Names and Attributes of Allah,- Is it permissible to say “So and so is my benefactor (wali ni‘mati)”?.

Is it permissible to say "So and so is my benefactor (wali ni'mati)"?
Praise be to Allah.
The basic principle is that the One who is to be described as wali
an-ni'mah (benefactor or source of blessings) is Allah, may He be
exalted,Who bestows His abundant blessings, both visible and
invisible, upon His slave.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
All goodness is to be attributed to Allah; it is in His hands, by His
leaveand from Him. He is the benefactor and source of the individual's
blessings, as He is the One Who initiated them without anyone being
entitled to them; He bestows them upon him,even though the individual
may be displeasing Him by his turning away from Him and his negligence
and sin. So Allah deserves all praise and thanks, and the slave
deserves blame, criticism and shame.
End quote from al-Fawaa'id, p. 113.
But that does not prevent any of His slaves whom He has blessed from
being a benefactor or source of blessings to another of His slaves.
Yetit must be noted that there is a huge difference between the true
blessings of Allah to all of His slaves, as He is the Creator of those
blessings and the One Who divides provision among them and causes
provision to come down from His stores, and the blessings that some of
His slaves bestow upon others, from what Allah has given to them and
caused them to possess and put under their control. They are no more
than a means of directing the blessings of Allah to other slaves of
Allah. The blessings bestowed by the Creator are unlimited, whereas
the blessings bestowed by people are limited to what Allah has given
to them.
Giving the name "benefactor" or"source of blessings" (wali an-ni'mah)
to the one who does a favour is something that is knownin Arabic
language and in Islam. The closest thing to that and the most
well-known example is the use of this name for a master who has
manumitted a slave.
Al-Bayhaqi (21966) narrated that Huzayl ibn Shurahbeel said: A man
came to 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood and said: I manumitted a slave of mine
and made him a saa'ibah (a freed slave with no wala' connection to
anyone), then he died and left behind some wealth. 'Abdullah said: The
people of Islam did not free slaves as saa'ibah; rather the people of
the Jaahiliyyah used to do that. You are his heir and his benefactor
or the source of his blessings (wali ni'matihi). If you are not
comfortable with that, then show it to us and we will put it in the
bayt al-maal (the treasury of the Muslims)."
This report was originally narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6753
Al-Qaadi 'Iyaad (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Mashaariq (2/18):
The "benefactor" or "source of blessing" (wali an-ni'mah) is the one
who manumits a slave. End quote.
Al-Jassaas (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Ahkaam al-Qur'aan (2/231):
(It refers to) the master who has manumitted a slave, because he is
the source of the favour of manumission. Hence he is called "source of
blessing" or "benefactor" (wali an-ni'mah). End quote.
He also (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
He (the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) made the
rights of the "benefactor" or "source of blessing" (wali an-ni mah,
i.e., the master who manumits a slave) like the rights of the father.
The evidence for that is the hadeeth: "No son can repay his father
unless he finds him enslaved and buys him and manumits him." (Narrated
by Muslim, 1510). So he described the ransom of the father as
equivalent to his rights (over his son), andequal to his favours to
his son.
End quote from Ahkaam al-Qur'aan, 1/169
See also: Sharh Muntaha al-Iraadaat, 2/500; Kashshaaf al-Qinaa',
4/405; Ikhtilaaf al-A'immah al-'Ulama', 2/85; Anees al-Fuqaha', p. 98;
al-Fawaakih ad-Dawaani, 2/250
In linguistic terms:
Ibn Manzoor (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The master who is the "benefactor" or "source of blessings" is the one
who manumits the slave i.e., he blesses his slave by manumitting him.
End quote from Lisaan al-'Arab, 15/405
See also: Tahdheeb al-Lughah, 5/205; al-Misbaah al-Muneer, 2/614; Taaj
al-'Uroos, 40/243.
Based on that, there seems to be no reason not to use this phrase to
refer to some people, bearing in mind the difference mentioned above.
However there is the fear that this matter may involve some going to
extremes and exaggerating about people. In that case it should not be
used for that reason, not becausea person cannot be a source of
blessing to another.
And Allah knows best.

Jinns & their Purpose of Creation

The jinn are part of the creation of Allaah. He created them from fire
before He created Adam,as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And indeed, We createdman from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud.
And the jinn, We createdaforetime from the smokeless flame of fire"
[al-Hijr 15:26-27]
Just as Adam had descendents, so Iblees had descendents too, as Allaah
says of Iblees (interpretation of the meaning):
"Will you then take him (Iblees) and his offspringas protectors and
helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you? What an evil is
the exchange for the Zaalimoon (polytheists, and wrongdoers, etc)"
[al-Kahf 18:50]
Allaah created the jinn and mankind to worshipHim. Whoever obeys
Himwill enter Paradise and whoever disobeys Him will enter Hell:
"And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they
should worship Me (Alone).
I seek not any provision from them (i.e. provisionfor themselves or
for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me(i.e. feed
themselves or My creatures).
Verily, Allaah is the All Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong"
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56 - interpretation]
All of the jinn, like mankind, are accountable. Among them there are
believers and kaafirs, those who obey Allaah and those who disobey
Him, as Allaah tells us that they said:
"'There are among us some that are righteous, and some the contrary;
we are groups having different ways (religioussects)'"
[al-Jinn 72:11 - interpretation of the meaning]
The jinn will be rewarded or punished inthe Hereafter just like
mankind. Allaah tells us that they said:
"'And of us some are Muslims (who have submitted to Allaah, after
listening to this Qur'aan), and of us someare Al?Qaasitoon
(disbelievers those who have deviated from the Right Path)'. And
whosoever has embraced Islam (i.e. has become a Muslim by submitting
to Allaah), then such have sought the Right Path.'
And as for the Qaasitoon (disbelievers who deviated from the Right
Path), they shall be firewood for Hell"
[al-Jinn 72:14-15 - interpretation of the meaning]
The jinn and mankind will all be brought to account on the Day of
Resurrection before the Lord of the Worlds. Noneof them will be able
to postpone that or flee from it.
"O assembly of jinn and men! If you have power to pass beyond the
zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond (them)! But you
will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allaah)!"
[al-Rahmaan 55:33 - interpretation of the meaning]
Whoever among the jinnor mankind tries to flee from the Reckoning will
never be able to do so, as Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"There will be sent against you both, smokeless flames of fire and
(molten) brass, and you will not be able to defend yourselves
[al-Rahmaan 55:35]
When the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wasin
Makkah, a group of the jinn came to him; they heard the Qur'aan and
were moved by it:
"And (remember) when We sent towards you (Muhammad) a group (three to
ten persons) of the jinn, (quietly) listening to the Qur'aan. When
they stood in the presence thereof, they said: "Listen in silence!"
And when it was finished, they returned to their people, as warners"
[al-Ahqaaf 46:29 - interpretation of the meaning]
Some of the jinn believed when they heard the Qur'aan, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): 'It has been revealed to me that a group (from
threeto ten in number) of jinnlistened (to this Qur'aan). They
said:"Verily, we have heard a wonderful Recitation (this Qur'aan)!
It guides to the Right Path, and we have believed therein, and weshall
never join (in worship) anything with our Lord (Allaah)"'"
[al-Jinn 72:1-2]
Both Adam and Iblees fell into sin, but Adam regretted it and
repented, and Allaah accepted his repentance:
"Then Adam received from his Lord Words. And his Lord pardoned him
(accepted his repentance). Verily, He isthe One Who forgives (accepts
repentance), the Most Merciful"
[al-Baqarah 2:37 - interpretation of the meaning]
But Iblees refused and was arrogant, so he was one of the disbelievers:
"And (remember) when We said to the angels: 'Prostrate yourselves
before Adam.' And they prostrated except Iblees (Satan), he refused
and was proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allaah)"
[al-Baqarah 2:34 - interpretation of the meaning]
Whoever disobeys Allaahout of pride and arrogance, among the jinn and
mankind, is following the Shaytaan and will be gathered with him in
the Fire of Hell if he does not repent, as Allaah said to Iblees:
"(Allaah) said: 'The truth is - and the truth I say
That I will fill Hell with you [Iblees (Satan)] and those of them
(mankind)that follow you, together'"
[Saad 38:84-85 - interpretation of the meaning]
The friends of the Most Merciful (Allaah), among the jinn and mankind,
co-operate in righteousness and piety, and the friends of the
Shaytaan, among the jinn and mankind, co-operate in sin and
transgression. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And so We have appointed for every Prophet enemies - Shayaateen
(devils) among mankind and jinn, inspiring one another with adorned
speech as a delusion (or by way of deception). If your Lord had so
willed, they would not have done it; so leave them alone with their
fabrications"
[al-An'aam 6:112]
The jinn used to have places near the heavens where they would sit to
eavesdrop (on the inhabitants of the heavens), but when Allaah sent
His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
theywere no longer allowed to do that. Whoever among them tries to
listen is burned with a flaming fire, as Allaah tells us that the jinn
said:
" 'And we have sought toreach the heaven; but found it filled with
stern guards and flaming fires.
And verily, we used to sitthere in stations, to (steal) a hearing, but
anywho listens now will find a flaming fire watching him in ambush'"
[al-Jinn 72:8-9 - interpretation of the meaning]
The jinn are with us on this earth, but by the mercy of Allaah they
see us and we do not see them, as Allaah says of Iblees and his tribe
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, he and Qabeeluhu (his soldiers from the jinn or his tribe)
see you from where you cannot see them"
[al-A'raaf 7:27]
Whoever can see you when you cannot see him, and he is your enemy, is
more dangerous. So you must always beware of him and protect yourself
from the devils among the jinn and mankind.
From Usool al-Deen al-Islami, by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Tuwayjri.

Jinn-Spirits, - The dwelling-places of the jinn

The jinn live on this earth where we do. Theyare mostly to be found in
ruins and unclean places like bathrooms, dunghills, garbage dumps and
graveyards. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) taught us to take precautions when entering such places, by
reciting the adhkaar (prayers) prescribed by Islam. One of these was
reported by Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him), who
said: "When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) entered the toilet, he would say, 'Allaahumma innee a'oodhu
bika min al-khubuthi wa'l-khabaa'ith (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You
from the evil ones, male and female).'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 142;
and Muslim, 375).
Al-Khattaabi explained that khubuth is the plural of khabeeth (evil or
dirty - masculine form), and khabaa'ith is the plural of
khabeethah(evil or dirty - feminine form), and that what is meant is
male and female shayaateen.

Muslims must live by the joy and fervor of living in the time of the movement of the Mahdi, but inertia will cause them to regress

All Muslims who evaluatethe last 30 years with good conscience and
sincerity can easily see we are in the End Times and that we are
therefore living in the age of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi
(as) and at a time when the moral values of Islamwill rule the world.
The fact that Allah will be sending the Prophet Jesus (as), one of the
Resolved Messengers (Ul al'Azm), back to earth after 2000 years and
thatthe great struggle of Hazrat Mahdi (as), the greatest guide since
the time of the Prophet Adam (as), is certainly instrumental in
Muslims feeling great fervor, enthusiasm and joy. Every believer who
sees and is aware of this will experience the joy of this holy age at
every moment. With that joy he will strive, intend andhope to be in
the vanguard of the ProphetJesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as), to
prepare the ground for them andto support them in the finest manner.
Knowing that he is living in this holy century will be instrumental in
Muslims enjoying much beauty inthis world and considerable gains in
the Hereafter.
On the other hand, to seek to cover up and conceal the fact that we
are living in the age of the Mahdi, using quibbles of various kindsand
in the face of hundreds of hadiths of our Prophet (saas) and the many
clear references in the verses of the Qur'an, is a most dangerous path
that willlead Muslims to inertia and passivity. That path leads to the
acceptance of an average or even below-average life instead of
striving for Allah's approval with all the means at one's disposal.
That life style is a mentality that reduces living by the religion and
proper moral values to the bare minimum. It is a mentality that
performs the minimum of religious obligations, seeks to restrict
religion to the narrowest area of life, seeks no beauty, love or depth
and fails toproperly appreciate the blessings bestowed by Allah. But
its most perilous aspect is that it goes even further and leads to a
mindset that drags a person backward each day and makes it even more
difficult for them to sincerely live by religious moral values.
Some who fails to feel the excitement of starting each new day for
Allah's sake and who does not enthusiasticallyseek the maximum of
Allah's approval in all things will be exposed tothe conditioning of
denial. In the event he fails to move forward and does not grow in
depth and proximity to and love of Allah every single day, then he
will regress every day. Inertia in faith, love and depth means
regression.For example, the lovelessness in someone who does not feel
a profound joy and fervor in his soul towards the beauties bestowed by
Allah and who regards them as quite mundane, will soon turn into a
distaste for these delights, and then even anger. Someone who does not
fervently remember Allah with thewords "SubhanAllah [Glory be to
Allah], Alhamdulillah [Praise be to Allah]" when he sees such delights
will eventually turn into a person with a frozen, petrified soul who
fails to understand the wisdom behind their Creation or even never
thinks about them at all. This petrifaction of the soul will lead to a
coolness and apathy toward Allah, the religion and his Muslim
brothers. Someone who fails to think how Allah has promised to make
the moral values of Islamprevail the world and who does not strive to
spread the moral values of the religion in the light of the enthusiasm
stemming from this promise, can never obey the commands of the
religion with any spiritual fervor. Such a person will eventually
become a robot who goes to work and back, enjoys no sincere
conversation even with his own wife and children and who appears to
perform religious observances but who draws no spiritual enjoyment
fromthem. Increasing numbers of people with such a mindset will mean
an apathy, inertia, defeatism and passivity prevailing across the
Islamic world.
Therefore, everyone who lives by the moral values of Islam must
scrupulously avoid attitudes, ideas and conceptions that might lead
his Muslim brothers and all mankind toward such an inertia. He must
not forget that inertia can lead to irreligion. Nobody must waste
Muslims' time on ideas that are hard to believe, that have no place in
Islam, that depict the global dominion of Islamic moral values as far
off or almost impossible or accounts that seek to eliminate the idea
of the movement of the Mahdi. Everyone must consider the harm that
such a mindset may do to the world of Islam and striveto compete in
doing the greatest amount of goodfor Allah's approval, rather than
making do with an average life. This is what is most compatible with
the moral values of the true believer as revealed by Allah in the
Qur'an:
Then We made Our chosen servants inherit the Book. But some of them
wrong themselves; some are ambivalent; AND SOME OUTDO EACH OTHER IN
GOOD BY ALAH'S PERMISSION. THAT IS THE GREAT FAVOR. (Surah Fatir, 32)
Allah will not disappoint those who strive to gain His approval with
fervor,determination and enthusiasm, who do all in their power to
bring about the global dominion of His religion and who strive to be
among the followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) by seeing the signs
foretoldby our Prophet (saas).