March - Attribute of the Month
it's that time again :)
Salam everyone!
I spun the wheel again, asking Allah beforehand to not only give me an attribute of His that would relate to me and all of my readers/subscribers this month but also one that we can take and reflect on during Ramadan as well. I got Al-Khabeer - The All-Aware.
The word ‘khabeer’ comes from the root kha-ba-ra (خ ب ر), which means to know/be aware of the real inner nature of something and to understand the inner and intrinsic nature of something. Al-Khabeer is the One Who knows everything and from Whose knowledge nothing at all escapes. Here are a couple of verses from the Holy Qur’an where Allah Himself uses this attribute and the word ‘khabeer’:
Verily, with Allah alone is the knowledge of the Hour. And He sends down the rain, and He knows what is in the wombs. And no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (31:35)
Surely, thy Lord enlarges His provision for whom He pleases, and straitens it for whom He pleases. Verily, He knows and sees His servants full well. (17:31)
Say, ‘Sufficient is Allah for a Witness between me and you; surely, He knows and sees His servants full well.’ (17:97)
Getting this attribute honestly made me slightly emotional as it perfectly matches my life at the moment and how I’ve been feeling lately. I’m in a place where I have absolutely no idea what the future holds and have been trying to make peace with being in the unknown. Life usually is like that, and Allah Himself mentions it in the verse I mentioned above, but I’ve always had some sort of plan, some sort of idea as to what’s going to happen next and what I’m going to do next—until now. And, I’ve tried to fight it for so long, but I know that I’ve been purposefully put in this position by Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ where I genuinely have no other option available besides putting my absolute, complete and total trust and faith in Him and His plan. I often find myself struggling with this as I get caught up in my anxious thinking and feel afraid that things will go terribly wrong or that I will be in hardship forever. So, getting this attribute and knowing that Allah is the All-Aware, who knows every remedy and ailment, knows what will happen, knows what’s best for me and will, indeed, give it to me, is serving as an inexplicable amount of comfort right now. I find it beautiful that sometimes, when we’re feeling afraid or sad, all we need to do is get to know our Creator more and find comfort and peace in who He is.
I also find it a coincidence getting this attribute (but not really!) because I was talking to one of my best friends recently, when I was feeling quite upset, and was telling her about my sadness, fears, and my inability to make peace with the unknown. She told me, ‘God knows what He’s doing. You need to trust that He knows what He’s doing’. And now, I get Al-Khabeer — the All-Aware, The One Who knows everything and from Whose knowledge nothing ever escapes — as this month’s attribute :) These things feel like a sign from Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ when they happen. It felt like a great transition from February being about His Light: An-Nur shed light on the fact that He is also Al-Khabeer and will make everything okay.
So, when I reflect on Al-Khabeer, I think of Him as being the One who will straighten all my affairs, who has Perfect Knowledge and is aware of exactly what I need and what is best for me. It comforts me to know that my heart’s desires can be fulfilled—and will be in ways I cannot fathom. I also feel incredibly thankful that He is All-Aware and has perfect knowledge, too—imagine putting our entire trust about every single piece of our lives in someone who doesn’t have perfect knowledge about what’s best for us. Subhanallah! I often tell Him, ‘I know I literally would not be here without You, but I am still so thankful You exist because I would truly be so lost'. Literally!
Knowing that Allah is Al-Khabeer also makes it easier for me to surrender to His will about everything. Just yesterday, I accidentally broke a glass while I was washing the dishes—my elbow accidentally knocked it onto the floor as I was scrubbing another dish. I had the option to get annoyed at the fact that I now had to clean up the glass, hoover the area in case tiny glass fragments were lying around for someone to step on, and also examine my foot as it fell and smashed right on me! But, after getting this attribute and knowing that Allah is the All-Aware, I calmly and peacefully cleaned it all up, thinking that maybe it broke for a reason. Perhaps, for a reason I cannot possibly think of myself, it may have caused me harm in the future. Only Allah, the All-Aware, knows.
I also find comfort in the fact that the tiniest good deed during Ramadan (and always) will not go unrewarded and will benefit me in the afterlife as well— as He is aware of everything.
Now it’s time for your reflections! Here are some prompts to get you thinking…
Prompts/Reflections:
What does Allah being Al-Khabeer, the All-Aware, make you think of? What parts of your life does this attribute relate to or give you comfort for?
How can you live by this name this month and intentionally remember that Allah is the All-Aware, especially through Ramadan? Will you make secret good deeds between you and Allah? Will you get rid of certain bad habits/sins for His sake? Will you endeavour to have greater trust in Him because you know He is aware of everything that will happen? Will you try to get closer to Him through greater acts of worship this month/in Ramadan? Will you surrender to Allah’s Will through everything that happens this month rather than going over your steps and wishing you had done something differently?
Al-Khabeer is slightly different from Al-Alim (the All-Knowing). Al-Alim is about Allah having complete knowledge about everything. But Al-Khabeer is about Allah being aware of absolutely everything— not even a leaf falls from a tree without Him being aware of it. He is Aware of everything hidden and secret, everything that’s going to happen, everything that has happened, of how every single soul is feeling at any given time. This month could’ve been about His Perfect Knowledge, but it’s instead about His Complete Awareness. Does this distinction mean anything to you? What do you make of this difference?
I would love to hear your reflections on the Attribute of the Month. I do wonder if they also relate to you or if you, too, feel like you needed to know or remember a certain attribute of Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ's like me — especially as I make a du’a beforehand for an attribute that would relate to all my subscribers! Feel free to leave a comment or reply to this email and let me know what you think. I hope you all love these monthly attributes as much as I do!
In your next prayer, take some time to invoke Allah with this beautiful name of His.
And trust thou in the Living One, Who dies not, and glorify Him with His praise. And sufficient is He as the Knower of the sins of His servants (25:59).
Jazakallah for reading! May Allah fulfil all your heart’s desires.
— SabrGirl ♡
