Al Quddus
The Most Sacred / The Most Holy
The one who is clear of any imperfection, weakness, or shortcoming.
Allah is Al-Quddus, the most pure and the most holy. He is so far removed from any imperfection that even calling Him 'free of defects' implies the possibility of imperfection, which is itself unworthy of Him. He transcends every quality we perceive as perfection. All sublime attributes belong to Him alone.
Mentions of Al Quddus
From the Quran & Hadith
From the root qaaf-daal-seen (ق د س), which carries the classical Arabic connotations of being pure, clean, spotless; being far removed from impurity or imperfection; and being holy, sacred, and hallowed. The same root names Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis, the sanctified house) and the angel Jibril (Ruh al-Qudus, the Holy Spirit).
The name Al-Quddus is derived from the word *quds*, meaning to sanctify, to purify, or to make holy. It is the superlative form that captures the essence of His perfection: He is far removed from resembling anything in His creation. Imam al-Ghazali, in his treatise on the 99 Names, writes that 'the Holy is the one who transcends every attribute of perfection that the majority of creatures think of as perfection' — meaning even our most exalted conceptions of perfection fall short of Him.
The Holy Spirit (Ruh al-Qudus)
The Quran mentions Ruh al-Qudus — the Holy Spirit — four times. The commentators of the Quran interpret it as the Angel Jibril (Gabriel), whom Allah sent to support His messengers. In Surah Al-Maidah, Allah recounts His favour to Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him): 'When I supported you with Ruh al-Qudus so you spoke to people in the cradle and as an adult … and you healed those born blind and the lepers by My permission, and brought forth the dead by My permission' (Quran 5:110). The Holy Spirit is a reflection of Allah's purifying influence on His creation: it makes a thing pure, wholesome, free from defect.
Huwa-llāhu-lladhī lā ilāha illā huwa-l-Maliku-l-Quddūsu-s-Salāmu-l-Mu'minu-l-Muhaymin u-l-ʿAzīzu-l-Jabbāru-l-Mutakabbir. Subḥāna-llāhi ʿammā yushrikūn.
“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. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him.”
Yusabbiḥu lillāhi mā fī-s-samāwāti wa mā fī-l-arḍi-l-Maliki-l-Quddūsi-l-ʿAzīzi-l-Ḥakīm.
“Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is exalting Allah, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
Qul nazzalahu Rūḥu-l-Qudusi min rabbika bi-l-ḥaqqi liyuthabbita-lladhīna āmanū wa hudan wa bushrā lil-muslimīn.
“Say, [O Muhammad], 'The Pure Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth to make firm those who believe and as guidance and good tidings to the Muslims.'”
Idh qāla-llāhu yā ʿĪsa-bna-Maryama-dhkur niʿmatī ʿalayka wa ʿalā wālidatika idh ayyadtuka bi-Rūḥi-l-Qudus.
“[The Day] when Allah will say, 'O Jesus, Son of Mary, remember My favour upon you and upon your mother when I supported you with the Pure Spirit.'”
Aisha (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say while bowing and prostrating: 'Subbūḥun Quddūs, Rabbu-l-malā'ikati wa-r-rūḥ' — All Glorious, All Holy, Lord of the Angels and the Spirit.
Ubayy ibn Ka'b (RA) narrated: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ offered the salutation in the witr prayer, he would say: 'Subḥānal-Malikil-Quddūs' — Glory be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy.
Ubayy ibn Ka'b (RA) also reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray witr in three rak'ahs — reciting Surah Al-A'la in the first, Surah Al-Kafirun in the second, and Surah Al-Ikhlas in the third. He would make the qunut before bowing, and after completing the prayer he would say 'Subḥānal-Malikil-Quddūs' three times, elongating the words on the third.
Knowing Allah as Al-Quddus invites us to seek purity in ourselves — not in our clothing or rituals alone, but in the places He actually looks: our hearts and our actions. This is a lifelong work of freeing the self from anger, from craving, from addiction to comfort and image. The path is tawbah, returning to Him: every time we fall, every time we drift. He cleanses what we cannot. As we will see with His Name Al-'Afuww, the Effacer of Sins, no fault leaves a trace when forgiven by Him. Remember: Al-Quddus is the One who is utterly pure, and He created you for a purpose. We may not always see the purpose, or we may feel lost in it; but turning back to Him reorients us and makes us whole.
Subbūḥun Quddūsun, Rabbu-l-malā'ikati wa-r-rūḥ
Perfect and Holy, Lord of the angels and the Spirit. (Recited by the Prophet ﷺ in ruku' and sujud.)
- Sahih Muslim 487a
- Sahih (al-Albani) Sunan Abi Dawud 1430
- Sahih (Darussalam) Sunan an-Nasa'i 1699 & 1732
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