names of allah
Dhul-Jalali-wal-Ikram: Lord of Majesty and Generosity — Name 85 of Allah
Dhul-Jalali-wal-Ikram: Lord of Majesty and Generosity — Name 85 of Allah — sourced from authentic Quran and hadith references.
The phrase dhul-jalali wal-ikram means "Possessor of Majesty and Generosity" — it is a description of Allah that appears twice in the Quran, at the closing of Surah Ar-Rahman and in its nineteenth verse, and it combines two of His attributes: absolute grandeur and boundless giving.
The first word, dhu (ذو), is a possessive construction meaning "possessor of" or "one who is distinguished by." The second, al-jalal (الجلال), denotes majesty, loftiness, and awe — the quality by which a thing is too great to be matched or diminished. The third, al-ikram (الإكرام), comes from the same root as karam (generosity, honour); it means the bestowal of honour and gifts, and it also carries the sense that the One so described is Himself worthy of the highest honour from His creation.
Where the Name Appears in the Quran
The description occurs in two places, both in Surah Ar-Rahman.
At the closing of the surah:
The verse is rendered in English as "Tabaraka ismu rabbika thee-aljalali wal-ikram" — "Blessed is the name of your Lord, the Possessor of Majesty and Generosity"
Earlier in the same surah, describing what remains when all else passes:
The English given is "Wayabqa wajhu rabbika thoo aljalali wal-ikram" — "And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honour"
Two observations follow from the placement. First, the description brackets the surah: it is announced near the beginning (55:27) and again at the very end (55:78), so that the whole of Ar-Rahman — with its catalogue of blessings, its refrain "so which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?" — is enclosed between a declaration of God's majesty and His generosity. Second, in 55:27 the One described as dhul-jalali wal-ikram is identified with wajh — the Face of the Lord — the aspect of Him that endures after every created thing has perished. Majesty and generosity are therefore not incidental descriptions; they belong to what remains when everything else is gone.
What "Al-Jalal" and "Al-Ikram" Each Contribute
Classical commentators held that the pairing is deliberate and instructive: al-jalal without al-ikram would produce only fear, and al-ikram without al-jalal would produce only familiarity. Together they describe a Lord who is at once utterly exalted and intimately generous — He is not so great that He cannot be approached, and not so approachable that His greatness is forgotten.
This is consistent with how the Quran elsewhere describes God's relationship to His creation. In Surah An-Nahl, for example, He recounts His own generosity in concrete terms:
"Wallahu akhrajakum min butooni ommahatikum la taAAlamoona shay-an wajaAAala lakumu assamAAa wal-absara wal-af-idata laAAallakum tashkuroon" — "And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful"
That verse is the practical outworking of al-ikram: the Lord who possesses majesty is the same Lord who gives hearing, sight, and understanding, and who expects gratitude in return.
The Two Aspects Are Not in Tension
It can seem, at first, that majesty and generosity pull in opposite directions. A king who is truly majestic is distant; a giver who is truly generous is familiar. The Name Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram holds both without contradiction because the generosity is itself an expression of majesty — it costs the Giver nothing, and it honours the recipient. The Quran frames divine giving precisely this way: He gives from what He owns, and the giving does not diminish Him.
The closing verse of Ar-Rahman ties this to the name itself: "Blessed is the name of your Lord, the Possessor of Majesty and Generosity"
Related Uses of "Dhul" in the Quran
The construction dhu + noun appears elsewhere in the Quran as a description of individuals, and it is worth noting because it shows the same grammar at work. In Surah Al-Kahf:
"So (it was)! And We knew all about him (Dhul-Qarnain)"
And in Surah Al-Anbiya:
"And [mention] Ishmael and Idrees and Dhul-Kifl; all were of the patient"
These instances confirm that when the Quran calls Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram, it is using a recognised Arabic construction to say that He is defined by majesty and generosity — they are not attributes He happens to have, but qualities that belong to Him as possessor.
How This Name Is Practically Remembered
Three practices follow from the meaning.
First, invocation. Because the name is established in the Quran, it may be used in supplication: Ya Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram — "O Possessor of Majesty and Generosity." The believer addresses the One whose greatness warrants reverence and whose generosity warrants hope, in a single breath.
Second, balance in worship. The two halves of the name correct two common errors: despair, which forgets al-ikram, and presumption, which forgets al-jalal. The name holds the worshipper between hope and fear.
Third, gratitude for specific gifts. An-Nahl 16:78 lists hearing, sight, and intellect, and then says laAAallakum tashkuroon — "that perhaps you would be grateful"
The description dhul-jalali wal-ikram occurs twice in the Quran, both in Surah Ar-Rahman — in verse 27, where it identifies the enduring Face of the Lord, and in verse 78, where the name of the Lord is pronounced blessed