بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Name of Allah: المهيمن
Ibn Jarir At-Tabari:
اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويله: فقال بعضهم: المهيمن الشهيد
The Interpreters differed with regards to the meaning Al-Muhaymin. Some of them said it is الشهيد (The Witness), like Qatadah and Mujahid.
At-Tabari also said under his interpretation of the verse in Surah Al-Maa’idah [5:48]:
و أصل 'الهيمنة' الحفظ و الإرتقاب. يقال إذا رقب الرجل الشيء و حفظه و شهده "قد هيمن فلان عليه" فهو يهيمن هيمنة و هو عليه مهيمن
The basis of الهيمنة (The attribute of Al-Muhaymin) is الحفظ و الإرتقاب (Preservation and Watchfulness). If a person watches something, protects it, and is a witness over it, he has “Haymana” over it. He has “Yuhaymin Haymana” and he is a Muhaymin over it.
Ibn Kathir:
قال ابن عباس و غير واحد: أي: الشاهد على خلقه بأعمالهم، بمعنى هو رقيب عليهم كقوله "والله على كل شيء شهيد" [البروج؛ ٩] و قوله "ثم الله شهيد على ما يفعلون" [يونس: ٤٦] و قوله "أفمن هو قائم على كل نفس بما كسبت" [الرعد:٣٣]
According to Ibn Abbas and others it means He is the witness over the actions of His creation. That is to say, He is the Ever-Watcher over them, as Allah says in Surah Al-Burooj [85:9]:
وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
“And Allah is Witness over everything.”
And Surah Yunus [10:46]:
ثُمَّ اللَّهُ شَهِيدٌ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ
“and moreover Allah is Witness over what they used to do.”
Ibn Kathir also gave another evidence to his above statement to show us that it also means رقيب. Allah says in Surah Ar-Ra’d [13:33]:
أَفَمَنْ هُوَ قَائِمٌ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ
“Is then He (Allah) Who takes charge (guards, maintains, provides, etc.) of every person and knows all that he has earned...”
أي: حفيظ عليم رقيب على كل نفس منفوسة، يعلم ما يعمل العاملون من خير و شر، لا يخفى عليه خافية
This means that Allah is a guard (حفيظ), a knower (عليم), and a watcher (رقيب) over every soul. He knows what every person does of good or evil. Nothing is hidden from His perfect observation and knowledge.
Allah says in Surah Yunus [10:61]:
وَمَا تَكُونُ فِي شَأْنٍ وَمَا تَتْلُو مِنْهُ مِن قُرْآنٍ وَلَا تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ عَمَلٍ إِلَّا كُنَّا عَلَيْكُمْ شُهُودًا إِذْ تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ ۚ وَمَا يَعْزُبُ عَن رَّبِّكَ مِن مِّثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلَا أَصْغَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ وَلَا أَكْبَرَ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ
“Whatever you (O Muhammad) may be doing, and whatever portion you may be reciting from the Quran, - and whatever deed you (mankind) may be doing (good or evil), We are Witness thereof, when you are doing it. And nothing is hidden from your Lord (so much as) the weight of an atom (or small ant) on the earth or in the heaven. Not what is less than that or what is greater than that but is (written) in a Clear Record.”
And in Surah Ar-Ra’d [13:10]:
سَوَاءٌ مِّنكُم مَّنْ أَسَرَّ الْقَوْلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ مُسْتَخْفٍ بِاللَّيْلِ وَسَارِبٌ بِالنَّهَارِ
“It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or declare it openly, whether he be hid by night or go forth freely by day.“
Al-Baghawi said in his interpretation of the verse in Surah Ar-Ra’d [13:33]:
أي: حافظها و رازقها و عالم بها و مجازيها بما عملت
Allah is the souls Protector and Sustainer. He is All-Knowing of it and He recompenses it in accordance to what it has done of actions.
Ar-Raazi:
Al-Muhaymin has many meanings:
The first meaning is الشهيد. Allah is a witness over the actions and statements of His creation, as He says in Surah Yunus [10:61].
The second meaning is المؤمن or المؤيمن. (If you turn the hamza into ه, which occurs in the language, it becomes المهيمن)
المؤمن is the One who grants His slaves safety by promising that He will never be unjust to them. He is also the One who establishes proofs for the truthfulness of His believing slaves. He establishes the truthfulness of the Messengers by miracles and signs.
The third meaning of المهيمن is الرقيب (The Watcher) and الحفيظ الحافظ (The Preserver)
Al-Hasan Al-Basri:
المهيمن المُصدق
وهو في حق الله تعالى يعني:
أن يكون ذلك التصديق بالكلام فيُصدق أنبياءه بإخباره تعالى عن كونهم صادقين ويُظهر المعجزات على أيديهم
Al-Muhaymin is Al-Musadiq.
With regards to Allah it means that He establishes the truthfulness of the Prophets and Messengers by informing others of their truthfulness and through miracles that He makes apparent through their hands.
Al-Ghazali:
هو اسم لمن كان موصوفًا بمجموع صفات ثلاث:
أولها: العلم بأحوال الشيء
الثاني: القدرة التامة على تحصيل مصالح ذلك الشيء
الثالث: المواظبة على تحصيل تلك المصالح -بمعنى هو يعلمه ويَقدُر له الخير الصالح له ويديم عليه ذلك، يديم عليه علمه وقدرته.
It is a name for one who is attributed with three qualities:
a) Knowledge of the state of a thing
b) Complete ability and power to dispose the affairs of that thing.
c) Perpetuity in disposing its affairs - Meaning, to perpetually know about it and decree the good that benefits it.
As-Sa’di:
المهيمن المطلع على خفايا الأمور وخبايا الصدور
He who sees the hidden matters and all that the breasts conceal.
Abdur-Razzaq Al-Badr:
المطلع على خفايا الأمور و خبايا الصدور، الذي أحاط بكل شيء علما، الشاهد على الخلق بأعمالهم، الرقيب عليهم فيما يصدر منهم من قول أو فعل، لا يغيب عنه من أفعالهم شيء، و لا يعزب عنه مثقال ذرة في الأرض و لا في السماء
He is the One who sees the hidden matters and what the breasts conceal. His knowledge encompasses everything. He is the شاهد (Witness) over the actions of the creation and He is الرقيب (A watcher over them) regarding what they do and what they say. Nothing is hidden from Him of their actions. Nothing lesser than the weight of an atom nor greater than that in the heavens and earth escapes His knowledge.
The Meaning of al-Muhaymin:
1) الشهيد (The Witness) - Implied Attribute of شهادة the opposite of which is to be absent.
2) الرقيب - Implied attribute of watchfulness the opposite of which is to be heedless.
3) الحافظ الحفيظ - Implied attribute of protection the opposite of which is to be negligent.
4) المؤمن - المصدق
It is a name that is mentioned only once in the Qur’an. Although it is only mentioned once, you can see the impact of the name profusely throughout the Qur’an. Every verse that mentions about Allah’s witness, observation, preservation, affirmation of truthfulness is an impact of the name of Allah المهيمن.
It could be considered one of الأسماء الجامع (Comprehensive Names of Allah).
After knowing the meaning of the name, we should believe that:
-> Allah is the شهيد (Witness) over His creation and nothing is hidden from Him.
-> He is attributed with perfection.
-> He is never unaware nor forgets.
-> He is aware of every single word, turn of our heart, action we do. This should create fear in our hearts, glorification of Allah, and it should make us observant of Allah’s watchfulness over us in secret and open.
-> He preserves whatever we do of deeds in our records and show it to us on the Day of Judgement. Allah is sufficient as a witness.
“و كفى بالله شهيدا”
“And Allah is sufficient as a witness”
الهيمنة implies Allah’s watchfulness and that nothing escapes His knowledge. It prevails over everything.
While we are in this life we should be aware of Allah’s watchfulness over the actions of our hearts, tongues, and bodies.
E.g. The feeling of ungratefulness (بطر).
When Allah saved Bani Israeel and they crossed the sea and reached the desert of Sina, Allah gave them Mann (truffles) and Salwa (quails). They got it without any effort. But they said to Musa عليه السلام in Surah Al-Baqarah [2:61]:
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَىٰ لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الْأَرْضُ مِن بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّائِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا ۖ قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَىٰ بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ ۚ اهْبِطُوا مِصْرًا فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ
“And (remember) when you said, "O Musa (Moses)! We cannot endure one kind of food. So invoke your Lord for us to bring forth for us of what the earth grows, its herbs, its cucumbers, its Fum (wheat or garlic), its lentils and its onions." He said, "Would you exchange that which is better for that which is lower? Go you down to any town and you shall find what you want!"
They wanted what was low in exchange for what was better.
Who is usually ungrateful? When favours are abundant and there is no trouble in getting it and it comes to people easy. They do not know that this world is an abode of trial.
The Scholars called this life بلغة منغضة - Something with which you reach the Hereafter but it is full of bitterness.
Life will never be perfect. People feel bored with their wives, children, jobs, because of their shortcoming and deficiencies.
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