Al-Asma al-Husna
Ad-Darr: meaning, transliteration and explanation
The one who, according to His wisdom, can bring harm and hardship
- Published:
- Updated:
- #Ad-Darr meaning
- #the meaning of the name Ad-Darr
- #the 99 Names of Allah
- #the Beautiful Names of Allah
Arabic
الضَّارّ
- Transliteration
- aḍ-Ḍārr
- Meaning
- Ad-Darr means the one who, according to His wisdom, can bring about harm, hardship, and difficulty. No harm occurs without His permission. This name is thought of as paired with An-Nafi (the one who benefits): both good and hardship come from Allah, and each serves as a test, a means of discipline, or a purification. A believer regards hardship, too, as part of His wisdom.
In the Quran
This Name does not occur directly in this form in the Quran. It appears in the well-known list of 99 Names transmitted in Jami at-Tirmidhi 3507.
Explanation
Harm, too, occurs by His permission
The Quran states: "And if Allah should touch you with harm, none can remove it except Him; and if He touches you with good, then He is over all things competent" (Al-An'am, 17). For this reason, a believer does not seek the true source of either harm or benefit in creation.
This name in the Quran
Ad-Darr does not occur in the Quran in this form as a name of Allah; but the Quran repeatedly states that harm occurs only by Allah's permission (Al-An'am, 17; Yunus, 107). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) likewise taught that both good and harm come only from Allah (Jami at-Tirmidhi, 2516). As a name, it appears in Tirmidhi's enumeration of the 99 Names of Allah (Jami at-Tirmidhi, 3507; the list portion of the narration is considered weak).
Sources
This page is based on Quran verses and authentic hadith sources.
- HadithJami at-Tirmidhi, 2516
This hadith states that both good and harm come only from Allah.
- Classical sourceTDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, "Esmâ-i hüsnâ"
Academic source for the meaning of the Darr-Nafi pair and the question of their occurrence in the Quran.
Related Names
Other Names with closely connected meanings.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this Name.
What does the name Ad-Darr mean?
Ad-Darr means Allah who, according to His wisdom, can bring about harm and hardship, but does so as a test and a means of discipline; no harm occurs without His permission.Does Ad-Darr occur in the Quran?
Not as a name in this form; that harm occurs only by Allah's permission is stated in the Quran (Al-An'am, 17) and in a hadith (Jami at-Tirmidhi, 2516). As a name, it appears in Tirmidhi's list.