Names of Allah Series:

The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said: “Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala [exalted is He] is Jawād and He loves those who are magnanimous in giving. He loves excellent moral character and detests meanness.” (Bayhaqi)

Today I am going to be talking about two of Allah’s Names that focus on different aspects of His Generosity. The first is His Name al-Jawād and the second is His Name al-Mannān.

Al-Jawād comes from the root j-w-d (ج-و-د) and it means something plentiful or magnanimous. Jawād is the name given to a strong and fast horse, and jawd is heavy, pouring rainfall. The Prophet ﷺ taught us that, “Allah’s Hands are full, and that fullness is not diminished by His giving day and night…” (Muslim)

Just like a heavy rain that falls and nourishes everything, Allah’s giving is like that and more. Blessings rain on us every single day and we do not even notice. Al-Jawād is the One who is magnanimous in spirit and magnanimous in giving.

Something happened to me a few years back, when I visited Boston, which highlighted to me how Allah manifests His Names in our lives. I was taking the underground, called the “T”, with a friend. The way the system operates is that you need a card to touch in, but you do not need it to leave, so you only pay a flat rate upon entry. My friend touched in, and as I tried to, it turned out that my card did not have enough money in it. As I turned around to top-up my card, out of nowhere, a stranger came and used her card to let me in. I was startled, and she gave me a big smile and left.

The funny thing is that, in that period in my life, I was not in the best spiritual state. So I could not view it as a reward or appreciation for any good I may have done; that is Allah al-Jawād, who rains His blessings down even on sinners. He is Magnanimous in spirit and Magnanimous in His giving. We all breathe in air out of His magnanimity, whether we are good or bad people. Allah gives freely, as we are told in the Qur’an:

“Nay, both His Hands are widely outstretched. He spends (of His Bounty) as He wills.” (Qur’an, 5:64)

The Greatest Blessing

One of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ once called to Allah (swt), saying:

“O Allah, I ask you as all praise is Yours. There is no god except You, You are al-Mannān [the Bestower], the Originator of the Heavens and Earth, Possessor of Majesty and Honor. O the Ever-Living, O Self-Subsisting.”

The Prophet ﷺ heard him and said: “He has supplicated to Allah using His Greatest Name; when supplicated with this Name, He answers, and when asked with this Name, He gives.” (Abu Dawud)

Recently, I bought something really beautiful. I was not sure if I was going to buy it, but somehow, I got it just before `Eid. Whenever I see it, I smile because I feel like it was an `Eid gift from Allah (swt).

It is always nice to look at the things that you have – from something as small as a bag, to the family and friends you have—and know that their ultimate source is Allah (swt), and be grateful to Him for His gifts.

Previously in this series, we have talked about Allah the Giver of Gifts and the Provider. This Name shows us a different form of His giving: it is Allah al-Mannan. I will translate it for ease as the Bestower, but insha’Allah (God willing) we will delve deeper into its meaning here.

The word mann (منّ) comes from the root m-n-n (م-ن-ن) and is an intense form of the word, which means to cut something and leave with it. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an:

“And indeed, for you is a reward uninterrupted.” (Qur’an, 68:3)

The word mamnoon has been translated as uninterrupted, meaning a reward that is not ‘cut off’. Al-Mannān is an intensified form of the root and means to give freely or liberally.

At the surface, this Name may not seem any different from His Name the Most Generous (al-Kareem), who gives much more than expected or deserved. What is interesting though is how Allah (swt) uses the verb form of the word in the Qur’an:

“Certainly did Allah confer great favor [manna] upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.” (Qur’an, 3:164)

Allah (swt) reminds us of the status of the Prophet ﷺ by using the word “mann“. When we look at the world around us, we realize that in terms of material things, Allah (swt) has given things to different categories of people. Some of the most corrupt people are extremely wealthy, and so are some generous philanthropists. Material wealth, which we understand as ultimately from God, does not reflect one’s spiritual standing with Him.

When Allah (swt) refers to His favors in the form of mann, an intense giving, He talks about those favors related to the Hereafter. He tells us that he has favored us by giving us a messenger who is from us, who purifies us and teaches us (Qur’an, 3:164). In another verse, Allah (swt) says:

“They consider it a favor to you that they have accepted Islam. Say, “Do not consider your Islam a favor to me. Rather, Allah has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful.”” (Qur’an, 49:17)

It is easier to remember to be grateful for material and emotional blessings because we reap the benefits in the present. But Allah (swt) reminds us of everything He gives us, and particularly the gifts related to our connection with Him in this life that lead to being with Him in the Hereafter. It is a blessing we sometimes take for granted. The ability to turn to Him, to seek wisdom and comfort from the Qur’an, and to learn from the example of the Prophet ﷺ; these are all great gifts from al-Mannān.

Allah (swt) also tells us in the Qur’an about people on the Day of Judgment:

“They will say, “Indeed, we were previously among our people fearful [of displeasing Allah ]. So Allah conferred favor (fa manna) upon us and protected us from the punishment of the Scorching Fire. “” (Qur’an, 52:26-27)

The greatest mann from Allah (swt) is ultimately Paradise. For the very little that we do, we are given something that no language has the words to describe. May Allah (swt) make us all of the people of Paradise.

Connecting to al-Jawād and al-Mannān

1- Be Magnanimous.

It was said about the Prophet ﷺ that “when it came to doing good, he was the most magnanimous (ajwad) of people, and he was at his utmost magnanimity during the month of Ramadan,” (Bukhari). Be magnanimous in spirit, and be magnanimous in giving. Nothing you give is ever lost.

2- Reflect on the material gifts and emotional gifts, but also reflect on and be grateful for the spiritual gifts.

The greatest gifts we have been given are the spiritual gifts. Wealth may or may not be accompanied by peace of mind in this world, and ultimately, we will be asked about what we spent our wealth on. But the gifts of closeness to Allah (swt) are truly the ones to be cherished. Reflecting on these blessings is one of the ways to increase our love for Allah (swt).

3- Ponder over the gift of the Prophet ﷺ.

Allah reminds us that one of His gifts to us is the Prophet ﷺ. Learn from the Prophet’s ﷺ character and study his seerah (biography) to understand why Allah (swt) told us that the Prophet ﷺ was given to us as a favor from the Most High.

4- Do not be a person that constantly reminds people of the favors that you have done for them.

There are two types of mann: in action and in speech. Mann, as an action from Allah (swt), has a sweetness to it because its Giver is the One who gives freely and is the most generous. Moreover, His reminders cause us to return to Him, and returning to Him results in more blessings. This mann as an action is specific to Allah (swt) because of the perfection of His gifts. Then there is the mann of speech, when people remind you of their favors upon you. Allah (swt) tells us, “Do not invalidate your charities with reminders (mann) or injury,” (Qur’an, 2:264). When you give, remember that your intention is for Allah (swt), and do not remind people of the things you have done for them.

By Abid Mohammed 

Being grateful is something that we all know is a virtuous quality. Lecture after lecture has been delivered on the subject of “showing thanks to God for His favors.” Articles have been written to encourage us to “recognize His blessings,” and “be grateful for what God has given us.” We are continuously reminded of how little appreciation we show for the fact that many of us have food on our table, a roof over our heads and relative peace and security in our lives. This discussion almost always takes place in the context of experiencing trials and tribulations, and I couldn’t agree more. There is a lot of room for improvement for many of us when it comes to gratitude. When the going gets tough, we should strive to avoid going towards ingratitude.

Yet, part of me always has always wondered—is gratitude an emotion to be experienced exclusively during times of hardship? And what are many of us actually grateful for? The gifts or the Giver? These may seem like easy questions to answer, but the next time you come across “gratitude,” be it as a topic of a discussion or an emotion you experience, I want you to pay close attention to the circumstances in which it arises and where exactly your heart lies. Does your heart only show thanks when it is pushed against the wall? And even then, does it only find happiness and peace intrinsically in the gifts of this world (albeit with some acknowledgement that God is the Giver), like a child who loses their favorite Buzz Lightyear toy, only to be consoled by the fact that he still has his awesome Optimus Prime helmet that his dad gave him for ‘Eid last year? Or does your heart delight in the fact that it can use those very gifts to draw nearer to Him and that the gifts, themselves, are meaningless?

In his Ihya `Ulum Al-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), Imam Al-Ghazali draws a beautiful analogy in trying to show the different form of gratitude that people express:

“Let us give an example. We say that a king who desires to make a journey grants a man in his entourage a favor in the form of a horse. He imagines that the man to whom it is granted will be delighted with the horse for three reasons. Firstly, he will be delighted because it is a horse and because it has monetary value which can be of benefit to him; because he can use it for riding and that suits his purpose; and because it is a valuable racer as well. This kind of joy is for one who has no interest in the king, his interest is only in the horse. Had he found the horse in a desert, he would have taken it and his joy would have been similar to this joy.

“The second kind of joy is when he delights in it, not because it is a horse, but because he infers the care of the king expressed in it, and his [the king’s] compassion for him. Had he found the horse in the desert, or someone other than the king had given it to him, he would not really be happy with it because, in principle, he has no need of the horse and it is of no significance to him compared to his desire to have a place in the heart of the king.

“The third kind of joy is when the servant delights in the horse in order to ride it, to go out in the service of the king and bear the toil of the journey in his service and to obtain the rank of nearness to the king. Perhaps he will be promoted to the position of a minister, because he is not content that his position in the heart of the king should be limited to his [the king’s] giving him a horse and caring for him only to this degree. Rather he does not want the king to convey the [favors] from his wealth on anyone. Except through him. Yet, he does not want the ministry for the sake of the ministry, rather he wants to see the king and be near him. If he had to choose between this proximity to him without the ministry and the ministry without proximity, he would choose proximity.

“These are the three levels [of joy]. In the first, there is no thankfulness at all because the vision of the one possessing it [this level of joy] is confined to the horse and his joy lies in the horse, not in the one who gave it. This is the state of all those who are made happy by a blessing because of the pleasure of it and because it is agreeable to their purpose. This is far from the meaning of thankfulness. The second [kind] enters the definition of thankfulness in that the person delights in the giver but not exactly because of him [the giver], rather, because of the knowledge of his care; this incites [the person] to seek favor in the future. This is the state of the righteous, who worship God and are thankful to Him for fear of His punishment and hope for His reward.

“Perfect thankfulness is found only in the third kind of joy. It is when the joy of the servant in the blessing of God (exalted is He) is because it enables him to reach a place of proximity to Him (exalted is He), to reside in His companionship, and enjoy the vision of His countenance continually! This is the highest level [of attainment]. Its characteristic is joy in this world only for what it is, a field under cultivation for the Hereafter and the means to assist him to it. He grieves at every blessing that diverts him from the remembrance of God (exalted is He) and turns him away from His path. He does not desire the blessing because it is pleasurable, just as the possessor of the horse does not desire the horse because it is a racer or an ambler, but because it carries him in company with the king, that he may continue to see the king and be near him.

“Thus Shibli (may God grant him mercy) said, ‘Thankfulness is the vision of the Bestower, not the vision of the blessing.'” ((Littlejohn HT. Al-Ghazali on Patience and Thankfulness. 1st ed. Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society; 2011. p. 73-75))

May God enable us to show continuous gratitude towards Him, as best as we can, so that He will give us even more (Quran, 14:7), and so that we can use that more to draw nearer to Him. May He enable us to be amongst the “few” who are “thankful” (Qur’an, 34:13) and may He protect us from being amongst “most human beings” who “do not give thanks” (Qur’an, 2:243) and the terrible punishment that they face (Quran, 14:7).

When recognizing His gifts, may He empower us to say, as Sulaiman (`alayhi assalam, peace be upon him) said, “…This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful – his gratitude is only for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever is ungrateful – then indeed, my Lord is Free of need and Generous,”(Qur’an, 27:40).