What is the supplication of ism al-azam that Hz. Aisha wanted to learn but that the Prophet did not want to teach her?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Hz. Aisha narrates:

I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) pray as follows: “O Allah! I ask You by Your pure, good and blessed Name which is most beloved by You, which if You are called thereby You answer, and if You are asked thereby You give, if You are asked for mercy thereby You bestow mercy, and if You are asked for relief (from distress) thereby You grant relief.”

According to what Hz. Aisha says, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) once said,

“O Aisha! Do you know that Allah has told me the Name which, if He is called thereby, He responds?” I said,

"O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! Teach it to me." He said,

“O Aisha! It is not appropriate for you to learn it.” Thereupon, I moved away a bit and sat. Then, I stood up, approached and kissed his head, I said,

“O Messenger of Allah! Teach it to me.” He said,

 “O Aisha! It is not appropriate for me to teach it to you. For, it is not appropriate for you to ask for any worldly things thereby.”

Thereupon, I got up, made wudu and prayed two rak'ahs. Then I prayed as follows:

“Allahumma inni adukallah wa adukarrahman wa adukal-barrarrahim wa aduka biasmaikal-husna kullaha ma alimtu minha wa ma lam a’lam antaghfirali wa tarhamani.

- 'O Allah, I call upon Allah, and I call upon You, ar-Rahman (the Most Gracious), and I call upon You, al-Barr ar-Rahim (the Most Kind, the Most Merciful), and I call upon You by all Your beautiful Names, those that I know and those that I do not know, (asking) that You forgive me and have mercy on me.”

Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) smiled and said, then he said:

“'It is among the names by which you called upon (Allah).” (see Musnad, 3/120, 158, 245, 265; 4/ 350, 360; Ibn Majah, Dua 9)

Ism al-Azam is a phrase in the sense of the greatest name of Allah.

The narration above includes a supplication of the Prophet and attracts attention to the fact that Allah has an ism al-azam and that prayers and requests made with that name are accepted and that it is appropriate to ask for things related to eternal happiness, not related to the pleasures of the world, through it.

Scholars have different views related to what name or names of Allah or what verse is ism al-azam based on the hadiths that were narrated. Some of them are as follows in summary:

- The name "Allah"

- Kalima at-tawhid, that is, "La ilaha illallah"

- The names "ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim"

- The names "Allah, ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim"

- The names "aI-Hayy, al-Qayyum"

- "Allahu la ilaha illa huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum"

- "La ilaha illa huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum "

- "Rabb"

- "Allahu la ilaha illa huwal-Ahadus-Samad alladhi lam yalid wa lam yulad wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad."

- "al-Hannanu'l-Mannan Badius Samawati wal-Ard dhul-Jalali wal-ikram al-Hayyu'l-Qayyum" (see Fathul-Bari, XII/526-527)

Acting upon the different narrations and explanations, it can be said that the best and ideal thing to do is to pray to Allah and ask from Him by uttering all of the names and sentences mentioned in all narrations. (see Sünen-i İbni Mâce Tercemesi ve Şerhi, Kahraman Yayınları: X/41-45)

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