[6] The Etiquette of Dua and the Greatest Name of Allah

Recap: Sincerity, and the Life of This Book

The book was written in response to one questioner, and the lecturer notes that through Allah’s decree, that single question asked in one person’s private circumstance became a source that has reached and benefited a hundred thousand and even tens of millions of people up to the present day, and will continue to do so until the Day of Judgment. The book has now been read and taught for roughly seven to seven and a half centuries. The lesson drawn: sincerity carries real weight, both for the one who asks a question and the one who answers it, the righteous predecessors described sincerity as a secret between the servant and Allah.

Recap: Despair Treated First

Ibn al-Qayyim’s first move in answering the original question was to address despair, described as the greatest sickness that many people wish to walk the path of Allah, to remain on the path of guidance, to change their lives, to become better in matters of religion and of the world, but when a person considers this and finds themselves helpless or powerless, they become despondent. When a person becomes hopeless about their own reform, “Satan’s task is complete.” A person should never despair of Allah, regardless of how difficult their personal, religious, or worldly reform is despairing of Allah is explicitly linked in the Qur’an to disbelief; it is the disbelievers who are described as despairing of Allah’s mercy. No difficulty exists whether affecting the body or the inward state without Allah having also placed its cure.

The First Medicine: The Qur’an

Ibn al-Qayyim identifies the Qur’an from Al-Fatihah to An-Nas as the greatest treatment for both outward and inward affliction, with particular emphasis on Surah Al-Fatihah. He supports this with evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith, and adds a personal account: while in Makkah al-Mukarramah, without access to medicine or a doctor, he treated himself using Surah Al-Fatihah, and later treated others who came to him with illness or pain the same way.

The Second Medicine: Dua

Dua is presented as relevant on two levels as the direct answer to the original questioner (who had tried every means and still could not escape his calamity), and as a broader remedy

available to everyone. Ibn al-Qayyim brings evidence for this from the Qur’an, then addresses why duas are sometimes weak, ineffective, or unaccepted, explaining the causes.

The Relationship Between Dua and Calamity

Three scenarios are described:

1. A strong dua fully repels an oncoming calamity the calamity does not reach the person at all.
2. A dua and calamity of equal strength contend with each other, and the calamity still does not befall the person.
3. A weak dua against a stronger calamity the calamity does befall the person, but the dua still reduces or lessens its effect.

In all three cases, dua is beneficial.

Why the Connections Between Lessons Are Repeated

Two reasons are given for restating how each lesson connects to what came before: first, understanding how topics relate to one another is part of understanding a book properly the same reasoning behind how scholars of tafsir explain the connections between verses and between surahs. Second, not everyone attending is a regular listener, so newcomers need the throughline made explicit.

Recap: The Etiquette of Dua

Presence of Heart

A dua should be accompanied by the presence of heart, the words alone are not enough without the corresponding feeling. The example given: people often ask Allah for things related to the Hereafter, but the same intensity felt regarding worldly needs isn’t always present regarding the Hereafter. Ibn al-Qayyim’s instruction is that the heart should carry real, felt need illustrated with two examples: someone suffering a genuine illness, distressed by it, feeling in their heart just how much they need Allah to remove it; and someone who has gone without children for ten or twenty years, feeling that same intensity of need. A further example is given for the student of knowledge specifically that dua for beneficial knowledge or guidance should carry the felt sense of “how helpless I would be without this,” not just the words.

The Six Times of Acceptance

Restated here: the last third of the night (Tahajjud); between the adhan and the iqamah; after the obligatory prayers; the period on Friday from when the khatib ascends the pulpit until the prayer is completed; and the time after ‘Asr, especially just before Maghrib, on Friday.

Manners and Sequence

The etiquette is laid out as follows:

• Humility, lowliness, earnest pleading, and attentiveness in the dua itself.
• Facing the Qiblah while a person may technically supplicate facing any direction, facing the Qiblah is part of the recommended etiquette.
• Raising the hands toward Allah.
• Beginning with praise and glorification of Allah, in Arabic if the words are known and understood, otherwise in one’s own language. The lecturer notes that Allah understands and hears every servant in every language, without confusion, even the feelings a person cannot put into words.
• A state of wudu, facing the Qiblah, hands raised.
• Sending blessings on the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم (“thumma bis-salati ‘ala Muhammadin ‘abdihi wa rasulihi”).
• Repentance and seeking forgiveness before making the request (“thumma qaddama bayna yadai hajatihi at-tawbata wal-istighfar”) presenting genuine regret over one’s sins and a resolve to remain firm going forward.
• Placing the request itself, with repetition the term used here is al-ilhah, meaning persistent, repeated pleading. The comparison given: a person asking something of another human repeatedly risks being turned away, but repeated asking of Allah is encouraged rather than discouraged a dua isn’t meant to be said once and considered complete.

Balancing Fear and Hope (Raghbah wa Rahbah)

Ibn al-Qayyim describes the internal state during dua as one that should include both hope (raghbah) looking to Allah’s mercy, His being Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, expecting that the dua will not go to waste and fear (rahbah) looking at one’s own sins, shortcomings, and the weakness of one’s own dua, wondering whether it will be accepted. Both should be present, not one to the exclusion of the other. The pious predecessors described fear and hope as two wings: if either wing is deficient, the flight fails. Excessive ease is a sign of insufficient fear; excessive anxiety is also not sound so the aim is balance, sometimes weeping out of fear and sometimes finding calm and contentment in devotion.

Tawassul: Approaching Allah Through His Names, Attributes, and Oneness

The dua should be made using a permissible means (as opposed to an impermissible one) specifically, calling on Allah by His Names and Attributes suited to the situation:

• Someone in financial hardship says Ya Razzāq (O Provider).
• Someone seeking forgiveness says Ya Ghaffār (O Forgiver), or invokes Allah as As-Sattār, the One who conceals faults , asking Him to conceal one’s own shortcomings the way He conceals those of His servants generally.

The point made is that a person’s state is never fixed, sometimes happy, sometimes grieved, sometimes provided for abundantly, sometimes not and for every state there is a name or attribute of Allah that fits it. Allah taught His servants His Names specifically so they could be used this way in dua.

Tawassul through Allah’s Oneness (tawhid) is described separately, illustrated with a Companion’s dua:

“Allahumma inni as’aluka bi-anni ash-hadu annaka anta Allah, la ilaha illa anta, al-Ahad, as-Samad, alladhi lam yalid wa lam yulad” “O Allah, I ask You by my testimony that You alone are God, there is no god but You, the One, the Self-Sufficient, who neither begets nor is begotten.”

Rendered in translation as an expression of faith in Allah’s oneness and lordship, associating no partner with Him, directing worship, prostration, and bowing to Him alone. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is cited as testifying that such a dua is never rejected.

A Note on Beneficial Knowledge

The lecturer repeats the point that knowledge which doesn’t change a person’s conduct isn’t truly beneficial if learning about dua doesn’t change how a person actually supplicates, or their connection with Allah, then the knowledge hasn’t served its purpose. The pious predecessors are quoted as saying that if knowledge doesn’t benefit a person in this world, don’t expect it to benefit them in the next.

The Greatest Name of Allah (Ism Allah al-A’zam)

Ibn al-Qayyim’s final major point: dua accompanied by Allah’s Greatest Name is a strong cause of acceptance. Scholars differ on which name this is, the lecturer notes as many as 32 different opinions have been recorded, with one scholar (given in the transcript as “Al-Bukhtiyani,” though this name is unclear in the source) cited as listing at least 14.

Hadith Evidence

لَفْظٍ: لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَ هللاَّ َ بِاسْمِھِ األَْعْظَمِ. الَّ ذِي لَمْ یَلِدْ وَلَمْ یُولَدْ وَلَمْ یَكُنْ لَھُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ، فَقَالَ: لَقَدْ سَأَلَ هللاَّ َ بِاالِسْمِ الَّ ذِي إِذَا سُئِلَ بِھِ أَعْطَى، وَإِذَا دُعِيَ بِھِ أَجَابَ وَفِي هللاَّ ِ - صَلَّ ى هللاَّ ُ عَلَیْھِ وَسَلَّ مَ - »سَمِعَ رَجُالً یَقُولُ: اللَّ ھُمَّ إِنِّ ي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّ ي أَشْھَدُ أَنَّ كَ أَنْتَ هللاَّ ُ الَ إِلَھَ إِالَّ أَنْتَ، األَْحَدُ الصَّ مَدُ لِالِ سْمِ األَْعْظَمِ. أَدْعِیَةٌ مَأْثُورَةٌ فَمِنْھَا مَا فِي السُّ نَنِ )وَفِي( صَحِیحِ ابْنِ حِبَّ انَ مِنْ حَدِیثِ عَبْدِ هللاَّ ِ بْنِ بُرَیْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِیھِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ ]1[ یُرَدُّ أَبَدًا، وَالَ سِیَّ مَا إِنْ صَادَفَ األَْدْعِیَةَ الَّ تِي أَخْبَرَ النَّ بِيُّ - صَلَّ ى هللاَّ ُ عَلَیْھِ وَسَلَّ مَ - أَنَّ ھَا مَظَنَّ ةُ اإلِْجَابَةِ، أَوْ أَنَّ ھَا مُتَضَمِّ نَةٌ

“…is never rejected, especially if it coincides with the supplications the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said were likely to be answered, or which contain the Greatest Name. Traditional Supplications: Among these is what is found in the Sunan and in Sahih Ibn Hibban, from the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn Buraydah, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم heard a man saying: ‘O Allah, I ask

You by my testimony that You are Allah, there is no god but You, the One, the Self-Sufficient, who neither begets nor is begotten, and to whom none is comparable.’ He said: ‘He has asked Allah by the Name which, when asked by it, He gives, and when called upon by it, He answers.’ In another wording: ‘You have asked Allah by His Greatest Name.’”

A second account is given from Anas ibn Malik: while the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was sitting, a man prayed and said, “Allahumma inni as’aluka bi-anna lakal-hamd, la ilaha illa anta, al-mannan, badi’us-samawati wal-ard, ya dhal-jalali wal-ikram, ya hayyu ya qayyum” — “O Allah, I ask You, since all praise is Yours, there is no god but You, the Bestower, Originator of the heavens and earth, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor, O Ever-Living, O Sustainer” — and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said this man had supplicated with the Greatest Name, comparing it to the duas of Yunus and Ibrahim (peace be upon them).

A further narration, from Asma bint Abi Bakr, places the Greatest Name within these verses:

• “wa ilahukum ilahun wahid, la ilaha illa huwa ar-Rahmanur-Rahim” (Al-Baqarah 2:163)
• “Allahu la ilaha illa huwa al-hayyul-qayyum” (Aal-e-Imran 3:2)
• “wa ‘anatil-wujuhu lil-hayyil-qayyum” (Ta-Ha 20:111)

The phrase al-Hayyul-Qayyum (“the Ever-Living, the Sustainer”) is common to all three references.

(The source transcript also contains a line describing Ibn al-Qayyim referring to these as “the eleven surahs” — the reference is unclear given only three surahs are named in this passage, and is preserved here as-is rather than resolved.)

On Ibn al-Qayyim’s Method

The lecturer highlights that Ibn al-Qayyim consistently supports every point with evidence, and notes briefly that evidence in Shari’ah is not limited to Qur’an and Sunnah consensus (ijma’) and other categories rank below them, and this hierarchy is what usul al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence) addresses in detail, while fatwa (applied jurisprudence) addresses it in application.

Further Hadith on the Greatest Name

A hadith is cited from Al-Hakim, narrated by Abu Hurairah, Anas ibn Malik, and Aisha, in which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم highlights the phrase “Ya Dhal-Jalali wal-Ikram” (O Possessor of Majesty and Honor) as a phrase to hold to in dua, along with “Ya Ghalibu Jalali wal-Ikram” and “Ya Rahmatu, Ya Rahmatu.”

A hadith from Jami’ at-Tirmidhi describes the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم habit when facing a difficult matter concerning the ummah: he would raise his head toward the sky and say “Subhan Allah al-‘Azim” and “Ya hayyu ya qayyum,” supplicating extensively in times of distress. The lecturer draws two points from this: first, that raising the eyes toward the sky in distress is permitted and even from

the Sunnah; second, that this reflects Allah being above the heavens, established upon His Throne.

The Instinct to Look Upward

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, in a work referred to as Al-Tadmuriyyah, is cited describing this upward-looking instinct as something placed in human nature, and not limited to humans, an account is given of an earthquake in which observers reportedly saw dying livestock turn their faces toward the sky.

The story of Imam al-Haramayn (Abul-Ma’ali al-Juwayni): a prominent Ash’ari scholar of the Prophet’s Mosque, who held the view that Allah’s being “above” should not be understood as being in a direction. During a debate on this point, one of his students challenged him: leave the formal evidences aside and consider instead that everyone, in their own hearts, instinctively looks upward when in genuine need is this innate disposition not itself telling? Al-Juwayni is reported to have placed his hands on his head and said, “Hayrani, hayrani” (“I am bewildered, I am bewildered”) acknowledging that his own student’s observation about human nature had put him in a difficult position relative to his position on the matter.

This ties back to the Companions’ report that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would turn his gaze upward when distressed, saying “Ya hayyu, ya qayyum,” and to three surahs, identified as Al-Baqarah, Ta-Ha, and (per the transcript) Al-Anbiya sharing the phrase al-Hayyul-Qayyum.

The Dua of Yunus (Dhun-Nun)

Referenced via Sahih Muslim: no Muslim calls on Allah with the dua Yunus (peace be upon him) made in the belly of the fish except that Allah answers it.

أَرْبَعِینَ مَرَّ ةً فَمَاتَ فِي مَرَضِھِ ذَلِكَ أُعْطِيَ أَجْرَ شَھِیدٍ، وَإِنْ بَرِئَ بَرِئَ مَغْفُورًا لَھُ« . تَسْمَعُ قَوْلَھُ: }فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَھُ وَنَجَّ یْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ وَكَذَلِكَ نُنْجِي الْمُؤْمِنِینَ{ ]سُورَةُ األَْنْبِیَاءِ: ٨٨[ فَأَیُّ مَا مُسْلِمٍ دَعَا بِھَا فِي مَرَضِھِ - وَھُوَ یَقُولُ: »ھَلْ أَدُلُّ كُمْ عَلَى اسْمِ هللاَّ ِ األَْعْظَمِ؟ دُعَاءِ یُونُسَ، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: یَا رَسُولَ هللاَّ ِ، ھَلْ كَانَ لِیُونُسَ خَاصَّ ةً؟ فَقَالَ أَالَ مِنْكُمْ أَمْرٌ مُھِمٌّ ، فَدَعَا بِھِ یُفَرِّ جُ هللاَّ ُ عَنْھُ؟ دُعَاءُ ذِي النُّ ونِ« . وَفِي صَحِیحِھِ أَیْضًا عَنْھُ أَنَّ ھُ سَمِعَ النَّ بِيَّ - صَلَّ ى هللاَّ ُ عَلَیْھِ وَسَلَّ مَ ]2[ وَفِي مُسْتَدْرَكِ الْحَاكِمِ أَیْضًا مِنْ حَدِیثِ سَعْدٍ عَنِ النَّ بِيِّ - صَلَّ ى هللاَّ ُ عَلَیْھِ وَسَلَّ مَ - »أَالَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ إِذَا نَزَلَ بِرَجُلٍ

“In al-Hakim’s Mustadrak also, from the hadith of Sa’d, from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: ‘Shall I not tell you of something, that if an important matter befalls a man among you and he supplicates with it, Allah relieves him of it? The dua of Dhun-Nun.’ Also in his Sahih, from him, that he heard the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم say: ‘Shall I not guide you to the Greatest Name of Allah? The dua of Yunus.’ A man asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, was it specific to Yunus?’ He said: ‘Have you not heard His saying: {So We answered him and saved him from the distress, and thus do We save the believers} [Surah al-Anbiya: 88]. So whichever Muslim supplicates with it during his illness forty times and dies in that illness is given the reward of a martyr, and if he recovers, he recovers forgiven.’”

Ibn Abbas: Dua at Times of Distress

الْكَرِیمِ« . الْعَظِیمُ الْحَلِیمُ، الَ إِلَھَ إِالَّ هللاَّ ُ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِیمِ، الَ إِلَھَ إِالَّ هللاَّ ُ رَبُّ السَّ مَاوَاتِ السَّ بْعِ، وَرَبُّ األَْرْضِ ، وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ ]3[ وَفِي الصَّ حِیحَیْنِ مِنْ حَدِیثِ ابْنِ عَبَّ اسٍ »أَنَّ رَسُولَ هللاَّ ِ - صَلَّ ى هللاَّ ُ عَلَیْھِ وَسَلَّ مَ - كَانَ یَقُولُ عِنْدَ الْكَرْبِ: الَ إِلَھَ إِالَّ هللاَّ ُ

“In the two Sahihs, from the hadith of Ibn Abbas: that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم used to say at times of distress: ‘There is no god but Allah, the Mighty, the Forbearing; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the Mighty Throne; there is no god but Allah, Lord of the seven heavens, Lord of the earth, and Lord of the Noble Throne.’”

The Story of Abu Mu’allaq

Drawn from Ibn Abi ad-Dunya’s Al-Mujabbin fi ad-Du’a, narrated from Al-Hasan al-Basri:

بِھَذَا الدُّ عَاءِ، اسْتُجِیبَ لَھُ، مَكْرُوبًا كَانَ أَوْ غَیْرَ مَكْرُوبٍ. بِدُعَائِكَ الثَّ الِثِ، فَقِیلَ لِي: دُعَاءُ مَكْرُوبٍ فَسَأَلْتُ هللاَّ َ أَنْ یُوَلِّ یَنِي قَتْلَھُ، قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: فَمَنْ تَوَضَّ أَ وَصَلَّ ى أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ، وَدَعَا دَعَوْتَ بِدُعَائِكَ األَْوَّ لِ فَسَمِعْتُ ألَِبْوَابِ السَّ مَاءِ قَعْقَعَةً، ثُمَّ دَعَوْتَ بِدُعَائِكَ الثَّ انِي، فَسَمِعْتُ ألَِھْلِ السَّ مَاءِ ضَجَّ ةً، ثُمَّ دَعَوْتَ أَقْبَلَ إِلَیْھِ، فَقَالَ: قُمْ، فَقَالَ: مَنْ أَنْتَ بِأَبِي أَنْتَ وَأُمِّ ي؟ فَقَدْ أَغَاثَنِي هللاَّ ُ بِكَ الْیَوْمَ، فَقَالَ: أَنَا مَلَكٌ مِنْ أَھْلِ السَّ مَاءِ الرَّ ابِعَةِ، مَرَّ اتٍ، فَإِذَا ھُوَ بِفَارِسٍ قَدْ أَقْبَلَ بِیَدِهِ حَرْبَةٌ قَدْ وَضَعَھَا بَیْنَ أُذُنَيْ فَرَسِھِ، فَلَمَّ ا بَصُرَ بِھِ اللِّ صُّ أَقْبَلَ نَحْوَهُ، فَطَعَنَھُ فَقَتَلَھُ، ثُمَّ الَّ ذِي الَ یُرَامُ، وَبِمُلْكِكَ الَّ ذِي الَ یُضَامُ، وَبِنُورِكَ الَّ ذِي مَألََ أَرْكَانَ عَرْشِكَ أَنْ تَكْفِیَنِي شَرَّ ھَذَا اللِّ صِّ ، یَا مُغِیثُ أَغِثْنِي، ثَالَثَ رَكَعَاتٍ، فَكَانَ مِنْ دُعَائِھِ فِي آخِرِ سُجُودِهِ أَنْ قَالَ: یَا وَدُودُ یَا وَدُودُ، یَا ذَا الْعَرْشِ الْمَجِیدِ، یَا فَعَّ االً لِمَا تُرِیدُ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِعِزِّ كَ فَلِي، وَلَسْتُ أُرِیدُ إِالَّ دَمَكَ، قَالَ: أَمَّ ا إِذَا أَبَیْتَ فَذَرْنِي أُصَلِّ ي أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ، قَالَ صَلِّ مَا بَدَا لَكَ، فَتَوَضَّ أَ ثُمَّ صَلَّ ى أَرْبَعَ مَرَّ ةً فَلَقِیَھُ لِصٌّ مُقَنَّ عٌ فِي السِّ الَحِ، فَقَالَ لَھُ: ضَعْ مَا مَعَكَ فَإِنِّ ي قَاتِلُكَ، قَالَ: فَمَا تُرِیدُهُ مِنْ دَمِي؟ شَأْنُكَ بِالْمَالِ، قَالَ: أَمَّ ا الْمَالُ وَسَلَّ مَ - مِنَ األَْنْصَارِ یُكَنَّ ى أَبَا مُعَلَّ قٍ وَكَانَ تَاجِرًا یَتَّ جِرُ بِمَالٍ لَھُ وَلِغَیْرِهِ، یَضْرِبُ بِھِ فِي اآلْفَاقِ، وَكَانَ نَاسِكًا وَرِعًا، فَخَرَجَ ]7[ وَذَكَرَ ابْنُ أَبِي الدُّ نْیَا فِي كِتَابِ الْمُجَابِینَ، وَفِي الدُّ عَاءِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، قَالَ: كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّ بِيِّ - صَلَّ ى هللاَّ ُ عَلَیْھِ

“Ibn Abi al-Dunya mentioned in the Book of the Answered, in the chapter on dua, from Hasan (al-Basri), who said: There was a man among the Companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم from the Ansar known as Abu Mu’allaq, a trader who traded with his own wealth and that of others, traveling widely, and who was devout and God-fearing. He went out once and a masked, armed robber met him and said: ‘Put down what you have, for I am going to kill you.’ He said: ‘What do you want with my blood? Take the wealth.’ The robber said: ‘The wealth is mine regardless I want nothing but your blood.’ He said: ‘Since you refuse otherwise, let me pray four rak’ahs.’ The robber said: ‘Pray as you wish.’ So he performed wudu and prayed four rak’ahs, and in the final prostration he supplicated: ‘O Loving One, O Loving One, O Possessor of the Glorious Throne, O Doer of what He wills, I ask You by Your might which cannot be overcome, by Your dominion which cannot be encroached upon, and by Your light which fills the pillars of Your Throne, to spare me the evil of this thief. O Helper, help me’ — three times. Then a horseman appeared, carrying a spear held between his horse’s ears. When the thief saw him, he approached the thief and struck him, killing him. He then came to the man and said: ‘Get up.’ The man asked: ‘Who are you, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you? Allah has helped me through you today.’ He said: ‘I am an angel from the fourth heaven. When you made your first supplication I heard the doors of heaven rattle; when you made your second, I heard

the people of heaven clamor; when you made your third, it was said to me: this is the dua of one in distress so I asked Allah to let me be the one to kill him.’ Hasan said: whoever performs wudu, prays four rak’ahs, and makes this dua will have it answered, whether in distress or not.”

The lecturer notes an important caveat here that wasn’t mentioned when this account came up previously: the authenticity of this specific narration is disputed, some scholars hold that there is no established chain of transmission (isnad) supporting this exact account of praying four rak’ahs and reciting this precise dua. The dua itself may still be said at any time; it is the specific ritual pairing with four rak’ahs that lacks a solid basis according to some.

Closing: How to Approach the Greatest Name in Practice

Given the range of scholarly opinion (as many as 32 views) on which specific name is the Greatest Name, the lecturer draws an analogy to Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree): just as Allah kept that night’s exact date concealed within the last ten nights of Ramadan so that believers would seek it throughout, He has likewise kept the Greatest Name concealed among His many names so a believer should call on Allah using a range of His Names, according to whichever fits their current state:

• Someone facing hardship in their own weakness says Ya Jabbār.
• Someone seeking mercy says Ya Rahmatu or Ya Muhaymin.
• Someone seeking provision or guidance calls with the relevant name for that need.

The summary given: rather than fixating on identifying the one Greatest Name, a person should keep all of Allah’s Names and Attributes before them and call on Him accordingly in every state during Tahajjud, during the sa’i between Safa and Marwah, at the end of Jumu’ah using whichever times and names fit the occasion.