The Ninety-Nine Names · the 42nd name
الْكَرِيم
Al-Karim
The Most Generous
- The rootك ر م
- From the rootkaruma: to be noble, generous; karam is generosity as a quality of character, not an act
The essay
Karam in Arabic is not a behaviour, it is a nature: the noble person gives because of what he is, not because of who is watching or who asked. Al-Karim gives before being asked, gives more than was asked, gives to the one who has no claim, and does not remind the recipient afterwards. That last part is why the Qur'an tells those who give charity not to follow it with reproach: the standard being set is His.
In the Qur'an
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ ٱلۡكَرِيمِ
O man, what has deceived you about your Lord, the Generous?
this Name is in the Qur’an
What it asks of you
Give once this week without telling anyone, and then do not bring it up later. The not-bringing-up is the harder half and the actual point.
Read beside it
The words