Praise be to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
“Al-Basit” is considered one of Allah’s Names by a group of scholars, and it is permissible to invoke Allah by it alone, although it is preferable when supplicating to mention it together with the name “Al-Qabid,” because they are established together in the Sunnah.
It is established in a hadith that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“Indeed, Allah is the One who determines prices, the Withholder, the Expander, the Provider. And I hope to meet Allah without any of you having a claim against me for an injustice concerning blood or wealth.”
Narrated by Abu Dawud (3451), At-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah (2200). Al-Albani authenticated it in Sahih Abi Dawud.
More than one scholar counted “Al-Basit” among the Names of Allah تعالى, based on this hadith.
The meaning of Al-Basit is: The One who expands and increases; this includes expanding the provision of His servants and granting them abundance according to His wisdom, Glorified be He.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿Indeed, my Lord expands provision for whom He wills of His servants and restricts it for him.﴾ [Saba: 36]
Scholars have mentioned that some of Allah’s Names have their complete meaning in being paired with corresponding Names, because mentioning some of them alone may suggest a meaning that is not befitting Allah تعالى.
Examples include:
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:
“Among His Names, Glorified be He, are paired Names, such as Al-Mu‘izz and Al-Mudhill, Al-Khafid and Ar-Rafi‘, Al-Qabid and Al-Basit, and Al-Mu‘ti and Al-Mani‘.”
He explained that when these Names are combined, the perfection of their meaning becomes evident, unlike mentioning some Names individually, which may suggest an inappropriate meaning.
Yes, there is no harm in a Muslim saying: “Ya Basit,” because the Name “Al-Basit” is established in the Sunnah, and using it alone does not imply any deficiency concerning Allah تعالى.
This differs from some Names whose isolated use may suggest an inappropriate meaning, such as “Al-Mani‘” (the Withholder), “Ad-Darr” (the One who causes harm), or “Al-Qabid” (the Withholder). It is more complete to mention such Names together with their corresponding Names.
It is authentically established that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
“And Allah is the Giver, while I am the Distributor.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari (2884) and Muslim (1721).
Thus, the Name “Al-Mu‘ti” (the Giver) was mentioned alone, even though its counterpart, “Al-Mani‘,” is among the Names mentioned with it in the discussion of paired Names.
It is permissible to say:
“Ya Basit, expand upon me from Your bounty, mercy, and provision.”
It is also permissible to say:
“Ya Qabid, Ya Basit, withhold from me whatever harms me, and expand upon me from Your bounty and mercy.”
However, it is more complete and safer to mention “Al-Basit” together with “Al-Qabid”, because these two Names were mentioned together in the hadith, and because combining corresponding Names demonstrates the perfection of Allah’s dominion and wisdom in withholding and expanding.
“Al-Basit” is among the Names of Allah تعالى according to a group of scholars, and it is permissible to invoke Allah by it alone. Thus, a Muslim may say: “Ya Basit.”
Nevertheless, it is more complete to pair it with the Name “Al-Qabid,” saying: “Ya Qabid, Ya Basit,” because these two Names were mentioned together in the Sunnah, and because combining corresponding Names more completely indicates Allah’s perfection and wisdom.
And Allah knows best.