Have you ever attended a talk that addresses your problems and reminds you of Allah Azza Wa Jalla without them even knowing what is going on in your life?

To know Al-Latif, we must first understand the conditions in which we humans are created. It is completely normal for us, so fragile in our being to go through spiritual turmoil. Sometimes, it is excruciating and almost impossible to follow through hardship and harshness of this world. This is where Al-Latif comes in. Al-Latif comes from the root word, La-Tho-Fa لَطَفَ which means to be gentle, soothing and subtle. It appears a few times in the Qur’an where it firstly appears in the form of instruction in the story of the sleepers of the cave (The Ashabul Kahfi) and He says: “وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ” which means “to not let yourself be apparent”. The other usage of the word can be seen is in its complete noun form, al-Latif. Ibn Qayyim Rahimahullah summarises the meanings of Al-Latif in his poem:

وهــو اللطيف بــعبده ولــعبده *** والـلـطف في أوصـافه نـوعـا ن

إدراك أســرار الأمــور بخُـبره *** والـلـطف عند مواقع اإلحـسـا ن

Translation: And He is al-Lateef to His slave and of His slave, and His gentleness is of two kinds, awareness of the most intimate of matters with full knowledge, and it (His gentleness) manifests itself with utmost kindness. (An-Nooniyyah)

There are two ways in which Allah SWT is Gentle towards His creations.

Firstly, Al-Lutf of His slaves. This means that Allah SWT is fully aware of one’s situation, his deeds, his intentions, his thoughts, desires and the most intimate of matters with full knowledge.

Secondly, Al-Lutf to his slave meaning that Allah SWT manifests Himself with utmost kindness, gentleness and mercy towards his creations.

Imam Al-Ghazali further explains in his book الأسنى في شرح الأسماء الحسنى المقصد: “None deserves this name except for the One who can identify the ultra-fine, indistinct, unapparent interests (of a creature) and can then deliver them in a gentle, unaggressive way to those who need it.”

Hence, the concept of Al-Latif is only realised when gentleness in action and nuanced in knowledge come together. It is unimaginable for such perfection to be attained except by Allah SWT. It is also interesting that every time the name al-Latif appears in its full noun in the Qur’an, it is related to Al-Khobeer. Allah SWT says in the Qur’an:

أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ

Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted? (Surah Al-Mulk:14)

There is a connection between the two. Khobeer means the one who is aware of the open, whilst Latif is the one who is aware of the hidden. It then means that Allah SWT is aware of everything, from things that occur outwardly to the most discreet of things or حَبَّة مِن خَردَلٍ as described by Al-Imam As-Sa’di which are mustard seeds in which His knowledge encompasses all.

From here, we can understand that Allah SWT cannot be al-Latif without Him being very subtle and sensitive towards his creations.

As mentioned by Dr Sheikh Yasir Qadhi: Al-Lateef is the One whose mercy reaches you in ways that you do not even recognise. Al-Latif is the One who will take care of you without you even knowing that your affairs are being taken care of.

Nabi Yusuf AS himself describes Allah SWT by the same name:

إِنَّ رَبِّي لَطِيفٌ لِّمَا يَشَاءُ

“Certainly my Lord is Subtle in the fulfilment of His will” (Surah Yusuf Ayat 100)

Nabi Yusuf AS went through a lot of difficult trials. He was envied, seduced, but he recognised that Allah SWT was being good to him in a very discreet way and finally attained success through the same trials that he faced. We might not think that our trials and difficulties are good for us, but they are. And Allah SWT will raise a status of a person through his discomfort or the ways in which he might dislike. As long as we have Al-Latif, we should not be worried if other human beings cannot understand us or understand where we are coming from. Know that Al-Latif is looking out for you because He is اللهُ لَطِيفٌ بِعِبَادِهِ يَرزُقُ مَن يَشَاء

(Translation: Allah is Gracious to His servants. He gives sustenance to whom He wills – Surah As-Syura Ayat 19)

Whether in the form of protection or provision, in shaa Allah, we are in good hands.

‏يا لطيفاً لم يزل، ‏أُلطف بِنا فيما نزَل، ‏إِنك لطيفٌ لم تَزلْ، ‏أُلطُف بنا والمسلمين

“O Gentle Who remains for ever, be gentle to us in all that befalls us, You are constantly Gentle, treat us and the Muslims with gentleness!”

Wallahu A’lam Bissowab

Presented By: Ustazah Sri Wahyu