The Most Beautiful (99) Names of Allah
Muhammad said: ‘Allah the Most High, has ninety-nine names. He who retains them in his memory or recites them, will enter the Paradise’. He also said: ‘No-one will be afflicted by distress or anxiety if he invokes Allah with these names, but Allah will take away his distress and grant him happiness instead’.
The most beautiful names belong to God: so call on Him by them;…” (7:180) Say: “Invoke God, or invoke the Most Gracious: by whichever name you invoke Him, He is always the One — for His are all the attributes of perfection.” Al Isra 17:110, tr. AsadLaysaKamithlihiShayunWaHuwa As-Sami’ ul-Basir “…There is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things). Qur’an [42:11] And God alone possesses the attributes of perfection; invoke Him, then, by these, and stand aloof from all who distort the meaning of His attributes. Al A’Raf 7:180, tr. Asad
The 99 Most Beautiful Names of God, mentioned in the Quran, describe the Lords special attributes and characteristics, which prove, that Allah has a personal form.
The Holy Qur’an describes Allahs attributes as follows: Allah is swift (10.21); rightful (10.32); fazlin, or bountiful (10.60); latif, or tender, hakim, or wise (12.100); gafur, or forgiving, rahim, or merciful (12.98); aziz, or mighty, zuntiqam, or able to requite (14.47); rahman, or beneficent (20.5); qawiy, or strong, (22.40); afuw, or mild (22.60); halim, or clement (2.263); shakir, or responsive (4.147); shadid, or stern (40.3) ali, or sublime and kabir, or majestic (40.12). It is obvious that the owner of all these qualities must be a person. Otherwise how can an abstract power be rightful or bountiful or forgiving or clement or responsive? To be responsive Allah must be a Person. Response is possible only between individualities. To say that an impersonal truth has all these qualities is meaningless. There must be a person, Who is Allah.
If we study the Holy Qur’an carefully we will see that Allah has relationships with His creation. He guides, punishes and awards, gives life and death, becomes angry, summons, leads, loves and does not love, protects, teaches, beguiles, takes care, remembers etc. Such relationships between Allah and living beings display His personal nature, for only a person can have such relationships. Impersonal light or power cannot love, teach, remember, become angry etc. One must be a person to have such relationships.
The Most Beautiful Names of Allah
These 99 names or attributes are classified under six categories:
- First category has seven names, which describe the absolute being and unity of Allah;
- Five names present Him as the Creator of all;
- Four names present His special moral attributes;
- Eighteen names refer to His general attributes;
- Twenty four names, known as isma-e-jamaliya (beautiful names) represent Him as merciful and gracious;
- Forty one names, known as isma-e-jalaliya (glorious and awe-inspiring names) represent Him as all powerful and absolute Sovereign God.
Allah is al-Qadir (the Powerful), al-Jabbar (the Strong), al-Hassib (the Reckoner), al-Kabir (the Great), al-Adil (the Just), al-Rabb (the Lord) and al-Qabiz (the Controller). All these names of Allah are of the category of isma-e-jalaliya (glorious names) also translated as terrible names. (22, pp. 35-39)
Abuhurairah witnessed that the Apostle of God said: “Verily there are 99 names for God; and
whoever counts them shall enter into the Garden (Paradise).
He is:
1) Allah – that which there is no other;
2) Al-Rahman – the compassionate;
3) Al-Rahim – the merciful;
4) Al-Malik – the king;
5) Al-Kudus – the pure;
6) Al-Salam – His nature is secure from defect;
7) Al-Momin – the shelter;
8) Al-Muhaimin – the witness;
9) Al-Aziz – the powerful and incomparable;
10) Al-Jabbar – the benefactor;
11) Al-Mutacabbir – the mighty doer;
12) Al-Khalid – the creator;
13) Al-Bari – the fixer of quantity before creating;
14) Al-Musawwir – the giver of likeness;
15) Al-Ghaffar – the pardoner;
16) Al-Kahhar – the breaker of the backs of tyrants;
17) Al-Wahhab – the perpetual bestower;
18) Al-Razzak – the sender of daily bread to the creation;
19) Al-Fattah – the opener of the doors of mercy on His servants;
20) Al-Alim – the omniscient;
21) Al-Kabid – the taker of souls;
22) Al-Basit – the opener of daily bread on whom He wills;
23) Al-Khafid – the sinker of the infidels to the lowest earth;
24) Al-Rafi – the raiser up;
25) Al-Muizz – the giver of greatness in the world to whom He wills;
26) Al-Mudhill – the ruiner;
27) Al-Sami – the hearer;
28) Al-Basir – the seer;
29) Al-Hacam – the orderer, amongst the creation in the expulsion of oppression;
30) Al-Adil – the just;
31) Al-Latif – the doer of good to the creation;
32) Al-Khabir – the knower;
33) Al-Halim – the clement;
34) Al-Adhim – the great;
35) Al-Ghafur – the great pardoner;
36) Al-Shacur – the giver of rewards to the grateful;
37) Al-Ali – the most high;
38) Al-Kabir – the Lord of greatness;
39) Al-Hafidh – the guardian;
40) Al-Mukit – the giver of strength;
41) Al-Hasib – the taker of accounts;
42) Al-Jalil – the glorious;
43) Al-Carim – the munificent;
44) Al-Rakib – the keeper of watch;
45) Al-Mujib – the approver of supplications;
46) Al-Wasi – the expander;
47) Al-Hacim – the knower of the realities of things;
48) Al-Wadud – the friend;
49) Al-Majid – the lord of glory;
50) Al-Baith – the awakener;
51) Al-Shahid – the giver of witness;
52) Al-Haqq – the truth;
53) Al-Wacil – the taker on himself the affairs of servants;
54) Al-Kawiy – the strong;
55) Al-Matin – the firm;
56) Al-Waliy – the assister of true believers;
57) Al-Hamid – the praiser of His own nature;
58) Al-Muhsi – the counter;
59) Al-Mubdi – the creator of new;
60) Al-Muid – the causer of return;
61) Al-Muhiy – the causer of life;
62) Al-Mumit – the causer of death;
63) Al-Haiy – the living one, who never dies nor declines;
64) Al-Kaiyum – the maker alive of the creation;
65) Al-Wajid – the finder of all perfections;
66) Al-Majid – the grand;
67) Al-Wahid – the one;
68) Al-Samad – from the court of whom all desires are supplicated, and he in need of no one;
69) Al-Kadir – the Lord of power;
70) Al-Maktadir – the Lord of might;
71) Al-Mukaddim, al-Mawakhkhir – the bringer before and after;
72) Al-Awwal – the first;
73) Al-Akhir – the last;
74) Al-Dhahir – whose existence is clear;
75) Al-Batin – whose realities hidden;
76) Al-Wali – the master of all;
77) Al-Mutaali – the sublime of degree;
78) Al-Barr – doer of good;
79) Al-Tawwab – the accepter of repentance;
80) Al-Muntakim – the taker of revenge;
81) Al-Afuw – the eraser of sins;
82) Al-Rawuf – the benefiter;
83) Malik-ul-Mulci – the ruler of countries;
84) Dhul-Jalal-walIcram – the Lord of glory and greatness;
85) Al-Muksit – the giver of justice;
86) Al-Jami – the assembler of the creation;
87) Al-Ghani – the independent;
88) Al-Mughni – the maker of independence;
89) Al-Muati – the giver to whom He wills;
90) Al-Mani – the withholder from whom He wills;
91) Al-Darr – the creator of profit;
92) Al-Nafi – the creator of loss;
93) Al-Nur – the maker of light and giver of light;
94) Al-Hadi – the director;
95) Al-Badi – the incomparable;
96) Al-Baki – the eternal;
97) Al-Warith – the heir;
98) Al-Rashid – the shower of the straight road;
99) Al-Sabr – the most patient.” and
100) The hidden name.