Al-Qawiyy

The root. Al-Qawiyy comes from q-w-y, the root behind quwwa, strength or power in its most general sense — physical, but also the strength of an argument, a bond, or a resolve. What the root names is not force applied against resistance so much as capacity that does not fail: something qawiyy holds up under a demand rather than merely winning a contest. Al-Qawiyy is shaped on the faʿīl pattern, naming this capacity as complete rather than partial or occasional.

What it means here. Al-Qawiyy is read as strength that cannot be worn down, opposed effectively, or drained by use — every created strength is borrowed and has a limit it eventually meets, while His has none. It is consistently paired in the Quran with Al-Aziz, "the Almighty," the two together naming a strength that also cannot be resisted, and separately with Al-Mateen, where Al-Qawiyy names the strength itself and Al-Mateen names how firmly it is held.

Where it is met. Al-Qawiyy appears paired with Al-Aziz across Surah Al-Hajj, Surah Al-Anfal, Surah Al-Ahzab, Surah Al-Hadid, and Surah Al-Mujadila, most often closing a verse about Allah supporting those who support His cause or punishing those who denied His signs. Surah Adh-Dhariyat pairs it instead with Al-Mateen, naming Allah as "the Provider, the possessor of power, the Firm."