الرَّافِعُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Ar-Rafi'
The Exalter
Ar-Rafi' lowers whoever He wills by destruction and raises whoever He wills by giving. The Prophet ﷺ put it as a scale: He lowers it and lifts it. What He raises people by is named too: faith and knowledge (58:11), His Book, and humility before Him.
Key verse
﴿يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسَّحُوا۟ فِى ٱلْمَجَـٰلِسِ فَٱفْسَحُوا۟ يَفْسَحِ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِذَا قِيلَ ٱنشُزُوا۟ فَٱنشُزُوا۟ يَرْفَعِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ دَرَجَـٰتٍ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ﴾O believers! When you are told to make room in gatherings, then do so. Allah will make room for you ˹in His grace˺. And if you are told to rise, then do so. Allah will elevate those of you who are faithful, and ˹raise˺ those gifted with knowledge in rank. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.
The scholar's text
The One who lowers whoever He willed by His Destruction and raises whoever He willed by His Endowment.
It is mentioned 0 times in the Holy Quran
الذي يخفض من يشاء بإهلاكه، ويرفع من يشاء بعطائه.
ورد في القرآن الكريم 0 مرة.
He Lowers and He Raises
The Name is defined together with its pair: He lowers by destruction and raises by giving. The Prophet ﷺ stood among his companions once and told them five things about Allah, and one of them was “He lowers the scale and lifts it” (Sahih Muslim 179). Raising and lowering are both in His hand, and rank in this world is one of His tests. 6:165 says He elevated some of you in rank over others to test you with what He gave you, and al-Sa'di names the ranks: strength and health, provision, form and character.
Arabic: يخفض القسط ويرفعه
يجمع تعريف الاسم بينه وبين مقابله: يخفض بالإهلاك ويرفع بالعطاء. وقام النبي ﷺ في أصحابه فأخبرهم بخمس، منها: «يَخْفِضُ الْقِسْطَ وَيَرْفَعُهُ» (صحيح مسلم 179). فالرفع والخفض بيده، ورفع الدرجات في الدنيا ابتلاء: ﴿وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَـٰتٍ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِى مَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمْ﴾، قال السعدي: «في القوة والعافية، والرزق والخَلْق والخُلُق».
Raised by Faith and Knowledge
﴿فَبَدَأَ بِأَوْعِيَتِهِمْ قَبْلَ وِعَآءِ أَخِيهِ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَخْرَجَهَا مِن وِعَآءِ أَخِيهِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كِدْنَا لِيُوسُفَ ۖ مَا كَانَ لِيَأْخُذَ أَخَاهُ فِى دِينِ ٱلْمَلِكِ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَـٰتٍ مَّن نَّشَآءُ ۗ وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِى عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ﴾Joseph began searching their bags before that of his brother ˹Benjamin˺, then brought it out of Benjamin’s bag. This is how We inspired Joseph to plan. He could not have taken his brother under the King’s law, but Allah had so willed. We elevate in rank whoever We will. But above those ranking in knowledge is the One All-Knowing.
The key verse begins with manners in a gathering: make room when asked, and rise when told to. Al-Sa'di counts that readiness as part of knowledge and faith, and says the adornment and fruit of knowledge is to keep its manners and act on it. Then it names two groups Allah raises in rank: the faithful, and those given knowledge (58:11). The Quran says the same of a prophet's knowledge, of Ibrahim's argument (6:83) and of Yusuf's plan (12:76). On 6:83 al-Sa'di singles out the scholar who acts and teaches: people watch his deeds, follow his steps and walk by his knowledge in the dark. On 12:76 he adds the limit. Above every knower is one who knows more, until knowledge ends at the Knower of the unseen and the seen.
Arabic: يرفع الله الذين آمنوا والذين أوتوا العلم درجات
تبدأ الآية بأدب المجلس: التفسح إذا قيل تفسحوا، والقيام إذا قيل انشزوا. قال السعدي: «فإن القيام بمثل هذه الأمور من العلم والإيمان»، وقال: «وفي هذه الآية فضيلة العلم، وأن زينته وثمرته التأدب بآدابه والعمل بمقتضاه». ثم تذكر فريقين يرفعهما الله درجات: المؤمنين والذين أوتوا العلم (المجادلة 58: 11). وقالها القرآن في علم نبيين أيضا: في حجة إبراهيم ﴿نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَـٰتٍ مَّن نَّشَآءُ﴾، قال السعدي: «خصوصا العالم العامل المعلم، فإنه يجعله الله إماما للناس، بحسب حاله ترمق أفعاله، وتقتفى آثاره، ويستضاء بنوره، ويمشى بعلمه في ظلمة ديجوره»، وفي تدبير يوسف (12: 76)، قال: «بالعلم النافع، ومعرفة الطرق الموصلة إلى مقصدها، كما رفعنا درجات يوسف، وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ فكل عالم، فوقه من هو أعلم منه حتى ينتهي العلم إلى عالم الغيب والشهادة».
Raised by This Book
Umar once asked his governor of Makkah who he had left in charge of the valley. A freed slave, the governor said, but one well versed in the Book of Allah and its rulings. Umar answered with the words of the Prophet ﷺ: “By this Book, Allah would exalt some peoples and degrade others” (Sahih Muslim 817). The same Book that raised a freed slave over his people lowers those who turn from it.
Arabic: يرفع بهذا الكتاب أقواما
سأل عمر عامله على مكة عمن استخلف على أهل الوادي، فقال: مولى من موالينا، لكنه قارئ لكتاب الله عالم بالفرائض، فقال عمر: إن نبيكم ﷺ قال: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْفَعُ بِهَذَا الْكِتَابِ أَقْوَامًا وَيَضَعُ بِهِ آخَرِينَ» (صحيح مسلم 817). فالكتاب الذي رفع مولى على قومه يضع من أعرض عنه.
Humility, Prostration and Hardship
The Sunnah names three things that raise a believer. Humility first: “no one humbles himself for the sake of Allah except that Allah raises his status” (Sahih Muslim 2588). Then prostration, which Thawban reported in answer to a man who asked for a deed that would benefit him: “There is no one who prostrated once to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, except that Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby, and erase one sin thereby” (Sunan an-Nasa'i 1139, graded sahih by al-Albani). And hardship, down to the smallest pain: “A believer does not receive (the trouble) of running a thorn or more than that but Allah elevates him in rank or effaces his sins because of that” (Sahih Muslim 2572).
Arabic: التواضع والسجود والبلاء
تذكر السنة ثلاثة أسباب لرفع المؤمن: التواضع: «وَمَا تَوَاضَعَ أَحَدٌ لِلَّهِ إِلاَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ» (صحيح مسلم 2588)، والسجود: سأل رجل ثوبان عن عمل ينفعه فدله عليه، فكل سجدة لله يرفع بها درجة ويحط بها خطيئة (سنن النسائي 1139، صححه الألباني)، والبلاء ولو كان شوكة، يرفعه الله بها درجة أو يكفر عنه (صحيح مسلم 2572).
Raised Your Renown
﴿وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ﴾and elevated your renown for you?
The Quran also tells of the Prophet's ﷺ own raising, in a question put to him: “and elevated your renown for you” (94:4). Al-Sa'di shows where it can be heard: his name is said on entering Islam, in the call to prayer, in the iqamah and in sermons. And of every believer's words and deeds it says: to Him alone good words ascend, and righteous deeds are raised up by Him (35:10).
Arabic: ورفعنا لك ذكرك
ويذكر القرآن رفع ذكر النبي ﷺ في سؤال موجه إليه: ﴿وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ﴾، قال السعدي: «كما في الدخول في الإسلام، وفي الأذان، والإقامة، والخطب». وقال في كلام المؤمن وعمله: ﴿إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ ٱلْكَلِمُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ وَٱلْعَمَلُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحُ يَرْفَعُهُۥ﴾ (فاطر 35: 10).
From the Sunnah
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was standing amongst us and he told us five things. He said: Verily the Exalted and Mighty God does not sleep, and it does not befit Him to sleep. He lowers the scale and lifts it
قَامَ فِينَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لاَ يَنَامُ وَلاَ يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَنَامَ يَخْفِضُ الْقِسْطَ وَيَرْفَعُهُ
Charity does not decrease wealth, no one forgives another except that Allah increases his honor, and no one humbles himself for the sake of Allah except that Allah raises his status
مَا نَقَصَتْ صَدَقَةٌ مِنْ مَالٍ وَمَا زَادَ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا بِعَفْوٍ إِلاَّ عِزًّا وَمَا تَوَاضَعَ أَحَدٌ لِلَّهِ إِلاَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ
A du'a with this Name
رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاجْبُرْنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَارْفَعْنِي
Rabbighfir li warhamni wajburni warzuqni warfa’ni (O Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me, improve my situation, grant me provision and raise me in status).
Sunan Ibn Majah 898, graded sahih by al-Albani: what the Prophet ﷺ said between the two prostrations in the night prayer
Related Names
Questions about Ar-Rafi'
What does Ar-Rafi' mean?
Ar-Rafi' is the One who lowers whoever He willed by His destruction and raises whoever He willed by His endowment.
Is Ar-Rafi' in the Quran?
Not as a Name: Ar-Rafi' is mentioned 0 times in the Quran, though 58:11 says Allah will elevate those who are faithful.
Which Name is paired with Ar-Rafi'?
Al-Khafid, the Abaser. Ar-Rafi' is defined through both acts, and the Prophet ﷺ joined them in one line about the scale (Sahih Muslim 179).
What raises a person with Allah?
Faith and knowledge in 58:11. In the Sunnah: this Book (Sahih Muslim 817), humbling oneself for Allah (Sahih Muslim 2588), and prostration, a degree for each one (an-Nasa'i 1139, which al-Albani graded sahih).