الرَّافِعُ
Ar-Rafi
The Exalter
What Ar-Rafi Means
Ar-Rafi comes from the root ra-fa-‘a: to raise, lift up, and exalt. The Quran calls Allah Rafi’ud-darajat, the Raiser of degrees (40:15), and says of Ibrahim’s stand against his people: ‘We raise in degrees whom We will’ (6:83). Scholars explain that true raising belongs to Allah alone: He raises the prophets and the truthful, raises the ranks of the believers in this world and the next, and raises whomever He wills by faith, knowledge, and righteous deeds — not by lineage, wealth, or self-promotion. The Prophet ﷺ taught that the path upward is humility: ‘No one humbles himself for the sake of Allah except that Allah raises his status.’ For the believer, this name is a promise and a correction: do not chase elevation in people’s eyes, and do not despair when people overlook you. Degrees are in His hand.
Ar-Rafi in the Quran
رَفِيعُ ٱلدَّرَجَـٰتِ ذُو ٱلْعَرْشِ يُلْقِى ٱلرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِۦ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ لِيُنذِرَ يَوْمَ ٱلتَّلَاقِ
“He is High in stations, the Lord of the Throne. He sends the spirit down, under His command, on whomever He wills from among His servants, so that he warns of the Day of Encounter -“
وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَآ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهَآ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ ۚ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَـٰتٍ مَّن نَّشَآءُ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
“That is the decisive argument from Us that We gave to Ibrāhīm against his people. We raise in ranks whomsoever We will. Surely, your Lord is Wise, Knowing.”
خَافِضَةٌ رَّافِعَةٌ
“It will be abasing (some), exalting (others)”
What the Prophet ﷺ Taught Us
THE FOUNDATION OF THE 99 NAMES
“Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.”
“Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Charity does not decrease wealth, no one forgives another except that Allah increases his honor, and no one humbles himself for the sake of Allah except that Allah raises his status.”
“‘Amir b. Wathila reported that Nafi’ b. ‘Abd al-Harith met ‘Umar at ‘Usfan and ‘Umar had employed him as collector in Mecca. He (Hadrat ‘Umar) said to him (Nafi’): Whom have you appointed as collector over the people of the valley? He said: Ibn Abza.”
Calling Upon Allah by This Name
Allah Himself commands us to call upon Him by His beautiful names:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
“For Allah there are the most beautiful names. So, call Him by them, and leave those who deviate in (the matter of) His names. They shall be recompensed for what they have been doing.”
Allah commands us to call upon Him by His names (7:180), so you may say, in your own words: ‘Ya Rafi — O Raiser of degrees — raise me in Your sight through faith and humble obedience, and lift me above sin and disgrace.’ The practical lesson comes from the Prophet ﷺ: Allah raises the one who lowers himself for His sake. So seek your raise the prophetic way — through humility, service, and holding firmly to His Book — and leave the degrees to Him.
Quran translations: Mufti Taqi Usmani. Hadith texts and gradings: the DeenHub hadith library. Every reference on this page is from the Quran or from hadith graded Sahih or Hasan.