Al-Kabir
Allah is Al-Kabeer, the perfection of greatness. The heart of the believer knows Allah is the essence of perfection and nothing is comparable to him. His greatness is beyond measure and his being is unimaginable to the human mind.
From the root k-b-r which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to be great in rank, dignity, nobility, majesty to be great in size, vast, formidable to be great in age, oldest to be great in learning, most knowing to have rights above all others.
[He is] Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Grand, the Exalted. (Quran 13:9)
That is because Allah is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand. (Quran 22:62)
That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand. (Quran 31:30)
And intercession does not benefit with Him except for one whom He permits. [And those wait] until, when terror is removed from their hearts, they will say [to one another], “What has your Lord said?” They will say, “The truth.” And He is the Most High, the Grand. (Quran 34:23)
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Name: |
AI – Kabir |
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Al-Kabir in Arabic: |
الكَبِير |
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Arabic root: |
(ك ب ر) |
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Al-Kabir meaning in English: |
The Great, The Greatest |
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Al-Kabir meaning in Urdu: |
بزرگی والا |
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Appearance in the Quran: |
6 times |
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Tasbeeh: |
Reciting Al-Kabir will protect the person from any harm, end poverty and will keep him safe from humiliation. |
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Asma ul Husna with similar meaning: |
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The 37th name of Allah, Al-Kabir, reflects Him being the Greatest. It tells us how Allah is the epitome of perfection and His greatness is beyond our understanding. His greatness and perfection exceed all our measures, making Him the one who deserves all the praise and supplication.
When we look around us, we see some incredible things that define its greatness. Now, if we take it deeper, we will understand, if things like mountains are so mighty, how mighty will be their Creator. Allah has made thousands of things that define and reflect His attributes, just like mountains and these planets and universe define the greatness of their Maker.
Allah says in Surah Ar-Ra’d:
عَٰلِمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ ٱلۡكَبِيرُ ٱلۡمُتَعَالِ
Translation: “(He is) Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Grand, the Exalted.” (Quran 13:9)
In another Surah, Allah says in Surah Al-Jathiyah:
وَلَهُ ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
Translation: “To Him belongs all Majesty in the heavens and the earth. And He is the Almighty, All-Wise.” (Quran 45:37)
Al-Kabir is derived from the roots of Arabic letters (ك ب ر), which means to be Great in size or dignity and someone who is great from everyone else. Allah is Great and The Highest and it is not possible for a human to construct any illustration of His Greatness and Might.
In Surah Luqmaan, Allah says:
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ ٱلۡبَٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلۡعَلِيُّ ٱلۡكَبِيرُ
Translation: “That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand.” (Quran 31.30)
Allah also refers to His bounty to be great. In Surah Al-Ahzab, Allah says:
وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ فَضْلًۭا كَبِيرًۭا
Translation: “And give good tidings to the believers that they will have from Allah great bounty.” (Quran 33:47)
The name Al-Kabir defines the most important attribute of Allah as being the Greatest. The One who is beyond the definition of creation and is the Divine and the Magnificient One. These names hold great importance as they encourage us to remember Allah as the Greatest One, inspiring us to worship Him alone with complete devotion.
Al-Kabir has a relatively similar pronunciation to Al-Khabir, which means All-Knowing. Both names help us understand that Allah is the Greatest One because He is All-Knowing. He knows every detail about what is in the Universe, on our planet, and in our hearts and knows about everything that is hidden from our naked eyes.
When we understand the name and meaning of Allah’s name it provides us peace that all power and superiority belongs to Him alone. Knowing Allah is Al-Kabir, we know who to turn to in times of hardship and who is in control of everything and everyone.
Allah says in Surah Al-Jathiyah:
فَالْحُكْمُ لِلَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْكَبِيرِ
Translation: “So the judgment is with Allah, the Highest, the Grand.” (Quran 40:12)
The name Al-Kabir tells us about who is the Greatest among us all and to whom we should direct our supplications. Reciting the tasbih of Al-Kabir elevates our spirituality and connection with Allah as we praise him for His Greatness and accept Him as the Grand.
Incorporating the name Al-Kabir in our duas is a way to seek Allah’s bounty and mercy while believing that it is due to Allah’s Greatness and Power that brings positivity to our lives. It is said that reciting Al-Kabir frequently brings safety from enemies and any mishap and also helps in receiving honor from people. Reciting Al-Kabir also provides health and relief from illness or any sort of pain.
It is narrated by Ibn’Abbas: “For fever, and all pains, the Messenger of Allah would teach them to say:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الْكَبِيرِ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ عِرْقٍ نَعَّارٍ وَمِنْ شَرِّ حَرِّ النَّارِ
“In the name of Allah, the Great, I seek refuge with Allah, the magnificent of the evil of every gushing vein, and from the evil of the heat of the Fire.” (Jami’ at’Tirmidhi Vol 4, Booj 2, Hadith 2075).
Allah is the only one with the attribute of being the Greatest. Reciting Allah's name describes and praises His attributes, and reciting Al-Kabir recognizes Allah as the Greatest and seeks blessings and guidance from the Greatest One.
It also helps us that Allah has referred to the ego and arrogance of man as great, which means that people have great egos and walk on the earth with arrogance.
Narrated on the authority of Abdullah bin Mas’ud, the Apostle of Allah observed:
لاَ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ
“He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise.” (Sahih Muslim 91c)
However, arrogance cannot be a part of a Muslim’s character as he knows and believes in Allah being Al-Kabir. So, ask for forgiveness and guidance from the Al-Kabir. He is the only one who can guide you and bring you to the right path. Ask Al-Kabir for health, wealth, and prosperity, and ask only Him to grant you His blessings in both worlds.
Al-Kabir is an attribute that belongs only to Allah and no human can be Kabir in any sense. To name your child after AL-Kabir, you can always add Abdul's name before Kabir. This will make the name Abdul Kabir meaning ‘Servant of the Greatest.’
The name Al-Kabir defines Him as the Greatest and the Highest Authority. It tells us it's only Allah that has all the power and is the One free from any imperfections. Like Al-Kabir, other names define the same attributes of Allah, reminding us about the One who is the Dominant, The Majestic One.
A few other names with the same meaning as Al-Kabir are:
Al-Malik (The King)
Al-Aziz (The Mighty One)
Al-Mutakabbir (The Dominant One)
At-Azeem (The Magnificent One)
Al-Jaleel (The Majestic One)
Al-Qadir (The All-Powerful)
In Surah Saba, Allah says:
وَلَا تَنفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ ۚ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا الْحَقَّ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ
Translation: No intercession will be of any benefit to Him, except by those granted permission by Him. At last, when the dread of Judgement Day is relieved from their hearts because they are permitted to intercede, they will excitedly ask the angels, “What has your Lord just said?” The angels will reply, “The truth! And He is the Most High, All Great.” (Quran 34:23)
In a Sahih Muslim Hadith narrated by Mu’sab bin Sa’d that on the authority of his father, a desert Arab came to the Messenger of Allah and said to him:
‘Teach me the words which I should (often) utter.”
He said: Utter;
“There is no god but Allah, the One having no partner with Him. Allah is the Greatest of the great and all praise is due to Him. Hallowed be Allah, the Lord of the worlds, there is no Might and Power but that of Allah, the All-Powerful and the Wise.” (Sahih Muslim 2696)