الْحَقُّ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Haqq
The Truth
Al-Haqq is the Truth, the True, and the One who truly exists. In its verse, 20:114, Allah is the True King, and al-Sa'di explains that His existence, His kingship and His perfection are all true, while every other kingship is short and passes away.
Key verse
﴿فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُۥ ۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًا﴾Exalted is Allah, the True King! Do not rush to recite ˹a revelation of˺ the Quran ˹O Prophet˺ before it is ˹properly˺ conveyed to you, and pray, “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.”
The scholar's text
The Truth, The True, The One who truly exists.
(فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُۥ ۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًۭا ) طه 20: 114
(Exalted is Allah, the True King! Do not rush to recite ˹a revelation of˺ the Quran ˹O Prophet˺ before it is ˹properly˺ conveyed to you, and pray, “My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.”) Taha 20: 114
It is mentioned 10 times in the Holy Quran
الحق، الحقيقي، الذي هو موجود حقا.
(فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُۥ ۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًا) طه 20: 114
ورد في القرآن الكريم 10 مرات.
The True King
20:114 joins the Name to kingship: Exalted is Allah, the True King. Al-Sa'di reads al-Haqq there as a description of all of Him: His existence is true, His kingship is true, His perfection is true, and attributes of perfection belong in reality only to the Owner of majesty. A creature may hold some kingship, over some things, for a time, but that kingship is deficient and passes. The Lord stays King, Ever-Living, Self-Sustaining.
Arabic: الملك الحق
تربط آية طه الاسم بالملك: ﴿فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ﴾. قال السعدي: «أي: وجوده وملكه وكماله حق، فصفات الكمال، لا تكون حقيقة إلا لذي الجلال، ومن ذلك: الملك، فإن غيره من الخلق، وإن كان له ملك في بعض الأوقات، على بعض الأشياء، فإنه ملك قاصر باطل يزول، وأما الرب، فلا يزال ولا يزول ملكا حيا قيوما جليلا».
And What They Call On Is Falsehood
﴿ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ هُوَ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ﴾That is because Allah ˹alone˺ is the Truth and what they invoke besides Him is falsehood, and Allah ˹alone˺ is truly the Most High, All-Great.
22:62 sets the Truth against everything worshipped besides Him. Al-Sa'di explains al-Haqq there as the One who is firm and never ceases, the First and the Last, perfect in His Names and attributes, whose promise, meeting, religion and worship are all true. What is called on besides Him is false in itself, and its worship is false too, because it is tied to something that fades. The Prophet ﷺ praised a poet's line for saying the same: “The truest poetic verse ever said by a poet, is: Indeed! Everything except Allah, is perishable” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6489).
Arabic: وأن ما يدعون من دونه هو الباطل
تقابل آية الحج بين الحق وما يعبد من دونه: ﴿ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ هُوَ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ﴾. قال السعدي في الحق: «أي: الثابت، الذي لا يزال ولا يزول، الأول الذي ليس قبله شيء، الآخر الذي ليس بعده شيء، كامل الأسماء والصفات، صادق الوعد، الذي وعده حق ولقاؤه حق، ودينه حق، وعبادته هي الحق، النافعة الباقية على الدوام»، وفي الباطل: «الذي، هو باطل في نفسه، وعبادته باطلة، لأنها متعلقة بمضمحل فان، فتبطل تبعا لغايتها ومقصودها». وقال النبي ﷺ: «أَصْدَقُ بَيْتٍ قَالَهُ الشَّاعِرُ أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلُ» (صحيح البخاري 6489).
What Is Beyond the Truth but Error
﴿فَذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۖ فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ ٱلْحَقِّ إِلَّا ٱلضَّلَـٰلُ ۖ فَأَنَّىٰ تُصْرَفُونَ﴾That is Allah: your True Lord. So what is beyond the truth except falsehood? How can you then be turned away?”
10:32 asks the question that follows from the Name: that is Allah, your true Lord, so what is beyond the truth except falsehood? Al-Sa'di gives the reason. He alone creates and manages all things, every blessing on His servants is from Him, and He alone brings good and turns away harm. So how are people turned from worshipping Him to worshipping what has, of existence, nothing but nonexistence?
Arabic: فماذا بعد الحق إلا الضلال
تسأل آية يونس: ﴿فَذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۖ فَمَاذَا بَعْدَ ٱلْحَقِّ إِلَّا ٱلضَّلَـٰلُ﴾. قال السعدي: «فإنه تعالى المنفرد بالخلق والتدبير لجميع الأشياء، الذي ما بالعباد من نعمة إلا منه، ولا يأتي بالحسنات إلا هو، ولا يدفع السيئات إلا هو»، فكيف يصرفون «عن عبادة من هذا وصفه، إلى عبادة الذي ليس له من وجوده إلا العدم».
On That Day They Will Know
﴿يَوْمَئِذٍ يُوَفِّيهِمُ ٱللَّهُ دِينَهُمُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ ٱلْمُبِينُ﴾On that Day, Allah will give them their just penalty in full, and they will ˹come to˺ know that Allah ˹alone˺ is the Ultimate Truth.
24:25 places the full knowledge of this Name on the Day of Judgment: then they will know that Allah is the Manifest Truth. Al-Sa'di spells out what they will know, that truth is found in Allah alone. His attributes are true, His acts are true, worship of Him is true, meeting Him is true, His promise and His warning, His law and His judgment, and His messengers. There is no truth, he concludes, except in Allah and in what comes from Allah.
Arabic: ويعلمون أن الله هو الحق المبين
تجعل آية النور العلم التام بهذا الاسم يوم القيامة: ﴿وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ ٱلْمُبِينُ﴾. قال السعدي: «ويعلمون في ذلك الموقف العظيم، أن الله هو الحق المبين، فيعلمون انحصار الحق المبين في الله تعالى. فأوصافه العظيمة حق، وأفعاله هي الحق، وعبادته هي الحق، ولقاؤه حق، ووعده ووعيده، وحكمه الديني والجزائي حق، ورسله حق، فلا ثم حق، إلا في الله وما من الله».
Until It Becomes Clear
﴿سَنُرِيهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فِى ٱلْـَٔافَاقِ وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِ بِرَبِّكَ أَنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ﴾We will show them Our signs in the universe and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that this ˹Quran˺ is the truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is a Witness over all things?
41:53 promises signs in the horizons and in the people themselves until it is clear to them that this is the truth. Al-Sa'di says Allah has already done it: He has shown His servants enough signs to make it clear that it is the truth. Faith still comes by His help to whoever He wills. The Prophet ﷺ opened his night prayer with the same certainty: “Thou art the Truth; Thy promise is True, the meeting with Thee is True. Paradise is true, Hell is true, the Hour is true” (Sahih Muslim 769). The Arabic also has wa qawluka al-haqq, Your word is the truth.
Arabic: حتى يتبين لهم أنه الحق
تعد آية فصلت: ﴿سَنُرِيهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فِى ٱلْـَٔافَاقِ وَفِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ﴾، قال السعدي: «وقد فعل تعالى، فإنه أرى عباده من الآيات، ما به تبين لهم أنه الحق»، والله هو الموفق للإيمان من شاء. وكان النبي ﷺ يقول في قيام الليل: «أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ وَوَعْدُكَ الْحَقُّ وَقَوْلُكَ الْحَقُّ وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ وَالسَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ» (صحيح مسلم 769).
From the Sunnah
The truest poetic verse ever said by a poet, is: Indeed! Everything except Allah, is perishable
أَصْدَقُ بَيْتٍ قَالَهُ الشَّاعِرُ أَلاَ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللَّهَ بَاطِلُ
A du'a with this Name
أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ وَوَعْدُكَ الْحَقُّ وَقَوْلُكَ الْحَقُّ وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ وَالسَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ
Thou art the Truth; Thy promise is True, the meeting with Thee is True. Paradise is true, Hell is true, the Hour is true
Sahih Muslim 769: from what the Prophet ﷺ said when he got up at night to pray (the Arabic also has wa qawluka al-haqq, Your word is the truth)
Related Names
Questions about Al-Haqq
What does Al-Haqq mean?
Al-Haqq is the Truth, the True, the One who truly exists.
How many times is Al-Haqq in the Quran?
Al-Haqq is mentioned 10 times in the Quran.
What is false, if Allah is the Truth?
Whatever is worshipped besides Him, 22:62 says. Al-Sa'di: it is false in itself, and so is its worship.
What did the Prophet ﷺ say about Al-Haqq in prayer?
At night he began: “Thou art the Truth; Thy promise is True, the meeting with Thee is True. Paradise is true, Hell is true, the Hour is true” (Sahih Muslim 769).