Asma ul Husna- #87 Al Qareeb, #88 Al Mubeen, #89 Az Zahir, #90 Al Baatin

Al- Qareeb

Sometimes we feel far from Allah (swt), and our prayers are nothing more than chores. Yet think of the difference in our prayer if we recognized that when we start the prayer, we are actually going to al-Qareeb – the Near One.
Allah’s Name al-Qareeb comes in three formats in the Qur’an:

Alone: “And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am Qareeb [near].” [Qur'an, 2:186]
With as-Samee’ (the All-Hearing): “Indeed, He is Hearing and near.” [Qur’an, 34:50]
With al-Mujeeb (the One who responds): “Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive.” [Qur’an, 11:61]

This teaches us something: Allah is close to us, He hears us, and He responds to our du`a. He hears our inner thoughts even when we do not articulate them, and He hears our silent du`a’. 🔸Imagine that Allah (swt) knows everything about you and all the things you reflect on; that is how near He is to you. Sometimes even your best friend won’t understand the turmoil you are going through, but al-Qareeb does.
Now imagine when you are going to the prayer, you are going to the One who understands everything you are going through.

You may have just had the worst day of your life: seek refuge in your prayer, tell Allah (swt) you need His help. 🔺
Perhaps you had an amazing day: use your prayer for recognition that the good was from Allah (swt) and for thanks.
Perhaps it was a day like any other: use your prayer as a reminder of purpose.

When we say that we find being devoted in prayer is difficult, it is because we have not yet realized the meaning of Allah’s Name al-Qareeb.
When we live our lives with the knowledge that Allah is indeed close to us, closer than our jugular vein, our prayer will reflect that.

After all, the prayer is our intimate conversation with Allah

The Clear and Manifest One

This attribute has a double meaning revolving around the notion of 'being clear'.

First, it identifies Allaah as being the Clear and Manifest Truth.
Second, it reflects His promise that He will make everything clear to us on the Day of Judgement. This will include the true magnitude of our actions, good and bad.

Az - Zahir

The Manifest, The Conspicuous, The Evident, The All Victorious

The One who has manifest all of creation and who is manifest in all of creation.
The One whose nature and existence is demonstrated in all of creation.
The One whose essence and attributes are shown throughout all of creation.
The One who is above creation, yet who is made visible through creation.
The One who has no rival or competitor, He is the One and Only All Victorious and has power and control over every and anything.
The signs of Allah’s existence, which are spread throughout the universe, are evident for all people of understanding. Grasping Allah’s existence demands no more than a careful scrutiny into one’s surroundings, for the universe abounds with signs of creation. From the simplest to the most complex ones, all systems reveal a network of miracles that present even more mysteries as one makes an in-depth analysis.
What is our 'zahir'? It is our actions, as actions are what that's manifest of us. If we take our steps properly, then we will encounter the beauty of Allah. We have to correct our zahir, and then we can find goodness and beauty.
The actions that we perform are all the attribute of Zahir of Allah. As we let this good akhlak live, we are showing its reflection of the world on ourselves. Allah gives His judgment by looking at our Zahir. Let us not forget this. To become beautiful, we have to make our Zahir beautiful of course along with our 'batin' (hidden/heart)

Zahir (manifest) and Batin (hidden) are complementary attributes.

Zahir is that which is outward, manifest, apparent, visible.

Batin is that which is inward, concealed, obscured.

The Hidden, The Secret One, The Knower of Hidden Things

The One who is veiled from our sensory perception. 🔸The One who is unseen, yet whose existence and essence are made known through signs.
The One who knows the inner states, inner circumstances and inner thoughts of all of creation.
The One who enters unseen into all of creation. 🔸The One who is concealed within all of creation.
The One who is the secret inner companion.
From the root b-t-n which has the following classical Arabic connotations: