Tafsir Asma Allah al-Husna li-al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (168)

Tafsir Asma Allah al-Husna li-al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

4 – The Most High: (the Exalted1, the Most High)

He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—said:

“Among His most beautiful names are the Exalted and the Most High. These indicate that every meaning of exaltedness belongs to Allah in every respect. His is exaltedness of Essence3.

This means that He is established above His Throne, above all His creation and distinct from them. Yet He is fully aware of their circumstances, observes them, and directs their outward and inward affairs. He speaks His decrees of destiny, His ordinances governing creation, and His revealed laws4.

As for His exaltedness in rank, this is the loftiness and greatness of His attributes. No attribute of any created being resembles His. Indeed, all created beings together cannot encompass even some of the meanings of a single one of His attributes. Allah Most High says:

‘They do not encompass Him in knowledge.’5

Thus, it is known that nothing is like Him in any of His attributes. His, too, is exaltedness in subjugation: He is the One, the All-Subduing, who has subdued all creation by His might and exaltedness. Their forelocks are in His hand. Whatever He wills comes to pass, and none can prevent it; whatever He does not will does not occur. Were all creation to unite to bring about something Allah had not willed, they would be unable to do so. Were they to unite to prevent what His will had decreed, they could not prevent it. This is because His power is perfect, His will unfailingly takes effect, and all created beings are utterly dependent upon Him in every respect6.

He is the One who is established above the Throne and holds sway over all dominion. He possesses every attribute of greatness, supreme grandeur, majesty, beauty, and utmost perfection; and in these attributes, to Him belongs

(1) Evidence for this name is the statement of Allah, Exalted is He: “Preserving them both does not weary Him, and He is the Exalted, the Magnificent.” (Al-Baqarah 2:255). (2) Evidence for this name is the statement of Allah, Exalted is He: “Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High.” (Al-A‘lā 87:1). (3) Al-Haqq al-Wādih al-Mubīn, p. 26. (4) Tawdīh al-Kāfiyah al-Shāfiyah, p. 116. (5) Tā Hā (20:110). (6) Al-Haqq al-Wādih al-Mubīn, pp. 26–27.

٤ - الأعلى: (العلي١ الأعلى) قال رحمه الله تعالى: "من أسمائه الحسنى (العلي الأعلى) وذلك دال على أن جميع معاني العلو ثابتة لله من كل وجه، فله علو الذات٣. وهو أنه مستو على عرشه، فوق جميع خلقه، مباين لهم، وهو مع هذا مطلع على أحوالهم، مشاهد لهم، مدبر لأمورهم الظاهرة والباطنة متكلم بأحكامه القدرية، وتدبيراته الكونية، وبأحكامه الشرعية٤. وأما علو القدر فهو علو صفاته، وعظمتها فلا يماثله صفة مخلوق، بل لا يقدر الخلائق كلهم أن يحيطوا ببعض معاني صفة واحدة من صفاته، قال تعالى: ﴿وَلا يُحِيطُونَ بِهِ عِلْماً﴾ ٥ وبذلك يعلم أنه ليس كمثله شيء في كل نعوته وله علو القهر فإنه الواحد القهار الذي قهر بعزته وعلوه الخلق كلّهم، فنواصيهم بيده، وما شاء كان لا يمانعه فيه ممانع، وما لم يشأ لم يكن فلو اجتمع الخلق على إيجاد ما لم يشأه الله لم يقدروا، ولو اجتمعوا على منع ما حكمت به مشيئته لم يمنعوه، وذلك لكمال اقتداره، ونفوذ مشيئته وشدة افتقار المخلوقات كلها إليه من كل وجه٦. فهو الذي على العرش استوى وعلى الملك احتوى، وبجميع صفات العظمة والكبرياء، والجلال والجمال وغاية الكمال اتصف وإليه فيها

١ ودليل هذا الاسم قال تعالى: ﴿وَلا يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ﴾ (البقرة: ٢٥٥). ٢ ودليل هذا الاسم قال تعالى: ﴿سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى﴾ (الأعلى: ١). ٣ الحق الواضح المبين (ص٢٦). ٤ توضيح الكافية الشافية (ص١١٦). ٥ طه (١١٠). ٦ الحق الواضح المبين (ص٢٦،٢٧).