Name 26 of 99
السَّمِيعُ
As-Sami' – The All-Hearing
- Transliteration
- As-Sami'
- Meaning
- The All-Hearing
- Arabic root
- س م ع
- Theme
- Knowledge and awareness
Meaning of As-Sami'
As-Sami' is the One who hears everything: every voice, language and whisper, even the unspoken prayer in the heart. His hearing is not like the hearing of creation, as the Quran says that nothing is like Him and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. He also "hears" in the sense of responding to those who call on Him.
As-Sami' in the Quran
As-Sami' appears in the Quran as a name or description of Allah. Two of the verses where it occurs:
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَٰهِۦمُ ٱلْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَٰعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower.
فَاطِرُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًۭا وَمِنَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ أَزْوَٰجًۭا ۖ يَذْرَؤُكُمْ فِيهِ ۚ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌۭ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
The Creator of the heavens and the earth. He hath made for you pairs of yourselves, and of the cattle also pairs, whereby He multiplieth you. Naught is as His likeness; and He is the Hearer, the Seer.
Reflection
No prayer is too quiet to be heard, and no word we speak goes unheard.
Related names: knowledge and awareness
Frequently asked questions
What does As-Sami' mean?
As-Sami' (السَّمِيعُ) means "The All-Hearing". As-Sami' is the One who hears everything: every voice, language and whisper, even the unspoken prayer in the heart. His hearing is not like the hearing of creation, as the Quran says that nothing is like Him and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. He also "hears" in the sense of responding to those who call on Him.
Is As-Sami' mentioned in the Quran?
Yes. As-Sami' is mentioned as a name or description of Allah in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:127 and Surah Ash-Shura 42:11.
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).