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.
The meanings of Allāh’s
name “As-Salām”:
The
One who is perfect, whole, prosperous and content.
The
One who is the source of all peace, wholeness, security, tranquility and safety.
The
One who has rendered all of creation to be perfect, whole, prosperous and
content.
The
One whose creation is free of imperfections, free of faults and free of error.
From
the root S-L-M which has the following classical Arabic connotations:
to
be peaceful, quiet, tranquil, content, friendly, reconciled
to be free from imperfections, free from faults, complete, whole, sound
to be safe, secure, well, healthy, prosperous
to be free from imperfections, free from faults, complete, whole, sound
to be safe, secure, well, healthy, prosperous
This ancient Semitic root of S-L-M implies every manner of wholeness, completeness and prosperity.
One of the meanings of Allāh’s name “As-Salām” is that remembering Him leads to seekings from him 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 of “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.
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)
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:
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:
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.”
Concerning that day, Aishah (radiyallāhu’anha) asked Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam):
“O Messenger of Allāh! Shall we know one
another on the Day of Resurrection?”
Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam)
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: Whenever Allāh’s
Messenger (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) completed his Solāh, Rasūlullāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) 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]
According
to Râghib the word Islam, which arises form this same s-l-m root, means
to enter into salm... which means to enter into peace, or to
enter into wholeness. That is, the word Islam means to be at
peace with or reconciled with the ways and decrees of
Allâh, and is often described as self-resignation, surrender or submission to
the will of Allâh.
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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