Name 28 of 99
الْحَكَمُ
Al-Hakam – The Judge, the Arbiter
- Transliteration
- Al-Hakam
- Meaning
- The Judge, the Arbiter
- Arabic root
- ح ك م
- Theme
- Justice and judgement
Meaning of Al-Hakam
Al-Hakam is the Judge whose rulings are final and perfectly just. He judges between people in this life through the guidance He revealed, and on the Day of Judgement He will settle every dispute. In Surah al-An'am the Prophet is told to say that he seeks no judge other than Allah.
Al-Hakam in the Quran
The exact form Al-Hakam is not used in the Quran, but its meaning is affirmed through a related word from the same root:
Related verse
أَفَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَبْتَغِى حَكَمًۭا وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكُمُ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ مُفَصَّلًۭا ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُمُ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُۥ مُنَزَّلٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُمْتَرِينَ
Shall I seek other than Allah for judge, when He it is Who hath revealed unto you (this) Scripture, fully explained? Those unto whom We gave the Scripture (aforetime) know that it is revealed from thy Lord in truth. So be not thou (O Muhammad) of the waverers.
Reflection
When we are wronged and cannot get justice, we can leave the matter to the best of judges.
Related names: justice and judgement
Frequently asked questions
What does Al-Hakam mean?
Al-Hakam (الْحَكَمُ) means "The Judge, the Arbiter". Al-Hakam is the Judge whose rulings are final and perfectly just. He judges between people in this life through the guidance He revealed, and on the Day of Judgement He will settle every dispute. In Surah al-An'am the Prophet is told to say that he seeks no judge other than Allah.
Is Al-Hakam mentioned in the Quran?
Al-Hakam does not appear in exactly this form, but its meaning is affirmed in the Quran through a related word from the same root, for example in Surah Al-An'am 6:114.
The list of 99 names follows the order of the narration in Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3507, without the name “Allah”, and adds Al-Ahad from Sunan Ibn Majah 3861. The hadith that Allah has ninety-nine names is in Sahih al-Bukhari 2736 and Sahih Muslim 2677. Quran text: Tanzil (Uthmani); translation: Marmaduke Pickthall (1930, public domain).