Sunday, January 27, 2013

Dought & clear - , Are al-Daarr (the causer of harm) and al-Naafi’ (the bringer of benefits) names of Allaah?.

What is the meaning of the name of Allaah al-Darr (the causer of
harm)? May Allaah reward you with good.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There is no saheeh evidence that al-Daarr is one of the names of
Allaah, may He be exalted. Rather that is mentioned in the famous
hadeeth which lists the most beautiful names, but it is a weak
hadeeth, that was narrated by al-Tirmidhi and others.
What is established among the scholars is that the names and
attributes of Allaah are atawqeefi matter, i.e., none of them can be
proven except with saheeh evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
If there is no proof for a name, but its meaning is valid, then it is
permissible to say it when speaking of Allaah, so one may say, "Allaah
is the causer of harm, the bringer of good" because speakingof Allaah
is broader thanthe divine names and attributes. But He shouldnot be
worshipped with this name, so one shouldnot call a child 'Abd al-Daarr
or 'Abd al-Naafi', because they are not proven to be names of Allaah.
With regard to the comments of some scholars who call Allaah al-Daarr
al-Naafi', perhaps they based that on the hadeeth of al-Tirmidhi,
which as we have stated above is a da'eef (weak) hadeeth. What counts
is saheeh evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
Secondly:
The meaning of al-Daarr (the causer of harm) is the one who decrees
harm and causes it to reach whomever He will among His creation.
Good and evil comes from Allaah, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and We shall make a trial of you with evil andwith good. And to Us
youwill be returned"
[al-Anbiya' 21:35]
"And if Allaah touches you with harm, none canremove it but He, and if
He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things"
[al-An'aam 6:17]
"And verily, if you ask them: 'Who created the heavens and the earth?'
Surely, they will say: 'Allaah (has created them).' Say: 'Tell me
then, the things that youinvoke besides Allaah if Allaah intended some
harm for me, could they remove His harm? Or if He (Allaah) intended
some mercy for me, could they withhold His Mercy?' Say : 'Sufficient
for me is Allaah; in Him those who trust (i.e. believers) must put
their trust'"
[al-Zumar 39:38]
al-Tirmidhi (3388), Abu Dawood (5088) and Ibn Maajah (3869) narrated
that 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"There is no personwho says, in the morning and evening of every day,
Bismillaah illadhi laa yadurr ma'a ismihi shay'un fi'l-ard wa laa
fi'l-samaa' wa huwa al-samee' al-'aleem (In the name ofAllaah with
Whose namenothing is harmed on earth or in heaven, and He is the
All-Seeing, All-Knowing), three times, and is then harmed by
anything."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
And al-Tirmidhi (2516) narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas said: I was behind
the Messenger ofAllaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) one
day and he said: "O boy, I shall teach you some words. Be mindful
Allaah and Hewill take care of you. Be mindful of Allaah and He will
protect you. If you ask then ask of Allaah, and if you seek help then
seek help from Allaah. Know that if the nation were to gather together
to benefit you in some way, they wouldnot benefit you except in
something that Allaah has decreed for you, andif they were to gather
together to harm you in some way, they would not harm you except in
something that Allaah has decreed for you. Thepens have been lifted
and the pages have dried." Classed as saheehby al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Tirmidhi.
Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This indicates that
nothing can really bring benefit or cause harm but Allaah.
Thirdly:
Because describing Allaah as causing harm may imply some kind of
imperfection, the scholars stated that this should not be mentioned
unless it is accompanied by a statement that He also the bringer of
benefit, may He be glorified and exalted. So one should say al-Daarr
al-Naafi', just as it is also said al-Qaabid al-Baasit (the Withholder
the Bestower) and al-'Afuw al-Muntaqim (the Forgiving the Vengeful).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Some of His names
may be used alone or in conjunction with others. This applies to most
of His names, such as al-Qadeer (the All-Powerful), al-Samee' (the
All-hearing), al-Baseer (the All-Seeing), al-'Azeez (theAlmighty), and
al-Hakeem the most Wise). One may call uponhim with these names alone
or in conjunction with others. So you may say: Yaa 'Azeez, Yaa Haleem,
Yaa Ghafoor, Yaa Raheem. Each name may be used on its own. Similarly
when praising Him and speaking of Him, they may be used alone or
together.
And there are some which may not be used alone, rather they must be
used with others that carry an opposite meaning, such as al-Maani',
al-Darr and al-Muntaqim. It is not permissible to use these alone
without their opposite meanings. Theyshould be used in conjunction
with the names al-Mu'ti, al-Naafi' and al-'Afuw. So He is al-Mu'ti
al-Maani' (the Giver, the Withholder), al-Daarr al-Naafi' (the Causer
of harm the Bringer of benefit), al-Muntaqim al-'Afuw (the Vengeful
the Forgiving), al-Mu'izz al-Mudhill (the Honourerthe Abaser), because
perfection lies in each ofthese names being accompanied by its
opposite: giving and withholding, benefiting and harming, forgiving
and wreaking vengeance. What is meant here is that Allaahalone is the
Lord and hascontrol over His creation.As for praising Him by
mentioning withholding, vengeance and harm on their own, this is not
right. These "twin" names are to be regarded as one name that cannot
be separated. Hence they do not appear on their own and cannot be
mentioned except in conjunction with their opposite. If you say: Yaa
Mudhill, Yaa Daarr, Yaa Maani' and you speak about that, you are not
praising Him unless you also mention the opposite name. End quote from
Badaa'i' al-Fawaa'id (1/132)
See also question no. 20476
Fourthly:
It must be noted that what is required of a person with regard to this
matter is to believe that Allaah is alone in HisLordship over His
creation, may He be glorified, and the powerof creation and the
command belong to Him alone, and there is none who can contend with
Him in His sovereignty orrepel His command or put back His Judgement.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The Lord, may He be glorified, is the Sovereign and Controller, the
Giver and the Withholder, the Causer of harm and the Bringer of
benefits, the One who lowers and the One Who raises, the Honourer and
the Abaser. The one who testifies that the Giver, the Withholder, the
Causer of harm, the Bringer of benefits, the One who lowers, the
OneWho raises, the Honourer, the Abaser, is anyone other than Him has
associated someone else with Him in His Lordship (ruboobiyyah). But if
he wants to rid himself of this shirk let him look at the First Giver,
and thank Him for the blessings that He has bestowed upon him, then
let him look at one who has done him a favour and reciprocate in kind,
because all blessings come from Allaah as He says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And whatever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allaah"
[al-Nahl 16:53]
"On each __ these as well as those __We bestow from the Bounties of your Lord"
[al-Isra' 17:20]
So Allaah is the true Giver, He is the One Who created provision,
decreed it and caused it to reach whoever He wills of His slaves. The
Giver is the One Who gave it to you and motivated others to giveto
you. He is the First andthe Last. The same applies to everything that
we have mentionedwith regard to His Lordship (ruboobiyyah).
Whoever adopts this attitude will free himselffrom servitude to other
creatures and from looking at them, and he will spare people from his
blame and criticism of them. Tawheed will become established in his
heart, his faith will become stronger and he will find peace of mind
and enlightenment. Whoever puts his trust inAllaah, He is sufficient
for him.
Hence al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyaad (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Whoever knows people as they really are will have peace of mind,
meaning – and Allaah knows best – that they can neither bring benefit
nor cause harm.

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