Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, Al-Azhar Grand Imam & MCE Chairman, clarified that the Arabic word Azhim has three meanings: great status or rank, great size, and great number; only the first of them applies to the Divine Self, which means that Allah is the Greatest and the Most Sublime. Among the verses containing such description are “And He is the Most High, the Greatest” (2:255) and “For he never had faith in Allah, the Greatest” (69:33) In these two verses, the “Greatest” describes the Divine self. He explained that the other two meanings, which denote size and number, do not apply to the Divine Self as they do not befit Allah. We cannot say that Allah has a great body because a corporeal or bodied being is composed of parts, and as such it needs someone to synthesize those parts, so it needs a maker, which does not befit the Divine Self. 

 

During the11th episode of his TV program, Imam Al-Tayyeb Talk, the Grand Imam wondered about those who adopt atheism when they deem it strange when we offer the supposition that something like a chair has made itself by itself. If they deem this impossible, then how can they believe that the world has no Creator or claim that nature is the creator of everything! He noted that it is not correct to say that Allah has a physical body, or else this body would be composed of parts and thus would need a preexisting being that would have brought it into being. If we acknowledge that Allah is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and the first-ever Being, we cannot say that there was anything before Him. This would contradict all the attributes that have been established for Allah.

 

 

As for concluding our recitation of the Quran with the phrase, “True indeed are the words of Allah, the Greatest” that includes the name Al-Azhim, the Grand Imam stated that saying that phrase is a customary practice of the Muslims. However, the relevance of this name to the Quran is that the Quran in its entirety indicates the Greatness of Almighty Allah. So, whenever the Quran is read, it reflects the Greatness of Allah. The Quran reads, “When the Quran is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent, so you may be shown mercy” (7:204). We usually start reciting the Quran by seeking refuge with Allah (Isti’adhah): “When you recite the Quran, seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed” (Qur’an, 16:98). We do so to avoid the distractions and deviation of Satan. In addition, the Prophet’s Sunnah proves that it is commendable to start our recitation with Basmalah; the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Any matter that does not begin with the mention of Allah’s Name is maimed (unproductive).” Recitation of the Quran is important, and it requires an attentive mind. This is almost unanimously agreed upon by the Muslims.

 

The Grand Imam explained that such a ruling is based on the Sunnah, which plays an important role in Islamic legislation. This issue is controversial for those who believe in the Quran but doubt the authenticity of the Hadith. They deny or do not believe in the authenticity of the Sunnah. However, they cannot state it openly. Without the Sunnah, nearly two-thirds of the Quran cannot be realized. The Quranic commands to observe the prayer, pay the Zakat, perform Hajj, and many of the fundamentals on which Islam is based will be vague if we draw on the Quran alone, we would not know the details of such ordinances, or the rules, timings and amounts of, say, Zakat. Thus, Prophetic Sunnah plays an important role in Islamic legislation through three methods: explaining, affirming, or initiating rulings. For instance, the Sunnah explains the ruling that forbids marrying a female and her maternal and paternal aunts.  

 

 

At the end of the episode, the Grand Imam mentioned that the lesson learned from the name of Allah Al-Azhim. It is important for Muslims to believe that the greatness of any human is insignificant when compared to Almighty Allah’s Greatness. One should also be careful when describing a person as great. It is improper to attribute greatness unduly, so you may not describe a clever sorcerer as great because the Qur’an forbids us to do so. Human greatness can be attributed to Prophets, Messengers, and saintly persons– those who follow the path of Allah.