الْحَسِيبُ
Al-Hasib
The Reckoner
What Al-Hasib Means
Al-Hasib comes from the root ha-sin-ba, which carries two joined meanings: reckoning — keeping exact account — and sufficiency, as in hasbunallah, ‘Allah is enough for us.’ As the Reckoner, Allah misses nothing: the verse on returning a greeting — the smallest courtesy of daily life — closes with ‘Allah is, over all things, Hasib’ (4:86). His reckoning needs no time and fears no backlog: He is ‘the swiftest of reckoners’ (6:62), ‘swift in reckoning’ (2:202), and every soul will receive exactly the portion it earned. As the Sufficient One, He is the reliance of the prophets under trial: Ibrahim عليه السلام, thrown into the fire, said ‘Hasbunallah wa ni’mal-Wakil.’ For the believer, this name works in both directions: live knowing every deed is entered in an exact account — and rest knowing that the One who keeps the account is enough for you.
Al-Hasib in the Quran
وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُم بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّوا۟ بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَآ أَوْ رُدُّوهَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ حَسِيبًا
“When you are greeted with a salutation, greet with one better than it, or return the same. Surely, Allah is the One who takes account of everything.”
ثُمَّ رُدُّوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَوْلَىٰهُمُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۚ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلْحُكْمُ وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ ٱلْحَـٰسِبِينَ
“Then all of them will be returned to Allah, their real Master. Behold, His is the judgement, and He is the swiftest of those who take account.”
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ
“For them there is a share of what they have earned; and Allah is swift at reckoning.”
What the Prophet ﷺ Taught Us
THE FOUNDATION OF THE 99 NAMES
“Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.”
“Narrated Ibn `Abbas: ‘Allah is Sufficient for us and He Is the Best Disposer of affairs,” was said by Abraham when he was thrown into the fire; and it was said by Muhammad when they (i.e.”
Calling Upon Allah by This Name
Allah Himself commands us to call upon Him by His beautiful names:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
“For Allah there are the most beautiful names. So, call Him by them, and leave those who deviate in (the matter of) His names. They shall be recompensed for what they have been doing.”
Allah commands us to call upon Him by His names (7:180), so you may say, in your own words — or with Ibrahim’s words in the fire: ‘Ya Hasib — O Reckoner, O Sufficient One — You know my account and You suffice me; settle what is against me with Your mercy.’ The lesson is to take account of yourself before you are taken to account: review your day honestly, for the Reckoner is swift and exact — and then sleep in trust, because He is also enough.
Quran translations: Mufti Taqi Usmani. Hadith texts and gradings: the Glory of Iman hadith library. Every reference on this page is from the Quran or from hadith graded Sahih or Hasan.