Voice of British Muslim Women

Rameen Masood, Leicester 

‘…Say, ‘All bounty is in the hand of Allah. He gives it to whomsoever He pleases. And Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing.’ [1] 

Al-Wasi, meaning ‘the Bountiful’ or ‘the All-Embracing’ is one of the magnificent attributes of Allah the Almighty. It signifies vastness, carrying meanings of plenitude and the ability to extend beyond limits. [2] It describes not only physical expanse but also the Divine capacity to provide and sustain without confinements, as mirrored in the following verse of the Holy Qur’an: ‘…My mercy encompasses all things…’ [3]  

But do we actually recognise this vastness in our daily lives, or do we allow our anxieties to shrink it into something far smaller than it is meant to be? 

Consider the fact that we once did not exist. There was a time when our names, our personalities, our hopes, our fears, our entire beings were absent from the world. Then, without our effort, a microscopic origin was granted life and sustained until it grew into a functioning human being. We were granted eyes that see light, ears that carry sound into consciousness, a tongue that discerns flavours, a nose that detects fragrance and danger alike, hands capable of creation and care, legs that allow us to traverse our lives and a mind through which imagination, memory and thought continually unfold. None of these faculties were earned. They were placed within us with remarkable precision long before we became aware of them. Yet we move through our days with little awareness of how extraordinary these gifts truly are. It is often only when an illness weakens a limb or an accident limits our ability that we awaken to how generously we have been held all along. 

Then, let us look towards the truth of modern science. Scientists who examine nature at its most intricate levels often admit that even a speck of dust contains more particles than the mind can reasonably comprehend. And if even a speck of dust contains layers we cannot unravel, what does that say about the One Who designed the entire cosmos? The trees, the seas, the insects and minerals all perform their roles. Indeed, this world stands like a grand museum replete with incredible miracles and marvels. 

In one of his treatises, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) eloquently explains: ‘God, who is Benevolent and Merciful, and who has invested human nature with the hunger and thirst for His perfect cognition, has also endowed human nature with two types of faculties for the purpose of arriving at that perfect cognition. The first are the rational faculties, the source of which is the brain. The second are the spiritual faculties, the source of which is the heart. The spiritual faculties reach the reality of that which cannot be discovered completely through the rational faculties.’ [4] This insight makes something crystal clear. We may analyse evidence and trace patterns, but real understanding only takes root when the heart becomes receptive. Comprehending the attribute of Al-Wasi is therefore not merely to accept an idea intellectually. It requires the esoteric awareness that God’s expansiveness permeates even the subtle, concealed corners of our lives. For instance, many of us harbour the fear that our flaws place us at a distance from Divine compassion, yet this fear contradicts the very attribute we claim to believe in. His mercy extends beyond our limited expectations. In fact, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper) the worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community explained that God’s favour includes even appointing angels to seek forgiveness on behalf of His servants. [5]  

Further still, this attribute challenges the assumptions we often make about why poverty and scarcity exist in the world. The answer lies not in a deficiency of Divine magnanimity but in the differences in human knowledge and application. The earth has been endowed with resources abundant enough for every population, yet the outcome depends on how humankind uses and abusesthem.  

Then, even our variation in abilities reflects the attribute of Al-Wasi. Humanity could not function if every individual possessed identical strengths. Our differences are intentional distributions of capacity that allow society to operate. Each person becomes like a vessel within a vast kaleidoscope, refracting distinct rays of Divine light, so that through every individual a different hue of His wisdom and beneficence is manifested.  

When we try to make sense of everything we have been given, from our existence to the opportunities that shaped our lives (and continue to do so), we cannot help but feel deep humility, echoing the words of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) as expressed in Urdu poetry: 

سر سے پا تک ہیں الہیٰ تِرے احساں مجھ پر         مجھ پہ پرسا ہے سدا فضل کا باراں تیرا 

[Translation] 

‘From head to toe I am seeped in Thy benevolence;  

Thy rain of mercy has always showered upon me.’ [6] 

References: 

[1] The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Maulawi Sher Ali, Chapter 3, verse 74  

[2] Dictionary of the Holy Qur’an pp. 824-825 

[3] The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Maulawi Sher Ali, Chapter 7, verse 157 

[4] Haqiqatul Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) p.12  

[5] Divine Attribute of Al Wasi, Friday Sermon, 8^th May 2009 https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2009-05-08.html  

[6] Gratitude in the words of Hazrat Amma Jaan (ra), Durr-e-Sameen (The Precious Pearls) English Translation p.47