How Allah Changes Even the Most Hopeless Situations | Allah’s Names | Dr. Omar Suleiman | Ep. 19

So, do you like hot chocolate? Uh, yeah, it's good, thank you. Don't worry. Your uncle will be fine. Allah is the one who controls everything. How did you know what I was thinking? Didn't you know that I have superpowers and I can read minds? Just like my mom. But it doesn't take a lot to see how much you love your uncle. Um, I'm just worried about him because if anything happens to him, my mom would be sad. So for your mom's sake, God willing, Allah will keep him safe. And I'm sure that he loves you too. Loves me? He can't wait to get rid of me and send me to that boarding school. You want to live with him instead? Does it even matter? It isn't even my choice. Adam, Allah's plans are always better than the choices that we make ourselves. And I'm sure He has something good waiting for you. Just need to believe in it. Drink. You have the why questions, and those are answered by The All-Knowing, Wise, Subtle, Aware. And then... the "when" questions are answered by the Subduer, the Compeller, the Supreme. But then the "how" ones. The "how" questions are when you look at a situation and go, "How in the world is this going to change?" And there's a particular type of helplessness that comes from staring at what appears to be the end of the road and submitting yourself to an outcome of defeat, whether it's on a personal or an ummah level. Think about Laylat al-Qadr, the night of decree, which we will seek in these last ten nights to come. The root word of Qadr being divine decree also shares in the root of power. And so it's not wrong to say that one of the meanings of Laylat al-Qadr is that it's also the night of power. Because who has the power to decree for everyone, forgive everyone, monitor everyone, and record everyone all in one night? Who other than Allah is able to change the whole world while clogging the heavens with angels who descend and ascend at His command without missing a single thing? So if you're talking about your personal issues, Allah has the power to forgive you for everything you've ever done and to rectify your situation and to write for you a lifetime of good deeds without any objection or limitation. And if it's the state of the Ummah, Allah can destroy a tyrant, collapse an empire, and restore the oppressed in an instant without any objection or limitation. His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, "Be," and it is. Verily, His command when He wants something is to simply say, "Be," and it is. Be, and you're forgiven. Be, and a blessing you thought was impossible arrives. Be, and an obstacle you thought was insurmountable vanishes. He lets you exhaust every plan so you can finally see that power is not in your effort, but His permission. And that's what separates believers from spectators of miracles. The believer knows that the command "Be" still echoes in everything around. He is power itself. And His power lives behind all of His names. See, some people have good qualities, but they don't have the power to execute those qualities. So you may be kind, but you don't have the means to show kindness. Or you may be brilliant, but you don't have a platform for that brilliance. Behind every name and attribute of Allah is His qudrah, His power. Because if He had mercy without power, it would just be sympathy. And if He had wisdom without the power to intervene, it would just be good advice. So He is The Merciful, and He shows His mercy as He pleases because He can. And He is the Compeller, who breaks or mends as He pleases because He can. He knows what and how to do everything, which is why you ask Him, because He can. You know, I noticed when I go to certain places and you ask someone for something, they have a way of responding in that particular culture. So in Malaysia, they say, "Can, can." You ask, "Is it possible to do this?" And God willing, they say, "Can, can." But of course, Malaysians are humans just like the rest of us. Only Allah can say, "Be, and it is." And look at His three names that unfold that reality systematically. Allah is the Capable, the All-Able, the All-Powerful. The Capable is the one specifically able to answer your specific challenge that feels impossible to you. What do I mean by that? Whether it's a young man sitting in his room at night with his head full of questions about his failures, or a father in Gaza holding a candle in the dark rubble of his ruined home with questions about his future. Different worlds, but the same word is echoing in both of their hearts. How? Sometimes it feels safe to say, in the broadest sense, "Don't worry, Allah can change anything." But then someone says, "But can He do that?" It can feel like a cop-out to go general when you have a specific challenge that you can't seem to overcome. So Al-Qadir is used in the Quran to answer the specific questions. How will He possibly bring the dead back to life? Is not that Creator able to give life to the dead? Is not Al-Qadir able to give life to the dead? Well, can He send a sign? Say, "Indeed, Allah is able to send down a sign." Say, "Al-Qadir is certainly able to send down a sign." But can He create us again in full form? Is not He who created the heavens and the earth able to create the likes of them? Is not Al-Qadir, who created the heavens and the earth, able to create the likeness of them again? You'll notice these specific challenges all center on resurrection because the Arabs at the time of the Prophet used to deny life after death. So Allah answered their specifics with this name, Al-Qadir. But for us, can He fix this marriage? Can He heal this body? Can He guide that person? Can He forgive me after all this? Or how about, can He give life to Gaza after it's been shattered to rubble? Al-Qadir says, "I can." When your heart asks in specifics, Al-Qadir answers in specifics. And He places everything in due proportion and appointed time. He ordained it precisely. It's not random force. It's precise, measured power. Every planet in orbit and every creature runs under His command. Indeed, all things We created with predestination. Verily, We created everything with perfect measure. Notice the word here, everything. And that's His name, Al-Qadir, the All-Powerful, who is always able. Look how it comes in the Quran. Do they not see that Allah, who created the heavens and earth and did not fail in their creation, is able to give life to the dead? Yes. Indeed, He is over all things competent. Have they not seen that Allah, who created the heavens and the earth and did not tire in their creation, is Qadir, is able to give life to the dead? Yes, indeed, He is over all things Qadir. The Prophet Uzair once stood before a destroyed town and he asked, "How will Allah give this life after its death?" How will Allah give this life after its death? Now think of it like when we look at Gaza reduced to rubble. He wasn't asking out of disbelief. He was inquiring, how will this dead city come back to life? So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then He revived him. So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, and then He brought him back. But He He didn't just bring him back. He brought that whole town back, the people, the markets, the life. And when Uzair saw that, he said, "I know that Allah is powerful over all things." Now I know that certainly Allah is over all things powerful. So Al-Qadir is the answer to your specific how. Al-Qadir is the reminder that there are no exceptions. So before the specific doubt even comes, where you'd need to be reminded that He is Qadir, you've already trained yourself to know that He is Qadir, always able. Think of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, when the Prophet was taken on the journey of Al-Isra' wal-Mi'raj. They went to him mockingly and they said, "Your companion claims that he went to Jerusalem and through the heavens and came back in one night." Abu Bakr did not even flinch. He said, "If he said it, he's telling the truth." Why? Because he always tells the truth. I trusted him with everything before, so why wouldn't I trust him now? So with Allah, I already knew that He could do everything before anything else happened. But then there is one more name in this family, and it's the rarest of the three, Al-Muqtadir, which is the perfect in power. Al-Muqtadir is power that executes without resistance. Because sometimes Someone is capable, but they lack position. There are many qualified people that never get to serve. But with Al-Muqtadir, He doesn't just have ability, He has authority. So it's not only that He can, it's that He does. And that's a big difference. Think of it as Allah having power over His power. And at what point will you see the realization of that power? While the hypocrite and the oppressor is being crushed in hellfire for eternity. Allah says, Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and rivers, In a seat of honor near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability. That verily, the righteous will live securely among gardens and rivers, secure in the presence of Al-Malik Al-Muqtadir, the King and the Powerful, who executes at will with no holes, with no resistance, with nothing to take it away. Similar to how Joseph could recognize Al-Latif fully in hindsight. When the curtains on this world close like a movie coming to an end, when some people applaud and others tremble, and the gates of Paradise open up by Allah's permission for us as well. At that point, we'll recognize Al-Muqtadir, perfect in His power, with a perfectly executed plan all along. And you will be next to prophets and martyrs and righteous ones. And all of you together are seeing how every delayed justice, every unseen mercy, and every promised reward came to be exactly as He said it would. And just like with His Lutf, with His subtle kindness, if you look deeper now, you'll already find Al-Muqtadir in action. How many times has Allah taken you out of an impossible situation before? What makes you think He can't do it again? If it's best for you. So He is Al-Qadir upon it, Al-Qadir over all of it, and Al-Muqtadir in every bit of it. Nothing slips His grasp. Nothing resists His will. He is the one who split the sea for Musa, who cooled the fire for Ibrahim, who preserved Yusuf in a well and in a prison before placing him on a throne. And if He could do all of that for them, do you really think your story is going to be the first one that He can't finish? So ask Him to write what you can't write, to fix what you can't fix, to open what you can't open, and to carry what you can't carry. Because He can, and He does. O All-Powerful, Nothing is beyond Your power. As You part the seas and revive the dead, lift our people from beneath the weight of this world. Show us that no injustice is too deep for You to overturn, and no despair too dark for You to light again. O Capable, every decree is in Your command. Grant victory to the oppressed, freedom for the prisoners, and safety for every child who sleeps in fear. Only You can turn tears into triumph and rubble into resurrection. O Powerful, Your power is perfect. Your execution is flawless. Let those who boast of might see how small they really are. Crush the arrogance that claims control over Your creation and remind us that even the most helpless among us are upheld by You alone. Grant us strength without cruelty, faith without fatigue, and victory that only humbles us before You until we dwell in that place where our oppressors can no longer reach us and only those You love stand before You. To Allah belong the names most beautiful, so call upon Him by them.

Ramadan is whirling by. Automate your donations for the last 10 nights and make every night count: http://yqn.io/aww6 Sometimes life brings us to what feels like a dead end. We exhaust every plan, every ounce of energy, and every explanation we can find. But for the believer, that “dead end” is not the end at all. It is the moment where human effort ends and trust in Allah truly begins. Behind every Name of Allah is His qudrah, the power to execute His mercy, His wisdom, and His justice. Allah is not only merciful. He has the power to show mercy. He is not only wise. He has the power to bring His wisdom into reality. In this episode of The Name I Need, Dr. Omar Suleiman explores three of the Names of Power: Al-Qaadir, Al-Qadeer, and Al-Muqtadir. These Names remind us that nothing is beyond Allah’s ability. The One who split the sea for Musa, cooled the fire for Ibrahim, and raised Yusuf from a well to a throne still has the power to transform your story. As we approach Laylatul Qadr, the Night of Power, this episode reminds us that when Allah says “Kun” (Be), it is. Download the free discussion guides to deepen your reflection on The Name I Need series: http://yqn.io/y330 Note: Only vocals were used in the making of the soundtrack. 00:00 Opening Scene 02:13 Dr. Omar Suleiman Begins: The Questions We Ask Allah 02:43 Why Laylatul Qadr Is the Night of Power 03:56 When Allah Says “Kun” 04:27 The Power Behind Every Name of Allah 05:43 When the Impossible Has an Answer 07:45 Nothing in Creation Is Random 08:43 Can Allah Bring the Dead Back? 09:49 The Certainty of Abu Bakr 10:23 The Name That Executes Power 11:33 When Everything Finally Makes Sense 12:14 Remember When Allah Saved You Before 12:59 Ask Allah for the Impossible 13:15 Closing Du'a: A Du’a for Victory and Relief Click SUBSCRIBE and hit the 🔔 icon to receive the latest updates from Yaqeen! Visit http://www.yaqeeninstitute.org for full access to all research publications, infographics, and videos. Join the conversation on UpScrolled, X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook @yaqeeninstitute!