Allah's Attributes (Qualities)

ALLAH’S ATTRIBUTES ( QUALITIES)

1:1- Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful. 19

See: 1:3, 2:163, 41:2 etc.

19 The Arabic words "Rahman" and "Rahim" translated "Most Gracious" and "Most Merciful" are both intensive forms referring to different aspects of God's attribute of Mercy. The Arabic intensive is more suited to express God's attributes than the superlative degree in English. The latter implies a comparison with other beings, or with other times or places, while there is no being like unto God, and He is independent of Time and Place. Mercy may imply pity, long-suffering, patience, and forgiveness, all of which the sinner needs and God Most Merciful bestows in abundant measure. But there is a Mercy that goes before even the need arises, the Grace which is ever watchful, and flows from God Most Gracious to all His creatures, protecting the, preserving them, guiding them, and leading them to clearer light and higher life. For this reason the attribute Rahman (Most Gracious) is not applied to any but God, but the attribute Rahim (Merciful), is a general term, and may also be applied to Men. To make us contemplate these boundless gifts of God, the formula: "In the name of God Most Gracious, Most Merciful": isplaced before every Sura of the Qur-an (except the ninth), and repeated at the beginning of every act by the Muslim who dedicates his life to God, and whose hope is in His Mercy. (1.1)

1:2 - Allah the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds. 20

See: 7:54, 10:10 etc

20 The Arabic word Rabb, usually translated Lord, has also the meaning of cherishing, sustaining, bringing to maturity. God cares for all the worlds He has created. (1.2)

2:37 - He is Oft-Returning Most Merciful. 55

See: 2:54, 2:160, 4:16, 4:64, 9:104, 9:118, 49:12 etc.

55 As "names" in verse 31 above is used for the "nature of things", so "words" here mean "inspiration" "spiritual knowledge". The Arabic word used for "learn" here implies some effort on his part to which God's Grace responded. (2.37)

2:105 - Allah is Lord of grace abounding.

2:131 - Lord and Cherisher of the universe."

See: 7:61.67 etc.

2:143 - Full of kindness Most Merciful. 142 143

See: 9:117, 59:10 etc

2:173 - Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful. 173 174

See: 2:182.192.199.218.225.226.235; 3:129.89.155; 4:23.25. 96.100.106.110.129.152; 5:4.37.42.77.101.104.; 6:54.145.165.; 7:153.167; 8:69.70; 9:5.27.91.99.102; 10:107; 14:36; 15:49; 16:18.110.115.119; 24:5.22.33.62; 25:6.70; 27:11; 28:16; 33:5.25.50.73; 34:2; 39:53; 41:32; 42:5; 46:8; 48:14; 49:5.14; 57:28; 58:12; 60:7.12; 64:14; 66:1; 67:2; 73:20. Etc.

2:163 - And your Allah is one Allah; there is no god but He Most Gracious Most Merciful. 165

2:207 - Allah is full of kindness to (His) devotees. 229

229 This second type of man, - firm, sincere, devoted, willing to give his life for the faith that is in him - was common in early Islam. Such men were its pillars. Through persecution, obloquy, torture, threat to their own lives or the lives of those dear to them, they stood by their leader, and many of them gave their lives. That is what established Islam. We are asked in the next verse to follow this type and shun the other or evil type. If we do that, our Cause is safe. (2.207)

2:209 - Allah is Exalted in Power Wise. 230

See: 2:228.240.260; 3:62; 4:56.158.165; 5:121; 9:71. Etc

230 If you backslide after the conviction has been brought home to you, you may cause some inconvenience to the Cause, or to those who counted upon you, but do not be so arrogant as to suppose that you will defeat God's Power and Wisdom. The loss will be your own. (2.209)

2:255 - Allah! there is no Allah but He the living the Self-subsisting Eternal.

2:263 - Allah is free of all wants and he is Most Forbearing. 309

309 - If we spend in the way of God, it is not as if God was in need of our charity. On the contrary our short-comings are so great that we require His utmost forbearance before any good that we can do can merit His praise or reward. Our motives are so mixed that our best may really be very poor if judged by a very strict standard. (2.263)

:2:267 - Allah is free of all wants and worthy of all praise. 314 315 316 317

317 To dedicate tainted things to God is a dishonor to God, Who is independent of all wants, and Who is worthy of all honor and praise. (2.267)

3:30 - Allah is full of kindness to those that serve Him.

3:74 - Allah is the Lord of bounties unbounded.

See: 3:174.

3:76 - Allah loves those who act aright.

3:126 - Allah the Exalted the Wise. 447

447 Whatever happens, whether there is a miracle or not, all help proceeds from Allah. Man should not be so arrogant as to suppose that his own resources will change the current of the world plan. Allah helps those who show constancy, courage, and discipline, and use all the human means at their disposal, not those who fold their hands and have no faith. But Allah's help is determined on considerations exalted far above our petty human motive, and by perfect wisdoms, of which we can have only faint glimpses. (3.126)

3:146 - Allah loves those who are firm and steadfast.

3:148 - Allah loveth those who do good.

See: 5:96.

3:150 - Nay Allah is your Protector and He is the best of helpers.

3:152 - Allah is full of grace to those who believe. 462 463

3:159 - Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him). 471

4:32 - Allah hath full knowledge of all things. 542

See: 4:176; 6:101; 9:115; 32:40; 48:26; 57:3; 58:7.

4:35 - Allah hath full knowledge and is acquainted with all things. 549

See: 31:34; 49:13.

4:92 - llah hath all knowledge and all wisdom. 611

4:104 - Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. 620

See: 4:111; 9:60; 12:6; 22:52; 24:58.59; 29:62; 48:4; 49:8; 66:2;

4:139 - Nay all honor is with Allah. 648

648 If the motive is some advantage, some honour,-the fountain of all good is Allah. How can it really be expected from those who deny Faith? And if there is some show of worldly honour, what is it worth against the contempt they earn in the next world? (4.139)

5:28 - - Allah the Cherisher of the worlds.

See: 6:45.162; 81:29 etc.

5:38 - Allah is Exalted in Power. 742

6:18 - He is the Wise acquainted with all things."

See: 11:1

6:83 - Thy Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge. 902

See: 6:128.139; 60:10.

6:96 - Exalted in Power the Omniscient. 921

8:29 - Allah is the Lord of grace unbounded. 1202

See: 57:21.29.

9:129 - He the Lord of the Throne (Of Glory) Supreme! 1380

See: 23:86

1380 But if the Message is rejected, he still proclaims the burning Faith of his heart, which is unquenchable. Allah is sufficient to all. To trust Him is to find the accomplishment of all spiritual desire. His grandeur is figured by a lofty Throne, supreme in glory! Thus have we been led, through a notable incident in Al-Mustafa's earthly career, to truths of the highest spiritual import. (9.129)

11:90 - My Lord is indeed Full of mercy and loving-kindness."

13:9 - He is the Great the Most High. 1814

13:16 - He is the One the Supreme and Irresistible." 1828 1829 1830

See: 38:65

14:1 - Exalted in Power Worthy of all Praise! 1870 1871

1871 In this and the next verse where the sentence is completed, three qualities of Allah are mentioned, viz., (1) His exalted position above all Creation; (2) His goodness, which entitles Him, and Him alone, to Praise- and (3) His Power in all heaven and earth. Thus He stands in no need of man's worship; His goodness is all for the good of man (and His creatures); and His control over His creatures is complete; so He can carry out His Will and Plan. (14.1)

14:4 - He is Exalted in power Full of Wisdom. 1874 1875

See: 16:60; 31:27; 35:2; 55:37; 56:2; 39:1.

14:8 - Allah Free of all wants Worthy of all praise. 1880 1881

See: 57:24; 60:6.

15:25 - He is Perfect in Wisdom and Knowledge.

16:7 - Most Kind Most Merciful. 2026

See: 22:65

17:44 - He is Oft- Forbearing Most Forgiving! 2229

17:66 - He is unto you Most Merciful. 2261

18:44 - He is the Best to reward and the Best to give success. 2385

2385 All else is vanity, uncertainty, the sport of Time. The only hope or truth is from Allah. Other rewards and other successes are illusory: the best Reward and the best Success come from Allah. (18.44)

23:116 - He the Lord of the Throne of Honor!

24:10 - Allah is Oft-Returning Full of Wisdom

See: 24:18

24:35 - Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.

26:9 - And verily thy Lord is He the Exalted in Might Most Merciful. 3143

See”: 26: 69. 109.122.140.159.175.191.; 30:5; 36:5.

3143 One Who is able to carry out all His Will and Plans. See n. 2818 to xxii. 40. (26.9)

26:77- Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds; 3177

See: 37:182

26:192 - Lord of the Worlds: 3223

See: 27:8; 28:30; 32:2; 40:64.65.66; 59:16; 83:6.

28:88 - To him belongs the Command and to him will ye (all) be brought back. 3421

30:27 - Exalted in Might Full of Wisdom. 3533 3534

See: 40:8; 64:18.

31:30 - He is the Most High Most Great. 3619

See: 34:23; 42:4

3619 Cf. xxii. 62 and note 2842 and 2843. All the wonderful complexities, gradations, and nuances, that we find in Creation, are yet blended in one harmonious whole, that obeys Law and exemplifies Order. They therefore point to the One True God. He is the only Eternal Reality. Anything put up in competition or equality with Him is only Falsehood. For He is higher and greater than anything we can imagine. (31.30)

33:43 - He is Full of Mercy to the Believers. 3732 3733

3733 His Mercies are for all His creatures, but for those who believe and trust in Him, there are special mercies, "a generous Reward" as in the next verse. (33.43)

34:1 - He is Full of Wisdom acquainted with all things. 3785

36:38 - Exalted in Might the All-Knowing. 3983

40:2 - Allah Exalted in Power Full of Knowledge 4357

40:16 - Allah the One the Irresistible! 4379

41:12 - Exalted in Might Full of knowledge. 4477 4478

41:42 - One Full of Wisdom Worthy of all Praise. 4514

42:51 - He is Most High Most Wise. 4597 4598 4599 4600

52:28 -- Beneficent the Merciful" 5062

5062 'Before this, we called upon Him, in faith that He is good: now we know in our inmost souls that He is indeed good-the Beneficent, the Merciful.' This is the climax of the description of Heaven. (52.28)

54:55 - Sovereign Omnipotent. 5169 5170 5171

55:1 - (Allah) Most Gracious!

55:78 - Thy Lord full of Majesty Bounty and Honor. 5221

57:9 - Allah is to you Most Kind and Merciful. 5284

59:22 - Allah is He than whom there is no other god Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He Most Gracious Most Merciful. 5400

59:23 - Allah is He than whom there is no other god the sovereign the Holy One the Source of Peace (and Perfection). The Guardian of Faith the Preserver of Safety the Exalted in Might the Irresistible the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (high is He) above the partners they attribute to Him. 5401 5402 5403 5404

59:24 - He is Allah the Creator the Evolver the Bestower of Forms (or colors). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: Whatever is in the heavens and on earth doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the exalted in Might the Wise. 5405 5406 5407 5408

62:1 - Allah the Sovereign the Holy One the Exalted in Might the Wise. 5449 5450

64:17 - Allah is most Ready to appreciate (service) Most Forbearing 5500 5501

5501 Cf. xiv. 5, n. 1877; and xxxv. 30, n. 3917. Allah's appreciation of our service or our love goes far deeper than its intrinsic merits or its specific expression on our side. His reward is beyond our deserts, and passes over out defects. He judges by our motives, which He can read through and through: see next verse. (64.17)

74:56 - Lord of Righteousness and the Lord of Forgiveness. 5808

82:6 - Thy Lord Most Beneficent?

96:3 - And thy Lord is Most Bountiful

110:3 - He is Oft-Returning (in Grace and Mercy). 6293

112:1 - He is Allah the One and Only; 6296 6297

6294 The nature of Allah is here indicated to us in a few words, such as we can understand. The qualities of Allah are described in numerous places elsewhere, e.g., in lix. 22-24, lxii. 1, and ii. 255. Here we are specially taught to avoid the pitfalls into which men and nations have fallen at various times in trying to understand Allah. The first thing we have to note is that His nature is so sublime, so far beyond our limited conceptions, that the best way in which we can realise Him is to feel that He is a Personality, "He", and not a mere abstract conception of philosophy. He is near us; He cares for us; we owe our existence to Him. Secondly, He is the One and Only God, the Only One to Whom worship is due; all other things or beings that we can think of are His creatures and in no way comparable to Him. Thirdly, He is Eternal, without beginning or end, Absolute, not limited by time or place or circumstance, the Reality. Fourthly, we must not think of Him as having a son or a father, for that would be to import animal qualities into our conception of Him. Fifthly, He is not like any other person orthing that we know or can imagine: His qualities and nature are unique. (112.1)

112:2 - Allah the Eternal Absolute; 6298

6298 Samad is difficult to translate by one word. I have used two, "Eternal" and "Absolute". The latter implies: (1) that absolute existence can only be predicated of Him; all other existence is temporal or conditional; (2) that He is dependent on no person or things, but all persons or things are dependent on Him, thus negativing the idea of gods and goddesses who ate and drank, wrangled and plotted, depended on the gifts of worshippers, etc. (112.2)

112:3 -He begetteth not nor is He begotten; 6299

6299 This is to negative the Christian idea of the godhead, "the Father", "the only-begotten Son" etc. (112.3)

112:4 - And there is none like unto Him. 6300

113:1 - Lord of the Dawn 6301

6301 In Allah's created world, there are all kinds of forces and counter-forces, especially those put in motion by beings who have been endowed with some sort of will. The forces of good may be compared to light, and those of evil to darkness. Allah can cleave the depths of darkness and produce light (vi. 96), and therefore we should cast off fear and take refuge in divine guidance and goodness. (113.1)

6302 Falaq is the Dawn or Daybreak, the cleaving of darkness and the manifestation of light. This may be understood in various senses: (1) literally, when the darkness of the night is at its worst, rays of light pierce through and produce the dawn; (2) when the darkness of ignorance is at its worst, the light of Allah pierces through the soul and gives it enlightenment: xxiv. 35; (3) non-existence is darkness, and life and activity may be typified by light. The author and source of all true light is Allah, and if we seek Him, we are free from ignorance, superstition, fear, and every kind of evil. (113.1

114:1 - Lord and Cherisher of Mankind 6307 6308

6308 Man's relation to Allah may be viewed in three aspects: (1) Allah is his Lord, Maker, and Cherisher; Allah sustains him and cares for him; He provides him with all the means for his growth and development, and for his protection against evil; (2) Allah is his king or ruler; more than any earthly king, Allah has authority to guide man's conduct, and lead him to ways which will make for his welfare; and He has given him laws; and (3) Allah is He to Whom mankind must return, to give an account of all their deeds in this life (ii. 156); Allah will be the Judge; He is the goal of the Hereafter, and the only Being entitied to man's worship at any time. From all these aspects man could and should seek Allah's protection against evil. (114.1)

114:2 - King (or Ruler) of Mankind

114:3 - Allah (or Judge) of Mankind