Is it permissible to attribute the names al-Qabidh (The Withholder) and al-Basit (The Expander) to Allah?
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The questioner : ... al-Qabidh and al-Basit: if we say that they are among the names of Allah, is it required that they be mentioned together, or is it permissible ...?
The Shaykh : It is preferable to mention them together, as this is among the paired names where perfection is not achieved except by their combination. If al-Basit is mentioned alone, there is no harm, but al-Qabidh, in terms of mere withholding, is not an attribute of perfection. However, if we say al-Qabidh al-Basit, its meaning becomes the perfection of Allah’s (Mighty and Majestic) disposition in withholding and expanding. If we said al-Basit alone, its meaning would be the Expander, which is an attribute of perfection in any case. Al-Qabidh is not mentioned alone, but there is no harm in mentioning al-Basit.
The questioner : Some names are observed to always come together ...?
The Shaykh : Yes, there is a correspondence between them; combining one name with the other yields a perfection that exceeds the mention of each name alone. Combining al-‘Aziz (The Almighty) with al-Hakim (The Wise) conveys a meaning greater than if al-‘Aziz were mentioned alone or al-Hakim alone, because if the Almighty’s might were not accompanied by wisdom, His disposition might be unwise. When al-‘Aziz is paired with al-Hakim, it carries a greater meaning. Likewise, al-‘Afu al-Qadir:[An-Nisa 4:43] is similar to this, for combining al-‘Afu (The Pardoner) with al-Qadir (The All-Powerful) achieves perfection, because pardon accompanied by weakness is a deficiency.
The Shaykh : It is preferable to mention them together, as this is among the paired names where perfection is not achieved except by their combination. If al-Basit is mentioned alone, there is no harm, but al-Qabidh, in terms of mere withholding, is not an attribute of perfection. However, if we say al-Qabidh al-Basit, its meaning becomes the perfection of Allah’s (Mighty and Majestic) disposition in withholding and expanding. If we said al-Basit alone, its meaning would be the Expander, which is an attribute of perfection in any case. Al-Qabidh is not mentioned alone, but there is no harm in mentioning al-Basit.
The questioner : Some names are observed to always come together ...?
The Shaykh : Yes, there is a correspondence between them; combining one name with the other yields a perfection that exceeds the mention of each name alone. Combining al-‘Aziz (The Almighty) with al-Hakim (The Wise) conveys a meaning greater than if al-‘Aziz were mentioned alone or al-Hakim alone, because if the Almighty’s might were not accompanied by wisdom, His disposition might be unwise. When al-‘Aziz is paired with al-Hakim, it carries a greater meaning. Likewise, al-‘Afu al-Qadir: