Posted on January 21, 2023
Written by Husein Khimjee

 

The Beautiful Attributes Series: Instalment 1

Allah in His Beautiful Attributes (also known as the Holy Attributes or Beautiful Names) is clearly seen as infinitely merciful to all His creations through His blessings. He is seen as The Provider. He is seen as The Just and The Wise. He guides us to higher qualities of life.

With this thought in mind, let’s explore some of His Attributes (known by some as the 99 Names of Allah) in simple language so we can live our life with success knowing that we are the shadows of each of this Attribute. (To understand more about the origins and objectives of this series, please read the Introduction).

In this instalment, we focus on the first two Attributes: Ar-Rahmanu and Ar-Rahimu. 

 

AR-RAHMANU — THE ALL MERCIFUL

Allah is totally and absolutely the All Merciful. Allah’s Mercy is Total, it is showered upon all, believers and unbelievers alike. There is also the whole Surah 55 in the Qur’an named Ar-Rahman.

 

Importance:

If one was to commit to developing this quality in one’s life, one should display kindness and mercy to all fellow human beings, and then extend this mercy to all creation in our universe. We cannot even begin to imagine the extent to which life on earth can be peaceful and loving.

 

Real life examples:

While Allah’s mercy is total, for example He provides sunshine, rain and all other blessings for all (to both believers and unbelievers), our own mercy as humans interacting with other humans is incomplete, uneven and wanting. Why? Because the history of human beings begins with adversarial relations—the reality of Shaytan. As a result, humanity continues to experience immense problems in the world.

The Attribute Ar-Rahman (The All-Merciful) belongs only to Allah.

 

Points to ponder:

We need to ask ourselves a few basic questions:

  • What can we do that would both help make this world a better place to live and simultaneously please Allah?
  • What blessings of Allah can we share: wealth, time, effort and so on?
  • What did we do today, this week, or this month that made a difference to someone or a situation in a positive way?

 

AR-RAHIMU — THE COMPASSIONATE, THE BENEFICENT

While Allah’s Mercy encompasses everything and everyone—as He says Himself in the Qur’an, wa rahmatii wasi`at kulli shay’in (My Mercy encompasses everything)—those who use the merciful Bounties of Allah in their earthly life with total belief and while performing good deeds pleasing to Allah are rewarded with eternal rewards. For such people, He reveals the following: …wa kaana bi al mu’minina Rahima (He is Rahim, Compassionate to [those who are] the believers).

Who are the true believers? They are those who led their life not only with total faith but also portrayed their faith in their everyday actions. In other words, they led the life of orthopraxy, not orthodoxy. They led their life being compassionate and charitable towards others—a life of good conduct. 

There are many verses in the Qur’an explaining this. One of the comprehensive verses revealing this is in Chapter 2, Al-Baqarah, verse 177. It is important to understand this because it shows that Allah in His Absolute Mercy (which we saw in the Attribute Ar-Rahmanu) is also Al-‘Adlu (The Just God). The reward for the believer, then, is not only Allah’s Rahmaniiyya but also His Rahimiyya as shown in the verse cited above.

 

Importance: 

It is critical to understand that the truest results of leading a life comprising belief and good actions pleasing to Allah are felt in our earthly life and are also fully rewarded in the Hereafter.

 

Real Life Examples:

We know from the lives of some great personalities how it is possible to transform the lives of others through philanthropy and acts of generosity. Many people and their foundations have built facilities such as schools, water wells and roads for the benefit of mankind. If they built them truly in the Service of Allah, then they will fully benefit in the Hereafter with the Attribute of Ar-Rahimu together with the Attribute of Ar-Rahmanu.

 

Points to Ponder:

We all need to reflect deeply and ask ourselves, “Are the good deeds we do in our earthly life done selflessly, or done only to promote ourselves?” Are your acts of kindness and generosity done in service of not only mankind but also in service of all creatures, including our environment?

 

What thoughts come to your mind and heart when you reflect on the these qualities of Allah? How do you approach nurturing these qualities in yourself and what challenges do you face in service of Allah?

 

This series is inspired by Dr Husein Khimjee’s book entitled The Attributes of God in the Monotheistic Faiths of Judeo-Christian and Islamic Traditions. Together, we have drawn valuable insights from his work. We appreciate Dr Khimjee’s dedication and active engagement with this project.

 

The Beautiful Attributes Examined

Click below to explore further:

Next Instalment: Al-Maliku and Al-Quddusu