ذو الجلال والإكرام
DHU AL-JALALI WA AL-IKRAM
The Possessor of Majesty and Generosity, perfect in greatness and abundant honouring
Meaning and Explanation
Dhu al-Jalali wa al-Ikram is a Quranic compound, not a string of independent names created for a list. Quran 55:27 says that the Face of the Lord, Possessor of Majesty and Generosity, remains; 55:78 closes the surah by blessing the name of the Lord, Possessor of Majesty and Generosity. The two elements belong together. Jalal carries majesty, greatness, and awe; ikram carries generosity and honouring. Keeping the pair intact prevents two distortions. Majesty by itself can be misused to imagine harshness, distance, or authoritarian display. Generosity by itself can be reduced to getting desired gifts. The Quranic construction joins reverence with beneficence: divine greatness is not insecure domination, and divine generosity does not place the Giver under a creature’s demand. The first occurrence appears after the declaration that all upon the earth pass away. Majesty and generosity therefore do not praise human monuments as permanent. A family name, palace, institution, or archive may deserve care, yet none shares divine remaining. The ethical question is what a temporary person does with prestige and resources while they are held. Human “majesty” must be treated carefully. Uniforms, titles, stages, religious offices, and ceremonial language can organise communal life, but they can also intimidate. No scholar, employer, elder, or leader may borrow this compound to demand unquestioning loyalty. Created honour is compatible with scrutiny; a person who cannot be questioned is not reflecting divine majesty. Ikram points readers toward dignifying generosity rather than public self-display. A gift that exposes the recipient, buys silence, or creates dependence may preserve the donor’s image while harming the recipient’s agency. Responsible generosity asks what is useful, protects privacy, avoids humiliating conditions, and does not erase structural duties such as wages or debt repayment. The name offers no fixed-count promise of fame, money, influence, or protection.
Arabic fields: j-l-l (ج ل ل), majesty and greatness; and k-r-m (ك ر م), generosity, nobility, and honour.
This Name in the Quran
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Dhikr Tradition
The compound may be used in praise and supplication with its Quranic integrity preserved. It does not grant prestige to a human leader or promise fame, money, protection, or influence through a fixed count.
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.
Other Names
Sources
- Tanzil Project — Uthmani Mushaf
- Gazzâlî, el-Maksadü'l-Esnâ fî Şerhi Esmâillâhi'l-Hüsnâ
- Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu, "Allah'ın 99 ismi hakkında bilgi verir misiniz?"
Prepared by: Kadir Özbek