Names of Allah Series:

Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) has three beautiful Names that relate to His Goodness, but with some nuances. Allah (swt) is al-Barr, aṭ-Ṭayyib and al-Muḥsin. We will explore these nuances here. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an:

“Indeed, we used to supplicate Him before. Indeed, it is He who is the Beneficent (al-Barr), the Merciful.” [52:28]

Al-Barr, according to Al-Ghazali, is the Doer of Good, the One from Whom every good deed and beneficence comes, and this Name brings together all kinds of goodness at the very highest level. Ibn al-Qayyim says that one of the signs of Allah’s birr is that He covers your mistakes from people.

The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) also told us about Allah (swt):

“O people! Allah is Ṭayyib (Good) and He only accepts what is good. He has commanded the believers as He has commanded the Messengers: ‘O Messengers, eat from the good foods and work righteousness,’ [23:51]. And He says, ‘O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him you worship,’ [2:172].” (Muslim)

Because Allah (swt) is good, He expects us to be good. Additionally, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah is Muḥsin and He loves those who exhibit excellence,” [Tabarani].

Allah (swt) tells us that He is the One “who perfected (aḥsana) everything which He created and began the creation of man from clay,” [32:7].

We can see the signs of His excellence in His creation. One only needs to step out into nature to be completely in awe of its beauty; that is from Allah’s (swt) iḥsan, because He is al-Muḥsin.

He is Good, His Actions are Good and He Accepts Only Good

Allah (swt) is essentially Good – in His essence, in His actions and in what He accepts from us. Allah (swt) tells us about the things that He wants for us in the Qur’an:

“Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.” [2:185]

“Allah wants to make clear to you [the lawful from the unlawful] and guide you to the [good] practices of those before you and to accept your repentance. And Allah is Knowing and Wise. Allah wants to accept your repentance, but those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation. And Allah wants to lighten for you [your difficulties]; and mankind was created weak.” [4:26-28]

Allah (swt) also tells us what He does not want. He says:

“These are the verses of Allah. We recite them to you, [O Muhammad], in truth; and Allah wants no injustice to the worlds.” [3:108]

Throughout this series, we have been introduced to Allah’s (swt) love, His generosity, His mercy, and His wisdom. Allah (swt) leaves no room for doubt; He encompasses all forms of goodness at their very highest levels. This is why thinking well of Allah is considered an act of worship; you are affirming these attributes of goodness in your heart and in how you interpret events. Thinking well of Him is having hope that He will accept you when you mess up, that He will overlook your faults, that He will help you overcome, and that He teaches you through hardship. This is what all the Prophets and the righteous knew about Allah, and this is why they persevered. Jonah `alayhi as-salaam (peace be upon him) turned to Allah in the belly of a whale; Hajar accepted that there was good in her being left in the desert with her son; and Moses `alayhi as-salaam (peace be upon him) could say with utter certainty while being chased by Pharoah and his army, “No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me” (26:62).

Moreover, He expects us to be good. That is why Allah (swt) addresses both our inner and outer state. He tells us to purify our hearts and purify our actions. He tells us to have faith in our hearts and live that faith in what we do.

Pay it Forward

Sometimes the best way to understand Allah’s (swt) attributes is to see how beautiful they are when expressed by human beings, and then remember that whatever good we exhibit is nothing compared to Allah’s (swt) goodness. So as Muslims, we are encouraged to have birr (piety), iḥsan (excellence) and ṭeeb (goodness). Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an that He is “[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best (aḥsanu) in deed – and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.” [67:2]

Ihsan (Excellence)

If we talk about iḥsan outside of its religious context, its basic meaning is ‘to do something to its best’. If an event organizer consistently organizes something to the highest standards, some might describe that as iḥsan. In a famous hadith (narration), the Prophet ﷺ teaches us the motivation behind doing things to their best, which is knowing that Allah (swt) sees you. When you know that Allah (swt) sees you, no deed is too small and every act can be decorated with excellence and perfection. While religiously iḥsan is an internal state, there are external signs. Moreover, Allah (swt) tells us that He loves those who show iḥsan. He speaks about those “who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people – and Allah loves the doers of good (al-Muḥsineen),” [3:134].

Even if we feel that our efforts are in vain, Allah (swt) assures us that they are not. Prophet Joseph `alayhi as-salaam (peace be upon him) spent years in hardship, but never compromised his integrity. Allah (swt) says of him:

“And thus We established Joseph in the land to settle therein wherever he willed. We touch with Our mercy whom We will, and We do not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good (al-muḥsineen).” [Qur’an 12:56]

Birr (Piety)

Allah (swt) also tells us:

“O you who have believed, when you converse privately, do not converse about sin and aggression and disobedience to the Messenger but converse about righteousness (al-birr) and piety. And fear Allah, to whom you will be gathered.” [Qur’an 58:9]

Birr is a type of goodness that is accompanied by gentleness. Allah (swt) tells us to have birr towards our parents. He shows us that birr is not easily attained unless you give from what you love. He says:

“Never will you attain the good [reward] (al-birr) until you spend [in the way of Allah] from that which you love. And whatever you spend – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it.” [Qur’an 3:92]

Thus, in our relationship with our parents, having birr is not simply a case of ‘obedience versus disobedience’. It is much more nuanced than that. Birr with our parents is about being good to them and having some sort of companionship, as Allah (swt) tells us to “accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness,” [31:15].

Teeb (Kindness)

Finally, Allah (swt) tells us:

“O you who have believed, spend from the good things (ṭayyibat) which you have earned…” [2:267]

Ṭeeb in regular parlance is also used for ‘kindness’ or purity of heart, and what is ṭayyib is also something good or pure. Before the Prophet ﷺ received revelation, Quraysh had rebuilt the Ka’ba. They were adamant to only use money from good or pure sources – e.g not from usury or gambling – and so the Ka’ba was built in the cube shape we know today because they did not have enough money from pure sources. Originally, it also encompassed an area called “Hijr Ismail”, which today is a small area outside the Ka’ba. The point is, the Ka’ba was so sacred to them that they knew they could only give for Allah (swt) what was good and pure.

In the Qur’anic context, it is frequently used in relation to the food we consume. As we mentioned above, Allah (swt) is good in His essence and in His actions, and He commands that from us as well. When we think of ‘halal’ (permissible) meat, we often only measure it by how the animal is slaughtered. But as Dr. Tariq Ramadan shows us, the way in which the animal is treated in its life is important as well. We may be missing the point when we focus on the technicalities of the law to the exclusion of its spirit.

Allah (swt) loves for us to try to emulate His characteristics of mercy and beauty. Elsewhere in this series, we have mentioned that if we want Allah’s (swt) infinite mercy, then we need to have mercy towards people. If we want Allah’s (swt) vast forgiveness, then we must forgive others. If we want to be a recipient of Allah’s (swt) good, then we should do good to others.

Connecting to the One who encompasses all forms of goodness

1- Reflect on Allah’s (swt) goodness in His creation and His actions.

2- Pay it forward: Give from the good that you have been given.

3- Do things with iḥsan by seeing whatever you do as a transaction with God. How do you want your deeds to be presented to Him?

4- Beautify your relationships with goodness. Be good to people, good to animals and good to the environment.

Becoming the Servants of the Most Merciful Series
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV

The distinguishing characteristics of the true Servants of the Merciful have been laid out for us by our Most Merciful Creator. They are humility, forbearance, praying the vigil, seeking the guidance and support of God from sins, fearing the possibility of going to Hell for one moment, balance in spending wealth, avoiding the major sins, protecting the major objectives of Islam, repentance, not witnessing the glorification of falsehood, avoiding useless speech, submitting to scripture, building one’s family on piety and seeking the help of God while doing so.

After guiding us to these most noble characteristics, our Beloved Creator than told us the reward of working to attain them:

“These Servants of the Merciful will be rewarded with a high position in Heaven as a result of their perseverance.  They will be greeted therein with the glad tidings of eternal life free of enmity, discontent or any other defects.” (Qur’an 25:75)

Surely life is a test and it is not easy. The guidance has been facilitated and the path to the eternal bliss in the pleasure of our creator is clear. Now it is upon us to work for it as God said,

“How excellent is the reward of those who work for it.” (Qur’an 3:136)

In the verse about the reward of the Servants of the Merciful, the qualifying clause was “as a result of their perseverance”. This is the translation of “bi maa sabaroo”. God is telling us that the whole of life and the test therein is about perseverance in showing Him our devotion, loyalty, and gratitude.  Our scholars have defined for us the three types of “sabr” that we all face in life. Basically our test is in disciplining ourselves to rise above our carnal egotistical instincts to become spiritual servants of our Creator. There are basically three aspects of perseverance that we are facing.

The first of these is persevering by fulfilling all of our religious obligations. The fact is we value our time and we incline towards instant gratification of our desire to enjoy our time. We must regulate our time so that we do everything we possibly can to fulfill whatever God has commanded us to do (i.e. practicing the 5 pillars of Islam).  In doing this we make the divine obligations the most important thing in life. If they weren’t important then God wouldn’t have obligated us to do them. If we don’t feel the importance of them then we need to strengthen our faith by reading about the miracles of the Qur’an, the biography of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions and the previous prophecies about the coming of our Prophet. After building a strong faith, we must increase our knowledge so we can understand why we have been obligated to perform these acts of worship. After completing these steps we are on our way to a fruitful life of service to the Almighty. In today’s secular world we are brainwashed from a young age that worship is a matter of choice and not a requirement whereas our scripture treats intentionally leaving obligatory worship as even more sinful than committing acts prohibited by God.

The second aspect of perseverance in life is in avoiding all of the things prohibited by scripture. We have certain carnal desires as animals that we are inclined to. A big test in life is in breaking down our ego and our desires so that we may protect our souls. Again weak faith is a reason for committing sins so we must seek to feed and nurture our faith as mentioned previously. Similarly, we should seek the knowledge of the wisdom behind prohibitions so that we may see the big picture and how God is protecting us from great harm by prohibiting us from things we incline to egotistically and materialistically. One of the biggest means in avoiding sins is the environment we choose. If we choose friends and surroundings which facilitate piety then we will be much more likely to stay free of major sins. God almighty commanded us,

“Train yourself to persevere with the company of those who live in sincere servitude to their Lord throughout the day… “ (Quran 18:28)

Our beloved Prophet ﷺ said, “A person is influenced by the ways of his close friends. So pay close attention to those who you take as close friends.” (Abu Dawood 4833)

Finally, we have the last aspect of the perseverance required to pass the test of life. This is the way we deal with hardship and difficulty that we face. One of the main arguments of atheism is that if God is good and in control of everything then why does He decree so much violence, evil, and corruption.  The fact is that this argument doesn’t hold up to a day in court with Islamic theology. It is crystal clear in Islam that this life is a test. We have been blessed with life, intelligence, creativity and all our sustenance at our finger tips. We are asked to persevere through life by disciplining ourselves through knowledge and human struggle to be spiritual entities who are not content as a result of material gain or worldly attachments, but through submitting to our Creator’s divine plan for us. If we fulfill this trust then we will attain eternal bliss. On the other hand, if we allow our ego and desires to get the best of us we will live and die as animals until the hereafter where we will be responsible for our rebellion against our Creator. The hardships and calamities we face in this life are one of two things for a believer. It is either a means of purifying ourselves from sins in this life or a means of pleasing God through showing our pure submission to His will even when it doesn’t serve our desires. The Prophet ﷺ said,

“If God has goodwill towards his servant, He hastens his punishment in this life. If He has bad will for His servant who is deserving of it, He leaves him to pay for his sins on the Day of Judgment.”(Tirmidhi)

“Verily the greatness of reward is according to the greatness of the trial. Surely if God loves a people then he tests them with hardship. So whoever is content with God’s decree then God is content with him and whoever is displeased with it then God will be displeased with them. (Tirmidhi)

We pray the Almighty Merciful One facilitate our struggle with perseverance that we may indeed be counted as His servants! Ameen

Originally published in January 2013.

Those familiar with the biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him)  are versant with the story of a young man named Arqam. Arqam played an instrumental role in the unfolding of the history of the Arabian Peninsula. Despite his key role in history, he is noted in the books of Prophetic biography to be a discreet person in Meccan society. In contemporary Western terms Arqam functioned as a:

1. self-less philanthropist furthering the cause of a brotherly society
2. non-profit organization working for the betterment of society

Upon a close read of the biography of the Prophet ﷺ  we learn that Arqam’s role in history was more than non-profits and philanthropists. Arqam’s decision functioned as an institution devoid of bureaucracy in impact and its effect was so profound that it moved the direction of history. The educational space in Arqam’s home communicated a qualitative education so profound and thorough that it affected personal, intellectual and historical change. It was so transformative an experience that the whole of the Arabian Peninsula was reshaped. A disruption of the old psychological order was brought about by transforming the attitude, thinking, and practices of the students of the Qur’an.

One of the fundamental verses that promoted such a transformation based on a wholesome understanding of community life was revealed in Madina and is found in the Chapter of the Qur’an entitled Ma’ida. It reads as follows:

“And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.” (5:2)

Imam al-Qurtubi al-Maliki, commenting on this verse, said: “It is a command for all the creation to assist one another in (taqwa) righteousness and (birr) piety, which means they must help one another.” 

Imam al-Mawardi ash-Shafi said: “Allah (exalted is He) has called on people to help one another and married cooperation to righteousness and piety.” He further stated that“in righteousness there is Allah’s pleasure and in piety is the pleasure of the people and he who has gained Allah’s pleasure and that of people is happy and fully blessed.”

Imam Ibn Atiya al-Maliki said: “Piety is engaging that which is obligated and recommended of action whereas righteousness is restricted to performing obligations.”

The term piety in the sense found in the Qur’an, in this verse, transcends the basic command to righteousness or God-consciousness. This is so because piety enjoins doing more than what is commanded of goodness and staying away from what is ugly and prohibited (haram) – this is God-consciousness (taqwa). Rather, the commitment to piety is more than just personal spiritual development as it unfolds in doing what is obligated and staying away from the prohibited; it demands doing acts of goodness which are not obligated. Piety (birr) adds great value to society because it carries the human being to a standard of excellence that is not a matter of keeping to the do’s and don’ts of Islam. God-consciousness is a fundamental level of spiritual maturity, but piety is a call to grow beyond the basics of fearing for one’s well being and desiring what is best. For this reason the commitment to piety has a social component

The group studying at the home of Arqam did not secretly meet to plan a violent overthrow of the system, nor did they study a manifesto that would teach them a program to enshrine their newly founded party. The environment in this period of Islamic history was very hostile to women, the weak, the stranger, and the poor. The strong man governed and the sword was always near. It was far from the state of nature that honored the human being and far from the rule of law—rather, it was the law of barbarism and ignorance celebrated through poetry and occasional hospitality. Despite this social fact and environmental challenge the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  did not falter. It was in the abode of Arqam that the early Muslims found a safe house to imbibe the teachings of the Qur’an and the character necessary to transform society from the core. If it was power they were after, they had a chance to march into Mecca and conquer it after they achieved independence in Madina. If it was wealth they aimed at, they had the ability to plunder to their delight. What they were after was a life worth living.

Rather what they learned at Arqam’s home was an institution of education that taught that the poor, the rich, the stranger, the woman and the non-Muslim all had inherent rights that are God-given and that faith and reason are not to fall prey to superstition. The Arqam effect was so profound in impact that individuals who graduated from the institution were later key individuals who served to construct the society of Madina. Madina, as many of us know, was the first State in the world to be founded on a constitution. They became corner stones to society and its major benefactors. The lesson of the Qur’an they imbibed was that to build society is an obligation and to uphold justice and law is crucial to society’s survival. The education they received was a Qur’anic education and, further, a human education.

Fetullah Gulen states: “A system of education without a clearly defined target and purpose will only serve to confuse future generations. We have to be careful that our youth is taught the proper material in an effective manner to ensure that they are actually learning rather than simply becoming conduits of data.” ((http://en.fgulen.com/recent-articles/4296-what-generations-expect-from-education))  Arqam, as a youth, learned more than just the fundamentals for a successful career. He learned how to be a functional part of society, how to care for society, and how to build society.

Lessons on citizenship are not enough to bring about a just social life. An understanding of Islam bent on attaining power to wield it like a sword will not bring about a just social order. A life devoted to spiritual practices and neglect of the material world is not enough to bring about a change in the madness of the world. A booming economic upturn is also not enough.

What is needed is a transformation of perspective, a cultivation of will, a suppression of ego, and a deep commitment to the teachings of the Qur’an. The students of the school of Arqam eventually moved on to graduate. When they graduated, they renewed society, for it was through the patient suffering in Mecca and the studious effort to understand the Qur’an. While the world was in chaos, they eventually developed the qualities necessary to build Madinan society and then return to build Mecca. Study of the Qur’an must be accompanied by a spirit searching for solutions for humanity’s spiritual and intellectual ailments as well as its social ills. Change is not only personal, but it is in light of social transformation. What do we need to change in ourselves to make society better? That question is the question we must ask when we read the Qur’an.

وهو الذي جعل الليل والنهار خلفة لمن اراد ان يذكر او اراد شكورا

“He is the One who made the night and day to follow each other for those who would reminisce or give thanks,” (Qur’an 25:62).

Our scholars teach us that this verse reminds us to keep up with our lives, taking account of our shortcomings, working hard toward progress and showing gratitude for all that we have and are able to do. Self-Accountability in the face of perfection is what Islam is all about. In Surah al-Hashr, God commands us to piety and God-Consciousness:

يا ايها الذين امنوا اتقوا الله ولتنظر نفس ما قدمت لغد واتقوا الله ان الله خبير بما تعملون

“Dear believers, be mindful of your duty to God and let every soul pay attention as to what it puts forward for the Day of Reckoning. So be mindful of God because surely He is fully aware of all that you do,” (Qur’an 59:18).

For us, every moment of each day is a time for change. God is the only constant in all of existence. He is The Absolute Perfection. We are all flawed and in need of evolving and progressing in hopes of being closer to Him. That is why He has revealed His guidance to us; in order that we may strive to become Godly.

To assume oneself is in no need of change is pure and simple arrogance which is the root of all evil. There are two extremes in morality. The first is where one sees their practice and understanding of religiosity as the pinnacle and the only true way. These people can’t see their flaws nor can they tolerate others. The second extreme is in those who would tolerate everyone without any solid foundation of creed and worship for themselves or others. These are willing to compromise the faith to please people. Without a doubt, the truth is between the two.

وكذلك جعلناكم امة وسطا لتكونوا شهداء على الناس ويكون الرسول عليكم شهيدا

“With this revelation, We have made you a moderate nation so that you may be proper witnesses upon mankind and thus the messenger will be a witness for you on the Day of Judgment…”(Qur’an 2:143).

We should be conservative, or should I say uncompromising, in the underlying objectives and agreed upon constants of our religion. At the same time, we should be open-minded towards interpretations of our religion and the effect they have on our lives and the lives of those around us. As Imam al-Shatibi explained, we must be guided by the objectives of benefit vs. harm outlined in the sacred law. We should be liberal in tolerating others and embrace humanity with a respectful merciful attitude.  This middle ground is hard to come by as most gravitate toward the two extremes one way or another because it empowers the self. The divine balance empowers none but God while humbling man to realize we are all just a small, yet significant part of something much greater than ourselves.

I’m sure you all have been keeping up with the recent news of our Saudi sisters making Jihad for their God-given right to drive. I was reading a recent article where the President of the committee for Promoting Good and Rebuking Evil, Sh. Abdul-Latif Aala al-Shaikh, as well as many other notable Saudi scholars stating publically that there is no legal basis for the prohibition. It’s simply a patriarchal cultural interpretation of the religion. It’s interesting to note that those “conservative/literalist” scholars who back this ban get very figurative and principled in order to “interpret” it from our scripture.

The response to those who were pulled over this time was different than before. The old response was either to sign an affidavit saying that you will not do this again or be detained. However, this time the affidavit required  them to not drive until obtaining a license. Some Saudi political analysts speculate that this is a step toward letting them obtain a license.

I also was recently reading an important declaration from the law department at al-Azhar that we have to correct some of the terminologies in our international relations terminology i.e. Land of Islam vs. The Land of disbelief/war (dar al-Islam vs. dar al-Kufr/harb).  They noted that the circumstances in which our jurists coined these terms, as well as their intended meaning, is greatly misunderstood by the casual untrained reader. The world used to be in a perpetual state of war and the nature of those empires was in most cases ruled by the religion of the emperor thus hostile to other empires/religions. The department thus cited the difference in the world situation between those ancient imperial realities to the modern day concept of sovereign nation states, in addition to the widespread modern concept of freedom and human rights. Their decree is that the whole world should generally be called land of treaty (dar al-Ahd) until one nation illegally invades another or until the government of a nation overtly violently oppresses its people.

These two examples represent a migration in ideology correcting the previous ways in favor of another more comfortable way in order for Islam to thrive. The Arabic word hijrah means “to leave”. Now we find ourselves a week into the Islamic New Year. When we look at the migration of the Prophet ﷺ  (peace be upon him), we see that it was difficult, required sacrifice and yet led to a better life.

The calendar was marked because of what it represents.  It is well documented that when Umar radi Allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) would send letters to his governors throughout the Caliphate, they started to ask about an official date. He gathered the companions of the Prophet ﷺ in consultation. Some suggested they mark the Islamic calendar year by the birth of the Prophet ﷺ, while others suggested the year he first received revelation, or the year the Muslims migrated from Makkah to Yathrib (Medina). Umar (ra) was convinced that the year of the migration was the best marker of the start of the Islamic calendar. He said that this is when God distinguished between truth and falsehood.  He was talking about how the physical migration was a process that represented a much bigger migration of deeper meaning: leaving one lifestyle for another because of its potential for virtue in the service of God.

It is of the utmost importance that those who migrate with their bodies also put their mind and heart into maximizing their potential to build future generations of Muslims particularly here in the West. It is equally important for the native Muslim community to not only avoid, but to bring plausible solutions to, sin and evil. This is what the Prophet ﷺ and his companions did when they migrated to Yathrib. They completely embraced the physical and abstract meaning of migration and thus fully fulfilled their potential.

The Prophet ﷺ taught us about true faith:

ألا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بالمؤمنينَ ؟ مَنْ أَمِنَهُ الناسُ على أَمْوَالِهمْ و أنْفُسِهمْ ، و المسلمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الناسُ من لسانِهِ و يَدِه ، و المُجَاهِدُ مَنْ جَاهَدَ نفسَهُ في طَاعَةِ اللهِ ، و المُهاجِرُ مَنْ هجرَ الخَطَايا و الذَّنُوبَ

“Shall I inform you of the true believers? They are those whom others feel safe from in their property and livelihood. The true Muslims are those whom the people are safe from their tongue and their hands. The true warrior is the one who fights against his or her desires in the obedience of God. The Migrant is the one who leaves sin and evil,” (Ahmad).

We must all individually reflect on these meanings of Islamic Migration so that we may maximize our potential for living, representing and conveying the divine message we were sent with.