Understanding
Allāh’s Attribute of As-Salām
(The source of Peace, Safety and Perfection).
By Dr. Muhammad Ratib An-Nabulsi
In the name
of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the
praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that
there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.
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As-Salām
(The source of Peace, Safety and Perfection).
One
of the meanings of Allāh’s name “As-Salām”
is that remembering Him leads to feelings of security, tranquility and safety
Allāh’s
divine name “As-Salām” (The source of
peace, safety and perfection) means that He is the source of peace and safety,
and also means that He is free from any kind of defect or imperfection.
The name of Allāh “As-Salām” is mentioned
in the following verse in the Qur’ān:
“He is Allāh, besides Whom there is no other god, the King, the
Holy, the Peace, the Securer, the Guardian, the Mighty, the Compeller, the
Exalted. Glorified be Allāh above what partners they ascribe!” (Al-Hashr , 59: 23)
The word (salām) is also mentioned
in the following verses:
“Allāh calls to the Home of Peace (salam) (i.e. Paradise)
and guides whom He wills to the Straight Path.” (Yunus 10: 25; Al-Waqi’ah, 56:90; Maryam ,19:15)
Different
Meanings of Allāh’s Divine Name “As-Salām”
1-
The first meaning of Allāh’s name “As Salam” is that He is free
from all kinds of imperfection, His attributes are free
from all kinds of defects and His acts are free from any kind of evil. In line
with that, any kind of purposeful evil that Allāh inflicts on his creatures is meant for the near or
far benefit of mankind.
Hence, Allāh’s creation is
perfect and faultless: “Verily, We have
created all things in (perfect) measure.” (Al-Qamar, 54: 49)
2 - Allāh is “As-Salām”
that He is the giver of safety to His slaves, i.e.
there is no safety in the whole universe except that which is attributed to Him
for He is the Creator, who designs and controls all things.
In the universe around us, as human beings we can find innumerable events,
signs, evidence of the fact that Allāh is “As-Salām
(The Source of Peace, safety and Perfection)”.
Allāh grants us safety in our body. He gave us organs and
apparatuses. He gave us cells and tissues, marvelous accuracy of our digestive,
nervous, muscular, and circulatory systems. If you are afraid, remember Him,
and He fills your heart with peace. If you get connected with Him, He purifies
you from all defects and faults; He purifies your soul, because He is “As-Salām (The Source of
peace, safety, and perfection)”.
In your business, He guides you to peaceful ways; in your marriage He
guides you to peaceful ways; and in your relationships with your neighbors He
guides you to peaceful ways. If you adhere to His divine commands and
enjoinments in His Qur’ān, He guides you, in everything and every issue, to
peaceful ways. And He invites you to the Home of Peace, i.e. Paradise.
Let’s contemplate Allāh’s Words: “By the sky which gives rain again and again, and the
earth which splits again and again!” (Al-Tariq, 86: 11- 2)
In this context, Allāh also says: “…Who has created the seven heavens one above another;
you can see no fault in the creation of the Most Gracious. Then look again: Can
you see any rifts?” (Al-Mulk 67: 3)
Allāh also says: “He
(Pharaoh) said: ‘Who then, O Moses, is the Lord of you two?’ He (Moses) said:
‘Our Lord is He Who gave all things their form and nature, then guided them
aright.’” (Ta Ha 20: 49-50)
3 - Of the meanings of
Allāh’s name “As-Salām” is that remembering Him leads to feelings of
security, tranquility and safety. To this
effect, Allāh’s words go: “Verily,
in the remembrance of Allāh
do hearts find rest.” (Al-Ra’d
13: 28)
In man’s heart there may dwell feelings of loneliness, fear, anxiety, and
worry. Such feelings are not removed or minimized except by remembering Allāh and being
conscious of Him.
“As-Salām”, therefore, is that if you remember
Him, you feel peaceful as fear and loneliness is removed from you. With Him,
you feel secure, and if you remember Him, you feel tranquil with Him and feel
so near to Him.
Hence, Allāh’s name “As-Salām” brings comfort, because with it you live in peace,
you live in tranquility, you live in comfort. You feel that He, the Creator of
the universe, is always with you. He never lets you down or leaves you
unprotected in the face of your enemies.
He defends you, protects you, helps
you, gives you victory; and you reap the ripe fruits after you have paid the
price. Allāh says:
“Indeed Allāh took the covenant from the children of Israel, and We
appointed twelve leaders among them. And Allāh said: ‘I am with you if you perform prayer and give
Zakat (Alms) and believe in My Messengers, honor and assist them, and lend a
good loan to Allāh, verily, I will expiate your sins and
admit you to Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise). But if any of you,
after this, disbelieves, he has indeed gone astray from the Straight Path.” (Al-Māidah, 5: 12)
If you remember Him, you feel that He defends you, that you are in His
care, protection, help and grace.
4 - One of the
meanings of Allāh’s name “As-Salām” is that if you get connected to Him you have all
your defects and faults purified.
Connection with Allāh purifies man from all defects, from avarice, from
meanness, from malice, grudge, from feud, from envy, from arrogance and from a
great many other defects and faults, which are the main source of human misery
and wretchedness. If you get connected with Allāh, the source of peace, safety and perfection, you get
purified from all such defects and faults.
Thus, remembrance of Allāh conduces to security and peace that connection with
Him conduces to freedom from defects, faults and impurities, and rids of sins,
grudge, envy, feud, and arrogance. All such grievous deadly evil qualities are
purified and removed from you if you get connected with Allāh.
5 - Another
meaning of “As-Salām” (The Source of Peace) is that if you
adhere to His religion, He guides you to peaceful ways. Allāh says in the Qur’ān:
“Verily, this Qur’ān guides to that which is most just and right.” (Al-Isrā’,17: 9)
In other words, if you stick to Allāh’s divine law and legislation, He grants you safety in
this life; if you turn to Him with love, He gives you security and safety; if
you obey Him in all aspects of your life, He grants you safety in the world to
come. Allāh says:
“He is Allāh: There is no god but Him, the King, the Holy, “As-Salām” (The Peace).” (Al-Hashr 59: 23)
However, if we abide by Allāh’s religion, Allāh will certainly bless our marriage, work, provision,
health, and children. He will also guide us to ways of peace and safety. To
this effect, He says:
“Verily, this Qur’ān guides to that which is more just and right.” (Al-Isrā’17: 9; Ta Ha 20:123)
6 - The word “As-Salām” bears another
meaning in the Qur’ān. To that Allāh says:
“And Allāh invites to Dar As-Salām (The Home of Peace) and guides whom He wills to the
Straight Path.” (Yūnus 10: 25)
“Dar As-Salām” (The Home of Peace) is Paradise, wherein there is no
distress or envy, wherein you are not chased by illness or worry, wherein you
are not visited by fear or are transgressed against by anyone else, no wars, no
persecution, nothing like this at all.
Such is Dar “As-Salām” (The Home of Peace,
Paradise); what a good recompense and dwelling!
7 - Also, the word
“As-Salām” is mentioned in another Qur’anic verse:
“And if he (the dying
person) be of those of the Right Hand, then there is Salam (safety and peace)
for those of the Right Hand.” (Al-Waqi’ah
56: 90-1)
In this verse Allāh mentions “As-Salām” (i.e. safety and peace) that He grants to people of
the “Right Hand” on the Day of Judgment.
8 - The word “As-Salām” also comes in Allāh’s Words:
“And Salam (peace)
be on him (Jesus) the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day he will be
raised up to life.” (Maryam 19: 15)
In interpretation of the above Qur’ānic verse Sufian ibn ‘Uyaynah, a venerable Islamic
scholar, said:
“Man is most lonely in three positions: First, the day
he is born, when he comes out of his mother’s womb, in which he used to be
in comfort and safety away from troubles and problems of life to which he
comes.
The second station in which man feels most lonely is
when he dies leaving everything (his wife, children and family, house, shop,
work, friends, desires, hobbies …etc.) on a no-return trip to the Hereafter.
The third station is the day he is raised up to life again, on the Day of Resurrection.”
The third station is the day he is raised up to life again, on the Day of Resurrection.”
Concerning that day, Aishah (radiyallāhu’anha) asked Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam):
“O Messenger of Allāh! Shall we know one
another on the Day of Resurrection?”
Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Yes, O Mother of the Faithful! Except for three
positions: at As-Sirat (The Path), upon the Mustering, and when the Scrolls are
spread out.”
Thawban Ibn Bajdad (radiyallāhu’anhu) reported:
Thawban Ibn Bajdad (radiyallāhu’anhu) reported:
Whenever Allāh’s Messenger (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa
sallam) completed his Solāh, Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa
sallam) would ask Allah’s forgiveness three times and then he would say:
“Allāhumma antas-Salām wa minkas-Salām [wa ilay kaya
‘ūdus-Salām,
Fahaiyina-Rabbana-bis-Salām Wa ad-khilnal-Jannata Dārus-Salām] tabārakta [Rabbana
wa ta’a layta,] Ya Dzal-Jalali wal-Ikram”
(O Allāh, You are
the One Who is free from all defects and deficiencies,[
from Thoucome well-being, to Thou
shalt return the well-being; Thus bless
us with peace and Jannah, the Abode of Peace,] shower us
your blessing O Allāh,[ Our Lord,
the Most High]; O Allāh, our Lord Possessor of majesty and
honour.)”
[This is related
by “the group: Muslim, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidzi, An-Nasā’ie, Ibn Mājah except for
Al-Bukhāri]
And Allāh Almighty Knows best.
Related Links:
[An Excerp from “Understanding Allāh's
Attribute of As-Salām (The Source of Peace)”, By Dr.
Muhammad Ratib An-Nabulsi via On Islam, Sunday,
16 March 2014 00:00, Dr. Muhammad Ratib
An-Nabulsi is a Muslim Syrian preacher and writer. He has
written a number of Islamic books, most remarkable of which are: “Encyclopedia
of the Beautiful Names of Allāh”, “Encyclopedia of Scientific Miracles of
the Holy Qur’ān and Prophetic Sunnah” , “Outlooks on Islam”
and “Contemplations on Islam”. He delivers a number of lessons, orations,
symposiums and chat programs broadcasted on the Syrian, Arab, and Islamic
radios and Televisions.This article is a
summarized version of the article (As-Salām) by the author, published at his web site www.nabulsi.com. First published in
November 2010.]
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