الْجَلِيلُ
Al-Jalil
The Majestic
What Al-Jalil Means
Al-Jalil comes from the root jim-lam-lam: majesty, glory, and greatness that commands reverence. In the Quran the name appears in its possessive form — Dhul-Jalal, ‘Possessor of Majesty’ — and it frames the whole of Surah Ar-Rahman: everything on earth perishes, ‘and there remains the Face of your Lord, Possessor of Majesty and Honor’ (55:27), and the surah ends blessing His name with the same words (55:78). Scholars note the pairing: His majesty (jalal) is joined to His honoring generosity (ikram) — He is not only the awe-inspiring King before whom all greatness fades, but also the One who honors His servants with gifts. The Prophet ﷺ loved this call so much that he urged his ummah to be constant in saying ‘Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram.’ For the believer, Al-Jalil produces reverent awe without despair: the Majesty before whom we shrink is the very Lord who honors those who come to Him.
Al-Jalil in the Quran
وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ
“And your Lord’s Countenance will remain, full of majesty, full of honour.”
تَبَـٰرَكَ ٱسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِى ٱلْجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ
“Glorious is the name of your Lord, the Lord of Majesty, the Lord of Honour.”
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.”
“Anas narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Be constant with: ‘O Possessor of Majesty and Honor (Yā Dhal-Jalāli wal-Ikrām).’””
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) — and for this name the Prophet ﷺ gave the words himself: ‘Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram — O Possessor of Majesty and Honor.’ Say it often, as he urged, and ask in your own words for your need after it. The lesson is in the pairing the Quran repeats: the Lord of awesome Majesty is also the Lord of generous Honor, so approach Him with the awe due to a king and the hope due from His honored guest.
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.