Al-ʿAẓīm
The Magnificent, The Supreme
Root ع ظ م (ʿ-ẓ-m). Lane, citing al-Rāghib, notes that ʿaẓuma means ‘he was, or became, great in his bone’, then, metaphorically, anything great. ʿAẓm means bone, mentioned in Qur'an 19:4. ʿIẓām, the plural form, also refers to bones. Aʿẓam means something greater and appears in Qur'an 9:20. Yuʿaẓẓim means honours, found in Qur'an 22:30. ‘And He is the Most High, the Most Great.’ (42:4)
The root
ع ظ مʿ-ẓ-m
Greatness. Lane, citing al-Rāghib (al-Iṣbahānī), says ʿaẓuma primarily means 'he was, or became, great in his bone', then metaphorically anything great.
- عَظْمʿaẓmbone (19:4)
- عِظَامʿiẓāmbones
- أَعْظَمaʿẓamgreater (9:20)
- يُعَظِّمْyuʿaẓẓimhonours (22:30)
Pronunciation
الْعَظِيمُ
al-'a-DHEEM
In the Qur'an
لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and He is the Most High, the Most Great.
42:4 · Sahih International