Wisdom means placing things in their proper places and assigning them their proper rank.
“The Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind, the Most Generous, the Bountiful, the Tenderly Compassionate, the Bestower.”
The meanings of these names are closely related. They all indicate that the Lord is characterized by mercy, kindness, bounty, and generosity, and that His mercy and gifts are so vast that they encompass all existence, according to what His wisdom requires. He has granted the believers the fullest and most perfect share of them. The Most High says, “My mercy encompasses all things, so I shall decree it for those who fear Me…”—to the end of the verse.
Every blessing and act of beneficence is an effect of His mercy, bounty, and generosity. Every good in this world and the Hereafter is an effect of His mercy.
“The All-Hearing”: He hears every sound, however languages may differ and needs may vary.
“The All-Seeing”: He sees everything, however minute and tiny. He sees the movement of a black ant on a solid rock in the darkness of night. He sees what lies beneath the seven earths just as He sees what is above the seven heavens. He is also All-Hearing and All-Seeing with respect to those who deserve recompense, in accordance with His wisdom. This latter meaning goes back to wisdom.
“The Praiseworthy”: He is praiseworthy in His essence, names, attributes, and actions. His are the most beautiful names, the most perfect attributes, and the finest and most complete actions, for all the actions of the Most High proceed from either grace or justice.
“The All-Glorious, the Supremely Great, the Magnificent, the Majestic”: He is characterized by glory, greatness, grandeur, and majesty. He is greater than everything, more magnificent than everything, and more exalted and sublime. His devoted servants and chosen ones revere and venerate Him in their hearts, which are filled with reverence and veneration for Him, humble submission to Him, and abasement before His supreme greatness.
“The Ever-Pardoning, the All-Forgiving, the Oft-Forgiving”: He has always been and will always be known for pardoning and characterized by forgiving and overlooking His servants’ sins. Everyone is utterly dependent upon His pardon and forgiveness, just as everyone is utterly dependent upon His mercy and generosity. He has promised forgiveness and pardon to those who take the means that lead to them. The Most High says, “Indeed, I am ever forgiving to whoever repents, believes, and does righteous deeds, and then remains rightly guided.”
“The Accepter of Repentance”: He has always accepted the repentance of those who repent and forgiven the sins of those who turn back to Him. Whoever repents sincerely to Allah, Allah turns toward him with mercy. He turns mercifully toward those who repent first by enabling them to repent and turn their hearts to Him, and then, after their repentance, by accepting it and pardoning their sins.
“The Most Holy, the Flawless”: that is, the One revered and exalted above every attribute of imperfection and above having any creature resemble Him. He is free from every defect and far above having anyone come near to equaling or resembling Him in any aspect of perfection: “There is nothing whatever like Him.” “There is none comparable to Him.” “Do you know of any equal to Him?” “So do not set up rivals to Allah.”
Thus, both “the Most Holy” and “the Flawless” negate every imperfection in every respect and imply absolute perfection in every respect, for when imperfection is negated, complete perfection is affirmed.
“The Most High, the Highest”: He possesses absolute highness in every respect: highness of essence, highness of rank and attributes, and highness of dominance. He rose over the Throne and possesses all dominion. He is characterized by every attribute of grandeur, supreme greatness, majesty, beauty, and utmost perfection, and in every one of them He possesses the utmost degree.
“The Almighty”: He possesses every form of might: the might of power, dominance, and invincibility. He is beyond the reach of every creature, subdues all beings, and all creation submits to Him and humbles itself before His greatness.
“The All-Strong, the Most Firm”: these have the same general meaning as “the Almighty.”
“The Compeller”: this bears the sense of “the Most High, the Highest,” of “the Subduer,” and of “the Tenderly Compassionate,” who restores broken hearts, supports the weak and helpless, and aids whoever seeks His shelter and refuge.
“The Supremely Great”: exalted above evil, imperfection, and defects by virtue of His grandeur and supreme greatness.