Al-Hafeez
It is purely by the grace of Allah that I continue my series of sermons on the attributes of Allah [Part 6] and to quote some attributes of Allah with certain explanations.
Al-Hafeez is an attribute of Allah which is derived from the word Hifz which means protection. So Al-Hafeez means The Protector. There is nothing in existence that can protect [us] all the time and in all situations because it requires knowledge that covers and encompasses every atom that exists and an absolute capacity.
No one except Allah the Almighty possess this. Therefore, He is the only one who has all knowledge. His knowledge covers everything. Nothing escapes His knowledge. And it’s Allah Almighty alone Who has the capacity [power] over everything. Nothing and no one can make Allah the Almighty incapable, powerless or helpless. So it’s He alone Who is Al-Hafeez. Allah the Almighty knows each creature and He knows where and in what situation it is. He knows what everyone needs and how much he needs. And He has the ability to grant him what he needs. Nothing can hinder [becoming an obstacle in] the work of Allah the Almighty. Reciting this attribute in abundance and invoking Him through this is a very effective way to develop trust in Allah the Almighty. It is a way for someone who is in distress and in pain to feel protected in regard to his life, his family, his property, his dignity and his honour.
Al-Hakeem: Hakeem is derived from Hikmah. Hikmah means wisdom, mastery and perfection. Nothing is perfect except Allah the Almighty. His work exceeds all skill and He is beyond all expertise. This is why in the truest sense of the word, it is Almighty Allah alone Who is Al-Hakeem. It is because of the fact that the knowledge of Allah Almighty is perfect. His work is perfect. It was Him who shaped each atom of the universe into a balanced and appropriate shape and dimension.
If we examine this from the verb Hakama which means to govern, then at that moment it will mean that all authority is in the hand of Allah the Almighty. His decision is final. No one can object or overturn His decision. And no one can even surpass Allah the Almighty in His power and authority.
When the word Hakeem is attributed to someone other than Allah the Almighty, then it means someone who has knowledge of the Deen and whose behaviour is based on the knowledge he has. That is to say someone whose behaviour does not betray his knowledge which is based and founded on established and solid principles.
If a person meditates on this attribute, he will completely submit to the decision of Allah the Almighty. Note that this submission does not prevent us from invoking Allah the Almighty, but what is essential is that we leave the final decision to Him and that we are satisfied with what happens to us after having invoked Him in prayers (duahs).
Al-Kabeer: Kabeer means great. We call Allah the Almighty Al-Kabeer because all greatness belongs exclusively to Him. No being is greater than Him (Allah the Almighty). He is the greatest. If we use this word: “great”, it is only to have an idea of the greatness of Allah, otherwise there is nothing that is comparable with Allah the Almighty. He is incomparable and He is great in all aspects; He is eternal. Everything except Him will perish, that is, nothing existed. It was Allah the Almighty who granted everything its existence.
Aside from Allah the Almighty everything can cease to exist. There is not the slightest lack or wrong in Him. The very fact that Allah the Almighty is eternal is enough to show that He is beyond everything and He surpasses everything. He controls everything and He is supreme over everything. A person who has faith in Allah Al-Kabeer always take care not to do anything unworthy. He will always feel safe in the company of Allah the Almighty. He will always be connected with Allah Al-Kabeer. He will not fall into baseness. The more he meditates on Al-Kabeer, the more it will make him confident, humble, gentle, and affectionate.
Al-Mujeeb: Allah the Almighty is Al-Mujeeb, that is, He answers the call of His servants. He accepts the invocations of those who invoke Him. He listens to the grievances of those who are in pain and comes to their rescue. He relieves them from their difficulties and problems.
Allah the Almighty says: “And when My servants ask you concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.” (Al-Baqara 2: 187).
Allah the Almighty has promised in this verse to answer the call of all who spread their hands to ask Him something. He doesn’t return anyone empty-handed. So a person should never hesitate to ask Him something when he is in need and facing difficulties. The door of Allah the Almighty remains open 24 hours a day.
A person can invoke and ask Him for anything [lawful] at any time and when he feels like invoking Him. Someone who meditates on the Al-Mujeeb attribute will always have hope. He will never be discouraged in difficult times because he knows that Allah Al-Mujeeb is always there to listen to and help him. He is not alone even if he is abandoned in a desert without provisions and without support. Allah Al-Mujeeb is present [with him] and His door is wide open.
Al-Waasi: Waasi means large. When we associate this meaning with Allah the Almighty, it means that Allah the Almighty is beyond all dimensions. His Throne covers the heaven, earth, and all of creation. Allah the Almighty controls everything and He has authority over everything. Nothing is excluded from His kingdom. His blessing and grace are open to all.
We all need Allah the Almighty. Nothing is independent in any way from His favours. Knowledge of Allah the Almighty encompasses every atom of the universe with all of its details.
So Allah Almighty is Al-Waasi because His knowledge, power, and favour have no limits. Each attribute of Allah the Almighty carries a message to His servants. A person who concentrates and meditates on this attribute: Al-Waasi, will come to know that he should never despair in life, in any situation, because he has a Creator Who has everything he needs. He will see the need to seek recourse to Him alone instead of wasting his time elsewhere. He will find the need to be loyal to Allah the Almighty. He will only choose Allah the Almighty as his real recourse.
Al-Wadud: Wadud comes from the word Wudd which means love, friendship, and affection. So Wadud means a [being] who possesses this quality par excellence. We call Allah the Almighty Al-Wadud because He loves His servants more than a mom loves her baby whom she breastfeeds. This friendship is even greater for the servants who live in the obedience of Allah the Almighty and who are sincere to Him. Allah the Almighty is Al-Wadud because His friendship is limitless. He Himself is the origin and source of friendship in all its forms. The friendship we find in the universe is a manifestation of a tiny particle or spark of what Allah the Almighty has. This [i.e. this example] is only to give you an idea. Otherwise it does not diminish in any way what Allah Almighty has.
But you have to keep in mind that the love of Allah the Almighty has an effect on the human race and sometimes he gets carried away by this love. But we cannot say the same thing for Allah the Almighty because He is beyond all that. Despite the love He has for man, He never lets Himself be carried away by this love. He doesn’t get carried away or find Himself influenced by anything. He is beyond everything and He controls everything and everywhere.
Anything that deserves friendship for a certain talent or merit that is found in a person comes from Allah the Almighty. The source of all benefit is Allah the Almighty. So Allah the Almighty is Al-Wadud because there is everything in Him to attract affection and friendship. The euphoria that a person feels for someone does not represent anything at all compared to what he feels for Allah the Almighty when he begins to have a small idea or a glimpse of Al-Wadud.
If man [the human race] can be overwhelmed by another human being like him, despite his talent and charm being fleeting, ephemeral and temporary, then what will happen to him if he happens to feel a little of this friendship and love that comes from Allah the Almighty?
Friendship for Allah the Almighty and His Messenger (pbuh) is essential for faith. One must love Allah the Almighty and His Messenger (pbuh) more than anything or anyone else, be it parents, children, goods and wealth and even more than one loves oneself. Friendship for Allah the Almighty is developed out of obedience to Allah the Almighty. That is to say, where one lives as per the will of Allah the Almighty [or as Almighty Allah wishes him to live]. And obedience is neither valid nor acceptable until it is performed by following the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). So love for Allah the Almighty is found in following the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). The more we follow the Messenger of Allah, the closer we come to Allah the Almighty, the more we will have His friendship and cultivate a friendship for Him.
O Allah, grant us Your Love and the Love of Your Prophet (pbuh) and give us the will to follow His practices. [Ameen].
The fact that Allah the Almighty is Al-Wadud demands that we have His friendship, a friendship that exceeds all friendship, a friendship that makes all friendship bland and tasteless, a friendship that controls all our tendencies and all our feelings. It is a level of friendship that makes difficulties easy, that makes spending the night in worshiping Allah easy and delicious, that makes practices full of [temporal] sensations and pleasures hateful. We see this colour very clearly in the life of the Sahaba-e-Karaam, the Tabe’ins, the Tabe-Tabe’ins, the Mujjadids, the Chosen Ones of Allah where they receive this colour for the most part. There is a saying that the entourage [surrounding] of a person indicates the personality of that person. And this is very true.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said that a person tends to become like his close friend. Staying in the entourage of pious characters [persons] is a very effective way to transform a person’s character and manner for good.
On the contrary, this is the only way. So frequenting pious people is essential for the development of this friendship to a degree and a stage which makes everything secondary to the friendship of Allah the Almighty and His Messenger (pbuh) [Allah and His Messenger come first]. It is a friendship that can happen at a stage where everything can seem insignificant and devalued in the face of the love of Allah the Almighty until giving one’s life too [You give your life, your honour, your time, your wealth etc. for Allah and His Messenger]. Not only does it become easy but it becomes delicious.
For the moment it suffices to say only this, that without making a connection with the truth, then you will have neither success in this world, nor in the hereafter. It is mandatory that we emerge as a true Jamaat. It would be better for us to say that as long as each member of Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam does not make the truth become their first nature, then we could not be successful in this temporal world and in the next. The attribute of Haqq of Allah is deeply linked with the other attributes. I already explained to you at the beginning of my series of sermons on the subject and I have given details on the attribute of Haqq.
May Allah give us the ability to adopt this whole practice, Ameen Summa Ameen Ya Rabbul Aalameen.
---Extracts from Friday Sermon of 29 May 2020 ~06 Shawwal 1441 AH delivered by Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius.