By Imam Murtadha Gusau
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, his family, his companions and his true and sincere followers until the Last Day – then to proceed:
Respected servants of Allah! Imams Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported from Abu Hurairah (RA) that Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:
“Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. No person memorises them except that he enters Jannah (Paradise). And Allah is Witr (The Single One) and He loves Al-Witr.” i.e. to end the night prayer with one (odd) raka’ah.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And he (Peace be upon him) said in another version:
“The one who learns and comprehends them will enter Paradise (Jannah).” [Al-Bukhari]
And from the beautiful names of Allah is Al-Aziz. Imam Al-Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said:
“The meaning of the name, Al-Aziz is Al-Mani’, the invincible, unconquerable, unassailable, the invulnerable, the One who cannot be reached and cannot be overcome.” [Tafsir of Imam Al-Qurtubi]
Imam Ibn Kathir (rahimahullah) said:
“Al-Aziz is the One who has overpowered everything and subjugated it, He has overcome and conquered it all. He cannot be reached due to His might, His greatness, His complete power, His honour and magnificence.” [Tafsir of Imam Ibn Kathir]
There has never been a moment ever except that Allah has always been the Almighty, the Exalted, the All-Powerful, but when the wrongdoers, the unbelievers and pagans behave tyrannically and wreak havoc with the creation, Allah overpowers them, subdues them and humiliates them.
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) stated that:
“Al-Izzah (might and honour) encompasses three affairs: (a) Izzatul-Quwwah (the might of power): So this points to His names, Al-Qawi (the All-Powerful) and Al-Matin (the Strong). (b) Izzatul-Imtina (the might of complete invulnerability): He is Al-Ghani in His Self, the Independent One free of all needs. He is not in need of anyone. The attacks of the creation cannot reach Him, and they cannot injure Him in any way. And there is no benefit or increase they can bring Him. Rather, He is the One who brings injury and harm to whom He wills, and He is the One who brings benefit. He is Al-Mu’ti (the Giver) and Al-Mani’ (the Withholder). (c) Izzatul-Qahar (the might of subjugation): that He overpowers and overcomes all of creation, all of it is under the subjugation of Allah, subdued and humbled by His might and greatness, it yields and submits to His will. Nothing that moves is able to move except by His strength and might.”
The name of Allah, Al-Aziz is mentioned in the Qur’an on ninety-two separate occasions. Allah the Almighty said:
“And know that Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 260]
And He the Most High said:
“And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Able of Retribution.” [Surah Ali Imran: 4]
And He the Most High said:
“That is the Decree of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.” [Surah Ya-Sin: 38]
The Effect on the faith (Iman) of a Believer due to Understanding and Comprehending this Name is Immense:
1. That Allah is the Mighty who cannot be overcome and cannot be overpowered. He is the giver of courage and firmness – because the meaning of this name is that our Lord cannot be prevented, and His command cannot be refused or rebutted. Whatever He the Most High wills, occurs even if the people do not wish it (or don’t want it) – and whatever He does not will, does not occur even if the people wish it (or want it). Look at the story of Prophet Musa (AS) and how Pharaoh (Fir’aun) tried to prevent this child from living and existing. He ordered the killing of all the male children of Bani Isra’il because he knew that a man would come from among them and destroy his kingdom and liberate the Children of Israel. However, Allah would accomplish what He willed and He would perfect His light, even if the disbelievers hate that. So Prophet Musa (AS) was born and raised in the palace of the Pharaoh (Fir’aun), in his own home, under his watch. And when he tried to kill Prophet Musa (AS), Allah destroyed him, and his army general Haman and the whole of his army.
2. The one who is aziz (honourable) in this life and in the Hereafter is the one to whom Allah has given honour. Allah the Almighty stated:
“Say: O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will, and You endue with honour whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things.” [Surah Ali Imran: 26]
So dear brothers and sisters! Whoever seeks honour should seek it from Allah who is the Lord of honour (Rabbul-Izzah). Meaning that the one who truly wishes to be honourable should cling to the obedience of Allah. One should never seek honour from other than Allah, and to be honoured by the disobedient, the enemies of Allah and the unbelievers. The more a person is obedient to Allah, the more he is given honour and is raised in the sight of Allah. Allah the Most High stated:
“Those who take the disbelievers for allies instead of the believers, do they seek honour, power and glory with them? Verily, to Allah belongs all honour, power and glory.” [Surah An-Nisa: 139]
With the increase in obedience comes an increase in honour and might. The most honourable of people are the Prophets, then those who came after them from the believers and those who follow them. For this reason, Allah the Most High stated:
“But honour, power and glory belong to Allah, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites know not.” [Surah Al-Munafiqun: 9]
And Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) said to the Ansar:
“Were you not in a state of humiliation, and then Allah gave you honour and glory?” [Musnad of Imam Ahmad]
And Khalifah Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (RA) said:
“We are a people who Allah has honoured with Islam. And whenever we seek to be honoured through other than it (Islam), Allah will bring us humiliation.” [Al-Mustadrak of Imam Al-Hakim]
The Pious predecessors (Salaf) of this Ummah would supplicate to Allah by saying:
“O Allah! Give us honour through your obedience, and do not dishonour us through your disobedience.” [Al-Jawab Al-Kafi]
The person who is obedient to Allah is honourable and the disobedient one is humiliated and dishonourable (Zalil). For this reason, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“Allah has placed the humiliation and lowliness upon the one who opposes my commands.” [Musnad of Imam Ahmad]
Imam Muslim reported from Abu Hurairah (RA) that Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:
“The giving of sadaqah does not decrease one’s wealth. And Allah does not increase a person who forgives another except in honour, and one does not humble himself before Allah (in obedience) except that Allah raises him.”
Dear brothers and sisters! Islam is the only way to attain honour in this life and the next. And Allah will bring Islam into each and every home, just as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“The affair of Islam will reach every place that the night and day reach – neither a house of mud nor fur will remain except that Islam will enter it bringing either honour or humiliation – honour to the one who honours himself with Islam and humiliation to the one who humiliates himself with disbelieve (kufr).”
Tamim Ad-Dari (RA) who was a Christian before embracing Islam, would say:
“I saw that in my own family. The one who entered Islam was bestowed with goodness, respect and honour. And the one who was an unbeliever was afflicted with dishonour, lowliness and jizyah.” [Musnad of Imam Ahmad]
Don haka, ‘yan uwana masu girma, ya kamata mu fahimci cewa: Arziki, wadata, rufin asiri, kariya, zaman lafiya, kwanciyar hankali, tsaro, albarka, daraja, daukaka, izza, girma, mutunci, kwarjini da buwaya duk daga Allah ne, kuma duk halittar sa ne: Wallahi, idan Allah ya ba ka, duk duniya babu wanda ya isa ya dankwafar da kai, ko da kuwa ace duk duniya makiyankane, kuma sunyi maka taron dangi akan hakan. Haka kuma idan Allah ya dankwafar da kai, ya kaskantar da kai, ya wulakantaka, ya tozartaka, to duk duniya babu mai iya daukaka ka, ko da kuwa duk duniya masoyanka ne, kuma magoya bayan ka ne. Don haka, mu nemi girma da daukaka, da arziki, da wadata, da tsaro da zaman lafiya a wurin Allah, ta hanyar bin dokokinsa, da bin umurninsa, da barin abin da ya hane mu, da kyautatawa bayinsa, da tsayar da adalci ga kowa da kowa, da raba arzikin kasa bisa adalci, da bayar da shugabanci ga wadanda suka dace, kuma suka cancanta; da bin hanyoyin da suka dace, kuma masu kyau wurin magance matsalolin mu. A cikin yin wannan kadai alkhairai suke. Sabanin wannan kuwa, wallahi babu alkhairi a ciki, hasali ma duk sharri ne da tashe-tashen hankula da fitintinu. Kuma duk wanda zai yi maka wani dadin baki, ya fada maka sabanin wannan, to mayaudari ne, wallahi yaudarar ka kawai zai yi. Don haka, ‘yan uwa, sai mu kiyaye!!!
And all praise is for Allah, Lord of all creation, who guided us to Islam and the Sunnah. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.
This Jumu’ah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Jumadah Al-Thani 18th, 1443 A.H. (January 21, 2022).
