Episode 1In us
No ladder (majesty Name, Type C; was D until 7 Nov 2026)
But: n/a
The 99 Names · Name 37 of 99 · Beyond
الْكَبِيرُal-Kabīr
The Great beyond measure
Recited as it sounds in the Qur'an, 13:9.
Heard together with: al-Kabīr al-Mutaʿāl (13:9)
Start with what we know
Then take away everything it needs. What is left is not a bigger version of us. It is the Name.
Episode 1
Episode 2In nature
n/a
Episode 3At our best
n/a
But: n/a
Episode 4The Break
Take away n/a.
Allāhu akbar: greater, with the sentence deliberately left unfinished.
From the tradition: Classical: akbar is left open; 'greater than whatever you compare Him with'. Arab Christians also say 'Allahu akbar' (Archbishop Atallah Hanna, 2015)
On screen
The TARDIS is bigger on the inside. Allāhu akbar: greater than any inside or outside.
Where it shows up
- In scripture
- Q 13:9; 22:62; 34:23. Psalm 95:3
- The same thread in Jewish and Christian scripture
- Moderate. Psalm 95:3 'a great God'
- In the universe
- NASA: the Pale Blue Dot, Earth as about one pixel from 6 billion km (1990)
- In nature
- 'Brian Cox on the Most Fascinating Picture in Space's History' (BBC Earth Science)
- In people
- The call to prayer heard across a British city
- In science
- Astronomy: orders of magnitude (powers of ten)
Watch and listen
Films, documentaries and voices that reach towards this Name. Each links out to where you can watch it.
Sources for this page
api.quran.com; science.nasa.gov Pale Blue Dot; Doctor Who; C1 row 44; sefaria.org Ps 95:3