“The Most Excellent Names belong to God: use them to call on him…” (7:180)
The Lord of Mercy (Ar-Rahmaan)
One summer, I was at the park with my children and the weather was very hot – not even the lightest breeze. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, a subtle gust of wind blew through my clothes. What a relief. What a mercy.
Other people at the park that day may not have noticed the wind pick up, but I sure did. God sends His mercy in ways we often overlook. His mercy is for everyone, but not everyone recognizes it and thanks Him for it.
Look for the blessings of the Lord of Mercy: they are all around you.
“If you tried to count God’s blessings, you could never take them all in: He is truly Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.” (16:18)
When you feel like things are going against you, call on the The Lord of Mercy to shower His mercy on you.
The Granter of Security (Al Mu’min)
Our little family planned a trip to America from a small town in Canada to see my father-in-law. So, with a 3-year old and a toddler in tow, we boarded our train.
It was then that I took my first real look at our tickets. I discovered, to my horror, that we would be changing trains late Halloween night in one of the most violent cities in America.
Me. From a tiny Canadian town, visibly Muslim covered from head to toe, filled with horror stories about this city. Yes, I was very afraid.
So I prayed to The Granter of Security to keep us safe. And just like that, God made sure that my fears were never realized. Our little family was diverted without ever setting foot on one of the most dangerous cities in America.
When you are afraid, ask for help from the Granter of Security. He will bring you safety in ways you could never imagine.
Al Jabbar (The Mender)
I learned a lot about cooking from my mother. She even gave me her ceramic mixing bowl. Due to over-enthusiastic use, my dad had to repair it several times.
While he was very skilled and careful to put the pieces back, using the strongest glue, the cracks from the previous breaks are easy to see. And after I had it, the whole bottom of the bowl cracked and broke away.
Even though I repaired it, I’m still very careful with it. I don’t even use it except to store onions and garlic. I’m afraid it will break again.
It is only God, the Perfect Mender, who can fully repair and heal back to perfection – like nothing ever happened.
Our hearts can be fragile too. We have scars and open sores from past losses and hurt. Some of our damaged relationships can seem beyond hope for repair.
Yet, God is the Perfect Mender. When He heals your wounds, they don’t even leave a scar. When He has repaired the harm, you can feel whole again, without a trace of pain.
When you feel broken, call on The Mender to heal your wounds and mend your relationships.
The Repeatedly-Forgiving (Al Ghaffar)
This name of God is just one of many that remind us that He forgives. Take this story for example, narrated to us by Messenger Muhammad.
A man committed a sin, then regretfully asked God:
‘My Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.’
His Lord replied: ‘Is My servant acknowledging that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for them? I have forgiven My servant.’
Time passed, and he returned to his sin. Regretful once again, he said,
‘My Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.’
His Lord replied: ‘Is My servant acknowledging that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for them? I have forgiven My servant.’
Time passed and he returned to his sin yet again. And for the third time, he repeated his plea:
‘My Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.’
By the third time, you may expect the answer would be no. However, you’re dealing with The Repeatedly Forgiving God.
His Lord replied for the third time: ‘Is My servant acknowledging that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for them? I have forgiven My servant.’
Committing sins makes us feel bad, for sure. But we should never feel like we’ve ever sinned too much to ask God to forgive us. If we do that, we fall into a trap of Satan. A great teacher of the past advised:
“Would not any one of us feel ashamed before his Lord to seek forgiveness from his sin then go back to it, then seek forgiveness then go back to it? He said: The Satan would like you to feel that way; never give up seeking forgiveness.”
So when you have sinned, beg God The Forgiver to forgive your mistakes.
The Opener (Al Fattah)
Sometimes the path ahead seems dark, while others seem closed. God brings light to those paths, and opens ways for us that we couldn’t possibly imagine.
“Anyone who believes in God and the Last Day should heed this: God will find a way out for those who are mindful of Him, and will provide for them from an unexpected source; God will be enough for those who put their trust in Him. God achieves His purpose; God has set a due measure for everything.(65:2-3)
A new divorced sister was trying different ways to make money for her and family. She wanted to stay at home with her young children, but couldn’t find anything online. She feared she would have to leave home to work.
She took expensive courses to learn how to make money online, but ended up spending more than she made…every month.
Then out of the blue, a friend messaged and asked her if she wanted to work for an Islamic organization. It would include free training and working online from home. She thanked God, supplicated to the Opener, and got the position.
God will find a way out for you. Proof of this is always happening around you: perhaps if you think about it, it already has happened to you in your life.
Who else but God can open a door that someone else closed?
If you don’t see a path forward, pray to The Opener to open it for you.
The One Who Elevates (Ar Raafi’)
Everybody wants to be elevated. Nobody wants be stuck in one place: socially, financially, or personally. We want to know more, make more money, and live in a better place. These are natural human desires.
Seeking a raise in status through those things will only get you so far.
God can raise your level in any aspect, in this life and the next. Consider how God raised the status of Messenger Muhammad:
“Did We not relieve your heart for you [Prophet], and remove the burden that weighed so heavily on your back, and raise your reputation high?” (94:1-4)
Messenger Muhammad was a poor orphan, and God gave him success and wealth.
He was concerned about the state of the people around him, and God gave him prophethood so that he could cure the society of its problems.
He was insulted and rejected by his own tribe, yet God made his name the most honored of all time afterwards.
If you feel stuck or low in any area of your life, pray to the One Who Elevates.
The All-Hearing (As-Samee’)
There was a lady that came to the Messenger of God with an urgent request. Her husband had been behaving like the men did before Islam, and she did not know how to deal with it.
It is said that she was speaking so quietly about it, that even the Messenger’s wife who was in an adjacent room could not hear her. Yet, God not only heard her, but responded and helped her, from above the seven heavens.
God, the All-Hearing, revealed parts of the Quran about her very case – the response immortalized in the Quran until the end of time.
God not only is able and willing to help you, but is always listening, always paying attention.
When you supplicate to Him, He hears you. When people insult you, He hears that, too.
“If my servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to those who call Me, so let them respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided.” (2:186)
The Beautiful Names of God
The Messenger Muhammad taught us this beautiful supplication:
“O God, I am Your servant, son (daughter) of Your male servant, and son (daughter) of Your female servant. My forelock is in Your Hand. Your command for me prevails. Your judgement concerning me is just. I beseech You through every Name You have, by which You have called Yourself, or which You have sent down in Your Book, or which You have taught to any one of Your creations, or which You have preferred to keep to Yourself among Your guarded secrets, to make the Great Quran the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the remover of my sadness, and the pacifier of my worries.”
Consider these Beautiful Names of God and His many others, reflect upon them and internalize them. You will find your heart at peace with the present and the future.