Name 15 of 99
الْقَهَّارُ
Al-Qahhar – The Subduer, the Ever-Dominant
- Transliteration
- Al-Qahhar
- Meaning
- The Subduer, the Ever-Dominant
- Arabic root
- ق ه ر
- Theme
- Power and might
Meaning of Al-Qahhar
Al-Qahhar is the One who prevails over all things, to whom everything submits willingly or unwillingly. In the Quran it is frequently paired with Al-Wahid (the One), stressing that the One God has complete dominance and needs no partner.
Al-Qahhar in the Quran
Al-Qahhar appears in the Quran as a name or description of Allah. Two of the verses where it occurs:
قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلْ أَفَٱتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمْ نَفْعًۭا وَلَا ضَرًّۭا ۚ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ وَٱلْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتُ وَٱلنُّورُ ۗ أَمْ جَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُوا۟ كَخَلْقِهِۦ فَتَشَٰبَهَ ٱلْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ خَٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَهُوَ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّٰرُ
Say (O Muhammad): Who is Lord of the heavens and the earth? Say: Allah. Say: Take ye then (others) beside Him for protectors, which, even for themselves, have neither benefit nor hurt? Say: Is the blind man equal to the seer, or is darkness equal to light? Or assign they unto Allah partners who created the like of His creation so that the creation (which they made and His creation) seemed alike to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Almighty.
لَّوْ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًۭا لَّٱصْطَفَىٰ مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ ۖ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّارُ
If Allah had willed to choose a son, He could have chosen what He would of that which He hath created. Be He Glorified! He is Allah, the One, the Absolute.
Reflection
No tyrant or difficulty is beyond Allah's control, which gives the oppressed real hope.
Related names: power and might
Frequently asked questions
What does Al-Qahhar mean?
Al-Qahhar (الْقَهَّارُ) means "The Subduer, the Ever-Dominant". Al-Qahhar is the One who prevails over all things, to whom everything submits willingly or unwillingly. In the Quran it is frequently paired with Al-Wahid (the One), stressing that the One God has complete dominance and needs no partner.
Is Al-Qahhar mentioned in the Quran?
Yes. Al-Qahhar is mentioned as a name or description of Allah in Surah Ar-Ra'd 13:16 and Surah Az-Zumar 39:4.
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).