The Meanings of the Names of Allah: “Al-A‘la,” “Al-Akram,” “Al-Ilah,” and “Al-Awwal”

Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:

“Al-A‘la,” “Al-Akram,” “Al-Ilah,” and “Al-Awwal” are among the Names of Allah تعالى. Each of these Names indicates a great aspect of His perfection. “Al-A‘la” indicates His absolute exaltedness; “Al-Akram” indicates the perfection of His generosity and bounty; “Al-Ilah” indicates that He alone deserves worship; and “Al-Awwal” indicates that there is nothing before Him.

First: The Meaning of Allah’s Name “Al-A‘la”

Allah تعالى says:

“Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High.” [Al-A‘la: 1]

“Al-A‘la” (The Most High) is the One who possesses absolute exaltedness in every respect, including:

• Exaltedness of His Essence: He is above His creation and established over His Throne in a manner befitting Him.
• Exaltedness of His Attributes: He possesses every attribute of perfection and is free from every deficiency.
• Exaltedness of His Might and Supremacy: He is the One who prevails over His servants and to whom everything submits; nothing can escape His authority.

Al-Sa‘di رحمه الله said:

“Al-‘Aliyy Al-A‘la: He is the One who possesses absolute exaltedness in every respect: exaltedness of essence, exaltedness of rank and attributes, and exaltedness of power and supremacy.”

Thus, the Name “Al-A‘la” indicates the perfection of Allah’s exaltedness and greatness, and that none of His creation resembles Him in any of the unique qualities of His perfection.

Second: The Meaning of Allah’s Name “Al-Akram”

Allah تعالى says:

“Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous.” [Al-‘Alaq: 3]

“Al-Akram” (The Most Generous) indicates the perfection and vastness of His generosity. He is the Most Generous of those who are generous, abundant in His kindness and bounty, and bestows numerous blessings upon His servants.

Al-Khattabi رحمه الله said:

“He is the Most Generous of those who are generous; no generous person can equal Him, nor does He have any equal in this.”

Generosity is not limited merely to giving abundantly. It is broader than that: it includes abundant goodness, extensive kindness, and the perfection of praiseworthy qualities.

Therefore, Allah تعالى is absolutely the Most Generous, due to the perfection of His attributes, the greatness of His kindness, and the vastness of His bounty.

Among the effects of believing in this Name is that the servant magnifies and loves his Lord, thinks well of Him, thanks Him for His blessings, strives to obey Him, and feels ashamed to respond to Allah’s kindness toward him with disobedience.

Third: The Meaning of Allah’s Name “Al-Ilah”

Allah تعالى says:

“Allah is only One God. Glory be to Him above having a son.” [Al-Nisa’: 171]

“Al-Ilah” (The Deity) is the One who is worshipped and truly deserves worship.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى alone deserves to be worshipped, loved, glorified, submitted to, called upon, hoped in, and relied upon.

Therefore, Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah requires dedicating worship exclusively to Allah تعالى, so that no act of worship is directed toward anyone besides Him.

As for the polytheists calling their idols “gods,” this was not because they truly deserved worship, but because they worshipped them and believed that they deserved it. Allah تعالى invalidated this belief.

“Allah” is the majestic Name encompassing the meanings of Allah’s Beautiful Names and exalted attributes. According to the well-known linguistic view, it is derived from “Al-Ilah,” meaning the One who is worshipped.

Fourth: The Meaning of Allah’s Name “Al-Awwal”

Allah تعالى says:

“He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden, and He has knowledge of all things.” [Al-Hadid: 3]

“Al-Awwal” (The First) is the One before whom there was nothing.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم explained this in the authentic hadith:

“O Allah, You are the First, so there is nothing before You; and You are the Last, so there is nothing after You...” Narrated by Muslim (2713).

Allah سبحانه وتعالى is therefore the First, whose existence has no beginning. Everything besides Him is created and came into existence after previously being nonexistent.

This Name indicates Allah’s perfection and uniqueness: He is the Creator of everything, and there is no eternal being before Him sharing this characteristic.

Conclusion

These four Names contain great meanings of Allah’s perfection:

• Al-A‘la: He possesses absolute exaltedness in His Essence, attributes, might, and supremacy.
• Al-Akram: He is perfect in generosity, bounty, and kindness, and no one can equal Him in generosity.
• Al-Ilah: He is the true object of worship and alone deserves all forms of worship.
• Al-Awwal: He is the One before whom there was nothing, while everything besides Him is a created being that came into existence after previously being nonexistent.

Knowledge of these Names should not remain merely theoretical. Their effects should appear in the Muslim’s heart and worship: he should glorify Allah, devote worship sincerely to Him, have good expectations of His generosity, recognize His exaltedness and perfection, and be certain that He is the First before whom there was nothing.

And Allah knows best.