Al-Jabbar (الْجَبَّارُ) means The Compeller. It is name 9 in the well-known list of the 99 Names of Allah. Al-Jabbār mends what is broken, the broken heart, the poor and the weak, and His will is carried out over all things. Both meanings are part of the name.
The root and its meaning
Al-Jabbar comes from the Arabic root ج ب ر (j-b-r), which carries the sense of setting a broken bone, mending, and also compelling.
Where it is in the Quran
The name comes once, in 59:23. People are called jabbār in the Quran only in blame, as tyrants.
Surah Al-Hashr 59:23
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَٰمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُ ٱلْمُهَيْمِنُ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْجَبَّارُ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
Huwal-laahul-lazee laaa Ilaaha illaa Huwal-Malikul Quddoosus-Salaamul Muminul Muhaiminul-'aAzeezul Jabbaarul-Mutakabbir; Subhaanal laahi 'Ammaa yushrikoon
He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, the Sovereign, the Pure, the Perfection, the Bestower of Faith, the Overseer, the Exalted in Might, the Compeller, the Superior. Exalted is Allah above whatever they associate with Him.
Quran 59:23. 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 جَبَّارُ (Yā Jabbār) and ask for what fits its meaning. For example: "Yā Jabbār, mend what is broken in me."
Between the two sajdahs the Prophet ﷺ said: "O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, mend me, guide me and provide for me." The word for "mend me", ujburnī, comes from the same root.
Jami at-Tirmidhi and Sunan Abi Dawud, from Ibn Abbas
- Quran 59:23, translation by Sahih International.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi and Sunan Abi Dawud, from Ibn Abbas.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar.