An-Nafi'
Allah is An-Nafi, The Propitious, The One who makes harm reach to whoever He willed and benefit to whoever He willed. It is impossible for man to earn any good without the will of Allah. He is the one who confers all benefits.
From the root n-f-‘ which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to profit, to be of use to be beneficial, useful to have the use of something.
Do they not see that Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]? Indeed, in that are signs for a people who believe. (Quran 30:37)
And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers. (Quran 10:106)
Whoever Allah guides – he is the [rightly] guided;
and whoever He sends astray – it is those who are the losers. (Quran 7:178)
“That is for what your hands have put forth and because Allah is not ever unjust to [His] servants.” And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it;
but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to the other direction]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter. (Quran 22:11-12)
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Name: |
An-Nafi' |
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An-Nafi'in Arabic: |
ٱلْنَّافِعُ |
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Arabic root: |
(ر ح م) |
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An-Nafi' meaning in English: |
The Benefiter, The Auspicious, The Creator of Good |
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An-Nafi' meaning in Urdu: |
نفع پہنچانے والا |
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Appearance in the Quran: |
Not specifically mentioned in the Holy Quran |
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Tasbeeh: |
Reciting An-Nafi daily, atleast 41 times gives success in every good act you do. |
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Asma ul Husna with similar meaning: |
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Nafi in Arabic means to benefit someone or to give profit. An-Nafi reflects on the qualities of Allah being the One who provides benefit to His creations and protects them from any harm. This name also reflects the fact that all the benefits, goodness and advantages are from Allah alone and there is no one in power who can benefit us without the will of Allah. An-Nafi also describes that Allah is Al-Kareem which means Generous.
An-Nafi is not directly mentioned in the Quran and is often used with Ad-Darr in descriptions. Allah is the One who provides us benefits and Allah is the One who gives us distress according to His divine wisdom.
In Surah Al-Ma’idah, Allah says:
“Tell them: ‘Leaving God aside, will you worship something that has no power over your loss or gain?’ But God is all-hearing and all-knowing.” (Quran 5:76)
Allah is Ad-Darr and An-Nafi is also mentioned in Surah Al-An’am:
“If God sends you harm, there is no one but He who can take it away; and if He brings you good, surely He has power over everything.” (Quran 6:17)
Allah also says in Surah Ar-Roum:
“Do they not see God increase or decrease the means of whosoever He pleases? Verily there are signs in this for those who believe.” (Quran 30:37)
An-Nafi highlights that whatever we get in the form of benefits, advantages, and opportunities, be it spiritual, emotional, or in terms of materials, is all granted by Allah alone. As Muslims and firm believers in Allah and His Prophet (S.A.W), remembering Allah as An-Nafi encourages us to believe and trust Allah alone in all matters of life, and whatever we deserve, Allah will grant us better as He is An-Nafi and Al-Kareem.
It is on us believers to have firm faith that if we face distress or see a decline in our health or wealth, we should believe it is only Allah who can dispel it. Similarly, when we see happiness, an increase in wealth, and health, it is again from Allah alone, and no one can benefit us except the Almighty.
Explaining this, in Surah Ash-Shu’ara, Allah says:
“Yet they are my enemies except the Lord of all the worlds. Who created me and showed me the way. Who gives me food and drink, and heals me when I am sick.” (Quran 26:77, 26:78, 26:79, 26:80)
Allah also states in Surah Yunus:
“And not to invoke any other than God, who can neither help nor hurt me; for if I do, I would surely be unjust.” (Quran 10:106)
Remembering Allah with His beautiful name helps us create a strong bond with our Creator and helps strengthen our faith. Even Allah says in Surah Al-A’raf,
“All the names of God are beautiful, so call Him by them, and leave those alone who act profanely towards His names: They will be retributed for their deeds.” (Quran 7:180)
To do tasbeeh and dhikr of An-Nafi, you can say Ya Nafi and say it multiple times with a focus on seeking benefits and blessings from Allah. Reciting Ya-Nafi daily is a way of seeing protection from any harm and getting the blessings of Allah.
We know that certain attributes belong only to Allah, and these attributes are mentioned in His 99 names. An-Nafi is among the qualities that only Allah can possess. He is the only One who can protect and benefit mankind. So, it’s best to add Abdul before the name and make it Abdul Nafi, which means ‘Servant of the Beneficial.’
An-Nafi means the One who provides benefits and gives advantages which is Allah alone. A few names are related in meaning to An-Nafi: