Al-Basir

The One who sees all things and sees them perfectly; who sees in truth; who sees everything without limit or end; who sees at every moment what every creature is occupied with and what it is doing. Allah Almighty says: "Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted." (Al-An'am, 103) "...Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing." (Al-Hajj, 61) "...And ever is Allah Hearing and Seeing." (An-Nisa, 134) Allah sees all things and everything that everyone does. Nothing can obstruct His seeing. No eye besides His own can grasp or encompass Him, yet He perceives, encompasses, sees and knows all eyes. While eyes cannot comprehend themselves, He is the One who comprehends them, describes them, sees them, displays them and knows the truth of them. One must not, because eyes cannot see Him, imagine that He is far from eyes and hearts or unaware of needs and requests, and so turn away from Him or stray into crooked paths. He who is the Subtle and the All-Aware sees the eyes that see least; He is aware of things thought to be most hidden and most imperceptible, and of the secrets and inclinations of hearts that can be disclosed to no one. He is nearer to them than they are to themselves. What is required in order to worship Him and entrust our affairs to Him is not that we see Him, but that He sees, that He is Subtle and All-Aware, and that we believe with sincerity and affirmation of His oneness in His essence, attributes, acts and favours. Allah Most High encompasses with His attribute of Al-Basir everything that can be seen anywhere in the heavens and the earth, and He sees them. There is nothing He cannot see; nothing is hidden from Him. Allah sees, hears and knows the whispers within the heart, the workings within the brain, the secrets of thought, what lies in hearts, and a jet-black ant walking upon a pitch-black stone on a pitch-dark night, along with the sound it makes. Whoever knows that Allah sees all things strives to set right his every state, hidden and open. In every situation he fears opposing Allah and feels shame before Him. He avoids being found by Allah in places He has forbidden, or being absent from places He has commanded. He never lets slip from his mind that he is always under Allah's watch. He does not sin by making light of Allah's seeing him. Whoever feels shame before the sight of people but not before the sight of Allah has made light of Allah. The benefit of knowing the name Al-Basir is that it creates in a person the sense of muraqabah — worshipping as though you see Allah, for even if you do not see Allah, Allah sees you. Whoever knows this name reflects upon Allah's grandeur and majesty by looking at the signs in the world of existence and the extraordinary order in the heavens and the earth, and he always looks around him with reflection. Looking at the structures that display Allah's might and power, His wisdom, His profound knowledge and His effective will, he worships Him with greater sincerity and trust. Allah Most High says: "...Observe what is in the heavens and the earth." (Yunus, 101) "...Look at their fruit when they yield and their ripening..." (Al-An'am, 99) "...And look at the bones — how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh." (Al-Baqarah, 259)

The noble name Al-Basir is recited 302 times as "Ya Basir, jalla jalaluhu" for clarity of mind, breadth of understanding and strength of heart. Whoever recites the noble name Al-Basir a hundred times before the Friday prayer, his inner sight is opened and his speech and thought become sound. Whoever recites it much does not suffer ailments of the eye. The one who recites the noble name Al-Basir often is granted success in his words and deeds.