The word “Khair” according to the linguists and the grammarians is divided into stages. actually the Alif has been removed and a Zabar has been added to Khay in the word Akhyar”. According to Raghib “Khair” means things which loved by all like intelligence, justice, enhancement and the word opposite to is “Sharr”. They say that “Khair” is of two types; the pure khair or well being that is in everybody’s hearts and the other well being which is limited to a few people like wealth for it may be good for some and bad for others. But according to Maqayis-ol-Lughata it actually means the inclination to something. And then it was used for the deeds resulting from this inclination. Just the opposite is “Sharr’ which some have taken to mean kindness and benevolence. Some have simply said that it a word opposite of Khair. Sometimes it is used to denote something special like Khair means wealth , the rivers in Paradise that originate from Kawthar; the special edifices in Paradise. The words “ Khiyar” and Ikhtiyar” are derived from it and they mean a selection of things that are better but when they are used for God their meaning will be complete like in verse 73 of Surah Ta-Ha that says, “ God is the best of all and will remain for ever.”

This is the first word used by the sorcerers of Pharaoh after they believed in Moses.

It means to be better placed and surely no body could personify Khair like God because His being is best in ass sense from all beings. Some times the word is added to some other attribute and used for God like in the ten verses cited above there are ten different names of God. They have been used as a presuppose comparison against others but actually there is none that can be compared with God.

In the first verse cited above God has been described as “the best of all who show mercy” because His mercy is unlimited and includes both friends and foes. His kindness and mercy is for all and His special mercy is for the believers. He never expects or waits for a return when He bestows His mercy.

In the second verse God is termed as “ The best of the Judges” because the judgment of others are tainted with personal preferences and dislikes and material desires so result in mistakes but God is above all doubts, and errors of omission and commission because His knowledge is unlimited and He is needless of everyone and everything.

The third verse speaks about God as “best of the differentiators”. when humans desire to differentiate between the right and the wrong they fall prey to doubts and are unsuccessful and due to ignorance they some see the wrong as right and the right as wrong. At times because of egoistic desires they are unable to differentiate between the right and the wrong. But the entity that has complete knowledge of both the manifest and the hidden encompasses everything; and there is no scope of desires and so He differentiates clinically between the right and the wrong. Moreover human beings do not understand the right and the wrong very clearly and they do not have a complete knowledge. It is only God who can clearly ascertain the difference and judge.

The fourth verse speaks of (the best of the victorious) judges. Fateh is derived from Fath and if it is taken as judgment then it will mean that God is the best judge which we have already discussed in the second verse. If Fath means the opening of that which is closed or raveling that which is hidden then it will mean that “best of the openers” because nothing is difficult for his authority. If Fath means the opening of the doors of mercy it will be the same because of His unchallengeable authority that encompasses everything. The mercy of others is limited.

Actually there is a great vastness in the meaning of Fath and it means the opening of every thing material and spiritual and victory is included in it. It is sometimes used for opening the doors of knowledge and mercy, sometimes in arbitrating in the dispute between two persons or opening the complexities of war. There is a great vastness in the meaning of “the best of the victorious” and it includes everything.

The fifth verse mentions God as the “Best of the Providers” or sustainers. There are deficiencies in what people give each other as what they term as sustenance. That sustenance is limited and quickly exhausted and at times there is hope for it in the future, sometimes it is accompanied by physical and mental torture and it is at times given with disdain or for something as compensation.

But the sustenance from God is unlimited, with no worries for the future, no obligations to be accounted, no torture to be sustained for and nothing to be given in return. From the time the seed germinates in the mother’s womb the sustenance begins and continues till the person’s death so much so that for the true believers there is the “ kind and merciful sustenance” even on the Day of Judgment.

Some commentators have mentioned the story of Bahlol and the Khalifa of those times which clarifies what we mean. The Khalifa told Bahlol, “You should come to me someday so that a stipend or a salary can be fixed for you and you could become free from the want of sustenance.” Bahlol answered, “Had it not contained some of the following deficiencies I would have readily accepted your offer. They are: You do not know what my need is.

You do not know the time I need them.

You are unaware of how much sustenance I need.

It is possible that you may get angry with me

Someday and stop this sustenance. But my sustainer has no defects in what and how He gives and he does not stop the sustenance even on the day I commit a sin. (1)

How nice it would have been if Bahlol had added that “Who can vouch that you will be the ruler tomorrow and will have the power to give sustenance to me or to some one else?”

We conclude our discussion with a quote from Amirul Mumineen. The quote is from Sermon Ashbah in Nahjul Balagha:

All praise be to the lord whose wealth will neither increase nor multiply if He ceases to be generous and magnanimous towards His creature, nor His benevolence and Munificence makes Him poor or decreases His wealth, while very person decreases part of his wealth by every generous act, and every one who keeps off from helping others is considered bas and wicked. He is a benefactor whose favors are unlimited, whose grants are abundant. Whose blessings are sublime and who has destined man to achieve greatness? He treats all His creatures as if they are His children. He has arranged for them means of sustaining of their subsistence. He has fixed varieties and kinds of food adequate to and capable of sustaining all the different species living on this earth. He has taught them ways to acquire requirements from their surroundings and also to attain His blessing and favors. He is so generous that His munificence reaches those who do not ask for it as much as those who beseech for it.” (2)

The sixth verse speaks of God as “the best of Helpers” because He only is the true helper and has the might to help before every enemy; (he can be relied upon) at all times and place and in every condition. He is never overwhelmed and there is no power to resist him. He knows about the plotting of the enemy and the weakness of those that need help. The best thing is that He asks for nothing in return for the help He provides. We know that these qualities are found in God only and the others do not have it in them. Moreover who ever can help can only in this world but He who helps both in this world and the hereafter is God.

In the seventh verse God is invoked as “Khairol Ghafireen” or the best of those who forgive. Fakhr Razi says that if some one overlooks the sins of another it is for being praised, and to gain a reward from God and to be free from the bitterness in the heart. This is because people tend to over look other people’s sins to gain some profit or to ward off some trouble but God’s forgiveness is not of this manner but like a fountain of beneficence and kindness.(3)

The rights of humans are very meager compared to the rights of God and one of the lesser deeds is that forgiveness one man bestows on another. But God is the entity who forgives even His great rights and forgives the greatest of sins. There is no conditioned fixed for man to attain His forgiveness and this is why He is invoked as the best of those who forgive.

He not only forgives the sins but hides them too so that the respect of the person is concealed and intact both in this world and the hereafter. He sometimes interchanges their ills with goodness but only if they do not sin blatantly and that they retain or develop some goodness so that they may be able to enjoy His mercy.

Let us study the back ground of the revelation of this verse. When the people of Israel blatantly demanded that they should see God with their normal eyes before they believed in Him. This enhances the meaning of “The best of those who forgive.” (Yet he forgave them.)

The 8th verse speaks about the flood of Noah and then calls God as “the best of those who bring to land” or Khairol Munzileen. It speaks of Noah’s prayer during the floods in which he said, “Lord land us in the best of places for you are the best among those who bring to land.” It is possible that the word “Munzil” may be the name of the place and Manzilla may mean the disembarkation.

It is tacitly clear that in a situation where there is no edifice, station or harbor, no shade and no food the Ark had to moor at some place and this could not be done without the grace of God to dispel the perils that were being apprehended. Here again we see the immense and unlimited power of God for He knew the needs of those on board and this knowledge is the cause of Him being called , “ The best of those who bring to land.”

In the 9th verse God’s help is mentioned against the plotting and machinations of the unjust and He is called, “The best of the planners.” The word Maakar has been derived from Makar which means to stop someone from achieving his desired objective through excuses, schemes and machinations. It is of two kinds:

The likeable one and this is when the planning is done for something good

Unpleasant one and this means it is done for some evil cause.

It is now clear that the general perception that Makar is used only for evil and chaos by the general public is wrong. The same thing is applied to the word “Heela’ or planning which most people think is done in the negative aspect.

Qartabi says that Heela means the plan for doing something secretly, but some linguists say that Makar is not a good deed, so when it is used for God then when have to take it symbolically. The meaning of Makar however seems generally correct as defined by most linguists.

God is called the best of planners because He has the great authority to plan or that the Makar of others may be good or bad but God’s doing and planning is always good.

Zubedi has mentioned many meaning for Makar being used for God in Sharah Qamoos:

To inflict chastisement not on friends but on foes, the bestowing of plentiful sustenance despite continuous sins so that the sinner considers himself pious and safe and then seize him suddenly; To reward the people according to their deeds. (4)

The determination of the correct steps will take place only where the person is aware of the consequences involved and is aware of the past and future conditions and still have the powers to judge. These two attributes unlimited knowledge and authority rest with God only. This is why He is called the best of the planners.

Now this term has been mentioned twice in the Qura’n:

The first time as the Qura’n describes the migration which was a very important event in the life of the Messenger in verse 29 of Surah Anfal that says, “When the disbelievers plotted to imprison of slay you or drive you away they devised plans and God too had a plan; and God is the best of planners”

We know that the plot to kill the Messenger by the Quraysh had given a determination to the idea of migration, a deed which was a great even in the early History of Islam. This clarifies God’s planning against them.

The Jews and Christians jointly conspired against Islam and the Messenger (See verse 54 of Al Imran) this too was a very fiendish plot but God destroyed their plans.

In the tenth and final verse God is termed as “the best of the inheritors”. This attribute has been used only once in the Qura’n and has been spoken by the apostle Zachariah but God has been mentioned as inheritor in various places. His attribute is clear for He is the one who will always remain and will always inherit. It is limited to God only and all other inheritors will one day become the inherited themselves.

Their inheritance is limited and they are dependent on it but are also miserly about it. This is why there is generally a dispute among close relatives about inheritance. But god who is the inheritor of all is needless and there is no limitation to His inheritance. There is no scope for miserliness also. This is why God is called the best of the inheritors.

According to Aloosi in Ruhul Ma’ani this denotes

God as being eternal and the rest are all contingent. (5)

If this points to the well being then it will be counted as an attribute of his being which is eternal but if it is about inheritance of what people leave behind then it will be taken as an attribute of deeds. (Reflect)

1.Ruhul Bayan vol.1 page 528

2. Nahjul Balagha Sermon 91

3. Tafsir Kabeer vol. 15 page 20

4. Tajol Uroos, Sharah Qamoos for the origin of Makar.

5. Ruhul Ma’ani vol. 17 page 80