Names of God in Islam

For the cemetery containing the remains of Muhammed and early companions, see al-Baqi'.

The 99 names of God (Arabic: أسماء الله الحسنى‎ ʾAsmāʾu l-Lāhi l-Ḥusnā "Beautiful Names of God") are the names of God in Islam. They are described in the Quran and Sunnah, among other places.[1][2]

According to hadith there is a special group of 99 names, but no enumeration of them. Thus the exact list is not agreed upon, and the names of God (as adjectives, word constructs, or otherwise) exceed a total of 99 in the Quran and Sunnah. According to a hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Masud, some of the names of God have also been hidden from mankind.[3]

Origin

The 99 Names of God on the ceiling of the Grand Mosque in Kuwait.

According to Islamic tradition,[4] Muhammad is said to have invoked God by a number of names. The most common hadith used to cite the 99 names is considered weak, though there are less-commonly cited hadith that are considered authentic and also support the same point.[5] A widely accepted hadith in Sahih Muslim states:

Abu Hurairah reported Allah's Messenger [Muhammad] (may peace be upon him) as saying: "There are ninety-nine names of Allah; he who commits them to memory would get into Paradise. Verily, Allah is Odd and He loves odd numbers. And in the narration of Ibn 'Umar [the words are]: "He who enumerated them"."
— Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim [6]

Over time, it became custom to recite a list of 99 names, compiled by al-Walid ibn Muslim, as an addendum to the hadith.

The Quran refers to the names of God as God's "most beautiful Names" (al-ʾasmāʾ al-ḥusná).[7] According to Gerhard Böwering:

They are traditionally enumerated as 99 in number to which is added as the highest Name (al-ism al-ʾaʿẓam), the Supreme Name of God: Allāh. The locus classicus for listing the Divine Names in the literature of Qurʾānic commentary is 17:110, “Call upon God, or call upon The Merciful; whichsoever you call upon, to Him belong the most beautiful Names,” and also 59:22-24, which includes a cluster of more than a dozen Divine epithets.

Mystic philosopher Ibn Arabi surmised that the 99 names are outward signs of the universe's inner mysteries.[5][8]

Most, though not all, of the 99 names appear in the Quran with a smaller number appearing exclusively in the hadith.[5][8][9][10] The total number of all names in both the Quran and the hadith actually add up to more than 99,[8][11][12] though only 99 are supposedly those which are referred to in the hadith as the exclusion of others.

Lists of names

There is no universal agreement among Muslims as to what exactly counts as a name of Allah, and what does not. Additionally, while some names are only in the Qur'an, and others are only in the hadith, there are some names which appear in both. Different sources give different lists of the 99 names.[5][8]

Arabic Transliteration Translationa Usage Type of referenceb
 1 الرحمن Ar-Rahman The Exceedingly Compassionate, The Exceedingly Beneficent, The Exceedingly Gracious (to all of humanity and all creatures) Ar-Raḥmān Beginning of every Surah (chapter) except one, and numerous other places. The first verse ('ayat) of Surah ar-Rahman (Surah 55) consists only of this Name. D
 2 الرحيم Ar-Rahim The Exceedingly Merciful Ar-Raḥīm Beginning of every Surah (chapter) except one, and numerous other places (there are a total of 114 Surahs in the Quran.) D
 3 الملك Al-Malik The King, The Sovereign Al-Malik, 59:23, 20:114, 23:116 D
 4 القدوس Al-Quddus The Holy, The Divine, The Pure, The Purifier Al-Quddūs, 59:23, 62:1 D
 5 السلام As-Salam The Peace, The Source of Peace and Safety As-Salām, 59:23 D
 6 المؤمن Al-Muʾmin The Granter of Security Al-Muʾmin, 59:23 D
 7 المهيمن Al-Muhaymin The Controller Al-Muhaymin, 59:23 D
 8 العزيز Al-Aziz The Almighty, The Invulnerable, The Honorable Al-ʿAzīz, 3:6, 4:158, 9:40, 48:7, 59:23 D
 9 الجبار Al-Jabbar The Irresistible, The Compeller Al-Jabbār, 59:23 D
 10 المتكبر Al-Mutakabbir The Majestic, The Supreme Al-Mutakabbir, 59:23 D
 11 الخالق Al-Khaliq The Creator Al-Khāliq, 6:102, 13:16,[13] 36:81, 39:62, 40:62, 59:24 D
 12 البارئ Al-Bariʾ The Evolver, The Maker Al-Bāriʾ, 59:24 D
 13 المصور Al-Musawwir The Fashioner, The Shaper, The Designer Al-Muṣawwir, 59:24 D
 14 الغفار Al-Ghaffar The Repeatedly Forgiving Al-Ghaffār, 20:82, 38:66, 39:5, 40:42, 71:10 D
 15 القهار Al-Qahhar The Subduer Al-Qahhār, 12:39, 13:16, 14:48, 38:65, 39:4, 40:16 D
 16 الوهاب Al-Wahhab The Bestower Al-Wahhāb, 3:18, 38:9, 38:35 D
 17 الرزاق Ar-Razzaq The Provider, The Sustainer Ar-Razzāq, 51:58 D
 18 الفتاح Al-Fattah The Opener, The Victory Giver Al-Fattāḥ, 34:26 D
 19 العليم Al-ʿAlim The All-Knowing, Omniscient Al-ʿAlīm, 2:158, 3:92, 4:35, 24:41, 33:40 D
 20 القابض Al-Qabid The Restrainer, The Straightener Al-Qābiḍ, 2:245 V
 21 الباسط Al-Basit The Extender / Expander Al-Bāsiṭ, 2:245 V
 22 الخَافِض Al-Khafid The Abaser, The Humiliator, The Downgrader Al-Khāfiḍ, 56:3, see al-Kafʿamī[14] O
 23 الرافع Ar-Rafiʿ The Exalter, The Upgrader Ar-Rāfiʿ, 58:11, 6:83 V
 24 المعز Al-Muʿizz The Giver of Honor Al-Muʿizz, 3:26 V
 25 المذل Al-Muzill The Giver of Dishonor Al-Muzill, 3:26 V
 26 السميع As-Sami' The All-Hearing As-Samīʿ, 2:127, 2:256, 8:17, 49:1 D
 27 البصير Al-Basir The All-Seeing Al-Baṣīr, 4:58, 17:1, 42:11, 42:27 D
 28 الحكم Al-Hakam The Judge, The Arbitrator Al-Ḥakam, 22:69 V
 29 العدل Al-ʿAdl The Utterly Just Al-ʿAdl, 6:115, See al-Kafʿamī[15]
 30 اللطيف Al-Latif The Gentle, The Subtly Kind Al-Laṭīf, 6:103, 22:63, 31:16, 33:34 D
 31 الخبير Al-Khabir The All-Aware Al-Khabīr, 6:18, 17:30, 49:13, 59:18 D
 32 الحليم Al-Halim The Forbearing, The Indulgent Al-Ḥalīm, 2:235, 17:44, 22:59, 35:41 A
 33 العظيم Al-ʿAzim The Great, The Magnificent Al-ʿAẓīm, 2:255, 42:4, 56:96 D
 34 الغفور Al-Ghafur The Much-Forgiving Al-Ghafūr, 2:173, 8:69, 16:110, 41:32 D
 35 الشكور Ash-Shakur The Grateful Ash-Shakūr, 35:30, 35:34, 42:23, 64:17 A
 36 العلي Al-ʿAlī The Sublime Al-ʿAlī, 4:34, 31:30, 42:4, 42:51 34:23 D
 37 الكبير Al-Kabir The Great Al-Kabīr, 13:9, 22:62, 13:30, 34:23 D
 38 الحفيظ Al-Hafiz The Preserver Al-Ḥafīẓ, 11:57, 34:21, 42:6 A
 39 المقيت Al-Muqit The Nourisher Al-Muqīt, 4:85 I
 40 الحسيب Al-Hasib The Bringer of Judgment Al-Ḥasīb, 4:6, 4:86, 33:39 I
 41 الجليل Al-Jalil The Majestic, The Exalted Al-Jalīl, 55:27, 7:143 A, V
 42 الكريم Al-Karim The Bountiful, The Generous Al-Karīm, 27:40, 82:6 D
 43 الرقيب Ar-Raqib The Watchful Ar-Raqīb, 4:1, 5:117 D
 44 المجيب Al-Mujib The Responsive, The Answerer Al-Mujīb, 11:61 A
 45 الواسع Al-Wasiʿ The Vast, The All-Embracing, The Omnipresent, The Boundless Al-Wāsiʿ, 2:268, 3:73, 5:54 A
 46 الحكيم Al-Hakim The All-Wise Al-Ḥakīm, 31:27, 46:2, 57:1, 66:2 D
 47 الودود Al-Wadud The Loving Al-Wadūd, 11:90, 85:14 D
 48 المجيد Al-Majid The All-Glorious, The Majestic Al-Majīd, 11:73 A
 49 الباعث Al-Baʿith The Resurrector Al-Bāʿith, 22:7 V
 50 الشهيد Ash-Shahid The Witness Ash-Shahīd, 4:166, 22:17, 41:53, 48:28 A
 51 الحق Al-Haqq The Truth, The Reality Al-Ḥaqq, 6:62, 22:6, 23:116, 24:25 D
 52 الوكيل Al-Wakil The Trustee, The Dependable, The Advocate Al-Wakīl, 3:173, 4:171, 28:28, 73:9 A
 53 القوي Al-Qawiy The Strong Al-Qawiy, 22:40, 22:74, 42:19, 57:25 D
 54 المتين Al-Matin The Firm, The Steadfast Al-Matīn, 51:58 D
 55 الولي Al-Wali The Friend, Patron and Helper Al-Walī, 4:45, 7:196, 42:28, 45:19 D
 56 الحميد Al-Hamid The All Praiseworthy Al-Ḥamīd, 14:8, 31:12, 31:26, 41:42 D
 57 المحصي Al-Muhsi The Accounter, The Numberer of All Al-Muḥṣī, 72:28, 78:29 V
 58 المبدئ Al-Mubdiʾ The Originator, The Producer, The Initiator Al-Mubdiʾ, 10:34, 27:64, 29:19, 85:13 V
 59 المعيد Al-Muʿid The Restorer, The Reinstater Who Brings Back All Al-Muʿīd, 10:34, 27:64, 29:19, 85:13 V
 60 المحيي Al-Muhyi The Giver of Life Al-Muḥyī, 7:158, 15:23, 30:50, 57:2 V
 61 المميت Al-Mumit The Bringer of Death Al-Mumīt, 3:156, 7:158, 15:23, 57:2 V
 62 الحي Al-Hayy The Living Al-Ḥayy, 2:255, 3:2, 20:111, 25:58, 40:65 D
 63 القيوم Al-Qayyum The Subsisting, The Independent Al-Qayyūm, 2:255, 3:2, 20:111 D
 64 الواجد Al-Wajid The Perceiver, The Finder, The Unfailing Al-Wājid, 38:44 V
 65 الماجد Al-Majid The Illustrious, The Magnificent Al-Mājid, 85:15, 11:73, see al-Kafʿamī[16] A
 66 الواحد Al-Wahid The Unique, The Single Al-Wāḥid, 13:16, 14:48, 38:65, 39:4 D
 67 الاحد Al-Ahad The One, The Indivisible Al-Aḥad, 112:1 A
 68 الصمد As-Samad The Eternal, The Absolute, The Self-Sufficient Aṣ-Ṣamad, 112:2 D
 69 القادر Al-Qadir The All-Powerful, He Who is able to do Everything Al-Qādir, 6:65, 46:33, 75:40 D
 70 المقتدر Al-Muqtadir The Determiner, The Dominant Al-Muqtadir, 18:45, 54:42, 6:65 A
 71 المقدم Al-Muqaddim The Expediter, He Who Brings Forward Al-Muqaddim, 16:61 V
 72 المؤخر Al-Muʾakhkhir The Delayer, He Who Puts Far Away Al-Muʾakhkhir, 71:4 V
 73 الأول Al-Awwal The First, The Beginning-less Al-Awwal, 57:3 D
 74 الأخر Al-Aakhir The Last, The Endless Al-Aakhir, 57:3 D
 75 الظاهر Az-Zahir The Manifest, The Evident, The Outer Aẓ-Ẓāhir, 57:3 D
 76 الباطن Al-Batin The Hidden, The Unmanifest, The Inner Al-Bāṭin, 57:3 D
 77 الوالي Al-Wali The Patron, The Protecting Friend, The Friendly Lord Al-Wālī, 13:11 I
 78 المتعالي Al-Mutaʿali The Supremely Exalted, The Most High Al-Mutaʿālī, 13:9 D
 79 البر Al-Barr The Good, The Beneficent Al-Barr, 52:28 D
 80 التواب At-Tawwab The Ever-Returning, Ever-Relenting At-Tawwāb, 2:128, 4:64, 49:12, 110:3 D
 81 المنتقم Al-Muntaqim The Avenger Al-Muntaqim, 32:22, 43:41, 44:16 P
 82 العفو Al-ʿAfu The Pardoner, The Effacer, The Forgiver Al-ʿAfū, 4:43, 4:99, 4:149, 22:60, 58:2 V, I
 83 الرؤوف Ar-Raʾuf The Kind, The Pitying Ar-Raʾūf,3:30, 9:117, 57:9, 59:10 I
 84 مالك الملك Malik-ul-Mulk Owner of all Sovereignty Mālik-ul-Mulk, 3:26 D
 85
ذو الجلال والإكرام
 Lord of Majesty and Generosity Dhū-l-Jalāli-wa-l-ikrām, 55:27, 55:78 D
 86 المقسط Al-Muqsit The Equitable, The Requiter Al-Muqsiṭ,7:29, 3:18, See al-Kafʿamī[17] O
 87 الجامع Al-Jamiʿ The Gatherer, The Unifier Al-Jāmiʿ, 3:9 I
 88 الغني Al-Ghani The Rich, The Independent Al-Ghanī,3:97, 39:7, 47:38, 57:24 I, A, D
 89 المغني Al-Mughni The Enricher, The Emancipator Al-Mughnī, 9:28 V
 90 المانع Al-Maniʿ The Withholder, The Shielder, The Defender Al-Māniʿ, See al-Kafʿamī[18]
 91 الضار Ad-Darr The Distressor, The Harmer, The Afflictor Aḍ-Ḍārr, 6:17, see al-Kafʿamī[19]
 92 النافع An-Nafiʿ The Propitious, The Benefactor, The Source of Good An-Nāfiʿ, 30:37, see al-Kafʿamī[19]
 93 النور An-Nur The Light An-Nūr, 24:35 I
 94 الهادي Al-Hadi The Guide, The Way Al-Hādī, 22:54 I
 95 البديع Al-Badiʿ The Incomparable, The Unattainable, The Beautiful Al-Badīʿ, 2:117, 6:101 I
 96 الباقي Al-Baqi The Immutable, The Infinite, The Everlasting Al-Bāqī, 55:27, see al-Kafʿamī[20] V
 97 الوارث Al-Warith The Heir, The Inheritor of All Al-Wārith, 15:23, 57:10 P
 98 الرشيد Ar-Rashid The Guide to the Right Path Ar-Rashīd, 2:256, 72:10, see al-Kafʿamī[20]
 99 الصبور As-Sabur The Timeless, The Patient Aṣ-Ṣabūr, 2:153, 3:200, 103:3 I

a Can vary based on context.      b D = Direct; V = from Verb; A = from Adjective or Adjectival Phrase; I = from Indefinite noun; P = from Plural noun; O = Other

The Greatest Name

The 99 names point to the inherent unity of the all-embracing Greatest Name (Ismul A'dham, الإسم الأعظم).[21] In Islamic traditions, it is stated "The Greatest Name of Allah is the one which if He [Allah] is called (prayed to) by it, He will Answer."[22]

Personal names

A Muslim may not be given any of the 99 names of God in exactly the same form. For example, nobody may be named al-Malik "the King", but may be named Malik "King". This is because of the belief that God is almighty, and no human being is the equivalent of God, and no human being will ever be the equivalent of God. Muslims are allowed to use the 99 names of God for themselves but should not put 'Al' at the front of them.[23]

However the names of God can be combined with the word "‘Abd-", which means "slave" (of God) and are commonly used as Arabic name among Muslims, such as Abd al-Rahman. The two parts of the name may be written separately (as above) or combined as one transliterated name; in such a case, the vowel transcribed after "Abd" is often written as u when the two words are transcribed as one: e.g., Abdurrahman, Abdul'aziz, "Abdul Jabbar", or even Abdullah ("Servant of God"). (This has to do with Arabic case vowels, the final u vowel showing the normal "quote" nominative/vocative case form: ʿabdu.)

Some Muslim people have names resembling those 99. Examples include:

Views of other religions

Bábí and Bahá'í view

Bahá'í sources state that the 100th name was revealed as "Bahá’" (Arabic: بهاء‎ "glory, splendor"), which appears in the words Bahá'u'lláh and Bahá'í. They also believe that it is the greatest name of God.[24][25] The Báb wrote a noted pentagram-shaped tablet with 360 derivatives of the word "Bahá'" used in it.[24]

According to Bahá'í scholar ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd Ishráq-Khávari, Bahāʾ al-dīn al-ʿĀmilī adopted the Persian poetic pen name "Bahāʾ" after being inspired by the words of the fifth Twelver Imam, Muhammad al-Baqir, and the sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq, who stated that the greatest name of God was included in either the Duʿāʾu l-Bahāʾ, a dawn prayer for Ramadan, or the Aʿmal ʿam Dawūd.[24] In the first verse of the duʿāʾu l-Bahāʾ, the name "Bahāʾ" appears four times.[26]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Fleming, Marrianne; Worden, David (2004). Religious Studies for AQA; Thinking About God and Morality. Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers. ISBN 0-435-30713-4.
  2. ↑ Abdullah Saeed, The Qur'an: An Introduction, pg. 63. London: Routledge, 2008. ISBN 9781134102945
  3. ↑ Taymiyya, Ibn. The Goodly Word: al-Kalim al-Ṭayyib. Islamic Texts Society. p. 72. ISBN 1-903682-15-0.
  4. ↑ Ibn Majah, Book of Duʿa; Malik ibn Anas, Muwatta Imam Malik.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Diane Morgan, Essential Islam: A Comprehensive Guide to Belief and Practice, pg. 10. Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2010. ISBN 9780313360251
  6. ↑ Sahih Muslim, 35:6475
  7. ↑ See the surahs "al-A'raf" (7:180), "al-Isra" (17:110), "Ta-Ha" (20:8) and "al-Hashr" (59:24).
  8. 1 2 3 4 Malcolm Clark, Islam For Dummies. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ISBN 9781118053966
  9. ↑ Martin Parsons, Unveiling God, pg. 206. William Carey Library, 2005. ISBN 9780878084548
  10. ↑ Juan Eduardo Campo, Encyclopedia of Islam, pg. 515. Infobase Publishing, 2009. ISBN 9781438126968
  11. ↑ Susanne Enderwitz, "The 99: Islamic Superheroes - A New Species." Taken from Transcultural Turbulences: Towards a Multi-Sited Reading of Image Flows, pgs. 84-85. Springer, 2011. ISBN 9783642183935
  12. ↑ The 99 names of Allah; the ‘Most Beautiful Names’ at BBC Online. Accessed 8 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "Al-Quran (القرآن) :: Online Quran Project :: Translation and Tafsir".
  14. ↑ al-Kafʿamī, ʾIbrahīm bin ʿAlī (1436-1500 CE). al-Maqām al-asnā fī tafsīr al-asmāʼ al-ḥusnā. Beirut: Dār al-Hādī (1992). page 38. (WorldCat listing)
  15. ↑ al-Kafʿamī, ʾIbrahīm bin ʿAlī (1436-1500 CE). al-Maqām al-asnā fī tafsīr al-asmāʼ al-ḥusnā. Beirut: Dār al-Hādī (1992). page 40. (WorldCat listing)
  16. ↑ al-Kafʿamī, ʾIbrahīm bin ʿAlī (1436-1500 CE). al-Maqām al-asnā fī tafsīr al-asmāʼ al-ḥusnā. Beirut: Dār al-Hādī (1992). page 48. (WorldCat listing)
  17. ↑ al-Kafʿamī, ʾIbrahīm bin ʿAlī (1436-1500 CE). al-Maqām al-asnā fī tafsīr al-asmāʼ al-ḥusnā. Beirut: Dār al-Hādī (1992). pages 58-59. (WorldCat listing)
  18. ↑ al-Kafʿamī, ʾIbrahīm bin ʿAlī (1436-1500 CE). al-Maqām al-asnā fī tafsīr al-asmāʼ al-ḥusnā. Beirut: Dār al-Hādī (1992). page 61. (WorldCat listing)
  19. 1 2 al-Kafʿamī, ʾIbrahīm bin ʿAlī (1436-1500 CE). al-Maqām al-asnā fī tafsīr al-asmāʼ al-ḥusnā. Beirut: Dār al-Hādī (1992). page 58. (WorldCat listing)
  20. 1 2 al-Kafʿamī, ʾIbrahīm bin ʿAlī (1436-1500 CE). al-Maqām al-asnā fī tafsīr al-asmāʼ al-ḥusnā. Beirut: Dār al-Hādī (1992). page 64. (WorldCat listing)
  21. ↑ Schimmel, Annemarie (1993). The Mystery of Numbers. New York, USA: Oxford University Press. p. 271. ISBN 0-19-508919-7.
  22. ↑ Momen, Moojan (2000). Islam and the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. p. 241. ISBN 0-85398-446-8. The endnote states: "Ibn Májah, Sunan, 34. (Kitáb ad-Du'á), ch. 9, no. 3856, vol. 2, p. 1267. See also: Ad-Dárimí, Sunan, 23 (Fada'il al-Qur'án), ch. 15, no. 3296, vol. 2, pp. 324-5. Similar statements in Shi'i Traditions include: Majlisí, Bihár al-Anwár, vol. 26. p. 7."
  23. ↑ Archived January 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  24. 1 2 3 Lambden, Stephen (1993). "The Word Bahá': Quintessence of the Greatest Name". Bahá'í Studies Review 3 (1).
  25. ↑ Smith, Peter (2000). "greatest name". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 167–8. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
  26. ↑ Khadem, Dhikru'llah (March 1976). "Bahá'u'lláh and His Most Holy Shrine". Bahá'í News (540): 4–5.

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