Four Principal Attributes of Allah

God Almighty has four principal attributes which may be called the mothers of all attributes. Every one of them makes a demand upon our humanness. These four are Rububiyyat, Rahmaniyyat, Rahimiyyat and Malikiyyat of the Day of Judgement.

For its manifestation, Rububiyyat demands nothingness, or a state resembling nothingness. Every form of creation, whether animate or inanimate, comes into being through it.

For its manifestation, Rahmaniyyat demands the absence of existence and its operation is related only to animates and not to inanimates.

Rahimiyyat demands for its manifestation an affirmation of their nothingness and non-existence from the part of creation which is endowed with reason and relates only to man.

Malikiyyat of the Day of Judgement demands for its manifestation humble supplication and pleading and relates only to such of mankind as fall like beggars on the threshold of Unity and spread forth their mantle of sincerity in order to receive grace and, finding themselves empty handed, believe in the Malikiyyat of God.

These four attributes are in operation all the time. Of these Rahimiyyat moves a person to supplication and Malikiyyat consumes a person in the fire of fear and terror and gives birth to true humility, for this attribute establishes that God is the Master of recompense and that no one has the right to demand anything. Forgiveness and salvation are through grace.

[Ayyam-us-Sulah, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 14, pp. 242-243]

In Surah Fatihah God Almighty has set forth four of His attributes, namely, Rabb-ul-‘Alamin, Rahman, Rahim and Malik-i-Yaum-id-Din. The order in which they are mentioned is the natural order of these four attributes and they are manifested in this order. Divine grace is manifested in the world in four types.

The first is the most general grace. This is the absolute grace which perpetually envelops everything from the heavens to the earth without distinction of animate or inanimate. The coming into being of everything from non-existence and its fullest development is through this grace. Nothing is outside of it. All souls and bodies were manifested and are manifested through it and all were developed and are developed through it. This grace is the very life of the universe. Were it to be withdrawn for an instant the universe would come to an end; and had it not been for this grace, there would have been no creation. In the Holy Qur’an this grace is named Rububiyyat and by virtue of it God is called Rabb-ul-‘Alamin, as is said at another place:

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God is the Rabb of everything.
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Nothing in the universe is devoid of His Rububiyyat. So the attribute of Rabb-ul-‘Alamin is mentioned first of all in Surah Fatihah and it is declared:

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as of all the attributes of grace, this has natural priority, both because it comes into manifestation before the other attributes of grace and because it is the most general in its scope, inasmuch as it comprehends everything whether animate or inanimate.

The second type of grace is general grace and the difference between this grace and the one previously mentioned is that the first one comprehends the whole of the universe and the second one is a special Divine bounty which is bestowed upon animates. In other words, the special attention of the Divine towards living things is called the general grace. It operates in respect of all living things according to their needs without their having any right or title to it. It is not the consequence of, or reward for, any action. It is by the blessing of this grace that every living thing lives, eats, drinks and is safeguarded against dangers and has its needs fulfilled. Through it all the means of life which are needed by every animate or its species for their own continuance, are made available. It is the consequence of this grace that whatever the souls need for their physical development has all been provided, and for those who in addition to physical development are in need of spiritual development, that is to say, they possess the capacity for such development, the Word of God has descended through eternity at the time of its need.

It is through the operation of this grace of Rahmaniyyat that man fulfils his millions of needs. He has available to him the surface of the earth for residence, the sun and the moon for light, air for breathing, water for drinking, all varieties of food for eating, millions of medicines for treatment, a large variety of garments for wearing and Divine Books for guidance. No one can claim that all this has been provided through the blessing of his actions, that he had performed some good action in some previous existence in consequence of which God has bestowed these numberless bounties upon mankind. It is thus established that this grace which is manifested in thousands of ways for the comfort of all animates is an ex gratia bounty, which is not bestowed in consequence of any action but is a manifestation of Divine compassion, so that every animate should achieve its natural purpose and all its needs may be fulfilled. By virtue of this grace, Divine bounty provides for the needs of mankind and all animals and affords them protection so that their capacities should not remain in the realm of potentiality.

The existence of this Divine attribute is established by the observation of the law of nature. No reasonable person would deny that the sun, the moon, the earth, and the elements, and all other necessary things which are found in the universe, and upon which the life of all animates depends, are manifested through this grace. The name of this grace, of which everything that breathes takes advantage according to its needs, without distinction of man or beast, believer or non-believer, good or bad, and of which no animate is deprived, is Rahmaniyyat, and by virtue of it God has been called Rahman in Surah Fatihah after Rabb-ul-‘Alamin. The attribute al-Rahman is referred to at several other places in the Holy Qur’an. For instance:3

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This means that: When the disbelievers, pagans and atheists are admonished that they should prostrate themselves before the Rahman, they feel aversion towards the name Rahman and enquire: What is Rahman? The answer is that Rahman is the Blessed Being, Who is the perpetual source of all good and Who has made mansions in the heaven and has placed the sun and the moon in those mansions which provide light to the whole creation without distinction of believer and disbeliever. The same Rahman has made for all mankind day and night which follow each other so that a seeker of understanding should draw benefit from this wise arrangement and should find release from the coverings of ignorance and indifference and so that he who is eager to be grateful should render thanks.

The true worshippers of Rahman are those who walk humbly upon the earth and when the ignorant ones address them harshly they reply to them in words of peace and compassion.

That is to say, they offer kindness in place of harshness, and in return for abuse, they pray for their revilers and thus they exhibit gracious qualities, for the Gracious One bestows the bounties of the sun, the moon, the earth and other countless favours upon all His creatures regardless of whether they are good or bad.

In these verses, it has been expounded that the word Rahman is used for God because His mercy encompasses all good and bad alike. At another place this mercy has been referred to in the verse:

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I inflict My chastisement upon whom I so determine and My mercy encompasses everything.

At another place it is said:

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Tell these disbelievers and the disobedient ones that were it not for the attribute of Rahmaniyyat, they could not have averted divine chastisement. In other words, it is by virtue of Rahmaniyyat that He grants respite to the disbelievers and pagans and does not seize them quickly. At another place Rahmaniyyat is referred to as:

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Do they not observe the birds flying above them with their wings spread out and closed down. It is the Gracious One Who keeps them from falling down.

This means that the grace of Rahmaniyyat so encompasses all animates that even birds which seem to have little value, fly joyously in the current of this grace.

As this grace follows naturally after Rububiyyat, it has been mentioned in that order in Surah Fatihah.

The third type of grace is special grace. The difference between this and general grace is that in the case of the general grace, a beneficiary is not under obligation to make himself good, or to bring his ego out of the coverings of darkness, or to put forward any effort to take advantage of it. By virtue of general grace, God Almighty bestows upon every animate all that it needs according to its nature without asking and without any effort on its part. But in the case of special grace, striving and effort, purification of the heart and supplication, attention towards God and all kinds of appropriate efforts are needed. He alone receives this grace who seeks it and this grace descends upon one who works for it. The existence of this grace is also proved by observation of the law of nature. It is obvious that those who strive in the cause of God and those who are indifferent cannot be equal. Without doubt, a special mercy descends upon people who strive truly in the cause of God and withdraw from every darkness and disorder. By virtue of this grace, in the Holy Qur’an, God's name is Rahim. Because the attribute of Rahimiyyat is special and follows upon the fulfilment of certain conditions, it is mentioned after Rahmaniyyat, for Rahmaniyyat was manifested before Rahimiyyat manifested itself. On account of this natural order Rahimiyyat is mentioned after Rahmaniyyat in Surah Fatihah and Allah the Exalted says:

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This attribute is mentioned at several places in the Holy Qur’an. For instance, at one place it is said:

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This means that God's Rahimiyyat is confined to the believers and that a disbeliever and a rebellious one have no share in it.

It is worthy of note that the operation of the attribute of Rahimiyyat has been confined to the case of believers, but Rahmaniyyat is not so limited. Nowhere is it stated that God is Rahman towards believers. The mercy which is specially related to the believers is always described as Rahimiyyat. At another place it is said:

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The Rahimiyyat of Allah is close to those who do their duty to the utmost.

At another place it is said:

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Those who believed and migrated from their homes or shed their selfish desires, and strove in the path of Allah hope for His mercy, for Allah is Most Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.

This means that His Rahimiyyat is certainly bestowed upon those who deserve it. There is no one who seeks Him and does not find Him.

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The fourth kind of grace is the most special one. This grace cannot be achieved merely by striving and effort. The first condition for its manifestation is that this world of means which is narrow and dark should be demolished altogether and the full power of the Lord of Unity should manifest its perfect brilliance nakedly without the intrusion of other means. This last degree of grace where all other graces end, is distinguished from other graces by being perfect in the sense that it is open and clear and there is no covertness or deficiency in respect of it. That is to say, there should be no doubt left with regard to the determined bestowal of this grace, nor with regard to the reality and pure and perfect mercy of this grace. The generosity of and the rewarding by the Eternal Master, the Bestower of the grace, should appear as bright as the day. The recipient of this grace should know with certainty and should feel it as a matter which is patent that the Master of the kingdom is bestowing a grand bounty, and great delight upon him by His determination, attention and special power. And that for his righteous conduct he is receiving the reward which is perfect and everlasting, most clear and superior, most desirable and loved, and that there is no aspect of a test or trial involved.

To become the beneficiary of that complete, perfect, lasting and superior grace, it is necessary that the person concerned should be transported to another world from this defective, opaque, narrow, confined, mortal and doubtful world, because this grace is an experience of grand manifestations in which the beauty of the true Benefactor should be clearly seen and should be experienced as a certainty, so that no stage of manifestation and certainty should be left out and no veil of material means should obstruct it. Every detail of complete understanding should come into operation in full force. The manifestations should be so clear and definite that God Himself should convey that they are free from every test and trial. This manifestation should carry with it high and perfect delights possessing so completely one's heart and soul and every spiritual and physical faculty to such a degree as could not possibly be exceeded.

This world which is defective in its essence, clouded in its appearance, mortal in its being, doubtful in its conditions, and narrow in its extent, cannot bear these grand manifestations. Pure lights and eternal bounties, and those perfect rays which are everlasting cannot be contained in it. For this manifestation, another world is needed which should be wholly free from the darkness of material means and should be the perfect and pure manifestation of the power of the One Supreme Being.

This most special grace is to some degree enjoyed in this very life by those perfect personalities who tread completely along the path of truth and, discarding their selfish designs and desires, lean wholly towards God. They die before their death, and though they appear to be in this world, they in truth dwell in the other world. Inasmuch as they withdraw their hearts altogether from the material means of this world, breaking away from the habits of humanness and turning away altogether from that which is beside Allah, adopt the way which is above the ordinary. God Almighty treats them in the same way and, in an extraordinary manner, manifests those lights for them which in the case of the others are only manifested after death. They experience to some degree this most special grace in this life.

This is a very special grace and is the ultimate end of all graces. He who achieves it arrives at the greatest good fortune and enjoys eternal prosperity which is the fountainhead of all joys. He who is deprived of this grace is condemned forever to hell. By virtue of this grace, God Almighty has named Himself Malik-i-Yaum-id-Din in the Holy Qur’an. The recompense referred to in this juxtaposition is the perfect recompense, the details of which are set out in the Holy Qur’an. That perfect recompense cannot be manifested without the manifestation of complete Mastership. This is referred to at another place where it is said:

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This means that: On that day God's Rububiyyat will manifest itself without the intervention of material means and it will be observed and felt that everything besides the great power and might of Allah is nonexistent.

Then all comfort and joy, and all reward and punishment, will appear clearly as coming from God. There will be no veil in between and there will be no room left for any doubt. At that time, those who had cut themselves asunder from everything for His sake will find themselves in a state of perfect bliss which will envelope their bodies and souls, their outside and inside, and no part of their beings will be deprived of this great good fortune.

Malik-i-Yaum-id-Din also indicates that on that Day comfort or suffering and pleasure or pain, whatever is experienced by man, will proceed directly from God Almighty, and He will be the Master of all conditions. In other words, meeting with Him or being cut off from Him will be the cause of eternal good fortune or eternal misfortune. Those who had believed in Him, adhered to Unity and had dyed their hearts in His pure love, will experience the lights of His mercy clearly and openly; and those who had not achieved faith and love of God will be deprived of this delight and comfort and will be involved in painful torment.

….It will thus be seen that the priority given to the attribute Rahman over the attribute Rahim is necessary and is demanded by the rule of good composition. When the book of nature is studied, the first attribute of God which comes to notice is Rububiyyat, then His Rahmaniyyat, and thereafter His Rahimiyyat and finally His Malikiyyat. Perfect composition demands that the order followed in the book of nature should also be kept in view in the revealed book. To reverse the natural order in composition is to reverse the law of nature. For a perfect composition it is necessary that the order of the composition should be in such accord with the order of nature as if it were its photograph in which that which is natural and in fact prior should be prior in description also. Thus in these verses the highest eloquence is displayed in which the natural order is perfectly observed. The verses follow the order which everyone possessing insight would observe in the order of the universe. Is this not the straightforward way that the order in which Divine bounties appear in the book of nature should be followed also in the Revealed Book? To take exception to such an excellent and wise order is the characteristic of those blind ones who have lost at once both their sight and their insight.

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We revert to the subject and proceed to expound what is set out in Surah Fatihah from Rabb-ul-‘Alamin to Malik-i-Yaum-id-Din. As expounded in the Holy Qur’an, it comprises four grand verities:

The first verity is that God Almighty is Rabb-ul-‘Alamin, that is to say, that God is the Rabb and Master of all that which is in the universe. All that appears, is seen, felt or perceived by reason, is His creation, and that true existence belongs only to God Almighty and to nothing else. In short, the universe with all its components is created and is the creation of God. There is nothing in the components of the universe which is not the creation of God. Through His perfect Rububiyyat God Almighty controls and rules over every particle of the universe.

His Rububiyyat is in operation all the time. It is not that after having created the world God has withdrawn from its control and that He has committed it to the law of nature so that He Himself does not intervene in any way. It is not like the maker of a machine who has no concern with it after it has been made. The creations of the True Maker are not unconnected with Him. The Rabb-ul-‘Alamin exercises His perfect Rububiyyat all the time over the whole universe and the rain of His Rububiyyat falls perpetually upon the whole universe. At no time is the universe deprived of the benefit of His grace. Even after the creation of the universe, that Source of Grace is needed every moment, without interruption, as if He had not yet created anything. As the world depended upon His Rububiyyat for its coming into being, it is equally dependent upon it for its continuation and sustenance. It is He Who supports the world every moment and every particle of the universe is kept fresh and flourishing because of Him. He exercises His Rububiyyat in respect of everything by His will and intent. It is not as if His Rububiyyat were exercised in respect of anything without His intent. In short, this verity means that everything in the universe is created and is dependent upon the Rububiyyat of God Almighty in respect of all its excellences and conditions, at all times. There is no spiritual or physical excellence which any created thing can acquire on its own without the determination of the Absolute Controller. Besides, it is latent in this and other verities that the divine attributes, such as Rabb-ul-‘Alamin etc., are special to Him and that none else is associated with Him in that respect. The opening phrase of the Surah, namely, Alhamdu lillah, makes it clear that all worthiness of praise belongs to God alone.

The second verity is Rahman, which follows upon Rabb-ul-‘Alamin. We have already explained that all animates, whether gifted with reason or not, good or bad, have been furnished and continue to be furnished with all that is needed for their maintenance, preservation of life, and the continuation of their species out of the general mercy of God Almighty. This is an absolute bounty that does not depend upon anyone's actions.

The third verity is Rahim, which follows after Rahman. This means that, as demanded by His mercy, God Almighty brings about good results in consequence of the efforts of His creatures. He forgives the sins of those who repent. He bestows upon those who ask. He opens for those who knock.

The fourth verity is Malik-i-Yaum-id-Din. This means that God Almighty is the Master of all perfect recompense which is free from all test and trial and the intervention of beguiling means and is purified of all uncleanness and is free from doubt and defect and is a manifestation of His great powers. He does not lack the power to make manifest His perfect recompense, which is as bright as the day. The manifestation of this grand verity has as its purpose to make the following matters clear to everyone as a certainty.

First, that reward and punishment are a certainty, which are imposed upon His creatures by the True Master as the result of His special determination. This matter is not possible of exposition in this world for it is not clear to the average person why and wherefore does he experience good or ill, and comfort or pain. No one hears the voice out of whatever he experiences that this is the recompense of his deeds, nor does anyone observe or feel that whatever he is passing through is the consequence of his actions.

Secondly, the exposition is desired that material means are irrelevant and that it is the Grand Being or God Who is the fountainhead of all grace and the Master of all recompense.

Thirdly, it is desired to expound what is great good fortune and what is great misfortune. Great good fortune is that condition of supreme triumph in which light, joy, pleasure, and comfort encompass the inside and outside, the body and soul, of a person, and no limb or faculty is left out. The great misfortune is the torment which, in consequence of disobedience, impurity, distance and separation, is set ablaze in the hearts and envelopes the bodies so that the whole being feels like being on fire and in hell.

These manifestations cannot be observed in this world because this narrow, constricted and opaque world, which puts on the mantle of physical means and is in an imperfect condition, cannot bear their being made manifest. This world is subject to tests and trials and its comfort and its pain are both temporary and defective. Whatever a person experiences in this life is under the veil of physical means which hide the countenance of the Master of recompense. Thus this world cannot be the true and perfect and open day of recompense. The true, perfect and open Day of Judgement or of Recompense will be the world which will follow this one. That world will be the place of the grand manifestation and of the demonstration of glory and beauty. Whatever hardship or ease, comfort or pain, sorrow or joy, is experienced by people in this world is not necessarily attributable to God's bounty or His wrath. For instance, anyone's being rich is not a conclusive proof that God is pleased with him, nor is anyone's poverty or privation proof that God Almighty is displeased with him. Both these are a trial so that a wealthy one may be tried in respect of his wealth and a poor one may be tried in respect of his poverty. These verities are set out in detail in the Holy Qur’an.

[Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1, pp. 444-461, footnote 11]

It is well established that of the objects that are visible in the universe, none is indispensable. For instance, the earth is spherical and according to the estimate of some, its diameter is approximately eight thousand miles, but there is no firm reason why this shape and this bulk should be essential for it, and why is it not permissible that it should be of greater or lesser bulk or should have a different shape. From this it follows that this shape and bulk, the combination of which constitutes existence, are not essential for the earth.

In the same way, the existence and continuation of all things is dispensable. Besides, in many cases circumstances come into operation which threaten the continuation of certain things and yet they are not wiped out. For instance, despite severe famines and epidemics from the very beginning, all through the seed of everything has always survived, while reason permits, indeed it demands, that on account of thousands of hardships and calamities which have afflicted the world from the beginning, it should have happened sometime that in consequence of severe famines, corn which provides sustenance for humanity should have become non-available, or through the severity of epidemics the human species should have disappeared, or some species of animals should have been wiped out, or the machinery of the sun or the moon might have gone out of order, or of numberless other things which are necessary for the proper working of the universe, something might have got out of order. It is contrary to expectation that millions of things should escape disorder and disruption and should not become victims of calamity.

In conclusion, such things whose existence and continuation is not essential in their own right, and whose going out of order is more of a possibility than their continuation, and their suffering no decline and their coming into being and continuing in an orderly way, and the continued availability of billions of things needed in the universe, are a clear proof that for all of them there is a Bestower of life, Protector and Sustainer, Who combines the perfect attributes in Himself. That is to say, He is the Controller, the Wise, the Gracious, the Compassionate, Eternal and Ever-Living, free from every defect, not subject to death or destruction and even free from slumber and sleep which have a resemblance to death.

He is the Being Who combines in Himself all perfect attributes, Who brought into being the universe with perfect wisdom and appropriateness and chose its existence in preference to non-existence. He alone, on account of His perfection, His creation, His Rububiyyat, and His Self-Existence, is worthy of worship.

This above is the translation of this part of the verse:

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It should be observed with what nicety, dignity, and wisdom has the Holy Qur’an in this verse put forth the reasoning in support of the existence of the Creator of the universe and in how few words vast meanings and wise points have been comprehended. For ‘everything in the heavens and earth’ has established by firm reasoning the existence of a Creator possessing perfect attributes in words whose excellence and comprehensiveness have not been equalled by anything said by a philosopher.

The philosophers of defective intelligence have not been able to appreciate that souls and bodies were created and are not eternal, and have remained unaware that true life, and true existence and true sustenance belong only to God. This deep understanding can only be learnt from the verse in which it is stated that true life and eternal existence belong only to Allah Who combines all perfect attributes in Himself. Except Him, nothing else enjoys true existence and true sustenance. This very thing has been presented as an argument for the need of a Creator of the universe and it is affirmed:

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That is to say: As the universe is neither really self-existing, nor self-subsisting, it does necessarily need an efficient cause through which it obtained life and continuation. It is also necessary that that such an efficient cause should comprehend all perfect attributes and should control the universe by His will. It should be Wise and should know the unseen. Verily that is Allah.

In the idiom of the Holy Qur’an, Allah is the name of the Being Who is comprehensive of all perfect excellences. That is why in the Holy Qur’an the name Allah is described as comprehensive of all perfect attributes and at various places it is stated that Allah is He Who is Lord of the worlds, is Gracious and Merciful, controls the universe by His will, is Wise, Knower of the unseen and All-Powerful, and is Eternal and Ever-Existing, etc. It is well established that in the idiom of the Holy Qur’an, Allah is the name of the Being Who is comprehensive of all perfect attributes. That is why this verse begins with the name of Allah and proceeds:

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That is to say, the Sustainer of this transitory world is a Being Who encompasses all excellences.

This is an indication that it is a wrong notion that in this universe, which exhibits such perfect orderliness, some things can be the originating cause of others. On the contrary, for this wise project, a Creator is needed Who should exercise control by His will and should be Wise, All-Knowing, Ever-Merciful, Immortal and encompass the perfect attributes. It is Allah alone Who possesses perfection in His Being.

After establishing the existence of the Creator of the universe, it was necessary to impress upon a seeker after truth that that Creator is free from every kind of association. This was indicated by:

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It should be observed how concisely in this brief statement the Being of the Creator has been shown to be free from every kind of association. Association can be of four types. It could be in respect of number, rank, descent, or action and effect. In this Surah, it has been declared that God is free from association of all these types. It has been made clear that He is the One in number and is not two or three; He is the Besought of all; He alone is Self-Existing while everything else is contingent and mortal and is ever dependent upon Him; and He is which means that He has no son who can claim to be His partner; and He is which means that he has no father to share His power; and He is which means that no one can be His equal in His works to claim partnership with Him on this account. Thus, it has been made clear that God Almighty is free from associates of any of the four types and is One, without associate.

Then the Holy Qur’an sets forth an argument in support of His being One, without associate, by stating:

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That is, had there been any other god beside the One Who combines in Himself all perfect attributes, both heaven and earth would have been corrupted. Since it was inevitable that at times this plurality of gods would have acted against one another, and their differences would have resulted plunging the universe into chaos, each one of them would have worked for the welfare of his own creation; for whose comfort, he would have considered it permissible to destroy others. This too would have led to chaos.

Then it is stated:

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This means that those who deny the existence of God are told that now that they are being pressed hard by the arguments in support of Islam and its glory and power, they should call for help on those whom they claim to be the associates of God. They will then know that they will not be able to remove any affliction from them, nor to bring about any change favourable to them.

‘Tell these pagans, O Prophet: Call those whom you worship besides Allah, to help you against me. Do whatever you can to defeat me and give me no respite. Bear in mind that my Supporter and Helper is the God Who has revealed the Holy Qur’an. He alone is the help and succour of His true and righteous Messengers. Those from whom you seek help are neither able to help you nor can they help themselves.

Then the Holy Qur’an proceeds to establish through the law of nature that God is free from every defect and shortcoming:

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The seven heavens and the earth and those that are therein celebrate His praise; and there is not a thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification.

This means that reflection upon the heavens and the earth would show that God is Perfect and Holy and is without sons or associates, but that this would be realized only by those who possess understanding. It is also stated:

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This means that: Some people say that God has taken unto Himself a son whereas to be dependent upon a son is a deficiency and God is free from every deficiency. He is Self-Sufficient and Independent, Who needs no one. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Do you charge Him with something of which you have no knowledge? Why should He be dependent upon sons? He is Perfect and is alone Sufficient to carry out the obligations of Godhead and needs no other instrument.

Some people say God has daughters whereas He is free from all these deficiencies. Do you claim sons for yourselves and assign daughters to Him? This is not a fair division.24

O People! Worship God, the One without associate, Who created you and your forebears. You should fear the Powerful and Mighty One Who has spread out the earth for you as a bed and raised the heaven for you as a canopy, and by sending water from the heaven created all types of fruits for your sustenance. So do not deliberately appoint associates for God those things which have been created for your benefit25.

God is One, Who has no associate. He is God in heaven and God on earth26.

He is the First and the Last and He is the Manifest and the Hidden27.

Eyes are not able to probe into His reality and He knows the reality of the eyes28.

He is the Creator of everything and nothing is like unto Him. It is a clear argument in support of His being the Creator, that He has created everything according to a measure and has fixed its parameter limits29, which proves the existence of the Measurer and Limiter. He is proved worthy of all praise and is the only true Benefactor in this world and the next. All command belongs to Him and everything returns to Him.

God will forgive every sin for whomsoever He wills, but He will not forgive Shirk—associating anything with Him30.

Let him who hopes to meet his Lord work righteousness and let him associate no one in the worship of his Lord31.

Associate not anything with God. It is a great sin32.

Do not ask any favours from anyone except God. Everything will perish except Him. His is the command and to Him is your return33.

[Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 1, pp. 515-521, sub-footnote 3]