The name “al-Quddus”, an adjective derived from the root “quds”, meaning “to be clean”, expresses the superlative and signifies that our Lord (swt) is free from all kinds of deficiencies and imperfections; He is immaculate. It declares that Allah is free from everything that may be contrary to perfection. According to al-Ghazali, this name signifies not only that Allah is free from the attribution of imperfection but also that He is free from all conceivable attributes of being created and from the cognition of His essence by the intellect. The ultimate judgment that the intellect can make about Allah, whose essence cannot be known through the patterns of the intellect, is that He resembles nothing. He cannot be limited in any way to fit into the human imagination! That’s why it is stated in the Qur’an: “There is nothing like Him.” (Shura, 42:11)
This name, which expresses infinite remoteness from all kinds of imperfection, can only be used for Allah. It is impossible to attribute this name to human beings, as it would imply the existence in them of some powers or qualities beyond a created being. Because no matter how good people are, no matter how perfect they appear to be, they cannot be completely free of imperfections and flaws. In fact, that is what makes them human. Even to be a perfect (kāmil) human being is not to be a person with superhuman qualities, but to be a person who can realize the morality that Allah expects of him/her despite having all the conditions of being a human. None of the truthful, martyred, or righteous people who are acceptable in the sight of Allah, including the prophets (Nisa, 4:69), nor the awliya whom people look upon with favor, nor even the angels (Nisa, 4:172; Yunus, 10:62-64), possess the “supra-creative and transcendent” qualities that constitute the essence of holiness.
As stated in the Qur’an, all the prophets warned their people not to attribute divinity, holiness, or perfection to anyone other than Allah and not to practice servitude to them. In essence, this is the belief of tawhid, which is the basic principle of every prophet’s message. However, over time, among Muslims, there has been a tendency influenced by foreign cultures to sanctify natural objects, persons, places, and times, similar to practices in pre-Islamic religions. This tendency includes the elevation of leading scholars of theological and jurisprudential schools of thought to an infallible status where their views are considered uncriticizable. Additionally, sacrilegious expressions about deceased tariqah leaders are sometimes used, and there is a tendency to treat their graves as shrines in the hope of seeking help from them.
The path that Christianity has taken throughout history serves as a prominent example of the consequences of claiming holiness in someone or something based on personal beliefs rather than Allah’s revelation. However, the authority to determine what is holy or not has never been delegated to human beings. When individuals interfere with this divine prerogative and attempt to establish their own sanctity, polytheism starts to emerge. The fact that there is no being other than Allah who is inherently holy does not prevent Allah from recognizing any being He wishes as holy. Like all other names, our Lord’s name “al-Quddus” is manifested in the created world according to His will. Allah, Who is “holy”, can render whomever He wills “holy”. Since these creatures, in which holiness is manifested, strongly evoke Him, they now reflect a reality beyond themselves. For example, according to Elmalılı, the term “Ruh al-Qudus” found in four verses (Baqarah, 2:87; Ma’idah, 5:110; Nahl, 16:102) means the spirit of holiness, that is, the spirit that cannot be tainted by any impurity, that is, trustworthy, holy, pure, and it refers to Jibril (as). Jibril is mentioned with this title to show the value of the Qur’an and to indicate that it was sent down from the presence of the One Who is “al-Quddus” through a holy spirit untainted by any impurity. The word “qudsi” has been added to some of the hadiths to indicate that their meaning comes from the same source as the Qur’an and to distinguish them from the words of the Prophet himself. The essential conditions of human existence that our Creator requires us to protect, and that He Himself revealed the Shari‘ah to protect, are also called “muqaddasat”.
Those who know that Allah is free from all imperfection and negativity also know that no evil can come from Him. Believing that everything that comes from Him is pure goodness is a perspective that completely changes and purifies one’s view of life. Thus, it becomes easier for us to see the share of our own mistakes in the adversities that befall us. Moreover, Muslims who truly believe in this name do not deify anyone else because they know that no one can be perfect except Allah. Thus, they do not humiliate their personality, which is a blessing from Allah, by attributing it to people like themselves.
With a sufistic approach, al-Qushayri says that the servants who receive their share of the name of al-Quddus will purify their faith, worship, and heart from all kinds of falsehood, and will keep their nafs from following inferior desires, their wealth from suspicion of haram, and their time from the impurity of opposing Him for the sake of Allah’s pleasure. Purity of faith is based on certainty (yaqīn) of knowledge, free from doubt and hesitation; purity of worship is based on sincerity (ikhlas); and purity of heart is based on the elimination of bad traits.
To maintain the purity of mind and heart, it is crucial for individuals to lead a life of purity and cleanliness, repenting and purifying themselves from human errors. The lingering evil within us constantly pulls us down, tempting us back toward it. It is far easier for people to strive to live the purest, cleanest life possible than to attempt to eradicate the remnants of evil.
