can scatter away any time; some creatures are dependent upon it, and upon others it is dependent; its chieftaincy is relative and not absolute; it is superior to certain things and certain other things are superior to it; it can fulfill some desires of some creatures but it is not in the power of any creature to fulfill all the desires of all the creatures, On the contrary, Allah is perfect in His attributes of Samad in every respect; the whole world is dependent upon Him in its needs, but He is not dependent upon anyone; everything in the world turns to Him, consciously or unconsciously, for its survival and for fulfillment of the needs of everyone; He is Immortal and Ever-living; He sustains others and is not sustained by anyone; He is Single and Unique, not compound so as to be analyzable and divisible; His sovereignty prevails over entire universe and He is Supreme in every sense. Therefore, He is not only Samad but As-Samad, i.e. the Only and One Being Who is wholly and perfectly qualified with the attribute of samad in the true sense.
Then, since He is As-Samad, it is necessary that He should be Unique, One and Only, for such a being can only be One, which is not dependent upon anyone and upon whom everyone else is dependent; two or more beings cannot be self-sufficient and fulfillers of the needs of all. Furthermore, His being As-samad also requires that He alone should be the Deity, none else, for no sensible person would worship and serve the one who had no power and authority to fulfill the needs of others.

Al-Qadeer, Al- Qaadir, Al-Muqtadir

The dictionary meaning of all of them is the All-Powerful. Al-Muqtadir also means the Creator of all power. The other meanings are the Omnipotent, the Sovereign, the Able and the Capable to do everything. All of these three names came in the Holy Quraan, the most frequently coming is Al-Qadeer, then Al-Qaadir and then is the Al-Muqtadir. Some of the verses mentioning these names are the following;

(Only their English translation is given):


Al-Baqarah 284;


(2:284) All that is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. Whether you disclose whatever is in your hearts or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it, and will then forgive whomsoever He wills, and will chastise whomsoever He wills. Allah has power over everything.


Faatir 44;


(35:44) Have they not journeyed in the earth to behold the end of those who went before them though they were stronger than them in might? Nothing in the heavens nor on earth can frustrate Him in the least. He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.


Al-An’aam 65;


(6:65) Say: "It is He Who has the power to send forth chastisement upon you from above you, or from beneath your feet, or split you into hostile groups and make some of you taste each others' violence. Behold, how We set forth Our signs in diverse forms, so that maybe they will understand the Truth".


Exp. note 42:


42. God's punishment can strike in an instant. This is the warning to those who, supposing such punishment to he remote, were growing bolder in their hostility towards the Truth. They could be destroyed in a moment by a hurricane. Just a few earthquake trernors could raze villages and cities to the ground. Likewise, a few spark, of hostility could ultimately wreak such havoc among tribes. nations and countries that bloodshed and lawlessness plague them for years on end. Hence if they are spared punishments for a while that should not drug them to heedlessness and lead them to live in total disregard of distinctions between right and wrong. They should rather he grateful that God had given thern respite and by means of a number of signs He was making it possible for thern to recognize the Truth and foliow it.

************************************************** *****************************************


Al-Kahf 45;


45.And put forward to them the example of the life of this world, it is like the water (rain) which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it, and becomes fresh and green. But (later) it becomes dry and broken pieces, which the winds scatter. And Allah is Able to do everything.


All of these names prove the Attribute of the power of Allah. Allah is the Absolute Owner of all Power. The presence of the universe and its management are all due to the Power of Allah.

It is the Creative Power of Allah that HE created Adam alaihi salaam from mud and then created Hawa (eve) alaiha salaam from the left rib of Adam alaihi salaam. Then Allah Almighty continued the creation of all mankind by the union of male and female cells. And also Allah the Greatest created Eisa (Jesus) alaihi salaam from a single parent and that was his mother Maryam (Mary) alaiha salaam!
Then Allah has the Power to give us all a new life at the time of Resurrection and pass judgment on all of us.


According to the saying of the Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him), Allah, the All-Powerful, had prepared Hell long before the creation of man. So the angels used to weep a lot due to fear that if they made a mistake, they would be punished in Hell. But after the creation of man, the angels understood the purpose of Hell (that it was made to punish mankind and jinn) and they stopped weeping. Allah’s Power is such that Allah when decrees a matter, just says to it “kun” which means “be” and it happens right then and there!!!


According to a Hadeeth shareef narrated by Aanas rAa, the Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) said that the hearts of all mankind are between two fingers from the fingers of Allah and Allah turns them (the hearts of mankind) as HE wills. Therefore the Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) used very frequently to make du’aa, “Ya Muqallib-al-quloob, thabbit qalbee ala Deenik”.
( Al-Tirmidhee and Ibn. Maajah),


This du’aa means, “O the Turner of hearts, keep my heart strong on your Deen (Islam)”. Thus according to this Hadeeth Shareef, Allah Almighty will guide a heart or let it go astray as HE wills but the Will of Allah depends upon Allah’s vast knowledge and wisdom. Therefore, we must also make the same du’aa.

Also this is due to the Power of Allah that no one can encompass some thing from the Knowledge of Allah. If Allah wills, HE gives knowledge to whomever HE wills.

Allah created the heavens and the earth in six days and didn’t become tired!!! No one can humble Allah while everyone is in the control of Allah. None of the numerous eyes can see Allah while Allah can see each eye and each look along with the intention of the servant behind his looks. Anything that Allah wants shall happen and what Allah doesn’t want shall not happen.

Our destiny is also due to the Power of Allah. We must believe in destiny that the good and evil thereof is from Allah. If a person believes in Allah but does not believe in destiny then his faith is not perfect (he is like unbeliever). Belief in Destiny is one of the articles of the Faith of Islam.

Allah the Almighty said:

Surah Al-Qamar 49 (English translation):

49. Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation, as written in the Book of Decrees Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz).


Another translation of the same verse:

49. Indeed, all things We created with predestination.


3^rd translation of the same verse:

49. Verily, all things have We created in proportion and measure.


Al-Ahzaab 38:


38. There is no blame on the Prophet (SAW) in that which Allah has obligated upon him. That has been Allah's Way with those who have passed away of (the Prophets of) old. And the Command of Allah is a decree determined.


Al-Furqaan 2:

2. He to whom belongs the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth: He has chosen no son nor has He any partner in His Sovereignty. He created all things, and ordered them in due proportions.


We must fear Allah the All-Powerful because we have no way to escape Allah’s Justice and Allah’s Justice shall take people to Hell.

Al-Muqaddim (The Expediter), Al-Mu’akhkhir (The Delayer)

These two Attributes of Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala came in some authentic ahadeeth of the Final Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him).
Abu Musa Al-Ashari said that the Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) used to make du’aa as:

Allahumm-aghfirlee khatee-atee wa jahlee, Wa israafee fee amree, wa ma anta a’lamu bihee minnee, Allahumm-aghfirlee jiddee wa hazlee, wa khat-ee wa amdee, wa kullu dhalika indee, Allahumm-aghfirlee ma qaddamtu wa ma akhkhartu, wa ma asrartu wa ma a’lantu, wa ma anta a’lamu bihee minnee, anta Al-Muqaddim wa anta Al-Mu-akhkhir, wa anta ala kulli shey-in Qadeer.
(Al-Bukhaari wa Muslim)

ورد في الحديث الصحيح، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه كان يدعو بين التشهد والتسليم
ويقول: ((اللهم اغفر لي ما قدمت، وما أخرت وما أسررت، وما أعلنت، وما أسرفت، وما أنت أعلم به مني. أنت المقدم وأنت المؤخر لا إله إلا أنت))

حدثنا علي بن عبد الله قال حدثنا سفيان قال حدثنا سليمان بن أبي مسلم عن طاوس سمع ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا قام من الليل يتهجد قال اللهم لك الحمد أنت قيم السموات والأرض ومن فيهن ولك الحمد لك ملك السموات والأرض ومن فيهن ولك الحمد أنت نور السموات والأرض ومن فيهن ولك الحمد أنت ملك السموات والأرض ولك الحمد أنت الحق ووعدك الحق ولقاؤك حق وقولك حق والجنة حق والنار حق والنبيون حق ومحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم حق والساعة حق اللهم لك أسلمت وبك آمنت وعليك توكلت وإليك أنبت وبك خاصمت وإليك حاكمت فاغفر لي ما قدمت وما أخرت وما أسررت وما أعلنت أنت المقدم وأنت المؤخر لا إله إلا أنت أو لا إله غيرك

These ahadeeth have very important du’aas. Therefore saying these du’aas in Arabic will be very good for you. You can find their translation on the net.

These two attributes of Allah come together and this is only the Power of Allah Almighty to expedite or delay whatever HE wills. And these are the proof of the Ability of Allah to establish HIS Commands with HIS Absolute Wisdom! Allah expedites some of the creation and delays others in their persons, their functions and in their qualities!!!

In the universe, some of the creations are made ahead of others in their strength, speed, usefulness etc. Causes and conditions are made former to the results, and all of these are done according to a fixed measure and proportion. Among human beings, concerning the Deen of Islam, the Prophets (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon them) are made to be the foremost. Also some of them are made superior to others about which only Allah knows, we are ordered to abstain from making any difference among them. Also Allah made some of the Muslims higher than others in the rank of righteousness. Some of the Muslims have more knowledge, stronger Faith, better character and other good qualities. All such expediting or delaying is according to the Wisdom and Justice of Allah.

The Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) used to pray to Allah for the forgiveness of all sins as He (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) used to say: “Allahumm-aghfirlee (Ya Allah, may YOU forgive me) ma qaddamtu wa ma akhkhartu (the sins that I did before or later) wa ma asrartu wa ma a’lantu (and what I did in the open and that which I did in hidden)”. So we also must pray like the Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) as He came to teach us by the Command of Allah. The Prophets alaihim salaam used to be very innocent although they were human beings and thus mistakes were possible from them. But the real sinners are we. So we need these du’aas much more. We must hope the Mercy of Allah and should never be hopeless but we must try to protect ourselves from making sins and we shouldn’t feel fearless of the Plans of Allah.


Allah said in surah Al-A’raaf verses 97---:

97. Did the people of the towns feel secure against the coming of Our wrath by night while they were asleep?

98. Or are the people of the townships then secure from the coming of Our wrath upon them in the daytime while they play?

99. Did they then feel secure against the plan of Allah?- but no one can feel secure from the Plan of Allah, except those (doomed) to ruin!

Al-Awwal, Al-Aakhir, Al-Zaahir (pronounced as Az-Zaahir), Al-Baatin

Al-Awwal (The First )

Al-Aakhir (The Last )

Al-Zaahir pronounced as Az-Zaahir (The Manifest One, The Evident )

Al-Baatin (The Hidden One)

All of these four names came together in one aayah and that is the verse 3 of surah Al-Hadeed. Its English translation is:


(57:3) He is the First and the Last, and the Manifest and the Hidden,³ and He has knowledge of everything.

(Al-Hadeed 3)


Exp.note 3 of the surah Al-Hadeed on tafheem.net:

3. That is, when there was nothing, He was, and when there will be nothing, He will be. He is the most Manifest of all the manifests, for whatever manifests itself in the world, does so only by His attributes and His works and His light. And He is the Most Hidden of all the hidden, for not only do the senses fail to perceive Him but the intellect and thought and imagination also cannot attain to His essence and reality. The best commentary in this regard is a supplication of the Prophet (peace be upon him) which Imam Ahmad, Muslim, Tirmidhi, and Baihaqi have related on the authority of Abu Hurairah, and Hafiz Abu Yala Mosuli in his Musnad on the authority of Aishah rAa:
Antal Awwal, fa-laisa qablaka shaiin; wa Antal Akhir falaisa ba daka shaiin; wa Antal Zahir, fa-laisa fauqaka shai in; wa Antal Batin, fa laisa dunaka shaiin. You alone are the First; none is before You; You alone are the Last: none is after You; You alone are the Manifest; none is above You; You alone are the Hidden: none is more hidden than You.

Here, the question arises: How does this accord with the immortality and eternal life of the dwellers of Paradise and Hell mentioned in the Quran when Allah alone is the Last and Eternal? Its answer has been provided by the Quran itself: Everything is perishable except Allah Himself. (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayat 88). In other words no creature is immortal in its personal capacity; if a thing exists or continuous to exist, it does so because Allah keeps it so, and can exist only by His letting it exist; otherwise in its own capacity everything is perishable except Allah. Immortality in Heaven and Hell will not be bestowed upon somebody because he is immortal by himself, but because Allah will grant him eternal life. The same is true of the angels, they are not immortal by themselves. When Allah willed they came into existence, and will continue to exist only as long as He wills.

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Al-Qasas 88:


88. And do not invoke with Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgement, and to Him you will be returned.


Also Allah said in the surah Al-Rahmaan (Ar-Rahmaan) verse 26 and 27:


26. Every one upon the earth will perish,


27. And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.



In the comprehensive meaning of these names comes that The Rabb Tabaarak wa Ta’ala encompasses the whole creation and that encompassing is zammniyyah wa makaaniyyah i.e. space related and time related. So Allah was before everyone and everything and shall exist and remain after the end of everyone and everything. Allah has been present since ever and shall exist for ever. From the beginning to the end of the creation/ universe everything and everyone is in Allah’s control. That is the time related encompassing.


As for the space related encompassing Allah encompasses everything on its open side as well as its hidden aspects. So Allah is upon everything which is manifest and whatever is hidden Allah is more hidden than that. As the Prophet (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) said: “ wa anta Al- Zaahir fa lesa fawqaka she-in wa anta Al-Baatin fa lesa doonaka she-in. So in HIS Appearance Allah is Higher than all, HIS Throne is above the seven heavens and Allah is above the Thrown. At the same time Allah is so much hidden that none of the eyes can see HIM. Although Allah is so much High but is wonderfully near everything and every creature. Allah said in surah Qaaf verse 16:
Surah Qaaf verse 16 (English translation):


16. And indeed We have created man, and We know what his own self whispers to him. And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.

As Allah is Al-Baatin (The Hidden) and is so near to each and every one, no secret of mankind can remain hidden from HIM. HE (Allah) is extremely near every being with HIS Knowledge and Power and knows every state, internal and external of each creature and controls it in the way HE likes!!!

Now when the Scientific developments have happened, some of the scientists dealing with the DNA and genes of mankind were struck with wonder because they found inside the cell nucleus numerous commands for the formation of different types of body proteins!!! They were in a state of fear due to the GREATNESS of the Creator, Who has given such wise Commands to the DNA for great functions like the manufacture of proteins. They admitted and declared that a Great Wise Creator exists and that Evolution theory is false and is without any scientific bases!!!

When a person gets the knowledge of these four names, then he/she must become very humble in front of the Almighty God (Allah) and must pay thanks to HIM. He /she must worship only Allah and at difficult times must call only Allah. Also he/she must trust Allah because only Allah can fulfill our needs, can help us in our difficult times, and can remove trouble from us; and also because we are on our way to return to Allah and to appear in HIS Court.

These four names of Allah collectively help us to get acquainted about Allah and Allah’s worship. These are also enough to suppress and crush the waswasa (bad ideas from Satans). According to a Hadeeth in the Sunan Abi Da’wood, narrated by Abi Zumeel Samaak bin Al-Waleed; he asked about a bad waswasa in his heart. Ibn Abbaas rAa told him that if he found something in his heart/mind, he should say:

هو الأول و الآخر و الظاهر والباطن, وهو بكل شىئ عليم


Surah Al-Hadeed verse 3


Its meaning is:

3. He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Hidden: and He has full knowledge of all things.

Thus Ibn Abbaas told the solution for waswasa. Waswasah is suppressed and crushed by reciting this verse, we must trust Allah and get rid of waswasah.

format_quote Originally Posted by ___

A'salamu alaykum, sister. I appreciate how you included the Quran and/or Hadith that the Name was mentioned in. JazakAllahu khayr.

Wa alaykum salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh


I try my best but I feel that these are the attempts of a servant of Allah Azza' wa Jall. My attempts can never reach the perfect explanation of the Attributes of Allah. May Allah accept this weak attempt from me and make it of benefit for all mankind in general and for the Muslims in special, aameen ya Allah!!!

Al-Waalee (The Governer, The Defender)


Allah Azza’ wa Jal governs all affairs. A verse of the Holy Quraan will better explain it.
Surah Al-Ra’d (pronounced as Ar-Ra’d) verse 11

11.For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah . Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any defender.


Another translation of the same is:


(13:11) There are guardians over everyone, both before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's command.¹⁸ Verily Allah does not change a people's condition unless they change their inner selves. And when Allah decides to make a people suffer punishment, no one can avert it. Nor can any be of help to such a people against Allah.¹⁹


Exp. note 18 and 19:


18. That is, Allah not only directly watches over whatever each person does, and is fully aware of everything he does, but He has also appointed such guardians as accompany him everywhere and keep a full record of all his deeds. This has been stated here to warn those people who live their lives under the delusion that they have been left absolutely free to do whatever they like and shall not be required to render an account of what they did in this worldly life. The warning is that such people invite their own retribution.


19. This is to warn them further that they should not remain under any delusion that some holy person or saint or angel has the power to rescue them from divine retribution, for there is none who could defend them against Allah, even though they might have been paying homage and making offerings to their so called patrons and protectors in the hope that they would rescue them from punishment from Allah on the Day of Judgment.
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Also Allah Almighty said in the same surah in verse 8:


(13:8) Allah knows what every female bears; and what the wombs fall short of (in gestation), and what they may add.¹⁷ With Him everything is in a fixed measure.


Exp note 17:


17. When amplified the verse will mean: Allah remains fully aware of all the developments that take place in the child while in its mother’s womb and He watches over the decrease or increase in each of its limbs, and its potentialities, capabilities and powers.
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Thus Allah governs all affairs of everyone and everything in the Universe. We have got very little understanding of the Attributes of Allah. But Know: that Allah is very Great.


The Names Al-Waliyy and Al-Waalee are derived from the same root word waw, laam and ya. Therefore the sholars mix up the meaning and explanation of the two names “Al-Walee and Al-Waalee”. These are also written as Al-Wali and Al-Waali but I think “ee” in the end of both of these names is more correct.
The dictionary meanings of the two names are also somewhat similar, as you can see here:


Waal (Al-Waali) = Ruler, Governer.

Waali = Naasir = to support, back up, stand by.

Wali ala = to manage, rule.

Wali = guardian, caretaker.

Wali = Naseer = Patron, supporter, protector, defender.


So you can read the name Al-Waliyy (post 62 on page 4) of this thread. Regarding the support of Allah to Allah’s friends (Awliya-Allah), you can read the verses 30----32 of the surah Fussilat (Ha-Meem) given here along with their explanation from tafheem.net


30. In the case of those who say, "Our Lord is Allah", and, further, stand straight and steadfast, the angels descend on them (from time to time): "Fear ye not!" (they suggest), "Nor grieve! but receive the Glad Tidings of the Garden (of Bliss), the which ye were promised!


31. "We are your protectors in this life and in the Hereafter: therein shall ye have all that your souls shall desire; therein shall ye have all that ye ask for!-


32. "A hospitable gift from the One Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!"

Another translation of the same 3 verses is:


(41:30) Those³² who say “Allah is our Lord” and then remain steadfast,³³ upon them descend angels³⁴ (and say): “Do not fear nor grieve,³⁵ and receive good tidings of Paradise which you were promised.


Exp.Notes 32---35:


32. After warning the disbelievers of the consequences of their opposition to the truth and their stubbornness, the address now turns to the believers and the Prophet (peace be upon him).


33. That is, they did not call Allah their Lord merely incidentally, nor were they involved in the error to regard Allah as their Lord and at the same time others as well as their lords, but they embraced the faith sincerely and stood by it steadfastly: neither adopted a creed contrary to it later nor mixed it up with a false creed, but they fulfilled the demands of the doctrine of Tauhid in their practical lives as well.


“Then remain upright” has been explained by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the eminent companions thus:


Anas has reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Many people called Allah their Lord, but most of them became disbelievers. Firm and steadfast is he who remained firm on this creed till his death. (Ibn Jarir, Nasai, Ibn Abi Hatim).


Abu Bakr Siddiq has explained it thus: Then he did not associate another with Allah: did not attend to any other deity beside Him. (Ibn Jarir).


Umar once recited this verse on the pulpit and said: By God, the steadfast are those who remained firm on obedience to Allah: did not run about from place to place like foxes. (Ibn Jarir).


Uthman says: Performed his deeds sincerely for the sake of Allah only. (Kashsaf).

Ali says: Performed the duties enjoined by Allah faithfully and obediently. (Kashshaf).


34. It is not necessary that the coming down of the angels may be perceptible, and the believers may see them with the eyes, or hear their voices with the ears. Although Allah also sends the angels openly for whomever He wills, generally their coming down for the believers, especially in hard times when they are being persecuted by the enemies of the truth, takes place in imperceptible ways and their voices penetrate into the depths of the heart as peace and tranquility instead of just striking the ear-drums. Some commentators have regarded this coming down of the angels as restricted to the time of death or grave, or the Plain of Resurrection. But if the conditions in which these verses were sent down are kept in view, there remains no doubt that the real object of stating this thing here is to mention the coming down of the angels on those who struggle with their lives in this world in the cause of the truth, so that they are consoled and encouraged and they rest assured that they are not helpless but the angels of Allah are at their back. Although the angels also come to receive the believers at the time of death and they also welcome them in the grave (in the state of burzakh), and they will also accompany them constantly on the Day of Resurrection, from the time Resurrection takes place till their entry into Paradise, yet their company is not particularly restricted to the Hereafter but remains available in this world also. The context clearly shows that in the conflict between the truth and falsehood just as the worshipers of falsehood are accompanied by the devils and mischievous people, so are the believers accompanied by the angels. On the one hand, the companions of the worshipers of falsehood show their misdeeds seem fair to them and assure them that the tyrannical and dishonest acts that they are committing are the very means of their success and through them only will their leadership and dominance remain safe in the world. On the other hand, the angels come down to the worshipers of the truth and give them the message that is being mentioned in the following sentences.


35. These are very comprehensive words, which contain a new theme of consolation and peace for the believers, in every stage of life, from the world till the Hereafter. This counsel of the angels in this world means: No matter how strong and powerful be the forces of falsehood, you should not be afraid of them, and whatever hardships and deprivations you may have to experience on account of your love of the truth, you should not grieve on account of them, for ahead there lie in store for you such things against which every blessing of the world is insignificant. When the angels say the same words at the time of death, they mean this: There is no cause of fear for you in the destination you are heading for, for Paradise awaits you there, and you have no cause of grief for those whom you are leaving behind in the world, for we are your guardians and companions here. When the angels will say these very words in the intermediary state between death and Resurrection and in the Plain of Resurrection, they will mean: Here, there is nothing but peace for you. Do not grieve for the hardships you had to suffer in the world, and do not fear what you are going to face in the Hereafter, for we are giving you the good news of Paradise, which used to be promised to you in the world.



(41:31) We are your companions in this world and in the Hereafter. There you shall have all that you desire and all what you will ask for.


(41:32) This is by way of hospitality from Him Who is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”


These last verses are already explained in the above exp. notes.

(Al-Muta’aalee (The most High)

This name comes from the word uluw which means very high. The dictionary meanings of this word “Uluw” include highness, loftiness and supreme. Another Attribute of the same meaning is Al-Aliyy which is present in this thread (page 3, post # 41). It should be read for more information. Al-Muta’al is the more exaggerated form of Highness. Allah Azza wa Jall said in the surah Al-Ra’d (Ar-Ra’d) verse 9 (here only the English translation is given):


9. He is the Knower of the Invisible and the Visible, the Great, the High Exalted.


A hadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) says:


“Anta Al-Zaahir falesa fawqaka she’ ( YOU are the Manifest, the Most High so there is nothing above YOU. Wa anta Al-Baatin falesa doonaka she’ (and YOU are the Most Hidden so there is nothing beyond YOU)”.

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“There is nothing above YOU” literally means like physically there is none above YOU. But it also means that Allah is much much High than our capacity to understand Allah’s Highness!!! Therefore, we, Muslims, use the names Allah Azza wa Jall, Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala and Allah Ta’ala.


Azza is from Azeez and it means the Owner of Dignity and Might.

Jall means the One Who has all the Awe-Inspiring Attributes.

Subhaanahu means HE has no fault or defect. And Ta’ala means the Most High, the Exalted.


So Allah is the Al-Kabeerul Muta’al i.e. very High beyond our capacity to understand. Here the important point is that we must be careful from thinking of any shape or form or place for Allah Almighty. Allah Ta’ala and HIS Throne are beyond our understanding. We should not imagine Allah Azza wa Jall to be sitting on HIS Throne (We seek the refuge of Allah from such imaginations). Although Allah has the Throne but only Allah knows best about HIMSELF and HIS Throne. So we can say that Allah Ta’ala is very High and the Most High, in whichever way Allah Ta’ala has made it befitting for HIMSELF.