Know The 99 Names of Allah -- Al-Lateef

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate 

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam. 

Trials can be overwelming. We are experiencing it right now with the global pandemic. Even within the trials, there are trials. As soon as we get through one, another one seems to simply be waiting for us. Time and time again they pull us backward, and sometimes they slam us flat on our faces not even allowing time for our hands to flail as we fall. They seem never ending, and sometimes it’s just hard to even comprehend why we are going through such things.  

But know that Allah is Al-Lateef, the One who knows the most intricate benefits and goodness for His slaves and brings it to them in the most subtle of ways. His protection and His presence with us are subtle. He knows what is going on in your heart, and sends you what you need out of His Mercy and Kindness in the most subtle way.

للَّهُ لَطِيفٌۢ بِعِبَادِهِۦ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْقَوِىُّ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ﴿١٩

Allah is Subtle with His servants; He gives provisions to whom He wills. And He is the Powerful, the Exalted in Might. [Quran, Ash-Shura 42:19]  

لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ ﴿١٠٣

Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted. [Quran, Al-An'am 6:103] 

Allah knows the inticacies and nuances of everything. Whatever flashes in your mind, He is aware of it. That's why when Luqman was giving advice to his, he mentioned Al-Lateef, as recorded in Surah Luqman,

يَـٰبُنَىَّ إِنَّهَآ إِن تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُن فِى صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ‌ٰتِ أَوْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا ٱللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ ﴿١٦

[And Luqman said], "O my son, indeed if wrong should be the weight of a mustard seed and should be within a rock or [anywhere] in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Indeed, Allah is Subtle and Acquainted. [Quran, Luqman 31:16]

Allah is the One who is so good and He leads us to goodness without we even know it. 

In the story of Yusuf in Surah Yusuf, Allah was bringing Yusuf so subtly to where he was eventually going to be but we don't see it was coming at every single step of his life. Yusuf was being led from one stage to another but we can't see Allah’s guiding hand. But it is the manifestation of Al-Lateef that we see. Yusuf was hrown in the well as opposed to being killed by the brothers. The people that took him out of the well didn’t think he was worth it and so they sold him for a small amount. He was bought by the governor, a powerful and rich man, instead of sold into labor. Though he had to face a difficult scandal, this is in order for his nobility, integrity and trustworthiness to shine in the aftermath when he was exonerated. If he was not thrown in prison he would have never met the man in jail that end up working for the king, who exonerated him from the scandal and appointed him to be the most powerful man in Egypt.

وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا۟ لَهُۥ سُجَّدًا ۖ وَقَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ هَـٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيَـٰىَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّا ۖ وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِىٓ إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ ٱلسِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْبَدْوِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِىٓ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ﴿١٠٠

And he raised his parents upon the throne, and they bowed to him in prostration. And he said, "O my father, this is the explanation of my vision of before. My Lord has made it reality. And He was certainly good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you [here] from bedouin life after Satan had induced [estrangement] between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Lord is Subtle in what He wills. Indeed, it is He who is the Knowing, the Wise.  [Quran, Yusuf 12:100]

We all experience bad things and difficulties in our lives but to recognize that Allah is Al-Lateef is to see byond the bad things and difficulties. Allah will see you through your difficulties. When you have person in prison, we never look at that person destined for greatness. There is goodness behind every step whether you see or not.

Sometimes Allah tests you so you will call on Him. So call on Al-Lateef to bring about the goodness you are seeking for.

The subtleties and kindness are not simply to do with our emotions and worries, but also in Allah’s  dealings with the universe. He beautifies the universe with stars and breezes and sunsets—a subtlety and a kindness we take for granted, but are nevertheless there for us, and scientifically proven to lift our spirits.

When we see the way Al-Lateef treats us with benevolence and gentleness, we cannot but try to be a source of gentleness for others, as a way of being grateful to Allah for His kindness to us. As the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said,

“Show gentleness, for if gentleness is found in anything, it beautifies it and when it is taken out from anything it damages it.” (Abu Dawud)

 

Ya Allah, Ya Lateef, take us out of this pandemic and our diffculties. Ya Allah, Ya Lateef, grant us good in this life and the next. Aameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all. 

Wassalaam