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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

Does an internal medical examination for a woman affect her fast?

An internal medical examination for a woman invalidates the fast because it involves the entry of a foreign object into the body cavity (jauf) while fasting.
In this case, the woman must refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day out of respect for Ramadan and make up for the missed fast after Ramadan.
Such an examination should be avoided in Ramadan and other months unless absolutely necessary, as exposing the private parts is only permissible in cases of necessity.
If necessary, a woman should seek a Muslim female doctor first. If one is unavailable, she may see a female doctor from the People of the Book (Jews and Christians). If neither is available, she may consult a trustworthy and competent Muslim male doctor.

What is the ruling on performing the night prayer (*qiyām al-layl*) between the first and second adhān of Fajr? And which is better: delaying the prayer until shortly before the Fajr adhān, or performing it earlier than that?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The time for night prayer (qiyām al-layl) begins after the Maghrib prayer and lasts until the second adhān of Fajr. The best time for it is the last third of the night, and best of all are the fourth and fifth sixths of the night. If the night is divided into two halves, the latter half is better.
Whoever intends to pray at night is encouraged to delay the Witr until he has prayed the night prayer. If he knows that he will not wake up, it is better for him to pray and perform Witr before sleeping, so that he does not miss both the night prayer and the Witr.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vpl.1/p.462): “I say: The voluntary prayer of the night, that is, the absolute voluntary prayer (al-nafl al-muṭlaq), is better than the absolute voluntary prayer of the day, because of the report in Muslim: ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer.’ In another narration of his: ‘In the night there is an hour that no Muslim man meets while asking Allah for any good of this world and the next except that He gives it to him, and that is every night.’ It is also because the night is a time of heedlessness. I restricted the voluntary prayer to the absolute kind following the commentator, although what the ḥadīth and the underlying meaning require is that the night rawātib be preferred over the day rawātib, since the jurists preferred the two rakʿahs of Fajr over everything except Witr. The middle of the night is better than its two ends if it is divided into thirds, because heedlessness is greatest then and worship is hardest. If he wishes to pray during some third, the best is the fourth and fifth sixths, based on the ḥadīth in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: ‘The most beloved prayer to Allah the Exalted is the prayer of Dāwūd: he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth.’ Then the latter part is better than the first if he divides it into two halves, because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: ‘And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness’ [al-Dhāriyāt: 18], and the report of the two Shaykhs: ‘Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends,’ meaning His command descends, ‘to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who asks of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’”
It is also stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 60): “It is better to perform it [the Witr] immediately after the sunnah of ʿIshāʾ, unless he has tahajjud, in which case it is better to delay it so that he performs Witr after it. If he performs Witr and then wishes to pray tahajjud, he prays two rakʿahs at a time and does not repeat the Witr, nor does he need to cancel it with a single rakʿah before the tahajjud. It is recommended that he not deliberately pray after it.”
Qiyām al-layl is a term applied to any prayer performed at night. Tahajjud, on the other hand, refers to the night prayer that follows sleep, whether it is prayed after Maghrib or after ʿIshāʾ, or the prayer performed after ʿIshāʾ without sleep. On this basis, the Witr is also called tahajjud, since it is only prayed after ʿIshāʾ.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.4/p.84): “The sound position, as stated in al-Umm and al-Mukhtaṣar, is that the Witr is called tahajjud.”
It is stated in Nihāyat al-Zayn (Vol.1/p.114): “Among the absolute voluntary prayers is qiyām al-layl. If it is performed after sleep, even during the time of Maghrib and after having prayed ʿIshāʾ early (taqdīman), it is called tahajjud.”
And it is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī ʿalā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.1/p.418): “His statement: ‘(the night prayer)’: the genitive construction (iḍāfah) carries the sense of fī, meaning a prayer in the night. His statement: ‘(it would be more fitting)’: the reason it is more fitting is that the night prayer includes both tahajjud and other prayers.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on a suitor (khāṭib) going out alone with his fiancée before the marriage contract is concluded?

It is unlawful for a suitor, prior to the marriage contract , to do anything that would be unlawful for any non-maḥram man — including touching his fiancée, being secluded with her (khalwah), or seeing her without her complete sharī‘ah-compliant covering — even after the recitation of al-Fātiḥah (This is a cultural custom to seek Allah's blessing (barakah) and mark mutual consent) and the family's approval [of the engagement]. This is because the engagement, without the formal marriage contract, does not render unlawful matters permissible. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it enough to say Tasbeeh (Saying Subhaana Rabbiya Al-‘Atheem during Rukoo`, and saying Subhaana Rabbiya Al-A‘laa during Sujood ) once, or twice during Rukoo`(Bowing in prayer) and Sujood (Prostration)?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds                                                                                                                                                                  Yes, saying Tasbeeh once during Rukoo` and Sujood is enough, provided that the worshiper`s attentiveness of the heart isn`t undermined during each. As regards the recompense, it depends on the number of Tasbeeh. And Allah Knows Best.

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