Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The Name of Allah تعالى “Al-Hasib” encompasses the meanings of sufficiency, preservation, reckoning, and recompense. He, Glorified and Exalted be He, is sufficient for His servants, fully aware of their deeds, knowledgeable of their minute and significant details, and He holds them accountable for them and recompenses them according to His wisdom and knowledge.
Allah تعالى says:
“Indeed, Allah is ever, over all things, an Accountant.” [An-Nisa’: 86]
One of the meanings of Al-Hasib is “the Sufficient One.” Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, is sufficient for His servants, and His sufficiency encompasses everything they need.
His sufficiency is of two types:
General sufficiency: This is His sufficiency for all His servants in whatever concerns them in matters of their religion and worldly life, including bringing benefits and warding off harm.
Special sufficiency: This is His sufficiency for His believing, God-fearing servant who places his trust in Him. He provides him with what is beneficial for his religion and worldly life and helps him obey Him and remain steadfast upon the truth.
Allah تعالى says:
“O Prophet, sufficient for you is Allah and for whoever follows you of the believers.” [Al-Anfal: 64]
That is: Allah is sufficient for you and for the believers who follow you.
And He سبحانه says:
“Is not Allah sufficient for His Servant?” [Az-Zumar: 36]
True sufficiency belongs to Allah alone, just as reliance, piety, and worship belong to Him alone.
Another meaning of Al-Hasib is the One who holds His servants accountable for their deeds and recompenses them for them.
Allah تعالى knows all the deeds of His servants, both small and great, apparent and hidden, and He holds them accountable according to His perfect knowledge and wisdom.
Allah تعالى says:
“Indeed, Allah is ever, over all things, an Accountant.” [An-Nisa’: 86]
Nothing of His servants’ deeds is hidden from Allah, nor does even the weight of an atom escape Him. Rather, His knowledge encompasses everything, and He has enumerated the deeds of creation, their measures, their appointed times, and all their affairs.
Allah’s reckoning is not like the reckoning of created beings. A human being needs counting and detailed calculation in order to determine the total of things. As for Allah تعالى, His knowledge encompasses everything from the outset, and His knowledge does not depend on something coming into existence or on completing a process of calculation.
He, Glorified and Exalted be He, knows the number of His servants, their deeds, their appointed times, their conditions, and everything concerning them. Nothing is hidden from Him, and He does not need counting, instruments, or information processing to know these things.
When a servant knows that Allah تعالى is Al-Hasib over him, encompasses his deeds, and is sufficient for him, this motivates him to be mindful of Allah in private and public, to be sincere in his deeds, and to avoid sins.
Belief in Allah’s sufficiency also encourages him to rely upon Him and place his trust in Him, while taking the lawful and appropriate means.
The believer knows that Allah تعالى is the One who suffices His servants, and that whoever truly places his trust in Him entrusts his affairs to Him. Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, will then be sufficient for him in whatever benefits his religion and worldly life.
Allah سبحانه is the swiftest of reckoners. When creation returns to Him on the Day of Resurrection, He will reckon them all, and this will not be difficult for Him, because He knows their number, their deeds, their appointed times, and all their circumstances.
His knowledge encompasses everything. Nothing escapes Him, not even the weight of an atom, nor anything smaller or greater than it, as Allah تعالى says:
“And nothing is absent from your Lord, [even] the weight of an atom within the earth or within the heaven or [anything] smaller than that or greater, except that it is in a clear Record.” [Yunus: 61]
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
He is Al-Hasib, in sufficiency and protection,
and Allah is sufficient for the servant at every moment.
The Name of Allah تعالى “Al-Hasib” indicates the perfection of His sufficiency for His servants, His encompassing knowledge of their deeds, and His reckoning and recompensing them for those deeds. He, Glorified and Exalted be He, is sufficient for His servants, preserves their deeds, encompasses with His knowledge everything they do, and nothing is hidden from Him.
Among the effects of believing in this Name are: reliance upon Allah, confidence in His sufficiency, being mindful of Him in private and public, and preparing for the Day of Reckoning.
And Allah knows best.