Quran Universe
Name 41 of 99

الْجَلِيلُ

Al-Jalil · The Majestic

Al-Jalil (الْجَلِيلُ) means The Majestic: the One described with every attribute of greatness, might and perfection, so exalted that He deserves awe and reverence for who He is. His majesty is not cold; it is joined to generosity. Knowing this name gives your faith its proper seriousness and your love its proper depth.

Rootج ل لJalla means to be great, lofty and imposing. Jalal is majesty: the quality of someone so honored and impressive that you lower your gaze in their presence, the reason people say Your Majesty. Applied to Allah, it is the sum of His perfect attributes of greatness, seen together, inspiring awe.

Al-Jalil in the Quran

  1. وَيَبۡقَىٰ وَجۡهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلۡجَلَٰلِ وَٱلۡإِكۡرَامِ

    And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.

    Ar-Rahman 55:27 →

  2. قُلِ ٱللَّهَ أَعۡبُدُ مُخۡلِصٗا لَّهُۥ دِينِي

    Say, "Allah [alone] do I worship, sincere to Him in my religion,

    Az-Zumar 39:14 →

  3. وَلَمَّا جَآءَ مُوسَىٰ لِمِيقَٰتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِيٓ أَنظُرۡ إِلَيۡكَۚ قَالَ لَن تَرَىٰنِي وَلَٰكِنِ ٱنظُرۡ إِلَى ٱلۡجَبَلِ فَإِنِ ٱسۡتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُۥ فَسَوۡفَ تَرَىٰنِيۚ فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّىٰ رَبُّهُۥ لِلۡجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُۥ دَكّٗا وَخَرَّ مُوسَىٰ صَعِقٗاۚ فَلَمَّآ أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبۡحَٰنَكَ تُبۡتُ إِلَيۡكَ وَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ

    And when Moses arrived at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You." [Allah] said, "You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me." But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, "Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers."

    Al-A'raf 7:143 →
Al-Jalil · الْجَلِيلُName 41

Majesty that a mountain could not bear to see

Al-Jalil: the Majestic, whose perfection fills the heart with awe and love

Two sides the Quran holds together
Jalal: majestymight, greatness, awenames that humble you
joined with
Ikram: generositykindness, honor, giftsnames that draw you in
which gives
Fear and hopethe two wings of faith
How seriously we take Him
God is just my easygoing friendno awe needed
Al-Jalil shows
Loving and Majesticnear, and worthy of awe

Who He is as Al-Jalil

Al-Jalil is the One who possesses every attribute of majesty in full: power, greatness, knowledge, honor, independence, holiness. Al-Ghazali explained the near names this way: Al-Kabir points to the perfection of His essence, Al-Jalil to the perfection of His attributes, and Al-Azim to both together as they overwhelm the mind. Al-Jalil is majesty you feel when you contemplate who He is.

This exact form is not used as a name in the Quran; it comes in the well-known lists of the names reported in the hadith collections. Its meaning, though, runs through the Quran in the phrase Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram, Owner of Majesty and Generosity (55:27, 55:78). That pairing matters. His majesty never makes Him harsh, and His generosity never makes Him small.

Many speak of God only as love, and forget majesty. Others speak only of His might, and forget mercy. Al-Jalil restores the balance. Too much fear without hope leads to despair; too much hope without awe leads to carelessness. The believer flies with both wings.

Where you see Al-Jalil at work

Musa asked to see his Lord. He was told to look at the mountain: if it stayed in place, he would see Him. When his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, it crumbled to dust, and Musa fell unconscious (7:143). That is a glimpse of jalal: a majesty that solid rock could not withstand.

Surah ar-Rahman turns on the same idea. After describing the gifts of creation, it says everyone on earth will perish, and there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Generosity (55:26-27). Everything we admire fades; His majesty remains.

And in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ said that on the Day of Resurrection Allah will ask: where are those who loved one another for the sake of My majesty? Today I will shade them in My shade, on a day when there is no shade but Mine.

Handing your affairs to Him

Awe is not the enemy of trust; it is its foundation. You hand your affairs only to someone you take seriously. Because He is Al-Jalil, His promises are weighty, His care is not casual, and His decisions are never small. When you stand in prayer feeling His majesty, the things that terrify you outside lose their grip.

His majesty is also why He forgives so fully. A petty ruler holds grudges; a majestic one can afford to pardon. Approach Al-Jalil with your sins and your needs, reverent and hopeful, and you are approaching the most generous Majesty there is.

You catch yourself scrolling while the imam recites, half-praying out of habit. Pause and picture the mountain that crumbled before His majesty, then remember that same Lord is listening to you now. Lower your gaze, slow your recitation, and feel the honor of standing before Al-Jalil.

I treat Allah casually, like a background presence in my day.

Al-Jalil is majestic beyond measure and generous beyond measure, and standing before Him is an honor.

Why the heart loves Him for it

Love without respect grows shallow, and respect without love grows cold. In Al-Jalil the heart finds both. Love for His sake is so precious to Him that He promised His shade to those who loved one another for His majesty. Loving Him and loving people for His sake is how we answer His majesty.

Call on Him

Ya Jalil, Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram, fill my heart with awe of Your majesty and hope in Your generosity. Shade me with those who love one another for Your sake, and let nothing in this world outweigh You in my heart.

The Prophet ﷺ encouraged persisting with Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram in supplication, as reported by at-Tirmidhi; it is a natural way to call on Al-Jalil.
Try this today

Repeat Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram a few times in your dua today, and pause to feel both halves of it: majesty and generosity.

Read it with
Drawn from the book Asma al Husna and Ustadh Hisham Abu Yusuf’s lessons: The Generous, Honourable and Majesticdraft

Questions about Al-Jalil

What does Al-Jalil mean?

Al-Jalil means The Majestic. It describes Allah as the One who possesses every attribute of greatness and perfection in full, so exalted that He deserves awe and reverence for who He is. His majesty is always joined with generosity.

Is Al-Jalil mentioned in the Quran?

The exact name Al-Jalil is not used in the Quran; it appears in the well-known lists of the 99 names transmitted in the hadith collections. Its meaning is in the Quranic phrase Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram, Owner of Majesty and Generosity, in 55:27 and 55:78.

What is the difference between Al-Jalil, Al-Kabir and Al-Azim?

Al-Ghazali explained that Al-Kabir refers to the perfection of Allah's essence, Al-Jalil to the perfection of His attributes, and Al-Azim to both together, overwhelming the mind's ability to grasp them. All three describe greatness from a different angle.

What does Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram mean?

It means O Owner of Majesty and Generosity. It calls on Allah by both His awe-inspiring greatness and His kindness. The Prophet ﷺ encouraged persisting with it in dua, as reported by at-Tirmidhi.

Explanation in Arabic

صاحب صفات الكمال والجلال والعظمة، الذي يستحق أن يُهاب ويُعظم لذاته.