GI: What happens to the people of Gaza is a multilayered affliction, which entails redress and reward

 

His Eminence Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Al-Azhar Grand Imam (GI), said that Allah's Name, Al-Barr, is mentioned once in the Glorious Quran, in Surat At-Tur, “Indeed, we used to call upon Him before. He is truly the Most Kind, Most Merciful.” It is also mentioned in the hadith reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). The Muslims unanimously acknowledge the name too. As for its meaning, His Eminence pointed out that it has three significations. First, Al-Barr is the one who does charity or something good, and Al-Birr is charity– the act itself.  Second, Al-Barr means Almighty Allah is kind to His servants, believers, and non-believers. Third, Al-Barr means that Almighty Allah cherishes and dignifies the devout believers only. The non-believers are not included in the third meaning. 

 

During the twenty-first episode of Imam Al-Tayyeb program, the Grand Imam said that scholars like Sheikh Abu Bakr ibn Al-‘Arabi, an earlier, leading Moroccan scholar, objects to the attribution of the word in the first and second senses to the Almighty. He said that if we attribute the word Barr to the Almighty in the sense of being Barr to all humans, believers and nonbelievers, then this would raise an issue. He differentiates between the acts of (bestowing favors) and (being Barr to people). Thus, he refuses the second sense. He also refuses the first sense, since he sees that charity is the fruit of being Barr (charitable). He thus accepted the third sense of the word as attributable to the Almighty, that is the One who grants honor and dignity, and who loves His devout servants, meaning the believers.

 

When asked if Al-Barr means that Allah grants honor and dignity to His devout servants, how can we comprehend what happens to them at the hands of tyrants and oppressors, of killing, persecution, and torture? His Eminence said that this does not indicate that the Almighty has stopped honoring the devout believers, since this would be a one-sided and quite narrow understanding. An action is an insult when it externally and internally bears the same significance. Likewise, it is an insult when its beginning and end lead to the same consequence; that is an insult. He added that what we are witnessing now of the things befalling the faithful servants, whether they are individuals, groups, armies, or nations, is a form of affliction and ordeals. At the surface level, they seem to be an insult, but essentially the case is quite different. 

 

At the surface level, it seems to be an insult, but it is a multilayered affliction, which entails redress and reward. This is not mere rhetoric. Almighty Allah says, “So, surely with hardship comes ease. Surely with hardship comes ease” (Qur’an, 94:5-6). He pointed out that Allah Almighty always wills good, and this is clear. If Allah Almighty willed evil, then it would be for the good it involves, for He does not do injustice. 

 

At the end of the episode, the Grand Imam said that calamities taking place right now, like wars and starvation, superficially indicate insult. However, they involve good, and that we should pay heed to the divine wisdom behind the ostensibly evil occurrence. It is certainly bound by divine justice and bountifulness, which is permanent and uninterrupted. He added that everything that happens, with its advantages and disadvantages, is a fruit of divine bountifulness. If we consider the connection between wisdom and justice, then what befalls people is not unfair. If we think about linking wisdom to the meaning of divine benevolence, it means that whatever happens is from Allah.