Ism-e-Azam: The Supreme Name of Allah and Its Power in Du’a

Ism-e-Azam: Understanding the Supreme Name of Allah in Islam

What is the Supreme Name (Ism-e-Azam)?

The Supreme Name (Ism-e-Azam) is well-known among Muslims, and why wouldn’t it be, given that it is mentioned in authentic Hadiths. However, in the Indian subcontinent, its fame and use are unparalleled, particularly among professionals involved in exorcism, spellcasting, and occult sciences. Yet, the majority of the public and many fake exorcists remain ignorant of its true essence. These fraudulent exorcists believe that they alone know the secret of the Supreme Name, and in this delusion, they intimidate the public in various ways under the pretense of using the Supreme Name. Their method is to label every problem as a result of supernatural forces and create fear in people’s hearts, after which they demand money in return for their services. If a child falls ill, it is attributed to the influence of jinn; if an animal dies, it is attributed to jinn; if there is a theft, it is said to be caused by jinn; if a journey is delayed, it is because of jinn; if nothing is working out, it is due to jinn; or if an unusual event occurs, they blame it on jinn. This way, people get scared and resort to the exorcists for help.

This fear has spread among the masses, and it has become a common belief that the Supreme Name is some sort of divine magic or a special type of occult knowledge that only these exorcists know. Therefore, I want to briefly clarify the truth about the Supreme Name so that you do not fall victim to any deceit, and that you can properly use it yourself and benefit from it.

Firstly, let me present some Hadiths related to the Supreme Name:

First Hadith:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ الْأَسْلَمِيِّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ سَمِعَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلًا يَدْعُو وَهُوَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ قَالَ فَقَالَ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَقَدْ سَأَلَ اللَّهَ بِاسْمِهِ الْأَعْظَمِ الَّذِي إِذَا دُعِيَ بِهِ أَجَابَ وَإِذَا سُئِلَ بِهِ أَعْطَى
(Sahih al-Tirmidhi: 3475)

Translation:
Buraidah al-Aslami (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ heard a man making du’a with the words: “اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ” (O Allah, I ask You because I testify that You are Allah, there is no god but You, the One, the Eternal, who neither begets nor is begotten, and there is none like unto You). The Prophet ﷺ said, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, he has asked Allah through His Supreme Name, by which, when invoked, He responds, and when asked, He gives.”

Second Hadith:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَالِسًا يَعْنِي وَرَجُلٌ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فَلَمَّا رَكَعَ وَسَجَدَ وَتَشَّهَّدَ دَعَا فَقَالَ فِي دُعَائِهِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْمَنَّانُ بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ تَدْرُونَ بِمَا دَعَا قَالُوا اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قَالَ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَقَدْ دَعَا اللَّهَ بِاسْمِهِ الْعَظِيمِ الَّذِي إِذَا دُعِيَ بِهِ أَجَابَ وَإِذَا سُئِلَ بِهِ أَعْطَى
(Sahih al-Nasa’i: 1299)

Translation:
Anas bin Malik (RA) said: “I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when a man stood up to pray. After bowing, prostrating, and reciting the testimony, he made a supplication saying: ‘O Allah, I ask You because for You is all praise. There is no god but You, the Bestower, the Originator of the heavens and the earth. O You of Glory and Honor, O Living, O Sustainer, I ask You.’ The Prophet ﷺ asked his companions: ‘Do you know what he called upon?’ They replied: ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He ﷺ said, ‘By the One in Whose hand is my soul, he called upon Allah using His Supreme Name, by which, when invoked, He responds, and when asked, He gives.'”

Third Hadith:
عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ قَالَ: اسْمُ اللَّهِ الْأَعْظَمُ الَّذِي إِذَا دُعِيَ بِهِ أَجَابَ فِي سُوَرٍ ثَلَاثٍ: الْبَقَرَةِ، وَآلِ عِمْرَانَ، وَطه
(Sahih Ibn Majah: 3124)

Translation:
Qasim bin Abdul Rahman al-Dimashqi (RA) narrated: “The Supreme Name of Allah, by which when invoked, He answers, is found in three Surahs: Al-Baqarah, Aal-e-Imran, and Taha.”

In another narration from Ibn Majah, two verses are specifically mentioned:
Surah Al-Baqarah: “وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ” (2:163)
Surah Aal-e-Imran: “اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ” (3:2)

The Hadith in the same work mentions the verse from Surah Taha:
“وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ” (Taha 111)

What is the Greatest Name (Ism-e-Azam)?

Ism is an Arabic word used for a single name, and with the addition of “Azam” (meaning the greatest), it signifies that the name in question is the most exalted. This name is unique, as the word itself suggests. There are various opinions regarding which word represents the Ism-e-Azam. Imam Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned fourteen views on this in his book Fath al-Bari. According to Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, the name Al-Hayyul-Qayyum is the Ism-e-Azam, which is mentioned in three places: in Ayat al-Kursi, at the beginning of Surah Al-Imran, and in Surah Ta-Ha, verse 111.

In my opinion, the Ism-e-Azam is the word Allah. Allah is the name that is the greatest among all the names of Allah, and it is referred to as the Ism-e-Azam. This view is adopted by many scholars. There are several reasons why Allah is considered the Ism-e-Azam, and I will mention a few of them here:

1. The word Allah is mentioned most frequently in the Qur’an, more than 2,500 times.
2. Among all the supplications made by the Prophet (PBUH), the most frequent word used is Allah, and the term Allahumma (O Allah) is used extensively, which means “O Allah.”
3. Every task in Islam begins with the name Allah, and every Surah in the Qur’an begins with Bismillah (In the name of Allah).
4. Allah is a comprehensive name that includes all praise, glory, and attributes of the Creator and Sustainer.
5. There is no substitute for the word Allah, and it remains unchanged in meaning, no matter the language. Even when invoking Allah, the alif and lam (the definite article) in Allah remain intact, whereas for other names of Allah, the alif-lam is dropped when calling upon them (e.g., Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim, Ya Ghafar).
6. If there were another Ism-e-Azam, the Prophet (PBUH) would have certainly used that particular word in his prayers, especially when praying for himself or his Ummah in times of difficulty.

Now, the question arises: If the word Allah is the Ism-e-Azam, then what is the status of other words mentioned in the Hadiths related to Ism-e-Azam? The answer is that in the three Hadiths mentioned earlier, the essence of the Ism-e-Azam refers to Allah. In the first Hadith, the words “اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ” mention Allah and Allahumma. The second Hadith also contains Allahumma, and the third Hadith mentions the word Allah in connection with Surah Ta-Ha.

Summary of Ism-e-Azam:

With the knowledge that the Ism-e-Azam is Allah, we should also understand that the words mentioned in the Hadiths related to the Ism-e-Azam are also beneficial in supplication. It is better to recite these golden words of Allah and His Messenger in our supplications. The following are some examples of such words:

1. اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ۔
2. اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْمَنَّانُ بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ۔
3. وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ۔
4. الٓمّ اللهُ لآ اِلٰهَ اَلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّوْمُ۔
5. وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ۔

After reciting these words, one should supplicate by calling upon Allah or using the beautiful names of Allah.

How to supplicate using Ism-e-Azam?

First, three points should be remembered:

1. Some people just repeat Allah Allah (the name of Allah) as a form of remembrance, but this does not yield any benefit and is neither the proper way of dhikr nor supplication, as this method was not taught by the Prophet (PBUH).
2. The supplication should be free from any shirk (associating partners with Allah), should not involve invoking anything other than Allah, and should not be for any unlawful purposes.
3. The one making the supplication should be someone who earns through lawful means, firmly believes in Allah, and has complete trust in Him.

The correct way of making a supplication is to first praise the Lord of Glory, then send blessings upon the Prophet (PBUH), after which one may recite the words related to Ism-e-Azam mentioned above. Finally, after invoking Allah through His beautiful names or Ism-e-Azam, one should place their needs and requirements before their Creator.

Maqbool Ahmed Salafi
Islamic Dawah Center, Northern Ta’if (Misrah)