Ar-Rafi'
Ar-Rafi' is the Exalter — the One who raises in rank whom He wills, by faith and knowledge rather than by wealth.
Name 23 of 99
الرَّافِعُ
Ar-Rafi'
The Exalter
- In Arabic
- الرَّافِعُ
- Transliteration
- Ar-Rafi'
- Position in the list
- Name 23 of 99
Ar-Rafi' — The Exalter
What the name means
Raf' is to lift. In the Quran the criterion of elevation is stated plainly: Allah raises those who believe among you, and those given knowledge, by degrees.
The name itself is not in the Quran as a standalone noun — it enters the list of ninety-nine through at-Tirmidhi, while the act appears throughout.
Living by this name
It relocates ambition. The rank that matters is not granted by an institution, and the Prophet ﷺ said that no one humbles himself for Allah except that Allah raises him.
Its response is to pursue what is actually elevating: knowledge acted upon, and humility. See also Al-Khafid and Al-Ali.
Where Ar-Rafi' comes from
Ar-Rafi' does not appear in the Quran as a standalone name. It reaches the famous list of ninety-nine through the narration of at-Tirmidhi, and its meaning is established by the Quran in other words — through verbs and related forms rather than the name itself. Scholars accepted such names on that basis; this page marks the distinction rather than hiding it.
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 Ar-Rafi'
Ar-Rafi' (الرَّافِعُ) means "The Exalter". 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.
Not as a standalone name. Ar-Rafi' reaches the list of ninety-nine through at-Tirmidhi's narration, while its meaning is established in the Quran through verbs and related forms. This page says so plainly rather than attaching a verse that does not contain it.
Address Allah with "Ya" before the name — "Ya Rafi'" — 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 23 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.