The Number of the Beautiful Names and Their Explanation.

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Which is the Greatest Name of God?What is the reality of the beautiful names?

According to the Ahlulbait and the Hale Sunnah there are ninety-nine beautiful names. There is a famous tradition from the Holy messenger that says:

“There are ninety nine names for God; whoever invokes them all will go to paradise; God is unique and befriends those who are singular in belief. (1)

Imam Ali has been quoted to have enumerated the beautiful names by Shaykh Suduq in Tawhid but with a little difference and then explains them as:

He is Allah, ILAH, Al Wahidu, Al Ahad, Assamad, Al Awwal, Al Aakhir, Assamee’, AlQadeer, Al Qaahir, Al Ali, Al Baqi, Al Badee’,

Al Baaree’, Al Akram, Azzahir, Al Batin, Al haiy, Al Hakeem, Al Aleem, Al Haleem, Al Hafeez, Al Haqq, Al Haseeb, Al Hameed, Al Haffiy, Arrabb,

Ar-Rahman, Ar Raheem, Azzaari’, Arraaziq, Ar Raqeeb, Ar Rauf, Ar Raaei, As Salaam, Al Mo’min, Al Mohaimin, Al Azeez, Al Jabbaar, Al Mutakabbir, As Sayyid, As Sabbuuh, As Shaheed, As Saadiq, As Sane’, At Tahir, Al A’dl, Al A’fw, Al Ghafoor, Al Ghani, Al Ghiyath, Al Fatir, Al Fard, Al Fattah, Al Faliq, Al Qadeem, Al Malik, Al Quddoos, al Qavi, Al Qareeb, Al Qaweem, Al Qabiz, Al Basit, Qazi-ol-Hajaat, Al Majeed, Al Mawla, Al Mannan, Al Moheet, Al Mobeen, Al Moqeet, Al Musavvir, Al Kareem, Al Kabeer, Al Kafi, Kashifizzorr, Al Vitr, Al Noor, Al Wahhab, An Nasir, Al Wasih, Al Wadood, Al Haadi, Al Waqi, Al Wakeel, Al Waarith, Al Barr, Al Baaith, At Tawwab, Al Jaleel, Al Jawad, Al Khabeer, Al Khaaliq, Khairan Nasireen, Ad Dayyan, Al Shakoor, Al Azeem, Al Lateef, and As Shaafi. (2)

There is one important point that we must attend to and that is that it does not mean that whoever repeats the ninety nine names will deserve paradise. What it means is that the person must have the knowledge and enlightenment about these beautiful names and he should invoke God by those names with full awareness. It means that he should be totally enmeshed in the attributes of God like His knowledge, authority, beneficence etc because these should be a part of his character.

In another tradition recorded in Tawhid of Suduq says Imam Reza quoted his forefather and then Imam Ali to have said that the Holy Messenger said, “God has ninety nine names, and the prayers of whoever invokes God through will be answered and he who counts and repeats them will go to Paradise.

The Late Shaykh Suduq after mentioning this tradition says, “The Word “Ahsa” here refers to the thorough knowledge about the meanings of these names and mere counting those amounts to nothing.” (3)

Some traditions mention a few more names and some special prayers like the Dua Joshan Kabeer has a thousand names but there is no interlinking in these traditions. As we have said earlier these ninety names are those that have great importance and significance. The late Suduq has given a complete explanation of these ninety names in Tawhid. We will now discuss this explanation briefly for a better understanding of these names.

01 and 02: Allah and Ilah (the embodiments of all perfection) He who should be worshipped and no one else is worthy of being worshipped.

03 and 04: Al Wahid: Al Ahad: The entity that has no physical parts nor any replica, similitude and equal.

05 As Samad: Lord, elder the entity upon whom all beings depend and he is oblivious of them all.

06 and 07: Al Awwal and Al Aakhir:  He is the first that is not preceded by any and He is the last without any end. An entity that is ever-living and eternal.

08. As-Samee’: The entity that engulfs and encircles everything.

09. Al Baseer: The entity that oversees all those who see.

10: Al Qadeer: He who has the authority over everything.

11: Al Qaahir: The entity to whom everything is subservient and subjugated.

12: Al Ali: The elevated One

 13. Al A’ala: the successful and overpowering, the one              who is better than everything.  

14 Al Baaqi: The one without any end.

15 Al Badee’: He who has created everything in the universe without any previous example.

16Al Baree’: He who creates the beings and manifests them.

17Al Akram: He who is the most gracious and genteel.

 18AZ Zaahir: He who is evident because of the signs that He has exhibited.

19Al Batin: He whose entity is beyond all thoughts and imagination.

20Al Haiy: The entity that is active, manages, and has all the knowledge and power.

21Al Hakeem: The one whose entire actions are correct and stable and is free from conflicts and errors.

22. Al A’leem: The entity that is aware of itself and nothing within us or in this universe is hidden from Him.

23Al Haleem:  He who is clement and forbearing on the sins and is in no hurry to punish.

24Al Hafeez: He is the caretaker and nurturer of all that exists.

25Al Haqq: He whose existence is proven and well founded, genuine and evident. All other things besides Him are temporal. He is the complete Reality.

26Al Haseeb: He who has the account of everything. He is aware of all and the accounts of His subjects are with Him. It is He who fulfills the needs.

27Al Hameed: He who is worthy of all praise.

28Al Hafee: He has the knowledge and is aware. He is the one who is benign and kind on everyone.

29. Ar Rabb: He is the owner the arranger and the reconciler.

30Ar Rahman: His beneficence encompasses everything.

31Ar Raheem: His grace is for the true believers.

32 AZ Zaari: He is the Creator (actually it also mean to express or the one who expresses or manifests because creation is the cause for expression or manifestation. This is why the name is used for the Creator.)

33Ar Raaziq: He goes gives sustenance to all the good as well as the bad.

34 Ar Raqeeb: Protector and caretaker.

35Ar Rauf: He is kind and gracious. Some people have taken Raheem and Rauf separately. Raifat means the benevolent on the obedient and a grace on the sinner.

36Ar Raiyy: He who sees and is aware.

37As Salaam: The entity who is the personification of well being and all manner of betterment comes from Him.

38Al Mo’min: The entity that fulfills its promise. He has created belief through His signs and the arrangement of mysteries in the people’s hearts. He has given shelter from oppression to the weak and saved the believers from punishment.

39Al Mohaimin:  The Witness and Protector of all.

40Al Jabbaar: He who has power over everything. Thoughts and ideas cannot reach His Glory. He corrects everything through his will.

41Al Mutakabbir: He who should be revered and nothing is greater than him.

42As Sayyid: Revered, great and a king who should be obeyed.

43As Sabbuuh: He who is pure from every discrepancy and error. (4)

44As Shaheed: He is witness and presents everywhere.

45As Sadiq: His words are the ultimate truth and He never goes back on His promise.

46As Sane’: The creator of everything.

47At Tahir: He who is free from all manner of attributes, and similitudes of mankind.

48Al A’dl: He who is just in every matter.

49Al Afw: He who erases the sins of His subjects.                This word actually means to erase

50Al Ghafoor: He who pardons and forgives.

51Al Ghani: The entity that is not dependent on anyone nor is dependent on tools and means.

52Al Ghiyath: He who helps all beseechers.

53. Al Fatir: He who has created this universe; created all things without any prior example and brought them out of the realm of the unseen to the manifest world.

54. Al Fard: He who is the lord and no one is His equal.

55. Al Fattah: The Ruler. The entity that can solve all problems.

56. Al Faliq: Derived from Faliq: He who rends asunder. He who brings out the saplings from the earth; created the child in the mother’s womb, split the darkness of the night with the morning light of dawn. He shattered the realm of nothing with the multitudinous creations.

57. Al Qadeem: He who always existed and has no beginning or end.

58. Al Mulk: He who is the ruler of t his universe.

59. Al Quddoos: Evident; pure from all manner of contamination.

60. Al Qawi: He who holds the most power. His deeds are not dependent on anyone.

61. Al Qareeb: The closest one; He listens to us and grants our prayers.

62: Al Qayyum: He exists because of himself and all others exist because of Him.

63. Al Qabis: He who confiscates the soul from the body, who gathers the sun rays when it sets, who enlarges the income of some and restricts the income of others. He lifts the divine light when and where he fell appropriate.

64. Al Basit: the Nemesis of the Usurper, He grants vastness to His grace and bestows them on His creatures. He brings all under the umbrella of His beneficence.   

65. Qazi-ol-Hajaat: He who fulfills the needs of his creations.

66. Al Majeed: Benevolent, respected and the exalted.

67. Al Mawla: The helper and benefactor.

68. Al Mannan: He who bestows a variety of grace.

69. Al Moheet: He who has the control over everything and is aware of them.

70.  Al Mobeen: His authority is manifest everywhere and His decree is obeyed in the unseen and the unseen world.

71. Al Moqeet: the protector and guard.

72. Al Mosawwir: The entity who gives shapes to His creations and also to the child in the mother’s womb.

73. Al Kareem: The respected one who forgives.

74. al Kabeer: The exalted Lord

75. Al Kafi: He who is suffice for His servants who depend on Him and He fulfills their needs.

76. Kashifus Dhurr:  The entity that removes all hardships, problems and ailments.

77. Al Vitr: The one who is unique and incomparable.

78. AN Noor: He who bestows light on the universe, who issues His decrees and guides everyone

79. Al Wahhab: The name is derived from Hibah which means the Bestower.

80. An Nasir: He who aids.

81. Al Wasih: The one above all needs and He who is limitless

82. Al Wadood: This name can be taken in both the active and passive sense. In the first it means He who befriends and in the second it means He who deserves to be befriended.

83. Al Haadi: He who guides mankind towards justice and fair play. He who guides the entire universe covertly and those who have knowledge overtly.

84. Al Wafi: He who fulfills His promises.

85. Al Wakeel: He who is the benefactor, the protector and the refuge for mankind.

86. Al Waaris: Whoever other than God owns anything will ultimately die and leave his assets behind. The inheritor will always be God.

87. Al Barr: Truthful always, kind and forgiving.

88. Al Baai’s: He who will resurrect the dead and He who bestows His ministries on the Prophets.

89. At Tawwab: He who accepts the repentance of His subjects. When the graces are withdrawn due to sins He re-bestows them after accepting the repentance. All mankind will eventually return to Him.

90. Al Jaleel: The Almighty. The powerful and the most revered.

91. Al Javad: The Kind One who rewards and forgives.

92. Al Khabeer: The knowledgeable and aware who knows that which is manifest and that which is hidden.

93. Al Khaliq: He who creates. The word “Khalq” actually means to estimate and since everything is estimated before creation this word is used as one of His attributes

94. Khairan Nasireen: He who is above all impurities and whose help is vast.

95. Ad Dayyan: He who rewards mankind for their deeds.

96. Ash Shakoor: He who gives prominence to the good deeds and rewards for them.

97. Al Azeem: The Greatest, the Lord, the all-encompassing and the one who has total control.

98. Al Lateef: He who is kind to His subjects and does good for them; who’s planning is minute and is the creator of fine and delicate things.

99. Ash Shafi: He who cures, and removes the pain (5)

These are all the ninety nine names which are regarded as the Beautiful names in Islamic parlance. As we have said that all traditions are not the same and let us remind the readers that some attributes among them are his manifest attributes.

Some of the names refute all kinds of deficiencies. Some attributes are mentioned because they are actions and deeds. There are some attributes that have seemingly similar meanings but there are always very delicate and minutes differences between them.

 


 

1. This tradition is present in Durre Manshur Vol. 3 Page 147 and in Sahih Bukhari, Muslim, Masnad Ahmed, Sunan Tirmidhi, and other books.
2. Tawhid of Shaykh Suduq Chapter on God’s Names Hadith 8 and it should be noted that there are 100 names in it but since Allah includes them all it should not be counted. Some says that Array replaces the name Ar Rauf.
3. Tawhid by Shaykh Suduq page 195 hadith 9
4. In Arabic excepting Sabbuuh and Quddoos there are no other words with the same connotation.
5. Tawhid by Shaykh Suduq Page 195-217 with additions of various explanations taken from the linguist and some commentators.

 

Which is the Greatest Name of God?What is the reality of the beautiful names?
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