Yasir Qadhi

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi discusses the names of Allah - Al-Khaliq, Al-Baari and Al-Musawwir which are so beautifully harmonised together. The Name Al Khaliq occurs at least 8 times in the Qur'an. What does Al Khaliq entail? Creator of living and inanimate objects Allah’s khalq does not require any time and effort. Allah’s creation wills it into being - Kun faya kun Allah creates when he wishes to create, how he wishes to create, what he wishes to create. The name Al Bari occurs once in Qur'an. What does it mean? The One who brings out the creation into reality. The One who has made the same creation, each one different from the other. The One who has created the creation such that they can heal themselves. The Name Al Musawwir means the One who gives shape to the creation.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi delves upon the meaning of two of the Names of Allah - Al Kareem and Al Akram. The meaning of Karam is that act of extreme generosity that invokes goodness within yourself about giving. Al Kareem is the One who gives without asking anything in return and gives without reason or gives without being asked. He gives to all and doesn’t concern Himself whether the one who is receiving is righteous or not, a believer or not.  Al Kareem indicates Generosity and Magnificence. The one who is Generous is the most Noble. Allah is Al Kareem and He loves to be asked of His generosity.  The Name of Allah - Al Akram means that Allah is the Most Generous. No one can compete with His generosity.  What are the blessings of these names of Allah for us Muslims? We appreciate the Blessings of Allah. Everything we have is from Allah. Allah is Kareem to everybody. The greatest Karam is Taqwa. Allah is Al Kareem and He loves generosity. The one who is generous is beloved by Allah and the angels.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi delves into the meaning of one of the names of Allah - Al Azeez. Al Azeez is the second most common name in terms of quantity with a staggering 92 times in the Noble Qur'an. The Name Al Azeez has the following connotations: The Powerful.  No one can harm Allah and no one can escape from His Domain of Power. The One whom you must seek protection from as nobody can protect you against Him. The One who has Honour. This name of Allah should give us as Muslims a sense of security and honour. The following are of the blessings of the Name of Allah - Al Azeez: There is no object or person that is worthy of being fearful of other than Allah. Al Azeez Al Hakeem - the One with Infinite Justice. The Power of Allah does not corrupt His Wisdom. Al Azeez Ar Raheem  Al Azeez Al Ghaffar and Al Azeez Al Ghafur Rabbul Izzah

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi discusses the meaning of one of the Allah’s names - Al Lateef. It comes from the verb Latafa whose primary meaning is the lightness of being and presence. Allah is Al Lateef which means that He is aware of the hidden secrets and it also means Allah’s Mercy reaches us in the manner in which we may never understand. Allah’s name Al Lateef is mentioned 5 times in the Qur'an. It is always linked with Al Khabeer which means the one who is aware of everything.Allah is always going to provide us from sources which we may never comprehend.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi discusses the meaning of one of the names of Allah which is As Sittir. This particular name of Allah comes from the verb Satara which means to cover up. And it refers to Allah as the one who covers up and obviously, Allah knows what He is covering up. Allah is As Sittir which means that He covers our sins and faults and instructs us to do the same in every circumstance unless the sin is of a huge magnitude such as murder. Abu Huraira RA said that the Prophet ﷺ said, “A servant does not cover the faults of another servant in the world but that Allah will cover his faults on the Day of Resurrection.” Abu Huraira RA said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Everyone from my nation will be forgiven except those who sin in public. Among them is a man who commits an evil deed in the night that Allah has hidden for him, then in the morning he says: O people, I have done this sin! His Lord had hidden him during the night but in the morning he reveals what Allah has hidden.”

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi divulges details on the name of Allah which is Al-Mu'min, that is, the One who believes and provides security and safety.  This name occurs once in the Qur'an. Al Mu'min prove the truth and Iman of the Prophets by giving them miracles. Al Mu'min solidifies our Iman. Allah has guaranteed the creation that He will never be unjust. He shall grant peace and security in this world with the supreme one being the peace of mind. He will also protect the believing creation from the fear and insecurities on the Day of Judgement. We should recite this name diligently when we feel anxiety and a trepidation of fear. The Prophetic Dua - Aamin rau 'atina.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi discusses the name Al Jameel which translates as the One full of Beauty. We do not find this name in the Qur'an and only find it in the authentic Sunnah. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud RA reported: The Prophet ﷺ said, “No one who has the weight of a seed of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.” Someone said, “But a man loves to have beautiful clothes and shoes.” The Prophet said, “Verily, Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty. Arrogance means rejecting the truth and looking down on people.” What does it entail? Allah SWT is Himself the pinnacle of beauty and perfection. Allah Names and Attributes are that of beauty. Allah deals with His creations are in a manner of Jamaal or beauty. Allah SWT created His creation in a beautiful fashion.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi delves into one of the Names of Allah -Al-Wadud. Wud is a special type of love, where you want to benefit the person you love (nurturing love). Wadda (verb) does not have a romantic connotation, while Mahabba is romantic. What is the difference between Wadda and mahabba? Listen intently to acquaint yourself with details. The Name Al-Wadud has two complementary meanings: The One who shows love. The One upon whom love is shown. The righteous creation shows love to Allah. Our Creator who has no need for His creation chooses to love the creation even though he gets no benefit from this love. Allah loves the creation even though there is no selfish reason for this love. Allah created the creation to show them His Love and Mercy. Allah’s favors are mentioned by Him as the manifestation of his love. Every single facet of our creation demonstrates this. Allah’s blessings are mentioned as a manifestation of his love. Al-Wadud is the One who is Beloved. Loving Allah is the primary element of worship. Our love to Allah is the most important manifestation of our belief in Him. Allah is the One who is the most Beloved and to show love to Allah means to obey His commandments and praise Him. When should we use the name - Al-Wadud? Need for Rahmah. When we need some blessing from Allah,we need Allah’s Rahma. Need for forgiveness. When we need to be forgiven we ask Allah - Ya Wadud, Ya Gafur.  How do we increase the love of Allah in our hearts? Studying the Names of Allah and His Attributes. Love the Prophet ﷺ. Love of Good deeds: Reading Quran, charity, Dhikr, sponsoring orphans, etc.  By making Dua to Allah.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi delves into the meaning of the name of Allah - As-Salam which occurs once in the Qur'an. As-Salam is the concept of Allah SWT being perfect and devoid of any imperfection, grants the most perfect peace and is the one who greets those who believe in Him with the greeting of Salam.    Prophet ﷺ made his first aim in Madina to "spread Salam."  Allah implores us to tread on the path of Jannah and in order for us to be successful in this quest, we should submit ourselves to Islam and spreading it everywhere. Hence, summarising it beautifully, Shaykh Yasir Qadhi tells us that our ultimate goal should be to spread Salam, and we remain on the path of Salam to reach Dar-ul Salam, where As-Salam will greet us with Salam.

Shaykh Yasir Qadhi discusses the Orlando shooting and how Muslims should react and protect themselves from the condemnation and take immense measures to ensure their safety. The religion of Islam prohibits killing of innocents and does not encourage this evil and in the Qur'an, Allah says: "Whoever kills an innocent soul it is as if he has killed all of mankind". Our Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever kills a non-Muslim with whom there is a treaty, that person will not smell the scent of paradise.” This atrocity should not be encountered with unnecessary explanations and apologies as we were not a part of it to begin with. Islam has a very thorough moral and ethical foundation and hence, we cannot be made to be a part of this nuisance. We as Muslims need to exercise extra precaution and care when it comes to these matters and should take steps to overcome these untoward happenings in our lives. Most importantly, we should counter evil with sheer goodness and kindness and this will go a long way in curbing such horrendous acts of terror and grief.