Transcription
Have you ever raised your hands in prayer and felt like you've forgotten every name of Allah to call upon? You've learned so many names: Ar-Rahman, Al-Jawad, Al-Jami'... Yet in the moment you don't know which door to knock on. But then you remember there's one name that gathers them all. One call that opens every door: Allah. And when you say Allah, every other name answers.
Now the scholars have discussed from very early times, what is Ismullah Al-A'zam? What is the greatest name of Allah? And Imam Ibn Hajar mentioned over a dozen opinions, but the strongest two opinions contain three names.
First, that it is the name Allah itself, which is mentioned nearly 2,700 times in the Qur'an, and is the name at the heart of the Shahada and every prayer that we make. This affair of Islam started with Allah, and the affair of the world will end when no one says that name anymore. The Prophet said, "The Hour will not begin while anyone says Allah, Allah," "The Hour will not be established until no one on this earth says Allah, Allah." It's like the world is no longer worth it if it no longer remembers Allah. And the Prophet said as much, "Indeed, the world is cursed..." is cursed, and all in it, except the dhikr of Allah, what aids it, a scholar, or a student." Indeed, this world is void of blessing, and everything in it is void of blessing, except for the remembrance of Allah and what supports it and the scholar and the student. Congratulations on spending the month being both one who remembers Allah and a student learning His names.
Many scholars say the greatest name of Allah is Allah. And when you forget to call upon Him by any one of His other names, go back to what you know: Allah. But say it with your heart and with all the meanings of those names embedded. Musa once said, "My Lord, teach me something by which I can remember You and call upon You." And Allah said, "Say: There is no god but Allah." And Musa responded and he said, "My Lord, all of Your servants say this. I was looking for something special just for me." And Allah said, "O Musa, if the seven heavens and all within them and the seven earths were placed on one side of a scale, and 'There is no god but Allah' was on the other side, it would outweigh them all."
The second opinion is that the greatest name of Allah is found in the pairing of Al-Hayy, Al-Qayyum. Al-Hayy is the Living. Al-Qayyum is the Ever-Sustaining. And the Prophet indicated that Allah's greatest name is found in three surahs. He said in Al-Baqara, Ali 'Imran, and Taha. So the scholars looked for what all three share, and there it was: the pairing that keeps appearing together: Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. And then the beginning of Surah Ali 'Imran, Alif, Lam, Meem, Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining. And then in Taha, "Faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining."
So Anas Ibn Malik said that I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah, and a man was making supplication, "O Allah, I ask You as all praise is Yours, there is no deity but You, alone without partner, the Bestower, Originator of the heavens and earth, Possessor of Majesty and Honor, O Ever-Living, O Self-Sustaining. O Allah, I ask You by virtue of the fact that all praise is due to You. There is no God but You, Al-Mannan, the one who bestows favors that change our trajectories, Badi' as-Samawati wal-Ard, the originator of the heavens and the earth, Ya Dhal Jalali wal-Ikram, the Lord of majesty and glory, Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum, O living one, O sustaining one." The Prophet said, "He has..." He called Allah by His greatest name, which if called by, He answers, and if asked by, He gives. He has called upon Allah using His greatest name, who when supplicated by this name He answers, and when asked by this name He gives.
But then there's another narration where another man said, "O Allah, I ask You by my witnessing that You are Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but You, the One, the Eternal Refuge, who neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent." He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent. "O Allah, I ask You by bearing witness that there is no God but You, Al-Ahad, As-Samad, the One, the Whole, the eternal refuge, who has not begotten and has not been begotten, and to whom no one is equal." And the Prophet also said, "He has asked Allah by His greatest name."
So some of the scholars reconciled this by saying that the greatest name is Allah, but the most comprehensive descriptions paired with that name are Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum. So what do these two names, Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum, mean, and how do they factor in so heavily? Because Al-Hayy speaks to His perfect existence. All of the essential attributes, the attributes expressions of Him being Al-Hayy. He is alive and fully exists with all of these attributes because they are who He is. And Al-Qayyum speaks to His perfect doing, His perfect sustaining of all else. All of the attributes of action, the Sifat al-Fi'liyah, by which He creates, He decrees, He provides, He forgives, He gives life, He causes death. As the scholars say, "Self-Sustaining, Sustainer of others," standing by Himself, but upholding all others. So all of the attributes that describe what Allah does are manifestations of His being Al-Qayyum.
He is Al-Hayy, the Ever-Living, whose life with all of its perfection never began and never ends. "A perfect life with no beginning and no end," every living person or thing you know at some point dims and dies, whether your parents or your children or your friends or yourself. But He remains. And His being alive means that His knowledge never pauses, His hearing never dulls, His sight never weakens. When you call on Him in the middle of the night, He is not tired. And when a billion people call upon Him at once, He is not overwhelmed because His life is eternal and unlike any life that you've ever known.
And then Al-Qayyum, the sustainer of all existence, is the one who holds everything in place. If He were to leave it for the blink of an eye, it would all fall apart. Every breath that you take, every beat of your heart, every cell in your body, and every law that steadies the cosmos, all of that functions only because He sustains it. And imagine if He held us accountable for every part of it. Early reports say that David asked, "Lord, show me the hidden blessings upon me." And he was told, "David, take a breath." Then he was asked, "Who can count this blessing day and night?" Your lungs already preach these names to you. "Who can count this blessing?" Who is the one that's going to count this blessing? He does not create and leave. He creates and keeps. Think of an ICU monitor tracking one patient. That machine can only watch you. But Allah is sustaining billions, and not just their health, but even their unseen needs.
The Prophet once said to Fatima, he said, "O my daughter, I love you. Pay close attention to what I'm sharing with you. Do not leave off a morning or an evening without saying, 'O Ever-Living, All-Sustaining, by Your mercy I seek aid. Rectify all my affairs and do not leave me to to myself for a blink of an eye.'" O Ever-Living, O Ever-Sustaining, in Your mercy I seek relief. Rectify all of my affairs and do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye.
Anas ibn Malik said that whenever anything distressed the Prophet, he would say, "O Ever-Living, Ever-Sustaining, in Your mercy I seek help." Pay attention to how incredible this prayer is. First, he used the most comprehensive names: Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyum. Then he appealed to the most encompassing and comprehensive attribute of Allah, His Rahmah, His mercy, where we started. Then he made the most comprehensive request: "Rectify all of my affairs." Rectify all of my affairs. When you say that, you place every detail, worldly and eternal, into the hands of the One who never sleeps. I don't want Allah to answer me in accordance with what I think is best for me, but what He knows is best for me. Coming to terms with knowing Allah is in control means gaining greater focus on what you control. It's not just finding your strength. It's knowing what to exert it towards. Let Allah do His part and you do yours, and then be at peace with how it all plays out. "Do not leave me to myself," do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye.
A man asked Hatim al-Asamm, "On what have you built your trust in Allah?" He said, "On four things. I learned that my sustenance will not be taken by any other person, so I am at peace with that. And I learned that my deeds will not be done by anyone else, so I keep myself busy with them. And I learned that death is racing towards me, so I started to race towards it. And I learned that I do not escape from Allah's sight, so I remain shy of Him." And rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die, and exalt Him with His praise. And sufficient is He to be, with the sins of His servants, Aware. Trust the One who is alive and does not die, and glorify His praises. And He is sufficient as one who is all aware of His servants' deeds. The One who never dies told you to depend on Him, to glorify Him, and to know that He sees you completely.
See how these names sit inside the greatest verse of the Quran, Ayat al-Kursi. It is built like the structure of a palace. Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence. That's the essence that frames everything about Him. "Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him." That's how His care never falters. The greatest name isn't hidden in a secret code. It's the name you were always meant to live by: Allah. And when you pair it with Al-Hayy, Al-Qayyum, you call on the One perfect in Himself and in His care for you. And on the day when all faces are humbled before Al-Hayy, Al-Qayyum, the believer won't panic like a stranger in a first meeting. They will recognize the One they kept calling here, speaking to them there.
Dear brothers and sisters, for the last month, you weren't just listening to the names of Allah. You walked with them. You called upon the One who gives. You called upon the One who forgives. You called upon the One who gathers. And you called upon the One who remains. So don't let this month of Ramadan close like a door behind you. Let it open to Him for the rest of your life. And remember what Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, comforted the Ummah when it had to bid farewell to the Prophet, peace be upon him. "Whoever used to worship Muhammad, then Muhammad has died; and whoever used to worship Allah, then Allah is Alive, never" "Does not die," if anyone used to worship Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead. But if any one of you used to worship Allah, then Allah is alive and shall never die. So I say to whoever was worshiping Ramadan, Ramadan is over. But whoever was worshiping Allah, Allah is alive and does not die. So we say farewell, Ramadan, but welcome to a new life with Allah.
O Allah, when I forget even myself, let Your name always remain in my heart and on my tongue. And let my heart always find its way back to You. When I call You by this name, I am calling every mercy, every promise, every door that leads home. You are what no one else is and for me what no one else can be. O Ever-Living, who never fades. Put life into my worship when it starts to fade and life into my purpose when I start to feel lost again. Let my faith in You stay alive when the world floods me with dying promises and the devil deceives with his deception. O Sustainer of all that exists, hold me together when I fall apart. Sustain my heart with Your remembrance and my deeds with sincerity. Do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye. Steady me when I swerve with Your guidance. Receive me when I return with Your grace. O Allah, when I rise from one of Your seasons of incredible mercy, let me remember that You were always merciful from the beginning and You will always be in the end, so long as I return to You. O Allah, return me to You. O Allah, return me to You. O Allah, return me to You in the presence of Your beloved and all those who knew You the way I want to, in the beginning and the end and always. To You all praise is due.
Salim, aren't you thinking of leaving Gaza for south? Why stay in Gaza? Go, my friend. It's our fate. Praise be to God. Are you and the family okay? We are blessed, praise be to God. Those who die are martyrs. The living will continue the journey. They will fade. We remain. May God accept them. Don't cry, man. You're a man. We are all future martyrs. God created us and He takes us. God does as He wills. We are patient. All my friends were martyred. Not one is left. God is sufficient for us. Our condolences, guys. Praise be to God. Praise be to God in every situation. What are you doing, Saleh? Raising the new generation. If the adults die, the young are here, God willing. They will continue, for they know the land is ours. Will you stay in this house? Stay here in Gaza? So you're not leaving? We aren't. We are steadfast. We are steadfast here. My dear. To Allah belong the names most beautiful, so call upon Him by them. I've been walking down a road I never chose. All I once knew is a world away from here. Faded memories buried in the rubble. But the scars I bear, no, they never disappear. The sky is falling and I keep searching for shelter. But nothing seems to comfort all the pain. My hands raised to the sky and I know it all will be alright. You told us you're closer than my vital vein. So I'm calling on Your names. Your beautiful names. I'm calling Your names. Your beautiful names.