بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
"Such is the Bounty from Allah, and Allah is Sufficient as All-Knower."
20-2-1438H
The Noble Name of Allah العليم is mentioned in more than 150 positions in the Qur'an. When a Name of Allah is mentioned profusely, it indicates our dire need of it and its importance in our lives.
This Name is one of the 99 Names of Allah.
It was narrated by Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمَا مِائَةً إِلاَّ وَاحِدًا مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ
"Allah has ninety nine Names, one hundred minus one, whoever أحصاها will enter Paradise" [Agreed Upon]
Many people understand the word "أحصاها" as reading the Names of Allah from a card every morning, evening, or after obligatory prayers, and believe that by doing that they will enter Paradise.
"أحصاها", as Ibn AlQayyim mentioned, is to:
#1 - Know the Name from the Qur'an and the Sunnah
#2 - Learn the Meaning of the Name
#3 - Worship Allah by this Name. And this is by calling Allah by these Names. Allah says in Surah Al-A'raf [7:180]:
"And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter impious speech against) His Names. They will be requited for what they used to do."
دعاء is of three types:
a) دعاء المسألة - Supplication of Asking
b) دعاء الثناء - Supplication of Praise
c) دعاء العبادة - Supplication of Worship
This means that this Name should affect your state, your behavior, your attitude, your heart, your way of thinking. Whatever you do should be an impact of your belief in that particular Name of Allah.
E.g. You abstain from a sin because you know Allah is السميع، البصير;- He Sees and Hears you.
E.g. You ask Allah to forgive you after committing a sin, because you believe He is الغفور، الرحيم، التواب.
#4 - Memorize the Name
In order for a Name to be considered one of the 99 Names of Allah, there are certain conditions that it should fulfill, as Ibn Taymiyah رحمه الله mentioned. Of them, is that:
1) The Name should be mentioned in the Qur'an and Sunnah
2) The Name should not be Restricted. There should be at least one position in the Qur'an where this Name is not joined with something else.
E.g. "عالم الغيب و الشهادة"
This is mentioned around 14 times in the Qur'an. But is "عالم" one of the Names of Allah? Because it is only restricted to the unseen and the seen in the Qur'an, some Scholars do not consider it one of the 99 Names of Allah.
E.g. "علام الغيوب"
This is mentioned in 4 verses in the Qur'an. The Name "علام" has never come alone. Therefore it is not considered one of the 99 Names of Allah.
The Name of Allah "العليم" has been mentioned in the Qur'an alone, for example: "والله عليم حكيم". Therefore, العليم is one of the 99 Names of Allah.
3) The Name should come in the Noun Form
4) The Name should imply a Beautiful, Perfect Attribute
This Atrribute should always be a perfect attribute.
The Name of Allah العليم implies the Attribute of العلم (Knowledge).
E.g. The Name of Allah المستعان.
This is mentioned in two positions in the Qur'an.
1) Surah Yusuf [12:18]:
"And they brought his shirt stained with false blood. He said: "Nay, but your ownselves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you assert."
2) Surah Al-Anbiya [21:112]:
"He (Muhammad ﷺ) said:"My Lord! Judge You in truth! Our Lord is the Most Beneficent, Whose Help is to be sought against that which you attribute"
Allah always connected "المستعان" to "على ما تصفون";- Allah's Help is sought to what they attribute. Therefore, المستعان is a restricted name of Allah.
This issue is a matter of dispute with the Scholars; they differed regarding this matter. That is why you find some Scholars counting more Names in their list, and others with less.
E.g. "بديع السماوات و الأرض"
In the Qur'an, you do not find any verse where Allah just says "بديع". Therefore it is a restricted Name, and some Scholars do not consider it of the 99 Names.
Some Positions in which the Name of Allah العليم is Mentioned in the Qur'an
1) Surah Ar-Rum [30:54]:
"Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair. He creates what He wills. And it is He Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful (i.e. Able to do all things)."
In this verse Allah connected His خلق (Creation) with His Ability and Knowledge. The first thing we learn from this verse, without going to the Tafseer Book, is that Allah did not Create anything except that He knows about it.
2) Surah An-Nisa [4:69-70]:
"And whoso obeys Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad ﷺ), then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqun (those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them, like Abu Bakr As-Siddiq), the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!"
Allah knows who deserves that companionship, and Allah is sufficient as a Knower.
3) Surah Ya-Sin [36:38]:
"And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term (appointed). That is the Decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing."
5) Surah Al-Baqarah [2:181]:
"Then whoever changes the bequest after hearing it, the sin shall be on those who make the change. Truly, Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower."
Allah threatens those who change the will after hearing it, with His Names سميع عليم.
The Meaning of the Name العليم
The Scholars go throughout the entire Qur'an, find the positions where that Name and its impacts are mentioned, compile them, and come out with a summary.
The meaning of the Name is very important to know, as it is based on this meaning that we will build our faith on, so that it accordingly affects our behavior and actions.
1) As-Sa'di (رحمه الله)
2) Shaikh Abdur-Razzaq Al-Badr (حفظه الله)
The Impact of your Belief in the Name of Allah العليم / How to Worship Allah according to His Name العليم?
#1 - To single Allah out with Perfection in that Name
If you ask anyone the meaning of the Name of Allah العليم, they would tell you that it means the All-Knower. Although the meaning is very clear, its impact is very weak in our lives.
Allah's Name العليم implies the Attribute of العلم (Knowledge). العلم is something common between Allah and His creation; Allah has Knowledge, and people have knowledge. Our faith is weak because we see the knowledge of people and do not see the knowledge of Allah. We do not single Allah out with perfect, complete, and comprehensive Knowledge, and negate it from everyone else. People go to magicians, fortune tellers, read horoscopes, because they lack Tawheed in the Name of Allah العليم.
"إحاط علمه" - Allah's Knowledge encompasses
There is a big difference between saying someone knows, and that someones knowledge encompssss everything. Nothing escapes the Knowledge of Allah.
Everything in this life has something apparent (ظاهر) and something hidden (باطن). Allah does not just know the outer appearance of matters, but He encompasses even what is inside.
#2 - You would take care of your heart and its actions
Allah does not look at our physiques, He looks at our hearts and deeds (which are based on what is established in our heart).
E.g. A person may apparently look good, but inwardly he is someone contrary to what he shows, and may live like that throughout his life. People only know about his outward appearance, but Allah knows whats in his heart. That is why in Surah Al-Hadid [57:13-14]:
"On the Day when the hypocrites men and women will say to the believers: "Wait for us! Let us get something from your light!" It will be said: "Go back to your rear! Then seek a light!" So a wall will be put up between them, with a gate therein. Inside it will be mercy, and outside it will be torment."
"(The hypocrites) will call the believers: "Were we not with you?" The believers will reply: "Yes! But you led yourselves into temptations, you looked forward for our destruction; you doubted (in Faith); and you were deceived by false desires, till the Command of Allah came to pass. And the chief deceiver (Satan) deceived you in respect of Allah."
This indicates that the hypocrites were mixed with the believers in this life, to the extent that no one could distinguish between the two. Even the hypocrites themselves did not realize that they were hypocrites. This is how serious this matter is.
The hypocrites will come on the Day of Judgement, walking with the believers, until Allah extinguishes their light. At that moment they would realize they were hypocrites and not believers.
This is exactly like the three people who will enter Hellfire first. The Prophet ﷺ said:
"إِنَّ أَوَّلَ النَّاسِ يُقْضَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ اسْتُشْهِدَ، فَأُتِيَ بِهِ فَعَرَّفَهُ نِعَمَهُ فَعَرَفَهَا، قَالَ: فَمَا عَمِلْتَ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ قَاتَلْتُ فِيكَ حَتَّى اسْتُشْهِدْتُ، قَالَ: كَذَبْتَ، وَلَكِنَّكَ قَاتَلْتَ لِأَنْ يُقَالَ: جَرِيءٌ، فَقَدْ قِيلَ، ثُمَّ أُمِرَ بِهِ فَسُحِبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ حَتَّى أُلْقِيَ فِي النَّارِ. وَرَجُلٌ تَعَلَّمَ الْعِلْمَ وَعَلَّمَهُ وَقَرَأَ الْقُرْآنَ، فَأُتِيَ بِهِ، فَعَرَّفَهُ نِعَمَهُ فَعَرَفَهَا، قَالَ: فَمَا عَمِلْتَ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ: تَعَلَّمْتُ الْعِلْمَ وَعَلَّمْتُهُ، وَقَرَأْتُ فِيكَ الْقُرْآنَ، قَالَ: كَذَبْتَ، وَلَكِنَّكَ تَعَلَّمْتَ الْعِلْمَ لِيُقَالَ: عَالِمٌ، وَقَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ لِيُقَالَ: هُوَ قَارِئٌ، فَقَدْ قِيلَ، ثُمَّ أُمِرَ بِهِ، فَسُحِبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ حَتَّى أُلْقِيَ فِي النَّارِ. وَرَجُلٌ وَسَّعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَعْطَاهُ مِنْ أَصْنَافِ الْمَالِ كُلِّهِ، فَأُتِيَ بِهِ، فَعَرَّفَهُ نِعَمَهُ فَعَرَفَهَا، قَالَ: فَمَا عَمِلْتَ فِيهَا؟ قَالَ: مَا تَرَكْتُ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ تُحِبُّ أَنْ يُنْفَقَ فِيهَا إِلَّا أَنْفَقْتُ فِيهَا لَكَ، قَالَ: كَذَبْتَ، وَلَكِنَّكَ فَعَلْتَ لِيُقَالَ: هُوَ جَوَادٌ، فَقَدْ قِيلَ، ثُمَّ أُمِرَ بِهِ فَسُحِبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ، ثُمَّ أُلْقِيَ فِي النَّارِ"
"The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [ The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I fought for you until I died a martyr. He will say: You have lied - you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: He is courageous. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire.
[Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Quran. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Quran for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: He is learned. And you recited the Quran that it might be said [of you]: He is a reciter. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire.
[Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: And what did you do about them? He will say: I left no path [untrodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake. He will say: You have lied - you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: He is open-handed. And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire." [Muslim]
They are lying until that moment. People thought he was a good person, and he thought he was a good person, and he died on that state. In Surah Az-Zumar [39:47]:
"And those who did wrong (the polytheists and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah), if they had all that is in earth and therewith as much again, they verily, would offer it to ransom themselves therewith on the Day of Resurrection from the evil torment, and there will become apparent to them from Allah, what they had not been reckoning."
They never thought that this would be their situation on the Day of Judgement. But their reality will be exposed to them, a reality which they never perceived when they were alive.
Allah, out of His Mercy, makes us go through situations which show us the reality of what is in our heart. But there are people who ignore and neglect; they do not see themselves as mistaken. They blame everyone except themselves. When he lives in life always attributing good to himself, Allah will seal this persons heart, until he dies on that state.
The Greatest Goal (المقصود الأعظم) we should seek when studying the Name of Allah العليم is Reformation of our Heart.
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