Al-Wahhaab

﷽

The sixteenth name we will be discussing and learning about is ‘Al-Wahhaab’ – The Most Liberal Bestower, The Great Giver, The Giver of Gifts.

Al-Wahhaab is the One who continually bestows gifts, favours and blessings upon all of creation. The One who is the most generous and liberal giver. The One who gives freely and endlessly, without expectation of any return.

Allah calls Himself Al-Wahhaab three times in the Quran. The word ‘Wahhaab’ comes from the root ‘waw-haa-baa‘, which points to three main meanings.

The first meaning is to give for no compensation, to offer as a present, or to bestow
The second is to grant or endow
The third main meaning is to cause something to be

So, how can we live by this name?

1) Remember Al-Wahhaab
When someone gives you a gift, you thank them. So what about the Giver of all gifts? The difference between a believer and disbeliever is that the latter lives with the gifts of Allah ‎ﷻ‬ but doesn’t remember Him, while a true believer knows the giver through the gifts. Always be thankful to your maker for everything you get. If you contemplate the universe you get to know Allah; if you realise His gifts, your heart will melt out of love for Him. Thank Al-Wahhaab by using His gifts to please Him. That could be anything- from the time He has given us, spend it wisely working in His cause, to even a nice afternoon with friends, don’t use it for backbiting or spending time in places that are disliked. Everything is given to us by Him at the end of the day; to start with, He gave you your existence, then, Al-Wahhaab gave you guidance. Think about water, which is scentless and colourless. Imagine if water were sticky— how could you wash yourself? Look at your memory and how Allah gave foods a nice smell. All of these are gifts of Al-Wahhaab, don’t forget it was Al-Wahhaab who gave you every single blessing in your life, be grateful towards Him and don’t use His gifts to displease Him.

2) Give
Al-Ghazali said: ‘Whoever bestows gifts with an eye to some interest to be realised by it sooner or later, either 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 . . . But the one who sacrifices all he owns, even his life, for the sake of Allah alone— such a one is worthy of being named giver and generous.’ Make your way of giving an act of ‘ibaadah (worship) – give gifts or do things for others for the sake of Allah ﷻ‬ and not to get something in return. Don’t give with the intention to receive, give with the intention to please Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Give gifts, for this will increase your mutual love’ [Muslim]. No human being gives anything for nothing, even if it’s that we give to gain the reward of Allah ﷻ‬ by it. The only One Who gives asking for nothing in return is Al-Wahhaab. If a person gives you a gift, It is Al-Wahhaab who inspired him to give you what he has given you. So first thank Allah ﷻ‬ for inspiring people to help you, and then be grateful to the people. Be grateful when people give you gifts but also give to others to show your love for them and to gain the reward of Allah. Give materialistic things yes, but also give kind words and duas, give smiles and hugs, give reassurance and a shoulder to lean on, give charity on behalf of those you love. Gifts do not have to cost, they do not have to be grand gestures of love, they can be as simple as a sincere smile.

3) Learn from the love of the companions
The Sahabah are filled with immense love for the deen, for Allah and His beloved ﷺ, they understood life and the blessings given to us by Allah at a deeper level. Read about them and their lives, reflect upon their stories and learn about what lead to such intense love and fall in love with Al-Wahhaab yourself. Allah has given us all the tools to go ahead and study and learn about the deen and those who came before us, study and increase yourself in love.

6) Ask al-Wahhaab
There are multiple Quranic invocations using this name; you will find the prophets, peace upon them all, asking Al-Wahhaab for mercy, offspring, etc, ending with ‘innaka anta al-Wahhaab’ – ‘verily You are Al-Wahhaab’. Look for these ayaat, memorise them, and use them in your daily life. When asking Allah for anything, use this name, when thanking Him for anything, use this name. Know He is the Giver of All Gifts and has the power to give you anything.

Call upon Allah, Al-Wahhaab, knowing He is the Giver of all gifts. Ask Him to make us of those who are grateful for His gifts and use them to please Him, and adorn us with love for Him. Ask Him to make us reflect upon His gifts, inspire us to give gifts to others, and give us from His mercy that overwhelms us in this present world and the world to come. May Allah shower His peace upon you all, answer your prayers and may He guide our every step. May He protect us and our loved ones and allow us to enter His kingdom of Jannah with them. May He purify our intentions and increase us in imaan. Ameen.

JazakAllah khayr for taking the time to read this, I pray it has benefitted you – please share this with anyone who you think may benefit as well and thank you all for reading this far. May Allah bless you all immensely and please keep the people of Palestine in your duas.

References: information in this post was collated from understandquran.com and the beautiful names of Allah series on wahiduddin.net.