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Fatwa CenterEternity is a proven Attribute of Allaah according to the Sunnah and Imaams of the Salaf
Question
Is it permissible to invoke Allaah The Almighty by saying, "Ya Qadeem al-Ihsaan (O Thou of Eternal Beneficence)"?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
It is permissible to invoke Allaah The Almighty by saying, "Ya Qadeem al-Ihsaan", since Beneficence is one of His attributes and His attributes are eternal. This attribute was initiated by a group of scholars including the Hanbali scholar, Ibn Al-Qayyim 
who said that Allaah The Exalted is Permanently and Ceaselessly Good and He is Eternally and Everlastingly Beneficent.
Imaam An-Nawawi mentioned the following supplication among the Athkaar (mentionings) of Jihaad, "Ya Qadeem al-Ihsaan, Ya man Ihsaanuhu fawqa kulli Ihsaan, Ya Maalik ad-Duniya wa al-Aakhirah, Ya Hayy, Ya Qayyoom, Ya Thal-Jalaali wal-Ikraam…… (O Thou of Eternal Beneficence, O Thou of Superior Beneficence, O King of this world and the world to come, O Thou the Ever Living, The Self-Existing, the Possessor of Majesty and Honor…)." He added that these supplications were highly recommended and that their effects had been proven.
In the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the Attributes of Allaah are described as Eternal. It was narrated on the authority of ‘Abd Allaah ibn ‘Amr 
that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, used to say upon entering the Masjid (Mosque): "A‘oothu billaah al-‘Atheem wa bi-Wajhihi al-Kareem wa Sultaanihu al-Qadeem min ash-shaytaan Ar-Rajeem (I seek refuge with Allaah The Exalted, and with His Honorable Countenance , and with His Eternal Sovereignty from the accursed Satan.)" [Abu Daawood]
The ‘Eternal’ as a Name of Allaah The Exalted was also reported by Ibn Maajah .
It was reported that Imaam Ahmad taught some of his companions to say, "Ya Daleel al-hayaara, dullani ‘ala tareeq as-saaliheeen (O Guide of the confused, please guide me to the way of the righteous)." Shaykh Al-Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah quoted this supplication from Imaam Ahmad even though it is neither from the Quran nor the Sunnah. There is no objection to that since the subject of talking about Allaah The Almighty (including His Names, Attributes and Actions) is broader than that of talking about His Names.
And Allaah Knows best.
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