Allah The Exalted — Page 57
All a h the Exalted 5 vests the name of All a h with all attributes and thus indi- cates that All a h comprehends all perfect attributes. As He comprises every excellence, His beauty is obvious. By virtue of this beauty, He is named Light in the Holy Qur’ a n as is said: 68 All a h is the Light of the heavens and the earth. This means that all light is but a reflection of His light. Almighty All a h’s Attributes of Beneficence Divine qualities of beneficence are many, of which four are basic. In their natural order, the first one is that which is described in S u rah F a ti h ah as Rabb-ul-‘ A lam i n. This means that the Rub u biyyat of God Almighty, that is to say, the creation and carrying to perfection of the uni- verse, is in operation all the time. The world of heaven and earth, the world of bodies and souls, the world of animals, vegetables and minerals, and all other worlds, are being nurtured by His Rub u biyyat. The worlds through which a human being passes before his taking shape as a sperm till his death, or his arrival in his second life, are all nourished from the fountain of Rub u biyyat. Thus Divine Rub u biyyat , because it comprehends all souls, bodies, animals, vegetables, and minerals etc. is named the most general grace, inasmuch as everything that exists is its recipient and comes into being through it. Although Divine Rub u biyyat is the originator of every- thing that exists, and nourishes and sustains it, yet its greatest beneficiary is man because he derives benefit from the whole of creation. Therefore, man has been reminded that his God is Rabb-ul-‘ A lam i n so that he should be en- 68 al-N u r, 24:36 [Publisher]