There is nothing like unto Allah, He has the most perfect Names and Attributes. The source of the Names and Attributes of Allah is the Noble Quran and Sunnah, independent opinion and mind have no room regarding understanding or comprehending it. So, we must set our limits to these two sources, and speak only with the Ayas and Hadiths that explained His Names. In this article, we will discuss some of His names that will help us to establish a strong connection to Allah.
al-Ghaffar
ٱلْغَفَّارُ
The Forgiver, The Ever-Forgiving, The Most-Forgiving
Allah said in the Holy Quran, Surah Taha, Aya 82, ”But indeed, I am the Perpetual Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteousness and then continues in guidance” (وَإِنِّي لَغَفَّارٌ لِّمَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَىٰ). So, Al-Ghafaar is the One Who forgives the sins of His slaves time and time again. He sees our sins and disobedience, yet He still forgives and accepts the repentance of the sincere. He veils our faults and sins and forgives us. The word of Al-Gaffar means that Allah veils the minor and major sins, and once the believer repents, Allah will forgive him in this life and hereafter. His Forgiving ability is endless, no matter how major or minor the sins are. He is the most forgiving and loves to forgive. There is another benefit here, that it is never too late for a believer to repent, once he starts over, and does the conditions of Twaba correctly, he will find Allah the Most Forgiving. When a believer sins, he must repent and try to fix what needs to be amended. He must believe that Allah will forgive him if he asks for forgiveness, and that Allah loves those who turn to Him in repentance. Shitaan tries to convince believers that Allah will not forgive them and feel despair in Allah because of their sins or because they repeat sins over and over, but Allah gifts us with amazing gift of His, and says “Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”. The gates of Mercy and Forgiveness will be always opened for Man whenever he turns to Allah as He is Al-Gh-Faar.
Al-Qahhar
ٱلْقَهَّارُ
The Dominantor, The Irrestible, The Subduer
One of the things that ensures Muslim’s survival is that he believes there is an endless and limitless power he resorts to when the whole world fights him ruthlessly and relentlessly. Allah is the Subduer who has the perfect Power and is not powerless over anything. He is the one who prevails over all creation. His powers can never be beaten or challenged. When you hear this name, Al-Qahaar, your heart is filled with fear and veneration for Allah. The word of Al-Qahaar was mentioned 6 times in the Quran, Allah says in Surah Al-An’am, Aya 18, ”And He is the Irresistible (Supreme), above His slaves, and He is the All-Wise, the Well-Acquainted with (all things)” (وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِ وَهُوَ الَحكِيم الخبير). He has absolute sovereignty over all His creation. He is the dominator, has subdued everything, and all the tyrants and arrogant have humbled themselves to Him. All faces shall be humbled before His Mighty and Grandeur. When everything end, only Allah lasts forever, He controls all lives and deaths. At this moment, Allah will announce and say ”to whom belongs [all] sovereignty this Day? To Allah, the One, the Prevailing.” No creature will stand and challenge Allah, as He is Al-Qahaar. In this life, we are surrounded by tyrants, aggressors, transgressors, and ruiners who think they have controlled everything around them by power and wealth, but our belief tells us that no matter how much power and wealth they gain we believe that it is all controlled by Allah. Allah is above them all, their actions are willed by Allah, and no one can go against Him. On the other hand, this meaning spreads peace and security inside us and makes us feel that it is all coming back to Allah.
Generally, the goal of exploring the Names and Attributes of Allah is to get closer to Him, still, there is another high purpose, which is facing the savageness and brutality of this life by fleeing to Allah. We believe that there is no refuge, and no escape, except to Allah. Allah is the Refuge of the people who have no refuge. May Allah keep us in His Care where no one can harm us.
