Ad-Darr

The Distresser, who creates the things that bring hardship and difficulty. Allah Almighty says: "And whatever you have of favour — it is from Allah. Then when adversity touches you, to Him you cry for help." (An-Nahl, 53) "And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him; and if He touches you with good — then He is over all things competent." (Al-An'am, 17) It is Allah alone who creates benefits and harms. Although all events come about through causes, causes cannot bring the non-existent into being. They were created only as a handhold in people's hands and as a warrant for asking from the Truth. The One who has sway over a person's benefits and harms and who acts upon them without rival is Allah alone. He has given people the faculty to distinguish benefits and harms. Nothing can prevent Allah's willing to cause harm. Allah is the One who creates all things and places an effect within what He creates. The positive and negative effect of everything is in the hand of His power. Without His will, His volition and His permission, nothing can produce its effect. It is not permissible to supplicate Allah with the name Ad-Darr alone. For this reason one must supplicate with both names (Ad-Darr and An-Nafi') together. Mentioning these two names together shows that Allah has power to bring benefit to whom He wills and harm to whom He wills — for one who does not have the power to harm or to benefit has neither existence nor effect. Just as our Lord is the One who creates sweet and beautiful things, He is also the One who created bitter, distressing and sorrowful things. The benefits of knowing this name: Every Muslim should believe that there is no one besides Allah who causes harm, and should know that it comes about by His will and act. Both worldly life and the life of the Hereafter are apportioned between benefit and harm. Accordingly, Paradise is pure benefit and Hell is pure harm. Harm that occurs in this world may turn into a benefit for the Hereafter — in which case the harm in this world is metaphorical. If the harm in this world is also a harm for the Hereafter, then in that case the harm is real.

The noble name Ad-Darr is recited 101 times as "Ya Darr, jalla jalaluhu" so that oppressors may suffer loss materially and spiritually. Whoever persists in the remembrance of the noble name Ad-Darr a hundred times every Friday night, his body remains in good health and people come to love him.