The Beautiful Attributes Series: Instalment 3
Allah in His Beautiful Attributes (also known as the Holy Attributes or Beautiful Names) is clearly seen as infinitely merciful to all His creations through His blessings. He is seen as The Provider. He is seen as The Just and The Wise. He guides us to higher qualities of life.
With this thought in mind, let’s explore some of His Attributes (known by some as the 99 Names of Allah) in simple language so we can live our life with success knowing that we are the shadows of each of this Attribute. (To understand more about the origins and objectives of this series, please read the Introduction).
In this instalment, we focus on the two Attributes of As-Salaamu and Al-Mu’minu.
AS-SALAAMU – THE SOURCE OF PEACE
Importance:
Allah is the Total source of Peace, devoid of any conflict. He is in His wholeness and has no defects. In fact, He is a unifying factor. There is total unity in every part of His creation. According to some narrations, people used to pray “Peace upon God” until, as we are told, Rasul-Allah (S) corrected them by saying that Allah Himself is Peace.
Real Life Examples:
A good example is in chapter 67 of the Qur’an, Al-Mulk (The Dominion), in the revelation of verses 3 and 4:
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ سَبۡعَ سَمَـٰوَٲتٍ۬ طِبَاقً۬اۖ مَّا تَرَىٰ فِى خَلۡقِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ مِن تَفَـٰوُتٍ۬ۖ فَٱرۡجِعِ ٱلۡبَصَرَ هَلۡ تَرَىٰ مِن فُطُورٍ۬ (٣)
“He (Allah) created the seven heavens one above another: No want of proportion will you see in the creation of Allah Most Gracious, so turn thy vision Again: Do you see any flaw?”
ثُمَّ ٱرۡجِعِ ٱلۡبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيۡنِ يَنقَلِبۡ إِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡبَصَرُ خَاسِئً۬ا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ۬ (٤)
“Again turn thy vision a second time: (your) vision will come back to you dull and discomfited, in a state warn out.”
Here is another example that Allah is The Source of Peace. Rasul-Allah (S) used to recite the following three times after every prayer: “O Allah! You are the Peace. From You is the Peace. Glory to You! Greatness and Honour are in You!”
Points to Ponder:
Allah is free from any evil. As such, there can be neither peace nor security in existence without Him. This fact should be a key source of inspiration for us: we too are required to spread peace in our lifetime. Consider the excellent greeting in our Islamic tradition: “Assalaamu Alaykum.” These should not be words we only utter but also words we fully mean and live through our actions. Rasul-Allah (S) used to ask the believers to spread the greetings of peace so that they may achieve peace and security. In the Qur’an, we are also told that if the enemy inclines to peace, then you [too] should incline toward it and put your trust in Allah. Indeed He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.
In Sura Yaasin 36: 58, it is revealed that Allah will reward the believers with peace in paradise. Thus, we should always be prepared to provide peace to others so that we are rewarded with Peace in the Hereafter. In another Quranic verse (Sura Ahzaab 33:44) it reads: “Their salutation on the day when they shall meet Him will be ‘Peace.’ And He has prepared for them a goodly recompense.”
We should practice the attainment of the special tranquility and peace achieved in prayers and other good deeds, such as forgiving others just as we would like to be forgiven. Sura 13, verses 23-24, explains why: “…angels shall enter unto them from every gate (with the salutation), “Peace unto you for that ye persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final Home!”
AL-MU’MINU – THE GUARDIAN OF FAITH
Importance:
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta`ala is the Guardian of Faith. He watches over us and guards us. Sura 59, verse 23, reminds us of this by telling us that God is the Source of Serenity and the Watcher of all. If we follow His teachings, we will be rewarded with mercy and grace, and the ultimate protection: paradise.
Real Life Examples:
It is greatly comforting to know that as we go through life, Allah watches over us and guards us.
We follow His guidance and He notices. We pray to Him and He listens. Miracles happen all around us—His miracles. Then consider that we humans escape mishaps and accidents daily: “near misses” are a part of life for us all. Think about the sheer amount of natural and human interactions that take place everyday, year in and year out, directly and indirectly, then ask yourself how we each make it home safely after navigating all this travel, interaction and uncertainty, locally and abroad.
Points to Ponder:
Allah is the Protector par excellence. He is the AMN (THE SECURITY) that protects the one that takes refuge in Him. We must also be the vicegerents of Allah in our earthly life, be the protectors to all we can and to provide security to each other and all His creations. Our Imams have taught us to provide security, if needed—even to the enemy.
Allah’s Attribute of Al-Mu’minu protects us from evil. If you combine the Attributes Al-Mu’minu with As-Salaamu, we must be cognizant of those who need to be provided with both peace and security, and thus be ready to provide it. As such, we should be happily prepared for any opportunity to always provide (promote) what is in our capacity to provide in terms of peace, protection, and also to thank Allah for having provided this opportunity to us. This would be the right thing to do.
What thoughts come to your mind and heart when you reflect on the these qualities of Allah? How do you approach nurturing these qualities in yourself and what challenges do you face in service of Allah?
This series is inspired by Dr Husein Khimjee’s book entitled The Attributes of God in the Monotheistic Faiths of Judeo-Christian and Islamic Traditions. Together, we have drawn valuable insights from his work. We appreciate Dr Khimjee’s dedication and active engagement with this project.
The Beautiful Attributes Examined
Click below to explore further:
Instalment 1: Ar-Rahmanu and Ar-Rahimu
Instalment 2: Al-Maliku and Al-Quddusu