Al Mutakabbir
The Supreme
The Tremendous, the Great, the Proud.
Al-Mutakabbir means the supremely great One. He is exalted far above all creation — the One who is clear from the attributes of creatures and from resembling them. He has rights, privileges, and qualities that others do not have, and He manifests this greatness in all things and in many ways.
Mentions of Al Mutakabbir
From the Quran & Hadith
From the root kāf-bā-rā (ك ب ر), which in classical Arabic carries the connotations of being great in size, rank, or dignity; being vast, formidable; being great in age and oldest; being great in dignity, noble, majestic; being great in learning; and being most known for having rights above all others. The word *mutakabbir* derives from *kabara*, meaning great, exalted, noble.
What it means for Allah to be 'proud'
Common translations of Al-Mutakabbir include 'The All-Supreme,' 'The Proud,' 'The Dominant One,' and 'The Great.' All are valid renderings. This Name shows the vast distinction between Allah and His creation: everything pales in comparison. He is supreme, He is the king of kings, and we are His servants unworthy of comparison. If you were the absolute best in a particular field — uncontested, untouchable — wouldn't a certain pride be natural? In this regard, Allah alone is rightly described as proud. Imam al-Ghazali explains Al-Mutakabbir as the One 'who sees greatness and majesty only in regard to Himself, and looks upon others as a king looks upon his servants. And if His assessment is correct, He will be truly proud' — and His assessment is correct.
Avoid arrogance
Imam al-Ghazali's qualifier — '*if His assessment is correct*' — is the key for the rest of us. If a presumption of greatness is false, the person is heading for a rude awakening. This was the story of Iblis: the first to claim arrogance, who believed he was greater than the rest, and was humiliated by Allah. The danger applies to all of us. Don't become arrogant. Those who do, fail to realise that whatever they have was from Allah, not from themselves. Even Firawn, the king of Egypt, likened himself to a god. But where are all the caesars and dictators now? What empires still stand to praise them daily? Their pride became arrogance built on faulty presumptions. They believed they had no one to answer to. The Quran says: 'Thus does Allah seal over every heart belonging to an arrogant tyrant' (Quran 40:35). In another ayah Musa (AS) says, 'Indeed, I have sought refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant one who does not believe in the Day of Account' (Quran 40:27).
Huwa-llāhu-lladhī lā ilāha illā huwa-l-Maliku-l-Quddūsu-s-Salāmu-l-Mu'minu-l-Muhayminu-l-ʿAzīzu-l-Jabbāru-l-Mutakabbir.
“He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior.”
In yanṣurkumu-llāhu fa-lā ghāliba lakum, wa in yakhdhulkum fa-man dha-lladhī yanṣurukum min baʿdihi. Wa ʿalā-llāhi fa-l-yatawakkali-l-mu'minūn.
“If Allah should aid you, no one can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who is there that can aid you after Him? And upon Allah let the believers rely.”
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and Abu Hurairah (RA) reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying that Allah said: 'Glory is My lower garment and majesty is My cloak. Whoever contends with Me in regard to them, I shall torment him.'
A lesson worth carrying: as you grow skilled in a field, confidence rises. But the moment you decide you are an *expert*, you become vulnerable — 'it is the strong swimmers who drown.' For the believer, the better posture is to keep seeking, to keep finding truth, rather than presuming to already know. The human condition is a desire to know, to expand, to have power. It is uncomfortable to admit you do not know; reassuring to feel you do. But in that facade you stop growing. Be willing to test your understanding, to space it out, to do it again. We have all sat with a homework answer thinking 'this makes sense' and then blanked on the test. Real knowing comes from honest practice, not the comfortable illusion of having understood. How do you carry 'pride' in your own work without arrogance? Simplify it to the philosophy of doing your best. Be clear and deliberate about what matters to you, then live up to that standard. If you can go to bed knowing you did your best, how have you not succeeded? Over time the recognition will come from those closest to you, perhaps from a wider circle. But let that be a by-product, not the goal. The better question is not 'how do I become great?' but 'how do I deserve to be?' And in another light, Al-Mutakabbir is the One to lean on when an obstacle feels insurmountable. This Name is a source of hope and optimism. As the Quran reminds: 'If Allah should aid you, no one can overcome you' (Quran 3:160).
Yā Mutakabbir, iḥfaẓnī mina-l-kibr
O Al-Mutakabbir, protect me from arrogance.
- Sahih (al-Albani) Sunan Abi Dawud 4090 & Sahih Muslim 2620
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