Al-Qabid (الْقَابِضُ) And Al-Basit (الْبَاسِطُ)

   The benefits of studying the Names of Allah are not limited to getting closer to Allah or praising Him while making Duas, but sometimes they allow us to understand the wisdom behind the restrictions and the provision that we experience as we go through the different stages of our lives. You may one day wake up feeling gifted, provided for, and supported; on other days, you may feel that you are losing everything. These ups and downs in life are ruled by the Decree of Allah. Sometimes you feel that your stock of happiness increases, while the next day you feel that it has decreased. This happens according to the Wisdom of Allah. Allah Almighty said in the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 245: ”And it is Allah who withholds and grants abundance, and to Him you will be returned.” (وَاللَّهُ يَقْبِضُ وَيَبْسُطُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ). So, what do the Names of Allah, Al-Qabid (الْقَابِضُ) and Al-Basit (الْبَاسِطُ), mean? And why are they combined?

Al-Qabid (الْقَابِضُ)

(The Restricting One)

He is the Withholder, the One who constricts sustenance by His Wisdom and expands and widens it with His Generosity and Mercy. He is the One who decides to withhold something or make it scarce. He is the One who constricts lives, breath, sustenance, rain, wind, sunlight, water, and so on. He withholds guidance from whoever He wills and spreads it to whoever He wills. He is the One for whom whatever He wills comes to be. Allah said in Surah Al-Hijr, Ayah 21:

”And there is not a thing but that with Us are its depositories, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure.” (وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا عِندَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ).

Everything is in His Hands. Allah may take something valuable from you, not because He wills suffering for you, as Allah said: ”What would Allah do with your punishment if you are grateful and believe? And ever is Allah Appreciative and Knowing.” Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 147. Rather, Allah guides you to seek His Mercy in order to ask Him for His sustenance and provision.

Your worship of Allah reaches its peak when you flee to Him, when you feel that there is no refuge and no place of safety from Allah except with Allah. The word ”Al-Qabid (الْقَابِضُ)” comes from the Arabic root ”ق ب ض”, meaning to take in the hand, clutch, lay hold of, grasp, grip, seize, or hold firmly, indicating absolute ownership of something. He is the One who decides to give or to prevent.

There is also a beautiful Ayah in Surah An-Najm, Ayah 43, which speaks about the idea of giving and preventing in a way that touches our hearts and makes us submit to Allah whether we are sad or happy: ”And that it is He who makes [one] laugh and weep.”

When we believe that any constriction that happens to us is made under the Care of Allah, it pushes us to accept this test and strengthens our faith in Allah’s Wisdom. Another meaning of the Attribute ”Al-Qabid” is the One who captures souls through death or sleep. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, “Allah captured your souls (made you sleep) when He willed, and returned them (to your bodies) when He willed.”

Al-Basit (الْبَاسِطُ)

(The Extender)

He is the Enlarger. He is the One who amplifies all abundance. He is the One who makes the way wide open. Al-Basit is the One who can provide everything and anything. He is Generous and loves generosity, and He is Munificent and loves munificence. He is not stingy and does not withhold His provision from His slaves, in contrast to the Jews who accused Allah and said: ”And the Jews say, “The hand of Allah is chained.” Allah said in the same Ayah of Surah Al-Ma’idah, Ayah 64: ”Chained are their hands, and cursed are they for what they say. Rather, both His hands are extended; He spends however He wills.”

The word ”Al-Basit” has the Arabic root ”ب س ط”, which means to expand, enlarge, extend, grant abundance, provide amply, spread, widen, make spacious, or extend a hand. Sayyiduna Anas said that when prices were high during the Prophet’s time, the people asked him to fix the prices for them, but he replied, “God is the One who fixes prices, who withholds, gives lavishly and provides, and I hope that when I meet my Lord none of you will have any claim on me for an injustice regarding blood or property.”

Al-Basit is Allah, who makes you feel secure through His Divine pardon and forgiveness, while Al-Qabid is also Allah, who makes you feel afraid of being separated from Him. When you live by this Name of Allah, you feel supported and under the Care of Allah. You feel that with one Du’a of yours, made with sincere intention and from the heart, the gates of the heavens will be opened to you by the Grace of Allah.

When learning about the Names of Allah, it is a sort of perfection in meaning to learn them by viewing the Names in pairs as they occur. Al-Qabid (الْقَابِضُ) and Al-Basit (الْبَاسِطُ) are combined to give a complete overview of the meanings of both. From the meaning of Al-Qabid, you can understand the meaning of Al-Basit. May Allah provide us with beneficial knowledge, make it sincere for His sake, and grant us His Pleasure and Jannah.