Knowing Allah by His names

How do you come to love someone? You get to know them. Allah has told us about Himself through His names (al-asma) and His attributes (as-sifat, His qualities). Learning them is the way to know Him, and to love Him.

• Allah says: to Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call on Him by them¹.
• He says: call on Allah, or call on the Most Merciful. Whatever name you call Him by, the most beautiful names are His².
• The end of Surah al-Hashr lists many names together: the Knower of the seen and unseen, the Most Merciful, the King, the Holy, the Peace, the Creator, the Wise, and more³.

The reward

Nabi ﷺ said: Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. Whoever takes account of them will enter Jannah⁴⁵.

What does "take account of them" mean? The Arabic word is ahsaha. Scholars explain that it is more than a list in your head. It means:

• Knowing the names, and keeping them in your memory⁶.
• Understanding what each one means.
• Calling on Allah by them in your dua.
• Living by them: letting them change how you think and act.

Ten names to start with

Here are ten names, with their meanings in plain words. Tap a name to read more about it.

Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim: the Most Merciful, the Most Kind

Both names come from rahmah, mercy. They come together at the start of every surah but one, and in Al-Fatiha⁷. Scholars explain: Ar-Rahman is mercy so wide it covers all creation, believers and non-believers. Ar-Rahim is mercy that reaches people closely, and Allah says He is Rahim with the believers⁸.

Nabi ﷺ once saw a mother who had lost her baby, find it, and hold it close to feed it. He said: Allah is more merciful to His servants than this woman is to her child⁹.

Al-Ghafur: the Forgiving

He forgives sins and covers them. Tell My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Most Kind¹⁰. Allah is happier when His servant turns back to Him than a man in the desert who finds his lost camel with all his food and water¹¹.

Al-Wadud: the Loving

He loves His good servants, and He is loved by them. He is the Forgiving, the Loving¹². When Allah loves someone, He tells the angel Jibril, the angels love that person too, and then people on earth come to accept them¹³.

Al-Hakim: the Wise

Everything He does and decides is in its right place, for a good reason. We may not see the reason. You may dislike something that is good for you, and Allah knows while you do not¹⁴.

Al-Alim: the All-Knowing

He knows everything: the past, the future, and what is in your heart. Not a leaf falls without His knowing it¹⁵. The angels said: You are the All-Knowing, the Wise¹⁶.

As-Sami and Al-Basir: the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing

He hears every voice, even a whisper, and sees everything, even in the dark. Once the Companions were shouting "Allahu akbar" loudly. Nabi ﷺ said: take it easy, you are not calling someone deaf or far away. You are calling One who hears, sees, and is near¹⁷.

Ar-Razzaq: the Provider

He gives every living thing what it needs: food, money, health, knowledge, friends. Allah is the Provider, the Strong¹⁸. There is no creature on earth whose provision is not on Allah¹⁹.

Al-Latif: the Gentle, the One who knows the finest details

His kindness reaches you quietly, in ways you often do not see until later. And He knows the smallest, most hidden things. Does He not know what He created? He is al-Latif, the All-Aware²⁰.

The rule: how we speak about Allah

One ayah gives the rule for everything Allah says about Himself: nothing is like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing²¹.

• The first half says no: nothing is like Allah.
• The second half says yes: Allah truly hears and truly sees.

So we affirm what Allah said, and we deny that anything is like Him. From this, all Sunni scholars teach three things to avoid:

Same word, different reality

We say a person hears, and we say Allah hears. It is the same word, but it is not the same thing. Our hearing is weak, it gets tired, and it has limits. Allah's hearing is perfect. The same is true of knowledge, mercy and power. The words are shared. The reality is not. Do you know anyone equal to Him²⁷? No.

We use the names Allah chose

• Scholars agree we name Allah only with the names He gave Himself, or that Nabi ﷺ used. We do not make up new names for Him.
• Some names belong only to Allah. No one else may be called Allah or Ar-Rahman. This is why people are named Abdur-Rahman, "servant of the Most Merciful".
• When a whisper asks "what does Allah look like?" or "who made Allah?", do not chase it. Nabi ﷺ said: seek refuge in Allah, and stop there²⁸. Whatever you can picture, Allah is not that.

Verses like Allah's istiwa and hand

Some verses and hadith describe Allah in words that, for people, would be about the body or about moving. For example:

• The Most Merciful istawa on the Throne²⁹³⁰. Istawa is often translated "rose over" or "settled over".
• Allah asked Iblis why he refused to bow to what I created with My two hands³¹. And: His hands are spread wide, He gives as He wills³².
• The Face of your Lord remains³³.
• Nabi ﷺ said: our Lord comes down every night to the nearest heaven in the last third of the night, and says: who is calling Me, so I may answer him?³⁴.

What every Sunni agrees on

• These verses and hadith are true. We believe them and we do not reject them.
• Allah is not like His creation. His hand is not like our hands. He is not a body like our bodies.
• We do not ask how, and we do not picture it.

Where the schools explain it differently

Ahl al-Sunnah have three schools of creed: the Athari, the Ash'ari and the Maturidi. They agree on almost all of belief. Their main difference is how to explain words like these:

• Atharis say: we affirm these as real attributes of Allah, with the meaning the Arabic words carry, in a way that fits His majesty and is not like creation. Allah rose over the Throne as He said, and He has two hands as He said. How is known only to Him. They see this as the way of the early Muslims.
• Ash'aris and Maturidis also believe every word, and say Allah is not a body. Many of them leave the exact meaning to Allah (this is called tafwid), while saying the human, bodily meaning is not what is meant. Others, when it helps people, explain a word with a meaning the Arabic language allows and that fits Allah: for example, His hand as His power or generosity, and istiwa as His full control over the Throne. They do this to protect people from picturing Allah like a creature, and they also see their way as following the early Muslims.

Imam Malik is reported to have said, when asked how Allah rose over the Throne: the istiwa is known, the how is not known, believing in it is required, and asking about it is an innovation. Scholars from all three schools quote these words.

Making dua with the names

Allah told us what to do with His names: call on Him by them³⁵. The simple way is to match the name to what you need:

Duas Nabi ﷺ taught with the names

• For forgiveness. Abu Bakr asked for a dua to say in his salah. Nabi ﷺ taught him one that ends: innaka antal-Ghafurur-Rahim, You are the Forgiving, the Most Kind³⁶. The dua asks for forgiveness and mercy, then names Allah as the Forgiving and the Kind.
• On Laylat al-Qadr. Aisha asked what to say. He said: Allahumma innaka Afuwwun tuhibbul-afwa fa'fu anni, O Allah, You are the Pardoner, You love to pardon, so pardon me³⁷.
• In distress. When something worried him, he said: Ya Hayyu ya Qayyum, bi rahmatika astaghith, O Ever-Living, O Sustainer of all, I call for help through Your mercy³⁸.
• The dua of Yunus. La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka, inni kuntu minaz-zalimin: there is no god but You, glory be to You, I have done wrong. Nabi ﷺ said no Muslim makes dua with it for anything without Allah answering him³⁹.
• Allah's greatest name. Nabi ﷺ heard a man ask Allah as the One, as-Samad, who has no child and was not born, and no one is equal to Him. He said this man had asked by Allah's greatest name, and when asked by it, He gives⁴⁰.

You can also call on Allah by His names in your own language: "O Most Merciful, have mercy on my mother." He hears and understands every language.

Living with the names

Each name is meant to change something in you. A few examples:

• Al-Basir sees you. Nabi ﷺ described the highest level of faith, ihsan: to worship Allah as if you see Him. And if you cannot, then know He sees you⁴¹. This makes salah calmer and life more honest, even when no one is watching.
• Ar-Rahim is kind, so be kind. Nabi ﷺ said: Allah will not show mercy to the one who does not show mercy to people⁴².
• Ar-Razzaq provides. So work hard, but do not panic about money, and never take what is haram to get it. Your provision is already written.
• Al-Hakim is wise. When life does not go your way, trust that there is wisdom you cannot see yet⁴³.
• Al-Alim knows. You do not have to explain yourself to everyone. Allah already knows what you meant and what you went through.
• Al-Ghafur forgives. No sin is too big to bring to Him. Do not lose hope in Allah's mercy⁴⁴.

Try this: learn one name a week. Read its meaning on the 99 Names page, use it in your dua every day that week, and notice where you see it in your life.

Common questions

Do I have to memorize all 99 names?

No, it is not required. But it is a great reward⁴⁵. Go slowly. Knowing ten names well, and using them in dua, is better than a list you do not understand.

Is it okay to say "God" when I speak English?

Yes. Many Muslims say God in English, and the meaning is the same. Allah is His own name, and Muslims love to use it, in every language.

Where is Allah? My friends give different answers.

All Sunni schools agree that Allah is not mixed into His creation, and nothing in creation holds Him. And He is with you wherever you are, knowing, hearing and seeing you⁴⁶. How to put the rest into words is part of the difference between the schools explained above. Learn it from a teacher you trust, and keep it calm.

Someone told me the other group is misguided. What should I do?

Stay calm and kind. All three Sunni schools affirm what Allah said about Himself and say nothing is like Him. Do not name-call, and do not call any Muslim a kafir. Focus on knowing Allah and worshipping Him well.

I keep picturing Allah in my mind and it worries me.

Do not worry, and do not follow the thought. Whatever you picture, Allah is not like it⁴⁷. Say a'udhu billah (I seek refuge in Allah) and move on⁴⁸. Allah does not hold you to account for thoughts you do not act on or say⁴⁹.

Can I name my son after one of Allah's names?

Names like Abdur-Rahman, Abdul-Alim or Abdur-Razzaq ("servant of ...") are beautiful. Names that belong only to Allah, like Allah or Ar-Rahman, are not used for people.