Wherever you are, there too is Allah. What a profound statement! It confers compassion while reminding us of His mighty attributes and clarifying our role in the deity-servant relationship. It also brings a great measure of hope.
Allah says, “And He is with you wherever you are. He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from heaven and what ascends therein.” (Quran 57:4)
But how is this possible? How can Allah be everywhere at the same time, a part of every human’s journey while simultaneously in control of all within the universe? How is He aware of all that happens, even things unspoken and only within people’s minds?
To understand, we must strive to know Him through His descriptions and His attributes. We can look to several surahs throughout the Quran, particularly Ayatul Kursi in Surah Al-Baqarah. This powerful passage makes frequent mention of Allah’s names, describing His features, including Al-Baseer and Al-Sami, which translates to All Seeing and All Hearing respectively. Among Allah’s 99 names, these explain His perfect awareness and knowledge of all things. He is also described as All Watching, or Ar-Raqib.
When we consider these three attributes – all seeing, all hearing, and all watching – we gain a better understanding of how Allah can be with us always, no matter where we are and regardless of what we’re doing. With this, He becomes Al-Kabir, the One Who is All Aware or the One Who Knows the Truth of All Things. Knowing this, we take comfort in realizing Allah is in control, that nothing we do escapes His notice, and everything is happening according to a well-devised plan.
A Basis for Hope
When we are wronged or treated unjustly, we often worry the offender will go unpunished or that no one will notice what they’ve done. Not only can this lead the victim to anguish, it also can spur criminals to persist in their wrongdoing. As Muslims we are taught Allah is Al-Shaheed, the All Observing Witness from whom nothing is absent. We also believe He is Al-Muqsit, the Just One, equitable and fair in His judgment.
Understanding these attributes, we realize nothing goes unnoticed and everything is recorded because He is always near, offering perfect judgment. Consequently, if wronged, we can never truly feel forlorn. Imagine, Allah is even aware of hidden crimes or whispered slights against of which we have no idea. Holding firm to this belief is what allows oppressed people,
even those with the most serious plights, to have the will to go on, to have a positive outlook and a sense of hope that all will be put right in the end.
This knowledge can elevate your attitude. If Allah is always near and always just, He is also Al-Hafiz, the Guarding One, the Preserver, the Protector, and Al-Mujib, the Responsive, who answers those in need when they ask. How then can we not be hopeful and optimistic if we are firm in faith that our calls and prayers to Allah are heard, whether they be shouted or whispered in our heart?
Of course, sometimes the answer to a prayer is delayed because He knows best what is good
for us and what is not, and sometimes it is not granted specifically but the person praying receives an answer in a different form. Still other times Allah wards off some other evil in response to prayer. What can be better than to have a constant companion and protector, as Al-Wali, the Protecting Friend and the Supporter?
Allah’s Nearness Prevents Loneliness
This deep awareness of Allah’s constant nearness to us can also guard us from loneliness, a problem so pervasive that the former U.S. surgeon general released an advisory on the issue. Partly a lack of social connection, loneliness can lead to a myriad of problematic behaviors that can result in an increase in anxiety, depression, stroke, heart disease, and dementia. Chronic loneliness even increases our risk of premature death, according “Loneliness: Causes and Health Consequences” by Kendra Cherry, MSEd, updated on December, 5, 2023.
Although it’s likely that lack of societal priority to families and family structure, along with a cultural emphasis on being independent and desiring privacy, could be contributing factors to loneliness, lack of engagement within a religion or adherence to higher power or faith also helps loneliness and isolation take root.
Allah says, “We are closer to them than ˹their˺ jugular vein.” (Quran 50:16) If you ponder this verse and its meaning, you will understand how a firm faith can help us to combat loneliness, even if we have other risk factors in our lives. Establishing and developing a close relationship with our Creator leads to a feeling of companionship with Allah. We can achieve this closeness by regularly reading the Quran, pondering His signs all around us, and truly opening our hearts and minds to His innate closeness to us, rather than considering Him as far away and distant.
With faith and complete trust and reliance on Allah, we can overcome those stages in life when even the strongest believers might feel abandoned by the Lord and fall victim to solitude. In these moments we must be reminded of Allah’s names and characteristics, something we can achieve by coming back to the Quran time and again when we feel ourselves slipping from Allah’s closeness.
With this we see we are never alone. Wherever we are, be it surrounded by friends and family or living in a solitary silence, He is with us. He is King and we are his slaves. We are never alone.
