MAGAZINE: EDITION NOVEMBER 2019
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The Attributes of Allah

Mubarak Mosque

The interior design of the mosque is unique amongst mosques of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. A beautiful adornment of the attributes of God Almighty decorate 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, and translated into English by Shahzad Ahmed and Zafir Mahmood Malik, Associate Editors of The Review of Religions.

The Bestower (Al-Wahhāb)

رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوْبَنَا بَعْدَ اِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَ هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ

‘Our Lord, let not our hearts become perverse after Thou hast guided us; and bestow on us mercy from Thyself; surely, Thou alone art the Bestower.’ [i]

The attribute الْوَهَّابُ – Al-Wahhāb – is derived from the Arabic root word  وَھَبَ(Wa-ha-ba) which means to grant someone without seeking anything in return. Another meaning of Al-Wahhāb is to bestow someone a gift. Thus, the attribute of Al-Wahhāb means that God Almighty has bestowed man with provisions and faculties from the very beginning. In relation to God Almighty granting His favours to whomever He pleases, we find a tradition of the Holy Prophet (sa) as follows:

عَن ابنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا،عَنْ النَّبِي قَالَ: ” مَثلُكُم وَمَثَلُ أَهلُ الْكِتَابَيْنِ، كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ استَأجَرَ أَجَرَاءَ، فَقَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِيْ مِنْ غُدْوَةَ إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ عَلَى قِيْرَاطٍ فَعَمِلَتِ الْيَهُودُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِي مِنْ نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ إِلَى صَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ عَلَى قِيْرَاطٍ فَعَمِلَتْ النَّصَارَى، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِيْ مِنَ الْعَصْرِ إِلَى أَنْ تَغِيْبَ الشَّمْسُ عَلَى قِيْرَاطَيْنِ؟ فَأَنْتُم هُمْ “، فَغَضِبَتِ الْيَهُوْدُ، وَالنَّصَارَى، فَقَالُوْا: مَا لَنَا أَكْثَرَ عَمَلاً، وَأَقَلَّ عَطَاءً قَالَ: «هَلْ نَقَصْتُكُم مِنْ حَقِّكُمْ» قَالُوْا: لَا، قَالَ: «فَذٰلِكَ، فَضْلِي أُوْتِيْهِ مَنْ أَشَاءُ»

‘Ibn ‘Umar has narrated that the Holy Prophet (sa) once said: ‘Your example and the example of the Jews and Christians is like the example of a man who employed some labourers and asked them, “Who will work for me from morning till midday for one Qirat?” The Jews accepted and carried out the work. He then asked, “Who will work for me from midday up to the ‘Asr prayer for one Qirat?” The Christians accepted and fulfilled the work. He then said, “Who will work for me from the ‘Asr till sunset for two Qirats?” You, (the followers of Prophet Muhammad (sa)) are the ones (who accepted this task). The Jews and the Christians expressed their displeasure at this and said, “Why should we work more and earn less?” Upon this he replied, “Have you not been bestowed your due rights?” They replied in the affirmative. He then said, “This is my grace and I bestow it upon whomever I please.”’[ii]

Gratitude for the Favours Bestowed by God Almighty

The Promised Messiah (as) has elaborated on this attribute of God’s by explaining, ‘Man is a weak creature. He can do nothing without the grace and mercy of Allah the Exalted. His very existence, and the means for his nourishment and sustenance are based entirely on the grace of Allah Almighty. Foolish is the one who prides himself on his own intellect or wisdom, or on his wealth and property, for all the aforementioned are a gift from Allah the Exalted.’ [iii]

The Promised Messiah (as) further stated:

‘God Almighty has not only blessed Muslims with the gift of reason, but has also graced them with the radiance and divine light of revelation. They should not tread the paths that dry logic and philosophers seek to lead them to.’[iv]

At  another instance the Promised Messiah (As has written: ‘If we abandon the faculties that Allah Almighty has blessed us with on account of His immense grace, so that they should rot, then we are invariably ungrateful for the favours of God. Hence, remember that if you leave your faculties and strength to hang idle and offer prayer, then such supplications will be of no benefit. For when we have failed to make use of the gift that has already been bestowed to us, how can we be expected to make good and beneficial use of another?’[v]


[i] The Holy Qur’an, 3:9.

[ii] Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al Ijaarah, Hadith No. 2268.

[iii] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat Vol.2  (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2019), 125.

[iv] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat Vol.1 (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2018), 65.

[v] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat Vol.1 (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2018), 127.


The All-Hearing (As-Samī‘)

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

‘And remember the time when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House, praying, ‘Our Lord, accept this from us; for Thou art All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’[i]

The attribute السَّمِيعُ As-Samī‘ – is derived from the Arabic root word سَمِعَ which means that he heard. Another meaning of this root word is that one was able to comprehend something through the faculty of their ears.

اَلسَّمِیْع is an attribute of God Almighty which means that He is All-Hearing.

According to the Arabic lexicon, Aqrab Al-Mawarid, سَمِعَ اللہُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَہٗ means اَجَابَ حَمْدَہٗ وَ تَقَبَّلَہُ (God Almighty responded to one’s praise and granted it acceptance.) 

The Holy Prophet (sa) has elaborated on the attribute of As-Samī‘ in the following tradition:

عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَكُنَّا إِذَا أَشْرَفْنَا عَلَى وَادٍ هَلَّلْنَا وَكَبَّرْنَا ارْتَفَعَتْ أَصْوَاتُنَا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ارْبَعُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ فَإِنَّكُمْ لَا تَدْعُونَ أَصَمَّ، وَلَا غَائِبًا، إِنَّهُ مَعَكُمْ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ قَرِيبٌ تَبَارَكَ اسْمُهُ وَتَعَالَى جَدُّهُ “

‘Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (ra) narrates: “We were once in the company of Allah’s Messenger (sa) and when we reached a valley, we began to loudly recite ‘there is none worthy of worship except Allah’ and ‘Allah is the greatest’. Upon this, the Holy Prophet (sa) stated, ‘O people! Lower your voices, for you are not calling out to one who is dead or absent. In fact, He is surely with you and He is all the All-Hearing and Ever Near.’”’[ii]

The Acceptance of Supplications

The Promised Messiah (as) relates, ‘Then, a long time afterwards, it so happened that the son of Nawab Sardar Muhammad Ali Khan, a nobleman of Malerkotla, fell seriously ill in Qadian, and his life was almost despaired of. He beseeched me for prayer. I retired to my Bait-ud-Du‘a’ [a room built for prayer in his home in Qadian] and prayed for him. After the prayer it became obvious as though his death had been decreed and that it was futile to pray at the time. Upon this I said, “Lord, if the prayer is not to be accepted, then I intercede that You may cure him for my sake.” These words escaped my lips but I was afterwards filled with remorse for having uttered them. Simultaneously, I received the revelation from God Almighty مَنْ ذَاالَّذِیٓ یَشْفَعُ عِنْدَہٗ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِہٖ, meaning: “Who can dare intercede without His permission?” I fell silent after hearing this revelation. Hardly a minute had passed before I received the following revelation: اِنَّکَ اَنْتَ الْمَجَاز meaning: “You are granted permission to intercede.” I then prayed fervently and I could feel that this time the prayer would not go unanswered. The boy started to recover that very day; indeed, at that very moment, and it was as if he had come out of his grave.’[iii]

On another occasion, the Promised Messiah (as) states,

‘I too have observed from personal experience that the effect of prayers far excels that of water and fire. In fact, nothing in the chain of natural causes is as gloriously potent as prayer.’[iv]


[i] The Holy Qur’an, 2:128.

[ii] Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Jihad, Hadith no. 2992.

[iii] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Haqiqatul-Wahi, Ruhani Khazain Vol. 22 (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2018), 109.

[iv] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Blessings of Prayer, Ruhani Khazain Vol. 6 (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2007), 18.


The Benignant (Al-Latif)

اللَّهُ لَطِيفٌ بِعِبَادِهِ يَرْزُقُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْقَوِيُّ الْعَزِيزُ

‘Allah is Benignant to His servants. He provides for whom He pleases. And He is the Powerful, the Mighty’.[i]

The attribute اللَّطِيفُ – Al-Latif – is derived from the Arabic root word لَطَفَ which means to treat someone benevolently and with kindness. According to the Arabic lexicon, Aqrab Al-Mawarid, لَطَفَ الشَّیْئُ means to draw closer. Moreover, the word entails opposite meanings, thus it means both for something to become smaller and finer, as well as for it to become large and dense.  In regards to this attribute, Hazrat Abu Hurrairahra relates the following hadith [oral tradition] of the Holy Prophet (sa):

عَنْ اَبِیْ ھُرَیْرَۃَ اَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰہِ ﷺ قَالَ اِنَّ لِلّٰہِ تِسْعَۃً وَّ تِسْعِیْنَ اِسْمًا مِائَۃً اِلَّا وَاحِدًا اِنَّہُ وِتْرٌ یُحِبُّ الْوِتْرَ مَنْ حَفِظَھَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّۃَ وَھِیَ اللّٰہُ ۔۔۔۔اَللَّطِیْفُ۔۔۔ اَلْحَکِیْمُ۔۔۔۔

The Holy Prophet (sa) stated, ‘Allah the Almighty has ninety-nine names. He is Vitr and loves Vitr[ii]. Whoever commits these names to memory shall enter paradise. The names are as follows: Allah…Al-Latif…Al-Hakim…’[iii]

Eyes Cannot Reach Him

The Promised Messiah (as) states, ‘…the Being of God Almighty is Hidden beyond the hidden, Unseen beyond the unseen, and Transcendent beyond the transcendent. No intelligence can discover Him as He Himself says:

لَاتُدْرِکُہُ الْاَ بْصَارُ وَھُوَ یُدْرِکُ الْاَبْصَارَ

That is, no eyesight and no insight can find Him. He knows the ultimate extent of their reach and is Dominant over them.

Hence, the understanding of His tauhid [unity] is impossible through reason alone; for, the essence of tauhid is that just as one shuns the false extrinsic deities – i.e., gives up worshipping idols, humans, the sun, the moon etc. – so should one avoid the false intrinsic deities; i.e., he should safeguard himself from relying on his physical and spiritual abilities and being captivated by the curse of conceit that arises from them.

It is thus clear that perfect tauhid is not attainable except through self-abnegation and obedient submission to the Messengersa. How can a person be called a muwahhid – [a believer in the One God] – if he considers any of his own faculties to be at par with God the Maker?’[iv]


[i] The Holy Qur’an, 42:20.

[ii] That is, God Almighty is one and thus possesses an uneven number and similarly He loves that which is also Vitr, that is, unique and uneven or odd in number.   

[iii] Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab-ul-Dua, Hadith No. 3861.

[iv] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Haqiqatul-Wahi, Ruhani Khazain Vol. 22 (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2018), 174-175.


The All-Knowing (Al-Khabir)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

‘O ye who believe! fear Allah; and let every soul look to what it sends forth for the morrow. And fear Allah; verily Allah is Well-Aware of what you do.’[i]

The attribute of الخبیر is derived from the Arabic root word, خَبُرَ (kha-bu-ra). According to the Arabic lexicon, خَبُرَالشَّیَٔ  means to reach the depth and true reality of something. Another meaning is to inform someone about something. This particular attribute has been elaborated in the following tradition of the Holy Prophet (sa):

أَخْبَرَنِي عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي رَافِعٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، يَقُولُ: بَعَثَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَا وَالزُّبَيْرَ، وَالمِقْدَادَ بْنَ الأَسْوَدِ، قَالَ: انْطَلِقُوا حَتَّى تَأْتُوا رَوْضَةَ خَاخٍ، فَإِنَّ بِهَا ظَعِينَةً، وَمَعَهَا كِتَابٌ فَخُذُوهُ مِنْهَا، فَانْطَلَقْنَا تَعَادَى بِنَا خَيْلُنَا حَتَّى انْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى الرَّوْضَةِ، فَإِذَا نَحْنُ بِالظَّعِينَةِ، فَقُلْنَا أَخْرِجِي الكِتَابَ، فَقَالَتْ: مَا مَعِي مِنْ كِتَابٍ، فَقُلْنَا: لَتُخْرِجِنَّ الكِتَابَ أَوْ لَنُلْقِيَنَّ الثِّيَابَ، فَأَخْرَجَتْهُ مِنْ عِقَاصِهَا، فَأَتَيْنَا بِهِ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَإِذَا فِيهِ مِنْ حَاطِبِ بْنِ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ إِلَى أُنَاسٍ مِنَ المُشْرِكِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ يُخْبِرُهُمْ بِبَعْضِ أَمْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: يَا حَاطِبُ مَا هَذَا؟، قَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، لاَ تَعْجَلْ عَلَيَّ إِنِّي كُنْتُ امْرَأً مُلْصَقًا فِي قُرَيْشٍ، وَلَمْ أَكُنْ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهَا، وَكَانَ مَنْ مَعَكَ مِنَ المُهَاجِرِينَ لَهُمْ قَرَابَاتٌ بِمَكَّةَ يَحْمُونَ بِهَا أَهْلِيهِمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ، فَأَحْبَبْتُ إِذْ فَاتَنِي ذَلِكَ مِنَ النَّسَبِ فِيهِمْ، أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ عِنْدَهُمْ يَدًا يَحْمُونَ بِهَا قَرَابَتِي، وَمَا فَعَلْتُ كُفْرًا وَلاَ ارْتِدَادًا، وَلاَ رِضًا بِالكُفْرِ بَعْدَ الإِسْلاَمِ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَقَدْ صَدَقَكُمْ، قَالَ عُمَرُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ دَعْنِي أَضْرِبْ عُنُقَ هَذَا المُنَافِقِ، قَالَ: ” إِنَّهُ قَدْ شَهِدَ بَدْرًا، وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اطَّلَعَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ فَقَالَ: اعْمَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَكُمْ “،

Hazrat Ali (ra) relates, ‘The Holy Prophet (sa) sent Zubair, Miqdad bin Aswad and myself with the instruction that we must go and when we reached a place called Rawdah Khakh [which is situated approximately 12 miles from Madinah], there we would find an elderly woman on a camel and she would have a letter which we must take from her. Thus, we departed with our horses galloping at full speed. When we reached Rawdah Khakh we saw that indeed there was an elderly woman on a camel. We asked her to produce the letter and she replied that she did not have any letter. We then said that she would show us the letter otherwise we would have to remove her clothes to find it. Upon this she took out the letter from the bun of her hair and we took that letter back to the Holy Prophet (sa). When it was opened, we learnt that it was from Hatib (ra) bin Abi Baltah addressed to some of the idolaters of Makkah, informing them of certain confidential matters of the Holy Prophet (sa). The Holy Prophet (sa) summoned Hatib (ra) bin Abi Baltah and enquired regarding this matter. He replied, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, do not make haste in your decision regarding me. I was a man who came and joined the Quraish. I am not from among them, whereas the other muhajireen [those Companions (ra) who migrated from Makkah to Madinah] who are with you have relatives in Makkah through whom they have been able to safeguard their possessions and wealth. It was my desire to confer a favour upon someone in Makkah as I have no relatives there, so perhaps as a result of this favour they might take care of me and I did not do so out of disbelief or apostasy because after accepting Islam I could never desire to return to disbelief.” When the Holy Prophet (sa) heard this, he said that he had indeed spoken the truth. Hazrat Umar (ra) who was present at the time said, “O Messenger (sa) of Allah, allow me to kill this hypocrite.” The Holy Prophet (sa) stated, “This man fought in the Battle of Badr; little do you know that God Almighty has already witnessed the state of affairs of the people of Badr and has stated that they are free to do as they please for He has forgiven them.”’[ii]

The Paper has Been Declared Supreme!

The Promised Messiah (as) relates how he penned The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, one of his masterworks, which illustrates this attribute of Allah: ‘Once a Hindu gentleman whose name I do not recall [iii] came to see me in Qadian. He said he wanted to convene a religious conference [iv] and requested me to write an article about the beauties of my religion to be read out at the conference. At first, I demurred but he insisted that I must write. I know that I cannot do anything on my own strength – indeed, I do not have any strength at all. I can’t speak unless God makes me speak, nor can I see anything unless He makes me see. I, therefore, prayed to God that He may reveal to me a discourse that may triumph over all the speeches of that conference. After this supplication, I found that a strength had been breathed into me. I felt in me a stirring of this heavenly power.

My friends who were present at the time know that I did not write any preliminary draft of this discourse. Whatever I wrote, I wrote extempore. And I was writing with such speed and haste that the copyist found it hard to keep pace with me. When I finished writing the discourse, I received this revelation from God Almighty:

مضمون بالا رہا

“The paper has been declared supreme.”

Thus, when that dissertation was read out in that conference, the audience was in an ecstasy while it was being read out and applause was heard from every direction, so much so that the Hindu gentleman who presided over the conference could not help exclaiming[v], ‘This paper has been declared supreme over all others!’

An English newspaper, the Civil and Military Gazette, which is published from Lahore, also published its testimony that the paper transcended all others. About twenty Urdu newspapers also gave the same testimony.’[vi]


[i] The Holy Qur’an, 59:19.

[ii] Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Jihad, Hadith No. 3007.

[iii] I now recall; his name was Swami Shugan Chandar. (Author)

[iv] The name advertised for this conference was Dharam Mahotso Jalsa-e-‘Azam Mazahib [Conference of Great Religions]. (Author)

[v] Since the paper dealt with all aspects of the five advertised questions, the time allotted for it was not sufficient to read it completely. Therefore at the heartfelt insistence of the audience the meeting was extended by one day. This was also an indication of its general approval. (Author)

[vi] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Haqiqatul-Wahi, Ruhani Khaza’in Vol. 22 (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2018), 354-355.


The Forbearing (Al-Halim)

لَا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللّٰهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِيْۤ اَيْمَانِكُمْ وَ لٰكِنْ يُّؤَاخِذُكُمْ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ قُلُوْبُكُمْ وَ اللّٰهُ غَفُوْرٌ حَلِيْمٌ

‘Allah will not call you to account for such of your oaths as are vain, but He will call you to account for what your hearts have earned. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Forbearing.’[i]

The attribute الْحَلِیم – Al-Halim – is derived from the Arabic root word حَلُمَ. According to the Arabic lexicon Aqrab Al-Mawarid, حَلُمَ means to overlook and conceal one’s fault or weakness and one who possesses such a quality is known as حلیم. The Holy Prophet (sa) has mentioned this attribute in one of his sayings,

عَنْ اَبِی مُوْسٰی رَضِیَ اللّٰہُ عَنْہُ، عَنِ النَّبِیِّ ﷺ قَالَ: لَیْسَ أَحَدٌ۔ أَوْ لَیْسَ شَیْئٌ۔ أَصْبَرَ عَلَی أَذًی سَمِعَہُ مِنَ اللّٰہِ، اِنَّھُمْ لَیَدْعُوْنَ لَہُ وَلَدًا، وَاِنَّہُ لَیُعَافِیْھِمْ وَیَرْزُقُھُمْ۔

Hazrat Abu Musa (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (sa) stated, ‘None is more patient than Allah against hearing something hurtful and unpleasant, for people claim He has children and yet He forgives them and grants them provisions.’[ii]

The Veiling of Faults

The Promised Messiah (as) states:

‘The nature of God Almighty in concealing the faults of man is such that despite Him witnessing the sins and faults of human beings, in view of this divine attribute of His, He continues to veil their evil deeds so long as they do not surpass the bounds of moderation. Man on the other hand, does not even find any real fault in another and begins to raise a clamour. The fact of the matter is that man has little patience, whereas the being of God Almighty is forbearing and merciful. A wrongdoing person will even wrong their own soul. At times, they will lose full sight of the forbearance of God Almighty and as a result, become brazen. It is then that the divine attribute of retribution begins to operate and seizes such a man. The Hindus say that Parmeshwar is averse to ‘att’, i.e., a thing that is beyond the bounds; that is to say, God dislikes a thing that is in transgression of the limits. However, despite all this, God is so Merciful and Generous that even if a person is steeped in such a state, if they fall at the divine threshold with extreme humility and lowliness, He turns to such a one with His glance of mercy. In short, just as Allah the Exalted does not immediately take note of our faults, and saves us from disgrace through the blessing of His attribute of veiling faults, we too should not be quick to open our mouths if we notice a fault in someone else, which if disclosed, could cause them dishonour and disgrace.’[iii]


[i] The Holy Qur’an, 2:226.

[ii] Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Adab, Hadith No. 6099.

[iii] Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Malfuzat Vol. 1 (Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publication Ltd., 2019), 20-21.