Al-Karim (الكريم): Meaning of Allah’s Name

All of these Names are close in meaning, and all of them point to describing the Lord with Mercy, Generosity, Kindness, and to the great expanse of His Mercy and Generosity that encompasses all that is in existence, being granted in accordance to what His Wisdom dictates. The believers have been specifically singled out for this, and they are granted a goodly and the best portion of this, as Allaah said,

"My Mercy encompasses all things and I shall decree it for those who have taqwaa." (7:56)

So the blessings and the good are all from the effects of His Mercy, Generosity and Kindness just as all the goodness in this world and in the Hereafter is from the effects of His Mercy.

" 'Verily, we used to invoke Him Alone before. Verily He is the Generous, the Most Merciful.' " (52:28)

"O man! What has made you careless concerning your Lord, the Kind." (82:6)

"And had it not been for the Grace of Allaah and His Mercy on you, (Allaah would have hastened the Punishment). And that Allaah is the Kind, the Most Merciful." (24:20)

"(They say): 'Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us Mercy from You. Truly you are the Bestower.' " (3:8)

God, the Exalted said: “O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous”. (Al-Infitar: 6)

The Linguistic meaning:

Al-kareem: Benevolent with lasting benefit. Al-kareem: the one who combines types of benevolence, honor and virtues, and is also called on nice, forgiving and noble person. God, the Exalted, is the Generous: no generous person can match Him, and no equal can parallel Him, for He is the Oft- Benevolent, Greatly Beneficial, without a limit or a restriction. He starts the boon before worthiness, begins the favor without asking for a reward, and He, the Praised, gives beyond hope and doesn’t care how much He gives, and for whom he gives. He is the Generous: He has the honor of His Essence, Perfect Attributes, and purity of all defects and flows. He forgives the sins of his followers, forgives their misdeeds, and exchanges the misdeeds with good deeds. If you consider all what is said about the meaning of generosity, you would know that what is owed to God because of it is uncountable.

The Grandeur of Al-Kareem

He makes it easy to receive His Generosity and Benevolence by the simplest means and causes, for there is no partition (obstacle) between Him and His slaves. He is Glorious that He gives without a purpose and without compensation. His Glory is clear in the fact that no requests or demands no matter how big and large they might be, they cannot be big enough for His Generosity.