How is Allah (God) described in the Qur’an? What are God’s attributes and qualities?

What can

we say about the nature of the God of the Qur’an based solely on the Qur’anic text itself?

Muhammad Nofil Haroon: 04314,

HIKMA

Habib University
INTRODUCTION:

I will be discussing about how God is described in Qur’an briefly as well as argue whether Allah

is most just or not based on the description in some of the verses of Qur’an, also whether Allah

is merciful or the punisher. Our first and foremost task should be to understand and be able to

comprehend the qualities of God. This is important as it will help us make sense of why we

should put our faith and trust unto Allah. Until we have had a vision of him high and lifted we

will not properly understand how it is that we can be conformed to his image and remain within

the limits placed upon us as created beings.

ARGUMENT:

In Qur’an it is mentioned in several places that Allah is the most merciful and forgiving. But on

the other hand it is also mentioned that if we commit sins or do wrong then we will face the

wrath of Allah and be punished accordingly. So does this mean that justice will be served to us

by presenting to us fair rewards or fair punishments according to the deeds that we perform?

Or since Allah is most merciful we will be pardoned of the sins we commit upon repentance, in

which case is God really being just? To try to answer this I would first like to begin with

establishing a better understanding of what it means when Allah is described as being the most

merciful.

Allah describes himself as Ar Rahman and Ar Raheem in Surah Al – Fatihah [Qur’an 1:3]. Ar

Rahman means merciful beyond imagination while, Ar Raheem means the one who’s always

loving and caring. When we hear the word mercy we immediately think of being spared from
something, perhaps some sort of punishment was on its way and it was inevitable but through

the act of mercy that punishment was averted. Though, if we try defining the word Ar Rahman

through its Arabic root, its meaning fundamentally goes back to the womb of a mother.

When I think of the womb of a mother, I think of a baby inside and how the mother goes

through all of the trouble, and all of the caretaking of the baby while the baby has no idea what

is going on. And as the years pass by and the child grows, all they do is cause the mother pain

and make their life more difficult and all she does in return is love the baby even more. That is

some glimpse of the love, care and concern Allah has for his creations. But this love is described

as being immediate and for everyone, however it will not last forever. What this indicates is

that Allah extends this very love, care and mercy for all people and not just for the believers.

Moreover, additional verses regarding the mercy of Allah can be found in Qur’an, such as this:

“Do you not see that Allah has subjected to you whatever is on the earth and

the ships which run through the sea by His command? And He restrains the sky

from falling upon the earth, unless by His permission. Indeed Allah, to the

people, is Kind and Merciful.” [Qur’an 22:65]

According to this, even the sky would have collapsed onto earth had it not been for Allah’s

mercy, it is him who alone holds the whole universe, in case it collapses onto itself. In another

verse it is mentioned, “He is God: there is no god other than Him. It is He who knows what is

hidden as well as what is in the open, He is the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy” [Qur’an

59:22]
What this attribute of Allah signifies is that even though we commit so many sins and are

covered with flaws, and Allah knows of our every single deed yet still he forgives us day in and

day out and he hides our flaws every day from our loved ones. But when I said that this love will

not last forever, it meant that we are given a chance to redeem our sins within this world, as in

the hereafter we will be judged according to our deeds and punished if we are one of the

wrongdoers.

However, the punishments are not just ascribed for the hereafter, rather some consequences

will also be faced in this life. For example, if someone does murder and is caught then that

person will be charged with a death penalty, unless perhaps the person is forgiven by one of

the immediate family members of the victim; and the likelihood of that happening is extremely

low as we humans cannot bear to forgive the ones who do wrong by us. This is another instance

where the mercy and forgiveness of God can be witnessed, it says in the Qur’an: “Whoever

repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, then verily God will accept his repentance

and verily God is the Forgiving, the Merciful” [Qur’an 3:59] and in another place it says, “But

whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, indeed, Allah will turn to him in

forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” [Qur’an 5:39]. As described above most of

us cannot even imagine or comprehend of forgiving such crimes as it is not within human

capacity to do so, indeed which is why God can be seen as being the most merciful and

forgiving, who after knowing all our wrong doings still forgives us. In counter to this though,

Allah also says the following:

 “Indeed, those who disbelieve - if they should have all that is in the earth and

the like of it with it by which to ransom themselves from the punishment of the

Day of Resurrection, it will not be accepted from them, and for them is a painful

punishment. They will wish to get out of the Fire, but never are they to emerge

therefrom, and for them is an enduring punishment. [As for] the thief, the male

and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they committed

as a deterrent [punishment] from Allah. And Allah is exalted in Might and Wise.”

[Qur’an 5:36 - 38]

Thus for those who refuse to believe in Allah and do wrong to others, a punishment is

surely in place for them, “He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills, and

Allah is over all things competent” [Qur’an 5:40]. So as I have been trying to clarify, Allah

has both roles (punisher and forgiver) and we will be served justly conferring to our

actions.

CONCLUSION:

Therefore, as mentioned in the various verses I have quoted, I believe Allah indeed is most just

with his creations even though sometimes it may not be evident to us, though this is because

our wisdom and knowledge is very limited compared to Allah. It is obvious as to why these

punishments are required, Islam aims to protect itself from the threats of crime. This is

common knowledge that if offences are gone unpunished by extreme penalties then society

can be in serious danger. Islam seeks to expand social order and security, and to make life safe

and prosperous in society. Additionally, Allah has provided us with many signs regarding his
existence and many reasons why we should put our faith in him, still people choose to stay

away from the guidance of Allah and thus this act shall be punished on the day of resurrection.

In contrast, a believer is given hope and incentives that their good deeds will be rewarded justly

and reminded constantly about the mercy of Allah so they keep repenting if they sin and to the

best of their ability abstain from doing acts which may not please Allah.
 References

Abdel, H. M. A. (2010). The Qur'an: English translation and parallel Arabic text. Oxford:

Oxford University Press.