Al-Ali

The Most High in might, honour and sovereignty; the most superior and the most exalted; the highest of the high, above whom there is none greater. Allah Almighty says: "And He is the Most High, the Most Great." (Al-Baqarah, 255) "Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted and Grand." (An-Nisa, 34) "[He is] Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Grand, the Exalted." (Ar-Ra'd, 9) There is no exaltedness above the exaltedness of Allah. All degrees and stations are below Him. Allah is higher than every superior and lofty station. For beings are either that which acts or that which is acted upon, and that which acts is superior to that which is acted upon. Allah Most High is the One who acts upon every being; all beings are His work and are acted upon by Him. Therefore He is superior to and higher than all beings. Allah is exalted in His own essence, and for this reason He is higher than all things. This exaltedness of His is not in terms of direction or place, for He is free of direction and place. Whoever believes in and witnesses Allah's superiority, exaltedness and greatness over all beings worships Him as this attribute requires. The light of infinity shines in his heart. Allah has made Himself known to us in the Qur'an: Allah, who created all the worlds and is the sole Ruler of the universe, is sublime. He is the only Owner of the heavens, the earth and all that lies between them. There is no deity besides Him, and Allah is far exalted above what people associate with Him. All dominion belongs to Him; He has power over all things. He is also the Owner of the lofty stations. He has taken neither a spouse nor a child; Allah is free of need of all the worlds. Since the "most beautiful names" belong to Allah, it is not possible for a human being to describe Him completely. We can know Him only through what He Himself has made known to us, and we can appreciate His exaltedness only through the verses of the Qur'an. Allah is the highest of the high. In every prostration of our prayer we say three times, "Subhana Rabbiya al-A'la." Our Lord is of course in no need of our exalting Him; our exalting is a duty performed so that we may fulfil our task of servanthood.

The noble name Al-Aliyy is recited 110 times as "Ya Aliyy, jalla jalaluhu" in order to be delivered from lowliness and humiliation and, through divine help, to appear great in the eyes of people so that one's words are accepted. If the noble name Al-Aliyy is written and a small child carries it, the child grows up in good health. If one travelling to a distant land carries it, he returns safely. If a poor person carries it, God willing he becomes rich: Allah Most High gives to him out of His bounty and generosity.