عربي
Home


Articles

Articles

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.

Article Number [ Previous ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for a Muslim woman to marry a Christian man?

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
It isn`t permissible for a Muslim woman to marry a Christian and such marriage, from an Islamic position, is invalid. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

Is it permissible for a woman to visit the doctor while in her `Iddah (waiting period)?

It is permissible for her to do that during day time, but it is impermissible for her to leave her house at night except for a sound reason. And Allah Knows Best.

It was found out that a man divorced his wife for the third time in 2005, but they continued cohabiting as man and wife. However, when they realized that what they were doing was unlawful, they came the Iftaa` Department in 2009 and were told that they can`t be together. What is the position of Sharia on this couple?

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
Her Iddah* period starts after the third divorce. As for the continued cohabitation, it is unlawful because being ignorant about the rulings of Sharia while in Dar Al-Islam* is no valid excuse. If a baby came as the fruit of this unlawful consummation of marriage, then a judge of Sharia has the final say in this regard because lineage is a serious matter. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
* ʿIddah: a specified period of time that must elapse before a Muslim widow or divorcee may legitimately remarry. The Qurʾān (Sura,2/verse,228) prescribes that a menstruating woman have three monthly periods before contracting a new marriage; the required delay for a nonmenstruating woman is three lunar months.
* Dar Al-Islam: designates a territory where Muslims are free to practice their religion, though this often implies the implementation of Islamic law, whereas Dar al-Harb represents those lands ruled by non-believers

I`m married to an American citizen who used to be married to a man in Mexico and filed for divorce there. It is worth pointing that in America she isn`t registered as married. When she arrived in Jordan, her lawyer called and told her that she got the divorce, and based on this we got married in Jordan. What is the ruling of Sharia on this?

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of The Worlds. May His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
 
You haven`t mentioned whether this woman has converted to Islam or not. If she had embraced Islam and three menstrual cycles passed, but her first husband hasn`t converted to Islam, then her relationship with him is over. If you married her after this (Passing of three menstrual cycles and first husband not having embraced Islam) then your marriage is valid. However, if she didn`t convert to Islam then your marriage contract with her is invalid and you have to wait until she gets divorced by her first husband and observes Iddah, which is three menstrual cycles. Afterwards, you can conclude the marriage contract. We pray that Allah doesn`t hold you to account for what you have done because you thought she was divorced. We recommend that you seek Allah`s forgiveness as much as you can and do righteous deeds. We also advise you to marry a Muslim woman to preserve your and your children`s religion since Almighty Allah Says (What means): "Wed not idolatresses till they believe…" [Al-Baqarah/ 221]. It is true that marrying a Kitabi (One who believes in a book of sacred scriptures and with whom a Muslim may marry in what is deemed a lawful marriage) is permissible, it involves great risks, as stated in the aforementioned verse. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
 

See More