We find this name of Allah in the verse: “Allah says: “He is Allah, besides whom there is no God, the King, the Holy One, Peace, the Giver of Security, the Guardian, the Compeller.” [Sūrah al-Hashr: 23]

The name also appears quite frequently in the Prophet’s Sunnah.

When the name al-Jabbar describes Allah, it is an attribute of praise and glory. By contrast, when the word is used to describe human beings, it is to rebuke and censure them for their pride and self-aggrandizement.

For instance: “They said: ‘O Moses! In this land are a domineering people.’” [Sūrah al-Mā’idah: 22]

Jesus is quoted in the Qur’ān as saying: “”(He) has made me kind to my mother, not overbearing or unblessed.” [Sūrah Maryam: 32]

Allah also says: “Those who dispute about Allah’s revelations without any authority that He has given them; their conduct is hated by Allah and by those who believe. Thus does Allah set a seal over every proud, haughty heart.” [Sūrah Ghāfir: 35]

One of the meanings conveyed by the name al-Jabbār is that Allah’s compels His creatures through His very act of creating them in the manner that He wills them to be. They are compelled to accept the forms, shapes, and essential characteristics that constitute their natural makeup. Likewise, their involuntary actions – like the beating of the heart, the circulation of blood, the firing of nerve cells, and the mysterious workings of the brain – are all compelled by Allah’s power in ways that we can understand and ways that we are not even aware of. There are so many aspects of our lives – like falling asleep, waking up, being alert or absentminded – where are not entirely up to our own decisions. Muhammad b. Ka`b observed: “The reason He is called the Compeller is because He compels Creation to be as He wishes.”

Another connotation of al-Jabbār is “the one who resets or restores something to its full state”. The root word from which this name is derived can mean “to compel”, but is also used to describe the act of setting a broken bone as well as the act of setting things right in general.

Allah puts our lives in order for us. He provides us with our means of livelihood, relieves our want, and hides our mistakes. He shows mercy for the weak. He compensates the hardships we suffer in life with rewards and blessings from Himself. He consoles our hearts so we can be at peace and more accepting of what befalls us in life.

Likewise, those who worship Allah with piety, devotion, submission, and awe find that Allah sets their hearts right with certainty of faith, humility, and sublime meaning. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to beseech Allah between the prostrations of his prayer with the words: “My Lord! Forgive me, have mercy on me, set me right, guide me and provide for me.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd (850), Sunan al-Tirmidhī (284), and Sunan Ibn Mājah (898)]

The name al-Jabbār also connotes that Allah is the Subduer, and all of creation submits to His might, glory, and authority. It conveys the meaning that he is sublime and transcendent above all things. It is an expression of His omnipotent and irresistible power.

One time, when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) offered the night prayer, he opened it with the following takbīr: “Allah is the Greatest, the Possessor of omnipotent and irresistible power, owner of all dominion, and of all grandeur and might.” [Sunan al-Nasā’ī (1069)]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also used to say while bowing and prostrating in prayer: “Glory be to the Possessor of omnipotent and irresistible power, owner of all dominion, and of all grandeur and might.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd (873) and Sunan al-Nasā’ī (1049)]

In these supplications, the Prophet refers to Allah’s grandeur (kibriyā’). Like the name al-Jabbār, this word is a term of praise only when it is used to refer to Allah. When it is used in the context of created beings, it always comes in the context of blame and censure. This is because it connotes arrogance, being overbearing to others, and forgetting one’s true place. This is why we find in the Qur’an that Moses (peace be upon him) sought refuge with Allah from people who possessed this trait and therefore denied Allah’s reckoning: “Moses said: I seek refuge with Him who is my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant person who denies the day of reckoning.” [Sūrah Ghāfir: 27]

We have already seen this condemnation of arrogance in the verse: “Thus does Allah set a seal over every proud, haughty heart.” [Sūrah Ghāfir: 35]

Also, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Heaven and Hell had an argument. The hellfire said: ‘I have been adorned with the prideful and the imperious.’” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (4850) and Sahīh Muslim (2846)]

Allah’s creatures need to be humble before their Lord, worshipping Him in submission to His glory, proclaim His divinity, and willingly obey His commands. This is secret of faith, true happiness, and salvation. It is the hallmark of God-given success.