Al-Wahhab (The Liberal Bestower)
Al-Wahhab means the one who grants or donates. Grant is donation that is given without expecting any returns. Yes, Allah is Wahhab; He grants without expecting any returns and He does not ask any money in return for what He gives. Besides, if man wanted to pay for what Allah gives him, he could not do it.
- We were non-existent; we came into being.
- We could have become non-living beings like stones, soil or mountains but we were given life.
- We could have become beings like trees and flowers among living beings but we were given consciousness.
- We could have become animals among conscious beings but we were not created as animals; we were created as human beings.
- We could have become fire worshippers, Hindus, who worship cows, idolaters, who worship idols among humans but we knew Allah and believed in Him.
- We could have become Jews or Christians, who attribute a son to Allah, among those who believed in Him and could have attracted His wrath. However, we did not become Christians or Jews; Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), we became Muslims.
- We were honored to become the ummah of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), who is the Sultan of the Prophets and the Beloved of the Magnificent.
What did we give to Allah in return for those bounties?
Nothing…
Thus, Allah’s name Wahhab is manifest on the bounties that are granted generously and without expecting any returns. That is, our life, body, eyes, ears, tongues and other organs placed in our bodies, our feelings and faculties placed in these organs, in short, what we materially and spiritually have are all grants of Allah. They are a manifestation of the name Wahhab.
That is, the leaves, flowers and fruits placed on trees, wings placed in birds and fins placed in fish, in short, all of the grants and gifts given to all creatures are a manifestation of Allah’s name Wahhab.
That is, every creature mentions Allah with His name Wahhab and glorifies Him in return for the organs, placed in them, feelings given to them, sustenance granted to them and all of the favors done for them with the tongue of disposition.
The duty of man is to hear the glorification of those creatures "O Wahhab! O Wahhab!" performed by their tongue of disposition, to see the manifestation of the name Wahhab on him and to join that circle of glorification by his disposition, tongue and all organs by uttering, "O Wahhab! O Wahhab!"
Man becomes real man when he does it. That is the reason why he was sent to this realm.
How can man, who does not forget a small favor and becomes grateful to that person who does that favor by mentioning him with praise for years, forget the endless bounties and favors of Allah? How can he show his gratitude only to the person that becomes a means for a bounty though he needs to be grateful to Allah?
It is foolish to kiss the feet of a poor person who brings us a precious gift of a king and not to know the owner of that gift; similarly, it is much more foolish to praise and love the means that bring us Allah's bounties and to forget Allah, who is the real owner of those bounties.
Yes, the chicken is a means; the egg is a grant of Allah. The sheep is a means; the milk is a grant of Allah. The bee is a means; the honey is a bounty of Allah. The cloud is a means; rain is mercy of Allah. Trees are means; the fruits are gifts from Allah. All of the bounties given to us through various means are all grants of Allah. They are a manifestation of His name Wahhab.
Then, the one who is worthy of thanking and praising is Allah, who is the real owner the bounties because the one that sends the bounties is important not the one that brings it.
A person can make this name as part of his ethics as follows: he should not expect any returns for the favors he does. The returns do not have to be goods, money or property. Expecting praise, desiring to earn an honor, expecting respect and desiring kindness are spiritual returns. If a person expects spiritual returns like those, he is not regarded to have the name Wahhab as part of his ethics.
He should perform worship for Allah's sake only and he should not expect Paradise in return if he wants the name Wahhab to be manifest in him. Besides, worship means thanking Allah for the previous bounties. It does not mean thanking for the bounties to be given in the future. We have received the bounties and we have to worship.
A saint of Allah describes this state and shows that he has the name Wahhab as part of his ethics as follows:
The people of the world are in the world,
The people of the hereafter are in the hereafter,
Each one loves something,
What I need is Allah….
The people of the hereafter are in the hereafter,
Each one loves something,
What I need is Allah….
Aziz Mahmud Hudai
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