Allah is Al Qareeb, what more do you want?

As pointed out in the post Ramadhaan is Seeker’s Paradise Allah wants us to call upon Him more and more in the blessed month of Ramadhaan as the Doors of Paradise are open and He is ever-ready to bestow His infinite blessings. He has even reserved a Special and Exclusive Gate called Ar-Rayyaan to honour those who respond to His Call by observing fast in the month of Ramadhaan.

Even though the feeling that Allah is Near is more distinct in the month of Ramadhaan, the fact is that He is Near and closer to you than yourself not just in the month of Ramadhaan but also all through your life! Allah has conveyed this Good News to you through His glorious Messenger, Prophet Muhammad sal-lal-laahu-alaihi-wa-sallam, through the medium of this noble ayah:

“And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.” (Surah al Baqarah 2: 186)

Indeed, Allah is Al Qareeb, the Near one.

* Allah is nearer to man than his own jugular vein.

* He is with him wherever he is!

* Don’t Worry, Allah is with us.

* What do you think of the Two, the Third of whom is Allah?

* He has knowledge of you wherever you are!

Two most beautiful attributes of Allah are associated with the concept of Allah’s nearness to man, and this precisely provides great significance and meaning to the attributive Name, Al Qareeb: That Allah is All-hearing and that He is Responsive!

إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ قَرِيبٌ – “Indeed, He is Hearing and near”  (Surah Saba 34: 50)

إِنَّ رَبّى قَريبٌ مُّجِيبٌ – “Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive” (Surah Huud 11: 61)

Allah is Al Qareeb because He alone is All Hearing. He is Al Qareeb because He alone is Responsive. Subhanallaah!

Allah is All Hearing. He hears you even if you don’t utter a single word.  He hears what is in your hearts. He hears your inner voice. His hearing is much faster than you could express or think. He is As-Samee’, the Hearing.

Allah is Responsive. He listens and responds to your call. He answers your du’aa. He feels shy to return you empty-handed. He is so responsive!

This reinforces in us the fact that: Allah is close to us, He hears us, and He responds to our du’aas.

Now you understand why even your closest ones cannot be near you in the truest sense of the term.  No one – not even your best friend – can hear your inner thoughts and feelings, and so how can he claim to be near you?

A deaf man cannot respond to you! He has no power to hear you in the first place!!

The knowledge that Allah is Al Qareeb is inherent and inborn in man. Otherwise Allah would not have mentioned about this ungrateful act of man!

One practical example to quote here would be the thanksgiving du’aa of Prophet Ibraheem (alaihis salam) in which he acknowledges the fact that: إِنَّ رَبّى لَسَميعُ الدُّعاءِ “Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication”. (Surah Ibraheem 14: 39)

Dear brothers and sisters, when we know that Allah is near we should try to get closer to Him through prayers, supplications and charitable acts.

May Allah help us and bless us to grasp the real meaning of Al Qareeb, Al Mujeeb, As-Samee’, and Al Musta’aan.

Sal-lal-laahu-ala-Muhammad, Sal-lal-laahu-alaihi-wa-sallam.

Baarakallaahu Feekum.

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Related Readings: 

Allah is closer to you than yourself!

The Power of Du’aa

Dua has the ability to change one’s destiny