الواسع

AL-WASI'

The All-Encompassing, whose knowledge and mercy embrace everything

Meaning and Explanation

Al-Wasi' comes from the root for vastness/breadth; it expresses that God's knowledge, mercy, and bounty are not limited by any boundary, encompassing everything. It appears in Surah Al-Baqarah in two separate verses together with Al-Alim (2:115, 2:268) — one on the unimportance of direction ("wherever you turn, there is the Face of God"), the other on the vastness of God's bounty against the fear of scarcity. Commentators read this name as a comfort against a servant's anxiety over scarcity of provision or forgiveness.

Traditional Note — Abjad Value

This name's abjad (letter numerical value) calculation is 137.

Letter-by-letter abjad calculation (root "واسع", excluding the definite article): و (6) + ا (1) + س (60) + ع (70) = 137.

This number is not a religious prescription or a guarantee of any outcome.

This Name in the Quran

2:115

"...wherever you turn, there is the Face of God. Indeed, God is All-Encompassing and Knowing" — in Surah Al-Baqarah.

2:268

The end of the verse where Satan threatens with poverty while God promises forgiveness and bounty — "God is All-Encompassing and Knowing."

Dhikr Counter

Historical abjad note: this name's abjad value is 137; reciting a specific count carries no religious obligation.

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Dhikr Tradition

Some sources describe reciting Al-Wasi' when feeling a sense of scarcity over provision or forgiveness, with the intention of recalling the vastness of God's bounty, as a traditional practice; no specific count (including 137) carries a religious obligation.

Remembrance (dhikr) through the beautiful names is a foundational act of worship in Islam. However, reciting a name a specific number of times (based on its abjad value) or at a specific day/time carries no religious obligation, and scholars are not unanimous on this point — some accept it as a traditional practice, others hold it has no basis in the primary sources. The information on this page does not constitute religious ruling.

Understanding This Name

Vastness of knowledge, mercy, and dominion

Al-Wasi' expresses an all-encompassing vastness that cannot be measured by created space. In Al-Baqarah 2:115 the name appears with Al-Alim in a passage about the east, west, and turning toward God. Divine presence and knowledge are not confined to a human direction or territory. The verse still belongs to a legal and devotional context and should not be used to dismiss the established direction of prayer.

Expansiveness without vague claims

The name can widen hope when a person imagines that mercy or possibility has been exhausted. Yet no one may use it to promise a specific opening, income, or cure. Human response includes making room for others, learning beyond one's narrow experience, and avoiding the claim that a local custom exhausts Islam. Boundaries of truth and safety remain.

Other Names

Al-Alim Ar-Rahman

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Al-Wasi' mean every belief or action is equally true?

No. Divine vastness does not erase revelation's moral and theological distinctions. It corrects attempts to confine God's knowledge and mercy to human limits.

Sources

Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), Kur'an Yolu Tefsiri (Bakara 2:115, 2:268)
TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, "Vâsi'" maddesi
Gazzâlî, el-Maksadü'l-Esnâ fî Şerhi Esmâillâhi'l-Hüsnâ
English Translation — Noor International Center (v1.1.2)
TDV Encyclopedia of Islam — Esmâ-i Hüsnâ — in Turkish
Diyanet High Council of Religious Affairs — The 99 Names of God — in Turkish

Prepared by: Kadir Özbek · Updated: July 13, 2026