Al-Azim
Al-Azim is the Magnificent — great in a way that has no upper limit and admits no comparison.
Name 33 of 99
الْعَظِيمُ
Al-Azim
The Magnificent
- In Arabic
- الْعَظِيمُ
- Transliteration
- Al-Azim
- Position in the list
- Name 33 of 99
Al-Azim — The Magnificent
What the name means
Azamah is greatness of rank and being, not of size. The Quran attaches the name to the verse of the Throne, where after describing His knowledge and dominion it closes: and He is al-Ali, al-Azim.
Scholars note that the name is stated after the description rather than before it: the greatness is the conclusion the verse has just proved.
Living by this name
It sets the tone of prayer. The Prophet ﷺ taught the bowing formula subhana rabbiyal-azim — glory to my Lord, the Magnificent — so the body's lowest posture is paired with the highest attribute.
Its response is to right-size your troubles against the One you are asking. See also Al-Ali and Al-Kabir.
Al-Azim in the Quran
The 3 verses below contain this name. Every reference is checked against the Arabic text of the Quran before it is published, so Al-Azim really is in each verse it is cited from.
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255Read the full surah →لَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and He is the Most High, the Most Great.
Surah Ash-Shura 42:4Read the full surah →فَسَبِّحْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great.
Surah Al-Waqiah 56:96Read the full surah →
How reliable is the list of ninety-nine?
That Allah has ninety-nine names is established in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and both are agreed upon. The specific enumeration — this list of ninety-nine — comes from a narration in Jami' at-Tirmidhi that at-Tirmidhi himself called gharib, and which many hadith scholars grade weak; several held that a narrator compiled the names by searching the Quran and Sunnah. Classical scholars including al-Khattabi, Ibn Hazm, al-Qurtubi and al-Ghazali compiled lists of their own that differ from it. None of this touches the names themselves, every one of which is established elsewhere; it means the count of exactly these ninety-nine is a scholarly arrangement rather than a revealed roster, and Allah's names are not limited to them.
Questions about Al-Azim
Al-Azim (الْعَظِيمُ) means "The Magnificent". Like every one of the ninety-nine names, it describes an attribute of Allah rather than serving as a label — the names are how the Quran teaches who Allah is.
Yes. This page cites 3 verses containing Al-Azim, each checked against the Arabic text before publishing.
Address Allah with "Ya" before the name — "Ya Azim" — and ask for what that attribute gives. The Quran instructs it directly: "To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call upon Him by them" (7:180).
It is number 33 in the well-known list. The order comes from the narration of at-Tirmidhi and is a scholarly arrangement, so numbering can differ slightly between printed lists — the names themselves do not.