الْمَجِيدُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Majeed
The All-Glorious
Al-Majeed is the Most Glorious One, with perfect power, high status, compassion, generosity and kindness. Its verse, 11:73, is the angels' answer to Ibrahim's wife, and Ibn Kathir notes that the salawat every Muslim says in prayer ends on the same two Names.
Key verse
﴿قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَعْجَبِينَ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ رَحْمَتُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكَـٰتُهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ ٱلْبَيْتِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَمِيدٌ مَّجِيدٌ﴾They responded, “Are you astonished by Allah’s decree? May Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you, O people of this house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy, All-Glorious.”
The scholar's text
The Most Glorious One, The One who is with perfect Power, High Status, Compassion, Generosity and Kindness.
(قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَعْجَبِينَ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ رَحْمَتُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكَـٰتُهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ ٱلْبَيْتِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَمِيدٌۭ مَّجِيدٌۭ ) هود 11 : 73
(They responded, “Are you astonished by Allah’s decree? May Allah’s mercy and blessings be upon you, O people of this house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy, All-Glorious.”) Hud 11 : 73
It is mentioned 2 times in the Holy Quran
المجيد، ذو الكمال في القدرة وعلو المنزلة والرحمة والكرم واللطف.
(قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَعْجَبِينَ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ رَحْمَتُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكَـٰتُهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ ٱلْبَيْتِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَمِيدٌ مَّجِيدٌ) هود 11: 73
ورد في القرآن الكريم مرتين.
Praiseworthy, All-Glorious
Ibrahim's wife laughed, and then she was given the news of Isaac (11:71). How could she bear a child in her old age, she asked (11:72), and the angels answered with 11:73. Al-Sa'di explains their question: His command holds nothing strange, because His will reaches everything. Then the two Names. Hamid is praised in His attributes, since they are perfect, and in His actions, since they are kindness, generosity, wisdom and justice. Majid is the greatness and vastness of His attributes: He has every attribute of perfection in its fullest form. Al-Baghawi adds that the root of majd is height.
Arabic: إنه حميد مجيد
ضحكت امرأة إبراهيم فبُشرت بإسحاق (هود 11: 71)، فعجبت أن تلد على كبرها (هود 11: 72)، فأجابتها الملائكة بهذه الآية (هود 11: 73). قال السعدي: «فإن أمره لا عجب فيه، لنفوذ مشيئته التامة في كل شيء، فلا يستغرب على قدرته شيء». ثم قال في الاسمين: «أي: حميد الصفات، لأن صفاته صفات كمال، حميد الأفعال لأن أفعاله إحسان، وجود، وبر، وحكمة، وعدل، وقسط. مجيد، والمجد: هو عظمة الصفات وسعتها، فله صفات الكمال، وله من كل صفة كمال أكملها وأتمها وأعمها». وقال البغوي: «فالحميد: المحمود في أفعاله، والمجيد: الكريم، وأصل المجد الرفعة».
The Same Two Names in Every Prayer
The verse is spoken to the household of Ibrahim, and Ibn Kathir draws the line from it to the prayer. He calls Allah praised in all He does and says and glorified in His attributes and His essence, and then cites the companions asking how to send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ. The answer, in al-Bukhari's wording, ends: “O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3370). The blessing asked for is the one given to Ibrahim's family, and the closing Names are the ones the angels said in his house.
Arabic: إنك حميد مجيد
الآية خطاب لأهل بيت إبراهيم، وربط ابن كثير بينها وبين الصلاة، فقال: «هو الحميد في جميع أفعاله وأقواله محمود، ممجد في صفاته وذاته؛»، ثم ذكر سؤال الصحابة عن الصلاة على النبي ﷺ، وجوابه: «اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ» (صحيح البخاري 3370). فالمطلوب مثل ما أعطي آل إبراهيم، والاسمان في ختامها هما ما قالته الملائكة في بيته.
Lord of the Throne, the All-Glorious
﴿ذُو ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْمَجِيدُ﴾Lord of the Throne, the All-Glorious,
85:15 can be read two ways, and both are reported. Al-Baghawi notes that Hamza and al-Kisa'i read al-majid with a kasra, describing the Throne, while the others read it as a description of Allah, the Owner of the Throne. Al-Sa'di gives both and defines the word the same way on either reading: majd is the vastness and greatness of attributes. The verse comes right after the All-Forgiving, All-Loving (85:14).
Arabic: ذو العرش المجيد
تقرأ آية البروج على وجهين، قال البغوي: «قرأ حمزة والكسائي: المجيد بالجر، على صفة العرش أي السرير العظيم»، وقرأ الآخرون بالرفع صفة لذي العرش. وذكر السعدي الوجهين وعرف المجد بالمعنى نفسه: «وهذا على قراءة الجر، يكون المجيد نعتا للعرش، وأما على قراءة الرفع، فإن المجيد نعت لله، والمجد سعة الأوصاف وعظمتها». وجاءت الآية بعد ﴿وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ﴾ (البروج 85: 14).
My Servant Has Glorified Me
Glorifying Him comes in a hadith qudsi about al-Fatihah. Allah divides the prayer between Himself and His servant and answers each verse the servant recites. After Lord of the worlds and the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful comes the third: when the servant says Master of the Day of Judgment, Allah says: “My servant has glorified Me” (Sahih Muslim 395). To call Him Master of the Day of Judgment is to glorify Him.
Arabic: مجدني عبدي
في الحديث القدسي في الفاتحة يقسم الله الصلاة بينه وبين عبده، ويجيبه عند كل آية، فبعد ﴿ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ﴾ و﴿ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ﴾ يقول العبد ﴿مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ﴾: «وَإِذَا قَالَ { مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ }، قَالَ مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي» (صحيح مسلم 395)، فتمجيده سبحانه أن يُذكر مالكا ليوم الدين.
A Glorious Quran
﴿قٓ ۚ وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ٱلْمَجِيدِ﴾Qãf. By the glorious Quran!
The Quran is called glorious too (50:1, 85:21). Al-Sa'di reads it as vast and great in meaning, many-sided and full of blessing, and he gives the reason the description fits it better than any other speech: it holds the knowledge of the first and the last, the most eloquent style and the widest and best meanings. That, he adds, calls for following it fully and thanking Allah for it.
Arabic: والقرآن المجيد
ووُصف القرآن بالمجيد في ﴿وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ٱلْمَجِيدِ﴾ (ق 50: 1) وفي ﴿بَلْ هُوَ قُرْءَانٌ مَّجِيدٌ﴾ (البروج 85: 21). قال السعدي: «يقسم تعالى بالقرآن المجيد أي: وسيع المعاني عظيمها، كثير الوجوه كثير البركات، جزيل المبرات»، «وأحق كلام يوصف بهذا، هذا القرآن، الذي قد احتوى على علوم الأولين والآخرين، الذي حوى من الفصاحة أكملها، ومن الألفاظ أجزلها، ومن المعاني أعمها وأحسنها»، «وهذا موجب لكمال اتباعه»، «وشكر الله على المنة به».
From the Sunnah
We asked Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! How should one (ask Allah to) send blessings on you, the members of the family, for Allah has taught us how to salute you (in the prayer)?' He said, 'Say: O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious
سَأَلْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَيْفَ الصَّلاَةُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ عَلَّمَنَا كَيْفَ نُسَلِّمُ . قَالَ قُولُوا اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ،
I have divided the prayer into two halves between Me and My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks. When the servant says: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, Allah the Most High says: My servant has praised Me. And when he (the servant) says: The Most Compassionate, the Merciful, Allah the Most High says: My servant has lauded Me. And when he (the servant) says: Master of the Day of judg- ment, He remarks: My servant has glorified Me
قَسَمْتُ الصَّلاَةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ وَلِعَبْدِي مَا سَأَلَ فَإِذَا قَالَ الْعَبْدُ { الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ } . قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى حَمِدَنِي عَبْدِي وَإِذَا قَالَ { الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ } . قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَثْنَى عَلَىَّ عَبْدِي . وَإِذَا قَالَ { مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ } . قَالَ مَجَّدَنِي عَبْدِي
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious
Sahih al-Bukhari 3370: the salawat the Prophet ﷺ taught when his companions asked how to send blessings on him
Related Names
Questions about Al-Majeed
What does Al-Majeed mean?
Al-Majeed is the Most Glorious One: perfect in power and in status, and in compassion, generosity and kindness. Al-Sa'di: majd is the vastness and greatness of His attributes.
How many times is Al-Majeed in the Quran?
Al-Majeed is mentioned 2 times in the Quran.
What is the difference between Al-Hameed and Al-Majeed?
Al-Baghawi puts it shortly: al-Hamid is the One praised in His actions, al-Majid the Generous, and the root of majd is height. In al-Sa'di's words, the first is praise for His attributes and actions, the second the vastness of those attributes.
Why is the Quran called majid?
Because it is vast and great in meaning, al-Sa'di says on 50:1, and no speech deserves the word more.