الصَّمَدُ
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
As-Samad
The Sustainer Needed by All
As-Samad is the Master everyone relies on and returns to in their needs, and the One to go to when nothing else is left. It is mentioned once in the Quran, in 112:2, and al-Qurtubi reports Abu Hurayra's short explanation of it: free of need for anyone, while everyone is in need of Him.
Key verse
﴿ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ﴾Allah: the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺.
The scholar's text
The Eternal, The Independent, The Master who is relied upon in matters and reverted to in ones needs. He is the only one a person should turn to when feeling helpless.
(قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿١﴾ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ) الإخلاص 112 : 1-2
(Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah: the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺) Al-Ikhlas 112: 1-2
It is mentioned 1 time in the Holy Quran
الدائم، الغني، السيد الذي يعتمد عليه في الأمور ويرجع إليه في الحاجات، وهو وحده الذي ينبغي أن يلجأ إليه الإنسان إذا أحس بالعجز.
(قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ) الإخلاص 112: 1-2
ورد في القرآن الكريم مرة واحدة.
Everyone Turns to Him
﴿يَسْـَٔلُهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأْنٍ﴾All those in the heavens and the earth are dependent on Him. Day in and day out He has something to bring about.
Ibn Kathir reports from Ibn Abbas that as-Samad is the One the creatures turn to with their needs and their requests. The word was in ordinary use: the Arabs said samadtu fulanan, al-Baghawi notes, when they headed for someone with a purpose. Al-Sa'di, on 112:2, widens it to the whole world above and below. All of it is in utter need of Him and asks Him for what it needs, because He is complete in His attributes. On 55:29 he adds: no affair keeps Him from another, no number of requests confuses Him, and no one who asks again and again wearies Him.
Arabic: يصمد إليه الخلائق
قال ابن عباس فيما رواه ابن كثير: «يعني الذي يصمد الخلائق إليه في حوائجهم ومسائلهم». وقال البغوي: «تقول العرب: صمدت فلانا أصمده صمدا» إذا قصدته. وقال السعدي: «المقصود في جميع الحوائج. فأهل العالم العلوي والسفلي مفتقرون إليه غاية الافتقار، يسألونه حوائجهم، ويرغبون إليه في مهماتهم، لأنه الكامل في أوصافه». وقال في ﴿يَسْـَٔلُهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ﴾: «لا يشغله شأن عن شأن، ولا تغلطه المسائل، ولا يبرمه إلحاح الملحين، ولا طول مسألة السائلين».
A Master Perfect in His Mastery
Ibn Abbas gave a second explanation, which Ibn Kathir reports through Ali ibn Abi Talha. As-Samad is the Master whose mastery is complete, and the same with every quality: noble with a nobility that is complete, great, forbearing, knowing and wise, each in full. That description, Ibn Abbas said, fits no one but Him. Abu Wa'il said it more briefly: the Master whose mastery has reached its end. Al-Qurtubi reports a saying of Abu Hurayra that joins the two sides: the One who needs no one, and whom everyone needs.
Arabic: السيد الذي كمل في سؤدده
نقل ابن كثير عن ابن عباس من رواية علي بن أبي طلحة: «هو السيد الذي قد كمل في سؤدده، والشريف الذي قد كمل في شرفه، والعظيم الذي قد كمل في عظمته، والحليم الذي قد كمل في حلمه، والعليم الذي قد كمل في علمه، والحكيم الذي قد كمل في حكمته، وهو الذي قد كمل في أنواع الشرف والسؤدد، وهو الله سبحانه، هذه صفته لا تنبغي إلا له». وقال أبو وائل: «السيد الذي قد انتهى سؤدده». ونقل القرطبي قول أبي هريرة: «إنه المستغني عن كل أحد، والمحتاج إليه كل أحد».
Many Meanings, All of Them True
﴿قُلْ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيًّا فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يُطْعَمُ ۗ قُلْ إِنِّىٓ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ ۖ وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ﴾Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Will I take any guardian other than Allah, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who provides for all and is not in need of provision?” Say, “I have been commanded to be the first to submit and not be one of the polytheists.”
The early scholars gave other meanings as well, and Ibn Kathir collects them. Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Sa'id ibn Jubayr and others said as-Samad is the One with no hollow inside. Al-Sha'bi said: the One who does not eat food or drink drink. Al-Hasan and Qatada said: the One who remains after His creation. They do not compete. After listing many of these, al-Tabarani wrote that all of them are correct and all are attributes of our Lord. The verse card holds the Quran's own wording of one of them, the One “Who provides for all and is not in need of provision” (6:14).
Arabic: وكل هذه صحيحة
قال ابن كثير: «وقال ابن مسعود، وابن عباس، وسعيد بن المسيب، ومجاهد، وعبد الله بن بريدة، وعكرمة أيضا، وسعيد بن جبير، وعطاء بن أبي رباح، وعطية العوفي، والضحاك، والسدي: (الصمد) الذي لا جوف له». «وقال الشعبي: هو الذي لا يأكل الطعام، ولا يشرب الشراب». «وقال الحسن وقتادة: هو الباقي بعد خلقه». ونقل عن الطبراني: «وكل هذه صحيحة، وهي صفات ربنا عز وجل». وقال السعدي في ﴿وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يُطْعَمُ﴾: «وهو الرزاق لجميع الخلق، من غير حاجة منه تعالى إليهم».
He Has Never Had Offspring
﴿لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ﴾He has never had offspring, nor was He born.
One more explanation comes from the surah itself. Al-Rabi' ibn Anas said as-Samad is the One who neither begets nor is born, reading the next verse (112:3) as its meaning, and Ibn Kathir calls that a good explanation. Al-Sa'di gives the reason behind it: He has no child and no parent because His self-sufficiency is complete. Allah Himself answers the claim of a child in a hadith qudsi, where He counts it as abuse: “As for his abusing Me, it is his saying that Allah has begotten children, while I am the One, the Self-Sufficient Master Whom all creatures need, I beget not, nor was I begotten, and there is none like unto Me” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4974).
Arabic: لم يلد ولم يولد
قال ابن كثير: «وقال الربيع بن أنس: هو الذي لم يلد ولم يولد. كأنه جعل ما بعده تفسيرا له، وهو قوله: (لم يلد ولم يولد) وهو تفسير جيد». وقال السعدي: «ومن كماله أنه لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ لكمال غناه». وفي الحديث القدسي: «وَأَمَّا شَتْمُهُ إِيَّاىَ فَقَوْلُهُ اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ وَلَدًا، وَأَنَا الأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ لَمْ أَلِدْ وَلَمْ أُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِي كُفْأً أَحَدٌ» (صحيح البخاري 4974).
Nowhere Else to Go
﴿يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ﴾O humanity! It is you who stand in need of Allah, but Allah ˹alone˺ is the Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.
The definition closes on the hard days: He is the only one a person should turn to when feeling helpless, and al-Sa'di lists the ways people need Allah in 35:15, for their very existence, their strength, their provision and relief from hardship, whether they notice it or not. Then he describes the one given success: someone who keeps seeing that need in every state, pleads with Allah and asks Him not to leave him to himself for the blink of an eye. Even the idolaters knew it in a crisis, he says on 27:62: when harm touched them, they called on Allah alone, knowing only He could lift it.
Arabic: إذا أحس العبد بالعجز
ويختم التعريف: هو وحده الذي ينبغي أن يلجأ إليه الإنسان إذا أحس بالعجز. قال السعدي في ﴿أَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ﴾: «وأنهم فقراء إلى اللّه من جميع الوجوه: فقراء في إيجادهم، فلولا إيجاده إياهم، لم يوجدوا»، ثم ذكر فقرهم في إعدادهم وأرزاقهم وصرف النقم عنهم، وقال: «فهم فقراء بالذات إليه، بكل معنى، وبكل اعتبار، سواء شعروا ببعض أنواع الفقر أم لم يشعروا»، «ولكن الموفق منهم، الذي لا يزال يشاهد فقره في كل حال من أمور دينه ودنياه، ويتضرع له، ويسأله أن لا يكله إلى نفسه طرفة عين». وقال في ﴿أَمَّن يُجِيبُ ٱلْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ﴾: «ولهذا كانوا إذا مسهم الضر دعوا الله مخلصين له الدين لعلمهم أنه وحده المقتدر على دفعه وإزالته».
From the Sunnah
Allah said: 'The son of Adam tells a lie against Me,, though he hasn't the right to do so. He abuses me though he hasn't the right to do so. As for his telling a lie against Me, it is his saying that I will not recreate him as I created him for the first time. In fact, the first creation was not easier for Me than new creation. As for his abusing Me, it is his saying that Allah has begotten children, while I am the One, the Self-Sufficient Master Whom all creatures need, I beget not, nor was I begotten, and there is none like unto Me
قَالَ اللَّهُ كَذَّبَنِي ابْنُ آدَمَ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، وَشَتَمَنِي وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، فَأَمَّا تَكْذِيبُهُ إِيَّاىَ فَقَوْلُهُ لَنْ يُعِيدَنِي كَمَا بَدَأَنِي، وَلَيْسَ أَوَّلُ الْخَلْقِ بِأَهْوَنَ عَلَىَّ مِنْ إِعَادَتِهِ، وَأَمَّا شَتْمُهُ إِيَّاىَ فَقَوْلُهُ اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ وَلَدًا، وَأَنَا الأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ لَمْ أَلِدْ وَلَمْ أُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِي كُفْأً أَحَدٌ
I went out with the Messenger of Allah and heard a man reciting Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad [Allahus-Samad] so the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'It is obligatory.' I said: 'What is obligatory?' He said: 'Paradise
أَقْبَلْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَسَمِعَ رَجُلاً يَقْرَأُْ ( قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ * اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ) فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَجَبَتْ . قُلْتُ وَمَا وَجَبَتْ قَالَ الْجَنَّةُ
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ الأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
O Allah, indeed, I ask you by my testifying that You are Allah, there is none worthy of worship except You, the One, As-Samad, the one who does not beget, nor was begotten, and there is none who is like Him
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3475, graded sahih by al-Albani: the Prophet ﷺ said the man had asked Allah by His greatest Name, by which He answers and gives
Related Names
Questions about As-Samad
What does As-Samad mean?
As-Samad is the Eternal, the Independent, the Master who is relied upon. Other early answers are in Ibn Kathir, no hollow inside, or remaining after His creation, and al-Tabarani accepted every one of them.
How many times is As-Samad in the Quran?
As-Samad is mentioned once in the Quran, in 112:2, straight after Say, He is Allah, One.
What should I do if the thought comes: who created Allah?
People will keep questioning each other, the Prophet ﷺ said, until someone asks: “Allah created all things, but who created Allah?” For that moment Sunan Abi Dawud records his advice: say I believe in Allah (4721, graded sahih by al-Albani). Another version adds Surah al-Ikhlas, Allah is One, Allah as-Samad, then spitting to the left three times and seeking refuge in Allah from Satan (4722, graded hasan by al-Albani).
Is there a du'a with As-Samad?
Two, both short. One man called on Allah as al-Ahad as-Samad, who has not begotten and was not begotten; that, the Prophet ﷺ said, was asking by Allah's greatest Name (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3475, graded sahih by al-Albani). Another used the same words to ask forgiveness, and the Prophet ﷺ said of him three times: he has been forgiven (Sunan Abi Dawud 985, graded sahih by al-Albani).