الْجَبَّارُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Jabbar
The Compeller
Al-Jabbar is the One whose will nothing in His dominion escapes. It is mentioned once in the Quran, in 59:23, among the Names at the close of Surah al-Hashr. Al-Baghawi lists what it was taken to mean: greatness, the mending of what is broken, and bringing creation to what He wills.
Key verse
﴿هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ﴾He is Allah: there is no god except Him: the King, the Most Holy, the All-Perfect, the Source of Serenity, the Watcher ˹of all˺, the Almighty, the Supreme in Might, the Majestic. Glorified is Allah far above what they associate with Him ˹in worship˺!
The scholar's text
The One that nothing happens in His Dominion except that which He willed
(هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ) الحشر 59: 23
(Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah. (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him) Al-Hashr 59:23
It is mentioned 1 time in the Holy Quran
الذي لا يقع في ملكه إلا ما أراد.
(هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ) الحشر 59: 23
ورد في القرآن الكريم مرة واحدة.
Three Readings of One Name
In 59:23 the Name stands between the Almighty and the Majestic, and The Clear Quran renders it “the Supreme in Might”. Al-Baghawi gathers what the scholars said about it. For Ibn Abbas al-Jabbar is the Great One, His jabarut being His greatness. Some went back to jabr, what is done to a broken bone when it is set. Read that way, He mends the broken and enriches the poor. For al-Suddi and Muqatil it is compelling: He brings people to what He wills. Asked what al-Jabbar means, one of them simply said al-Qahhar, the Subduer: when He wants a thing, nothing stands in the way.
Arabic: ثلاثة أقوال في اسم واحد
جاء الاسم في قوله تعالى: ﴿ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ﴾ (الحشر 59: 23)، وجمع البغوي أقوال العلماء فيه: «قال ابن عباس: الجبار هو العظيم وجبروت الله عظمته وهو على هذا القول صفة ذات الله»، «وقيل: هو من الجبر وهو الإصلاح يقال: جبرت الأمر وجبرت العظم إذا أصلحته بعد الكسر فهو يغني الفقير ويصلح الكسير»، «وقال السدي ومقاتل: هو الذي يقهر الناس ويجبرهم على ما أراد»، وسئل بعضهم عن معناه فقال: «هو القهار الذي إذا أراد أمرا فعله لا يحجزه عنه حاجز».
The One Who Mends
Al-Sa'di keeps both sides of the Name together. He is the One who subdued all the servants, to whom the whole creation yields, and the One who mends the broken and makes the poor rich. Ibn Kathir quotes Ibn Jarir with a gentler gloss still: the One who puts His creation's affairs right and manages them for their good. Sitting between the two prostrations of the night prayer, the Prophet ﷺ used to ask for exactly that: “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).
Arabic: الذي يجبر الكسير
قال السعدي: «الذي قهر جميع العباد، وأذعن له سائر الخلق، الذي يجبر الكسير، ويغني الفقير»، وقال ابن جرير فيما نقله ابن كثير: «المصلح أمور خلقه، المتصرف فيهم بما فيه صلاحهم». وكان النبي ﷺ يقول بين السجدتين في صلاة الليل: «رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاجْبُرْنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَارْفَعْنِي» (سنن ابن ماجه 898، صححه الألباني).
A Might That Belongs to Him Alone
Ibn Kathir says this jabriyya befits no one but Allah, as pride befits only His greatness, and Qatada reads al-Jabbar as the One who compels His creation to what He wills. In a hadith qudsi Allah says: “Pride is My cloak and greatness My robe, and whoever competes with Me with regard to either of them, I shall throw him into Hell” (Sunan Ibn Majah 4174, graded sahih by al-Albani). And on the minbar the Prophet ﷺ used the Name itself, describing how “the Mighty Lord, the Exalted and Glorious would take hold of the Heavens and earth in His hand” (Sahih Muslim 2788); the Arabic word behind “the Mighty Lord” there is al-Jabbar.
Arabic: جبروت لا يليق إلا به
قال ابن كثير: «الذي لا تليق الجبرية إلا له، ولا التكبر إلا لعظمته»، وقال قتادة: «الذي جبر خلقه على ما يشاء». وفي الحديث القدسي: «الْكِبْرِيَاءُ رِدَائِي وَالْعَظَمَةُ إِزَارِي مَنْ نَازَعَنِي وَاحِدًا مِنْهُمَا أَلْقَيْتُهُ فِي جَهَنَّمَ» (سنن ابن ماجه 4174، صححه الألباني). وقال النبي ﷺ على المنبر: «يَأْخُذُ الْجَبَّارُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ سَمَوَاتِهِ وَأَرَضِيهِ بِيَدَيْهِ» (صحيح مسلم 2788).
A Word of Blame for People
﴿وَتِلْكَ عَادٌ ۖ جَحَدُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَعَصَوْا۟ رُسُلَهُۥ وَٱتَّبَعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَ كُلِّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ﴾That was ’Âd. They denied the signs of their Lord, disobeyed His messengers, and followed the command of every stubborn tyrant.
Said of people, the word can be blame. Not in 5:22, where Musa's people say the land holds “an enormously powerful people”; Ibn Kathir explains them as people of huge build and great strength. In 11:59 the people of 'Ad are blamed for following tyrants, lording it over Allah's servants, says al-Sa'di, and “This is how Allah seals the heart of every arrogant tyrant” (40:35). In 28:19 Musa hears the charge: “You only want to be a tyrant in the land”. Two Prophets are praised for not being it: Yahya “was neither arrogant nor disobedient” (19:14), and 'Isa says, “He has not made me arrogant or defiant” (19:32). On that verse al-Sa'di describes the human jabbar as proud before Allah and raised above His servants. That role was not given to the Prophet ﷺ either: “you ˹O Prophet˺ are not ˹there˺ to compel them ˹to believe˺” (50:45).
Arabic: وصف مذموم في الخلق
وقد يوصف به المخلوق ذما، وليس كذلك قوله تعالى: ﴿إِنَّ فِيهَا قَوْمًا جَبَّارِينَ﴾ (المائدة 5: 22)، قال ابن كثير: «ذوي خلق هائلة، وقوى شديدة». وقال تعالى: ﴿وَٱتَّبَعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَ كُلِّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ﴾ (هود 11: 59)، قال السعدي: «متسلط على عباد الله بالجبروت»، و﴿كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ قَلْبِ مُتَكَبِّرٍ جَبَّارٍ﴾ (غافر 40: 35). وقيل لموسى: ﴿إِن تُرِيدُ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ جَبَّارًا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ﴾ (القصص 28: 19). ومدح الله يحيى بأنه لم يكن ﴿جَبَّارًا عَصِيًّا﴾ (مريم 19: 14)، وقال عيسى: ﴿وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِى جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا﴾ (مريم 19: 32)، قال السعدي: «أي: متكبرا على الله، مترفعا على عباده». وقيل للنبي ﷺ: ﴿وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِجَبَّارٍ﴾ (ق 50: 45).
Where Are the Haughty?
Every human claim to that might ends on one Day. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, would fold the Heavens on the Day of Judgment and then He would place them on His right hand and say: I am the Lord; where are the haughty and where are the proud (today)?” (Sahih Muslim 2788).
Arabic: أين الجبارون؟
قال النبي ﷺ: «يَطْوِي اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ السَّمَوَاتِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ يَأْخُذُهُنَّ بِيَدِهِ الْيُمْنَى ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ أَيْنَ الْجَبَّارُونَ أَيْنَ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ» (صحيح مسلم 2788).
From the Sunnah
When praying at night (Qiyamul-Lail), the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say between the two prostrations: ‘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).’”
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ بَيْنَ السَّجْدَتَيْنِ فِي صَلاَةِ اللَّيْلِ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاجْبُرْنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَارْفَعْنِي
Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, would fold the Heavens on the Day of Judgment and then He would place them on His right hand and say: I am the Lord; where are the haughty and where are the proud (today)?
يَطْوِي اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ السَّمَوَاتِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ يَأْخُذُهُنَّ بِيَدِهِ الْيُمْنَى ثُمَّ يَقُولُ أَنَا الْمَلِكُ أَيْنَ الْجَبَّارُونَ أَيْنَ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ
A du'a with this Name
رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاجْبُرْنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَارْفَعْنِي
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 of the night prayer
Related Names
Questions about Al-Jabbar
What does Al-Jabbar mean?
Al-Jabbar is the One in whose dominion nothing happens except what He wills. Ibn Abbas understood it as greatness, al-Baghawi reports, and others as the mending of what is broken.
How many times is Al-Jabbar mentioned in the Quran?
Al-Jabbar is mentioned once in the Quran: 59:23.
Is Al-Jabbar a frightening Name?
Not only that. Al-Sa'di's explanation also has Him setting broken things right and enriching the needy, and the Prophet ﷺ asked for that mending between the two prostrations of his prayer.
Why is jabbar praise for Allah and blame for people?
Because the might it describes belongs to Allah alone. Ibn Kathir says jabriyya befits no one but Him, and al-Sa'di, on 19:32, calls a person who is jabbar arrogant toward Allah and lofty over His servants.