الْخَافِضُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Khaafid
The Abaser
Al-Khaafid lowers whoever He wills by His destruction and raises whoever He wills by His endowment. The Quran says of the Hour: it will debase some and elevate others (56:3). The Prophet ﷺ said of Allah that the scale is in His hand, and He lowers and raises.
Key verse
﴿خَافِضَةٌ رَّافِعَةٌ﴾It will debase ˹some˺ and elevate ˹others˺.
The scholar's text
The One who lowers whoever He willed by His Destruction and raises whoever He willed by His Endowment.
It is mentioned times in the Holy Quran
Note: The number is missing from this line in the original post.
الذي يخفض من يشاء بإهلاكه، ويرفع من يشاء بعطائه.
ورد في القرآن الكريم ... مرة.
ملاحظة: العدد ساقط من هذا السطر في المنشور الأصلي.
It Will Debase Some and Elevate Others
Al-Waqi'ah opens on the Inevitable Event, and its third verse describes it: it will debase some and elevate others. Ibn Kathir explains: it lowers people to the lowest depths, to Hell, even if they were mighty in this world, and raises others to the highest places, to lasting bliss, even if they were lowly. Al-Suddi's short version, which he reports: it lowered the arrogant and raised the humble. Al-Sa'di adds a second reading of the words, that its sound comes low to reach the near and loud to reach the far.
Arabic: خافضة رافعة
تفتتح سورة الواقعة بالواقعة، وفي الآية الثالثة وصفها: ﴿خَافِضَةٌ رَّافِعَةٌ﴾. قال ابن كثير: «أي: تحفض أقواما إلى أسفل سافلين إلى الجحيم، وإن كانوا في الدنيا أعزاء. وترفع آخرين إلى أعلى عليين، إلى النعيم المقيم، وإن كانوا في الدنيا وضعاء». وقال السدي فيما نقله: «وقال السدي: خفضت المتكبرين، ورفعت المتواضعين». وقال السعدي: «أي: خافضة لأناس في أسفل سافلين، رافعة لأناس في أعلى عليين، أو خفضت بصوتها فأسمعت القريب، ورفعت فأسمعت البعيد».
The Scale Is in His Hand
The Prophet ﷺ described Allah's giving, “Allah's Hand is full, and (its fullness) is not affected by the continuous spending, day and night”, and then the other side of it: “His Throne is over the water and in His other Hand is the balance (of Justice) and He raises and lowers (whomever He will)” (Sahih al-Bukhari 7411). The giving never runs out, and the lowering and raising are His, done with the scale of justice.
Arabic: وبيده الأخرى الميزان يخفض ويرفع
وصف النبي ﷺ عطاء الله فقال: «يَدُ اللَّهِ مَلأَى لاَ يَغِيضُهَا نَفَقَةٌ، سَحَّاءُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ»، ثم قال: «عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ وَبِيَدِهِ الأُخْرَى الْمِيزَانُ يَخْفِضُ وَيَرْفَعُ» (صحيح البخاري 7411). فالعطاء لا ينقص، والخفض والرفع بيده بميزان العدل.
It Is Allah Who Lowers Prices
A man asked the Prophet ﷺ to fix prices. He said he would pray instead. Then a man came and asked again, and he answered: “It is but Allah Who makes the prices low and high”, and said he hoped to meet Allah with no one holding a claim of wrong against him (Sunan Abi Dawud 3450, graded sahih by al-Albani). Even prices, in this hadith, go down and up by Allah.
Arabic: بل الله يخفض ويرفع
سأل رجل النبي ﷺ أن يسعر، فقال: بل أدعو، ثم جاءه رجل فسأله فقال: «بَلِ اللَّهُ يَخْفِضُ وَيَرْفَعُ»، ورجا أن يلقى الله وليس لأحد عنده مظلمة (سنن أبي داود 3450، صححه الألباني). فحتى الأسعار في هذا الحديث يخفضها الله ويرفعها.
He Clung to the Earth
﴿وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَـٰهُ بِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُۥٓ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ ۚ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث ۚ ذَّٰلِكَ مَثَلُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا ۚ فَٱقْصُصِ ٱلْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾If We had willed, We would have elevated him with Our signs, but he clung to this life: following his evil desires. His example is that of a dog: if you chase it away, it pants, and if you leave it, it ˹still˺ pants. This is the example of the people who deny Our signs. So narrate ˹to them˺ stories ˹of the past˺, so perhaps they will reflect.
7:176 speaks of a man who was given Our signs: had We willed, We would have elevated him with them, but he clung to this life. Raising him, al-Sa'di explains, would have meant helping him act on them, so that he rose in this world and the next. He chose instead the low desires and worldly aims. The lowest point is named in 95:5, and al-Sa'di places it: the bottom of the Fire, the place of those who rebel against their Lord.
Arabic: ولكنه أخلد إلى الأرض
تذكر آية الأعراف من آتاه الله آياته: ﴿وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَـٰهُ بِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُۥٓ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ﴾، قال السعدي: «بأن نوفقه للعمل بها، فيرتفع في الدنيا والآخرة، فيتحصن من أعدائه»، وأخلد «أي: إلى الشهوات السفلية، والمقاصد الدنيوية». وفي التين: ﴿ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَـٰهُ أَسْفَلَ سَـٰفِلِينَ﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: أسفل النار، موضع العصاة المتمردين على ربهم».
Be Humble With Them
﴿وَٱخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱرْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِى صَغِيرًا﴾And be humble with them out of mercy, and pray, “My Lord! Be merciful to them as they raised me when I was young.”
Humility is asked of people. 17:24 says of parents: be humble with them out of mercy. Al-Sa'di says it means humbling yourself before them out of mercy and for the reward, not out of fear of them or hope in what they own. 15:88 asks the Prophet ﷺ to be gracious to the believers, which al-Sa'di explains as being gentle with them and good-natured, out of love and honour.
Arabic: واخفض لهما جناح الذل من الرحمة
ويؤمر الناس بالتواضع، ففي الوالدين: ﴿وَٱخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحْمَةِ﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: تواضع لهما ذلا لهما ورحمة واحتسابا للأجر لا لأجل الخوف منهما أو الرجاء لما لهما، ونحو ذلك من المقاصد التي لا يؤجر عليها العبد». وقال في أمر النبي ﷺ: ﴿وَٱخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾: «أي: ألن لهم جانبك، وحسِّن لهم خلقك، محبة وإكراما وتودُّدا».
From the Sunnah
Allah's Hand is full, and (its fullness) is not affected by the continuous spending, day and night." He also said, "Do you see what He has spent since He created the Heavens and the Earth? Yet all that has not decreased what is in His Hand." He also said, "His Throne is over the water and in His other Hand is the balance (of Justice) and He raises and lowers (whomever He will)
يَدُ اللَّهِ مَلأَى لاَ يَغِيضُهَا نَفَقَةٌ، سَحَّاءُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ ـ وَقَالَ ـ أَرَأَيْتُمْ مَا أَنْفَقَ مُنْذُ خَلَقَ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ، فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَغِضْ مَا فِي يَدِهِ ـ وَقَالَ ـ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ وَبِيَدِهِ الأُخْرَى الْمِيزَانُ يَخْفِضُ وَيَرْفَعُ
A man came and said: Messenger of Allah, fix prices. He said: (No), but I shall pray. Again the man came and said: Messenger of Allah, fix prices. He said: It is but Allah Who makes the prices low and high
أَنَّ رَجُلاً، جَاءَ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ سَعِّرْ . فَقَالَ بَلْ أَدْعُو . ثُمَّ جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ سَعِّرْ فَقَالَ بَلِ اللَّهُ يَخْفِضُ وَيَرْفَعُ
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَالْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ، وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ، وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ
O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by (other) men
Sahih al-Bukhari 6369: a refuge the Prophet ﷺ used to seek, as Anas ibn Malik reported
Related Names
Questions about Al-Khaafid
What does Al-Khaafid mean?
Al-Khaafid is Allah who brings down whom He wills by destroying, and lifts whom He wills by giving.
Where does the Name Al-Khaafid come from?
Al-Waqi'ah says the Hour will debase some and elevate others (56:3); the Name Al-Khaafid itself is in the Tirmidhi 3507 list, which al-Albani graded weak.
Who will be lowered on the Day of Judgment?
The proud brought low and the humble lifted up: al-Suddi's words, reported by Ibn Kathir on 56:3.
What does lowering the wing to parents mean?
Being humble with your parents from mercy and in hope of reward, al-Sa'di says on 17:24, and not because you fear them or want what they have.