Al-Ghani

The Rich

God is the Rich One who is sufficient unto Himself. Only God has no needs and does not earn. His riches are independent of others, yet all else is dependent on Him.

The rich one is he who has no connection with another – neither for his being nor for his attributes of his being, but rather transcends connections with things other than himself. For when one’s being or the attributes of one’s being depend on things outside oneself, then his existence and his perfection depend on them essentially, and he is actually poor: in need of acquiring what is his. Yet it is inconceivable that any but God, may He be praised and exalted, be free of all such dependence.

So far as losing neediness is concerned, it is not to be. If there is neediness save for God, the most high, he will be called ‘rich’. If he had not retained the basis of neediness, the saying of the most High would not be correct: “God is the Rich, and you are the poor” (Quran 47:38). But for the fact that this is inconceivable, that one could become free from everything but God, it would not be correct to ascribe to God most high, the attribute of the enricher.

To be a servant of God is the highest level to which a person can aspire. When we praise our Prophet, the Beloved of God, we say ‘abduhu wa rasuluhu’: His servant and His messenger. A good servant knows that although God is in no need of a servant, that he should serve God’s creation nevertheless. It is in fact God that is providing to the servant, enabling him to show service and faith to Him.

“In the Name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy.”

“O you who have faith. Spend on others out of the good things which you may have acquired, and out of that which We bring forth for you out of the earth; and do not choose for your spending anything bad which you yourselves would not accept without averting your eyes in disdain. And know that God is the One who is rich, the One worthy of praise.” Quran 2:267

“So recite as much of the Quran as may be easy; and be constant in prayer and spend in charity; and loan to God a beautiful loan. And whatever good you send forth for your souls, you shall find it in God’s presence richer and better in reward. And always seek God’s grace: for God is ever ready to forgive, most merciful.” Quran 73:20

“Behold, it is you who are called upon to spend freely in God’s cause: but among you are such that turn out to be stingy. And yet, he who is stingy is but stingy towards his own self: for God is indeed the One who is rich, self-sufficient, while it is you who are in need.” Quran 47:38

“Behold, the first temple ever set up for mankind was indeed the one at Mecca, rich in blessing, and a guidance to all the worlds, full of clear messages – the place where Abraham once stood; and whoever enters it finds inner peace. And so, pilgrimage to the temple is a responsibility, and belongs to God, for all people who are able to undertake it. And, as for those who turn away from the truth – truly, God is the One who is rich without need.” Quran 2:96-97

And God knows best.

 

Extracts from:-
‘Al Ghazzali – the Ninety Nine Beautiful Names of God’ translated by David B. Burrell and Nazih Daher.
‘The Name and the Named’ by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak.
‘Ninety Names of the Beloved. Intimations of the Beauty and Power of the Divine’ by Camille Hamilton Adams Helminski.