MAGAZINE: EDITION SEPTEMBER 2019
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The Attributes Of Allah

Mubarak Mosque
© Makhzan-e-Tasaweer

The interior design of the Mubarak Mosque, Islamabad, Tilford, in the UK is unique amongst mosques of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. A beautiful adornment of the attributes of God Almighty decorates the walls of the mosque.  

His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba), the Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, granted special guidance in all the various phases of the construction of the mosque as well as the calligraphy produced inside it. His Holiness(aba) said that the attributes will serve as a means of inspiring the worshippers to reflect and ponder over the meanings of each attribute. The Review of Religions continues with its exclusive new series in which a short commentary of each attribute has been detailed.

The calligraphy was designed by expert calligrapher Razwan Baig. This research has been compiled by the Research Cell Rabwah through Syed Mubashar Ahmad Ayyaz. The translation into English has been done by Shahzad Ahmed and Zafir Mahmood Malik, Associate Editors of The Review of Religions.

السَّلَامُ The Source of Peace (As-Salām)

هُوَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

He is Allah, and there is no God beside Him, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Bestower of Security, the Protector, the Mighty, the Subduer, the Exalted. Holy is Allah far above that which they associate with Him.[i]

The attribute of As-Salām السَّلَامُ is derived from the Arabic root word Sa-La-Ma سَلَمَ  and is one of the attributes of God Almighty. The attribute of As-Salām is that God Almighty is free from all sorts of defects, flaws and shortcomings. [ii] Furthermore His Being is everlasting. This attribute has been further elaborated on by the Holy Prophet(sa) in the following tradition recorded in Jami’ Tirmidhi:

حَدَّثَنِیْ ثَوْبَانُ مَوْلٰی رَسُوْلِ اللّٰہِ ﷺ قَالَ: کَانَ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰہِ ﷺ اِذَا اَرَادَ اَنْ یَنْصَرِفَ مِنْ صَلَاتِہِ اِسْتَغْفَرَ اللّٰہَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: اَللّٰھُمَّ اَنْتَ السَّلَامُ وَمِنْکَ السَّلَامُ، تَبَارَکْتَ یَا ذَاالْجَلَالِ وَالْاِکْرَامِ

It is narrated by Thauban, the freed slave of the Holy Prophet(sa) that ‘when the Holy Prophet(sa) would complete his prayer, he would recite Istighfar [prayer for forgiveness] three times and would recite the following prayer: Allahumma Antas-Salam, wa minkas-salam, tabarakta ya dhal-jalali wal-Ikram – “O Allah! You are the One free from all defects and perfection is from you. Blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour.”’[iii]

The Prince of Peace – The Messiah of the Latter Days

One of the names bestowed by God Almighty on the Promised Messiah(as) was ‘The Prince of Peace.’[iv]

Further elaborating on the attribute of As-Salām, the Promised Messiah(as) writes: ‘السَّلَامُ – That is, He is the Source of Peace, that is to say, He is safeguarded against all defects, and misfortunes, and hardships, and provides security for all. If He had been liable to being afflicted with misfortunes, or to be killed by His people, or could have been frustrated in His designs, how could the hearts of people in such cases have been comforted by the conviction that he would deliver them from misfortunes?’[v]

Endnotes

[i] The Holy Qur’an, al-Hashr: 24

[ii] Lisan al-Arab

[iii] Jami’ Tirmidhi, Kitab-us-Salat, Hadith no. 300

[iv] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), Tadhkirah, p. 1061

[v] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), The Philosophy of Divine Revelation, Ruhani Khaza’in Vol. 10, p. 374

الْمُؤْمِنُ The Bestower of Security (Al-Mu’min)

هُوَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

He is Allah, and there is no God beside Him, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Bestower of Security, the Protector, the Mighty, the Subduer, the Exalted. Holy is Allah far above that which they associate with Him.[i]

The attribute of Al-Mu’min الْمُؤْمِنُ is derived from the word اَلْاَمْنُ which means the One who bestows peace and security and is the antonym of ‘fear’. According to the Arabic Lexicon, Lisan al-Arab, another meaning of Al-Mu’min is Al-Musaddiq المُصَدِّقُ which means the Being Who fulfils the promises He has made with His creation.[ii] In reference to this attribute, the Holy Prophet(sa) said:

عَنْ فَضَالَۃَ بْنِ عُبَیْدٍ، عَنِ النَّبِیِّ ﷺ اَنَّہُ قَالَ: اَلْعَبْدُ آمِنٌ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللّٰہِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مَا اسْتَغْفَرَ اللّٰہَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ۔

Hazrat Faddalah bin Ubaid(ra) relates that the Holy Prophet(sa) stated: ‘One will remain protected from the punishment of God Almighty until he constantly seeks forgiveness from God.’[iii]

Al-Mu’min – An Everlasting Citadel of Peace

‘O Europe! You are not safe! And O Asia! Neither are you secure! And O the dwellers of Islands! No artificial ‘God’ will come to your aid. I see cities falling and habitations in ruin. That One and Unique God remained silent for a long time. Abominations were committed before His eyes and still, He remained silent. But now He shall reveal His countenance in an awe-striking manner. Let him who has ears hear that the Hour is not far. I strived to bring everyone under the protection of God, but the ordained decrees had to be fulfilled. I say it true. that this country’s turn is also drawing near. The age of Noah shall appear before your eyes, and you will witness with your own eyes the incident of the land of Lot. But God is slow to [show] wrath. Repent so that you are shown mercy. He who abandons God is a worm, not a man; and he who does not fear Him is dead, not alive.’[iv]

Endnotes

[i] The Holy Qur’an, 59:24

[ii] Lisan al-Arab

[iii] The Holy Qur’an, al-Hashr: 24

[iv] Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Hadith no. 24453

[v] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), The Philosophy of Divine Revelation, Ruhani Khazain Vol. 10, p. 373

الْمُهَيْمِنُ The Protector (Al-Muhaymin)

هُوَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

He is Allah, and there is no God beside Him, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Bestower of Security, the Protector, the Mighty, the Subduer, the Exalted. Holy is Allah far above that which they associate with Him.[i]

The attribute of Al-Muhaymin الْمُهَيْمِنُ is an attribute of God Almighty and means the Being who grants peace and security as well as Guardian. It is said that God Almighty oversees the actions of His creation and also provides for them. Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar(ra) relates that he saw the Holy Prophet(sa) standing on the pulpit, narrating a Hadith-e-Qudsi[ii], in which he said: ‘On the Day of Judgement, God Almighty will encircle the seven heavens and the earth’s like thereof (the narrator states that the Holy Prophet(sa) depicted this by firmly clenching his fist). Thereafter, God Almighty shall proclaim, “I am Allah; I am the Gracious One; I am the Master; I am the Holy One; I am the Source of Peace; I am the Protector, the Mighty, the Subduer, the Exalted. I was the One who created the Earth out of nothing and I am the One who shall return it to its original state. Where are the kings and leaders of the earth?”’[iii]

Al-Muhaymin – The Governance of God

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ 

 Meaning: ‘The believers are those who are watchful of their trusts and covenants.’ That is to say, in discharging trusts and fulfilling covenants they spare no effort in exercising righteousness and watchfulness. This is an indication that man and all his faculties – the vision of his eyes, the hearing of his ears, the speech of his tongue, and the strength of his hands and feet – are all trusts committed to him by God Almighty, and He can take His trusts back whenever He so wills. Being watchful of these trusts means devoting the self and all its faculties, and the body and all its faculties and organs, to the service of God Almighty while observing all the subtlest requirements of righteousness as if all of these things belong not to him, but to God, and the movement and operation of all these faculties and organs is not directed by his desire, but by the will of God – nothing of his own will should remain; rather, the will of God should work through them. His self should be in the hand of God Almighty like a corpse is in the hand of the living. He should dispossess himself of his volition and complete control of God Almighty should be established over his being, so much so, that by Him should he see, and by Him should he hear, and by Him should he speak, and by Him should he move or stop. The minutest impurities of the ego, which cannot be observed even with a microscope, should be removed, leaving only the spirit.  He would deliver them from misfortunes?’[iv]

Endnotes

[i] The Holy Qur’an, 59:24

[ii] Hadith-e-Qudsi is a saying of the Holy Prophet(sa) in which he ascribes a word or act to God Almighty, saying that God had commanded him thus. Such a statement is other than the Qur’anic revelation.

[iii] Tarikh Baghdad, Vol. 5, p. 355

[iv] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Vol.5, Ruhani Khazain Vol. 21, p.239-241

الْعَزِيزُ The Mighty (Al-Aziz)

هُوَ اللّٰهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

He is Allah, and there is no God beside Him, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Bestower of Security, the Protector, the Mighty, the Subduer, the Exalted. Holy is Allah far above that which they associate with Him.[i]

Al-‘Azīz الْعَزِيزُ is an attribute of God Almighty. The Arabic grammarian Zajaaj states that Al-‘Azīz refers to that Being Who cannot be reached, nor can anyone or anything overpower Him. It is also said that Al-‘Azīz is that Being Who has no equal. In relation to this attribute, there is a prayer offered by the Holy Prophet(sa). Hazrat Buraidah(ra) narrates that the Holy Prophet(sa) said, ‘One ought to supplicate in the following manner: “O Allah! I am weak, bestow upon me strength from Your Divine Will and grant me good fortune, for I have no worth, grant me honour; I am of humble means, grant me provisions.”’[ii]

Al-‘Azīz: The Bestower of Honour

Allah is the Mighty, the Wise,

This aforementioned declaration, i.e. عَزِیْزًا حَکِیْمًا alludes to the fact that God Almighty grants honour to whomsoever He pleases and safeguards the honour of His chosen ones through His infinite and profound wisdom. No scheme of the evildoers can harm God’s chosen servants, just as the evil ploys hatched against Jesus(as) could do no harm to his lofty status. On the contrary, God Almighty raised him in honour and elevated his status, and annihilated those who schemed to destroy him.[iii]

Endnotes

[i] The Holy Qur’an, 59:24

[ii] Mustadrak Al’a Al Sahihain, Hadith no. 1931

[iii] Hazrat Mizra Ghulam Ahmad(as), Hamamatul Bushra, Ruhani Khaza’in Vol.7, pp. 257-258, Footnote.

الْجَبَّارُ The Subduer (Al-Jabbār)

هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْجَبَّارُ

He is Allah, and there is no God beside Him, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Protector, the Subduer.[i]

Al-Jabbār الْجَبَّارُ is an attribute of God Almighty which is derived from the root word Ja-Ba-Ra جَبَرَ  . One of the meanings of Al-Jabbār is to bring about reformation. According to the Arabic lexicon, Aqrab-ul-Mawarid, another meaning is the one who restores that which is broken. Expanding on this meaning, we find a tradition of the Holy Prophet(sa) in which he stated:

عِنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ اَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰہِ ﷺ قَرَئَ ھَذِہِ الْاٰیَۃَ ذَاتَ یَوْمٍ عَلَی الْمِنْبَرِ وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللّٰہَ حَقَّ قَدْرِہِ وَالْاَرْضُ جَمِیْعًا قَبْضَتُہٗ یَوْمَ الْقِیَامَۃِ وَالسَّمٰوَاتُ مَطْوِیَّاتٌ بِیَمِیْنِہِ سُبْحَانَہُ وَتَعَالٰی عَمَّا یُشْرِکُوْنَ وَرَسُوْلُ اللّٰہِ ﷺ یَقُوْلُ ھَکَذَا بِیَدِہِ وَیُحَرِّکُھَا یُقْبِلُ بِھَا وَ یُدْبِرُ یُمَجِّدُ الرَّبُّ نَفْسَہُ اَنَا الْجَبَّارُ اَنَا الْمُتَکَبِّرُ اَنَا الْمَلِکُ اَنَا الْعَزِیْزُ اَنَا الْکَرِیْمُ فَرَجَفَ بِرَسُوْلِ اللّٰہِ ﷺ الْمِنْبَرُ حَتّٰی قُلْنَا لَیَخِرَّنَّ بِہِ

Hazrat Ibn-e-Umar(ra) narrates that the Holy Prophet(sa) recited the following verse whilst standing at his pulpit: ‘And they do not esteem Allah, with the esteem that is due to Him. And the whole earth will be but His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand. Glory to Him and exalted is He above that which they associate with Him.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 39:68) Whilst gripping the pulpit firmly and moving his hands back and forth, the Holy Prophet(sa) explained: “God Almighty proclaims His attributes and stated, ‘I am the Subduer, I am the Exalted One, I am the Sovereign, I am the Mighty and the most Honourable.’”’

The narrator stated that the Holy Prophet’s(sa) hands were moving in such a manner that we feared the pulpit, along with the Holy Prophetsa, would fall.[ii]

Deliverance from Sin

‘Man can only find sanctuary from sin when he comes to know with certainty of God’s might, punishment and reward. The root cause of all insolence is ignorance. Anyone who partakes of insight that is certain in nature cannot remain insolent. If a homeowner comes to know that a terrible flood is surging towards him, or if his property is encircled by a fire and only a small opening remains, then such a person would never remain there. How then can you claim to possess certainty in the punishment and reward of God and yet continue to remain in your terrible state? So open your eyes and look upon the Law of God that governs the entire world. Do not behave like rats who are attracted to the depths of darkness, rather, become soaring pigeons who are drawn to the sky.’ [iii]

Endnotes

[i] The Holy Qur’an, al-Hashr: 24

[ii] Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. 2, p.392, Hadith No.5414

[iii] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), Kashti-e-Nuh, Ruhani Khazain Vol. 19, p.68