Skip to main content
Islam

Return to Answer

link to islamweb.net library repaired ; Commonmark migration
Source Link
UmH ♦
UmH ♦
  • 31.3k
  • 4
  • 45
  • 161

imam as-Suyuti quoted beside this 19 different opinions on what actually this name might be or how to interpret these ahadith in his al-Hawi lil Fatwai الحاوي للفتاويالحاوي للفتاوي some of these interpretations are based on ahadith like the one quoted above here some other narrations:

  • “Allah's greatest name is in these two Ayah: ‘And your deity is One deity, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, Ar-Raḥmān, Ar-Raḥīm.’ And the Opening of Al-`Imrān: ‘Alif. Lām. Mīm. Allah, None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever living, the Sustainer.’”
    (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, sunan abi Dawood and sunan ibn Majah)
  • The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers. (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, sunan abi Dawood and sunan ibn Majah)
  • The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers. (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, sunan abi Dawood and sunan ibn Majah)
  • I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One.
    The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by this name He gives.
    (Sunan abi Dawod]13, sunan an-Nasa'i and sunan ibn Majah)

imam as-Suyuti quoted beside this 19 different opinions on what actually this name might be or how to interpret these ahadith in his al-Hawi lil Fatwai الحاوي للفتاوي some of these interpretations are based on ahadith like the one quoted above here some other narrations:

  • “Allah's greatest name is in these two Ayah: ‘And your deity is One deity, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, Ar-Raḥmān, Ar-Raḥīm.’ And the Opening of Al-`Imrān: ‘Alif. Lām. Mīm. Allah, None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever living, the Sustainer.’”
    (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, sunan abi Dawood and sunan ibn Majah)
  • The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers. (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, sunan abi Dawood and sunan ibn Majah)
  • I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One.
    The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by this name He gives.
    (Sunan abi Dawod]13, sunan an-Nasa'i and sunan ibn Majah)

imam as-Suyuti quoted beside this 19 different opinions on what actually this name might be or how to interpret these ahadith in his al-Hawi lil Fatwai الحاوي للفتاوي some of these interpretations are based on ahadith like the one quoted above here some other narrations:

  • “Allah's greatest name is in these two Ayah: ‘And your deity is One deity, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, Ar-Raḥmān, Ar-Raḥīm.’ And the Opening of Al-`Imrān: ‘Alif. Lām. Mīm. Allah, None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever living, the Sustainer.’”
    (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, sunan abi Dawood and sunan ibn Majah)
  • The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers. (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, sunan abi Dawood and sunan ibn Majah)
  • I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One.
    The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by this name He gives.
    (Sunan abi Dawod]13, sunan an-Nasa'i and sunan ibn Majah)
Source Link
Medi1Saif ♦
Medi1Saif ♦
  • 46.1k
  • 13
  • 84
  • 209

In the sunni tradition Allah's greatest name اسْمُ اللَّهِ الأَعْظَمُ (Ism-u Allah-I al-a'dham) is quoted in several ahadith, but it is a disputable matter:

The Greatest Name of Allah, if He is called by which He will respond, is in three Surah: Al-Baqarah, Al 'Imran and Ta-Ha. (Hasan)Another chain for something similar from Al-Qasim, from Abu Umamah, from the Prophet (saas). (sunan ibn Majah)

This hadith seems to say that it is -apparently one of Allah's names (or attributes) which when we call Him by it in supplication He will respond. But doesn't Allah say he would respond His servants?

And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided. (2:186)

Therefore many scholars are of the opinion that there's no difference between any of Allah's beautiful names (see for example this sahih hadith) in this and they reject the idea of a special name among the names of Allah as Allah also says:

And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. ... (7:180)

this opinion is held by scholars like abu Ja'afar at-Tabari, abu Hassan al-Ash'ary, abu Hatim ibn Hebban, abu Bakr al-Baqilani and imam Malik.

imam as-Suyuti quoted beside this 19 different opinions on what actually this name might be or how to interpret these ahadith in his al-Hawi lil Fatwai الحاوي للفتاوي some of these interpretations are based on ahadith like the one quoted above here some other narrations:

  • “Allah's greatest name is in these two Ayah: ‘And your deity is One deity, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, Ar-Raḥmān, Ar-Raḥīm.’ And the Opening of Al-`Imrān: ‘Alif. Lām. Mīm. Allah, None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever living, the Sustainer.’”
    (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, sunan abi Dawood and sunan ibn Majah)
  • The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers. (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, sunan abi Dawood and sunan ibn Majah)
  • I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One.
    The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by this name He gives.
    (Sunan abi Dawod]13, sunan an-Nasa'i and sunan ibn Majah)

and many othe ahdith like this one in sunan ibn Majah and many more.

In tafsir books scholars hold the opinion that in the verse:

Said one who had knowledge from the Scripture, "I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you." And when [Solomon] saw it placed before him, he said, "This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful - his gratitude is only for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever is ungrateful - then indeed, my Lord is Free of need and Generous." (27:40)

the knowledge from the scripture refers to knowing Allah's greatest name (Also read Was the throne of Sheba brought by a Jinn or Human?)

One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: ) Ibn `Abbas said, "This was Asif, the scribe of Sulayman.'' It was also narrated by Muhammad bin Ishaq from Yazid bin Ruman that he was Asif bin Barkhiya' and he was a truthful believer who knew the Greatest Name of Allah. Qatadah said: "He was a believer among the humans, and his name was Asif.'' (qtafsir)

More sources (all in Arabic) islamqa #246203 and #146569 on Allah's greatest name and islamqa #212677 on the meaning of verse (27:40).