Al-Aziz
Al-Aziz is The One who is most powerful and all-strong. He is the conqueror that is never conquered and never harmed. This is because His strength, glory and power are overwhelming and cannot be overcome or resisted. He is the only one with complete mastery over all creation. The One who is the cherished source of all strength, power and potency.
From the root ‘-z-z which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to be mighty, potent, strong, powerful to be high, elevated, noble, exalted to be honorable, noble, glorious, illustrious to be indomitable, invincible to be respected, cherished, dear to be scarce, rare, precious, and unattainable.
It is He who forms you in the wombs however He wills. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (Holy Quran 3:6)
Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. (Surah Nisa Quran 4:158)
And to Allah belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. (Quran 48:7)
If you do not aid the Prophet – Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, “Do not grieve;
indeed Allah is with us.” And Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah – that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. (Quran 9:40)
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Name: |
Al-Aziz |
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Al-Aziz in Arabic |
ٱلْعَزِيزُ |
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Arabic root: |
(ع ز ز) |
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Al-Aziz meaning in English: |
The Almighty, The Strong, The Most Esteemed, The Exalted in Might, The Eminent One |
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Al-Aziz meaning in Urdu |
سب پر غالب |
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Appearance in the Quran: |
Approximately 90 |
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Tasbeeh: |
41 times |
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Asma-ul-Husna with similar meaning: |
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The Almighty, The Strong, The Most Esteemed, The Exalted in Might, The Eminent One
Al-Aziz is an attribute and name of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) that means the Most Mighty and Most Powerful. Al-Aziz exalts Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) as the conqueror of everything. He can never be conquered or harmed since His strength and power are infinite and cannot be resisted or defeated. He is the one and only who has complete command over all that exists in the Heavens and on the Earth.
It is stated in the Holy Quran:
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَٱلدَّوَآبِّ وَٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ مُخۡتَلِفٌ أَلۡوَٰنُهُۥ كَذَٰلِكَۗ إِنَّمَا يَخۡشَى ٱللَّهَ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِ ٱلۡعُلَمَـٰٓؤُاْۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ
And among people and moving creatures and grazing livestock are various colors similarly. Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Forgiving. (Quran 35:28)
The word ‘Aziz’ is derived from izzat, meaning nobility and honor. The Arabic root of this word is ayn-zay-zay (ع ز ز) with the following Arabic connotations: strong, potent, mighty, powerful noble, elevated, exalted, honorable, glorious, illustrious, indomitable, invincible, respected, precious, rare, cherished, and unattainable. Al-Aziz appears approximately 90 times in the Holy Quran and is usually paired with other names of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). This pairing familiarizes us with other names of Allah that might otherwise be overlooked or not used independently.
Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) beautiful name, Al-Aziz, paired with Al-Wahaab, signifies His position of Ultimate Power over everything. It enforces that He cannot be subdued by anyone in the Heavens or on earth. However, He is not quick to punish His creation and gives them time to repent for their misdeeds. Moreover, He punishes with Mercy. Hazrat Abu Hurairah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) reported the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) saying:
“When Allah created the creation as He was upon the Throne, He put down in His Book: Verily, My mercy predominates My wrath.” (Sahih Muslim 2751a)
This is described in the Quran with the pairing of Al-Aziz and Al-Wahhab:
أَمۡ عِندَهُمۡ خَزَآئِنُ رَحۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلۡوَهَّابِ
Or do they have the depositories of the mercy of your Lord, the Exalted in Might, the Bestower? (Quran 38:9)
The pairing of Al-Aziz and Al-Hakeem highlights the concept that Absolute Power and Humility rests only with Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) since He is All-Wise and All-Knowing. Power corrupts humans since they are imperfect beings and easily manipulated. Only Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) can combine these attributes perfectly and everything in the Heavens and the earth belongs to Him. It is stated in the Holy Quran:
وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
And to Allah belong the soldiers of the heavens and the earth. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. (Quran 48:7)
Another pairing of attributes found in the Quran is Al-Aziz and Al-Aleem. This highlights that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is Exalted in both Might and Knowledge, and nothing is hidden from Him. He is the All-Knowing and Most Powerful, and the entire universe acts according to His command.
فَالِقُ ٱلۡإِصۡبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ ٱلَّيۡلَ سَكَنٗا وَٱلشَّمۡسَ وَٱلۡقَمَرَ حُسۡبَانٗاۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقۡدِيرُ ٱلۡعَزِيزِ ٱلۡعَلِيمِ
[He is] the cleaver of daybreak and has made the night for rest and the sun and moon for calculation. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. (Quran 6:96)
Al-Aziz glorifies Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) Might and Supremacy over all His creation. It reinforces that Allah is the Strongest and Greatest of all and no one is as Exalted in Power and Dominance as compared to Him. He dominates all His creations in the Heavens and on earth and all of His creations submit to His authority.
We can recall the attribute Al-Aziz if we wish to attain power and control. It is human nature to want to acquire success, wealth, and respect. However, we must remember that absolute power and glory belong only to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and if we seek monetary benefits and prestige, we must seek them from the One who is truly Exalted in Might.
Moreover, while it is permissible to ask for power and honor, they must be accompanied by humility and nobility. For example, if we demand wealth, we must also use it to help the less privileged and spread the message of Islam. We must not be blinded by riches and authority and forget our virtuous duties. It is stated in the Holy Quran:
قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَٰلِكَ ٱلۡمُلۡكِ تُؤۡتِي ٱلۡمُلۡكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلۡمُلۡكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُۖ بِيَدِكَ ٱلۡخَيۡرُۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٞ
Say, “O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent. (Quran 3:26)
Reciting Al-Aziz 41 times after Fajr Salah for 40 days will make the reciter independent of others and will earn respect from all walks of life.
Naming children after this beautiful attribute of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) will Insha’Allah make them honored among the people. They will have a higher authority and will be greatly respected and looked up to.
These names of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) also signify His Might and Honor and are recited to gain respect and power:
Al-Mutakabbir – The Dominant
Al-Qahhar – The All-Prevailing
Al-Azeem – The Magnificent
Al-Jaleel – The Majestic
Al-Waali – The Holder of Supreme Authority
Zul-Jalaali-wal-Ikram – The Possessor of Majesty and Honor
Listed below are the most common pairings of Allah’s (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) other names with Al-Aziz:
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Name Pairings |
Number of times in the Holy Quran |
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Al-Hakeem (All-Wise) |
47 |
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Ar-Raheem (Merciful) |
13 |
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Al-Qawiyy (The Strong) |
7 |
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Al-Ghaffar (The Oft-Forgiving) |
5 |
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Al-Hameed (The Praiseworthy) |
3 |
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Al-Aleem (The All-Knowing) |
6 |