Al-Bukhārī and Muslim reported from Abu Hurairah (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) that Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. No person memorises them except that he enters Jannah. And Allah is Witr (The Single One) and He loves Al-Witr.” i.e. to end the night prayer with one (odd) rak’ah.[1] And he (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said in a version, “The one who learns and comprehends them will enter Paradise.”[2]
And from the beautiful names of Allah is Al-‘Azīz. Al-Qurtubī (rahimahullāh) said, “The meaning of the name, Al-‘Azīz is Al-Manī’, the invincible, unconquerable, unassailable, the invulnerable, the One who cannot be reached and cannot be overcome.”[3]
Ibn Kathīr (rahimahullāh) said, “Al-‘Azīz is the One who has overpowered everything and subjugated it, He has overcome and conquered it all. He cannot be reached due to His might, His greatness, His complete power, His honour and magnificence.”[4] There has never been a moment ever except that Allah has always been the Al-Mighty, the Exalted, the All-Powerful, but when the wrongdoers, the unbelievers and pagans behave tyrannically and wreak havoc with the creation, Allah overpowers them, subdues them and humiliates them.
Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullāh) stated that Al-‘Izzah (might and honour) encompasses three affairs:
‘Izzatul-Quwwah (the might of power): So this points to His names, Al-Qawī (the All-Powerful) and Al-Matīn (the Strong).
‘Izzatul-Imtinā’ (the might of complete invulnerability): He is Al-Ghanī in His Self, the Independent One free of all needs. He is not in need of anyone. The attacks of the creation cannot reach Him, and they cannot injure Him in any way. And there is no benefit or increase they can bring Him. Rather, He is the One who brings injury and harm to whom He wills, and He is the One who brings benefit. He is Al-Mu’tī (the Giver) and Al-Māni’ (the Withholder).
‘Izzatul-Qahar (the might of subjugation): that He overpowers and overcomes all of creation, all of it is under the subjugation of Allah, subdued and humbled by His might and greatness, it yields and submits to His will. Nothing that moves is able to move except by His strength and might.
The name of Allah, Al-‘Azīz is mentioned in the Qurān on ninety-two separate occasions. Allah (the Migh High) said:
وَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ٢٦٠
“And know that Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” (Al-Baqarah: 260)
And He (the Most High) said:
وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ ذُو ٱنتِقَامٍ ٤
“And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Able of Retribution.” (Āli ‘Imrān: 4)
And He (thee Most High) said:
ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ ٣٨
“That is the Decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.” (Yā-Sīn: 38)
The Effect on the Imān of a Believer due to Understanding and Comprehending this Name is Immense
1. That Allah is the Mighty who cannot be overcome and cannot be overpowered. He is the giver of courage and firmness – because the meaning of this name is that our Lord cannot be prevented, and His command cannot be refused or rebutted. Whatever He (the Most High) wills, occurs even if the people do not wish it (or don’t want it) – and whatever He does not will, does not occur even if the people wish it (or want it). Look at the story of Mūsā (‘alaihis-salām) and how Fir’awn tried to prevent this child from living and existing. He ordered the killing of all the male children of Banī Isrā’īl because he knew that a man would come from among them and destroy his kingdom and liberate the Children of Israel. However, Allah would accomplish what He willed and He would perfect His light, even if the disbelievers hate that. So Mūsā (‘alaihis-salām) was born and raised in the palace of the Pharoah, in his own home, under his watch. And when he tried to kill Mūsā (‘alaihis-salām), Allah destroyed him, and his general Hāmān and the whole of his army.
2. The one who is ‘azīz (honourable) in this life and in the Hereafter is the one to whom Allah has given honour. Allah stated:
قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَـٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ ٱلْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ ٢٦
“Say: O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will, and You endue with honour whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things.” (Āli ‘Imrān: 26)
So whoever seeks honour should seek it from Allah who is the Lord of honour (Rabbul-‘Izzah). Meaning that the one who truly wishes to be honourable should cling to the obedience of Allah. One should never seek honour from other than Allah, and to be honoured by the disobedient, the enemies of Allah and the unbelievers. The more a person is obedient to Allah, the more he is given honour and is raised in the sight of Allah. Allah (the Most High) stated:
ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّخِذُونَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۚ أَيَبْتَغُونَ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْعِزَّةَ فَإِنَّ ٱلْعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا ١٣٩
“Those who take the disbelievers for allies instead of the believers, do they seek honour, power and glory with them? Verily, to Allah belongs all honour, power and glory.” (An-Nisā: 139)
With the increase in obedience comes an increase in honour and might. The most honourable of people are the Prophets, then those who after them from the believers and those who follow them. For this reason, Allah (the Most High) stated:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِۦ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٨
“But honour, power and glory belong to Allah, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites know not.” (Al-Munāfiqūn: 9) And Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said to the Ansār, “Were you not in a state of humiliation, and then Allah gave you honour and glory?”[5]
And ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) said, “We are a people who Allah has honoured with Islam. And whenever we seek to be honoured through other than it, Allah will bring us humiliation.”[6]
The Salaf of this Ummah would supplicate to Allah by saying, “O Allah! Give us honour through your obedience, and do not dishonour us through your disobedience.”[7] The person who is obedient to Allah is honourable and the disobedient one is humiliated and dishonourable (dhalīl). For this reason, the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “Allah has placed the humiliation and lowliness upon the one who opposes my commands.”[8]
Muslim (no. 2586) reported from Abu Hurairah (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) that Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “The giving of sadaqah does not decrease one’s wealth. And Allah does not increase a person who forgives another except in honour, and one does not humble himself before Allah (in obedience) except that Allah raises him.”
So Islam is the only way to attain honour in this life and the next. And Allah will bring Islam into each and every home, just as the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “The affair of Islam will reach every place that the night and day reach – neither a house of mud nor fur will remain except that Islam will enter it bringing either honour or humiliation – honour to the one who honours himself with Islam and humiliation to the one who humiliates himself with kufr.” Tamīm Ad-Dārī (radiyallāhu ‘anhu) who was a Christian before embracing Islam, would say, “I saw that in my own family. The one who entered Islam was bestowed with goodness, respect and honour. And the one who was an unbeliever was afflicted with dishonour, lowliness and jizyah.”[9]
And all praise is for Allah, Lord of all creation, who guided us to Islam and the Sunnah.
[1] Al-Bukhārī (no. 6410), Muslim (no. 2677).
[2] Al-Bukhārī (no. 7392).
[3] Tafsīr Al-Qurtubī (2/131).
[4] Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (4/343).
[5] Musnad of Al-Imām Ahmad (3/56), and its origin is reported in the two sahīhs.
[6] Al-Mustradrak of Al-Hākim (1/130).
[7] Al-Jawāb Al-Kāfī (p. 53).
[8] Musnad of Imām Ahmad (2/92).
[9] Musnad of Imām Ahmad (4/103). Authenticated by Shaikh Al-Albānī (rahimahullāh) in As-Sahīhah, beginning of vol. 1.
