Allah by His Greatest Name | Allahuma Inni As’aluka Bi-anna Lakal-hamd | In moments of need, longing, or hope, we often search for the most powerful ways to call upon Allah ﷻ. Among the most profound guidance the Prophet ﷺ gave us is the power of invoking Allah’s Greatest Name—al-Ism al-Aʿẓam—in our duʿāʾs. This name is not just a label; it represents the essence of Allah’s might, mercy, and majesty. It is a name by which, if Allah is called upon, He answers, and if He is asked by it, He grants.
One day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ heard a man supplicating in a unique and heartfelt manner. He praised Allah ﷻ with beautiful words, invoking divine qualities that reflect majesty and mercy. The Prophet ﷺ confirmed that this man had indeed called upon Allah with His Greatest Name.
Dua 1 | Praying To Allah by His Greatest Name | Allahuma Inni As’aluka Bi-anna Lakal-hamd
Today, we humbly reflect upon an awe-inspiring Hadith that serves as a profound guidepost in our spiritual journey . Blessed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) overheard an invocation uttered by a man
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدَ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْمَنَّانُ، بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ، يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ،
‘Allahumma! Inni as’aluka bi-anna lakal-hamd. La ilaha illa Anta, wahdaka la sharika laka. Al-Mannan. Badi’us-samawati wal-ard. Dhul-jalali wal-ikram Ya Hayi Ya Qayoom’
Translated, this plea signifies, “O Allah! I ask You by virtue of the fact that all praise is due to You; none has the right to be worshipped but You alone, You have no partner or associate, the Bestower, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, the Possessor of Majesty and Honor.”
Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace be upon him), in his boundless wisdom, remarked, “He has asked Allah by His Greatest Name which, if He is asked thereby He gives and if He is called upon thereby He answers.”
غنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم جَالِسًا يَعْنِي: وَرَجُلٌ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي، فَلَمَّا رَكَعَ، وَسَجَدَ، وَتَشَهَّدَ دَعَا، فَقَالَ فِي دُعَائِهِ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدَ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْمَنَّانُ، بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ، يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ، إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِأَصْحَابِهِ: تَدْرُونَ بِمَا دَعَا؟ قَالُوا: اللهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ، قَالَ: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَقَدْ دَعَا اللهَ بِاسْمِهِ الْعَظِيمِ، الَّذِي إِذَا دُعِيَ بِهِ أَجَابَ، وَإِذَا سُئِلَ بِهِ أَعْطَى.
“The Prophet (saw) heard a man say: ‘Allahumma! Inni as’aluka bi-anna lakal-hamd. La ilaha illa Anta, wahdaka la sharika laka. Al-Mannan. Badi’us-samawati wal-ard. Dhul-jalali wal-ikram” (O Allah! I ask You by virtue of the fact that all praise is due to You; none has the right to be worshiped but You alone, and You have no partner or associate, the Bestower, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, the Possessor of majesty and honor.’ He (saw) said: ‘He has asked Allah by His Greatest Name which if He is asked thereby He gives and if He is called upon thereby He answers.”
Hadith Reference:
This duʿāʾ is narrated in Sunan Abi Dawood (1495). The Prophet ﷺ said:
“He has asked Allah by His Greatest Name, which if He is asked by it, He gives; and if He is called upon by it, He answers.”
Reference on Sunnah.com
Dua 2 | Praying To Allah by His Greatest Name | Allahuma Inni As’aluka Bi-anna Lakal-hamd
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ أَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ الأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Allahumma inni as’aluka anni ash’hadu annaka Anta Allah la ilaha illa Anta al-Ahad as-Samad alladhee lam yalid wa lam yoolad wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad.
O Allah, I ask You and I testify that surely, You are Allah. There is no deity except You, the One, the Eternal, who was not begotten and did not beget, and there is none equal to You.
As we humbly recite “Allahumma inni as’aluka anni ash’hadu annaka Anta Allah”, we affirm that we call upon Allah and testify to His divine singularity. “La ilaha illa Anta” – there is no deity, no entity worthy of worship except Him, the Most High.
We go on, proclaiming “al-Ahad as-Samad,” which beautifully encapsulates the essence of Allah as the One, the Sustainer upon whom all beings depend. The phrases “lam yalid wa lam yoolad” affirm our belief that Allah is the Uncaused Cause, who neither begets nor is begotten.
Lastly, we resoundingly declare, “wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad” – there is none who could be compared to or be equal to Him, in His Perfect attributes and His Divine essence.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم سَمِعَ رَجُلاً يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ أَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ الأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ . فَقَالَ “ لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَ اللَّهَ بِالاِسْمِ الَّذِي إِذَا سُئِلَ بِهِ أَعْطَى وَإِذَا دُعِيَ بِهِ أَجَابَ ”
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers.
Hadith Reference:
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Buraidah from his father, in Sunan Abi Dawood (1493). The Prophet ﷺ said:
“You have supplicated to Allah by His Greatest Name, by which, if He is asked, He gives, and if He is called upon, He responds.”
Reference on Sunnah.com →
The Qur’an’s Reference to Allah’s Greatest Name
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي زِيَادٍ، عَنْ شَهْرِ بْنِ حَوْشَبٍ، عَنْ أَسْمَاءَ بِنْتِ يَزِيدَ، قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ” اسْمُ اللَّهِ الأَعْظَمُ فِي هَاتَيْنِ الآيَتَيْنِ {وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ} وَفَاتِحَةِ سُورَةِ آلِ عِمْرَانَ ” .
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The Greatest Name of Allah is in these two Verses: And your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God – Allah), La Ilaha Illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.’ And at the beginning of Surah Al ‘Imran.”
The aforementioned verse can be found in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:163)
Hadith Reference:
Reported in Sunan Abi Dawood (1496) and authenticated by scholars.
“The Greatest Name of Allah is found in these two verses: {Your God is one God…} and the beginning of Āl ʿImrān.”
Read on Sunnah.com
Listen to Surat Aal Imran: https://quran.com/ali-imran
These duʿās are not mere phrases. They are profound affirmations of Allah’s oneness, mercy, and majesty. When we invoke Allah ﷻ with these names and attributes, we are connecting with His essence — the Creator, the Sustainer, the One without partner, the Eternal who never tires, never sleeps, and never forgets.
They teach us how to pray sincerely, with humility and precision. They also assure us: when we call upon Allah with knowledge and reverence, He listens, and He responds.
Read more: Dua For Laylatul Qadr