The Holy Qur'an, akin to a profound and boundless ocean, encompasses meanings and secrets each of which illuminates the path to understanding the truth and guiding humankind towards perfection. Among these, concepts such as Maghr, Ghashiyah, and Ghatash as manifestations of the Divine Majesty attributes hold a distinguished status. These concepts, employed in the luminous verses of the Holy Qur'an, not only signify divine order and the system governing the cosmos, but also serve as warnings to humans to avoid sinfulness and commit to repentance so as to be safeguarded from falling into anxiety, delusion, and bewilderment. This treatise, through a profound examination of Qur'anic verses and elucidation of these attributes, endeavours to present these concepts in a lucid and firm language, within a scientific and coherent framework, so as to shine like a beacon for seekers of truth.
Maghr, derived from the root Aghr in the Holy Qur'an, denotes domination, control, and the creation of anxiety and dispersion within hearts. This attribute of divine majesty, which manifests solely as a consequence and effect originating from human actions, resembles a blade that, not by outward sharpness but through penetrating the soul, entraps a person in anxiety and confusion. Maghr, unlike attributes of beauty (Jaml) which descend upon servants without cause and through God's infinite mercy, appears exclusively when humans, through sin and disobedience, provide the grounds for this manifestation of divine majesty.
This attribute, akin to a divine strike force, is dispatched toward humans when the conditions of sin are fulfilled, ensnaring them within the clutches of enmity, hatred, and mental dispersion. In the Holy Qur'an, this concept is employed specifically in two instances: concerning the Christians (Nar) and the hypocrites (Munfiqn), each reflecting a facet of this attribute in response to deviation and hypocrisy.
And among those who say, "We are Christians," We took their covenant, but they forgot a portion of that which they were reminded. So We caused among them enmity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection. And Allah will inform them of what they used to do.
Qur'an 5:14
This verse refers to the Christians who claimed faith in Christianity and entered into a covenant with God, but by forgetting this covenant and neglecting their beliefs, became the ground for the descent of the attribute Maghr. In response to this disobedience, God instilled enmity and hatred within their hearts so that this dispersion and anxiety persist until the Day of Resurrection. Outwardly, the Christians adorned themselves with prestige and claimed victimhood and freedom, yet inwardly, they were devoid of truth, trapped in deceit and hypocrisy. This hypocrisy, like a deceptive mask upon the face of truth, became the basis for divine dominion and internal anxiety.
This verse illustrates that Maghr is an attribute that does not arise from initiation but emerges following human disobedience and negligence. By forgetting their covenant and beliefs, the Christians exposed themselves to this majestic attribute, and God, by implanting enmity and hatred in their hearts, subjected them to dispersion and distress.
If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease and those who spread rumours in al-Madnah do not desist, We will surely incite you against them; then they will not be your neighbours therein except for a little.
Qur'an 33:60
This verse addresses the hypocrites and the diseased-hearted who spread rumours in Medina, disturbing the Islamic societys order and tranquillity. God promises the Prophet (PBUH) dominion over this group, so that this domination penetrates their souls compelling them to flee and disperse. The phrase لَنُغْرِيَنَّكَ بِهِمْ (We will surely incite you against them) signifies that this dominion affects not merely their external condition but their innermost being, such that only a few remain in Medina as their neighbours, most becoming fugitives.
This verse reveals the precise Qur'anic engineering: first introducing the hypocrites, then their inner disease and disruptive function (rumour-spreading and causing anxiety), and finally the application of divine dominion through the Prophet. This dominion, like a mighty blow, shatters the foundations of hypocrisy and immerses the hypocrites in anxiety and dispersion.
Maghr resembles a storm that blows within the hearts of sinners, robbing them of peace. This attribute operates not solely as divine punishment but as a warning encouraging return to truth. By avoiding sin and committing to repentance, one may be shielded from falling into this storm.
Maghr, as one of God's majestic attributes, manifests divine justice in response to human sin and disobedience. By creating enmity, hatred, and anxiety in hearts, it deprives humans of tranquillity and imprisons them in mental dispersion. Though cited specifically in the Qur'an with regard to Christians and hypocrites, any sin on a lesser scale can incite it. Repentance acts as a golden key neutralising this anxiety and dispersion, guiding humans towards peace and truth.
Ghashiyah, derived from the root Ghashy in the Holy Qur
