الْقَهَّارُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Qahhaar
The Supreme
Nothing in creation is outside the reach of al-Qahhaar, the Supreme. Its verse is 38:65: there is no god except Allah, the One, the Supreme. Al-Sa'di reads that pairing as a proof, because dominance goes with oneness: there can never be two equal in their dominance.
Key verse
﴿قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ مُنذِرٌ ۖ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَـٰهٍ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ﴾Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I am only a warner. And there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Allah: the One, the Supreme.
The scholar's text
(قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا مُنذِرٌ ۖ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ ) ص 38: 65
(Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “I am only a warner. And there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Allah: the One, the Supreme.”) Sad 38: 65
It is mentioned 6 times in the Holy Quran
(قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ مُنذِرٌ ۖ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَـٰهٍ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ) ص 38: 65
ورد في القرآن الكريم 6 مرات.
The One, the Supreme
In its verse the Prophet ﷺ is told to say that he is only a warner, and that no god is worthy of worship except Allah, the One, the Supreme (38:65). Al-Sa'di calls the end of the verse a decisive proof of His divinity, made of two parts: He is One, and He prevails over everything. The two go together, he says, so there can never be two who are equal in their dominance.
Arabic: الواحد القهار
أُمر النبي ﷺ أن يقول إنه منذر فحسب، وأنه لا إله إلا الله الواحد القهار. قال السعدي في ﴿وَمَا مِنْ إِلَـٰهٍ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ﴾: «ما أحد يؤله ويعبد بحق إلا اللّه»، وفي ﴿ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ﴾: «هذا تقرير لألوهيته، بهذا البرهان القاطع، وهو وحدته تعالى، وقهره لكل شيء، فإن القهر ملازم للوحدة، فلا يكون قهارين متساويين في قهرهما أبدا».
Many Lords, or the One?
﴿يَـٰصَـٰحِبَىِ ٱلسِّجْنِ ءَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ﴾O my fellow-prisoners! Which is far better: many different lords or Allah: the One, the Supreme?
In prison, before he interpreted their dreams, Yusuf called his two companions to Allah, and al-Sa'di marks the moment: then he called them openly (12:39). On the other side of his question, al-Sa'di lists what those lords were: weak, helpless, unable to benefit or harm, to give or withhold, and scattered among trees, stones, angels and the dead. Against them stands One whose dominance everything obeys. What He wills happens; what He does not will never does.
Arabic: أأرباب متفرقون
قبل أن يعبر يوسف عليه السلام رؤيا صاحبيه في السجن دعاهما إلى الله، قال السعدي: «ثم صرح لهما بالدعوة»، وقال في ﴿ءَأَرْبَابٌ مُّتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ﴾: «أي: أرباب عاجزة ضعيفة لا تنفع ولا تضر، ولا تعطي ولا تمنع»، «وهي متفرقة ما بين أشجار وأحجار وملائكة وأموات، وغير ذلك من أنواع المعبودات التي يتخذها المشركون». وفي مقابلها: «الذي انقادت الأشياء لقهره وسلطانه، فما شاء كان وما لم يشأ لم يكن».
Supreme Over His Servants
﴿وَهُوَ ٱلْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِۦ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ﴾He reigns supreme over His creation. And He is the All-Wise, All-Aware.
6:18 calls Allah al-Qahir, and The Clear Quran renders it as a whole clause: He reigns supreme over His creation. For al-Baghawi it means the One who prevails, with something power alone does not carry: stopping others from getting what they are after. Al-Sa'di takes it further. No one acts, moves or stays still except by His will, kings included; all are directed and subdued, so He alone deserves worship. In Ibn Kathir's words, necks bow to Him and He has prevailed over everything.
Arabic: وهو القاهر فوق عباده
وفي آية الأنعام اسم القاهر، وتترجمه الترجمة الإنجليزية بجملة كاملة: يقهر خلقه. قال البغوي: «القاهر: الغالب، وفي القهر زيادة معنى على القدرة، وهي منع غيره عن بلوغ المراد». وقال السعدي: «فلا يتصرف منهم متصرف، ولا يتحرك متحرك، ولا يسكن ساكن، إلا بمشيئته، وليس للملوك وغيرهم الخروج عن ملكه وسلطانه، بل هم مدبرون مقهورون، فإذا كان هو القاهر وغيره مقهورا، كان هو المستحق للعبادة». وقال ابن كثير: «هو الذي خضعت له الرقاب، وذلت له الجبابرة، وعنت له الوجوه، وقهر كل شيء ودانت له الخلائق».
Whose Is the Dominion Today?
﴿يَوْمَ هُم بَـٰرِزُونَ ۖ لَا يَخْفَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مِنْهُمْ شَىْءٌ ۚ لِّمَنِ ٱلْمُلْكُ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۖ لِلَّهِ ٱلْوَٰحِدِ ٱلْقَهَّارِ﴾the Day all will appear ˹before Allah˺. Nothing about them will be hidden from Him. ˹He will ask,˺ “Who does all authority belong to this Day? To Allah: the One, the Supreme!
40:16 asks the question on the Day when everyone stands in the open, and answers it with the Name. Al-Sa'di explains what has changed by then: any share in dominion is gone, every other means is cut off, and nothing is left but deeds, good or bad. Every creature yields to al-Qahhar, he adds, above all on that Day. The Prophet ﷺ described the scene: “Allah will hold the whole earth, and roll all the heavens up in His Right Hand, and then He will say, 'I am the King; where are the kings of the earth?” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4812).
Arabic: لمن الملك اليوم
قال السعدي في ﴿لِّمَنِ ٱلْمُلْكُ ٱلْيَوْمَ﴾: «الذي انقطعت فيه الشركة في الملك، وتقطعت الأسباب، ولم يبق إلا الأعمال الصالحة أو السيئة؟»، وفي ﴿ٱلْقَهَّارِ﴾: «لجميع المخلوقات، الذي دانت له المخلوقات وذلت وخضعت، خصوصًا في ذلك اليوم». وقال النبي ﷺ: «يَقْبِضُ اللَّهُ الأَرْضَ، وَيَطْوِي السَّمَوَاتِ بِيَمِينِهِ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ، أَيْنَ مُلُوكُ الأَرْضِ» (صحيح البخاري 4812).
Under His Dominance, Guarded
﴿وَهُوَ ٱلْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِۦ ۖ وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ﴾He reigns supreme over all of His creation, and sends recording-angels, watching over you. When death comes to any of you, Our angels take their soul, never neglecting this duty.
6:61 repeats that He reigns supreme over His creation and goes straight on to the angels He sends to watch over people. Al-Sa'di notices the order: for all His dominance, He has put guardians over His servants, who protect them and record what they do. The same Name that humbles kings is a refuge for the one who fears people. When the Prophet ﷺ feared a group, he asked Allah to stand between him and them, in the du'a below.
Arabic: ويرسل عليكم حفظة
تذكر آية الأنعام قهره فوق عباده ثم تذكر الحفظة، قال السعدي في ﴿وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً﴾: «ومع ذلك، فقد وكل بالعباد حفظةً من الملائكة، يحفظون العبد ويحفظون عليه ما عمل». فالاسم الذي يذل الملوك ملجأ لمن خاف الناس، وكان النبي ﷺ إذا خاف قوما قال: «اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَجْعَلُكَ فِي نُحُورِهِمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شُرُورِهِمْ» (سنن أبي داود 1537، صححه الألباني).
From the Sunnah
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "Allah will hold the whole earth, and roll all the heavens up in His Right Hand, and then He will say, 'I am the King; where are the kings of the earth?
يَقْبِضُ اللَّهُ الأَرْضَ، وَيَطْوِي السَّمَوَاتِ بِيَمِينِهِ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ، أَيْنَ مُلُوكُ الأَرْضِ
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَجْعَلُكَ فِي نُحُورِهِمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شُرُورِهِمْ
O Allah, we make Thee our shield against them, and take refuge in Thee from their evils
Sunan Abi Dawud 1537, graded sahih by al-Albani: what the Prophet ﷺ said when he feared a group of people
Related Names
Questions about Al-Qahhaar
What does Al-Qahhaar mean?
Al-Qahhaar is the Supreme, as The Clear Quran renders it in 38:65. Al-Baghawi, on al-Qahir in 6:18: the One who prevails, and stops others from reaching what they want.
How many times is Al-Qahhaar in the Quran?
Al-Qahhaar is mentioned 6 times in the Quran. Its verse is 38:65.
Why is Al-Qahhaar named with Al-Wahid?
Because, al-Sa'di explains, the two prove each other: dominance belongs with oneness, and two equals in dominance cannot exist.
What should I say when I fear people?
What the Prophet ﷺ said when he feared a group of people: “O Allah, we make Thee our shield against them, and take refuge in Thee from their evils” (Sunan Abi Dawud 1537, graded sahih by al-Albani).