﷽ Al-Asmaa ul-Husna : Benefits of reciting Ya Sameeʿ (يا سّميع)

Name

السّميع
As-Sameeʿ

Meaning

The All-Hearing
The Hearer of Invocation
The Ever-Listening

Explanation

The One whose hearing and attention comprehends everything. The One who pays attention to every supplication and invocation. The One who listens to every voice. The One who hears and accepts every word, thought and secret. The One who listens to everything, perfectly, eternally, without limitations.

The One Who hears all sounds and voices, in all of their different languages and all their many and various needs. He is the All-Hearing, the The Ever-Listening.

Quran

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing. (2:127)

لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ لَا انفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. (2:256)

فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمَىٰ ۚ وَلِيُبْلِيَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْهُ بَلَاءً حَسَنًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

And you did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them. And you threw not, [O Muhammad], when you threw, but it was Allah who threw that He might test the believers with a good test. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing. (8:17)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُقَدِّمُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

O you who have believed, do not put [yourselves] before Allah and His Messenger but fear Allah . Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing. (49:1)

وَاللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّن بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful. (16:78)

Hadith

1. Abu Sa'eeed Al Khudri (رضي الله عنه) narrated: "When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) stood for Salat during the night, he would say the Takbir (Allahu Akbar), then say:

سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَبِحَمْدِكَ وَتَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ وَتَعَالَى جَدُّكَ وَلاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ

'Glorious You are O Allah, and with Your praise, and blesses is Your Name, and exalted is Your majesty, and none has the right to be worshipped but You'

Then he would say: 'Allah is undoubtedly the greatest.' (Allahu Akbaru Kabira). Then he would say:

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ مِنْ هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ

'I seek refuge in Allah the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the cursed Shaitan, from his madness, his arrogance, and his poetry.'

(Jami` at-Tirmidhi 242)

2. Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (رضي الله عنه): We were in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (during Hajj). Whenever we went up a high place we used to say: "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and Allah is Greater," and our voices used to rise, so the Prophet (ﷺ) said,

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، ارْبَعُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِكُمْ، فَإِنَّكُمْ لاَ تَدْعُونَ أَصَمَّ وَلاَ غَائِبًا، إِنَّهُ مَعَكُمْ، إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ قَرِيبٌ، تَبَارَكَ اسْمُهُ وَتَعَالَى جَدُّهُ

"O people! Be merciful to yourselves (i.e. don't raise your voice), for you are not calling a deaf or an absent one, but One Who is with you, no doubt He is All-Hearer, ever Near (to all things)."

(Sahih al-Bukhari 2992)

3. 'Uthman bin 'Affan (رضي الله عنه) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He who recites three times every morning and evening:

بسم الله الذي لا يضر مع اسمه شيء في الأرض ولا في السماء وهو السميع العليم

'In the Name of Allah with Whose Name there is protection against every kind of harm in the earth or in the heaven, and He is the All-Hearing and All- Knowing),'

nothing will harm him."

(Riyad as-Salihin Book 16, Hadith 50)

4. Narrated Ma'qil bin Yasar (رضي الله عنه): that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Whoever says three times when he gets up in the morning:

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

I seek refuge in Allah the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the cursed Shaitan

and he recites three Ayat from the end of Surah Al-Hashr - Allah appoints seventy-thousand angels who say Salat upon him until the evening. If he dies on that day, he dies a martyr, and whoever reaches the evening, he holds the same status."

(Jami` at-Tirmidhi Vol. 5, Book 42, Hadith 2922)

5. It was narrated from Jabir and Anas bin Malik (رضی الله عنهم) that whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) supplicated against the locusts, he said:

اللَّهُمَّ أَهْلِكْ كِبَارَهُ وَاقْتُلْ صِغَارَهُ وَأَفْسِدْ بَيْضَهُ وَاقْطَعْ دَابِرَهُ وَخُذْ بِأَفْوَاهِهَا عَنْ مَعَايِشِنَا وَأَرْزَاقِنَا إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ

“O Allah, destroy their large ones and kill their small ones, spoil their eggs and root them out. Take their mouths away from our livelihood and provision, for You are the One Who hears the prayers.”

A man said: “O Messenger of Allah, are you praying against one of the troops of Allah, that they may be rooted out?” He said: “Locusts were sneezed out by the fish in the sea.”

(Sunan Ibn Majah Vol. 4, Book 28, Hadith 3221)

6. It was narrated from Abu Sukainah (رضي الله عنه), a man from among the Muharririn, that a man among the Companions of the the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "When the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded them to dig the trench (Al-Khandaq), there was a rock in their way preventing them from digging. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood, picked up a pickaxe, put his Rida' (upper garment) at the edge of the ditch and said:

وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا ۚ لَّا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ ۚ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

'And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His Words. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.' (6:115)

One-third of the rock broke off while Salman Al-Farisi (رضي الله عنه) was standing there watching, and there was a flash of light when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) struck (the rock). Then he struck it again and said:

'And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. Nonce can change His Words. Ans He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.' (6:115)

And another third of the rock broke off and there was another flash of light, which Salman saw. Then he struck (the rock) a third time and said:

'And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His Words. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.' (6:115)

The last third fell, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out, picked up his Rida' and sat down. Salman (رضي الله عنه) said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Each time you struck the rock there was a flash of light.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him: 'O Salman, did you see that?' He said: 'Yes, by the One Who sent you with the truth, O Messenger of Allah.'

He said: 'When I struck the first blow, the cities of Kisra and their environs were shown to me, and many other cities, and I saw them with my own eyes.' Those of his Companions who were present said: 'O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to grant us victory and to give us their land as spoils of war, and to destroy their lands at our hands.' So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed for that.

(Then he said:) 'Then I struck the second blow and the cities of Caesar and their environs were shown to me, and I saw them with my own eyes.' They said: 'O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to grant us victory and to give us their lands as spoils of war, and to destroy their lands at our hands.' So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed for that.

(Then he said:) 'Then I struck the third blow and the cities of Ethiopia were shown to me, and the villages around them, and I saw them with my own eyes.' But the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said at that point: 'Leave the Ethiopians alone so long as they leave you alone, and leave the Turks alone so long as they leave you alone.'"

(Sunan an-Nasa'i 3176)

7. It was narrated from Aishah (رضي الله عنها) that: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed, bowing four times, and he recited loudly, and every time he raised his head he said:

سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ

"Allah hears those who praise Him, Our Lord to You be praise."

(Sunan an-Nasa'i 1494)

8. It was narrated that Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) said: "One of the supplications that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to say was:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لاَ يَنْفَعُ وَمِنْ دُعَاءٍ لاَ يُسْمَعُ وَمَنْ قَلْبٍ لاَ يَخْشَعُ وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لاَ تَشْبَعُ

'O Allah, I seek refuge with You from knowledge that is of no benefit, from a supplication that is not heard, from a heart that does not fear (You) and from a soul that is not satisfied'."

(Sunan Ibn Majah Book 1, Hadith 250)

9. 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn Yazid said, "Ar-Rabi' used to go to 'Alqama (رضی الله عنهم) every Friday. When I was not there, they would send for me. Once he came when I was not there. 'Alqama met me and told me, 'Did you not see what ar-Rabi' brought? He said, "Do you not see how frequently people make supplication and how rarely they are answered? That is because Allah Almighty only accepts the sincere supplication."' I asked, 'Didn't 'Abdullah say that?' He asked, 'What did he say?' I said that 'Abdullah said,

لاَ يَسْمَعُ اللَّهُ مِنْ مُسْمِعٍ، وَلاَ مُرَاءٍ، وَلا لاعِبٍ، إِلا دَاعٍ دَعَا يَثْبُتُ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ

'Allah does not listen to someone who wants other people to hear not someone who shows off nor who plays. He only listens to the one who makes a supplication firmly from his heart.'

He said, 'Did he mention 'Alqama?' 'Yes' was the answer."

(Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 606)

10. Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنه) narrated that on the eve of Arafah, the Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated as,

اللهم إنك ترى مكاني , وتسمع كلامي , وتعلم سري وعلانيتي , لا يخفى عليك شيء من أمري , أنا البائس الفقير , المستغيث المستجير , الوجل المشفق , المقر المعترف بذنبه , أسألك مسألة المسكين , وأبتهل إليك ابتهال المذنب الذليل , وأدعوك دعاء الخائف الضرير , من خضعت لك رقبته , وذل جسده , ورغم أنفه , اللهم لا تجعلني بدعائك شقيا , وكن بي رءوفا رحيما , يا خير المسئولين , ويا خير المعطين

O Allah! You hear my speech, see my place and know my private and public affairs. Nothing of my matters are in secret from You. I am the miserable poor, the caller for help, the afraid, the anxious, and the one who has little good deeds and confesses his sins. I ask you the asking of the poor, and supplicate to you the supplication of the humble sinner. I ask You the asking of whom his neck is submitted to You, his eyes are shed for You, his body is humiliated to You and his nose is subdued to You. O Allah, do not make me unhappy in supplications. And bestow Your Mercy to me. O the Best of responders! O the Best of givers!

(Al-M'ujam as-Sagheer #697)

Benefits of invoking (Ya Allahu) Ya Sameeu frequently