ad-Dārr
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The Correcter, The Balancer, The Distresser, The Afflicter, The Punisher
The One whose wisdom may choose to use forceful corrections.
The One who creates adversity or distress in
order to discourage or correct wrongful behavior.
The One whose wisdom may use situations that have an outward appearance of
being harmful.
From the root d-r-r which has the
following classical Arabic connotations:
to have an opinion that is opposing
to apply forceful correction
to do an act that is disliked
to make inconvenient, annoy, distress
to cause adversity, afflict
to harm, injure, hurt
The name Dārr is not specifically
used as a Beautiful Name in the Qur'ān.
Nāfi' (creator of good) is the opposite of Dārr
(distresser)
The names Dārr and Nāfi' are often
used together to acknowledge the way that balance and harmony are established
and maintained. These opposing attributes are often inseparable, since that
which is the sweetest nectar to one person may be bitter poison to another.
Such opposites help to make one aware that every
action accomplishes some purpose and is, in the grand scheme of things,
subservient to the all-knowing hand of Allāh, through whom balance and harmony
are created and maintained... even if we don't understand.
Abū Hāmid al-Ghazālī wrote:
Do not suppose that poison kills or harms by itself.... or that kings or
men or satan, or any creature, are capable of good or evil, benefit or harm,
by themselves. For all of these are subservient causes from which nothing
proceeds except that for which they were utilized.
There is a grand intelligence who has a plan
that is beyond our understanding, and these pairs of opposites serve to remind
us to constantly focus our attention on the glory of the One, regardless of
whether the situation is smooth and easy or rough and difficult.
There is
only one virtue
and one sin for a soul on the path:
virtue when he is conscious of God
and sin when he is not.
Abu Hashim Madani
The phrase ad-Dārr un Nāfi' is is
often recited to honor these two complementary attributes.
(Also written as al-darr, al-daarr, al-dzarr, al-tharr, al-thaarr, the Correcter, the
Distresser: ya darr, ya daarr, ya dzarr, ya thaarr)