last – Virtual Mosque

Allah – no god but He

Jinan Yousef — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 13:06:58 +0000

After reflecting on many of Allah’s Names over the past four years, we finally arrive at the Name that is most commonly on our tongues: Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He).

This Name brings together all of His attributes such that when you call on Him by this Name, you are bringing together all of the attributes we talked about and more. When we say “Allahumma” (اللهم), we are calling out to Allah (swt). In Arabic, when you call out to someone you say “ya“(يا), and here, the ‘m’ (م) at the end takes its place. Ibn Al-Qayyim says that when someone calls to Allah (swt) saying, “Allahumma I ask you…” the person is saying, “I am asking Allah who possesses the Best Names and the Highest attributes by those Names and attributes.”

So when you say ‘Allah’, know that you are calling the One who possesses all the greatest attributes – everything that we talked about in this series and more.

This Name is unique because it is Allah’s alone (swt). His other Names are also attributes by which people are sometimes described, but this Name can only refer to Him. According to al-Ghazali, this is the greatest of Allah’s (swt) Names. It is the Name most mentioned in the Qur’an, and it is the Name that is mentioned in every hadith (tradition of the Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon him) that talks about God’s greatest Name.

The Beauty of Allah (swt)

Just hearing this Name of Allah (swt) should change something in us and soothe our hearts. Ibn al-Qayyim quotes Ibn Forak, who says that the Name ‘Allah’ starts with the ‘a’ sound, which originates in the chest, and ends with the ‘h’ sound which goes back to the chest. The chest contains the heart, and thus the Name ‘Allah’ begins in the heart and ends there.

I met a woman during `Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) a few years ago, and she was talking about her journey to Islam. She said she had always been a spiritual person, and she happened upon a talk by a Muslim sheikh (scholar). Up until that point, she had never heard the Name ‘Allah’ before. She said that what stuck out for her during his talk was the beauty of the sound of Allah’s (swt) Name. That planted the seed in her heart and began her journey to learning about Islam.

So who is Allah (swt)?

Allah (swt) is the One whom we worship: the One to whom we go with hope, reverence, and love. He is the Lord, the Sustainer and the Originator of this whole universe. If you want to feel in awe of Allah (swt), go out somewhere in nature and just be with yourself. Reflect on the vastness of this universe and its beauty, and our small place in it.

Even though the world appears to be so much greater, Allah (swt) created each soul personally. He knows you better than your parents, your spouse, or your best friend. He hears you before you speak. He knows everything you have been through and everything you are going through. His door is always open to you no matter your state. The Prophet ﷺ tells us:

“Allah is happier with His servant who turns back to Him than the happiness one of you would feel if he was wandering in a barren wasteland to find his steed had wandered off with all his food and provisions. Then, after the heat and his thirst become severe, he falls asleep in the same place and wakes to find his steed standing before him, so that he grabs its reigns and says: “O Allah! I am your Lord and You are my servant,” mixing up his words on account of his extreme joy.” (Muslim)

He is greater than any of our problems, our fears or worries. This is why we say, “Allahu Akbar!” (Allah is greater) at the start of every prayer to remind ourselves: He is greater. He gifted the daily prayers to us so that we can be brought back to our center and purpose at least five times a day, remembering that He sets the standards for greatness and loftiness as we recite these attributes in our bowing and prostration.

Our hopes and dreams are not too big for Him. He says in a hadith qudsi (narration of the words of Allah via the Prophet ﷺ):

“O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more than a needle decreases the sea if put into it.” (Muslim)

He is Vast, and so encompasses all of us, with our mistakes and brokenness. Don’t ever believe that you are too broken for Him. Don’t ever think that there is no room for you. When Allah (swt) tells you to turn back to Him and seek forgiveness, it is because you have the potential to be better. You are not defined by your mistakes. The Prophet ﷺ tells us: “Allah extends His hand at night to give forgiveness to those who sinned during that day, and He extends His hand during the day to give forgiveness to those who sinned during the night. This will continue to be the case until the Sun rises from the west,” (Muslim).

Knowing that instructions may be theoretical, He sent us a Messenger who is from amongst us to teach us and show us the way. Allah (swt) says about the Prophet ﷺ:

“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” (Qur’an, 21:107)

He embodied in the Prophet ﷺ the perfect example: Worshipping Allah (swt) with love, hope and fear; kindness and compassion to everyone; communal and individual responsibility; and justice in society. Knowing that we might sometimes feel that it is all too much, the Prophet ﷺ advised his daughter, Fatima radi Allahu `anha (may God be pleased with her), to say in the morning and in the evening:

“Ya Ḥayyu ya Qayyūm (O Ever-Living, O Sustainer), by Your Mercy I seek help, rectify for me all of my affairs and do not leave me to depend on myself, even for the blink of an eye.” (Hakim)

By reminding us that Allah (swt) is at every moment sustaining this world, we realize how fragile we are and how much we are in need of Him, and thus we ask Him not to leave us for even a second.

Allah (swt) sent us to know Him and to experience His attributes through the good and what we perceive to be bad. He knows of our efforts and assures us that they never go to waste, thus teaching us to be ambitious. Tests and hardships may come our way, but they come to alert us, strengthen us, elevate us and teach us. With His wisdom, justice and mercy, the whole world moves. He commands us to do things because He is our Creator, but in the end all of the things commanded of us to do or prohibited of us benefit us in the long-term. He is the Acquainted One – who knows the inner and outer realities – and the Most Wise.

He reveals to us that He is the source of Peace, so we can turn to Him to be at peace, and emulate His attributes by being agents of peace in this world. He is so Generous that He prepared for us a paradise that not only satisfies our material wants, but our emotional wants and needs. It is a place in which we can be with those we love, where our hearts know no pain, and where we will finally be with Allah (swt).

He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate. Once we realize that, we can start everything with His remembrance and understand that it will all go back to Him; we can start to see His attributes in the minutiae of our everyday.

He is Allah (swt).

When You See Allah’s Attributes in Everything, You Crave Closeness to Him

Jinan Yousef — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 13:00:36 +0000

Previously in this series, we discussed how Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) is the First and the Last. This article will be a continuation of that as these four Names are mentioned together in the Qur’an:

“He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant (al-Ẓāhir) and the Intimate (al-Bāṭin), and He is, of all things, Knowing.” (Qur’an, 57:3)

This verse is so powerful because it comes in the context of telling you who Allah (swt) is. Imagine that you do not know who God is, or what His attributes are. This chapter starts by telling you that “Whatever is in the heavens and earth exalts Allah, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. His is the dominion of the heavens and earth. He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things competent,” (Qur’an, 57:1-2).

Reciting this may make one feel that Allah (swt) is far. He is so Grand and Great, does He even understand us? Do we have a relationship with Him? Does He understand what goes on in our hearts and our world?

Then, in the following verse, Allah (swt) addresses these very thoughts: we are told that He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate. Seemingly divergent qualities come together in a beautiful way, as though Allah (swt) is telling you that there is nothing, not big nor small, that escapes His knowledge. He is the First and the Last, and thus He encompasses time, and He is the Ascendant and the Intimate, encompassing all forms of space.

These are the pillars of knowledge and knowing. These Names cover everything. He is First before everything, and the Last, after everything, the Manifest who is above everything and the Intimate who is close. They combine His attributes of greatness and closeness, cutting across time and space. In a du`a ‘ (supplication), the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) says:

“He is the First, nothing is before Him, the Last, nothing is after Him, the Ascendant, nothing is above Him, and the Intimate, nothing is nearer than Him.” (Muslim)

When you worship Allah (swt) through His Names al-Ẓāhir al-Bāṭin, you become more conscious of both your internal and external. We fluctuate between two extremes: one that focuses solely on the external, where we forget the spirit of the law. On the other hand, there is the trend of “only Allah knows what is in my heart” and forfeiting all forms of the external. But Allah sees our external and our internal. They are both important, and both part of our submission to Him.

That is why, in one incident, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ pointed to a man three nights in a row saying that that person was of the people of Paradise. The companion Abdullah bin Amr, radi Allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him), was adamant to find out what was so special about that man, so he stayed over at that man’s house for a few nights. Now, when we think of a pious person, we usually think only of extra prayers, fasts and charity, which are commendable. This is what Abdullah thought, and he did not see anything special about that man, so he decided finally to ask him. The man himself said that all he did was what Abdullah saw, then added that he never allowed himself to carry any grudge in his heart against anyone, and would empty it of envy every night. Abdullah bin ‘Amr said, “This is what you have achieved and it is something we have not accomplished.” (Ahmad)

Yet that does not mean that actions are not important. Allah (swt) praises those who do over those who do not do. The Prophet ﷺ would pray long devotional prayers in the night. Indeed, the Prophet ﷺ reminds us that the prayer is the foundation of every other deed. Moreover, we are told that actions are judged according to their intention, but an intention alone does not suffice. Sincerity is doing one’s utmost to fulfill that intention.

Ibn al-Qayyim stated that when one worships Allah by His Name al-Ẓāhir (the Ascendant), the person knows where to direct his prayers, because there is no one above Allah. Worshipping Allah while knowing that He is al-Bāṭin (the Intimate) is something that you have to taste, because it is something that words cannot describe. That is why Ibn Abbas (ra) advised someone who was inflicted with paranoia with regards to the prayer to recite the verse cited, because it reminds you that Allah (swt) is the Intimate. He knows what is in your heart, so let go of the anxiety that you feel.

Connecting to the Names of Allah

1—See how Allah manifests His attributes in everything

Sheikh Abdulrazzaq al-Badr said that in order to connect to Allah’s Name al-Ẓāhir, you have to see Allah’s attributes as they reflect in this world. Al-ẓāhir also means something that is manifest, so take the time to go out to nature to see how Allah (swt) is the Creator, while contemplating His beauty and the beauty of what He created. Remind yourself of the times Allah (swt) responded to you, because He is al-Mujeeb. Reflect on the times that something was denied to you, and then you actually saw the wisdom later on. Only once you realize that Allah (swt) is with you—He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate—can you actually gain closeness to Him (see point 3).

2—Direct everything to Him

Ibn al-Qayyim stated that knowing that Allah (swt) is above everything means that you know where to direct yourself—your prayers, your hopes, your goals and your fears. There is nothing above Him, so why turn to what is below Him?

3—Crave intimacy with Allah

Ibn al-Qayyim said that this attribute of Allah—al-Bāṭin—cannot be described, only felt. The interesting thing is that when you start to see Allah’s attributes as they manifest in the everyday and the mundane, as well as in the extraordinary, your heart naturally moves closer to Him. You realize how close He is, and the fruit of this realization is that you work to purify your heart, as well as praying more because you know that those are your moments with Allah (swt). That is why the Prophet ﷺ would pray in the night even though it was not obligatory: he loved doing so, because he loved being with Allah (swt).

The First, the Last – and Everything in Between

Jinan Yousef — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 12:00:53 +0000

The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said: “Any matter of importance which is not begun with ‘bismillah’ (in the name of Allah) remains defective.” [Ibn Hibban]

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?

That you need coffee?

The things you have to do that day?

Facebook? Your emails?

Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He)?

They say that if you want to know what your priorities are, reflect on the first thing you think of in the morning. That thing (or things) which are foremost in your mind not only set the tone for your day, they also determine your destination. A person who wakes up thinking about money (whether it is because he is in financial difficulty or because he wants to become rich) will then seek out and prioritize those things that lead him to money. A person who wakes up thinking of a loved one will probably talk to him or her first thing in the morning and be connected all day if they can. Allah (swt) tells us:

“He is the First (al-Awwal) and the Last (al-ākhir), the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing.” (Qur’an 57:3)

Al-Ghazali explains these two Names beautifully, saying: “When you ponder the order of existence and consider the ordered chain of beings, God the most high is first with respect to it… Whenever you ponder the order of wayfaring and observe the states attained by those journeying towards Him, He is the last, for He is the final point to which the levels of the ‘knowers’ ascend…. the first beginning was from Him; and to Him is the return and destination.”

Allah (swt) is, quite literally, the First. He was before anything was. He is also the Last because He is our destination and He remains when everything else goes away. There are deeper meanings here too. We prioritize things before Allah (swt), and then we wonder why we feel a spiritual void. We may wonder why bad things happen, why we cannot seem to get something right or why nothing satisfies us despite our pursuit of material means. To know that Allah (swt) is al-Awwal (the First) is to see Allah (swt) before seeing anything else, because even the physical means start with Him.

This is why, for example, we do not simply drive to a destination, but we start with the du`a’ (supplication) for travel. Living the reality of this Name is to seek Allah (swt) first even before we seek the means, because the means can only work with His blessing. This is one of the reasons for the du`a’ of istikhara (seeking good); we are asking Allah for the best choice when embarking on something. As Ibn al-Qayyim says, worshipping Allah (swt) by this Name is to realize our complete need for Him, because we realize that He came before everything and He created the means.

And this leads us to His being al-ākhir (the Last), because as Ibn Ata’illah said: “He who is illumined at the beginning is illumined at the end.” Allah (swt) is the destination. We start with Him in everything that we do so that we can end up with Him. We praise Him at the end of every matter and seek forgiveness from Him for any shortcomings. Ibn al-Qayyim says that worshipping Allah (swt) by His Name al-ākhir is to be unattached to results, and rather to be attached to Allah (swt), Who remains no matter the results. If our intention starts with Him, then no matter the outcome, our efforts are recorded by Him and are appreciated because they were for Him. In the Qur’an, Allah (swt) asks, “So where are you going?” (Qur’an, 81:26)

So we need to ask ourselves – where are we going?

Everything leads to Him

As believers, it may be easy to conceptualize that Allah (swt) is the beginning of everything and the end. However, if we consider the example at the beginning of the article, about the first thing we think of when we wake up, living this Name requires more than just knowing.

For you to begin thinking of someone like this, every morning when you wake, there has to be something in your heart. There has to be love. Many of us may know someone who has been in love: that person talks to her beloved in the morning and the beloved is the last person she speaks to at night. Simply connecting to the beloved sets the tone for her whole day. Do we have that kind of relationship with Allah (swt), and if we do not, then how can we start one?

The secret is living the knowledge that Allah (swt) is al-Awwal and al-ākhir. It is making a conscious effort to remember Allah (swt) at the beginning and at the end of everything. The fruits of this will be immediate. Allah (swt) tells us in the Qur’an:

“Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” (Qur’an, 13:28)

And:

“So remember Me; I will remember you.” (Qur’an, 2:152)

The Prophet ﷺ tells us:

“Remember Allah during times of ease and He will remember you during times of difficulty.” (Tirmidhi)

Just like a person who is in love finds comfort in the mention of his beloved, imagine the effect on your heart of remembering the absolute Source of love and peace before you do anything. Putting into practice Allah’s (swt) attributes as the First and Last brings us back to our ultimate purpose, until the meanings of these Names are truly etched into our hearts and we are confronted with true reality. We then become the person in love, and for us, Allah (swt) is the First in our hearts and the Last in our journeys.

A very famous song contains these lyrics:

“You’re my first, my last, my everything.”

Little did the songwriter know that Muslims would hear this and think of God, because truly whoever understands that God is the First and the Last, knows that Allah (swt) is everything.

Connect to Allah (swt)

Start with Him, end with Him

Remember Allah (swt) at the beginning of everything, and praise Him and seek forgiveness at the end. This will ensure that you are always in remembrance of Him and that, for you, He is the First and the Last in all your endeavors.

Memorize the du`a’ (supplication) for the start of a matter and its end, then incorporate them into your every day routine

This is related to the first point, but it entails memorizing those things from the Qur’an and the sunnah (tradition of the Prophet ﷺ), such as supplications for:

– The start and end of your day

– Starting a journey

– The beginning and end of a meal

– The conclusion of prayers

Many of these supplications can be found in the book Huṣn al-Muslim (Fortress of a Muslim).

Memorize this supplication that contain Allah’s (swt) Names ‘the First’ and ‘the Last’

“اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَرَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، رَبَّنَا وَرَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَالِقَ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَى، وَمُنْزِلَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ، وَالْفُرْقَانِ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ أّنْتَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتهِ. اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الأَوَّلُ فَلَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الْآخِرُ فَلَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ فَلَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَيْءٌ، اقْضِ عَنَّا الدَّيْنَ وَأَغْنِنَا مِنَ الْفَقْرِ”

‘O Allah! Lord of the seven heavens and Lord of the Magnificent Throne. Our Lord and the Lord of everything; Splitter of the grain and the date-stone; Revealer of the Torah and the Gospel and the Furqan (the Qur’an), I seek refuge in You from the evil of everything that You shall seize by the forelock. O Allah, You are the First and nothing has come before You, and You are the Last, and nothing may come after You. You are the Most High, nothing is above You and You are the Most Near and nothing is nearer than You. Remove our debts from us and enrich us against poverty.’ (Muslim)