The Names of Allah
Asma ul Husna - The Most Beautiful Names
What are the Names of Allah?
The Names of Allah, known as Asma ul Husna (The Most Beautiful Names), are the 99 attributes and qualities through which Muslims identify and connect with Allah. These names are mentioned throughout the Quran and Hadith, and they describe Allah's perfect attributes, characteristics, and actions.
Key points about the Names of Allah:
- Allah has 99 names mentioned in Islamic tradition, though His attributes are limitless.
- The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said: "Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred minus one; whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise."
- Each name reveals a different aspect of Allah's nature and relationship with creation.
- Muslims often recite these names in devotional practices, seeking to understand the divine attributes.
- The greatest of these names is considered to be "Allah" itself, which encompasses all other attributes.
Significance
Understanding and contemplating the Names of Allah is central to developing a deeper connection with the Creator. These names help Muslims comprehend how Allah interacts with creation through His mercy, wisdom, power, and justice.
The Quran encourages believers to call upon Allah through His beautiful names: "And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them" (Quran 7:180). Muslims often recite specific names in different situations – calling on Al-Shafi (The Healer) when sick, or Al-Razzaq (The Provider) when in need.
The 99 Names
5
السَّلاَمُ
As Salaam
The Source of Peace
The one who provides peace, calm and serenity. By citing this name, we declare peace for ourselves and for those around us.
6
الْمُؤْمِنُ
Al Mu'min
The Inspirer of Faith
This name is mysterious even for Muslims because "Al-Mu'min" comes from the name "Al-iman" which means to believe, from where comes the name "Al-Mu'minoune" which means believers, it is the name of the Koran for people who believe in 6 things: the oneness of God, the existence of angels, holy books (Torah, Gospel and Psalms (Zabor) unmodified and the Koran), the prophets, the last day (the day of judgment) and fate its evil and its good. The exact meaning of this name is very difficult to pin down in its original meaning but can be understood from a deeper and more mystical point of view.
7
الْمُهَيْمِنُ
Al Muhaymin
The Guardian
Whoever dominates His creation and by His omnipotence in all aspects, no state or aspect in this world or the other escapes His will.
9
الْجَبَّارُ
Al Jabbaar
The Compeller
The grandiose, the ultimate powerful by His greatness and His unlimited strength. When He destroys the oppressors (unjust and sinners) He applies His sentence with righteousness.
10
الْمُتَكَبِّرُ
Al Mutakabbir
The Greatest
He who is superior to His creatures, no creature has the right to claim greatness.
12
الْبَارِئُ
Al Baari
The Maker of Order
He who lifts His creation above all faults or imperfections.
13
الْمُصَوِّرُ
Al Musawwir
The Shaper of Beauty
The one who gives the look and the appearance to each creation from the inside as well as from the outside. In lost Arabic, literally, this word means sculptor and, in modern Arabic, literally means designer.
17
الرَّزَّاقُ
Ar Razzaaq
The Sustainer
Is the One who makes distribute to every creature what it needs.
18
الْفَتَّاحُ
Al Fattaah
The Opener
Is He Who alone knows the keys to the future and the unknown, by His knowledge and by His wisdom. This name is often associated with the following name "Al-‘Alīm".
21
الْبَاسِطُ
Al Baasit
The Reliever
Is the One who frees, increases and multiplies his good according to wisdom.
22
الْخَافِضُ
Al Khaafid
The Abaser
Is the One who destines the oppressors and the proud to demeanor and chastisement.
28
الْحَكَمُ
Al Hakam
The Judge
He is the One who judges and decides between creatures here below and in the hereafter and He who ensures equity between the creatures and no one else will and will not be able to decide between them and judge them; and the Judgment in the hereafter will be perfectly just and appropriate.
29
الْعَدْلُ
Al 'Adl
The Just
Is the One who is free from all forms of injustice and / or oppression.
31
الْخَبِيرُ
Al Khabeer
The All Aware
He is the One from whom cannot be hidden the reality of everything that exists, that is to say the truth of things; no detail escapes Him, neither the thing as a whole, nor each of its parts; and to claim to be able to hide things from the One who creates everything is a delusion and a disbelief.
39
المُقيِت
Al Muqeet
The Sustainer
This word is among the lost words of the ancient Arabic language; very difficult to translate even in modern Arabic. It would mean: Is the One who leaves no detail when He judges, even the most trivial.
44
الْمُجِيبُ
Al Mujeeb
The Responder to Prayer
Is the One who answers the invocations of His creatures if He wills and to whom He wills.
47
الْوَدُودُ
Al Wudood
The Most Loving
This word in Arabic means: The one who draws near to his beloved by mercy, pity and beneficence, but when one reads this name in the "Quran", one feels each time different meanings which are difficult to translate into words. We can try to translate it: The one who draws near to His servants out of pity although they move away from Him and do not glorify Him.
48
الْمَجِيدُ
Al Majeed
The Glorious One, The Most Honorable
Is the One who is glorified in the infinitely past, present and eternal.
49
الْبَاعِثُ
Al Baa'ith
The Resurrector
Is the One who raises the dead and deploys life in whatever He wants, be they men, animals or simply earth.
54
الْمَتِينُ
Al Mateen
The Forceful
The Enduring: An endurance worthy of Him, unlimited, indefatigable, and which is not marred by any weakness, without pause, without interruption and which no factor can attenuate.
55
الْوَلِيُّ
Al Waliyy
The Protector
Is the One who preserves the believing servants, so the prophets and those who follow them are those who are the "preserved people" in the sense that they have been guided to the obligatory thanks to Him who makes them exist, that is, that is to say with regard to Allah
60
الْمُحْيِي
Al Muhiy
The Giver of Life
Is the One who gives life to a mixture of maniyy, that is to say of seminal liquid, devoid of soul and makes him a living being and the One who gives life to the bodies of humans, jinns and angels by reuniting them with their souls during the resurrection
62
الْحَيُّ
Al Haiyy
The Ever Living
The Living One: Is the One who does not come into existence and yet exists, and the One who possesses a hayah and this attribute is not a life as is the hayah of creatures made up of a combination of soul, flesh and of blood Imam At-Tahawiyy said in his treatise on belief that "he who attributes to Allah an attribute in a sense which is among those which can be attributed to human beings is disbeliever"
64
الْوَاجِدُ
Al Waajid
The Perceiver
Is the One who does not need anything and is not reached or concerned with want, lack or need
65
الْمَاجِدُ
Al Maajid
The Glorious
Is the One who is better than any other and the One who bestows innumerable benefits very widely and without compensation
68
الصَّمَدُ
As Samad
The Supreme Provider
Is the One to whom we can rely for any business and who can be called upon for all our needs; One who has no children or parents, neither like nor equivalent, according to Al-Hakim's explanation; The One who needs nothing and the One who everything needs, in order to exist, etc.
71
الْمُقَدِّمُ
Al Muqaddim
The Expediter
Is He who is free from the characteristics of creatures and better than any creature; He who fixes the speed of events, accelerates certain things in the eyes of people according to a destiny and grants each thing a value, a rank, a time and characteristics which suit Him according to wisdom
72
الْمُؤَخِّرُ
Al Mu’akhir
The Delayer
Is He who is free from the characteristics of creatures and better than any creature; The one who intends the slowness of events and slows down certain things in the eyes of people according to a destiny and grants each thing a value, a rank, a time and characteristics which suit it according to a wisdom (cf no 71)
73
الأوَّلُ
Al Awwal
The First
The First: Is the One who exists without creatures, without beginning and without time; One who is exempt from being created, from the appearance of a new attribute and from change, One who exists without coming into existence
74
الآخِرُ
Al Aakhir
The Last
The Last: Is the One who exists without interruption while the creatures are annihilated at every moment; He who is eternal, He who annihilates and is exempt from being annihilated and the disappearance of one or more attributes; The one that exists without being concerned by the notion of end and annihilation
75
الظَّاهِرُ
Az Zaahir
The Manifest
Is the One whose existence is manifested in everything by proofs, from the point of view of power and domination and not what would be present in any body from the point of view of place, image and how
76
الْبَاطِنُ
Al Baatin
The Hidden
Is the One who is preserved from the delusions of creatures attempting to attribute to the Creator human characteristics or characteristics of creatures and the One who creates the characteristics of creatures and their images
78
الْمُتَعَالِي
Al Muta’ali
The Supreme One
Is the One who is free from the attributes of creatures and the One whose power over creatures is boundless
79
الْبَرُّ
Al Barr
The Doer of Good
Is the One who has the ability to bestow faith and blessings on all creatures, and among them some are grateful and some are not: the former are called Muslims or believers and others are called non-Muslims or non-believers
84
مَالِكُ الْمُلْكِ
Maalik Ul Mulk
Master of the Kingdom
This name signifies Allah's absolute and complete control over all dominion, emphasizing that He is the sole possessor and ruler of everything that exists.
85
ذُوالْجَلالِ وَالإكْرَامِ
Dhu Al Jalaali Wa Al Ikraam
Possessor of Majesty and Bounty
That is, Allah is the One who is better than any other in reality and all the evidence confirms this and denies the contrary so it is not valid to dispute this point, to deny it or to be hostile against this subject; is the One who fills with blessings those who will have understood this who will know the general holiness, will have success and will be well guided on the Day of Judgment
87
الْجَامِعُ
Al Jaami'
The Gatherer
Is the One who gathers all creatures, the One who gathers the hearts and the One who gathers everything according to His will on the Day of Judgment
89
الْمُغْنِي
Al Mughni
The Enricher
Is the One who grants wealth to whomever He wills and the One who makes His creatures free from want
90
الْمَانِعُ
Al Maani’
The Preventer
Is the One who prevents and withholds according to His wisdom, protecting His creatures from harm or denying them what is not in their best interest
91
الضَّارُ
Ad Daar
The Distressor
Is the One who creates distress and affliction as a test or punishment according to His wisdom and justice
92
النَّافِعُ
An Naafi’
The Propitious
Is the One who grants benefit and advantage to His creatures according to His wisdom
93
النُّورُ
An Noor
The Light
Is the One who is the light of the heavens and the earth, guiding His creatures to truth and illuminating their hearts with faith
94
الْهَادِي
Al Haadi
The Guide
Is the One who guides His creatures to what is beneficial for them, both in this world and the hereafter
96
الْبَاقِي
Al Baaqi
The Everlasting
Is the One who remains forever, while all else perishes, eternal and unchanging
98
الرَّشِيدُ
Ar Rasheed
The Righteous Guide
Is the One who guides to the right path without error, leading His creatures to what is just and true
"And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them." - Quran (7:180)