Islamic Ideology - Names of Allâh 1996 : Al-Kareem (the All Laudable)

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful
and the honest.
Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us
w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the
righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep
aw ay from them.
O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and
know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.

Allâh’s Beautiful Name: Al-Kareem:

Now , w e go ahead to the tw enty-third of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Names, “Al-Kareem” (the All Laudable). This
Name embraces great meanings, and, therefore, people should adopt it for themselves, as it is one of the
Names that can be assumed by everyone w ho desires to occupy a laudable position w ith the Lord, Allah, Most
Gracious.
You know that Allah’s Divine Names are of tw o kinds: those that are attributed only to Allah, All Mighty –
such as “Al-Khaliq” (the Creator) and “Al-Qadeem” (the Infinitely Pre-Existent) – and those that can be, and
should be, attributed also to human beings, one of w hich is “Al-Kareem”, w hich has a lot of meanings: “the
Generous”, “the Holy”, “the Noble”, “the Glorious” …etc, as w ill be made clear in this lecture.
The Name “Al-Kareem” is mentioned in Allah’s Book, “Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem”, w hich also means (the Holy,
Noble, Glorious Quran) as w ill be made clear in this lecture. How ever, this Divine Name “Al-Kareem” is
confirmed by Allah’s Words:

“O m an! What has m ade you careless about your Lord, Al-Kareem (the All Laudable), Who created
you, fashioned you perfectly and gave you due proportion? In w hatever shape He w illed, He put
you together.”

[LXXXII; 5-8]

This Quranic Verse addresses both man’s mind and heart at the same time.
Allah’s Divine Name, “Al-Kareem”, is also used in the emphatic form “Al-Akram” (the Ever Most Generous) in
the Holy Quran. To this effect, the Quranic Verse goes

“Read in the Nam e of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), Who has created m an from a
clot! Read! And your Lord is Al-Akram (the Ever All Laudable), Who has taught (the w riting) by the
pen, Who has taught m an that w hich he knew not.”

[XCVI; 1-5]

Before w e explain the various meanings of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Name “Al-Kareem”, let us talk about the
different meanings of this w ord, “Kareem”, in everyday language, as it is very often used. Linguists say: “Each
and every laudable thing is described as being ‘Kareem’.” This adds a lot more meanings to the w ord “Kareem”
than that commonly understood as “generous” (giving, or ready to give, freely).
In fact, the Arabic w ord “Kareem” embraces a great many meanings, including such laudable qualities as:
forbearing, generous, kind, gentle, patient, self-possessed, manly, noble, pure…etc. In other w ords, the Arabic
w ord “Kareem” includes all laudable and admirable human qualities, contrary to “La’eem”, w hich embraces all
illaudable qualities, such as: miserly, mean, arrogant, tyrannical, ungrateful, selfish…etc. In short, the w ord
“Kareem” includes all laudable qualities and attributes; just as the w ord “La’eem” includes all low ly illaudable
ones. In this context, the verses go:

If you are noble to a noble, you ow n him .

If you are noble to a vile, he is ever ungrateful.

Other verses also go:

I taught him shooting every day.

But w hen he becam e a good shooter, he shot m e.
And I taught him how to w rite poem s.
But w hen he learnt how to w rite poem s, he defam ed m e.

Reality proves that people are of tw o kinds: pious laudable ones and impious illaudable ones. This is w hat
Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says. erefore, the w ord “Kareem” does not only mean “generous” but also
“forbearing”, “kind”, “merciful”, “compassionate”, “pure”, “honest”, “friendly”, “fair”, …etc. Precious stones, such
as diamonds, rubies, and pearls are described in Aabic as “Kareem” (i.e. precious).
A poet once praised Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), saying:

Muham m ad is a hum an but not like any hum an.

He is a ruby, w hile other hum ans are stones.

Rubies are stones, but they are precious stones; and diamonds are also stones, but they are precious
stones.
Another meaning of the w ord “Kareem” is “of noble birth”. But w ho w as the noble son of the noble father of
the noble grandfather? It w as the holy Prophet, Joseph, (PBUH). To this effect, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH),
says

“Joseph is the noblest of all m ankind.”

Some people are also described as being “noble from both sides”, i.e. from both his father and mother’s
sides.
The w ord “Kareem” also means, “good looking”. To this effect, the Quranic Verse goes:

“Then, w hen they (the w om en) saw him (Joseph), they so adm ired him that they cut their hands,
saying, ‘May Allah save us! This is no m ortal! This is but a Kareem (i.e. m ost beautiful) angel!’”

[XII; 31]

As mentioned above, the w ord “Kareem” is used to mean “of noble birth”, but according to the teachings of
Islam nobility of birth or kinship is not spoken of aloof from piety and righteousness, w ithout w hich it is mere
vainglory. For example, Abu Lahab Bin Abdul Muttalib w as one of the Prophet’s uncles, but all of us know how
evil Abu Lahab w as. Allah, All Mighty, sent dow n Quranic Verses reproaching him:

“Perish the tw o hands of Abu Lahab; and perish he! His w ealth and children w ill not benefit him !”

[CXI; 1,2]

Therefore, kinship is of no merit unless accompanied by true faith, righteousness and nobility of character. If
both nobility of kinship and true faith combine together, they make a w onderful combination. To this effect, the
verse goes:

A beautiful face w ith a vicious character

Are like a lantern at a Magian’s grave.

This verse means that it is not good enough for a person to be good-looking. He needs to have a good
character and an authentic religion in order to be really beautiful.
As for the expression “Al-Maqam Al-Kareem” (the Laudable Station), it means Paradise, w here there is no
fatigue, fear, w orry, sadness, envy, hatred or any other troublesome thing w hatsoever. Those w ho attain the
Laudable Station on the Judgment Day are really prosperous.
Another meaning of the w ord “Kareem” is “something that is very scarce, badly needed and cannot be done
w ithout.
The w ord “Kareem” also means, “dear, most beloved, and most honorable”. Allah, All Mighty, says

“O m ankind! We have created you from a m ale and a fem ale, and m ade you into nations and tribes,
that you m ay know one another. Verily, Akram akum (i.e. the dearest and m ost honorable of you)
w ith Allah, are the m ost pious and dutiful. Verily, Allah is All-Know ing, All-Aw are.”

[XLIX; 13]

Also, the w ord “Kareem” means “full of benefits and uses”. To this effect, the Quraic Verse goes:

“She (the Queen of Sheba) said: ‘O chiefs! Verily, here is delivered to m e Kitabon Kareem (a letter
full of benefits).”

[XXVII; 29]

Allah’s Book, the Holy Quran, is “Kareem” in the sense that it is full of benefits, facts, and guidance, it is full
of good things and blessings, no falsehood could ever creep into it, it includes no mistakes or errors, it includes
no contradictions or controversies, it conforms to reality, its style is perfect and most coherent, it does not
tackle issues hastily or off-handedly, it is perfect in every sense of the w ord, and it is free from any defect or
imperfection. It is “Kareem”, i.e. “perfect and free from any defect or imperfection”.
A female camel is said to be “Kareemah” if she produces a lot of milk. Also, w hen Allah’s Messenger,
(PBUH), sent the venerable Companion, Mou’ath, may Allah be pleased w ith him, to Yemen, he addressed him

“You shall com e upon a people w ho have a Book (Revealed Scripture). Therefore, once you have
got to them , invite them to bear w itness that there is no god but Allah and that Muham m ad is
Allah’s Messenger. If they obey you in that, tell them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers
every day and night. If they obey you in this, tell them that Allah has enjoined on them a charity
that is taken from the rich ones am ong and given to the poor ones am ong them . If they obey you
in this, be careful not to take any of Kara’im u Am w alihim (i.e. the dearest and m ost beloved things
to them from am ong their possessions). And bew are of the invocation of a w ronged person, as
there is no barrier betw een him and Allah.”

[Narrated by Al-Boukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad]

The expression “Kara’imu Amw alihim” in the above Prophetic Hadith means: if someone has a cow that he
loves so much, do not take it from him as charity. Leave it to him and take another one that he chooses for you
to take. Taking from a rich person his dearest and most beloved things as charities clashes w ith Prophetic
Sunna and Tradition, w hich confirm the Prophet’s w ords:

“be careful not to take any of Kara’im u Am w alihim (i.e. the dearest and m ost beloved things to
them from am ong their possessions)”

Grapes are also called “Karmah” because they are full of benefits: They provide people w ith shade and
delicious nutritive w holesome fruits.
Also, the expression “Makarim Al-Akhlaq” means “the very best, purest and most noble manners and
characters”. Hence, there are “Makarim Al-Akhlaq” (the best and most noble manners), “Al-Karm” (i.e. grapes),
“Naqatun Kareemah” (i.e. a camel that gives a lot of milk), “Al-Kitab Al-Kareem” (i.e. a book that is full of interests
and benefits), “Al-Ahjar Al-Kareemah” (i.e. precious stones), “Al-Kareem” (i.e. something that is very rare and
badly needed, “Al-Maqam Al-Kareem” (i.e. the laudable station in Paradise), and “Malakun Kareem” (i.e. a most
beautiful angel):

“So w hen she heard of their accusation, she sent for them , prepared a banquet for them , gave
each one of them a knife, and then she said to Joseph: ‘Com e out before them .’ Then, w hen they
saw him (Joseph), they so adm ired him that they cut their hands, saying, ‘May Allah save us! This
is no m ortal! This is but a Malakun Kareem (i.e. a m ost beautiful angel)!’”

[XII; 31]

When w e say “Qur’anon Kareem”, w e mean, “Allah’s Book, the Holy Quran”; and since Allah, All Mighty, is
Perfect and Absolute, His Words are perfect and faultless. In other w ords, Allah’s Words, i.e. the Holy Quran,
are far exalted above, and incomparably superior to, w ords of humans, just as Allah is Far Exalted and
Incomparably Superior to His creatures. In this context, the verse goes:

It is im polite to carry one’s food

If one is com ing unto the Generous!

Now , w hen w e describe Allah, All Mighty, as being “Kareem”, this means that He is All Laudable, as He,
Glory to Him, described Himself:

“O m an! What has deceived you as to your Lord, the All Laudable?”

LXXXII; 6]

Notice the w ords “What has deceived you” in the above Verse. What is deception? And how can man be
deceived? In fact, deception happens w hen you see a box, for example, and think that it is valuable. You hurry
to pick it up, but suddenly you find out that it is empty. When you hastened to pick it up, you imagined that
something precious could be found in it. But then, you suddenly discovered that it w as empty. This is deception.
In other w ords, you w ere deceived as regards the box. How ever, this meaning does not apply to the above
Verse:

“O m an! What has deceived you as to your Lord, the All Laudable?”

The meaning that befits this Verse is the follow ing: If you think that a certain judge can be bribed and can be
on your side, even if you are on the w rong side, provided that you give him some money. But then you find out
that such a judge is honest and trustw orthy and, therefore, can never be bribed. In other w ords, the judge is
really honest and trustw orthy although you w rongly imagined that he is not. In this sense, the Verse

“O m an! What has deceived you as to your Lord, the All Laudable?”

means that as a human being, you may think of Allah improperly or in a w ay that does not befit His Divine
Perfection. You may be deceived as regards your Lord, Allah, Glory to Him. You may w rongly think that He is
not All Just, Most Merciful, or Omnipotent, for example, i.e. you deny Him such Divine Names and Attributes: you
deny that He is Omnipotent, Most Merciful, All Just, Most Kind, you deny that He never forgets His believing
slaves and generously rew ards them, that He shall never let dow n those w ho spend all their lives obeying Him,
or you w rongly think that He w ill rew ard w ith Paradise those w ho are inimical to Him or deny His Existence
altogether. In other w ords, if you think of Allah unrealistically and unduly, this means that you have been
deceived as regards Him, because He is All Laudable, and you should never be deceived as to Him.
The accurate definition of Allah’s Beautiful Divine Name, “Al-Kareem” is: “His Existence is definitive. He, Glory
to Him, is Free from any defect or imperfection. He is the All Mighty. And no one but Him deserves to be
w orshipped.” This can be summed up in three notions w ith regards to Allah: His Existence, Oneness, and
Perfection. In this sense Allah is “Kareem”, i.e. He exists, He is One, and He is Perfect. These three accurate
Divine Attributes that have to do w ith Allah’s Name “Kareem” can be explained as follow s:
 Allah is “Kareem” in the sense that He initiates His Divine Favors to His slaves, even though they do not
deserve such Favors. Out of His Divine Grace, He brings us into existence even though He is not obliged to do
so. In other w ords, w e do not have any right to oblige Allah, All Mighty, to bring us into existence; but He
bestow s His Divine Favor upon us by bringing us into existence. To make this point clear, let us have the
follow ing example: You may have an employee w ho is both honest and hardw orking. So you rew ard him for his
honesty and hard w ork. Such a rew ard does not come before you make sure that he is a good employee w ho
should be deservedly rew arded. This does not mean that you are really “Kareem” (i.e. generous). Real absolute
generosity is clearly manifested w hen it comes before one should be deservedly rew arded. It comes out of the
donor’s good w ill and generous free choice, w ithout being requested or required to be generous.
When w e invoke Allah, “Ya Kareem Al-‘Afou” (O All Pardoning!), w hat does this mean? To make this point
clear, let us have the follow ing example: Someone may pardon you, but every now and then, he reminds you,
“Don’t forget! You have done so and so, and I have pardoned you.” And you say, “Yes, may Allah recompense
you w ell for that. You really did pardon me!” But w hen you invoke the Lord, Allah, All Mighty, All Pardoning, “Ya
Kareem Al-‘Afou” (O All Pardoning!), this means that Allah’s Divine Pardon does not mean only canceling His
Punishment for you but also making people forget your sin and making you, yourself, forget it. This is a very
delicate meaning: Due to Allah’s Infinite Pardon, He, All Pardoning, makes you forget the sin you have committed:

“If a believer returns to Allah w ith true sincere repentance, Allah m akes him , the angels and the
w hole w orld, forget his sins and m isdeeds.”

Due to Allah’s Infinite Divine Grace, if a believer commits a certain sin and then, for some reason or another,
forgets it, Allah deals w ith him generously and makes him live happily and comfortably. This is w hat “Kareem
Al-‘Afou” (the One Who pardons most generously) means.
Another meaning of Allah’s Beautiful Name “Al Kareem” is that He, Praised and Exalted, covers His slave’s
sins, and faults. Human beings never do. You may do millions of favors to someone, nevertheless, at the very
first mistake than you make, he forgets all such favors, w hich you have done him, and speaks badly of you.
That is w hy Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says

“O Allah! I seek refuge w ith You from an evil neighbor: if he sees anything good (of m e), he
conceals it; but if he sees anything evil, he reveals it. O Allah! I seek refuge w ith You from an evil
Im am (m aster): if I do w ell, he does not accept; but if I do badly, he does not forgive.”

Allah, All Mighty, is “Al-Kareem” (the All Laudable) in the sense that He veils sins and faults. In this context, a
know ledgeable holy modest religious scholar said, “By Allah! If people knew my evil secrecy, they w ould not
greet me, but they w ould shun me and become bored of my company.”
Therefore, Allah, the All Laudable, unveils His slave’s good deeds and qualities and veils his evil ones. When
you invoke, “O Coverer of sins and faults!” your skin and your heart should soften w ith the w ords of this
invocation, because w hen Allah, Most Gracious, covers one’s sins and faults, He really does, not like human
beings, w ho never keep secret a mistake one commits. Yes, indeed, it is Allah, Who covers sins and keeps
them secret!
One of the beautiful meanings of Allah’s Name “Al-Kareem” is that He, Most Gracious, overlooks His slave’s
sins and misdeeds although the latter is never unaw are of them. To this effect, He, Glory to Him, says

“Think you not that Allah is unaw are of that w hich the w rong-doers do. It is only that He gives
them a respite up to a Day w hen the eyes w ill stare in horror.”

[XIV; 42]

I have heard of someone w ho w as a Mufti and a judge in this good city some forty or fifty years ago. While a
w oman w as coming upstairs to him, she made an unpleasant noise and, therefore, w as greatly embarrassed
w hen she saw him. When she came nearer to him, he pretended to be deaf or his hearing w as w eak, saying,
“What’s your name, dear sister?” When she gave him her name, he said, “Speak louder! I can’t hear you! My
hearing is w eak.” And she had to repeat her name several times. She turned to her sister saying, “He did not
hear us!”
A generous noble person is someone w ho overlooks mistakes and errors but a mean low ly person is
someone w ho tries hard to unveil each and every mistake other people make. Allah, the Most Generous and All
Laudable, forgives and pardons w hen His guilty slaves beseech Him to do. He, Most Gracious, forgives all their
sins and misdeeds; He veils their mistakes and never reminds them of them.
I w as once standing somew here that overlooks Damascus: a great many houses and buildings inhabited by
more than five million people. I remembered Allah’s Words:

“And Sufficient is your Lord as an All-Know er and All-Beholder of the sins of His slaves.”

[XVII; 17]

No one know s the great many things, w hether good or evil, committed inside all those great many homes,
except Allah, All Mighty. Nevertheless, He provides them all w ith sustenance and maintains their health for them.
To this effect, in a Divine Hadith, Allah, Most Gracious, says

“My slave! You have an obligation to fulfill to Me, and I have provision to provide you. Even if you
fail to fulfill the obligation you have to fulfill to Me, I do not fail to provide you w ith your provision.”

Also, Allah is “Al-Kareem” in the sense that if His slaves turn to Him w ith little sincere acts of devotion, He
rew ards them generously. If a person offers someone just a little piece of food, this piece of food w ill be as big
as the mount of Uhud on the Day of Judgment. I don’t think that it is reasonable in this present w orld that
someone offers only a Syrian Pound and receives in return 5,000,000,000 Pounds. In the Hereafter, you are
recompensed far more than that. In your present life, you offer to Allah only a limited number of good righteous
deeds: you help the poor and needy, you offer some prayers and acts of devotion, you spend of your w ealth
for the Cause of Allah, you suppress your lusty desires and caprices, you commit yourself to the truth, but in
the Hereafter, Allah rew ards you w ith the Garden of Paradise. To this effect, Allah, Most Gracious, says

“And m ake haste to (attain) forgiveness of your Lord, and to (attain) a Garden (of Paradise), as
w ide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the pious and dutiful.”

[III; 133]

Quite often, the All Laudable Lord, Allah, makes a w eak low ly person pow erful and respectable. Yes,
indeed! He grants him pow er and dignity! In this respect, Allah Most Gracious, says

“And fulfill your covenant w ith Me, I fulfill My Covenant w ith you, and fear none but Me.”

[II; 40]

But do w e really have a covenant w ith Allah, as if w e w ere equal to Him? The answ er is: Of course not. But
Out of His Infinite Divine Generosity, He speaks to us; w hen He speaks to us, He justifies His Commands to us;
and w hen He justifies His Divine Commands to us, He honors us most generously. In this context, Allah, Most
Gracious, says

“Recite (O Muham m ad) w hat has been revealed to you of the Book (the Quran), and perform
prayer. Verily, prayer prevents from sinfulness and evil deeds; and rem em bering Allah is greater;
and Allah know s w hat you do.”

[XXIX; 45]

Very often, a strong pow erful person gives unjustified and non-vindicated orders to another w eak one. But
this is not the case w ith Allah, Most Gracious. Out of His Infinite Divine Generosity, w henever Allah gives us
any command or order, He justifies and vindicates such command or order to us. For example, He, Glory to Him,
says
“O you w ho believe! Observing the fast is enjoined on you as it w as enjoined on those before you
that you m ay attain self-protection.”

[II; 183]

“Take (O Muham m ad) from their w ealth alm s w hereby you purify and sanctify them , and invoke
Allah for them . Verily, your invocation is a source of security for them ; and Allah is All-Hearer,
All-Know er.”

[IX; 103]

Moreover, it is He Who makes us w orthy of making covenants w ith Him:

“And fulfill your covenant w ith Me, I fulfill My Covenant w ith you, and fear none but Me.”

[II; 0]

Also, out of His Infinite Divine Generosity, Allah, All Mighty, All Laudable, makes us w orthy of His Divine
Love:

“He (Allah) loves them and they love Him (Allah).”

[V; 54]

“Verily, those w ho believe and w ork deeds of righteousness: the Most Gracious (Allah) shall
bestow love upon them .”

[XIX; 96]

Out of His Infinite Divine Generosity, Allah, All Laudable, gives us the w hole w orld. To this effect, He says

“It is He (Allah) Who created for you all that is in the earth. Then, He directed His Divine Pow er to
the heavens and m ade them seven heavens; and He is the All-Know er of all things.”

[II; 29]

The air: Do you consider the air as included in the list of Divine Favors to you? Yes, indeed you should! It is a
gratis Divine Favor: you breathe the air everyw here. The same thing applies to w ater. Also the price you pay
for food is not its real value. Who of you believes that the price they pay for an apple is its real value? What
they pay is only for the services that farmers and sellers offer. Apples are priceless, but those w ho cultivate
farmland, w ater it, provide it w ith the necessary fertilizers, and then pluck ripe apples, put them in boxes and
carry them to markets, w here you buy them, receive money only for the efforts they make; but apples are
priceless, as they are granted gratis to mankind from the Lord Allah, Most Gracious.
The Hereafter: On the Judgment Day, Allah w ill make believers ow n the Hereafter, just as He, Glory to Him,
has made all that is in the heavens and the earth subjugated to mankind by w ay of both honor and guidance.
Allah is “Al-Kareem” (the All Laudable) in the sense that He grants w ithout a reminder, w hich human beings
never do. When human beings do favors to one another, they usually remind them of such favors. They quite
often address those to w hom they do favors

“The flesh of your body is of m y benefaction! I have bestow ed m y favor upon you! I have rescued
you from danger! I m ade you from nothing! You w ere nothing before I helped you! …Etc.”

A reminder never follow s Allah’s Divine Favor, how ever.

Also, Allah, Most Gracious, is “Al-Kareem” in the sense that He does not make you need any means to get
His Divine Favors. Sometimes, people do not give each other anything until they have exhausted all their efforts
and pow ers. They require them, for example, to apply for a donation, to submit their identification card, w ait until
last w eek, come back after tw o days, w ait until investigation is carried on, …etc. They make them hate the
donation because of the great many investigations, delays, complications, documentation, …etc. But Allah, Most
Gracious, does not make you need any means, nor does He make the disobedient despair of repentance. To
this effect, He, Most Merciful, says

“Say (O Muham m ad) to My slaves w ho have transgressed against them selves: ‘Despair not of
Allah’s Mercy! Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”

[XXXIX; 53]

Also, Allah, All Mighty, is “Kareem” in the sense that w henever He gives, He gives most generously; and
w hen He is disobeyed, He forgives most forbearingly. In this sense, He is Most Forbearing.
Allah, Most Gracious, is also “Kareem” in the sense that He never lets dow n His slaves or fails to fulfill their
hopes. Sometimes, someone offers you something humbly and beseeches you to accept it. But if you reject his
offer, he becomes disappointed w ith you and forgets all about you, simply because you let him dow n. But Allah
never lets dow n anyone w ho asks Him for anything. It is impossible that you beseech Him for anything and He
fails to fulfill it for you. In other w ords, Allah is “Kareem” in the sense that He never fails to fulfill hopes of His
slaves. He bestow s His Divine Favors upon His slaves and never reminds them of such Favors. When a human
being lends you his suit, for instance, he may tell you before people, “It’s alright. You can use it.” In other w ords,
he makes you embarrassed before other people. This is commonly seen among people w ho lend or give aw ay
things to other fellow humans: they boastfully remind them of such things and quite often make them greatly
embarrassed.
Another meaning of Allah’s Beautiful Name “Al-Kareem” is that His Infinite Divine Favors never end and His
Benefactions are innumerable. Also, He is All Mighty and Most Munificent; His Hands are alw ays stretched, i.e.
He is Most Generous, and He spends as He pleases. Such Divine Attributes are all mentioned in the Holy Quran.
Allah, Most Gracious, is also Shy and Most Generous. Out of His Shyness and Generosity, He is ashamed to
let His slave dow n w hen he beseeches Him for something. In this context, Allah addresses His old slaves

“O son of Adam ! You have becom e old, your back has becom e bent dow n, and your hair has
turned gray, so you should be shy tow ards Me, for I am shy tow ards you.”

In another Divine Hadith, Allah, All High, says

“My slave is unfair to Me: I am asham ed to punish him , but he is unasham ed to disobey Me.”

In this context, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says

“If a slave invokes, ‘O Lord!’ three tim es, Allah w ill respond: ‘Here I am , My slave!’”

Allah, Most Generous, is also “Kareem” in the sense that He gets angry w ith those w ho do not ask Him or
pray to Him. In this regard, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), says

“Allah, All Mighty, is “Kareem ” (All Laudable); and He loves noble m anners and hate low ly ones.”

Allah hates to see His slave a low ly person, i.e. a silly person w hose interests are trivial and w ho is mean,
selfish, niggardly, or self-centered. He loves those w hose interests are sublime and noble. Allah, All Mighty,
does not look at people’s outer appearances but rather deep into their hearts. To this effect, Abu Hurairah, may
Allah be pleased w ith him, quotes Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), as saying,

“Verily, Allah does not look at your form s and properties, but He looks at your hearts and deeds.”

[Sahih Al-Boukhari]

In other w ords, the heart is the place w here Allah looks.

 They also say: “Al-Kareem” is someone w ho does not care how much he gives nor to w hom he gives; and
“Al-Kareem” gets angry if people ask anyone other than Him.
Sometimes, you seek the help of a generous person w ho says, “Don’t ask anyone else other than me. The
thing you need is guaranteed w ith me.” This is the highest rank of generosity: “I’ll get angry if you ask anyone
else but me.”
Now , imagine someone w ho is in need of something but does not know that the w hole matter is totally in
Allah’s Hand. He goes to another fellow human, w eak and helpless as he is, and beseeches him humbly, but,
quite often, the latter sends him aw ay disparagingly. You should alw ays go to the Most Generous, Allah, All
Mighty, Most Gracious, “Al-Kareem”, Who gets angry if you ask anyone but Him.
They also say: “Al-Kareem” is someone w ho, if people treat him badly or turn aw ay from him, blames but
does not investigate. For example, if someone promises to pay you a visit, but he fails to keep his promise. You
blame him, and he says, “My daughter w as sick.” Then, you ask his neighbor to make sure w hether his
daughter really w as sick or not. This investigation is not generous of you at all. It is generous to accept his
apology w ith no further investigation, because such a thing might make him embarrassed. Whenever someone
apologizes to you and puts forw ard an excuse, you should accept his excuse, thinking to yourself, “Well, he is
a nice person as he has apologized.” And you should accept his excuse w hether it is true or not. There are
some inquisitive people w ho seek to investigate all things, w hich is not generous at all. Once again,
“Al-Kareem”, i.e. a generous person is someone w ho accepts excuses w ith no further investigation.
Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), once confided something to some of his w ives; but w hen one of them spoke it
out, and Allah revealed that to him, He, (PBUH), disclosed only some of it and kept some as secret. This means
that you shall never be “Kareem”, i.e. generous, unless you overlook nine, out of ten mistakes, and disclose only
one. In other w ords, you should overlook the mistakes committed by other people, because too much reproach
breeds hatred. Being generous, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), mentioned only one part of that w hich Allah
revealed to him concerning the mistake committed by his w ife but kept the other part secret.
“Al-Kareem” is also someone w ho does not let dow n those w ho seek his help or seek refuge w ith him.
How ever, the foregoing definitions and explanations of the Arabic w ord “Al-Kareem” are very accurate.
They all lead one simple fact, namely that if you really desire to be happy and prosperous in this present w orld
and the w orld to come, you should rely on Allah and put all your trust in Him. You should seek help from Him,
Alone; and you should seek refuge w ith Him, Alone. You should put all your trust in Him, Alone, and be hopeful
to none but Him. If you put your trust in, or rely on, other fellow humans, they w ill inevitably let you dow n.
A man w as in need of something, so he w ent to a friend of his w ho had recently assumed a prominent
position in the government. When he came to his friend’s office, the latter received him coldly, as if he had never
seen him or know n him, and refused to offer him any help. That act on the part of the friend w as by no means
generous. “Al-Kareem” does not make you in need of any means or intercessors; and you should know that
generosity necessitates that you should help others out of your ow n free w ill and generosity, w ithout any
reminder or obstacles that you put forw ard before them.
Also, “Al-Kareem” is someone w ho does not forsake you even if you do forsake him.
Sometimes, you find someone w ho becomes so w eak, confused and poor that he loses all hope and shuns
religion altogether: he no longer offers prayers or attends religious lectures. But Allah, the Most Generous, does
not let him dow n. He soon consoles him by solving his problems for him and brings him back to the right w ay. In
other w ords, w hen he is in trouble, man may turn aw ay from Allah, but Allah, “Al-Kareem” never does.
“Al-Kareem” is someone w ho maintains ties w ith you even if you forsake him, w ho consoles you w hen you
are ill, w ho visits you w hen you are back from travel, and w ho helps you w hen you are broke. Among the most
accurate meanings of the w ord “Kareem” as to human beings is that someone w ho is “Kareem” blames himself
if you ask him for a certain favor, because he has not hastened to offer it to you before you have to ask it of
him. This is a very accurate meaning.
Sometimes, a brother or a dear friend may suddenly get broke. Due to his self-consciousness and
self-respect, he may hesitate to ask you for help, although he suffers miserably but secretly. In the end, he may
ask you for help. Then, you should know for sure that you have not been kind or fair enough to him because
you have failed to find out about his trouble and hasten, out of your ow n initiative, to offer help. If you are
“Kareem” i.e. generous enough, you should inquire about conditions and circumstances of your relatives,
neighbors and friends, and hasten to lend them a hand before they ask you to do so. Therefore, “Al-Kareem” is
someone w ho blames himself if a dear friend or relative asks him for help, simply because he did not inquire
about their problem, take the initiative or hasten to offer them help before they asked him to do so.
Now , w hat is man’s share of this Beautiful Divine Name? Religious scholars say: A person may be described
as being “Kareem”, i.e. generous and noble, but if someone keeps asking him for something or visits him and
stays more than reasonable, say for three hours, for example, he may mutter in complaint, feel displeased but
keep silent for some time. But then he might say, “Sorry! I have an appointment.” If the visitor does not leave but
keeps asking him for things, he may get fed up and address him w ith angry w ords, and sometimes severely. In
other w ords, a human being cannot be infinitely “Kareem”; he can be relatively “Kareem”. But the One Who is
Infinitely “Kareem” is Allah, Alone, because He loves those w ho are earnest and insistent in prayer and
supplication. Just get me one human being w ho loves others to be insistent to him. Nay! After only a short time
of patience, man w ill say, “O brother! You have made me bored! I am fed up w ith you! Leave me alone! Go
aw ay!”
Such is human generosity, but Allah, Most Generous, “loves those w ho are insistent in their supplication to
Him”. He is angry w ith those w ho abstain from invoking Him. If a human desires to be “Kareem”, he should
overlook mistakes of other fellow humans, and he should do favors to them all. Very often, developed countries
provide a decent comfortable living for their people: different kinds of enjoyments, entertainments, foods, drinks,
houses, …etc. But they do this only at the expense of other peoples. Therefore, those - so-called - developed
countries are by no means “Kourama’”, i.e. generous or noble. They are selfish, simply because they establish
their glories, civilizations and prosperity of their peoples on destruction of other nations and extortion of their
resources. I reiterate: such countries are by no means “Kourama’”! You shall never be a “Kareem”, i.e. a noble
and generous person, unless your good w ork reaches all creatures, human and non-human.
In Europe, if poultry men have more chickens than they need, they burn them. Yes, they burn them! Do
Muslims do such an unfair thing: burn chickens that extol Praise of their Creator, Allah, Most Gracious? Let
chickens grow , and then slaughter and eat them. Make use of them instead of burning them, and Allah w ill
rew ard you for this. It is unfair to burn them!
Once again, I reiterate: You shall never be “Kareem”, i.e. noble and generous, unless your good w ork
engulfs all mankind. I w ould like to tell you something: By Allah! If you do evil even to a Magian, an idolater, or an
atheist, you w ill be punished a thousand times more than if you evil to a Muslim, because a non-Muslim
understands from your bad w ork that Islam means evil w ork and aggression. In other w ords, w hen you
transgress against a non-Muslim, you distort the image of Islam to him.
A human being is “Kareem” if he overlooks other people’s mistakes and covers their faults, if he does not
retaliate for himself, and if he overw helms other fellow humans w ith his favors.
I have recently heard the follow ing story: While he w as putting a rubbish sack in the rubbish bin, a man
found something moving in a sack. He opened the sack to find a new born baby in it. He took it home, and then to
hospital, w here they took good care of it. He looked after the baby; and w hen it grew up he took him to school.
How ever, the story ends here. Now , suppose the man helped the foundling to complete his education until he
became a specialist medical doctor, opened a clinic for him, gave him his ow n daughter to marry, and gave him
money to spend. What w ould the foundling’s attitude be tow ards such a philanthropist?
This story reminds me of the venerable Companion, Abdullah Bin Raw ahah. When he noticed that his tw o
other Muslim brothers, w ho w ere fighting along w ith him in the battle of Mu’tah, had been martyred in battlefield
and that he w ould soon be, he hesitated a bit, addressing himself:

O soul! If thou are killed, thou shalt die.

Such is the fate of death thou shalt m eet.
If thou do like them both, thou shalt be blissful.
But if thou flee, thou shalt be disgraceful.

I w ould like to relate the event as Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), did:

“Your brother Ja’far took the flag and fought for it until he w as killed (m artyred); and I can see his
station in Paradise. Then, your brother Zaid took the flag and fought for it until he w as killed
(m artyred); and I can see his station in Paradise.” Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), kept silent for som e
tim e, w hich m ade the venerable Com panions ask, “O Messenger of Allah! What did Abdullah do?”
He, (PBUH), answ ered, “After that, Abdullah took it (the flag) and fought for it until he w as killed
(m artyred); but I see som e difference betw een his station and that of his tw o brothers (Ja’far and
Zaid) (i.e. his station in the Garden of Paradise is low er that that of his tw o brothers, just because
he hesitated).”

Now , w e go back to the foundling, w hom the philanthropist found in a garbage bin. Let’s imagine him, after
having become a rich specialist physician, driving his ow n car, w hen he suddenly sees the philanthropist, w ho
picked him up from the garbage bin, in the street, and the latter asks him to give him a lift or to drive him home. If
the foundling hesitates for one single moment to offer immediate help to the philanthropist, it w ould be a terrible
crime. It is most ungrateful to fail to repay the one w ho does you such a great favor or to hesitate for one single
moment to answ er him. This is the case among human beings, but how w ould it be w ith the Lord, Allah, All
Mighty, Creator and Lord of all w orlds?!
Undoubtedly, Allah’s Right upon His slaves is infinitely Great. That is w hy Allah says of hypocrites,

“And never pray (funeral prayer) for any of them (hypocrites) w ho dies, nor stand at his grave.
Certainly, they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and they died w hile they w ere
disobedient.”

[IX; 84]

When Allah In fact, Huthaifah w as Allah’s Messenger’s secret-keeper. After Allah’s Messenger’s death, Abu
Bakr became Caliph, and after Abu Bakr, Omar Bin Al-Khattab, the rightly guided Caliph and giant of Islam. Omar
came to Huthaifah and asked him earnestly, “I implore you by Allah! Is my name mentioned among them (i.e.
hypocrites)?” I am one hundred per cent sure that Omar w as most honest and earnest in his question. In other
w ords, he really desired to know if his name w as among those of hypocrites, i.e. he w as afraid that perhaps
he had unw ittingly committed some mistake or a sinful deed. He w as conscious of Allah’s Great Right upon him,
and due to his great piety and sincere devotion, he thought, “I might have neglected something. I might be a
hypocrite. If a mule trips in Iraq, I fear that Allah w ill question me about it.” Once, a messenger from Atherbaijan
came to him. Because it w as late night, the messenger did not go to Omar’s house. He w ent to the mosque for
the night. In the mosque, he found someone offering prayer in great veneration and lamentation, invoking, “O
Lord! Did you accept my repentance so that I may congratulate myself, or did you reject it so that I may console
myself?” The messenger came nearer to see w ho the man w as, and asked him, “Who are you?” The man
answ ered, “I am Omar Bin Al-Khattab.” The messenger asked in great amazement, “Don’t you sleep in the
night?” Omar replied, “O Brother! If I spend my night sleeping, I ruin myself as regards my Lord; and if I spend my
day sleeping, I ruin my people.” The next morning, Omar asked the messenger, “Would you like to eat w ith poor
Muslims, for they eat meat, or w ith me?” The messenger answ ered, “I w ould like to eat w ith you, for you are the
Caliph.” Omar took the man to his house, w here he found only bread and salt. Then, Omar asked the
messenger, “Why did you come to us?” “I came to deliver this gift from Atherbaijan.” It w as a box of delicious
sw eats of the best quality. Omar asked, “Do common Muslims eat such sw eats in your country?” The
messenger answ ered, “No. These are only for the elite.” Omar addressed the messenger angrily: “Give these
sw eats to the poor Muslims of Medina. I do not eat things that poor Muslims do not eat.” Then, he sent a
message to his ruler over Atherbaijan reproaching: “Eat of w hat common Muslims eat!”
One day, Omar saw fat camels on the road. He asked, “Whose camels are those?” “They are your son
Abdullah’s camels.” Was the answ er. Omar said, “send him to me!” When Abdullah came to Omar, the latter
asked him scornfully, “Whose are those camels?” Abdullah answ ered, “They are mine. I bought them w ith my
ow n money, and I sent them to graze and grow . What’s w rong w ith that? I bought them w ith my ow n money;
and I graze them to make them grow and then to sell them and get some money for them. Did I commit a sin in
doing such a thing?” Omar said scornfully, “You w ant people to say, “Graze those camels, for they belong to
the son of the Commander of the Faithful. Water those camels, for they belong to the son of the Commander of
the Faithful.’ Is this the w ay you grow your camels, O son of the Commander of the Faithful! Go and sell them!
And take back only your capital, and return the rest of the money to the Muslim treasury!”
Once, w hile Omar w as sitting w ith his companions, one of them said, “By Allah! We have not seen anyone
better than you after Allah’s Messenger.” The man desired to praise Omar w ith his nice w ords; and Omar could
have thanked the man for his kind flattery, but he looked round most angrily at the men until one of them said,
“No! By Allah! We have seen someone w ho is better than you are.” “Who is it?” Omar asked. “Abu Bakr!” The
man said. Omar looked around and said scornfully, “All of you lied, but he, alone, spoke the truth.” In other
w ords, he considered their keeping silent as lying. Then, he said, “By Allah! I w as more astray than my camel
w hen Abu Bakr w as sw eeter than the smell of musk.”
Yes, indeed! It w as Omar, w ho asked one of his vicegerents, “What w ill you do if people bring you someone
w ho is a thief or robber?” “I w ill chop off his hand.” The man replied. Omar said, “Then, if any of your subjects
comes to me hungry or unemployed, I w ill chop off your hand! Verily, Allah has given us pow er over His
creatures in order to allay their hunger, cover their bodies and provide them w ith good jobs (i.e. provide them
w ith adequate food and clothing and help them make a decent living). If w e fulfill that for them, w e deservedly
receive their gratitude and obedience. These hands have been created in order to w ork. If they do not find
something good to do, they w ill seek a lot of evil things to do. Therefore, you should keep them busy w ith good
things before they keep you busy w ith evil things.”
Such w as Omar, the venerable Companion and Caliph, w ho came to Huthaifah imploring him earnestly, “I
implore you by Allah! Is my name mentioned among them?” How ever, Huthaifah’s answ er w as, “No! By Allah!
You are the most noble and generous of us all, and you are the most merciful of us all.” In fact, Huthaifah, may
Allah be pleased w ith him, w as not only greatly surprised but also really embarrassed at Omar’s question, as he
knew how venerable and devoted the latter w as. Such is “Al-Karam”, i.e. nobility and generosity!
Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), bade us to adopt Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes and to color ourselves
w ith them; and Allah’s Beautiful Name “Al-Kareem” necessitates that w e should maintain ties and relationships
w ith those w ho sever them, forgive those w ho w rong us, and give those w ho deprive us. It also necessitates
that our silence should be contemplation, our speech a reminder, and our sight an admonition.
Now , I w ould like to tell you a couple of stories: When Moses spoke to His Lord, he said, “O Lord! Sometimes,
I need something, but I feel ashamed to ask You (for it). Shall I ask someone other than You?” Soon, Allah, Most
Gracious, revealed to Moses, “O Moses! Do not ask anyone but Me. Ask Me as to the salt of your dough and
fodder of your ew e.”
Our Lord, Allah, Most Generous, loves those w ho are insistent, so w hy don’t you beseech Him w hen
prostrating in prayer in the early morning? Why don’t you ask Him for all your needs?
Whenever a man w ould come to Ali Bin Abi Talib, the venerable Companion and Caliph, may Allah be pleased
w ith him, for something, Ali w ould put out his lantern and then ask the man to tell him w hat he needed. When Ali
w as asked w hy he did this, he answ ered, “In order not to see humility of beseeching on the man’s face, and in
order that he may not be embarrassed and refrain from asking me his need. Such w as Ali’s “Karam”, i.e. nobility
and generosity!
A venerable religious scholar never used to give money to a poor person by the hand. He w ould put the
money on a table and then ask him to take it. He used to do this because he did not like to see his hand over that
of the poor man.
Abban Bin ‘Ayash, one of the Prophet’s venerable Companions, said: “I w ent out of Anas Bin Malik’s place,
one day, to find a funeral escorted only by four Negroes w ho w ere carrying the dead man’s body. I thought to
myself, ‘Glory to Allah! This is the marketplace of Al-Basra, yet no one escorts a Muslim’s funeral! I’ll join them!’”
By the w ay, if someone sees a funeral, it is w ise and w ell rew arded if one escorts it, even though one might
not know w ho the dead person is, because w hen they open the bier, one sees w hat happened to the dead
person, how they put him into his grave and how they pour soil onto his dead body; and one may hopefully be
is deterred and admonished. How ever, Abban’s story goes on: “I w ent along w ith the funeral; and w hen they
reached a prayer place, they laid the body dow n and asked me to step forw ard to lead prayer for the dead
man. I said, ‘You are more entitled to do this.’ They said, ‘We are all alike. We do not know the man!’ How ever,
after I had lead prayer for the dead man’s soul and the men had buried him, I asked in amazement, ‘What’s the
matter?’ ‘Ask that w oman, over there.’ They said. I w ent to a w oman w ho w as standing aside w atching, and
asked her w hat the matter w as. She answ ered, ‘that w as my son, a big sinner, w ho had committed a lot of
sins. Before his death, he asked me, ‘O Mum! When I die, do not tell any of our neighbors of my death, lest they
should gloat over that. But inscribe on my ring: ‘there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’
and put it in my shroud so that Allah may have mercy on me; and put your foot onto my cheek and say, ‘such is
the recompense of those w ho disobey Allah!’ And after you have buried me, raise up your hands to Allah and
say, ‘O Lord! I am pleased w ith my son!’
The son told his mother exactly w hat to do: not to tell anyone of his death, and to put her foot on his cheek,
saying: “Such is the recompense of those w ho disobey Allah!” How ever, the mother said, “When I raised my
hands up and began invoking, I heard a voice coming from the sky, “It is alright Mum! I have come unto the Most
Generous Lord!” This is the lesson w e get from the w hole story!
It is a great virtue to fear Allah, All Mighty, Most Gracious, and feel ashamed tow ards Him; but it is more
adequate and more virtuous to be obedient and dutiful to the Lord in all times, for the Gate to Allah’s Infinite
Divine Mercy is alw ays w idely open.
I beseech the Lord, Allah, All Mighty, Most Gracious, to enshroud us w ith His Divine Mercy and to inspire us
to be laudable, for He is the All Laudable!
To w rap up, the w ord “Kareem” in Arabic has a lot of laudable meanings, including: “being free from all kinds
of defects”. That is w hy w e say, “Kitabun Kareem”, Maqamun Kareem”, “Rabbun Kareem”, “Insanun Kareem”,
and “Mu’minun Kareem”, as above-mentioned.
Opposite to this laudable w ord, do stand such illaudable things as lie, falsehood, slander, and calumny,
…etc, w hich render man low ly and disgraceful.

Translation : Khaled Al-Athmeh

Auditing :