Al-Mu’akhkhir
He is the Bringer Down. It is He who defers things and determines their location and rank. He is the retarder of whoever He wishes of those who are shameless and disbelieving, and for everything that is confirmed as being spiritless and lacking in vigor. So it is necessary to always be on guard and to not fall short of what the Sacred Law demands of you.
From: The Children Around the Table of Allah by Shaykh Muhammad Sa’id al-Jamal ar-Rifa’i Head of the Higher Sufi Council in Jerusalem and the Holy Land Teacher at the Dome of the Rock (al-Aqsa)
AL-MU’AKHKHIR
Allah is He who leaves whomever He wills behind, and delays advancement. As He leads some into advancement, He leads others into regression. As He rewards some whose efforts are in harmony with His will by bringing them to the first rank. He leaves others behind who are making the same effort. There is always a reason. If a believer is left behind in spite of his efforts, there may be some wrong, some impurity, some hypocrisy in his intentions. Or it may be that advancement for him should necessitate more difficulty and pain, so that he will value the reward more and guard his station better when he reaches it.
Advancement and being left behind are also relative. The one in the first rank surely is ahead, but the one in the second rank, although behind the first, is ahead of the third. Allah in His wisdom advances and keeps back whomever He wills. The good servant accepts his station and state, continuing his efforts but also trying to understand the reasons for his condition.
The good servant should know that what is most important is our closeness to Allah. The means of closeness to Him are ‘ibadah and ‘ubudiyyah. “Ibadah, worship, is to do things to please Allah, and ‘ubudiyyah, servanthood, is to be pleased with what Allah does.
‘Abd al-Mu’akhkkhir is the servant who becomes instrumental in postponing the punishment of people who revolt against the shari’ah, who go astray, who tyrannize themselves and others. He also becomes an instrument for stopping these sinners at a certain point.
Believers who make a habit of reciting this Name 100 times a day become able to see their faults and repent. When they repent, if they recite it 1000 times, their repentance will be accepted, if Allah wills. The sign of the acceptance of the repentance will be an increase in their desire to perform their prayers.
If someone wishes to prevent a tyrant from gaining a high position, he should recite this Name 1446 times before sunrise for seven consecutive days. With Allah’s will he may be able to prevent it.
From: The Name & the Named by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti