الْمُتَكَبِّرُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Mutakabbir
The Majestic
Nothing of what creatures are, and nothing like them, belongs to Al-Mutakabbir. It closes the list of Names in 59:23, and Ibn Kathir gives the reason it is praise for Allah alone: pride befits no one but Him, because of His greatness.
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 who is clear from the attributes of the creatures and from resembling them.
﴿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
المنزه عن صفات المخلوقين وعن مشابهتهم.
﴿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.
Above Every Flaw
The definition is about distance: the Name sets Allah apart from what creatures are and from anything like them. On 59:23 al-Sa'di gives the same in other words, the One who has pride and greatness, clear of every defect, injustice and oppression. Qatada's word, which Ibn Kathir keeps, is above every evil. Al-Baghawi has two more: exalted above what does not befit Him, and the Owner of pride, which is kingship, and he traces the root of the word to being beyond reach.
Arabic: المتنزه عن كل عيب
التعريف في التنزيه: فالاسم يبعد الله عن صفات المخلوقين وعن مشابهتهم. وقال السعدي في آية الحشر: «الذي له الكبرياء والعظمة، المتنزه عن جميع العيوب والظلم والجور». ونقل ابن كثير: «وقال قتادة: المتكبر: يعني عن كل سوء». وقال البغوي: «الذي تكبر عن كل سوء. وقيل: المتعظم عما لا يليق به. وأصل الكبر والكبرياء: الامتناع. وقيل: ذو الكبرياء وهو الملك».
Pride Is His Alone
﴿وَلَهُ ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ﴾To Him belongs ˹all˺ Majesty in the heavens and the earth. And He is the Almighty, All-Wise.
Pride in a creature is a fault, and in Allah it is praise. Ibn Kathir's reason is short: compulsion befits only Him, and pride befits only His greatness. Then comes the hadith he cites, where Allah says greatness is His lower garment and pride His cloak, and whoever contends with Him for either is punished. 45:37 says it of all creation, to Him belongs all majesty in the heavens and the earth, and from that verse al-Sa'di takes the two pillars of worship: love of Allah and humility before Him, both born of knowing His praise, His majesty and His pride.
Arabic: وله الكبرياء في السماوات والأرض
الكبر في المخلوق عيب، وفي الله مدح، قال ابن كثير: «أي: الذي لا تليق الجبرية إلا له، ولا التكبر إلا لعظمته»، واستشهد بالحديث: «العظمة إزاري، والكبرياء ردائي، فمن نازعني واحدا منهما عذبته». وقال تعالى: ﴿وَلَهُ ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ﴾، قال السعدي: «والعبادة مبنية على ركنين، محبة الله والذل له، وهما ناشئان عن العلم بمحامد الله وجلاله وكبريائه».
Turned Away From His Signs
﴿سَأَصْرِفُ عَنْ ءَايَـٰتِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَكَبَّرُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ كُلَّ ءَايَةٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِهَا وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ سَبِيلَ ٱلرُّشْدِ لَا يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًا وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ سَبِيلَ ٱلْغَىِّ يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَكَانُوا۟ عَنْهَا غَـٰفِلِينَ﴾I will turn away from My signs those who act unjustly with arrogance in the land. And even if they were to see every sign, they still would not believe in them. If they see the Right Path, they will not take it. But if they see a crooked path, they will follow it. This is because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them.
7:146 warns that Allah turns away from His signs those who act with arrogance in the land. Al-Sa'di explains whom it means: those proud toward Allah's servants, toward the truth and toward the one who brings it. Allah deprives such a person of much good and leaves him, so that he understands nothing of the signs that would benefit him. 40:35 goes further: this is how Allah seals the heart of every arrogant tyrant.
Arabic: سأصرف عن آياتي الذين يتكبرون
تحذر آية الأعراف: ﴿سَأَصْرِفُ عَنْ ءَايَـٰتِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَكَبَّرُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: يتكبرون على عباد اللّه وعلى الحق، وعلى من جاء به، فمن كان بهذه الصفة، حرمه اللّه خيرا كثيرا وخذله، ولم يفقه من آيات اللّه ما ينتفع به». وفي آية غافر: ﴿كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ قَلْبِ مُتَكَبِّرٍ جَبَّارٍ﴾.
What Pride Is
The Prophet ﷺ warned against pride in the plainest terms, and then defined it when a man asked whether liking fine clothes and shoes was pride: “He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise. A person (amongst his hearers) said: Verily a person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace. Pride is disdaining the truth (out of self-conceit) and contempt for the people” (Sahih Muslim 91). Good clothes are not the fault. The fault is rejecting the truth and looking down on people.
Arabic: الكبر بطر الحق وغمط الناس
حذر النبي ﷺ من الكبر، ثم عرّفه لما سأله رجل عن حب الثوب الحسن والنعل الحسنة: «لاَ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ، قَالَ رَجُلٌ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثَوْبُهُ حَسَنًا وَنَعْلُهُ حَسَنَةً، قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَمِيلٌ يُحِبُّ الْجَمَالَ الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ» (صحيح مسلم 91). فليس العيب في حسن الثياب، وإنما في رد الحق واحتقار الناس.
Too Proud to Call on Him
﴿وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِى سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ﴾Your Lord has proclaimed, “Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Surely those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, fully humbled.”
40:60 joins an invitation to a warning: call upon Me and I will respond, and those too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, humbled. Al-Sa'di calls the invitation a kindness and a great blessing: He commands both kinds of calling on Him, the calling of worship and the calling of asking, and promises to answer. Luqman's advice to his son puts the same warning into manners: do not turn your nose up at people, for Allah does not like whoever is arrogant and boastful (31:18).
Arabic: إن الذين يستكبرون عن عبادتي
تجمع آية غافر بين الدعوة والوعيد: ﴿ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِى﴾، وعاقبة المستكبرين أن يدخلوا جهنم داخرين. والدعوة عند السعدي من لطفه ونعمته العظيمة: «وأمرهم بدعائه، دعاء العبادة، ودعاء المسألة، ووعدهم أن يستجيب لهم». ووصية لقمان لابنه تجعل ذلك أدبا: ﴿وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ﴾، فإن الله لا يحب كل مختال فخور (لقمان 31: 18).
From the Sunnah
He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise. A person (amongst his hearers) said: Verily a person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace. Pride is disdaining the truth (out of self-conceit) and contempt for the people
لاَ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ . قَالَ رَجُلٌ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثَوْبُهُ حَسَنًا وَنَعْلُهُ حَسَنَةً . قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَمِيلٌ يُحِبُّ الْجَمَالَ الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ
A du'a with this Name
سُبْحَانَ ذِي الْجَبَرُوتِ وَالْمَلَكُوتِ وَالْكِبْرِيَاءِ وَالْعَظَمَةِ
Glory be to the Possessor of greatness, the Kingdom, grandeur and majesty
Sunan Abi Dawud 873, graded sahih by al-Albani: what the Prophet ﷺ said in his bowing in the night prayer, as Awf ibn Malik reported it
Related Names
Questions about Al-Mutakabbir
What does Al-Mutakabbir mean?
Al-Mutakabbir is the One clear of the attributes of creatures and of resembling them.
Where is Al-Mutakabbir in the Quran?
Al-Mutakabbir is mentioned once in the Quran: 59:23, the last Name in that verse.
Why is pride praise for Allah and blame for people?
Because it befits only His greatness, Ibn Kathir says on 59:23. In a creature it means rejecting the truth and looking down on others (Sahih Muslim 91).
Is wearing fine clothes a kind of pride?
No. The Prophet ﷺ was asked exactly that, and he said: Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace (Sahih Muslim 91).