In Thy Name, we live

Episode 21: Al-Wahhab (The Superb Bestower)

In the name of Allah[1], The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful, all praises be to Allah, Lord of the worlds[2].  All Prayers and Blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger of Allah (SAWS)[3].  Today’s name is one that has a connection with Lailat al-Qadr (The Night of Determination).  It is “The Superb Bestower”. Allah says what can be translated as, “Or even do they have in their presence the treasuries of your Lord's mercy, The Ever-Mighty, Superb Bestower?” (TMQ, 9:38)[4]

The meaning of the name, “The Superb Bestower”

This name gives more evidence of Allah’s love for us.  Linguistically, “The Superb Bestower” is He who bestows precious, unconditional gifts upon His worshippers without demanding anything in return, and without them having done anything prior to the bestowal.  He bestows upon them, out of love and affection for them.  Someone who bestows once is a bestower, but He who bestows various gifts, over and over again, is “The Superb Bestower.”   If the gifts are priceless and so great that no one else can bestow them, then “You, Ever You, are The One Who is The Superb Bestower” (TMQ, 8:3).  “The Superb Bestower” only bestows gifts that benefit you and guide you.

The difference between “The Superb Provider” and “The Superb Bestower”

“The Superb Provider” provides regular sustenance, which is based on the worshippers’ work, but “The Superb Bestower” bestows upon chosen worshippers, unexpected gifts for which they have not worked.  With “The Superb Provider”, you work before you receive your sustenance, but with “The Superb Bestower”, you work after you have received the gift.  A Muslim is not meant to sit around and wait for gifts and not work.  Moreover, sustenance is provided on a regular basis and therefore you become used to it and may forget to thank Allah (SWT)[5].  But an unexpected gift should make you take notice and remember to be thankful to Him.

Gifts bestowed upon us by “The Superb Bestower”

Here are a few examples of Allah’s gifts to us: an unplanned umrah[6], an unexpected hajj[7], your children; children are always mentioned as gifts in the Qur’an, your wife, a tape that led to your guidance, an unexpected holiday, a righteous friend, a prayer blessed with submissiveness, unexpected money to help you out of a crisis, a special talent.    Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) is a gift, paradise is a gift and Lailat al-Qadr is a gift.  Satan tries to prevent you from seeing the beauty of the gifts by making you see only hardships or by making you desire something other than Allah’s gifts.

Why does “The Superb Bestower” bestow gifts upon us?

A gift generates love, affection and joy; but more wonderful than the gift is He who bestows it.  There are two reasons for bestowing gifts: First, He loves you for your character; second, you are distant and He wants to bring you close.  If you do not remember His most recent gift to you, then you have a problem because it means that either you do not deserve His love, or you are unaware of His gifts.  Beware, those who are not thankful to “The Superb Bestower”, do not deserve gifts and will stop receiving them. 

The Superb Bestower chooses whom He wills

He chose from all mankind the prophets, and from among the prophets He chose Muhammad (SAWS).  He chose his (SAWS) companions and his ummah (the Muslim nation) and from among them the martyrs and the people of the Qur’an.  He chose Jibril (AS)[8] (Gabriel) from among the angels to descend with the revelation.  He chose from among the places Makkah and Mount Arafat, from the days those of Dhul-Hijjah, and from the nights, Lailat al-Qadr; a night like no other.  Moreover, He chooses for this night those who will attain it, so offer yourself to “The Superb Bestower”during the coming nights. 

One of the most precious gifts The Superb Bestower has bestowed upon all of us is Lailat-al-Qadr (the Night of Determination).  Allah carefully selects certain people to bestow upon them His gifts, as He wishes.  He has favored the human beings amongst all His creations.  He has favored the prophets from amongst all human beings.  He has chosen Muhammad (SAWS) from amongst all the prophets to be the final messenger of Allah.  He has chosen us to be Muslims from amongst all human beings.  He has chosen Makkah out of all places.  He chooses certain people from the billions of Muslims to go for Umrah and Hajj every year.  He has chosen Ramadan from among all months.  He has chosen the Night of Determination among all the nights. He also chooses certain people who actually benefit from and gain the reward of the Night of Determination.

“And strive for Allah as is the true striving for Him. He is (The One) Who has selected you” (TMQ, 78:22)

The Night of Determination

“Surely We sent it down on the Night of Determination; And what makes you realize what the Night of Determination is? The Night of Determination is more charitable (i.e., better) than a thousand months. The Angels and the Spirit keep coming down therein, by the permission of their Lord, with (Literally: from) every Command. Peace it is, till the rising of the dawn.” (TMQ, 1-5:97)

The word Qadr (Determination) has two meanings:

1.                        A night of high status, value, and importance;

2.                        The night in which the written destiny is disclosed to the angels for implementation.

“Surely We have sent it down in a blessed night; surely We have been warning. Therein every Wise Command is distinctly (decreed)” (TMQ, 3-4:44)

Notice that angels come down on this night in big numbers.  Jibril (AS) (Gabriel) also comes down to earth on this night, once every year to remember the days of revelation, which stopped upon the death of the Prophet (SAWS).  This night is a celebration of the birth of the perfect Ummah.

Three things make this night very special:

1.                        It is better than 1000 months, which is equivalent to nearly 84 years. This means that any good deed you do this night, will be rewarded to you as if you had done it for nearly your whole life span.

2.                        All your past sins are erased if you worship Allah justly on this night.

3.                        You are saved from the hell fire.

The Prophet (SAWS) used to pack up his bed and forget sleep during the last ten nights of Ramadan.  He would awaken his wives and family and encourage them to liven up the night in worship, prayer, and supplication.  Let us focus on all the last ten nights, since we can never be sure when the actual Night of Determination is.  Fighting and disagreement is one of the things that can make you lose out on all of the rewards of this special night, as this was one of the reasons why Allah has kept the knowledge of the exact occurrence of the Night of Determination a secret from us.

So are you ready to work hard and make yourself shine out from amongst the rest of Muslims?  Let us take advantage of this very special gift, which only the Superb Bestower can bestow upon us.

[1] The word Allah is the Arabic term for God. Although the use of the word "Allah" is most often associated with Islam, it is not used exclusively by Muslims; Arab Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also use it to refer to the One God. The Arabic word expresses the unique characteristics of the One God more precisely than the English term. Whereas the word "Allah" has no plural form in Arabic, the English form does, and the word 'Allah' in Arabic has no connotation of gender. Allah is the God worshipped by all Prophets, from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

[2] Mankind, jinn and all creation

[3] Salla Allah alayhe wa salam (All Prayers and Blessings of Allah be upon him)

[4]TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an.  This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an.  Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

[5] SWT = Subhanahu wa Ta'ala  [Glorified and Exalted Be He].

[6] voluntary short pilgrimage that can be performed at any time of the year

[7] The pilgrimage to Makkah during the first half of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, and is the fifth pillar of Islam

[8] Alayhe assalam (Peace be upon him)

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