Majesty and Generosity Together

ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

Dhul-Jalāli wal-Ikrām — Lord of Majesty and Generosity

تَبَارَكَ اسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

Blessed be the name of thy Lord, Mighty and glorious

Surah Ar-Raḥmān (55:78)

النية

Today, as this month ends, I will send ten ṣalawat on the Prophet (peace be upon him) and carry his example — a life of both awe and kindness — into the month ahead.

تأمّل

Dhul-Jalāli wal-Ikrām is the Lord of Majesty and Generosity — two qualities that rarely coexist in human beings. Power usually makes people stingy; generosity usually lacks authority. In Allah, majesty and generosity are fused. He is overwhelmingly grand AND overwhelmingly giving. As this month of the Prophet (peace be upon him)’s birth closes, carry both: awe and gratitude, reverence and warmth.

في هذه الآية

The closing verse of a surah that repeatedly asks: “Which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?” The answer, after 31 repetitions, is: none of them. And the source of those favours is Dhul-Jalāli wal-Ikrām.

دعاء

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Persist in calling upon Him with this Name.” Persist — it is a Name worth repeating.

حديث

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child, and all of mankind.”

— Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 15