Names of Allah Series:

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).

A few years ago, I took my little nephew to a public park for the first time. While we have a garden at home, it was his first time to see such vast open space. He almost immediately started running, in awe of the vastness and beauty, not even sure what to do with it. It was so big to him, and the possibilities were endless. He then came back and hugged me, saying, “Thank you, Aunty! Thank you!” My heart was warmed of course, but I was also amused at this kid’s first experience with open spaces.

But as I started reflecting, I realized that we are all my little nephew in relation to Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). Most of us are not familiar with Allah’s vastness—that He named Himself al-Waasi` (the Vast)—and once we get a little taste of it, we are left in awe; humbled and grateful.

Al-Waasi` comes from the root w-s-` (و-س-ع), and it is the opposite of constriction and difficulty. It means to be vast, spacious without limit, and all-encompassing. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an:

“And to Allah belongs the east and the west. So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allah. Indeed, Allah is all-Encompassing (waasi`) and Knowing.” (Qur’an, 2:115)

In the verse above we are told that wherever we turn, Allah (swt) is there. He is vast and cannot be contained in space. Al-Ghazali stated that “Al-Waasi` —the Vast—derives from expansiveness, and expansiveness is sometimes linked to knowledge, when it extends to and comprehends a multitude of objects; and at other times it is linked to charity and widespread blessings, extending as far as possible to whatever they descend upon”.

So what does this mean for you and me?

It means there is room for us. There is room for me and you. There is room for us, with all of our struggles and our mistakes and our faults: Allah is vast. No matter how broken we are. No matter where we have been. No matter how many times we have messed up. There is room for everyone. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an:

“My punishment – I afflict with it whom I will, but My mercy encompasses (wasi`at) all things.” (Qur’an, 7:156)

The word used here for ‘encompasses’ is from the same root of Allah’s Name al-Waasi`. His mercy encompasses everything. Every. single. thing. Allah (swt) also says:

“Indeed, your Lord is vast (waasi’) in forgiveness.” (Qur’an, 53:32)

Do you feel so as though your sins are too heavy? Allah’s forgiveness is also all-encompassing. The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said: “Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, ‘O son of Adam, as long as you call on Me, I shall forgive you of what you have done, and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if your sins were to reach up to the clouds in the sky, and then you were to ask for My forgiveness, I would forgive you and think nothing of it. O son of Adam, even if you were to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, and then you were to meet Me after death, not worshiping anything besides Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as the earth.’” [Tirmidhi]

Allah (swt) tells us in Surat at-Tawba:

“And [He also forgave] the three who were left behind [and regretted their error] to the point that the earth closed in on them in spite of its vastness and their souls confined them and they were certain that there is no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.” (Qur’an, 9:118)

The description in this verse is so apt. It speaks about the three companions who abandoned the Muslims in their time of need, how they regretted it and how they felt like the earth was closing in on them, and that their souls were confined. But what happened? There is no refuge from God except to Him. And Allah (swt) accepted them. That constriction that they felt was released. They could breathe. Allah’s vastness allows you to breathe.

Allah (swt) is all-encompassing when you ask Him. Sheikh Akram Nadwi once said (paraphrased): “If you were to ask me for a penny, how hard would it be for me to give it you? It would be like giving nothing. When you ask Allah (swt), what you are asking of Him is even less to Him than that one penny is to me.” So do not confine Allah to what you think He can give. Remember that He is limitless.

And there is another meaning here. Allah’s religion is vast. We all have things that are obligatory upon us—such prayer, fasting and good character—but beyond that, we have all been given different talents and passions. We are told of so many different ways to come to Allah (swt): smiling, ((“Your smile for your brother is charity.” Tirmidhi)) helping others, ((“Allah will aid a servant [of His] so long as the servant aids his brother.” Muslim)) being an honest business person, ((“May Allah’s mercy be on him who is lenient in his buying, selling, and in demanding back his money.” Bukhari)) even simply having good intentions. ((“A person to whom Allah grants knowledge but He does not grant him wealth, but he is sincere in his intention and says: If I had wealth, I would do the same as So and so does. He will be rewarded according to his intention and their reward will be the same.” Ahmad)) This religion is for you. You can contribute in your own way.

Once, Imam Malik was rebuked in a letter for wearing nice clothes. He was told that he should spend his time fasting during the day and praying during the night. Aside from the fact that wearing nice clothes does not preclude one from extra praying and fasting, Imam Malik responded in the most beautiful way. He wrote back to the person that Allah (swt) has apportioned acts of worship like He apportioned sustenance. And Allah may have put a deep love of voluntary fasting and prayers in the heart of the author of the letter, but Allah (swt) had also put love in Imam Malik’s heart for learning and teaching. And in all is good.

So connect to Allah (swt) with the obligatory, and then use what inspires you from the permissible to go deeper into that love. Just remember that He is vast, and so is His religion. He will accept you. In His mercy, there is enough space for you, with all of your mistakes. There is enough space for your talent. We all have things that are required of us, such as prayer. But Allah is all-encompassing and boundless, He accepts our own journey to Him. You do not have to be the scholar, but you can if you want. You can be the honored cleaner of the mosque. You can be the one in your family that always brings people together. You can be the person known for his or her integrity. You can be like Uways al-Qarni, who was “unknown to the people on earth, but well-known to those in the heavens” because of his sincerity. Those are all beautiful paths to God.

So what is your way to Allah (swt)?

Breathe. You are with Al-Waasi`. And His Vastness will embrace you.