Suzy Ismail – #37 AlAliy

Assalamu alaikum. It's nice to see you again

as we continue to bring the divine into

the daily by understanding how we can incorporate

the characteristics of the 99 names of Allah

subhanahu wa ta'ala into our daily lives to

improve the relationship with our spouse and with

our children.

The name that we're going to discuss today

is Al-'Alai,

which means the most high or the most

sublime.

Now often when we think about

being high

within a relationship sense or being the highest

person, it tends to fall into the category

of comparison

where there becomes a situation of priority

where possibly a spouse may say, well, my

wife doesn't prioritize me or my husband doesn't

prioritize me on the list of priorities. I'm

not the Most High. And yet when we

look at the name of Allah subhanahu wa

ta'ala in using that sense of the most

high, we understand that it's not a matter

of priority, but it's a matter of recognizing

that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is Allah is

the most high is the one that is

most sublime.

Now, it's really beautiful about this name of

Allah

in regards to the marriage relationship

is that we see that

the 99 names of Allah have been used

in different places in the Quran and in

different verses of the Quran.

We see that, this name, the most high,

this characteristic of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is

used in the Quran in Surat An Nisa

in verse 34,

which is the verse that begins

by reminding us

which means the men are the protectors or

the providers

for the women.

Now this is a verse that comes up

quite frequently in our work in marriage counseling.

It's a verse that comes up quite frequently

in the question and answer sessions

when I'm discussing marriage or the relationship between

men and women. And it's because it is

the verse that,

has the word,

that that is translated often in English

as striking.

And it talks about the resolution

of an argument or a difficulty or a

problem between husband and wife. Again, this is

Surat Al Nisa which is chapter 4 verse

34.

And

we recognize in that verse that Allah

is not in any way

demeaning women or putting down the role of

the wife, but instead it's a recognition

that in the marriage relationship, the men are

the providers, are the protectors of the women.

That doesn't lessen from the woman's role. It

doesn't take away from who she is or

what her role is in the marriage,

but it

kind of creates this relationship

dynamic

of recognition and understanding between husband and wife.

Now there's a a so many beautiful lectures

online from those scholars who have studied the

words of the Quran and who are very

well versed in the fiqh and the usool.

And I I strongly urge you to review,

some of these lectures to gain a better

understanding

of what this particular verse means.

Sheikh Harima Youssef has a beautiful,

explanation

of why this verse is sometimes taken out

of context and how culturally

people will use this verse to sometimes

try to advocate for things that are not

of Islam. Because remember, we said our marriages

are built upon,

care and mercy, when there is no room

in that care and mercy for,

taking a verse out of context

and utilizing,

this verse as a form of oppression

or a way to keep a spouse down.

And so we recognize that the use of

the 99 name of

Allah here, the name that is used in

this verse is the most high.

And it's a recognition, a remembrance that

despite what is happening between husband and wife,

despite arguments that may occur, despite difficulties that

they may encounter,

Allah

is the Most High. He is the one

that has the most priority

and He is the one that

and looks over everything and judges all. And

so we keep that in mind and we

see the beauty of the verse in that

the verse that begins with Arjal Qumun An

Nisa,

which is verse 34 again in chapter 4,

ends with a reminder that Allah is the

Most High and that is a reminder to

us to incorporate

that Mawatta ur Rahmah and that mercy as

one of the characteristics of Allah into our

own lives, even in the marriage relationship.

So I pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala

blesses our marriages, allows us to understand our

roles and recognize the divine justice and the

divine wisdom behind

the marriage relationship.

And I look forward to seeing you again

as we continue to bring the divine,

into the daily. Assalamu alaikum.