Al-Zajjāj said: “He is the One in whom sovereignty reaches its utmost perfection. Everything turns to Him—that is, seeks Him.” Two well-known lines of poetry have been cited in this connection. One is:

“Lo, the herald came early to announce the deaths of Banū Asad’s two finest:
ʿAmr ibn Masʿūd and the chief to whom people turn.”

Another poet said:

“I struck him with my keen-edged sword, then said to him:
‘Take that, Hudhayf, for you are the chief to whom people turn!’”

Some linguists said:

“Al-samad is the master to whom people turn for their needs. The Arabs say samadtu fulānan, asmiduhu—with an i vowel on the m—or asmuduhu—with a u vowel on the m—and samdan—with no vowel on the m—when they mean, ‘I sought him.’ Samad means masmūd (one who is sought), just as qabd means maqbūd (what is taken), and naqd means manqūd (what is undone). A house is called masmūd or musammad when people turn to it for their needs. Tarafah said:

‘If the whole tribe gathers, you will find me
At the summit of the lofty house to which people turn.’”

Al-Jawharī said:

“Samadahu, yasmuduhu, samdan means ‘he sought him.’ Al-samad—with both consonants vowelled—is the master, because people turn to him for their needs. A house is called musammad—with the m doubled—meaning ‘sought out.’”