Use These 7 Attributes in Dua to Gain God’s Generosity
Aisha Stacey
22 March, 2021
God has described Himself in great detail and instructed us to ponder His names and attributes. When we understand His names, we are able to call on Him by those names.
We will now examine a group of names that have similar definitions. Each name is slightly different and thus one might be more applicable to your supplications.
God is Generous
The Most Generous – Al Kareem
How Islam Reduced My Fears
How Islam Reduced My Fears
God is generous and the name most associated with that generosity is Al Kareem. Al Kareem, the Most Generous is the One who gives abundantly and without measure. He gives even before He is asked and even if the supplicant is undeserving. He is continually giving and exceeds all expectations.
Al Kareem is the One who forgives although He has the power to exact retribution.
When we ask God to be generous towards us, we should also try to be a generous person and take the advice of Prophet Muhammad who said:
The generous one is close to God, close to people, and far from the fire. A stingy person is far from God, far from people, and far from Paradise. The generous ignorant person is more beloved to God than a stingy worshiper. [1]
Al-Kareem brought us into existence even though He was not obliged to do so, and he gave us the whole world.
He it is Who created for you all that is on the earth… (Quran 2:29)
The Most Bountiful – Al Akram
The Quranic Verse of the Throne
The Quranic Verse of the Throne
God is the Most Bountiful and His generosity cannot be matched.
Kareem and Akram, come from the root kaf-ra-meem, which has two meanings; to be generous, giving, and beneficent and to be honored and valued.
Ibn Taymiyah (1263 -1 1328 CE) said:
“With regard to the words, “Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created, He created man from a clot, Read! And your Lord is al-Akram)” (Quran 96:1-3) God describes Himself as being generous after stating that He created man, so as to show that He is generous to His creation, and that He helps them to attain praiseworthy goals and aims.”
The Ever Giving – Al Wahaab
God is the Ever- Giving the One who constantly bestows gifts. The root of this word is hiba, meaning gift.
Because God is Al-Wahaab, it means that He not only gives gifts once or twice, but constantly.
God is so immensely generous that His generosity reaches all of His slaves. He grants whatever He wills to whomever He wills. This includes guidance to Islam, sustenance, and cure from injury illness and disease.
Or do they possess the treasures of the mercy of your Lord, the All Mighty, the Ever Giving? (Quran 38:9)
Al Wahaab gives freely and endlessly, without expectation of any return. When we call on God to give to us, it is worth remembering that He loves it when we try to emulate the attribute embedded in His most beautiful name. Imam Ghazali (1058 – 1111 CE) reminded us that:
“Whoever bestows gifts with an eye to some interest to be realized by it sooner or later, be it appreciation, affection or release from blame, or acquiring distinction of mention – he is neither a giver nor generous, but rather engaged in transaction and recompense…”
The One who Bestows Abundantly – Al-Jawad
The Greatest Name of God by Which He Answers Dua
The Greatest Name of God by Which He Answers Dua
God’s generosity prevails over all creatures. He bestows on them grace, kindness, and blessings. There is no creature that is devoid of His blessings for even the blink of an eye. He also bestows certain blessings on the righteous believers.
God is Al-Jawad. The generosity of every generous person is created by Him, yet their generosity is less than an atom in weight in comparison to His Generosity. There is no absolute Jawad except God, and the generosity of every generous person is from His Generosity. [2]
Al Jawad is also sometimes translated as magnanimous. Magnanimous means generous or forgiving of insult or injury.
His magnanimity encompasses all of creation with bounty and kindness. [3]
The Benefactor – Al Muhsin
God provides whatever He has created with countless blessings. He is their benefactor, their kindly helper and supporter. God has shown kindness and beneficence to everything that He created.
The Benefactor is the One who performs all His actions in the best possible manner. Those who wish to attain such excellence must strive to do good as God does good. Prophet Muhammad said:
Surely God is Muhsin and He loves everything to be done well and sincerely…
The Giver – Al Mu’tee
God is the Ultimate Provider. No one can withhold from a person what God gives nor can anyone give a person anything God withholds.
There is no limit to what He gives, and whatever He gives reaches whomever He desires. He created and gave to humankind all that is in this world and the Hereafter.
Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be!’– and it is! (Quran 36:82)
The Bestower – Al Manaan
God is the One who graciously gives favors and gifts before He is asked. He shows kindness to His creation by bestowing blessings upon them and provides them with everything they require. And He bestows special kindness on the righteous believers by guiding them to the true faith. Prophet Muhammad said:
Oh God! I ask You by virtue of the fact that all praise is due to You; none has the right to be worshiped but You, the Bestower… [4]
After we have pondered the Names of God related to generosity and its many manifestations, it would be appropriate to call on God by these names and to try to cultivate these attributes in our own behavior.
It is possible for a believer to aspire to be generous, kind, or beneficent. Ibn al-Qayyim explained it very clearly when he said:
“Generosity is one of the attributes of the Lord, for He gives and does not take, He feeds but He is not fed. He is the most generous of those who are generous, the kindest of those who are kind.
The most beloved of His creation to Him are those who bear the characteristics implied by His attributes. For He is Kind and loves those among His slaves who are kind; He is All-Knowing and loves those who have knowledge; He is All-Powerful and loves those who are brave; He is Beautiful and loves beauty.”
God is generous and loves those who are generous.
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[1] At-Tirmidhi
[2] Ibn Al-Qayyim (1292–1350 CE)
[3] Ibid
[4] At Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood.
(From Discovering Islam archive)
