He Never Tires; the Most High, the Most Great
Lesson Content
Sentence 9: preserving them does not tire Him
| Arabic | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| حِفْظُهُمَا | hifzuhuma | Preserving the two: the dual -huma refers to the heavens and the earth, holding them in place and in balance with all they contain |
| لَا يَئُودُهُ | la ya'uduhu | No burden, no effort, no fatigue |
It connects back to sentence 3: no drowsiness, no sleep. Unlike us: humans become exhausted when pursuing knowledge or putting it into practice, and must stop to rest and sleep. Allah knows everything and preserves everything without ever tiring.
Indeed, Allah holds the heavens and the earth lest they cease. And if they should cease, no one could hold them after Him.Fatir 35:41
And of His signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His command.ar-Rum 30:25
This is an attribute of negation, so it affirms a perfection: preserving the heavens and the earth requires life, knowledge, power, strength and mercy. The negation of fatigue affirms the perfection of all of them.
Sentence 10: al-'Aliyy, the Most High
These are two of the proofs of tawhid, that He alone deserves worship: His highness over all creation and the perfection of His greatness (the Shaykh). The "al" in al-'Aliyy includes every kind of highness.
| Highness | Meaning | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Of His essence | He is above His creation | He rose over the Throne (Taha 20:5) |
| Of His dominance | Nothing happens except by His command | He is the Irresistible, above His servants (al-An'am 6:18) |
| Of His rank | Higher than all in every perfection | And to Allah belongs the highest description (an-Nahl 16:60) |
"And He is the Most High" with both parts definite gives exclusivity: absolute highness is His alone. People may be given a limited highness, as in "you will be superior" (Al 'Imran 3:139), meaning over their enemies, never absolute.
The fitrah turns upward
Every person, Muslim or not, learned or not, turns the heart upward when calling on Allah, especially in distress. This is from the fitrah.
Abu al-Ma'ali al-Juwayni denied that Allah rose over the Throne, saying: Allah was and there was nothing, and He is now as He was.
"Leave the Throne. Tell us about this necessity we find in ourselves: whenever one who knows Allah says 'O Allah', he finds in his heart an intention that seeks upward, not left nor right."
Al-Juwayni struck his head and said: "al-Hamadani has confused me." The matter is natural and cannot be denied.
Reported by adh-Dhahabi in al-'Uluw; cited by Ibn 'Uthaymeen. Adh-Dhahabi reported that before his death al-Juwayni left kalam and returned to the way of the salaf.
Al-'Azim, the Most Great
Nothing is greater than Him. The Kursi and the Throne are vast, and He is greater than all of it. However great the creation is, its greatness is nothing next to the greatness of the One who created it.
The servant humbles himself before the Most Great and turns to Him directly, alone.
"Allah is too great to be approached without a mediator", so they take intermediaries: the very argument of az-Zumar 39:3 (al-Badr).
The outcome
When the heart grasps His highness and greatness, it trembles with love and taqwa and follows the path of the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
Five names and more than twenty attributes, in one ayah, recited eight times a day. Each recitation is a renewal of tawhid: He alone is worshipped, because He alone is like this.
Key points
- La ya'uduhu: preserving the heavens and earth costs Him no effort (35:41, 30:25).
- Equating creation with the Creator is the utmost ignorance and injustice (Ibn al-Qayyim).
- Highness of essence (20:5), of dominance (6:18), of rank (16:60).
- The fitrah turns upward in du'a: al-Hamadani and al-Juwayni.
- Al-'Azim: majesty and grandeur are His alone (Silsilah 540).
- The outcome: humility, love and taqwa.
Quiz
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