Al-Azhar Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, said that Allah’s name Al-Qahhār (the Subjugator, the Subduer) is mentioned in the Qur’an in the form of Qahhār and Qāhir. He added that according to the linguistic meaning of Al-Qahhār, scholars say it comes from the verb to subjugate or humiliate. It also means absolute submission to any subduing force. Allah Almighty is the subjugator of tyrants. He would destroy them either by death, defeat, or disease, because wisdom requires this. Divine justice and human logic say it is necessary to confront those who wrong the servants of Allah, and to have a conquering force to subdue them when necessary.

 

During the sixteenth episode of his Ramadan program, Grand Imam At-Tayyeb Talk, broadcast on Al-Hayat channel, His Eminence clarified that the name Al-Qahhār indicates that everyone created, everyone other than Allah Almighty, is subject to His will, power, and knowledge. The whole universe is subject to one divine law that does not fail even for a moment.

 

The Grand Imam indicated that this kind of subjugation or oppression has a function, which is to regulate life, in a way similar to the laws that organize man’s life. The universe is such a big factory that does not work by chance, otherwise the world would have collapsed from the first moment. Al-Qahhār indicates a dominant divine law. Among the things that testify to this is that we see how wills and intentions may go wrong. This means that man arranges his affairs, plans, estimates, and then begins. Although he has capabilities and his expected result seems attainable, he is surprised by the exact opposite result, even though he has already prepared for everything.

 

Al-Azhar Grand Imam stated that the deniers of Allah’s name Al-Qahhār fall into two groups. One group had previously believed in Allah and known the truth, but they were indeed stubbornly atheistic and denied that Allah is just. They may try to conceal this meaning by asking, “How can He be God and still be Qahhār (a Subjugator)?” The same old ideas are repeated in our time! This means that they received the Islamic call and considered it in their own language, thought about it, learnt that it was the truth, but then they rejected it just as described by Allah’s saying: “They denied it, though their inner souls acknowledged it.” 

Some people received a distorted form of the Islamic message, so they deviated from the right path and resorted to extremism and violence. Others have not received this message at all, such people did not know who Muhammad (pbuh) was, nor what his message was. When they did not read the Qur’an, how could they possibly be blamed? Allah Almighty says, “Never would We punish [anyone] until We have sent a messenger [to him]” (Qur’an, 17: 15). Allah Almighty does not torment anybody unless there is an evidence against them by sending a Messenger supported by miracles from Allah.

 

His Eminence added that our Noble Prophet (pbuh) confronted Quraysh while he was extremely weak, and they were at the peak of strength and tyranny. He told them that Allah did not wrong people and recited a verse to them saying, “Indeed, Allah does not do injustice” (Qur’an, 4:40), yet he recited another verse wondering, “To whom belongs all sovereignty this Day [of Judgment]? To Allah, the One, the Subjugator.” (Qur’an, 40:16) History did not record that one of these polytheists or infidels came out and said, “You are contradicting yourself: you say, ‘He does not do injustice’ and then you say, ‘He is the Qahhār (the Avenger)!’” although they were conspiring against him day and night. Historians reported to us how the unbelievers of Quraysh gave the Prophet (pbuh) hard times; they put trash on his holy head while he was praying and then expelled him from his home, Mecca. However, they did not accuse him of contradiction, and the reason for this is that the Arabs understood that Al-Qahhār did not only mean humiliation and revenge, but it also means that this revenge was only directed against the tyrants and those who oppressed people. Because the Arabs understood the semantic reference of words, they did not have such an argument.

At the end of his talk, the Grand Imam emphasized that Al-Qahhār means to subjugate or to humiliate and that the target of this humiliation are the tyrants. Otherwise, life would have turned into chaos. In its root, Al-Qahhār also means to govern, i.e. all creatures are governed by one will and one ability. This meaning actually exists, and this is why we see in the universe and in ourselves that hopes may suddenly be thwarted. Someone may want to have children, but he still does not have any children, or he may want to live longer, but he yet dies young, etc. If we reflect on all of these matters, we find that we are subjugated, i.e., governed by the will of Al-Qahhār.

His Eminence explained that the servant’s share of Allah’s name Al-Qahhār (the subjugator) is to subjugate his enemies, including his own ego, because it can enjoin evil: “I do not hold myself blameless. Indeed, one’s ego is ever inclined towards evil” (Qur’an, 12: 53). One has to subjugate Satan and one’s own whims. It is important for man to train himself to subjugate those three enemies as his salvation consists in controlling them.