Al-Razzaaq (Ar-Razzaaq)

( The Giver of sustenance)

In other words Al-Razzaaq (read as Ar-Razzaaq) is The Supreme Being Who provides you (and us all) the sustenance that you (and we) need.

Allah Almighty may increase the provision to whom HE likes and may decrease to whom HE likes while to others Allah may provide abundantly without measure. This is because Allah is Aleemun-Qadeer i.e. Allah is All-Knowing and Powerful. So Allah’s decision of provision to everyone is based on HIS perfect knowledge and wisdom and it is to test mankind. We are tested with wealth and poverty to make a record of our patience and our gratitude to Allah in different circumstances.

This Quality of Allah Almighty has come in many verses of the Holy Quraan. These verses mention all types of provision as stated above. Some of them are here:

Surah Al-Dhariyaat 58:

اِنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الۡقُوَّةِ الۡمَتِيۡنُ‏ 58

(51:58) Surely Allah is the Bestower of all provision, the Lord of all power, the Strong.⁵⁵

^{Surah Al-Jumu’a 11:}
وَاِذَا رَاَوۡا تِجَارَةً اَوۡ لَهۡوَا۟ اۨنْفَضُّوۡۤا اِلَيۡهَا وَتَرَكُوۡكَ قَآٮِٕمًا​ ؕ قُلۡ مَا عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ خَيۡرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهۡوِ وَمِنَ التِّجَارَةِ​ ؕ وَاللّٰهُ خَيۡرُ الرّٰزِقِيۡنَ 11

 

(62:11) Yet no sooner than they saw some trading or amusement, they flocked to it and left you standing by yourself.¹⁹ Tell them: “That which is with Allah is far better than amusement and trading.²⁰ Allah is the Best Provider of sustenance.”²¹
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Exp. note 21:

21. That is, Allah is by far the best of all those providers who become a means of providing sustenance in the world, though only metaphorically. Sentences such as this have occurred at several places in the Quran, At some places Allah has been called the best of Creators, at others the best of Forgivers, the best of Rulers, the best of those who show mercy, or the best of Helpers. At all these places the reference of providing, creating, forgiving, showing mercy and offering help to the creatures is metaphorical, and Allah is the real Creator, Sustainer …. It means that Allah is the best Provider, Creator, Forgiver, Helper and Bestower of Mercy of all those who appear to be giving you wages and means of sustenance, or who appear to be making things by their skill and workmanship, or who seem to be pardoning the errors of others, or showing mercy and helping others in this world.

Surah Al-Ankaboot 60:

وَكَاَيِّنۡ مِّنۡ دَآبَّةٍ لَّا تَحۡمِلُ رِزۡقَهَا ۖ اللّٰهُ يَرۡزُقُهَا وَاِيَّاكُمۡ​​ۖوَهُوَ السَّمِيۡعُ الۡعَلِيۡمُ‏ 60

(29:60) How many an animal there is that does not carry about its sustenance. Allah provides sustenance to them and to you. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.⁹⁹

Surah Al-Baqarah 212 (translation only):

 

(2:212) Worldly life has been made attractive to those who have denied the Truth. Such men deride the men of faith, but the pious shall rank higher than them on the Day of Resurrection. As for worldly livelihood, Allah grants it to whomsoever He wills without measure. 

Surah Al-Israa 30

اِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَبۡسُطُ الرِّزۡقَ لِمَنۡ يَّشَآءُ وَيَقۡدِرُ​ؕ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهٖ خَبِيۡرًۢا بَصِيۡرًا‏ 30

(17:30) Certainly Your Lord makes plentiful the provision of whomsoever He wills and straitens it for whomsoever He wills. He is well-aware and is fully observant of all that relates to His servants.³⁰
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Exp. note 30:

30. That is, man cannot realize the wisdom of the disparity of wealth among the people. Therefore, man should not try to interfere by artificial means with the natural distribution of wealth. It is wrong to level down natural inequality or to aggravate it by artificial means so as to make it unjust. Both the extremes are wrong. The best economic system is that which is established on the divine Way of the division of wealth.

As a result of the realization of the wisdom of economic disparity, no such problems arose which might have made that disparity an evil in itself so as to demand the creation of a classless society. On the contrary, in the righteous society established at Al-Madinah on these divine principles which are akin to human nature, the economic differences were not artificially disturbed. But by means of moral and legal reforms these became the means of many moral, spiritual and cultural blessings and benefits instead of becoming the means of injustice. Thus, the wisdom of the disparity created by the Creator of the Universe was practically demonstrated at Al-Madinah.
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Allah is The Only Raaziq (The Provider of sustenance). If Allah withholds someone’s rizq (sustenance) then no one can give him rizq. Allah said in surah Al-Mulk verse 21:

اَمَّنۡ هٰذَا الَّذِىۡ يَرۡزُقُكُمۡ اِنۡ اَمۡسَكَ رِزۡقَهٗ​ ۚ بَلۡ لَّجُّوۡا فِىۡ عُتُوٍّ وَّنُفُوۡرٍ‏ 21

(67:21) Who shall provide for you if He withholds His sustenance? Nay; but they persist in rebellion and aversion.
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Allah has placed our sustenance in the earth. The earth is a store of treasures for us. Everyone has to work and struggle for getting his rizq. Again for the struggle we need the means. Allah said in surah Al-Mulk verse 15:

هُوَ الَّذِىۡ جَعَلَ لَـكُمُ الۡاَرۡضَ ذَلُوۡلًا فَامۡشُوۡا فِىۡ مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوۡا مِنۡ رِّزۡقِهٖ​ؕ وَاِلَيۡهِ النُّشُوۡرُ‏ 15

(67:15). He it is Who made the earth subservient to you. So traverse in its tracks and partake of the sustenance²³ He has provided. To Him will you be resurrected.²⁴
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Exp. notes 23 and 24:

23 That is, this earth has not become subdued for you of its own accord, and the provisions also that you are eating have not become available here by themselves, but Allah has so arranged it by His wisdom and power that your life became possible here and this splendid globe became so peaceful that you are moving about on it with full peace of mind, and it has become such a vast table spread with food that it contains endless and limitless provisions for your sustenance. If you are not lost in heedlessness and look about yourself intelligently, you will find how much wisdom underlies in the making of this earth habitable for you and arranging in it immeasurable stores of provisions for you. (For explanation, see (E.Ns 73, 74, 81 of Surah An-Naml); (E.Ns 29, 32 of Surah YaSeen); (E.Ns 90, 91 of Al-Mu’min), (E.N. 7 of Surah Az-Zukhruf), (E.N. 7 of Surah Al-Jathiyah), (E.N. 18 of Surah Qaf).

24. That is, while you move about on the earth and eat of what Allah has provided for you here, you should not forget that ultimately you have to appear before God one day.
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    Then while struggling we have to trust Allah, the Al-Razzaaq, Dhul-Quwwatil-Mateen ( The Owner of tremendous Power). We cannot explain Allah’s power in our words! The Prophet (Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) gave us an example of birds and said: “If you have trust in Allah you will get sustenance like birds. They fly out in the morning empty stomach, find rizq and come back in the evening full stomach”.
    [Allah knows best the words of HIS Prophet (Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him)].

We can see that birds fly and try to find sustenance and Allah gives them sustenance even if it is raining or snowing. So we must work hard to get lawful sustenance. If a Muslim died while struggling to get lawful (halaal) rizq, he/she becomes Shaheed of 2^nd degree. 

We also must make du’aa and say astaghfaar for getting good halaal rizq. The Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him) used to recite surah Al-Waaqiyah after maghrib prayer and has informed us that by reading this surah after maghrib prayer, the reader will not be in difficulty concerning his rizq. He will be (insha-Allah), free from debth. Allah knows best the Prophet (Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon him)’s words. I read it somewhere in the tafseer of the Holy Qur’aan, perhaps in the tafseer of surah Al-Waqiyah. 

#Allah  #Muslim  #Mankind   #provision  #zerotohero