As-Samad
Allah is As-Samad, He is the one whom refuge is sought in times of adversity. He is eternal and satisfies every need as it should be satisfied.
From the root s-m-d which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to endeavor to reach or attain something to turn to, to need to direct oneself toward or aim toward something to set up, to erect something to remain unaffected, unchanged to be sublime, everlasting
For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. (Quran 94:5)
Allah, the Eternal Refuge. (Quran 112:2)
And when adversity touches the people, they call upon their Lord, turning in repentance to Him. Then when He lets them taste mercy from Him, at once a party of them associate others with their Lord. (Quran 30:33)
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Name |
As-Samad |
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As-Samad in Arabic |
ٱلْصَّمَدُ |
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Arabic root |
ص م د |
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As-Samad meaning in English |
The Eternal, the Ever-lasting, the Absolute, The Self-Sufficient |
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As-Samad meaning in Urdu |
بے نیاز، مضبوط |
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As-Samad appearance in the Quran |
Once |
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Tasbeeh |
Recitation of Surah Ikhlas (where As-Samad has been mentioned in the Quran) helps gain reward and blessings from Allah along with increasing sustenance |
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Asma Ul Husna with a similar meaning |
Al-Malik |
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As-Samad Pronunciation |
As S-a-m-a-d |
Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) calls Himself As-Samad meaning the Eternal, the Ever-Lasting, and the Self Sufficient, He who depends on no one and instead, the one on who the entire universe depends on, He is the most supreme, unaffected by any circumstance and the Greatest.
Allah says in Surah Ikhlas:
Say, “He is Allah—the Uniquely One. Allah, Aṣ-Ṣamad (the Eternal Refuge). He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent” (112: 1-4).
Allah is indeed As-Samad, the internal refugee as it is He upon whom we depend for all our needs – be they physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. Allah is the only refuge for His creation. Allah being As-Samad should also teach the believers to only rely upon Him and only supplicate to Him for their needs and stay steadfast in faith so that their prayers may be responded to Ibn Abbas (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), one of the great companions once described As-Samad as:
“The Master who is perfect in His mastery; the Honorable who is perfect in His honor; the Great who is perfect in His greatness; the Forbearing who is perfect in His forbearance; the Self-Sufficient who is perfect in His self-sufficiency; the Compeller who is perfect in His compulsion; the Knower who is perfect in His knowledge; the Wise who is perfect in His wisdom. He is the One who is perfect in every form of honor and mastery; He is Allah—the Glorified; this is His inherent quality which should only be attributed to Him.”
Moreover, Allah is As-Samad because he is the eternal one and is never-lasting – He can never perish, which is proven true by the following verse in the Quran:
“He is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last (nothing is after Him), the Highest (nothing is above Him) and the Most Near (nothing is nearer than Him).” (55:26-27)
The name has also been mentioned in a Hadith.
Abdullah bin Buraidah Al Aslami narrated from his father, who said: "The Prophet ﷺ heard a man supplicating, and he was saying:
"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.
He said: "So he said: 'By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, he has asked Allah by His Greatest Name, the one which if He is called upon by it, He responds, and when He is asked by it, He gives.'"
This Hadith also indicates that if one needs Allah to respond to his supplication immediately, he must recite As-Samad as the Prophet (ﷺ) has referred to As-Samad as Allah’s greatest name. - Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3475
Being one of the blessed 99 names of Allah, As-Samad carries significant importance for a believer. Firstly, it teaches the believers that Allah is Everlasting, the Most High and powerful, and is the only refuge for Him. Therefore, he must not rely on any otherworldly being for his needs and turn to Allah alone.
Recitation of Surah Ikhlas (where As-Samad appears in the Quran) can help a believer gain rewards and blessings from Allah. Surah Ikhlas also helps elevate poverty and increase sustenance. Moreover, recitation of As-Samad results helps a believer to get Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) to respond to his supplication.
There is no specific count for reciting As-Samad. Instead, include As-Samad in your daily dhikr routine. This will help ensure you recite it continuously and do not procrastinate or skip your recitation. However, if that proves to be difficult, one should recite it in the morning and evening or after five daily prayers to maximize the benefits.
Samad is also a Muslim boy’s name. One can name their child Samad and seek blessings for the child from Allah if they name their child after Allah’s blessed name.
Al-Malik is another of Allah's magnificent 99 names that have a similar meaning to As-Samad. Al-Malik translates to the king or the sovereign authority. Allah is indeed the king of the heavens and the earth. He reigns over the universe and does so without any companion, as he is also self-sufficient and supreme.
Al-Malik appears several times in the Quran. For instance, Allah says in Surah Taha:
"So high [above all] is Allah, the Sovereign, the Truth. And, [O Muhammad], do not hasten with [recitation of] the Qur’an before its revelation is completed to you, and say, "My Lord, increase me in knowledge." — (20:114)
Another verse where the attribute of Allah being the possessor of a kingdom has been mentioned is in Surah Al-Imran:
Say: "O Lord of all dominions, You give whom it pleases You the kingdom, and You take away the power from whosoever You will; You exalt whom You please and debase whom You will. All goodness is Yours (entirely). Indeed You have the power over all things.
— (3:26)
As-Samad only appears once in the Quran. However, the name is important and teaches a believer about Allah's many greatest attributes. Once a believer realizes Allah is eternal and everlasting, the believer must realize that Allah will never let Him be alone and will be there to answer his supplication and prayers. Therefore, there is no point in giving into worldly desires and straying away on the wrong path as they will never be able to do what His Lord can for Him.