The Eternal Refuge

The Eternal refuge ...By: Jinan Bastaki Sometimes we just don’t know where to turn. We have needs and we also have aspirations, wants and hopes. We get confused. Sometimes we just need someone to talk to. Sometimes we need shelter from the storm. And this is why Allah isas-Samad(the Eternal).Some Names of Allah contain meanings that acknowledge His other attributes. For example, when we say Allah isal-Mujeeb(the One who responds), it is implicit that He isas-Samee`(the all-Hearing),al-Baseer(the all-Seeing) andal-Qawiyy(the Strong). Other Names seem to be verysimilar in meaning, but the context reveals the nuances. For example,al-Ghafur(the Forgiving) andat-Tawwab(the One who accepts repentance): They both have to dowith repentance. Al-Ghafur refers to Allah covering up our sin and forgiving the sin, whereas at-Tawwab is more. He is the Onethat accepts the servant when he turns back. He listens to our excuses and reasons and still accepts us.Today’s Name is similar in that regard. As-Samad has many meanings but what itis important is how we relate to Him. Al-Ghazali states that as-Samad is “the One to whom one turns to in need and the One who one is intended in our desires, forultimate dominion culminates in Him.”In the dictionary Samad is defined as the eternal; to remain unaffected or unchanged; to intend or turn to; somethingthat is solid, with no holes or emptiness inside; and the ultimate Master who is obeyed. We saysumood(from the same roots-m-d), which is to remain firm and steadfast. Ali bin Abi Talibradi allahu `anhu(may God be please with him) said:فصمدا صمدا حتى يَتَجلى لكم عمودالحق“So stay firm, stay firm (samdan samdan) so that you may reach the pillars of truth.”Thus Allah is the One who we turn to for both our needs and desires and who is ourultimate goal, because fundamentally He is the Master, the Eternal, the One who remains firm and unchanged – so who else can we turn to?This Name has been mentioned in the Qur’an once, inSurat al-Ikhlas:Say, “He is Allah, [who is] One,Allah, the Eternal Refuge.He neither begets nor is born,Nor is there to Him any equivalent.”Surat al-Ikhlas was revealed when the people of Mecca asked the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) to describe to them His Lord. This Surah answers their question and tells them (and us) about Allah. So when the people of Mecca were being told who Allah was, His being as-Samad was mentioned. Why would thisbe mentioned out of all His attributes? Because essentially what you need to know is that Allah is One and Unique (Ahad), and also that He is as-Samad, the Eternal Refuge, that One who is our means and our end. We go to Him for our desires but we should also ultimately desire Him—this is sincerity (ikhlas). The Prophetﷺ told us that Surat al-Ikhlas is equal to the a third of the Qur’an (Muslim). And the reason is that if you want to know Allah, Surat al-Ikhlas summarizes His attributes. Thus knowing that He is as-Samad is crucial.We all have hopes—marriage, sustenance, good kids, peace of mind. And we ask Allah for them. We turn to Him in good and bad, for needs and for desires. And don’t think that the One who has named himself as-Samad will let you down. At Ta’if, when the Prophet ﷺ went to seek refuge with the people, they pelted him with rocks in return. So he turned to Allah as-Samad for his needs—even if it was just for Allah to provide him with some peace at that moment. “If you are not angry with me, I donot care,” he ﷺ said, “only that Your favor is a more expansive relief to me.” When the Prophet ﷺ migrated to Medina with the companions, they were not used to the conditions there. Many companions (ra) fell ill. Bilal (ra) even recited poetry about returning to valley of Mecca. And the Prophet ﷺ turned to Allah for that need, and indeed Medina became as beloved as Mecca, if not more.When we think ofdu`a’(supplication), we tend to think of material or physical things that we need or want. “I want a house, I want a car, I want a job, I want to be healthy…” and so we ask al-Mujeeb, the One who responds to His servants. But as-Samad is slightly different because youturn to Him with all the needs of your heart,body and soul. And you can, because as-Samad is unshakeable. You can be confident and assured, because the One you are turning to is the Master, unaffectedby the changes around us. Sheikh Ratib an-Nabulsi gives an example for this. Infiqh(jurisprudence), the child of a wealthy person is not eligible forzakaat. While he may be technically in need and poor in thathe does not possess anything himself, his parents are wealthy and so he is regarded as being wealthy because he is taken care of by them. Now switch this to our relationship with Allah. We may be in need,but in actual fact, because we have Allah to turn to for our needs, we are not really inneed at all (in terms of in thisdunya). Rest assured because you have as-Samad.There are many sayings of the Prophet ﷺ that encourage us to turn to Allah for all of our needs. The Prophet ﷺ said: “You shouldask Allah for all of your needs, even if the strap of your sandal breaks,” [Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibban]. Sheikh Ratib an-Nabulsi says thatimplicit in this is that Allahwantsyou to turn to Him for your needs. He quotes al-Ghazali who said that Allah has chosen this Name so that His servants would turn to Him, because they know that He is the One who does not waver and is there for His servants to turn to, for ALL of their needs. Indeed, the Prophet ﷺ said that “Allah descends during the last third of thenight asking: ‘Is there a person asking, or aperson turning back, or a person seeking forgiveness from sin?’ And this continues until the sun rises.” [Muslim] A beautiful verse of poetry reads:Do not ask the son of Adam for your needsBut ask the One whose doors do not closeAllah is angry when you do not askAnd the son of Adam, if asked, is angryWe need bothdunya(this life) andakhirah(the hereafter), so we shouldn’t be ashamed when we feel we have worldly needs. The Prophet ﷺ makes a beautifuldu`a’where he asks for bothdunyaandakhirah:اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي ، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي ، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَادِيوَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ وَاجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّAllahumma aṣliḥlī dīn al-lathi huwa `iṣmatuamrī, wa aṣliḥlī dunya-ya al-lati fīhā ma`āshī, wa aṣlih lī ākhirati al-lati fīhā ma`ādī, wa-j`al al-ḥayāta ziyādatan lī fī kuli khayr, wa-j`al al-mawta rāḥatan lī min kuli sharr.“O God, set right for me my religion which is the safeguard of my affairs. And set rightfor me the affairs of my world wherein is my living. And set right for me my Hereafter to which is my return. And make the life for me (a source) of abundance for every good and make my death a source ofcomfort for me protecting me against every evil.” [Muslim]1So we need to ask, what is our relationshipto as-Samad? Do we really turn to Him for all of our needs?A final point with regards to as-Samad—some may ask whether turning to Allah with all our needs negates striving and using the physical means around us. This is obviously not true because Allah commands us to strive. But turning to as-Samad is recognizing where all these physical means come from, and that they can only work with the help of God. When Musa`alayhi as-salaam(peace be upon him) felt that he couldn’t go to Pharoah because he wasn’t as eloquent as his brother Harun (as), he went to Allah first and said, “And appoint for me a minister from my family—Aaron, my brother. Increase through him my strength and let him share my task,” [Qur’an,30:29-32]. So he asked Allah for his need to have someone with him, and ultimately he was reliant on Allah, not his brother.Being with As-SamadFirst, go to Allah with every need. Rely on Him only.