Making it All Clear: al-Mubīn

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“On that day Allah will pay them their just due, and they will know that Allah, He is the Truth, the Evident.” (Qur’an, 24:25)

There are some things that are crystal clear and evident to us. According to some scholars, one of Allah’s Names is the Evident—al-Mubīn, as seen in the verse above. Others have looked at this verse and interpreted it as Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) being the Evident Truth (i.e. the word for ‘evident’ is a description of Him being The Truth), but here I will be relying on the opinions of those who see Allah’s Name as al-Mubīn (Sheikh Ratib al-Nabulsi, Sheikh Salman al-Odah, Sheikh Abdulrazzaq al-Bader).

Allah (swt) uses this word in its verb form many times in the Qur’an. Allah (swt) says:

“Thus does Allah make clear (yubayyin) to you His verses that you might use reason.” (Qur’an, 2:242)

Allah then tells us the purpose in this verse and in many others: That we might use reason, that we might reflect, that we might be guided, and that we might be grateful.

The Evident

Sheikh Ratib al-Nabulsi says that Allah’s Name al-Mubīn shows us two things: one is that He is evident in His essence, similar to His Name al-Ẓāhir. Moreover, Allah (swt) makes Himself evident by revealing His Names to us so we may know Him. Whatever misconceptions one may have about God, they are dissipated by Him showing us and making clear to us who He is—and this has been the focal point of this whole series. Whoever may have thought that Allah (swt) has anthropomorphic qualities only has to understand that Allah is al-Quddūs (the Pure); whoever thinks that tyrants have escaped justice only needs to understand that Allah is al-`Adl (the Just) and al-Muqsiṭ (the Equitable); and whoever believes that Allah is far from us, Allah contradicts that by letting us know that He is Near.

Evident in His Actions

The other part to this Name is that He makes things evident. Sheikh Abdulrazzaq al-Bader explains that al-Mubīn comes from the root ba-ya-nun (ن-ي-ب), which means to make something separate. From it comes the word mubīn, which means to make clear. And thus al-Mubīn is the One who makes everything clear, and bayyinah is the clear and evident proof.

We are constantly told to reflect on God’s signs. In the Qur’an, what we translate as a ‘verse’ is actually the word for ‘sign’ – āya. Thus Allah’s signs are His Words (i.e. the Qur’an), as well as what He has created: from the universe, to the sun and the stars, to trees and the mountains, to our very own selves – and all of these require our reflection. Once we ponder over these things, the natural conclusion is to see Allah’s attributes in everything, and internalizing that Allah (swt) is the Evident Truth.

Moreover, Allah makes clear to us the way through His rules. He establishes the rules for justice, the imperative for compassion, how to pray, and our general conduct on this earth. We have been given it all, and more importantly, the way to Him. He has made it all clear through Qur’anic injunctions and the example of the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him), and thus we seek closeness to Him by those means.

He will show you

The verse cited in the beginning of this article shows that Allah (swt) will make everything clear for all those who doubt on the Day of Judgment. There is something else I reflected on. Many times, we may not see the wisdom in a certain action. We might wonder why we did not get what we specifically asked for, or that thing we worked hard for. The wisdom is actually not evident, at least in our limited view.

Knowing Allah is al-Mubīn actually enables us to ask Him to show us. There are times in my life when I felt like I did not understand, and in those moments, I put my trust in Allah (swt) and ask Him to show me the wisdom. So many things have become clear to me, and I end up being more grateful that my life took an unexpected route. Sometimes these things take time, but be certain, Allah will make evident the wisdom, either in this life or the next.

The Prophet’s ﷺ wife Aisha radi
Allahu
`anha
 (may God be pleased with her) was slandered and talked about by her own community. She must have wondered why this was happening to her, what was the wisdom in it, and when people would see the truth. When she was declared innocent, the Qur’an made sure to teach people the lessons from this incident. After admonishing the believers (Qur’an, 24:11-20), Allah says: “And Allah makes clear (yubayyin) to you the verses, and Allah is Knowing and Wise.” (Qur’an, 24:28)

And sometimes the wisdom is for you to take responsibility. Oftentimes we act as though our actions have absolutely no relevance, but Allah teaches us that they do. Yusuf `alayhi as salaam (peace be upon him) had things that were within his control and things that were not. When his brothers threw him in the well, and when he was sold as a slave, there was nothing he could do. These were outside of his control. But when he was in prison, he interpreted the dreams of his cellmates, and then told the one he knew would go free to talk to the King about him. He could have waited in prison and prayed to see God’s wisdom in it, but he did not rely on that solely. He knew that he had to move. And Allah (swt) made clear that all these things—what happened to him and what he made happen—add up. And this is the reality for all of us.

Lessons

1- Reflect: Allah exhorts us in the Qur’an to reflect on His signs. Ponder over Allah’s signs in the universe, and over His Names and their manifestations in the world around us.

2- Ask Allah: Remember that you can—and should—ask al-Mubīn to show you. Allah (swt) says “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” So ask Him to make things clear for you. And remember that it may not be a simple case of “why did this happen to me”; Allah (swt) might show you that your actions have consequences and what happened was as result of what you yourself did. The wisdom in that is the lesson we learn.

3- It will be made clear: Have certainty that the One who makes it all clear will clarify every single thing on the Day of Judgment, leaving no one in doubt. Allah (swt) says: “And He will surely make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that over which you used to differ.” (Qur’an, 16:92)