Al-Alim (الْعَلِيْمُ) means The All-Knowing. It is name 19 in the well-known list of the 99 Names of Allah. Al-ʿAlīm knows everything, the seen and the unseen, the past and the future, what we say and what we hide. Not a leaf falls without His knowledge.
The root and its meaning
Al-Alim comes from the Arabic root ع ل م (ʿ-l-m), which carries the sense of knowledge.
Where it is in the Quran
Al-ʿAlīm is one of the most repeated names in the Quran, often closing a verse with Al-Ḥakīm or As-Samīʿ.
Surah Al-An'aam 6:59
۞ وَعِندَهُۥ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ ۚ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍۢ فِى ظُلُمَٰتِ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍۢ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِى كِتَٰبٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ
Wa 'indahoo mafaatihul ghaibi laa ya'lamuhaaa illaa Hoo; wa ya'lamu maa fil barri walbahr; wa maa tasqutu minw waraqatin illaa ya'lamuhaa wa laa habbatin fee zulumaatil ardi wa laa ratbinw wa laa yaabisin illaa fee Kitaabim Mubeen
And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record.
Quran 6:59. Arabic: Uthmani text (Tanzil). English: Sahih International.
Surah Al-Baqara 2:32
قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَٰنَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَآ إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
Qaaloo subhaanaka laa 'ilma lanaaa illaa maa 'allamtanaaa innaka antal'aleemul hakeem
They said, "Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise."
Quran 2:32. Arabic: Uthmani text (Tanzil). English: Sahih International.
Calling on Allah by this Name
Allah says: "And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them" (7:180). Begin your dua with يَا عَلِيْمُ (Yā ʿAlīm) and ask for what fits its meaning. For example: "Yā ʿAlīm, You know what I need better than I do."
A dua from the Quran
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَٰهِۦمُ ٱلْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَٰعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
Wa iz yarfa'u Ibraaheemul qawaa'ida minal Baitiwa Ismaa'eelu Rabbanaa taqabbal minnaa innaka Antas Samee'ul Aleem
And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing.
Quran 2:127. Arabic: Uthmani text (Tanzil). English: Sahih International.
- Quran 6:59, translation by Sahih International.
- Quran 2:32, translation by Sahih International.
- Quran 2:127, translation by Sahih International.
Our teachers will check the Arabic, transliteration and meanings on this page before launch.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.