Allāh Attributes Dzûl-Jalâli wal-Ikrâm

Allāh Attributes Dzûl-Jalâli wal-Ikrâm

Lord of Majesty and Generosity,  Lord of Glory and Honor

By Ibn Saleh

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam is His Servant and Messenger.

Dzûl-Jalâli wal-Ikrâm

Lord of Majesty and Generosity,  Lord of Glory and Honor

It means Allah Almighty is:

The One who is most precious, revered and honored. The One who is the glorious and majestic lord of all generosity and bounty.

The One who is the possessor of all glory and honor. The One who is the owner of every manner of blessing, perfection, honor and majesty.

The One whose presence bestows majesty and generosity. The One who is the source of awesome splendor and abundance.

This beautiful Arabic phrase begins with a pronoun, followed by two attributes of Allâh.

Dzû (pronounced “thū”): Lord of, Possessor of

l : al : the

Jalâl : Majesty, Glory

Wa: and

L: al : the

Ikrâm :Generosity, Bounty

The attributes of Allâh in this phrase are based on the root j-l-l meaning:

·        to be supremely great

·        to be glorious, majestic

·        to be sublime

·        to be high, lofty, far above, independent

and the root k-r-m which has the following classical Arabic connotations:

·        to be noble, high minded, generous

·        to be highly esteemed, honored, prized, valued

·        to be excellent, precious, valuable, rare

·        to be productive, fruitful, bountiful

This name is used in the Qur'ân. For example, see Surah Ar-Rahman, verse 27

Wayabqawajhurabbika dzuljalaliwalikram

“And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.” 
[Ar-Rahman, 55:27]

Though certain benefits and gifts may arrive through human hands, one must offer all praise and honor to the True Source from which all blessings come, the One who is the Lord, Possessor and Bestower of Majesty and Bounty.

The Beautiful Names al-Jalîl and al-Karîm are also derived from these same two roots. The words jalâl (glory) and ikrâm (generosity) are verbal nouns, while jalîl (glorious) and karîm (generous) are adjectives.

The demonstrative pronoun Dhû literally means with, in, on, or of, but in this phrase from the Qur'ân it is often translated as Lord of, Owner of, or Possessor of.

Note that Dzû is pronounced thū.

When used as an invocation,  Dzû changes to Dza, as in Yâ Dzal-Jalâli wal-Ikrâm.

(Also written as Dzul Jalali wal Ikram, Dzal Jalali wal Ikram, the Lord of Majesty and Bounty: Ya Dhul Jalali wal Ikram, Ya Dhal Jalali wal Ikram)

Was-Salātu was-Salāmu ‘ala Sayyidil Mursaleen waimamil Muttaqeen, Wa ‘ala ālihi waahli baitihi wasahbihi ajmaeen (Salawāt and Sālam on the sayyid of all the Apostles and its righteous followers, his family, members of his household and all the companions).

And Allāh Almighty Knows best.

[ Adapted from Wahiduddin Richard Shelquist, Longmont, Colorado, USA]