This name appears for Allah nine times in the Qur’an, sometimes on its own and sometimes in connection with another of Allah’s names.
Allah says: “To Allah belong the east and the west, so wherever you turn, there is Allah’s countenance. For Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.” [Sūrah al-Baqarah: 115]
And: “Allah is ever All-Embracing, Wise.” [Sūrah al-Nisā’: 130]
And: “Your Lord is All-Embracing in His forgiveness.” [Sūrah al-Najm: 32]
Abu `Ubaydah, one of Prophet Muhammad’s eminent Companions, understood this name to mean that “Allah is most liberal in His giving, His generosity embracing all that is asked of Him.”
Indeed, this name connotes that Allah’s grace and munificence encompass everything His creatures need, and that His management of the affairs of the universe is complete and thorough. Therefore, this name communicates to us the interconnectedness of Allah’s knowledge, His all-embracing awareness, His care, and His beneficence to everything in existence.
The name also communicates something about Allah’s essence: that He is complete in His names and attributes and His greatness and perfection are without limitation. No amount of praise can encompass Allah’s due. Allah is as He extols Himself, for no words that humans can utter will ever do Him justice.
Regarding Allah’s attributes, we have where `Ā’ishah says: “Glory be to Allah whose hearing embraces all voices. The woman came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) with her plea. She had a grievance against her husband. I was in the corner of the house and did not hear what she said. Then Allah revealed: ‘Allah has heard the plea of the woman who pleads with you…’” [Sunan al-Nasā’ī (3460) and Sunan Ibn Mājah (188, 2063)]
The vastness of Allah’s creation is but one manifestation of how Allah is All-Embracing. Allah says: “We have built the heaven with might, and We made its vast expanse. And the Earth, We have made it a wide extent; how graciously We have spread it out.” [Sūrah al-Dhāriyāt: 47-48]
Then there is all that is beyond the visible universe that our eyes can perceive, of that even our minds can conceive of. Allah’s creative power is All-Embracing; it knows no limits.
Another connotation of this name is that Allah’s Law is flexible, accommodating all contingencies and making allowances for all difficulties. Allah says: “Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire for you difficulty.” [Sūrah al-Baqarah: 185]
And: “Allah wishes to lighten your burdens.” [Sūrah al-Nisā’: 28]
And: “Allah burdens no soul except with what it can bear.” [Sūrah al-An`ām: 152]
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “This religion is easy. No one should become severe about it, for then it will overwhelming Him.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (39)]
Islam is a religion that embraces all contingencies. It makes concessions for difficulties in matters of worship, in matters of daily life, and in all its legal pronouncements. Whatever difficulties people find in practicing their religion are exceptional, either caused by the society in which the people live or by the ideological constraints that people impose upon themselves in the practice of their faith. Islam and its teachings, however, are far greater and more flexible than any culture, school of thought, or narrow set of opinions.
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