Al-Hashr: (23) He is Allah, the One...

"He is Allah, the One besides whom there is no god." The repetition is to highlight the utmost care given to the matter of Tawhid (monotheism).

"The Sovereign" (al-Malik): The One who manages through command and prohibition; or the Possessor of all things who has the authority to dispose of them; or the One who grants honor to whom He wills and humiliates whom He wills, while humiliation is impossible for Him; or the One who appoints and dismisses, while appointing and dismissal cannot be conceived regarding Him; or the One unique in might and sovereignty; or Possessor of the kingdom, and the kingdom is His creation; or the Powerful. These are statements narrated by al-Amidi, who attributed the latter to Qadi Abu Bakr.

"The Holy" (al-Quddus): The One extreme in purity from anything that necessitates deficiency; or the One who possesses perfection in every attribute He is characterized by; or the One who cannot be bounded or imagined. Abu al-Summal and Abu Dinar al-A'rabi read it as "al-Qaddus" with a fatha on the Qaf; this is a dialectical variant, though rare. They say: "Fa'ul" with a damma is frequent, whereas with a fatha, it appears in nouns like samur, tannur, and Habud (the name of a mountain in al-Yamama), but regarding attributes, it is extremely rare; among them is Subbuh with a fatha on the Sin.

"The Peace" (as-Salam): The possessor of safety from every deficiency and calamity. It is an infinitive used as an attribute for the sake of hyperbole (mubalagha). According to al-Jubba'i, it is the One from whom safety is hoped. It is also said: It means the One who greets (gives salam to) His allies, so they are saved from everything frightening.

"The Grantor of Security" (al-Mu'min): It is said: The One who confirms Himself and His messengers (peace be upon them) regarding what they conveyed from Him, either by word or by creating a miracle. Or, the Giver to His servants of security from the Great Terror. Or, the One who makes them secure from Him, either by creating tranquility in their hearts or by informing them that there is no fear upon them. It is also said: The One who secures the creation from His injustice. Tha'lab said: The One who confirms the believers in their belief. Al-Nahhas said: In their testimony against the people on the Day of Resurrection. It is also said: The Possessor of security from cessation, as it is impossible for Him. It is also said other things. Imam Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them)—and it is said, Abu Ja'far al-Madani—read it as "al-Mu'man" with a fatha on the Mim, based on omission and attachment (al-hadhf wa al-isal), as in His saying: "And Moses chose his people," meaning, those who believe in Him.

Abu Hatim said: It is not permissible to apply this to Him (Exalted be He), as it suggests what is not befitting Him, since the absolute mu'min (believer) is one who was afraid and another secured him. The rebuttal is that when it is a reading, even if it be singular (shadh), this objection is invalid because a reading is not a matter of personal opinion.

"The Protector" (al-Muhaymin): The Watcher who guards everything. It is muf'il derived from amn (security), with the hamza turned into a ha'. Several have held this view. Its verification, as in al-Kashshaf, is that it is ayman on the pattern of fay'al, a hyperbolic form of amina (to secure) the enemy, for the sake of additional structure. When you say: "The shepherd secured the wolf over the sheep," for example, it denotes the perfection of his protection and watching. Thus, Allah (Exalted be He) has secured everything besides Him over His creation and His kingdom due to the encompassment of His knowledge and the perfection of His power. Then, the mere indication was used to mean the Watcher and Guardian over a thing without mentioning the object directly, for the sake of hyperbole in the perfection of protection, as He said: "And a guardian over it" (muhayminan 'alayh). Making it from that (security) is better than making it from the root amanah (trust), considering that a trustee over a thing is a guardian of it, for it does not convey the hyperbole nor the encompassment of knowledge and power. In al-Sihah, it is made an active participle from amana-hu (to secure from fear) according to the root; the original hamza was changed to ya' due to the dislike of two hamzas coming together, and the first was changed to ha' as in haraqa al-ma' (to spill water) and their saying hayyaka for iyyaka. It is as if He (Exalted be He) made the creatures secure by His protection. The preposition of elevation ('ala), as in muhayminan 'alayh, is for including the meaning of observing and the like. You know that the derivation as you heard it first is more indicative and has less departure from analogy. The manifest meaning of al-Kashshaf is that it is not of the diminutive (tasghir) form at all.

Al-Mubarrad said: It is a diminutive, and he erred in that, for it is not permissible to diminish His names (Exalted be He).

"The Exalted in Might" (al-'Aziz): The Overcomer. It is said: The One who has no equal. It is said: The One who punishes whom He wills. It is said: The One upon whom the reward of the workers rests. It is said: The One who cannot be brought down from His station. It is said other things.

"The Compeller" (al-Jabbar): The One who compelled His creation to what He willed and forced them to it. It is said regarding its verb: ajbara. Examples of hyperbole are formed from non-triliteral verbs, albeit rarely. It is also said that it is from jabara meaning to reform/mend; from this is "I mended the bone and it was mended." Thus, He is the One who mended the states of His creation, meaning He reformed them. It is also said: It is the Inaccessible who cannot be reached; it is said of a palm tree when it is tall and hands fall short of it: jabbarah. It is said: It is the One who is not contended with in His action, nor questioned about a cause, nor restricted in His decree.

Ibn Abbas said: It is the Great. It is said other things.

"The Majestic" (al-Mutakabbir): Extremely great in majesty and greatness, because He (Exalted be He) is free from the affectation implied by the form; it reverts to its logical implication that the action proceeding from deliberation is stronger and more eloquent. Or, the One who is exalted above everything that necessitates need or deficiency. "Glory be to Allah above what they associate with Him."

(23) Exoneration of Allah (Exalted be He) from what they associate with Him, or from their associating others with Him (Exalted be He), following the enumeration of His attributes (Exalted be He) in which it is impossible for Him to be shared with anyone at all.