Name 72 of 99
الْمُؤَخِّرُ
Al-Mu'akhkhir – The Delayer, the One who puts back
- Transliteration
- Al-Mu'akhkhir
- Meaning
- The Delayer, the One who puts back
- Arabic root
- أ خ ر
- Theme
- Sovereignty and kingship
Meaning of Al-Mu'akhkhir
Al-Mu'akhkhir is the One who delays or holds back whom and what He wills, by His wisdom. He may postpone punishment to give time for repentance, or delay something we want because it is not yet good for us. The Prophet Nuh told his people that Allah would forgive them and delay them to a specified term.
Many scholars point out that this name is best mentioned together with its complementary name, so that the meaning is understood as part of Allah's perfect wisdom rather than in isolation.
Paired name: Al-Mu'akhkhir is often mentioned together with Al-Muqaddim (The Expediter).
Al-Mu'akhkhir in the Quran
The exact form Al-Mu'akhkhir is not used in the Quran, but its meaning is affirmed through a related word from the same root:
Related verse
يَغْفِرْ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُ ۖ لَوْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
That He may forgive you somewhat of your sins and respite you to an appointed term. Lo! the term of Allah, when it cometh, cannot be delayed, if ye but knew.
Reflection
A delay in what we hope for may be a mercy we do not yet understand.
Related names: sovereignty and kingship
Frequently asked questions
What does Al-Mu'akhkhir mean?
Al-Mu'akhkhir (الْمُؤَخِّرُ) means "The Delayer, the One who puts back". Al-Mu'akhkhir is the One who delays or holds back whom and what He wills, by His wisdom. He may postpone punishment to give time for repentance, or delay something we want because it is not yet good for us. The Prophet Nuh told his people that Allah would forgive them and delay them to a specified term.
Is Al-Mu'akhkhir mentioned in the Quran?
Al-Mu'akhkhir 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 Nuh 71:4.
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).