Al-Karīm – Al-Akram

The Generous – The Most Generous

The Generous is a name that refers to the abundance of Allah’s favors and the greatness of His giving. Indeed, Allah is Generous and He loves generosity.

The Most Generous: Refers to Allah being better in generosity than every generous one. He has no equal in this. Indeed, all good lies in His hands and comes from Him.

This noble name occurs 3 times in the Qur’an. An example of this is in the verse: {And whoever is ungrateful, then surely my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Honorable.} [Sūrat Al-Naml: 40], It is also mentioned in Sūrat Al-Infitār, {O man, what has deceived you about your Generous Lord.} [Sūrat Al-Infitār: 6]

As for the name ‘the Most Generous’, it only occurs once in the Qur’an in the verse that reads, {Recite, and your Lord is the Most Generous.} [Sūrat Al-‘Alaq: 3]

In light of these great names, I would say:

1. Let us praise a lot our Lord, the Most Generous, for none loves to be praised more than He does. Therefore, He praises Himself.
2. Say with me:

Glory be to the Generous One Whose favors are innumerable despite the commission of many sins on the part of His servants!

3. Know that the Generous Lord loves the generous and bountiful people. Show generosity to others and you will be shown generosity by Allah, and give to others and Allah will give you. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Verily, your Almighty Lord is Modest and Generous. He is so Modest that He would not turn down His servant who raises his hands to Him (in supplication) empty-handed.”[1]

True is the statement: Show me a miser whose lifespan was extended due to his miserliness! And tell me about a generous person who died because of his generosity!

4. Do not ever limit the areas of generosity to money and food. Indeed, there are other areas of bounty that are greater and more valuable. A person may show generosity through his standing, his knowledge, his time or his life. Generosity by giving one’s life is the supreme objective ever.

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[1] Narrated by Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi