16 - الْقَهَّارُ

[ummtaalib]

الْقَهَّارُ

 الْقَهَّارُ is translated as The Ever-Dominant and The Conqueror. This name is a very strong part of our Aqeedah.

 

Definition

It is The One Who Controls and Dominates everything, Rules and Conquers everything. Everything in the Dunya is in the dominion and power of Allah ta’ala. Every existing thing is in His control due to which human beings and all of creation is dependent and in the hands of Allah ta’ala.

 

Ibn Katheer (رحمه الله)  says الْقَهَّارُ is that Being in front of Whom all Makhlooq is ‘Aajiz (humbled).

 

It is a very strong trait and according to Mufti Taqi Uthmani Sahib, there is no name of Allah ta’ala in the Asmaaul Husnaa that points towards the 'Adhaab of Allah ta’ala. All the names point either towards His Rahmah, or His Ruboobiyat (Being Rabb – Sustainer), or His Qudrat (Power).

 

This word reflects the anger of Allah ta’ala and when a person exceeds the bounds and transgresses the limits, then His anger and punishment comes down.

 

Humans cannot share in this Name

This is one of the names in which humans cannot share. A person may try to share in it by being dominating and controlling but true dominion and control is with Allah ta’ala alone.

 

In the Qur’an

It is mentioned six times in the Qur’an and interestingly at each place it comes with الْوَاحِدُ i.e. Allah ta’ala alone is the Dominating, Conquering One. Following are the verses of the Qur’an where this name is mentioned:

 

Surah Yusuf , verse 39

 

يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ

 

O my fellow inmates! Tell me what is better; many different lords or one Allah, the Irresistible?

 

This is in context of when the prisoners approached Yusuf AS to have their dream interpreted and he asked them if submitting to many idols which have no dominion was better than submitting to Allah ta’ala.

 

Allah ta’ala is the Truly Dominant One and He is pointing at being One and then Qahhaar – pointing to the fact that in His Sifaat, He is One i.e. there is no one else who can be Qahhaar.  

 

 

Surah Ra’ad, last part of verse 16

 

قُلِ اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ 

Say: “Allah Alone is the Creator of everything and He is the One, the Irresistible.”

 

This verse is referring to the difference between Shirk and Tawheed, Allah ta’ala being One and no one can compare in His Dominion.

 

Surah Ibraheem, verse 48

 

يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الْأَرْضُ غَيْرَ الْأَرْضِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ ۖ وَبَرَزُوا لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ

 

Warn them of the Day when the earth will be changed to a different earth and the heavens as well, and all of them will stand before Allah, the One, the Irresistible;

Surah Zumar, verse 4

 

لَوْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا لَاصْطَفَىٰ مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ ۖ هُوَ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ

 

If Allah had intended to take a son, He could have chosen anyone He pleased out of His creation: Glory be to Him! (He is above such things.) He is Allah, the One, the Irresistible.

 

He is Unique and above having a son. He cannot be compared to anything.

 

Surah Saad, verse 65

 

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا مُنْذِرٌ ۖ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ

 

O Prophet, tell them: "My mission is only as a Warner; there is no divinity except Allah, the One, the Irresistible. 

 

In this verse there is basic Tawheed that there is One Allah and He is Dominant and controlling over even minute matters. This Surah mentions belief in Risaalat, the last day etc. and belief in this Sifat is part of our Aqeedah. Tawheed is not just believing in One God, but it is also believing in His attributes. Our concept of Tawheed is much more comprehensive than the concept of One God in Christianity. We believe in His Dominion and Control and that He has full knowledge about everything. We believe in One God and His Attributes.

 

Ibn Katheer  (رحمه الله)   says Waahid means He does not need anyone else. He is above dependency and everything is dependent on Him and He is Ghaalib. He is Dominant in His power and we are humiliated / low in our power. 

 

There is a story about a Shaykh and his student. The student said to his Shaykh that he had a problem controlling his gaze and since he worked in a market place it was impossible for him to avoid it, essentially blaming his environment. So the Shaykh gave him an assignment where he had to carry a bowl of milk filled to the brim and walk up and down the market place without letting even one drop spill. With him would be two strong men who would beat him up if any of the milk spilled. This was difficult as the streets were not so even however the young man accomplished it and happily related it to his Shaykh. The Shaykh asked him how many beautiful faces he had noticed while on his assignment and he replied that he was so focused on the milk that he did not notice anyone. The milk, said the Shaykh, symbolized his Imaan. He told him that if he focused on his Imaan he would not be looking at anything he should not be looking at.

 

How does this connect to the concept of being Qahhaar? Allah ta’ala is Dominant and He is watching us at all times and when a person has that feeling of being watched by Allah ta’ala, it will protect the person from committing sins.

 

Surah Mu’min, verse 16

 

يَوْمَ هُمْ بَارِزُونَ ۖ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَيْءٌ ۚ لِمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ ۖ لِلَّهِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ

 

The Day when they all shall come forth from their graves with nothing hidden from Allah. It will be asked: "Whose is the Kingdom today?" No one shall dare to speak, and Allah Himself will say: "It is Allah's, the One, the Irresistible."

 

‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood RA said when all the people will be gathered on the Day of Judgement, a caller will call out asking "Whose is the Kingdom today?"  and everyone will reply,

 

"It is Allah's, the One, the Irresistible”.

 

So this trait will be mentioned in the Aakhirah and will be seen on that day. The Mu’min’s reply it will be with joy and the disbeliever’s reply will be in a state of humiliation where they are compelled to say it.  Some Scholars say this will be said after the blowing of the first trumpet when no one and nothing will exist and Allah ta’ala Himself will say it.

 

Therefore everything is temporary and Allah ta’ala was always there and always will be there. He dominates time, space, Dunya and Aakhirah and sometimes we do not realise and accept this dominion. Those who realise it, to them Allah ta’ala gives them some control in this world and that is the counsel for us.

 

Story of ‘Umar RA and his letter to the River Nile

 

Ibn Kathir  (رحمه الله) said: When Egypt was conquered, its people came to ‘Amr ibnul ‘As (radiyallahu ‘anhu) and said to him: O Amr, this Nile of ours is used to something and cannot flow unless it is done. He said: What is that? They said: On the twelfth night of this month, we take a young girl from her parents, and we placate her parents, then we dress her in jewellery and the finest garments there can be, then we throw her into this Nile.  ‘Amr (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said to them: This is something that cannot happen in Islam, Islam erases that which came before it [of bad customs]. So they stayed for a while, during which the Nile did not flow at all, neither a little nor a lot, until they thought of leaving.

 

Then ‘Amr (radiyallahu ‘anhu) wrote to ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (radiyallahu ‘anhu), telling him about this. He wrote to him, saying: You did the right thing. I am sending you a piece of paper with my letter; throw it into the Nile. When his letter came, ‘Amr (radiyallahu ‘anhu) took the piece of paper on which was written:

 

“From the slave of Allah, ‘Umar, Amirul Muminin, to the Nile of the people of Egypt. To proceed: If you only flow on your own initiative, then do not flow, for we have no need of you. But if you only flow on the command of Allah, the One, the Subduer, and He is the One Who causes you to flow, then we ask Allah, may He be exalted, to make you flow.”

 

He threw the paper in the Nile and by Saturday morning, Allah had caused the Nile to flow [to a depth or width of] sixteen cubits in one night, and Allah put an end to this particular custom of the people of Egypt until today.

 

This shows that you have Yaqeen (Certainty) that it is only Allah ta’ala Who is Dominant then you do not fear people. When a person believes in superstition, it happens because they have so much Yaqeen in it. It is a mind over matter thing. ‘Umar RA controlled the river in Allah ta’ala’s name. It may seem unbelievable to us now but this was their Yaqeen and when they invoked that Yaqeen that Allah ta’ala is Qahhaar, it had an effect. 

 

Counsel

Imam Ghazali (رحمه الله)  says our greatest enemy is the Nafs and we have to try to dominate it i.e. being Qahhaar over it, and control it and not let it be controlled by anyone else.

 

Actually our Nafs is more of an enemy than Shaytaan. In Ramadhaan when the Shayaaten are chained up, we still have our bad habits. We cannot blame Shaytaan, it is our Nafs which is the bigger enemy. If a person can conquer the passion of the Nafs they can conquer Shaytaan as Shaytaan uses the Nafs and lures the human. Therefore if we have control over the Nafs then Shaytaan will not have control over us.

 

So may Allah ta’ala make us Qahhaar over our Nafs, Aameen.