Y is for Yā Allāh

Yā Allāh
O Allāh!
Feel the joy as you hear your heart do the dhikr of Yā Allāh. Did a vein in your heart quiver with the recitation of Yā Allāh? Well, you have arrived at the threshold of your spiritual journey to Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā. So rejoice.
Muslims love to recite Yā Allāh at least a hundred times every day in their dhikr (remembrance of Allāh).

Yā Allāh Yā Rahmān Yā Rahīm
O Allāh, O The Beneficent, O The Merciful.
Many Muslims recite this a hundred times a day.
It is also a blessed Muslim tradition to recite everyday the Asmā’ al-Husnā, the ninety-nine Most Beautiful Names of Allāh with Yā added before each Name to make it a supplication. After the recitation of each Attributive Name of Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā, if we wish, we can add:
Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā: Glorified and Exalted is He!
Or we can add:Jalla Jalāluh: Majestic is His Majesty!

Many ‘ulamā (Muslim scholars) have composed Manzūma Asmā’ Allāh al-Husnā (the Most Beautiful Names of Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā in verse). In these religious poems, each verse contains one or more attributive Names of Allāh with Yā added to make it a supplication.
When such a Manzūma is recited in congregation, the congregational response is:
Allāhu Yā Allāhu Yā Allāh! Yā Latīf!
Allāh, O Allāh, O Allāh! O The Gentle!
Muslims thus recite the Asmā’ al-Husnā both in prose and in verse.

After the Sunnah of Salāt al-Fajr (Pre-Dawn Prayer), Muslims love to recite:
Yā Hayyu Yā Qayyūm lā ilāha illā anta (40 times).
O The Ever-Living, O The Self-Existing by Whom all subsist.
None is to be worshipped but You.

One of the supplications after every four raka‘āt of Salāt at-Tarāwīh in the fasting month of Ramadān is:
Allāhumma ajirnā min an-nār
Yā Mujīr Yā Mujīr Yā Mujīr
bi Rahmatika Yā Arham ar-rāhimīn
O Allāh! Protect us from Hell-fire.
O The Protector! O The Protector! O The Protector!
With Your Mercy, O The Most Merciful of all.

One of the voluntary dhikr in Tarīqa al-Qādiriyyah recommended to be recited individually after every Salāh (Prayer) is as follows:
After Salāt al-Fajr (Pre-dawn Prayer):
Yā ‘Azīzu Yā Allāh (100 times)
O The Mighty, O Allāh.
After Salāt az-Zuhr (Noon Prayer):
Yā Karīmu Yā Allāh (100 times)
O The Generous, O Allāh.
After Salāt al-‘Asr (Afternoon Prayer):
Yā Jabbāru Yā Allāh (100 times)
O The Compeller, O Allāh.
After Salāt al-Maghrib (Sunset Prayer):
Yā Sattāru Yā Allāh (100 times)
O The Concealer of people’s faults, O Allāh.
After Salāt al-‘Ishā’ (Night Prayer):
Yā Ghaffāru Yā Allāh (100 times)
O The Forgiver, O Allāh.

Rātib al-Haddād contains eight of the Asmā’ al-Husnā in one of the invocations with the invocative Yā added as follows:
Yā ‘Aliyyu Yā Kabīru Yā ‘Alīmu Yā Qadīr
Yā Samī‘u Yā Basīru Yā Latīfu Yā Khabīr
O The Most High, O The Most Great, O The All-Knowing, O The Powerful One.
O The All-Hearing, O The All-Seeing, O The Gentle, O The All-Aware.

On the completion of the recitation of Rātib al-Haddād as well as Rātib al-‘Attās, we recite:
Yā Allāhu bihā Yā Allāhu bihā
Yā Allāhu bi husn i’l khātimah
O Allāh! For the sake of (the recitation of) this (Rātib)
O Allāh! For the sake of (the recitation of) this (Rātib)
O Allāh! Grant me a felicitous end (as a believing Muslim).

Muslims have composed volumes of invocations and supplications to Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā. We will quench our thirst by taking just a sip from a few of them to taste their flavour.
Hizb al-Bahr of Imām Abu’l Hasan ash-Shādhilī Rahmatullāhi ‘alayh begins with some of the Most Beautiful Names of Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā as follows:
Allāhumma Yā Allāhu Yā ‘Aliyyu Yā ‘Azīmu Yā Halīmu Yā ‘Alīmu
O Allāh! O Allāh! O The Most High! O The Incomparably Great! O The Forbearing! O The All-Knowing!
In the Hizb Hifz an-Ni‘mah, Shaykh As-Sayyid Ahmad ar-Rifā‘ī Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu supplicates to Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā with these Most Beautiful Attributes together with the invocative Yā.
Yā ‘Azīzu Yā Ghaffāru Yā Karīmu
Yā Sattāru Yā Halīmu Yā Jabbāru
Yā Allāh Yā Allāh Yā Allāh
O The Mighty, O The Forgiver, O The Generous,
O The Concealer of people’s faults, O The Forbearing, O The Compeller,
O Allāh, O Allāh, O Allāh.

Most of the supplications end with:
Yā Arham ar-Rāhimīn:
O The Most Merciful of all.

The Dhikrullāh (Remembrance of Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā) in Tarīqa al-Chishtiyya and Naqshbandiyya is called Khatam Khawājagān whose original recitation has been attributed to Imām Ja‘far as-Sādiq Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu. First we recite various chapters from the Qur’ān as well as As-Salāt Ibrāhimiyya. Then we supplicate to Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā through the means of some of His Most Noble Attributes. Each of the following invocations is recited congregationally 101 times.
Yā Qādiyal hājāt: O The Fulfiller of needs.
Yā Kāfiyal muhimmāt: O The All-Sufficient in all difficult matters and exigencies.
Yā Khayr an-Nāsirīn: O The Best Helper.
Yā Dāfi‘ al-baliyyāt: O The Averter of calamities.
Yā Shāfiyal amrād: O The Healer of diseases.
Yā Muqallib al-qulūb: O The Controller of hearts.
Yā Musabbib al-asbāb: O The Causer of all the causes.
Yā Fattāh al-qulūb: O The Opener of hearts.
Yā Mujīb ad-da‘awāt: O The Responder of supplications.
Yā Sattar al-‘uyūb: O The Concealer of people’s shortcomings.
Yā Hall al-mushkilāt: O The Remover of difficulties.
Yā Rāfi‘ ad-darajāt: O The Exalter of ranks.
Yā Rāziq al-‘ibād: O The Nourisher of people.
Yā Raūf ar-Rahīm: O The Most Kind, The Merciful.
Yā Ghafūr ar-Rahīm: O The Forgiving, The Merciful.
Yā Rahmān ar-Rahīm: O The Beneficent, The Merciful.
There are various other supplications in Khatam Khawājgān recommended by various mashāyikh (spiritual masters) after which we conclude with salāt ala’n Nabī, Blessings on Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam, as follows:
Allāhumma salli ‘alā Sayyidinā Muhammad
wa ālihi wa sahbihi wa sallim
O Allāh! Bestow blessings and peace on Sayyidinā Muhammad,
and on his Household and Companions.

Many qasāid (religious poems) in honour of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam have the congregational response in which we supplicate to Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā through His Attributive Name of Rabb (Lord):
Yā Rabbi salli ‘alā Muhammad
Yā Rabbi salli ‘alayhi wa Sallim
O Lord! Bless Prophet Muhammad.
O Lord! Shower Your Blessings and Peace on him.
And what greater joy and bliss is there than to recite this!

Yā Nabī
O Prophet! Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam.

Yā ayyuha’n Nabī: “O Prophet!” This is the love and affection with which Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā addresses our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam in many places in the Holy Qur’ān, as in this verse:
Yā ayyuha’n Nabiyyu Innā Arsalnāka Shāhidan wa Mubashshiran wa Nadhīrā
O Prophet! We have indeed sent you as a Witness, and as a Bearer of Glad Tidings and as a Warner (33:45).
Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam has also been addressed as:
Yā ayyuha’r Rasūl: O Prophetic Messenger (5:41), (5:67);
Yā ayyuhal Muzzammil: O one wrapped up in a garment (73:1); and
Yā ayyuha’l Muddaththir: O one enveloped in a cloak (74:1).

Yā RasūlAllāh bi abī wa ummī:
“O Messenger of Allāh! May my father and mother be sacrificed for your sake”. This is what the Companions of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam used to say when they began to converse with him.
When we visit our Beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam while on Hajj (the greater Pilgrimage) or ‘Umra (the minor Pilgrimage), we greet him from the bottom of our heart together with seventy thousand angels who are already there greeting him:
As-Salātu wa’s Salāmu ‘alayka Yā RasūlAllāh
As-Salātu wa’s Salāmu ‘alayka Yā NabiyyAllāh
As-Salātu wa’s Salāmu ‘alayka Yā HabībAllāh
As-Salātu wa’s Salāmu ‘alayka Yā Khayra Khalqillāh
As-Salātu wa’s Salāmu ‘alayka Yā Nūra ‘Arshillāh
Blessings and peace be upon you, O Prophetic Messenger of Allāh.
Blessings and peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allāh.
Blessings and peace be upon you, O the Beloved of Allāh.
Blessings and peace be upon you, O the best person created by Allāh.
Blessings and peace be upon you, O the Light of Allāh’s Throne.

Muslims all over the world send salāms (greetings of peace) to our Beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam in a standing ovation to him in the annual celebrations of his birth on 12^th Rabī‘ Awwal as well as on other occasions.
Yā Nabī salām ‘alayka
Yā Rasūl salām ‘alayka
Yā Habīb salām ‘alayka
Salawātullāh ‘alayka
O Prophet! Peace be upon you.
O Prophetic Messenger! Peace be upon you.
O Beloved! Peace be upon you.
May Allāh’s Blessings be upon you.

yad
hand. The hands are a great gift from Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā. They can be used to earn a lawful living, giving zakāh (poor-due) and sadaqah (charity) to the poor and the needy, giving generously and helping others, writing to educate about Islām, giving a warm handshake, picking up garbage and putting it in a garbage bin, removing banana peels and thorns from pathways, and helping a blind person to cross the street

Yahūdī
a Jew (pl: Yahūd). Many Jews accepted Islām at the hands of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam, one of the most well-known among whom is Hadrat ‘Abdallāh ibn Salām Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu, whose name when he was Jewish rabbi wa Husayn. Since that time, Jews have been accepting Islām, and they continue to accept Islām to this day, Al-Hamdu Lillāh (All Praise is for Allāh). And they will continue to accept Islām till the Day of Judgment, Inshā Allāh, Āmīn

Ya’jūj wa Ma’jūj
the tribes of Gog and Magog. They will come near the end of time and wreak destruction on earth

yamīn
right hand, right side, oath (pl: aymān)

al-yamīn al-ghamūs
oath that undermines justice

yaqaza
wakefulness, awareness, watchfulness, alertness, keenness of mind (in understanding the Commands of Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā)

yaqazatan wa manāman
while awake and while asleep. Muslims yearn to see our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam both in waking vision as well as in dreams. Many awliyā’ Allāh (Friends of Allāh, sūfī masters) have seen him while awake as well as in their sleep.
Allāhumma salli wa sallim ‘alayh
May Allāh’s Blessings and Peace be upon him

yaqīn
certainty, certitude, conviction

al-yaqīn: the certainty, sure knowledge, conviction (about the truth of Islām)

yaqīn sādiq: genuine conviction

YarhamukAllāh
“may Allāh’s mercy be on you”. This is the response when someone who sneezes says Al-Hamdu Lillāh (All Praise is for Allāh)

Yāsīn
the 36^th Sūrah of the Holy Qur’ān which is “the heart of the Qur’ān”. The Beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam recommended to recite it before a person on his death-bed. It is recited individually after Salāt al-Fajr, as well as collectively in congregations of Dhikr (remembrance of Allāh) as it leads to everlasting forgiveness from Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā

yasīr
easy. We are supposed to make things easy for people and remove all the difficulties from their way

Yasmīn
Jasmine flower

yatīm
orphan. Any Muslim who takes care of an orphan will be together with Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam in Paradise (pl: yatāmā, aytām)

yawm
day (pl: ayyām)

Yawm al-Mīthāq
the Day of the Covenant, before the creation of human beings, when Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā took a covenant from all the souls and all agreed that He is their Lord (syn: yawm al-qadīyah)

yawm an-Nahr
the day of sacrifice, the 10^th of Dhu’l Hijja. On this day, Muslims commemorate the sacrifice of Nabī Ibrāhīm ‘Alayhissalām (Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him) as one of the rituals of Hajj (the Pilgrimage) by offering a goat or a lamb as sacrifice

Yawm al-Qiyāma
the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Standing-up before Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā (for Judgment). This is one of the names for the Day of Judgment as mentioned in many verses of the Holy Qur’ān such as (2:212), (3:194), (4:87), and (75:1).
It is one of the articles of Muslim faith to believe that on the Day of Judgment, everyone will be raised up from the dead to give an account of their good and bad deeds while they were on earth. People will have to cross the Sirāt (Bridge over Hell-fire) as a manifestation of the Judgment. The Mīzān (Scales) will be established to weigh the good and bad deeds of people. On that Day, Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam will give the believing Muslims water to drink from his Hawd (Pond) of Kawthar after which they will never feel thirsty again.

Other names for the Day of Judgment given in the Holy Qur’ān are:
Yawm al-ākhir: the Last Day (2:177), (4:136);
Yawm al-ba‘th: the Day of Arising, the Day of Resurrection (30:56);
Yawm ad-dīn: the Day of Judgment (1:4);
Yawm al-fasl:the Day of Decision, the Day of Sorting out (the good from the bad) (37:21), (44:40);
Yawm al-haqq: the True Day (78:39);
Yawm al-hashr: the Day of Gathering (10:45), (50:44);
Yawm al-hisāb: the Day of Reckoning, the Day of (giving) Account (of one’s deeds) (14:41);
Yawm al-jam‘: the Day of Gathering (64:9);
Yawm al-khurūj: the Day of coming forth (from the graves) (50:42);
Yawmun ma‘lūm: a Well-Known Day (56:50);
Yawmun mash-hūd: a Day of Presence, a Day that will be witnessed by everyone (11:103);
Yawm al-maw‘ūd: the Promised Day (85:2);
Yawm al-wa‘īd: the Day of the Threatening (about which people have been warned and threatened) (50:20).
Angel Isrāfīl will blow the Trumpet to herald that Day.

The following Hadīth sheds more light on the Day of Judgment:
Hadrat Anas bin Mālik Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu narrates that once he asked Prophet Muhammad (may Allāh’s blessings and peace be upon him) if he would intercede on his behalf on the Day of Judgment. “I will”, the Prophet Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam replied. “So where should I look for you on the Day of Judgment?” enquired Hadrat Anas Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu. “When you need me, first look for me at the Sirāt (the Bridge)”, said the Prophet Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam. “And if I do not find you there?”, asked Hadrat Anas, Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu. “Look for me then at the Mīzān (the Scales)”, replied the Prophet Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam. “Where may I seek you”, asked Hadrat Anas, Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu, “if you are not near the Mīzān as well?”. “Then look for me at the Hawd (the Pond). I will not go away from these three places at that time”, the Prophet Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam replied. (Tirmidhī)
We learn from this Hadīth that:
1. Our Beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam will intercede on the Day of Judgment.
2. Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā gave him ‘ilm al-ghayb (knowledge of the unseen) to such an extent that he knows in great detail what will happen on that Day when even the time dimension will be different.
3. He is so much concerned for his ummah (community of followers) that he will position himself at three significant places on that Day, that is, at the Sirāt (the Bridge), the Mīzān (the Scales), and the Hawd (the Pond) to help the Muslims.
Allāhumma salli wa sallim ‘alayh
May Allāh’s blessings and peace be upon him.

The next Hadīth informs us that on the Day of Judgment, our Beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam will be the first intercessor before Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā.
Hadrat Abū Hurayrah Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu reported that Prophet Muhammad (may Allāh’s blessings and peace be upon him) said: I shall be pre-eminent among the descendants of Ādam on the Day of Resurrection and I will be the first intercessor and the first whose intercession will be accepted (by Allāh). (Muslim)
In conclusion, as far as the Day of Judgment is concerned, we Muslims are governed by both khawf (fear) and rajā’ (hope). We fear that as we have very few good deeds to our credit while we have very many sins on our head, the Day of Judgment will be a trial for us, God forbid. At the same time, we hope that Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā will be merciful to us, forgive our sins, and admit us to Paradise through His Grace in the company of the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs and the Pious, Āmīn

yusr
ease. Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā says in the Holy Qur’ān that after hardship comes ease

Al-Fātiha!