Ar Raqeeb - The (Keen) Observer
ALLAH Ar Raqeeb is the One who is a keen and watchful observer of all His creatures. He is higher than everyone and He is watching everything effortlessly. Not only is He watching all creatures but He is caring and protecting them every moment.
Ar Raqeeb has two equally important sides in it. One is knowledge ie: He knows everything as He observes every action, every intention, and every thought we have. He is the only One fully aware of who we are deeper in ourselves. He knows us more than even what we know of ourselves.
The second side is protection. ALLAH subhanahu wa ta’ala not only knows everything, but He protects us every moment from all the harm. He keeps our secrets and honor. Although He knows our deepest thoughts and untold motives we keep, as a protective Rab He keeps them hidden from the eyes of fellow humans and let us keep going, giving us many chances to improve ourselves, make our intentions pure, and keep our path straight for Him.
In this Name, there is an element of demanding conscious respect for Ar Raqeeb. “Raqba” is called "neck" in Arabic, so an element of fear of being caught by our Rab is a part of this name. He is looking at us, keenly observing us, and aware of everything we do, say and think. Are we not aware of this continuous surveillance of ourselves? Is it not enough to keep us away and far from everything that ALLAH dislikes? We know what wrong we have in our actions, talks, and intentions. This is the time to correct them and be mindful of our protective Ar Raqeeb. Before He catches us or lets us be exposed, this is our time to return and say our apologies.
The human part of Ar Raqeeb is to be aware of His keen observation. For that, we have to be observant of ourselves. Is that the soul needs some cleansing? Is that the heart needs some detox from negative thoughts? Before Ar Raqeeb's perfect system of surveillance decides to catch and correct us why not make us a better person in His eyes? He is our loving and protecting Rab.
We can correct ourselves in His respect. Let us not respond to harsh talks with harsh words and be patient with the people around us. Try not to act negatively, in response to the negative acts. Instead of reflecting on a similar or bigger evil we can turn the page and move ahead. ALLAH has given us some awareness today. So let us pray for His help and try to act better, which will make us true servants of Ar Raqeeb. InshaALLAH ♥️
