Names of God in Islam

The names of God in Islam (or the 99 names of Allah; ) are the names by which Muslims regard God. Among other places, they are described in the Quran and Sunnah.Abdullah Saeed, The Qur'an: An Introduction, pg. 63. London: Routledge, 2008. ISBN 9781134102945 There is, according to hadith, 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 Mas'ud, some of the names of God have also been hidden from mankind.
== Origin ==
According to Islamic tradition,Ibn Majah, Book of Du`a; Imam Malik, Muwatta', Kitab al-Shi`r. 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 which are considered authentic and also support the same point.Diane Morgan, Essential Islam: A Comprehensive Guide to Belief and Practice, pg. 10. Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2010. ISBN 9780313360251 A widely accepted hadith in Sahih Muslim states:
Over time, it became custom to recite a list of 99 names, compiled by al-Walid ibn Muslim, as an addendum to the hadith. In 2005, Mahmoud Abdel-Razek compiled an alternative list, endorsing only 69 from the al-Walid list.Mahmoud Abdul Razek Al Radwany, "Of the 99 Names Of Allah That We Repeat: Only 69 Are Authentic" published in the Egyptian daily, Al Ahram, on Nov 18, 2005. His objections are mostly grammatical in that a 'name' in Arabic must be a noun: "only 69 of those Names are authenticated from the Quran and Sunnah, while 29 are not authentic in that 22 are verbs or adjectives, and 7 are 'modafa' or 'added to.'" Islamic Forum
The Quran refers to the names of God as God's "most beautiful Names" ().See the suras "Al-A'raf" (7:180), "Al-Isra" (17:110), "Ta-Ha" (20:8) and "Al-Hashr" (59:24). According to Gerhard Böwering:
 Mystic philosopher Ibn Arabi surmised that the 99 names are outward signs of the universe's inner mysteries.Malcolm Clark, Islam For Dummies. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. ISBN 9781118053966
Most, though not all, of the 99 names appear in the Quran with a smaller number appearing exclusively in the hadith.Martin Parsons, Unveiling God, pg. 206. William Carey Library, 2005. ISBN 9780878084548Juan Eduardo Campo, Encyclopedia of Islam, pg. 515. Infobase Publishing, 2009. ISBN 9781438126968 The total number of all names in both the Quran and the hadith actually add up to more than 99,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 9783642183935The 99 names of Allah; the ‘Most Beautiful Names’ at BBC Online. Accessed 8 April 2014. though only 99 are supposedly those which are referred to in the hadith as the exclusion of others.
==Lists of names==
There isn't universal agreement among Muslims as to what exactly counts as a name and what does not. Additionally, while some names are only in the Quran, and others are only in the hadith, there are some names which appear in both. Different sources give different lists of the 99 names.
	Arabic	Transliteration	Translation 	Usage 	Type of reference
	 	Ar-Raḥmān 	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
	 	Ar-Raḥīm 	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
	 	Al-Malik 	The King, The Sovereign 	Al-Malik, 59:23, 20:114, 23:116 	D
	 	Al-Quddūs 	The Holy, The Divine, The Pure, The Purifier 	Al-Quddūs, 59:23, 62:1 	D
	 	As-Salām 	The Peace, The Source of Peace and Safety 	As-Salām, 59:23 	D
	 	Al-Muʾmin 	The granter of security 	Al-Muʾmin, 59:23 	D
	 	Al-Muhaymin 	The Controller 	Al-Muhaymin, 59:23 	D
	 	Al-ʿAzīz 	The Almighty, The Invulnerable, The Honorable 	Al-ʿAzīz, 3:6, 4:158, 9:40, 48:7, 59:23 	D
	 	Al-Jabbār 	The Irresistible, The Compeller 	Al-Jabbār, 59:23 	D
	 	Al-Mutakabbir 	The Majestic, The Supreme 	Al-Mutakabbir, 59:23 	D
	 	Al-Khāliq 	The Creator 	Al-Khāliq, 6:102, 13:16, 36:81, 39:62, 40:62, 59:24 	D
	 	Al-Bāriʾ 	The Evolver, The Maker 	Al-Bāriʾ, 59:24 	D
	 	Al-Muṣawwir 	The Fashioner, The Shaper, The Designer 	Al-Muṣawwir, 59:24 	D
	 	Al-Ghaffār 	The Repeatedly Forgiving 	Al-Ghaffār, 20:82, 38:66, 39:5, 40:42, 71:10 	D
	 	Al-Qahhār 	The Subduer 	Al-Qahhār, 12:39, 13:16, 14:48, 38:65, 39:4, 40:16 	D
	 	Al-Wahhāb 	The Bestower 	Al-Wahhāb, 3:18, 38:9, 38:35 	D
	 	Ar-Razzāq 	The Provider 	Ar-Razzāq, 51:58 	D
	 	Al-Fattāḥ 	The Opener, The Victory Giver 	Al-Fattāḥ, 34:26 	D
	 	Al-ʿAlīm 	The All-Knowing, Omniscient 	Al-ʿAlīm, 2:158, 3:92, 4:35, 24:41, 33:40 	D
	 	Al-Qābiḍ 	The Restrainer, The Straightener 	Al-Qābiḍ, 2:245 	V
	 	Al-Bāsiṭ 	The Extender / Expander 	Al-Bāsiṭ, 2:245 	V
	 	Al-Khāfiḍ 	The Abaser, The Humiliator, The Downgrader 	Al-Khāfiḍ, 56:3, see al-Kafʿamīal-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) 	O
	 	Ar-Rāfiʿ 	The Exalter, The Upgrader 	Ar-Rāfiʿ, 58:11, 6:83 	V
	 	Al-Muʿizz 	The Giver of Honor 	Al-Muʿizz, 3:26 	V
	 	Al-Muzill 	The Giver of Dishonor 	Al-Muzill, 3:26 	V
	 	As-Samīʿ 	The All-Hearing 	As-Samīʿ, 2:127, 2:256, 8:17, 49:1 	D
	 	Al-Baṣīr 	The All-Seeing 	Al-Baṣīr, 4:58, 17:1, 42:11, 42:27 	D
	 	Al-Ḥakam 	The Judge, The Arbitrator 	Al-Ḥakam, 22:69 	V
	 	Al-ʿAdl 	The Utterly Just 	Al-ʿAdl, 6:115, See al-Kafʿamīal-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) 	
	 	Al-Laṭīf 	The Gentle, The Subtly Kind 	Al-Laṭīf, 6:103, 22:63, 31:16, 33:34 	D
	 	Al-Khabīr 	The All-Aware 	Al-Khabīr, 6:18, 17:30, 49:13, 59:18 	D
	 	Al-Ḥalīm 	The Forbearing, The Indulgent 	Al-Ḥalīm, 2:235, 17:44, 22:59, 35:41 	A
	 	Al-ʿAẓīm 	The Magnificent 	Al-ʿAẓīm, 2:255, 42:4, 56:96 	D
	 	Al-Ghafūr 	The Much-Forgiving 	Al-Ghafūr, 2:173, 8:69, 16:110, 41:32 	D
	 	Ash-Shakūr 	The Grateful 	Ash-Shakūr, 35:30, 35:34, 42:23, 64:17 	A
	 	Al-ʿAlī 	The Sublime 	Al-ʿAlī, 4:34, 31:30, 42:4, 42:51 34:23 	D
	 	Al-Kabīr 	The Great 	Al-Kabīr, 13:9, 22:62, 13:30, 34:23 	D
	 	Al-Ḥafīẓ 	The Preserver 	Al-Ḥafīẓ, 11:57, 34:21, 42:6 	A
	 	Al-Muqīt 	The Nourisher 	Al-Muqīt, 4:85 	I
	 	Al-Ḥasīb 	The Bringer of Judgment 	Al-Ḥasīb, 4:6, 4:86, 33:39 	I
	 	Al-Jalīl 	The Majestic 	Al-Jalīl, 55:27, 7:143 	A, V
	 	Al-Karīm 	The Bountiful, The Generous 	Al-Karīm, 27:40, 82:6 	D
	 	Ar-Raqīb 	The Watchful 	Ar-Raqīb, 4:1, 5:117 	D
	 	Al-Mujīb 	The Responsive, The Answerer 	Al-Mujīb, 11:61 	A
	 	Al-Wāsiʿ 	The Vast, The All-Embracing, The Omnipresent, The Boundless 	Al-Wāsiʿ, 2:268, 3:73, 5:54 	A
	 	Al-Ḥakīm 	The All-Wise 	Al-Ḥakīm, 31:27, 46:2, 57:1, 66:2 	D
	 	Al-Wadūd 	The Loving 	Al-Wadūd, 11:90, 85:14 	D
	 	Al-Majīd 	The All-Glorious, The Majestic 	Al-Majīd, 11:73 	A
	 	Al-Bāʿith 	The Resurrector 	Al-Bāʿith, 22:7 	V
	 	Ash-Shahīd 	The Witness 	Ash-Shahīd, 4:166, 22:17, 41:53, 48:28 	A
	 	Al-Ḥaqq 	The Truth, The Reality 	Al-Ḥaqq, 6:62, 22:6, 23:116, 24:25 	D
	 	Al-Wakīl 	The Trustee, The Dependable, The Advocate 	Al-Wakīl, 3:173, 4:171, 28:28, 73:9 	A
	 	Al-Qawiy 	The Strong 	Al-Qawiy, 22:40, 22:74, 42:19, 57:25 	D
	 	Al-Matīn 	The Firm, The Steadfast 	Al-Matīn, 51:58 	D
	 	Al-Walī 	The Friend, Patron and Helper 	Al-Walī, 4:45, 7:196, 42:28, 45:19 	D
	 	Al-Ḥamīd 	The All Praiseworthy 	Al-Ḥamīd, 14:8, 31:12, 31:26, 41:42 	D
	 	Al-Muḥsee 	The Accounter, The Numberer of All 	Al-Muḥṣī, 72:28, 78:29 	V
	 	Al-Mubdiʾ 	The Originator, The Producer, The Initiator 	Al-Mubdiʾ, 10:34, 27:64, 29:19, 85:13 	V
	 	Al-Muʿīd 	The Restorer, The Reinstater Who Brings Back All 	Al-Muʿīd, 10:34, 27:64, 29:19, 85:13 	V
	 	Al-Muḥyī 	The Giver of Life 	Al-Muḥyī, 7:158, 15:23, 30:50, 57:2 	V
	 	Al-Mumīt 	The Bringer of Death 	Al-Mumīt, 3:156, 7:158, 15:23, 57:2 	V
	 	Al-Ḥayy 	The Living 	Al-Ḥayy, 2:255, 3:2, 20:111, 25:58, 40:65 	D
	 	Al-Qayyūm 	The Subsisting, The Independent 	Al-Qayyūm, 2:255, 3:2, 20:111 	D
	 	Al-Wājid 	The Perceiver, The Finder, The Unfailing 	Al-Wājid, 38:44 	V
	 	Al-Mājid 	The Illustrious, The Magnificent 	Al-Mājid, 85:15, 11:73, see al-Kafʿamīal-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) 	A
	 	Al-Wāḥid 	The Unique, The Single 	Al-Wāḥid, 13:16, 14:48, 38:65, 39:4 	D
	 	Aṣ-Ṣamad 	The Eternal, The Absolute, The Self-Sufficient 	Aṣ-Ṣamad, 112:2 	D
	 	Al-Qādir 	The All-Powerful, He Who is able to do Everything 	Al-Qādir, 6:65, 46:33, 75:40 	D
	 	Al-Muqtadir 	The Determiner, The Dominant 	Al-Muqtadir, 18:45, 54:42, 6:65 	A
	 	Al-Muqaddim 	The Expediter, He Who Brings Forward 	Al-Muqaddim, 16:61 	V
	 	Al-Muʾakhkhir 	The Delayer, He Who Puts Far Away 	Al-Muʾakhkhir, 71:4 	V
	 	Al-ʾAwwal 	The First, The Beginning-less 	Al-ʾAwwal, 57:3 	D
	 	Al-ʾAkhir 	The Last, The Endless 	Al-ʾAkhir, 57:3 	D
	 	Aẓ-Ẓāhir 	The Manifest, The Evident, The Outer 	Aẓ-Ẓāhir, 57:3 	D
	 	Al-Bāṭin 	The Hidden, The Unmanifest, The Inner 	Al-Bāṭin, 57:3 	D
	 	Al-Wālī 	The Patron, The Protecting Friend, The Friendly Lord 	Al-Wālī, 13:11 	I
	 	Al-Mutaʿālī 	The Supremely Exalted, The Most High 	Al-Mutaʿālī, 13:9 	D
	 	Al-Barr 	The Good, The Beneficent 	Al-Barr, 52:28 	D
	 	At-Tawwāb 	The Ever-Returning, Ever-Relenting 	At-Tawwāb, 2:128, 4:64, 49:12, 110:3 	D
	 	Al-Muntaqim 	The Avenger 	Al-Muntaqim, 32:22, 43:41, 44:16 	P
	 	Al-ʿAfū 	The Pardoner, The Effacer, The Forgiver 	Al-ʿAfū, 4:43, 4:99, 4:149, 22:60, 58:2 	V, I
	 	Ar-Raʾūf 	The Kind, The Pitying 	Ar-Raʾūf,3:30, 9:117, 57:9, 59:10 	I
	 	Mālik-ul-Mulk 	Owner of all Sovereignty 	Mālik-ul-Mulk, 3:26 	D
	 	 	Lord of Majesty and Generosity 	Dhū-l-Jalāli-wa-l-ʾikrām, 55:27, 55:78 	D
	 	Al-Muqsiṭ 	The Equitable, The Requiter 	Al-Muqsiṭ,7:29, 3:18, See al-Kafʿamīal-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)	O
	 	Al-Jāmiʿ 	The Gatherer, The Unifier 	Al-Jāmiʿ, 3:9 	I
	 	Al-Ghanī 	The Rich, The Independent 	Al-Ghanī,3:97, 39:7, 47:38, 57:24 	I, A, D
	 	Al-Mughnī 	The Enricher, The Emancipator 	Al-Mughnī, 9:28 	V
	 	Al-Māniʿ 	The Withholder, The Shielder, The Defender 	Al-Māniʿ, See al-Kafʿamīal-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) 	
	 	Aḍ-Ḍārr 	The Distressor, The Harmer, The Afflictor 	Aḍ-Ḍārr, 6:17, see al-Kafʿamīal-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) 	
	 	An-Nāfiʿ 	The Propitious, The Benefactor, The Source of Good 	An-Nāfiʿ, 30:37, see al-Kafʿamī 	
	 	An-Nūr 	The Light 	An-Nūr, 24:35 	I
	 	Al-Hādī 	The Guide, The Way 	Al-Hādī, 22:54 	I
	 	Al-Badīʿ 	The Incomparable, The Unattainable, The Beautiful 	Al-Badīʿ, 2:117, 6:101 	I
	 	Al-Bāqī 	The Immutable, The Infinite, The Everlasting 	Al-Bāqī, 55:27, see al-Kafʿamīal-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) 	V
	 	Al-Wārith 	The Heir, The Inheritor of All 	Al-Wārith, 15:23, 57:10 	P
	 	Ar-Rashīd 	The Guide to the Right Path 	Ar-Rashīd, 2:256, 72:10, see al-Kafʿamī 	
	 	Aṣ-Ṣabūr 	The Timeless, The Patient 	Aṣ-Ṣabūr, 2:153, 3:200, 103:3 	I
 Can vary based on context. D = Direct; V = from Verb; A = from Adjective or Adjectival Phrase; I = from Indefinite noun; P = from Plural noun; O = Other	
 Can vary based on context. D = Direct; V = from Verb; A = from Adjective or Adjectival Phrase; I = from Indefinite noun; P = from Plural noun; O = Other	
 Can vary based on context. D = Direct; V = from Verb; A = from Adjective or Adjectival Phrase; I = from Indefinite noun; P = from Plural noun; O = Other	
 Can vary based on context. D = Direct; V = from Verb; A = from Adjective or Adjectival Phrase; I = from Indefinite noun; P = from Plural noun; O = Other	
 Can vary based on context. 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 (Ismi Azam). 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." 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."
== Personal names ==
According to Islamic tradition,Islam-QA website Are there any names which it is forbidden to use? If so, what are they? 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.
However the names of God can be combined with the word "‘Abd-" which means "servant/Worshiper" (of God) and are commonly used as personal names among Muslims. For example, ‘Abd ar-Raḥmān ("Servant of the Most Compassionate/the Beneficent"). 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: ‘abd-u.)
Some Muslim people have names resembling those 99. Examples include:
* Rahmaan, such as Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais.
* Salaam, such as Salam Fayyad.
* Jabbaar, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
* Hakeem, such as Sherman "Abdul Hakim" Jackson.
* Ra'oof, such as Ra'ouf Mus'ad.
* Malik, such as Nuri al-Maliki.
* Abdul Muqtedar as in M. A. Muqtedar Khan.
== Views of other religions ==
===Bábí and Bahá'í view===
Bahá'í sources state that the 100th name was revealed as "Bahá’" (an Arabic word بهاء meaning "glory, splendor" etc.), which is the root word for Bahá'u'lláh and Bahá'í. They also believe that it is the 'Greatest Name'. The Báb wrote a noted pentagram-shaped tablet with 360 derivatives of the word "Bahá'" used in it.
According to Bahá'í scholar ‘Abdu’l-Hamíd Ishráq-Khávari, Baha' ad-Din al-`Amili adopted the pen name (takhallus) 'Baha' after being inspired by words of Shi'a Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (the fifth Imam) and Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (the sixth Imam), who had stated that the Greatest Name of God was included in either Du'ay-i-Sahar or A`amaal Ummi Dawud. In the first verse of the Du'ay-i-Sahar, a dawn prayer for Ramadan, the name "Bahá" appears four times: "Allahumma inni as 'aluka min Bahá' ika bi Abháh va kulla Bahá' ika Bahí".
== See also ==
* Names of God
** Names of God in Judaism
* Basmala
* List of Arabic theophoric names
* Sahasranama, the Hindu lists of 1000 names of various divinities.
* The 99, a comic book based on the 99 names of God in Islam.
* The Nine Billion Names of God, a short story by Arthur C. Clarke.
== Notes ==
== External links ==
* 99namesallah.org, containing 99 names of God with complete reference to the Holy Quran (also pdf, powerpoint format).
* Al-Rahman al-Rahim. Problems of Interpretation and Translation
* The Beautiful Names of Allah, containing the derivation and meanings of the 99 names. Also has audio of someone saying each one.
* 99 Names of Allah, a more concise account of the attributes of God.
* The Most Beautiful Names of Allah. Lists the names in English as well as Arabic and the verses in which they are found in the Quran.
* Oil paintings of all the 99 names of Allah.
* Exegesis of Names Of Allah
* (Arabic) al-Maqām al-asnā fī tafsīr al-asmāʼ al-ḥusnā
Category:Islam-related lists
Category:Allah