الْوَاجِدُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Wajid
The Resourceful
Al-Wajid is the Resourceful, the Unfailing, the Finder. The Resourceful fits a hadith that speaks of one who possesses means (Abu Dawud 3628, graded hasan by al-Albani), and the Quran speaks of Allah finding His Prophet ﷺ an orphan and sheltering him (93:6). The Name itself comes from the list of Names in at-Tirmidhi.
Key verse
﴿أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَـَٔاوَىٰ﴾Did He not find you as an orphan then sheltered you?
The scholar's text
The Resourceful; The Unfailing, The Finder.
الواجد؛ الذي لا يفتقر، الذي يجد.
Where the Name Comes From
Al-Wajid comes in the list of Names, right before Al-Majid, in the hadith of at-Tirmidhi's Jami' (3507), which al-Albani and others graded weak. Ibn Kathir, on 7:180, reports that many hadith scholars held the listing in that hadith to be an addition by its narrators, gathered from the Quran, and he adds that the Most Beautiful Names are not limited to ninety-nine.
Arabic: من أين جاء الاسم
الواجد في سرد الأسماء، قبل الماجد، في حديث الترمذي الذي ضعفه الألباني وغيره. قال ابن كثير عند آية الأعراف: «والذي عول عليه جماعة من الحفاظ أن سرد الأسماء في هذا الحديث مدرج فيه»، أي أن بعض أهل العلم جمعوها من القرآن، وقال: «ثم ليعلم أن الأسماء الحسنى ليست منحصرة في التسعة والتسعين».
One Who Has the Means
The word is used in the hadith for a person who can pay: “Delay in payment on the part of one who possesses means makes it lawful to dishonour and punish him” (Sunan Abi Dawud 3628, graded hasan by al-Albani). Al-Sa'di uses it the same way on 58:12, where those who had the means were asked to give charity before a private talk with the Prophet ﷺ, and those who did not were excused. The meaning given above, the Resourceful, says this of Allah.
Arabic: لي الواجد
جاءت الكلمة في الحديث لمن يقدر على الوفاء: «لَىُّ الْوَاجِدِ يُحِلُّ عِرْضَهُ وَعُقُوبَتَهُ» (سنن أبي داود 3628، حسنه الألباني). وفي آية المجادلة أُمر من يجد بالصدقة قبل مناجاة النبي ﷺ وعُفي عمن لا يجد، قال السعدي: «هذا في الواجد للصدقة، وأما الذي لا يجد الصدقة، فإن الله لم يضيق عليه الأمر، بل عفا عنه وسامحه». وهذا ما يقوله المعنى المذكور أعلاه (Resourceful) في وصف الله.
Did He Not Find You?
﴿وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآلًّا فَهَدَىٰ﴾Did He not find you unguided then guided you?
Surah ad-Duha speaks of Allah's care for His Prophet ﷺ: did He not find you an orphan and shelter you (93:6), and find you unguided and guide you (93:7)? Al-Sa'di fills in each. He found him with no mother or father, his parents dead, and sheltered him. He found him not knowing what the Book or faith was, taught him what he did not know, and gave him success in the best deeds and character.
Arabic: ألم يجدك يتيما فآوى
وتذكر سورة الضحى رعاية الله لنبيه ﷺ: ﴿أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَـَٔاوَىٰ﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: وجدك لا أم لك، ولا أب، بل قد مات أبوه وأمه وهو لا يدبر نفسه، فآواه الله»، و﴿وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآلًّا فَهَدَىٰ﴾، قال: «أي: وجدك لا تدري ما الكتاب ولا الإيمان، فعلمك ما لم تكن تعلم، ووفقك لأحسن الأعمال والأخلاق».
They Find Allah There
﴿وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَعْمَـٰلُهُمْ كَسَرَابٍۭ بِقِيعَةٍ يَحْسَبُهُ ٱلظَّمْـَٔانُ مَآءً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَهُۥ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْـًٔا وَوَجَدَ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ فَوَفَّىٰهُ حِسَابَهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ﴾As for the disbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert, which the thirsty perceive as water, but when they approach it, they find it to be nothing. Instead, they find Allah there ˹in the Hereafter, ready˺ to settle their account. And Allah is swift in reckoning.
24:39 turns it around: here it is people who find Allah. The disbelievers' deeds are a mirage the thirsty man takes for water; he walks up to it, finds nothing there, and finds Allah, who pays him his account in full. Al-Sa'di carries the picture to the Day of Recompense: the man arrives at his deeds and they are gone, yet not the smallest part of what he did was hidden from Allah.
Arabic: ووجد الله عنده فوفاه حسابه
وفي آية النور يجد الناس الله: أعمال الكفار كسراب يحسبه الظمآن ماء، ﴿حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَهُۥ لَمْ يَجِدْهُ شَيْـًٔا وَوَجَدَ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ فَوَفَّىٰهُ حِسَابَهُۥ﴾، قال السعدي: «حتى إذ قدم على أعماله يوم الجزاء، وجدها ضائعة، ولم يجدها شيئا، والحال إنه لم يذهب، لا له ولا عليه، بل وجد اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ فَوَفَّاهُ حِسَابَهُ لم يخف عليه من عمله نقير ولا قطمير، ولن يعدم منه قليلا ولا كثيرا».
They Will Find Allah Forgiving
﴿وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا﴾Whoever commits evil or wrongs themselves then seeks Allah’s forgiveness will certainly find Allah All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
4:110 gives the other finding: whoever commits evil or wrongs themselves and then seeks Allah's forgiveness will find Allah All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Al-Sa'di sets the condition, a full seeking of forgiveness that admits the sin, regrets it, leaves it and resolves not to return, and calls the promise one made by the One who never breaks His word. One hadith qudsi holds both: “it is but your deeds that I record for you and then recompense you for. So let him who finds good, praise Allah, and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself” (Sahih Muslim 2577).
Arabic: يجد الله غفورا رحيما
وتذكر آية النساء الوجدان الآخر: ﴿وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُۥ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا﴾، قال السعدي: «ثم استغفر الله استغفارا تاما يستلزم الإقرار بالذنب والندم عليه والإقلاع والعزم على أن لا يعود. فهذا قد وعده من لا يخلف الميعاد بالمغفرة والرحمة». ويجمع الحديث القدسي الوجدانين: «يَا عِبَادِي إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ أُحْصِيهَا لَكُمْ ثُمَّ أُوَفِّيكُمْ إِيَّاهَا فَمَنْ وَجَدَ خَيْرًا فَلْيَحْمَدِ اللَّهَ وَمَنْ وَجَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلاَ يَلُومَنَّ إِلاَّ نَفْسَهُ» (صحيح مسلم 2577).
From the Sunnah
it is but your deeds that I record for you and then recompense you for. So let him who finds good, praise Allah, and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself
يَا عِبَادِي إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ أُحْصِيهَا لَكُمْ ثُمَّ أُوَفِّيكُمْ إِيَّاهَا فَمَنْ وَجَدَ خَيْرًا فَلْيَحْمَدِ اللَّهَ وَمَنْ وَجَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلاَ يَلُومَنَّ إِلاَّ نَفْسَهُ
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You. You have created me and I am Your slave and I am keeping my promise and covenant to You as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from the evil of what I do. I acknowledge Your blessing and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for there is none who can forgive sin except You.
Sunan an-Nasa'i 5522, graded sahih by al-Albani: the best way of seeking forgiveness (in the Arabic the sin is named before the blessing; the translation reverses them)
Related Names
Questions about Al-Wajid
What does Al-Wajid mean?
Al-Wajid is the Resourceful, the Unfailing, the Finder.
Where does the Name Al-Wajid come from?
Al-Wajid comes from the list in Jami at-Tirmidhi 3507, which al-Albani graded weak; and 93:6 speaks of Allah finding: Did He not find you as an orphan then sheltered you?
What does Resourceful point to in Al-Wajid?
Al-Wajid as the Resourceful points to having the means, as in the hadith about a debtor who possesses means and delays paying (Abu Dawud 3628, graded hasan by al-Albani).
How does a person find Allah forgiving?
Turn back to Him after the sin: whoever seeks His forgiveness will find Him All-Forgiving (4:110). Al-Sa'di's conditions are to admit it, regret it, leave it, and mean not to return.