al-Wājid

The Finder, who lacks nothing

Begin the series ↓

Say it: al-Wājid. A recording by our own reciter is on its way.

Heard together with: al-Wājid / al-Mājid

Start with what we know

Then take away everything it needs. What is left is not a bigger version of us. It is the Name.

Episode 1

In us

We lose keys, files, people; we search.

But: Memory, sight, time.

Episode 2

In nature

Dogs track by scent; bees find flowers by ultraviolet guides.

Episode 3

At our best

Voyager 2: lost after a 2° pointing error on 21 July 2023; its faint carrier was found by the DSN on 1 Aug and full contact restored 4 Aug 2023.

But: We find only what still sends a signal.

Episode 4

The Break

Take away searching, losing, needing a signal.

We find what still calls back. al-Wājid lacks nothing and loses no one.

Read: No wājid form in the Qur'an; the verb wajada of God at 93:6–8.

From the tradition: 'Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than anyone of you is pleased with finding his camel which he had lost in the desert' (Bukhari 6309); Muslim (API 6960): the man who in joy says 'You are my servant and I am Your Lord'. Ghazālī: al-Wājid lacks nothing.

On screen

Marlin crosses an ocean to find his son. al-Wājid did not have to search: (93:6).

Where it shows up

In scripture: Q 93:6–8; Bukhari 6309; Luke 15.
The same thread in Jewish and Christian scripture: Luke 15 (the lost sheep, coin, son); no Jewish name parallel. Moderate (Christian).
In the universe: Voyager 2 'shout' (JPL 2023).
In nature: Sea turtles find their natal beach by magnetic signature (Brothers & Lohmann, Current Biology 2015).
In people: Lost-and-found reunions (e.g. RNLI searches).
In science: Conservation of mass-energy: in a closed system nothing is lost, only transformed.

Living it

Seek out the lost and lonely.

Its kind

Beyond: majesty: what He is not, and how far beyond.

In the Qur'an: none

Sources for this page

jpl.nasa.gov; eurekalert.org/news-releases/781133; hadith-api