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The Greatest Name of Allah (Ism Allāh al-A‘ẓam)
Author : Dr. Fadi Rabab`ah
Date Added : 24-11-2025

The Greatest Name of Allah (Ism Allāh al-A‘ẓam)

 

The hearts of the believers continuously yearn to attain knowledge of the Greatest Name of Allah, as it is considered the key and the means for the acceptance of supplication (Du'ā'). Allah, the Exalted, possesses the Most Beautiful Names (Al-Asmā’ al-Ḥusnā) with which He has commanded us to supplicate, as He states in His Glorious Book {what means}: "And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them." [Al-A'rāf/180]. Among these names is the Greatest Name of Allah, and it is a confirmed fact that if He is invoked by it, He answers. This truth has been indicated by the noble Prophetic narrations (Aḥādīth):

First Narration: The Hadith of Buraydah ibn al-Ḥaṣīb al-Aslamī (may Allah be pleased with him)

He narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) heard a man supplicating and saying: "O Allah, I ask You, as I bear witness that You are Allah, there is no god but You, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master (Aḥad aṣ-Ṣamad), Who begets not nor is begotten, and none is equal to Him."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said: "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, he has asked Allah by His Greatest Name, by which if He is invoked, He answers, and if He is asked, He gives." [1].

Second Narration: The Hadith of Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him)

He reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) passed by Abū 'Ayyāsh Zayd ibn Ṣāmit az-Zuraqī while he was praying, and he was saying: "O Allah, I ask You, by the fact that to You belongs all praise, there is no god but You, O Mannān (The Bestower of Favors), O Badī' (Originator) of the heavens and the earth, O Dhū al-Jalāli wa al-Ikrām (Possessor of Majesty and Honor)."

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commented: "He has invoked Allah by His Greatest Name, by which if He is invoked, He answers, and if He is asked, He gives." [2].

Third Narration: A Further Narration from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him)

In a subsequent narration from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), the name Al-Ḥannān (The Most Compassionate) was included. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) affirmed: "You have asked Allah by His Greatest Name, by which if He is invoked, He answers, and if He is asked, He gives." [3].

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded this narration in Shifā’ al-'Alīl with the wording: "O Allah, I ask You, by the fact that to You belongs all praise, there is no god but You, Al-Ḥannān, Al-Mannān, Badī' as-Samāwāti wa al-Arḍ, Yā Dhā al-Jalāli wa al-Ikrām, Yā Ḥayyu Yā Qayyūm."[4].

Fourth Narration: The Hadith of Abū Umāmah al-Bāhilī (may Allah be pleased with him)

He stated: "The Greatest Name of Allah, by which if He is invoked, He answers, is in three Sūrahs: Al-Baqarah, Āl 'Imrān, and Ṭā Hā."[5].

Some scholars have searched for this Name within these chapters and identified it in the following verses:

•Al-Baqarah: "Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence" [Al-Baqarah/255].

•The opening of Āl 'Imrān: "Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence' [Āl 'Imrān/2].

•Ṭā Hā: "And [all] faces will be humbled before the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence" [Ṭā Hā: 111].

It is also narrated from Asmā’ bint Yazīd in a Marfū' narration (traced back to the Prophet): "The Greatest Name of Allah is in these two verses: "And your god is one God; there is no deity except Him, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful" [Al-Baqarah/163], and the opening of Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān: 'Alif, Lām, Mīm. Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence} [Āl 'Imrān/1-2]." [6].

Moreover, the scholarly opinions regarding which of Allah’s Beautiful Names constitutes the Greatest Name have varied significantly:

The First Opinion: The Greatest Name is Contextual and Subjective

This perspective holds that the Greatest Name of Allah is not specifically designated or known as a single, fixed name. Rather, any of Allah's Names that a servant invokes his Lord with, while being completely absorbed in devotion—such that in his thought and mind there is no one else besides Allah—that Name, in that moment, becomes the Greatest Name. Imam Ibn Ḥajar noted that this meaning was narrated from Ja'far aṣ-Ṣādiq, Al-Junayd, and other scholars of spiritual knowledge [7].

The Second Opinion: The Greatest Name is a Specific, Definite Name

This view asserts that the Greatest Name is a specific, definite Name, but there is a difference of opinion regarding the knowledge of it. Some scholars maintained that it is not known to creation, while others held that it is known. Scholars who subscribe to the latter view have differed in specifying it, listing numerous possibilities. Imam Ibn Ḥajar enumerated fourteen opinions in Al-Fateḥ, and Imam As-Suyūṭī followed him, adding three more. Imam Ar-Rāzī mentioned six of these opinions.

The Names that these scholars attempted to specify—some based on textual evidence and some on scholarly deduction—include:

Category Specific Name or Phrase Arabic Transliteration

The Name Allah The Glorious word Allah Allāh

The word He Huwa

Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful Allāh ar-Raḥmān ar-Raḥīm

The Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer Ar-Raḥmān ar-Raḥīm al- Ḥayy al-Qayyūm

The Ever-Living, the Sustainer Al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūm

Names from Aḥādīth The Most Compassionate, the Bestower of Favors, the Originator of the heavens and the earth Al-Ḥannān al-Mannān Badī' as-Samāwāti wa al-Arḍ

Originator of the heavens and the earth, Possessor of Majesty and Honor Badī' as-Samāwāti wa al-Arḍ Dhū al-Jalāli wa al-Ikrām

Possessor of Majesty and Honor Dhū al-Jalāli wa al-Ikrām

Supplication Phrases Lord, Lord Rabb, Rabb

The word of Monotheism Tawḥīd (i.e., Lā ilāha illā Allāh)

King of Sovereignty Mālik al-Mulk

O Allah Allāhumma

There is no god but You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers. Lā ilāha illā Anta Subḥānaka innī kuntu min aẓ-ẓālimīn

Allah, Allah, other than Whom there is no god, Lord of the Great Throne. Allāh, Allāh, alladhī lā ilāha illā Huwa Rabbu al-'Arsh al-'Aẓīm

Allah, there is no god but He, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, Who begets not nor is begotten, and none is equal to Him. Allāh lā ilāha illā Huwa al-Aḥad aṣ-Ṣamad alladhī lam yalid wa lam yūlad wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan aḥad

Other Views It is said to be hidden within the Beautiful Names.

It is said to be mentioned in the opening letters of Sūrahs (such as Kāf Hā Yā 'Ayn Ṣād and Ḥā Mīm, 'Ayn Sīn Qāf)[8].

The Name Allah (Allāh)

The Name Allah is the only Name present in all the texts that mention the Greatest Name of Allah. It is the comprehensive Name of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, which encompasses all of His Names and Attributes. The eminent scholar Ibn ‘Ābidīn (may Allah have mercy on him) stated: "Hishām narrated from Muḥammad from Abū Ḥanīfah that [Allah] is the Greatest Name of Allah. Al-Ṭaḥāwī, many scholars, and most Gnostics ('Ārifīn) held this view, so much so that no mention is made among them for the person of higher spiritual station except through the mention of it, as stated in Sharḥ at-Taḥrīr by Ibn Amīr Ḥājj." [9].

The Word He (Huwa)

Imam Al-Ghazālī (may Allah have mercy on him) remarked concerning the word Huwa: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh (There is no god but Allah) is the phrase of monotheism, as understood by the common people ('awām), and Lā ilāha illā Huwa (There is no god but He) is the monotheism of the elite (khawāṣṣ)..." He then supported this with a verse from the Qur'an, citing: "And do not invoke with Allah another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything will perish except His Face [or Him]. To Him belongs the judgment, and to Him you will be returned.' [Al-Qaṣaṣ/88]. The meaning of "except His Face" is "except Him." He noted that the phrase "except He" was mentioned immediately after "there is no deity," which indicates that the ultimate extent of monotheism is encapsulated in this phrase. (Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb 1/139-140).

The supplications contained within the noble Prophetic narrations, which have been compiled herein, explicitly indicate from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that they contain the Greatest Name of Allah. A Muslim should therefore be diligent, when supplicating, to begin, conclude, or incorporate these specific phrases into his Du'ā’, in the hope of coinciding with the Greatest Name of Allah through which supplication is answered. The successful individual is the one whom Allah, the Exalted, guides to immerse himself in the utilization of these names that scholars have concluded are found within the formulas of supplication.

And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

Footnotes:

[1] Narrated by Abu Dawud (1493), Al-Tirmidhi (3475), Al-Nasa'i in Al-Sunan al-Kubra (7666), and Ibn Majah (3857).

[2] Narrated by Abu Dawud (1495), Al-Tirmidhi (3544), Al-Nasa'i (1300), Ibn Majah (3858), and Ahmad (13798) – and the wording is his. It is an authentic (Sahih) hadith.

[3] Narrated by Abu Dawud (1495), Al-Nasa'i (1300), Ibn Majah (3858), Ahmad (13798), and Al-Mundhiri in Al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib (2/393). Its chain of narration is authentic (Sahih) or good (Hasan) or close to them.

[4] Ibn Al-Qayyim, Shifa' al-'Alil (2/759). It is authentic (Sahih).

[5] Narrated by Ibn Majah (3856), Al-Tabarani in Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (8/282) (7925), and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Asma' wa al-Sifat (27) from 'Abdullah ibn Al-'Ala' from Al-Qasim as Mawquf (stopped at a companion). It is a good (Hasan) hadith.

[6] Narrated by Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah.

[7] Lawami' al-Bayyinat, Al-Razi, p. 92; Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar, Vol. 11, p. 224; Al-Hawi lil-Fatawi, Al-Suyuti, Vol. 2, p. 138.

[8] Lawami' al-Bayyinat, Al-Razi, pp. 94-101; Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar, Vol. 11, p. 224; Al-Hawi lil-Fatawi, Al-Suyuti, Vol. 2, pp. 135-139.

[9] Radd al-Muhtar, 1/5.

[10] Mafatih al-Ghayb (Al-Tafsir al-Kabir), 1/139-140.

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on fasting the six days of Shawwal?

Fasting the six days of Shawwal is Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if they have fasted for a lifetime." [Narrated by Muslim]
This is because fasting one month of Ramadan is rewarded as fasting for ten months, and the six days are equivalent to sixty days, completing a full year of fasting.

What is the ruling on omitting the prostration of recitation?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The prostration of recitation (Sajdat al-Tilawah) is a Sunnah for both the reader and the listener. There is no sin in omitting it, though doing so results in missing a great reward. Muslim narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: 'When the son of Adam recites a verse of prostration and prostrates, Shaytan withdraws weeping, saying: "Woe to him! (and in the narration of Abu Kuraib: "Woe to me!") The son of Adam was commanded to prostrate and he prostrated, so Paradise is his; and I was commanded to prostrate and I refused, so the Fire is mine."'
 
Sheikh al-Islam Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated: 'It is recommended to prostrate immediately after reciting or hearing a verse of prostration. If one delays it but the interval is short, he may still prostrate. However, if the interval is long, the opportunity is missed.' [Rawdat al-Talibin Vol.1/P.323].
 
Furthermore, the prostration of recitation becomes obligatory (Wajib) in congregational prayer if the Imam prostrates, out of the necessity of following him. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on sitting between the two prostrations, and what is the ruling on the dhikr recited during it?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Sitting between the two prostrations (al-jalsah bayna al-sajdatayn) is one of the pillars (arkān) of the prayer, while the dhikr recited during it is Sunnah according to the Shāfi'ī scholars. It is recommended (mustahabb) to say what was narrated from Ibn 'Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say between the two prostrations in the night prayer: 'Rabbi ighfir lī, warhamnī, wajburnī, warzuqnī, warfa'nī' (My Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me, make good my deficiencies, provide for me, and raise me)." If one were to say a different supplication instead, such as "Rabbi ighfir lī" (My Lord, forgive me), the prayer would still be valid.
If the worshipper omits this dhikr between the two prostrations, whether intentionally or out of forgetfulness, their prayer remains valid and nothing is required of them, though they miss the reward of following the Sunnah. Leaving it out does not necessitate the prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw).
It is stated in Hāshiyat al-Bājūrī 'alā Sharḥ Ibn Qāsim 'alā Matn Abī Shujā' (Vol.1/P.298): "The eleventh — i.e., of the eighteen pillars — his statement: 'sitting between the two prostrations,' meaning even in a supererogatory (nafl) prayer... his statement: 'with the supplication that has been narrated concerning it,' meaning: 'Rabbi ighfir lī, warhamnī, wajburnī, warfa'nī, warzuqnī, wahdinī, wa 'āfinī' (My Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me, make good my deficiencies, raise me, provide for me, guide me, and grant me well-being). Al-Ghazālī added: 'wa'fu 'annī' (and pardon me). Al-Mutawallī also added: 'Rabbi hab lī qalban taqiyyan, naqiyyan min al-shirk, bariyyan lā kāfiran wa lā shaqiyyan' (My Lord, grant me a heart that is God-fearing, pure from associating partners with You, innocent, neither disbelieving nor wretched)."And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is the ruling on one who vows to fast a specific or non-specific year? Are the two Eids, the days of Tashreeq, Ramadan, and the days of menstruation and postnatal bleeding included in them? And do these days break the consecutiveness if it was intended?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
If someone makes a vow (Nadr) to fast a specific, designated year, this vow does not include the days of Eid, the days of Tashreeq (the three days following Eid al-Adha), Ramadan, or the days of menstruation (Hayd) and postnatal bleeding (Nifas). Furthermore, there is no requirement to make up (Qada) these specific days.
 
However, if someone vows to fast a year that is not specifically designated (i.e., any twelve-month period) and stipulates that the fasting must be consecutive, they are bound by that condition. They must not fast on the days of Eid, during Ramadan, or during menstruation, but they are required to make up these days afterward—with the exception of the days of menstruation and postnatal bleeding, which do not need to be made up.
 
It is stated in Hashiyat al-Bajuri ‘ala Sharh Ibn Qasim ({Vol.2/P.606): 'If one vows to fast a specific year, the Eid, Tashreeq, Ramadan, and days of menstruation or postnatal bleeding are not included. This is because Ramadan does not accept any fast other than its own, and the others do not accept fasting at all. Therefore, they do not enter into the vow, and no makeup is required for them because they are legally excluded—contrary to Al-Rafi’i regarding menstruation and postnatal bleeding.
 
If one vows to fast a non-designated year: if they stipulated consecutiveness (Tatuabu’) in their vow, they must fulfill it; otherwise, they are not bound to it. Consecutiveness is not broken by the days that do not enter into the specific year vow (Eid, Tashreeq, Ramadan, menstruation, and postnatal bleeding). However, one must make up the days missed—excluding the time of menstruation and postnatal bleeding—immediately following the end of the year. As for the time of menstruation and postnatal bleeding, it is not made up, contrary to Ibn al-Rif’ah, who argued that it must be made up just like Ramadan.' And Allah the Exalted knows best.

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