Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
These expressions occur in an authentic hadith, and scholars have differed over whether “Al-Qābiḍ,” “Al-Bāsiṭ,” and “Al-Musʿir” should be counted among Allah’s Beautiful Names. Some scholars affirmed them as Names, while others regarded them as expressions describing Allah’s actions. According to the view that affirms “Al-Qābiḍ” as a Name, it indicates perfect power and wisdom; it is not a negative or deficient attribute. It is more complete to mention it together with “Al-Bāsiṭ,” because the perfection of the meaning becomes apparent when the two are mentioned together.
Abu Dawud (3451), al-Tirmidhi (1314), and Ibn Majah (2200) narrated from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said:
“The people said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, prices have risen, so set prices for us.’ The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Indeed, Allah is the One Who determines prices, the Withholder, the Expander, and the Provider. And I hope to meet Allah without any of you having a claim against me for an injustice concerning blood or property.”
Al-Tirmidhi graded it authentic, and al-Albani also authenticated it, and it has supporting narrations.
Thus, the hadith is established, and a number of scholars have used it as evidence for affirming these expressions for Allah.
The scholars differed concerning this.
A group of scholars held that “Al-Musʿir, Al-Qābiḍ, Al-Bāsiṭ, and Ar-Rāziq” are among Allah’s Names, because the hadith attributes them to Allah in derivative forms. Shaykh ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Barrak is among those who adopted this view, and a number of scholars have mentioned this meaning.
Other scholars, however, held that these expressions should not be counted among Allah’s Names, but that Allah may be described as doing these things, because the matter of informing about Allah is broader than the matter of His Beautiful Names.
Among those who adopted this approach are Shaykh ʿAbdullah al-Ghunayman and Shaykh ʿAbd al-Muhsin al-ʿAbbad.
Therefore, this issue is a recognized matter of scholarly disagreement, and it is not appropriate to be harsh in condemning someone who follows either of the two views.
That is not the case. The withholding attributed to Allah is one of His actions based upon perfect power and wisdom, and is not an absolute deficiency.
Allah may withhold provision from some of His servants for a wisdom and expand it for others for a wisdom. There is neither injustice nor purposelessness in any of this.
Allah the Exalted says:
“Indeed, your Lord extends provision for whom He wills and restricts it. Indeed, He is All-Aware, All-Seeing of His servants.” [Al-Isra: 30]
And He says:
“Who is it that would lend Allah a goodly loan so He may multiply it for him many times over? And Allah withholds and extends, and to Him you will be returned.” [Al-Baqarah: 245]
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, explained the meaning of the verse by stating that Allah restricts provision for whomever He wills among His servants and expands it for others, and that there is profound wisdom in this.
Just as expansion may be mercy and wisdom, withholding may also be mercy and wisdom. Both are part of Allah’s perfect management of His creation.
Some Names and Attributes manifest the perfection of their meaning when mentioned together with their counterpart. This includes Al-Qābiḍ and Al-Bāsiṭ.
If “Al-Qābiḍ” were mentioned alone, it might convey only the meaning of withholding and restriction. But when one says:
“Allah, the Withholder, the Expander,”
the perfection of His power and management becomes clear. He is the One Who withholds and expands provision, withholds and gives, and all of this occurs according to His wisdom and knowledge.
Al-Zajjaj, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that the proper manner with these two Names is to mention them together, because the completeness of power becomes apparent through their combination.
Al-Khattabi, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that combining them is more indicative of power and wisdom, because the Withholder and Expander is the One Who expands and restricts provision, expanding it through His generosity and mercy and withholding it through His wisdom.
According to the view that considers “Al-Qābiḍ” one of Allah’s Beautiful Names, the basic principle is that it is permissible to call upon Allah by it. However, it is preferable not to mention it alone without “Al-Bāsiṭ”, so one may say:
“Yā Qābiḍ, Yā Bāsiṭ” — “O Withholder, O Expander.”
Alternatively, Allah may be called upon by established and clear Names in contexts of asking, such as:
“Yā Razzāq, provide me from Your bounty,” and “O One of Vast Bounty, expand Your provision for me.”
As for those who consider “Al-Qābiḍ” to be a description of Allah’s actions rather than one of His Names, they do not use it as a Name for Allah, although it is valid to describe Allah by His actions that are established by the texts.
The hadith “Indeed, Allah is the One Who determines prices, the Withholder, the Expander, and the Provider” is authentic. Scholars have differed over whether these expressions should be counted among Allah’s Beautiful Names. Those who affirm “Al-Qābiḍ” as a Name do not consider it to imply deficiency, because Allah’s withholding occurs according to His wisdom and power, and the perfection of its meaning becomes apparent when it is paired with “Al-Bāsiṭ.” It is preferable when supplicating not to mention “Al-Qābiḍ” alone, but rather to say: “Yā Qābiḍ, Yā Bāsiṭ.”
And Allah knows best.