Al-Hafiz

The Protector and Preserver. Allah Almighty says: "And as protection against every rebellious devil." (As-Saffat, 7) "...And your Lord is, over all things, Guardian." (Saba, 21) "For each one are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allah." (Ar-Ra'd, 11) The name "al-Hafiz" occurs in 6 places in the Noble Qur'an. The angels protect people by Allah's command. Along with this they also record what people do, thereby preserving it. Allah protects His friends from committing sin and from falling into Satan's traps. Allah is the One who protects you from complaining in times of hardship and protects you from calamity in times of blessing. Were it not for Allah's protection of all beings, nothing whose existence is possible would continue to exist. Allah has protected all beings from returning again to non-existence. The greatest protection is the protection of hearts. The greatest of all protections is the Muslim's protecting his religion from every form of disbelief, hypocrisy, discord, boundless desire and craving, and from various innovations — for by this the Muslim is saved from leaving the straight path and straying onto other roads. The meaning of this name can be known only by long reflection upon Allah's exaltedness and His power to preserve the universe, not merely by considering its dictionary meaning. Protection occurs in two ways. The first is ensuring and preserving the continuation of beings until an appointed time: Allah is the Preserver both of long-lived beings such as the heavens and the earth and of short-lived beings such as animals, plants and human beings. He has protected even the grass that grows from the ground: to protect its core He gave it a husk and hid it inside that husk like a box. To keep it soft He granted it moisture. And what a bare husk would not protect He protected by giving it thorns. The second is protecting things that are opposites from each other's harm. Allah has protected these sometimes by making them equal in strength and sometimes by coming to the aid of the side being overcome. Let us illustrate this with an example: heat destroys moisture and dries it out. When it is overcome, coldness and moisture begin to weaken and even gradually disappear, while heat and dryness increase. To prevent this, Allah comes to the aid of that moisture by another means: He gives the body thirst, and it feels the need to drink water. As soon as it drinks, the heat is dispelled. Thus the necessary balance in the body is secured.

The noble name Al-Hafiz is recited 988 times as "Ya Hafiz, jalla jalaluhu" in order to be protected from all material and spiritual dangers, and especially from evils such as the evil eye, jinn, devils and sorcery, and from enemies. Whoever carries this noble name upon himself and makes remembrance with it finds its blessing; indeed, even if he sleeps among wild beasts he comes to no harm. When the British ambassador saw the "Ya Hafiz" plaques ("O our Lord who preserves and protects") hung on the outer walls of the old Ottoman houses, he could not restrain himself and asked Kececizade Fuad Pasha what they were. Fuad Pasha answered him in language the Englishman would understand perfectly: "What you see there are the plaques of the Ottoman insurance company."