Ar-Rahmaan (The Beneficent)

78. Blessed is the Name of your Lord, the Owner of Majesty and Honor.

All Blessings, beauties, rewards, and recompenses are manifestations of Divine Lordship. Thus, the last blessed Verse of the Chapter in question is saying that the Name of your Lord Who is Majestic and Glorious is Blessed and Intransient. The Arabic word tabarak is cognate with bark denoting "camel breast."

Since camels lie down somewhere without moving and their breasts touch the earth, the word connotes constancy and intransience. As remaining capital engenders many a benefit, useful things are referred to as mubarak, the worthiest being for such designation is the Pure Divine Essence, the Source of all Good and Blessings.

Thus, the blessed Verse in question is saying that Great and Glorious is the Name of your Lord Who is the Absolute Owner of Glory, Greatness, Magnanimity, Graciousness, and Bountifulness. The blessed Chapter opened with the Divine Attribute "the Most Gracious" (Rahman) denoting the Vastness of Bounties and Graciousness of the One Lord, following which different kinds of His Bounties and Blessings are enumerated.

The blessed Chapter ends in the Name of the Owner of Glory and Greatness, connoting that what He bestows springs solely from His Greatness and reflects His Glory and Magnanimity.

It is saying that you are supposed to glorify the Origin of Bounties by praising His Attributes of Glory and Greatness.

Some Qur’anic exegetes say that His Name alludes to all His Attributes and His Attributes are in His Pure Essence and the expression:

"Owner of Majesty and Glory"

makes a reference to all His Most Beautiful and Glorious Attributes.

"Owner of Majesty" alludes to His Negative Attributes and "Owner of Glory" refers to His Positive Attributes.

It would be of interest to read a few traditions in this vein.

It is narrated from the Noble Prophet of Islam (S) that someone invoked God Almighty in his presence, saying:

"O Owner of Majesty and Glory!"

The Noble Prophet (S) said:

"Now that you invoked God Almighty by this Attribute, your prayer shall be answered. You ask Him to grant you anything you desire."1

According to a Prophetic tradition, the Noble Prophet of Islam (S) noticed that a man was standing while establishing prayers. Following genuflexion (ruku‘), prostration (sujud), salam, and tashahHud, he invoked God Almighty and called Him by His Attributes, Owner of Majesty, Owner of Glory, the Living (Hayy), the Ever Standing (or Self-Existent; Qayyum), the Noble Prophet (S) said:

"This man called Allah by a Great Name that whenever one calls Him by that Attribute, He shall answer his prayers."2

A tradition is narrated from Imam Baqir (as) regarding the exegesis of the blessed Verse in question according to which he said:

"We are Divine Majesty and Glory as He cherishes us by making his servants obey us."3

It goes without saying that the family of the Prophet (S) solely calls people unto God Almighty and obedience to Him. They are like guides and beacons and life boats in the agitated sea of this mundane life. Thus, they are the instances of Divine Bounties bestowed by the Owner of Majesty and Glory, since God Almighty provides people with Guidance through His friends.

O Lord! You are the Owner of Majesty and Glory. By Your Majesty and Glory! Do not deprive us from Bounties and Blessings of Paradise. O Lord! We deny none of your Blessings, but consider ourselves encompassed by them. Grant us Your Blessings at all times. Amen O Lord of the worlds!