الْكَبِيرُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Kabeer
The All-Great
Al-Kabeer is the Most Great, greater than everything in status. Its verse, 31:30, pairs it with the Most High, and al-Sa'di explains: greatness belongs to Him in His essence and attributes, and in the hearts of all in the heavens and the earth.
Key verse
﴿ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ﴾That is because Allah ˹alone˺ is the Truth and what they invoke besides Him is falsehood, and ˹because˺ Allah ˹alone˺ is the Most High, All-Great.
The scholar's text
The Most Great, The Great, The One who is greater than everything in status.
(ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ) لقمان 31: 30
(That is because Allah ˹Alone˺ is the Truth and what they invoke besides Him is falsehood, and ˹because˺ Allah ˹alone˺ is the Most High, All-Great.) Luqman 31:30
It is mentioned 6 times in the Holy Quran
الأكبر، الكبير، الذي هو أكبر من كل شيء قدرا.
(ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ) لقمان 31: 30
ورد في القرآن الكريم 6 مرات.
Greater Than Everything
The definition gives the Name in two forms, the Most Great and the Great, and then its measure: greater than everything in status. Its verse sets it after the Truth and the Most High. Al-Sa'di explains al-Kabir there in two places at once. Greatness is His in His essence and His attributes, and it is His in the hearts of those in the heavens and the earth.
Arabic: أكبر من كل شيء
يذكر التعريف الاسم بصيغتين، الأكبر والكبير، ثم مقداره: أكبر من كل شيء قدرا. ويأتي الاسم في آيته بعد الحق والعلي: ﴿وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ﴾، قال السعدي: «الذي له الكبرياء في ذاته وصفاته، وله الكبرياء في قلوب أهل السماء والأرض».
Knower of the Seen and the Unseen
﴿عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ ٱلْكَبِيرُ ٱلْمُتَعَالِ﴾˹He is the˺ Knower of the seen and the unseen: the All-Great, Most Exalted.
13:9 joins the Name to knowledge: Knower of the seen and the unseen, the All-Great, Most Exalted. Ibn Kathir explains al-Kabir there in the very words of the definition above, the One greater than everything, and the Most Exalted as the One whose knowledge takes in all things, who has subdued all things, so that necks are bowed to Him and His servants submit, willingly or not. Al-Sa'di reads the same pair: great in His essence, Names and attributes, exalted over all His creation by His essence, His power and His dominance.
Arabic: عالم الغيب والشهادة الكبير المتعال
تقرن آية الرعد الاسم بالعلم: ﴿عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ ٱلْكَبِيرُ ٱلْمُتَعَالِ﴾. قال ابن كثير: الكبير «الذي هو أكبر من كل شيء»، والمتعال «قد أحاط بكل شيء علما، وقهر كل شيء، فخضعت له الرقاب ودان له العباد، طوعا وكرها». وقال السعدي: «في ذاته وأسمائه وصفاته الْمُتَعَالِ على جميع خلقه بذاته وقدرته وقهره».
What Has Your Lord Said?
﴿وَلَا تَنفَعُ ٱلشَّفَـٰعَةُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُۥ ۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا۟ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ﴾No intercession will be of any benefit with Him, except by those granted permission by Him. ˹At last,˺ when the dread ˹of Judgment Day˺ is relieved from their hearts ˹because they are permitted to intercede˺, they will ˹excitedly˺ ask ˹the angels˺, “What has your Lord ˹just˺ said?” The angels will reply, “The truth! And He is the Most High, All-Great.”
34:23 ends on a question and its answer: what has your Lord said? The truth, and He is the Most High, the All-Great. The Prophet ﷺ described the angels hearing a command from Allah: “Until when fear is banished from their (angels) hearts, they (angels) say, 'What was it that your Lord said? They say, 'The truth; And He is the Most High, the Most Great” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4701). Al-Sa'di gives two readings of who asks and answers. He prefers the idolaters on the Day of Judgment, owning at last that what Allah said is the truth, and he allows the angels, which is the hadith's reading.
Arabic: ماذا قال ربكم
تختم آية سبأ بسؤال وجوابه: ﴿قَالُوا۟ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ﴾. ووصف النبي ﷺ الملائكة حين يقضي الله الأمر: «فَإِذَا فُزِّعَ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ، قَالُوا لِلَّذِي قَالَ الْحَقَّ وَهْوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ» (صحيح البخاري 4701). وذكر السعدي وجهين فيمن يسأل ويجيب، ورجح المشركين يوم القيامة: «وهذا المعنى أظهر، وهو الذي يدل عليه السياق، ويحتمل أن الضمير يعود إلى الملائكة».
Judgment Belongs to Him
﴿ذَٰلِكُم بِأَنَّهُۥٓ إِذَا دُعِىَ ٱللَّهُ وَحْدَهُۥ كَفَرْتُمْ ۖ وَإِن يُشْرَكْ بِهِۦ تُؤْمِنُوا۟ ۚ فَٱلْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْعَلِىِّ ٱلْكَبِيرِ﴾˹They will be told,˺ “˹No!˺ This is because when Allah alone was invoked, you ˹staunchly˺ disbelieved. But when others were associated with Him ˹in worship˺, you ˹readily˺ believed. So ˹Today˺ judgment belongs to Allah ˹alone˺: the Most High, All-Great.”
In 40:12 the Name closes a sentence passed on those who rejected Him: judgment belongs to Allah alone, the Most High, All-Great. Al-Sa'di explains al-Kabir there as the One who has majesty, greatness and glory in His Names, attributes and acts, free of every defect, and he draws the consequence for that Day: His judgment is not changed or replaced. The same pair, the Most High and the All-Great, closes its verse 31:30 and 34:23.
Arabic: فالحكم لله العلي الكبير
تختم آية غافر حكما على من كفروا: ﴿فَٱلْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ ٱلْعَلِىِّ ٱلْكَبِيرِ﴾، قال السعدي: «الذي له الكبرياء والعظمة والمجد، في أسمائه وصفاته وأفعاله المتنزه عن كل آفة وعيب ونقص»، وحكمه لا يغير ولا يبدل. والاسمان نفسهما، العلي الكبير، تختم بهما آيته (لقمان 31: 30) وآية سبأ (34: 23).
Allahu Akbar
﴿وَقُلِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ شَرِيكٌ فِى ٱلْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ مِّنَ ٱلذُّلِّ ۖ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًۢا﴾And say, “All praise is for Allah, Who has never had ˹any˺ offspring; nor does He have a partner in ˹governing˺ the kingdom; nor is He pathetic, needing a protector. And revere Him immensely.”
17:111 ends with a command: revere Him immensely, wa kabbirhu takbira. Al-Sa'di explains it as magnifying Him by telling of His great attributes and praising Him by His Most Beautiful Names. On 22:62 he gives the reason takbir is the mark of the great acts of worship such as prayer: all worship, from everyone in the heavens and the earth, is meant to magnify and honour Him. A man once said in prayer “Allah is truly Great, praise be to Allah in abundance. Glory be to Allah in the morning and the evening”, and the Prophet ﷺ said: “It (its utterance) surprised me, for the doors of heaven were opened for It” (Sahih Muslim 601).
Arabic: وكبره تكبيرا
تختم آية الإسراء بالأمر: ﴿وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًۢا﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: عظمه وأجله بالإخبار بأوصافه العظيمة، وبالثناء عليه، بأسمائه الحسنى». وقال في آية الحج: «ومن كبريائه، أن العبادات كلها، الصادرة من أهل السماوات والأرض، كلها المقصود منها، تكبيره وتعظيمه، وإجلاله وإكرامه، ولهذا كان التكبير شعارا للعبادات الكبار، كالصلاة وغيرها». وقال رجل في الصلاة: «اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كَثِيرًا وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً»، فقال النبي ﷺ: «عجبت لها فتحت لها أبواب السماء» (صحيح مسلم 601).
From the Sunnah
Pride is my cloak and majesty is my lower garment, and I shall throw him who view with me regarding one of them into Hell
الْكِبْرِيَاءُ رِدَائِي وَالْعَظَمَةُ إِزَارِي فَمَنْ نَازَعَنِي وَاحِدًا مِنْهُمَا قَذَفْتُهُ فِي النَّارِ
When Allah has ordained some affair in the Heaven, the angels beat with their wings in obedience to His statement, which sounds like a chain dragged over a rock." (`Ali and other sub-narrators said, "The sound reaches them.") "Until when fear is banished from their (angels) hearts, they (angels) say, 'What was it that your Lord said? They say, 'The truth; And He is the Most High, the Most Great
إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ الأَمْرَ فِي السَّمَاءِ ضَرَبَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ بِأَجْنِحَتِهَا خُضْعَانًا لِقَوْلِهِ كَالسِّلْسِلَةِ عَلَى صَفْوَانٍ ـ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ صَفْوَانٍ ـ يَنْفُذُهُمْ ذَلِكَ فَإِذَا فُزِّعَ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ، قَالُوا لِلَّذِي قَالَ الْحَقَّ وَهْوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ،
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كَثِيرًا وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً
Allah is truly Great, praise be to Allah in abundance. Glory be to Allah in the morning and the evening
Sahih Muslim 601: words a man said in prayer; the Prophet ﷺ said the doors of heaven were opened for them
Related Names
Questions about Al-Kabeer
What does Al-Kabeer mean?
Greater than everything in status: that is Al-Kabeer, the Most Great.
How many times is Al-Kabeer in the Quran?
Six times; and 31:30, which closes on Al-Kabeer right after the Most High, is the verse that goes with it.
Why does every prayer begin with Allahu akbar?
All worship is meant to magnify Him, al-Sa'di says on 22:62, and so takbir marks the major ones, such as prayer.
Why is pride forbidden?
Because it is His. In a hadith qudsi Allah says that pride is His cloak and majesty His lower garment, and that He will throw into Hell whoever contends with Him for either (Sunan Abi Dawud 4090, graded sahih by al-Albani).