الْعَلِيُّ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Aliyy
The Most High
The Most High, the One who is clear of the attributes of created beings: that is Al-Aliyy. Its verse is 31:30, where Allah alone is the Truth and the Most High, All-Great, and it is mentioned 8 times in the Quran. High above all His creation, al-Sa'di says, and too high to be measured against any of them.
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 High, The One who is clear from the attributes of the creatures.
لقمان 31: 30 (ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ)
(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 8 times in the Holy Quran
الأعلى، المنزه عن صفات المخلوقين.
لقمان 31: 30 (ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ)
ورد في القرآن الكريم 8 مرات.
Above All His Creation
Its verse sets two things side by side: Allah is the Truth, and what they call on besides Him is falsehood. Al-Sa'di gives the reason. Had Allah not brought it into being, it would not exist, and had He not kept it going, it would not last; so if the thing is false, worshipping it is falser still. Then the Name: above all His creatures in Himself, His attributes too high for any creature's to be measured against them, and high over creation so that He prevails over it. That is the definition above in other words: clear of the attributes of created beings.
Arabic: وأن الله هو العلي الكبير
تقرر آيته أن الله هو الحق، وأن ما يدعونه من دونه هو الباطل، قال السعدي في الباطل: «فلولا إيجاد اللّه له لما وجد، ولولا إمداده لَمَا بَقِيَ، فإذا كان باطلا، كانت عبادته أبطل وأبطل». ثم قال في الاسم: «بذاته، فوق جميع مخلوقاته، الذي علت صفاته، أن يقاس بها صفات أحد من الخلق، وعلا على الخلق فقهرهم». وهو معنى التعريف السابق: المنزه عن صفات المخلوقين.
The Most High, the Magnificent
﴿لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ﴾To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And He is the Most High, the Greatest.
42:4: to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and He is the Most High, the Magnificent. All of them are His servants and His property, Ibn Kathir says, under His power and His command. Al-Sa'di names three kinds of highness in the Name: in Himself, in His standing, and in His power to prevail. The whole upper and lower world, he adds, is His and under His decree and His law.
Arabic: وهو العلي العظيم
تقول آية الشورى: ﴿لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ﴾، قال ابن كثير: «أي: الجميع عبيد له وملك له، تحت قهره وتصريفه». وقال السعدي: «وأن جميع العالم العلوي والسفلي ملكه وتحت تدبيره القدري والشرعي. وأنه الْعَلِيُّ بذاته وقدره وقهره».
From Behind a Veil
﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن يُكَلِّمَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا وَحْيًا أَوْ مِن وَرَآئِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولًا فَيُوحِىَ بِإِذْنِهِۦ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِىٌّ حَكِيمٌ﴾It is not ˹possible˺ for a human being to have Allah communicate with them, except through inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger-angel to reveal whatever He wills by His permission. He is surely Most High, All-Wise.
42:51 answers those who said, why does Allah not speak to us? It is not for any human that Allah should speak to him except through inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger; surely He is Most High, All-Wise. His speaking, al-Sa'di says, is only for the chosen of His creation, the prophets and messengers. And the closing Name, in his words, is highness in Himself, in His attributes and in His acts: He has prevailed over everything, and all creation submits to Him.
Arabic: إنه علي حكيم
ترد آية الشورى على من قالوا: لولا يكلمنا الله: ﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن يُكَلِّمَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا وَحْيًا أَوْ مِن وَرَآئِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولًا فَيُوحِىَ بِإِذْنِهِۦ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِىٌّ حَكِيمٌ﴾، قال السعدي: «وأن تكليمه تعالى لا يكون إلا لخواص خلقه، للأنبياء والمرسلين، وصفوته من العالمين». وفي ختامها: «تعالى علي الذات، علي الأوصاف، عظيمها، علي الأفعال، قد قهر كل شيء، ودانت له المخلوقات».
Do Not Seek a Way Against Them
4:34 speaks to husbands, and after the steps it sets out, it ends: if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is Most High, All-Great. You have what you wanted, al-Sa'di explains, so stop reproaching her over what is past and digging into faults whose mention only does harm. The Name is placed right after that command, and he describes it as highness without limit in every respect: in Himself, in standing and in power.
Arabic: فإن أطعنكم فلا تبغوا عليهن سبيلا
تخاطب آية النساء الأزواج وتختم: ﴿فَإِنْ أَطَعْنَكُمْ فَلَا تَبْغُوا۟ عَلَيْهِنَّ سَبِيلًا ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيًّا كَبِيرًا﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: فقد حصل لكم ما تحبون فاتركوا معاتبتها على الأمور الماضية، والتنقيب عن العيوب التي يضر ذكرها ويحدث بسببه الشر». وفي الاسم: «أي: له العلو المطلق بجميع الوجوه والاعتبارات، علو الذات وعلو القدر وعلو القهر».
Glorify the Name of Your Lord, the Most High
﴿سَبِّحِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلْأَعْلَى﴾Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High,
87:1 commands it: glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High. A glorifying that fits His greatness, al-Sa'di says, by mentioning His beautiful Names, high above every name, with their beautiful meanings. When the Prophet ﷺ recited 87:1, he would say: “Glory be to Allah, the most High” (Sunan Abi Dawud 883, narrated by Ibn Abbas, graded sahih by al-Albani; Abu Dawud notes that other narrators report it as Ibn Abbas's own words).
Arabic: سبح اسم ربك الأعلى
تأمر آية الأعلى: ﴿سَبِّحِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ ٱلْأَعْلَى﴾، قال السعدي: «وأن يكون تسبيحا، يليق بعظمة الله تعالى، بأن تذكر أسماؤه الحسنى العالية على كل اسم بمعناها الحسن العظيم». وكان النبي ﷺ إذا قرأها قال: «سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الأَعْلَى» (سنن أبي داود 883، عن ابن عباس، وصححه الألباني، وذكر أبو داود أن غير وكيع رواه موقوفا على ابن عباس).
From the Sunnah
when the prophet (ﷺ) recited:“Glorify the name of thy Lord, the Most High.” He would say:”Glory be to Allah, the most High
كَانَ إِذَا قَرَأَ { سَبِّحِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ الأَعْلَى } قَالَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الأَعْلَى
A du'a with this Name
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ
None has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, with no partner or associate. His is the dominion and all praise is to Him, and He is Able to do all things. Glory is to Allah, praise is to Allah, none has the right to be worshiped but Allah, Allah is the Most Great, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Supreme
Sunan Ibn Majah 3878, graded sahih by al-Albani: words for the one who wakes in the night, as Ubadah ibn as-Samit reported
Related Names
Questions about Al-Aliyy
What does Al-Aliyy mean?
Al-Aliyy means the Most High, the One clear of the attributes of created beings.
How many times is Al-Aliyy in the Quran?
Al-Aliyy is mentioned 8 times in the Quran. Its verse is 31:30, where the All-Great follows it.
In what ways is Allah high?
Allah is high in Himself, in His standing and in His power to prevail, al-Sa'di says on 42:4 and 4:34.
What did the Prophet ﷺ say on reading Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High?
On reciting 87:1, the Prophet ﷺ would say “Glory be to Allah, the most High” (Sunan Abi Dawud 883, graded sahih by al-Albani).