Allah the Exalted (continued...)

As He is not subject to death so also He is not subject to even temporary cessation of His senses like sleep or slumber; but others are subject to death and sleep and slumber. All that you see in the heavens or in the earth belongs to Him and manifests itself and exists through Him. There is no one who can intercede with Him without His permission. He knows all that is before or behind people, that is, His knowledge Comprises that which is manifest and that which is hidden. No one can compass any part of His knowledge except that much which He permits. His power and His knowledge encompass the heavens and the earth. He supports all and nothing supports Him. He is not wearied by supporting the heavens and the earth. He is above all weakness and feebleness and lack of power.

At another place it is said: Your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods and then settled Himself on the Throne (10:4). This means that having created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them and having manifested His attributes of resemblance, He then adressed Himself to His station of transcendence and aloneness, in order to demonstrate His attributes of transcendence which station is beyond of beyond and is farthest away from creation. That station which is the highest is called the Throne. The explanation of this is that in the beginning all creation was non-existent and God Almighty manifested Himself at a station which was beyond of beyond and is named the Throne, that is a station which is higher than and above all the worlds. There was nothing except His Being. Then He created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. When creation came into being, He hid Himself and desired that He should be known through His creation. It must be remembered that divine attributes never fall into permanent disuse. Except God no one enjoys personal co-existence, but there is co-existence of species. No divine attribute falls into permanent disuse, but there is temporary disuse. As the attribute of creation and the attribute of destruction, are inconsistent with each other, therefore, when the attribute of destruction comes into full operation, the attribute of creation falls into disuse for a period. In short, in the beginning it was the time of the operation of the divine attribute of Singleness and we cannot say how often this period repeated itself, except that it is eternal and without limit. In any case, the attribute of Singleness has priority in time over other attributes. That is why it is said that to begin with, God was alone and that there was no one with Him. Then God created the heavens and earth and all that is in them and in that context He manifested His attributes that is Noble and Merciful and Forgiving and Acceptor of repentance. But he who persists in sin and does not desist is not left without chastisement. He also manifested His attribute that He loves those who repent, and His wrath overtakes only those who do not desist from wrongdoing and disobedience. . . .

All His attributes are appropriate to Him. They are not like human qualities. His eyes etc. are not physical and none of His attributes resembles human attributes. For instance, when a man is angry he suffers from anger himself and his heart loses its comfort and perceives a burning sensation and his brain is oppressed and he undergoes a change, but God is free from all such changes. His wrath means that He removes His support from one who does not desist from mischief, and according to His eternal law He metes out to him such treatment as a human being metes out to another when he is angry. Metaphorically, it is called God's wrath. In the same way His love is not like the love of a human being, for a human being suffers in love also when he is separated from his beloved. But God is not subject to suffering. His nearness also is not like the nearness of a human being, for when a human being approaches near to someone he vacates the space which he had occupied before. But God, despite being near is far, and despite being far is near. In short, every divine attribute is distinct from human qualities. There is only a verbal resemblance and no more. That is why in the Holy Quran it is said: There is nothing like unto Him (42:12); that is nothing approximates to God Almighty in its being or its qualities [Chashma Marifat, (Qadian, Anwar Ahmadiyyah Press, 1908); Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 23., pp. 260-264].

God will never cease to operate. He is always the Creator, the Providence, the Sustainer, the Gracious, the Compassionate and always will be. In my opinion it is sinful to debate about One of such Majesty. God has not imposed belief in anything which He has not demonstrated (Malfoozat, Vol. IV, p. 347)

As the stars appear stage by stage God's attributes also appear stage by stage. Man is sometimes under the shadow of the divine attributes of Glory and Self-Sufficiency and sometimes he is under the shadow of His attributes of Beauty. That is indicated in His saying: Every day He appears in a new state (55:30) It is a foolish notion that after sinful people have been condemned to hell the divine attributes of Mercy and Compassion will cease to operate and will not be manifested, inasmuch as the permanent cessation of the operation of divine attributes is not permissible. The basic attribute of God Almighty is Love and Mercy and that is the mother of all attributes. It is the same attribute which sometimes comes into operation in the shape of the attributes of Glory and Wrath for the purpose of human reform, and when the reform has been effected then Love appears in its true form and remains in operation for ever as a bounty. God is not like a short-tempered person who loves to torment. He wrongs no one, but people wrong themselves. All salvation lies in His Love and all torment is to draw away from Him [Chashmai Masihi, (Qadian, Magazine Press, 1906); Now published in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 20, pp. 48-49].

The attributes of God, to Whom the Holy Quran calls us are set out as follows: Allah is He beside whom there is no god. Knower of the unseen and the seen, He is the Most Gracious, the Ever-Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgment, the Sovereign, the Most Holy, the Source of peace, the Bestower of security, the Protector, the Mighty, the Subduer, the Exalted. He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner. His are the most beautiful names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him. He is the Mighty, the Wise (59:23-25). He has power to do all that He wills. He is Lord of the worlds, Most gracious, Ever-Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment (1:2-4). I respond to the call of the Caller when He calls on Me (2:187). The Ever-Living; He is Allah, the Single, Allah the Self-Existing and Besought of all. He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him (112:2-5).

This means that God is One and has no associate: that no one else is worthy of worship and obedience. He is so described for if He were not without associate, there would be the possibility that His associate might overcome Him and His Godhead would then be put in danger. No one else is worthy of worship means that He is so perfect and His attributes and excellences are so high and exalted, that if out of the universe a God were to be chosen on account of His perfect attributes or if one's mind were to imagine the best and highest attributes, He would be the highest than Whom nothing would be higher. To associate anyone lower with Him in His worship would be utterly wrong. He is the Knower of the unseen, means that He alone has full knowledge of Himself and no one can encompass His Being. We can wholly observe the sun and the moon and every created thing, but we are unable to observe God wholly. He is the Knower of the seen. Nothing is hidden from Him. Being God it could not be presumed that He was unaware of anything. He observes every particle of this universe, which a human being cannot do. He knows when He will destroy this system and set up the Judgment. No one except Him knows when that will be. He alone knows all times. He is Most Gracious; that is before the coming into being of creatures and their actions, out of His pure grace and in consequence of no action of any one, He makes provision for the comfort of everyone; as for instance, He made the sun and the earth and all other things for our use before any action proceeded from us. This bounty is called in the Book of God Rahmaniyyat, and on account of this attribute God Almighty is called Rahman. He rewards good actions with gracious rewards and does not let go waste anyone's efforts. On account of this attribute, He is called Rahim and this attribute is called Rahimiyyat. He has in His own hands the recompense of everyone. He has no agent to whom He has committed the governance of heaven and earth, having withdrawn Himself from it, leaving it to the agent to award punishment or reward. He is the Sovereign, Most Holy, that is His sovereignty is subject to no defect, whereas human sovereignty is not free from defects. For instance, if the subjects of a human sovereign were all to leave the country and migrate, his sovereignty could not be maintained, or if his subjects were afflicted with famine, he would not be able to recover any revenue; or if his subjects were to dispute with him and question the basis of his sovereignty, what qualification for his sovereignty could he put forward? But the sovereignty of God is not subject to any of this. He can destroy in one instant the whole kingdom and create a new one. Were He not the Creator and All Powerful, His sovereignty could not be maintained without injustice, for having forgiven the world once and bestowed salvation upon it, how could He have obtained another world to rule? Would He seize upon those who had attained salvation and revoke His salvation tyrannically? In such case, His Godhead would be called in question and like worldly sovereigns His Sovereignty would prove defective. Those who make laws for the world fall into different moods and have recourse to tyranny when they find that they cannot achieve their selfish purpose without tyranny.

... For instance, a law permits that to save a vessel, the occupants of a boat might be allowed to perish, but God should not be subject to any such dire necessity. Had God not been All- Powerful possessing the capacity of creating from nothing He would have been compelled either to have recourse to tyranny or to adhere to justice and be deprived of His Godhead. The vessel of God carries on with full power and justice.

Then He is the Source of Security, that is to say, He is Himself secure against all defects and misfortunes and hardships and bestows security upon His creation. Had he been subject to misfortunes, for instance, had He been subject to being killed by people or by being frustrated in His designs, how would anyone's heart feel secure that God would save him from misfortunes? The false gods are described in the Holy Quran as follows: Surely, those on whom you call instead of Allah, cannot create even a fly, though they should all combine together for the purpose; and if a fly should snatch away anything from them, they cannot recover it therefrom. How helpless is he who calls on them and how helpless are those on whom he calls. They have not a true concept of Allah's attributes. Surely, Allah is Powerful, Mighty (22:74-75). God has all power above every other powerful one and He overcomes all. No one can seize Him or beat Him. Those who fall into such mistakes do not rightly estimate God and do not know what He should be. Then God is the Bestower of Peace and sets forth reasons in support of His excellences and His Unity. This is an indication that a believer in the True God will not be put to shame in any company or before God Himself, inasmuch as he is furnished with strong arguments. But a believer in an artificial god is always in great distress. Instead of putting forward reasons he describes every senseless thing as a mystery so that he should not be laughed at and thus he seeks to hide established errors. God is Guardian over all and Supreme over all. He sets everything right and is exalted above everything. He is the Creator of bodies and souls. He gives shape to the bodies in the womb. All beautiful names that can be conceived of belong to Him. Those in the heavens and the earth glorify Him, which is an indication that there is life in the planets and that the dwellers therein follow divine guidance. He has power to do all that He wills, which is a great reassurance for His worshippers for if God were not powerful and were helpless, nothing could be expected of Him. He is the Sustainer of all the worlds, Gracious, Merciful and Master of the Day of Judgment. He has not committed His power to anyone else. He responds to the call of everyone who calls on Him, that is to say, He accepts prayer. He is the Ever-Living and All-Sustaining. If He were not Ever-Living there would be fear lest He should die before us. He is Single, has no father and no son and no equal and no peer [Islami Usul ki Philosophy, Now printed in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 10, pp. 58-63].

God Almighty has four principal attributes which may be called the mothers of all attributes. Every one of them makes a demand upon our humanness. These four are Rabubiyyat, Rahmaniyyat, Rahimiyyat and Malikiyyat of the Day of Judgment.

For its manifestation, Rabubiyyat demands nothingness, or a state resembling nothingness. Every form of creation, whether animate or inanimate, comes into being through it.

For its manifestation, Rahmaniyyat demands the absence of existence and its operation is related only to animates and not to inanimates.

Rahimiyyat demands for its manifestation an affirmation of their nothingness and nonexistence from the part of creation which is endowed with reason and relates only to man. Malikiyyat of the Day of Judgment demands for its manifestation humble supplication and pleading and relates only to such of mankind as fall like beggars on the threshold of Unity and spread forth their mantle of sincerity in order to receive grace and, finding themselves empty handed, believe in the Malikiyyat of God.

These four attributes are in operation all the time. Of these Rahimiyyat moves a person to supplication and Malikiyyat consumes a person in the fire of fear and terror and gives birth to true humility, for this attribute establishes that God is the Master of recompense and that no one has the right to demand anything. Forgiveness and salvation are through grace [Ayyamus Solh, (Qadian, Ziaul Islam Press 1899); Now printed in Ruhani Khazain (London, 1984), Vol. 14, pp. 14-15].

In Surah Fatihah God Almighty has set forth four of His attributes, namely, Rabbul Alameen, Rahman, Rahim and Maliki Yaumid Deen. The order in which they are mentioned is the natural order of these four attributes and they are manifested in this order. Divine grace is manifested in the world in four types. The first is the most general grace. This is the absolute grace which perpetually envelopes everything from the heavens to the earth without distinction of animate or inanimate. The coming into being of everything from nonexistence and its fullest development is through this grace. Nothing is outside of it. All souls and bodies were manifested and are manifested through it and all were developed and are developed through it. This grace is the very life of the universe. Were it to be withdrawn for an instant the universe would come to an end; and had it not been for this grace, there would have been no creation. In the Holy Quran this grace is named Rububiyyat and by virtue of it God is called Rabbul Alameen, as is said at another place: He is the Rabb of everything (6:165). Nothing in the universe is outside His Rububiyyat. So the attribute of Rabbul Alameen is mentioned first of all in the Surah Fatihah as of all the attributes of grace, this has natural priority, both because it comes into manifestation before the other attributes of grace and because it is the most general in its scope, inasmuch as it comprehends everything whether animate or inanimate.

The second type of grace is general grace and the difference between this grace and the one previously mentioned is that the first one comprehends the whole of the universe and the second one is a special Divine bounty which is bestowed upon animates. In other words, the special attention of the Divine towards living things is called the general grace. It operates in respect of all living things according to their needs gratuitously. It is not the consequence of, or reward for, any action. It is by the blessing of this grace that every living thing lives and eats and drinks and is safeguarded against dangers and has its needs fulfilled. Through it all the means of life which are needed by every animate or its species for their own continuance, are made available. It is the consequence of this grace that whatever the souls need for their physical development has all been provided and for those who in addition to physical development are in need of spiritual development, that is to say, they possess the capacity for such development, the Word of God has descended through eternity at the time of its need. It is through the operation of this grace of Rahmaniyyat that man fulfils his millions of needs. He has available to him the surface of the earth for residence, the sun and the moon for light, air for breathing, water for drinking, all varieties of food for eating, millions of medicines for treatment, a large variety of garments for wearing and Divine Books for guidance. No one can claim that all this has been provided through the blessing of his actions, that he had in a previous existence performed some good action in consequence of which God has bestowed these numberless bounties upon mankind. It is thus established that this grace which is manifested in a thousand ways for the comfort of all animates is a gratuitous bounty, which is not bestowed in consequence of any action, but is a manifestation of Divine compassion, so that every animate should achieve its natural purpose and all its needs may be fulfilled. By virtue of this grace Divine bounty provides for the needs of mankind and all animals and affords them protection so that their capacities should not remain undeveloped. The existence of this Divine attribute is established by the observation of the law of nature. No reasonable person would deny that the sun and the moon and the earth and the elements and all other necessary things which are found in the universe, and upon which the life of all animates depends, are manifested through this grace. The name of this grace, of which everything that breathes takes advantage according to its needs, without distinction of man or beast or of believer or nonbeliever, or of good or bad and of which no animate is deprived, is Rahmaniyyat, and by virtue of it God has been called Rahman in the Surah Fatihah after Rabbul Alameen. This attribute is referred to at several other places in the Holy Quran. For instance: When it is said to them prostrate yourselves before the Gracious One, they ask: and what is this Gracious One? Shall we prostrate ourselves before whatever Thou biddest us? and it increases their aversion. Blessed is He Who has made mansions in the heavens and has placed therein the illuminating lamp and a bright moon. He it is Who has made the night and the day to follow each other, for him who would take heed and would be grateful. The true servants of the Gracious One are those who walk upon the earth with humility and when they are accosted by the ignorant ones their response is: Peace (25:61-64). This means that when the disbelievers and pagans and atheists are admonished that they should prostrate themselves before the Rahman, they feel aversion towards the name Rahman and enquire: What is Rahman? The answer is that Rahman is the Blessed Being, Who is the perpetual source of all good and Who has made mansions in heaven and has placed the sun and moon in those mansions which provide light to the whole creation without distinction of believer and disbeliever. The same Rahman has made for all mankind day and night which follow each other so that a seeker of understanding should draw benefit from this wise arrangement and should find release from the coverings of ignorance and indifference and so that he who is eager to be grateful should render thanks. The true worshippers of Rahman are people who walk humbly upon the earth and when the ignorant ones address them harshly they reply to them in words of peace and compassion that is to say, they oppose gentleness to harshness and in return for abuse they pray for their revilers and thus they exhibit gracious qualities, for the Gracious One bestows the bounties of sun and moon and earth and other numberless bodies upon all His creatures without distinction of good and bad. In these verses it has been expounded that the word Rahman is used for God because His mercy encompasses all good and bad alike. At another place this mercy has been referred to in the verse: I inflict My chastisement upon whom I so determine and My mercy encompasses everything (7:157). At another place it is said: Who safeguards you by day and by night from the Gracious One (21:43)? In other words the disbelievers and the disobedient ones have been told that were it not for the attribute of Rahmaniyyat they could not be safeguarded from divine chastisement. It is by virtue of Rahmaniyyat that He grants respite to the disbelievers and pagans and does not seize them quickly. At another place it is said: And do they not observe the birds flying above them with their wings spread out and closed down. It is the Gracious One who keeps them from falling down (67:20). This means that the grace of Rahmaniyyat so encompasses all animates that even birds which have little value, fly joyously in the current of this grace.

As this grace follows naturally after Rububiyyat, it has been mentioned in that order in Surah Fatihah.

The third type of grace is special grace. The difference between this and general grace is that in the case of the latter, a beneficiary is not under obligation to make himself good, or to bring his ego out of the coverings of darkness, or to put forward any effort to take advantage of it. By virtue of general grace, God Almighty bestows upon every animate all that it needs according to its nature without asking and without any effort on its part. But in the case of special grace, striving and effort and purification of the heart and supplication and attention towards God and every other kind of appropriate effort are needed. He alone receives this grace who seeks it and this grace descends upon one who works for it. The existence of this grace is also proved by observation of the law of nature. It is obvious that those who strive in the cause of God and those who are indifferent cannot be equal. Without doubt a special mercy descends upon people who strive truly in the cause of God and withdraw from every darkness and disorder. By virtue of this grace, in the Holy Quran, God's name is Rahim. Because the attribute of Rahimiyyat is special and follows upon the fulfilment of certain conditions it is mentioned after Rahmaniyyat, for Rahmaniyyat was manifested before Rahimiyyat manifested itself. On account of this natural order Rahimiyyat is mentioned after Rahmaniyyat in Surah Fatihah. This attribute is mentioned at several places in the Holy Quran. For instance, at one place it is said: He is compassionate towards the believers (33:44). This means that God's Rahimiyyat is confined to the believers and that a disbeliever and a rebellious one have no share in it.

It is worthy of note that the operation of the attribute of Rahimiyyat has been confined to the case of believers, but Rahmaniyyat is not so limited. Nowhere is it stated that God is Rahman towards believers. The mercy which is specially related to the believers is always described as Rahimiyyat. At another place it is said: The mercy of Allah is close to those who do their duty to the utmost (7:57). At another place it is said: Those who had believed and have migrated and have striven in the cause of Allah hope for the mercy of Allah and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (2:219). This means that His Rahimiyyat is bestowed upon those who deserve it. There is no one who seeks Him and does not find Him.

What kind of a lover is he towards whom the Beloved does not incline?
O my master, what is lacking is pain, for the Physician is available.

The fourth kind of grace is the most special one. This grace cannot be achieved merely by striving and effort. The first condition for its manifestation is that this world of means which is narrow and dark should be demolished altogether and the full power of the Lord of Unity should manifest its perfect brilliance nakedly without the intrusion of other means. This last degree of grace where all other graces end, is distinguished from other graces by being perfect in the sense that it is open and clear and there is no covertness or deficiency in respect of it. That is to say, there should be no doubt left with regard to the determined bestowal of this grace, nor with regard to the reality and pure and perfect mercy of this grace. The generosity of and the rewarding by the Eternal Master, the Bestower of the grace, should appear as bright as the day, and the recipient of the grace should know with certainty and should feel it as a matter which is patent that the Master of the kingdom is bestowing a grand bounty, and great delight upon him by His determination and attention and special power, and that he is receiving the reward of his righteous conduct which is perfect and everlasting, and is most clear and superior, and is most desirable and loved, and that there is no aspect of a test or trial involved. To become the beneficiary of that complete and perfect and lasting and superior grace, it is necessary that the person concerned should be transported to another world from this defective and opaque and narrow and confined and mortal and doubtful world, because this grace is an experience of grand manifestations in which the beauty of the true Benefactor should be clearly seen and should be experienced as a certainty, so that no stage of manifestation and certainty should be left out and no veil of material means should obstruct it. Every detail of complete understanding should come into operation in full force. The manifestations should be so clear and definite that God Himself should convey that they are free from every test and trial. This manifestation should carry with it high and perfect delights possessing so completely one's heart and soul and every spiritual and physical faculty to such a degree as could not possibly be exceeded. This world which is defective in its essence, and is clouded in its appearance, and is mortal in its being, and is doubtful in its conditions and is narrow in its extent, cannot bear these grand manifestations and pure lights and eternal bounties, and those perfect rays which are everlasting cannot be contained in it. For this manifestation another world is needed which should be wholly free from the darkness of material means and should be the perfect and pure manifestation of the power of the One Supreme Being. This most special grace is to some degree enjoyed in this very life by those perfect personalities who tread completely along the path of truth and, discarding their selfish designs and desires, lean wholly towards God. They die before their death, and though they appear to be in this world, they in truth dwell in the other world. Inasmuch as they withdraw their hearts altogether from the material means of this world and breaking away from the habits of humanness and turning away altogether from that which is beside Allah adopt the way which is above the ordinary, God Almighty also treats them in the same way and in an extraordinary manner manifests those lights for them which in the case of the others are only manifested after death. They experience to some degree this most special grace in this life. This is a very special grace and is the ultimate end of all grace. He who achieves it arrives at the greatest good fortune and enjoys eternal prosperity which is the fountain-head of all joys. He who is deprived of this grace is condemned for ever to hell. By virtue of this grace God Almighty has named Himself Maliki Yaumid Deen in the Holy Quran. The recompense referred to in this juxtaposition is the perfect recompense, the details of which are set out in the Holy Quran. That perfect recompense cannot be manifested without the manifestation of complete Mastership. This is referred to at another place where it is said: Whose is the kingdom this Day? Of Allah, the One, the Most Supreme (40:17). This means that on that day God's Rahimiyyat will manifest itself without the intervention of material means and it will be observed and felt that everything beside the great power and might of Allah is nonexistent. Then all comfort and joy and all reward and punishment will appear clearly as coming from God, and there will be no veil in between and there will be no room left for any doubt. At that time those who had cut themselves asunder from everything for His sake will find themselves in a state of perfect bliss which will envelope their bodies and souls and their outside and their inside and no part of their beings will be deprived of this great good fortune. Maliki Yaumid Deen also indicates that on that Day comfort or suffering and pleasure or pain, whatever is experienced by man, will proceed directly from God Almighty, and He will be the Master of all conditions. In other words, meeting with Him or being cut off from Him will be the cause of eternal good fortune or eternal misfortune. Those who had believed in Him and had adhered to Unity and had dyed their hearts in His pure love, willexperience the lights of His mercy clearly and openly, and those who had not achieved faith and the love of God will be deprived of this delight and comfort and will be involved in painful torment.

It will thus be seen that the priority given to the attribute Rahman over the attribute Rahim is necessary and is demanded by the rule of good composition. When the book of nature is studied the first divine attribute which comes to notice is Rububiyyat and then His Rahmaniyyat and thereafter His Rahimiyyat and finally His Malikiyyat. Perfect composition demands that the order followed in the book of nature should also be kept in view in the Book of Revelation. To reverse the natural order in composition is to reverse the law of nature. For a perfect composition it is necessary that the order of the composition should be in such accord with the order of nature as if it were its photograph in which that which is natural and in fact prior should be prior in description also. Thus in these verses the highest oratory is displayed in which the natural order is perfectly observed. The verses follow the order which every one possessing insight would observe in the order of the universe. Is this not the straightforward way that the order in which divine bounties appear in the book of nature should be followed also in the Revealed Book? To take exception to such an excellent and wise order is the characteristic of those blind ones who have lost at once both their sight and their insight.