Al-Asma al-Husna means the most beautiful names of Allah.
Al-Asma al-Husna means the most beautiful names of Allah.
The following is stated in a verse:
“To Him (Allah) belong the Most Beautiful Names.” (al-Hashr, 24)
In another verse, after stating that the most beautiful names belong to Allah, Muslims are advised to call on Him by them. (al-A’raf, 180)
Only the names that are mentioned in verses and hadiths and those that are allowed to be used can be used about Allah. One cannot give Allah names randomly.
The following is stated in Bukhari and Muslim about the most beautiful names:
“Allah has 99 names. Whoever memorizes them (believes in them and reads them by heart) enters Paradise.” (Bukhari, Daawat 68, Tawhid 12; Muslim, Dhikr 2; Tirmidhi, Daawat 82).
The narration of Tirmidhi, Ibn-i Hibban and Hakim about the issue is as follows:
“Whoever lists them (al-Asma al-Husna) by understanding their meanings and defines Allah using them enters Paradise.” (Tirmidhi, Daawat, 82)
Shah Naqshiband stated the following regarding that hadith:
“One of the meanings of the word “ahsa” is to count or list. Its another meaning is to memorize and know those holy names. Another meaning is to act in accordance with those names. For instance, when one utters the name Razzaq, he should never be worried about his sustenance. When he utters the name Mutakabbir, he should think about the greatness and grandeur of Allah.”
The 99 names mentioned in the hadiths are as follows:
Allah, ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim, al-Malik, al-Quddus, as-Salam, al-Mu’min, al-Muhaymin, al-Aziz, al-Jabbar, al-Mutakabbir, al-Khaliq, al-Bari’, al-Musawwir, al-Ghaffar, al-Qahhar, al-Wahhab, ar-Razzaq, al-Fattah, al-Alim, al-Qabid, al-Basit, al-Hafid, ar-Rafi, al-Muiz, al-Mudhill, al-Basir, as-Sami’, al-Hakam, al-Adl, al-Latif, al-Khabir, al-Halim, al-Azim, al-Ghafur, ash-Shakur, al-Aliyy, al-Kabir, al-Hafiz, al-Muqit, al-Hasib, al-Jalil, al-Karim, ar-Raqib, al-Mujib, al-Wasi’, al-Hakim, al-Wadud, al-Majid, al-Baith, ash-Shahid, al-Haqq, al-Wakil, al-Qawiyy, al-Matin, al-Waliyy, al-Hamid, al-Muhsi, al-Mubdi, al-Muid, al-Muhyi, al-Mumit, al-Hayy, al-Qayyum, al-Wajid, al-Majid, al-Wahid, as-Samad, al-Qadir, al-Muqtadir, al-Muqaddim, al-Muakhkhir, al-Awwal, al-Akhir, az-Zahir, al-Batin, al-Wali, al-Mutaali, al-Barr, at-Tawwab, al-Muntaqim, al-Afuww, ar-Rauf, Maliku’l-Mulk, Dhu’l-Jalali wa’l-Ikram, al-Muqsit, al-Jami’, al-Ghaniyy, al-Mughni, al-Mani’, ad-Darr, an-Nafi’, an-Nur, al-Hadi, al-Badi’, al-Baqi, al-Warith, ar-Rashid, as-Sabur.
ALLAH
It is the special name of God Almighty. Therefore, it includes all of the beautiful qualities and divine attributes that the other names express. The other names express only their own meanings. Therefore, no other name can replace the name Allah.
That name cannot be given to anybody except Allah. There is no drawback to giving other names to beings other than Allah; like giving the names Qadir, Jalal to people. However, it is better to add the word “abd”, which means slave, before those names when they are given to people; like Abdulqadir, Abdulkarim...
ar-RAHMAN (the All Merciful)
He Who wills goodness and mercy for all His creatures in the past eternity;
He Who gives innumerable bounties to all creatures that He created without making any discriminations between the ones He likes and those that He does not;
He Who gives them all of the sustenance necessary for their lives…
ar-RAHIM (The All Compassionate)
He Who shows excessive mercy;
He Who rewards those who uses the bounties He gives in a good way by giving them greater and endless bounties...
It is understood from the name ar-Rahman that Allah wanted goodness and mercy in the past eternity for all of the creatures that He created. As for the name ar-Rahim, it expresses the manifestation of a special mercy for His creatures that have a will especially for believers.
al-MALIK (the Absolute Ruler)
The real owner and absolute ruler of all of the creatures...
al-QUDDUS (the Pure One)
He Who is free from all errors, ignorance, weaknesses, all kinds of imperfection and very pure...
Allah is free and away from all kinds of qualities that senses can understand and imagination can form. He deserves all kinds of blessing.
The reality of cleanness that is present naturally in the universe is the manifestation of the name al-QUDDUS of God Almighty.
as-SALAM (the Source of Peace)
He Who is free from all kinds of faults, wear and tear:
He Who frees His servants from all danger;
He Who greets His servants in Paradise...
al-MU’MIN (the Inspirer of Faith)
He Who awakes the light of faith and awakens the seed of guidance;
He Who protects and comforts those who takes refuge in Him...
al-MUHAYMIN (the Guardian)
He Who watches over and protects...
Allah knows the deeds, sustenance and the times of death of the creatures He created and holds their lives under His control. It is only He Who watches over and guards all of the creatures and takes them to the point that they are supposed to reach.
al-AZIZ (the Mighty and Strong)
The winner Who is impossible to be defeated.
Allah, the Exalted, is absolutely strong and triumphant. Being defeated is out of question for Him.
The power of Allah, the Exalted, is triumphant but He does not punish the evil people at once; He may defer their punishment for a certain reason; He does not hurry to punish the people who keep committing bad deeds; He gives them a chance.
al-JABBAR (the COMPELLING)
He Who repairs all broken things, and completes what is incomplete;
He Who has the power and authority to force things and people to do what He wants...
al-MUTAKABBIR (the MAJESTIC)
He Who demonstrates His greatness in all things and in all ways...
Greatness and majesty belong to Allah only; no being in the universe, whose existence and non-existence depend on only a single command and will of Allah, deserves that attribute in its real sense.
al-KHALIQ (the CREATOR)
He Who brings from non-being into being, creating all things in such a way that He determines their existence and the conditions and events they are to experience...
There are two issues in the meaning of that name:
1. To determine and ordain how one thing will be,
2. To bring that thing into existence in accordance with that ordaining.
al-BARI’ (the MAKER of ORDER)
He Who creates everything so that each whole and its parts are in perfect conformity and harmony....
The organs, vital equipment and essential elements of everything were created in harmony in terms of quality and quantity; in addition, their service and use were created in compliance with general harmony.
al-MUSAWWIR (the SHAPER of BEAUTY)
He Who designs all things, giving each its particular form and character...
Allah, the Exalted, gave everything a form and character. Everything has its own shape and outward appearance so that it will not resemble others.
For instance; there are no two human beings that are exactly identical.
al-GHAFFAR (the FORGIVING)
He Who forgives a lot...
Allah covers the sins of believers. He protects whomever He wills among His servants from sins. It is a great bounty for them.
al-QAHHAR (the SUBDUER)
He Who dominates all things, and prevails upon them to do whatever He wills; Dominant...
Allah, the Exalted, is the Subduer; He is superior and dominant in every aspect. He has surrounded everything from inside and outside with His might and power. Nothing can be excluded from that surrounding. Everything is subdued before Him. The earth and the skies cannot stand against Him. He destroyed and annihilated so many nations that had gone astray with His subduing.
al-WAHHAB (the GIVER of ALL)
He Who constantly bestows blessings of every kind...
He always gives everything everywhere abundantly without expecting any return.
ar-RAZZAQ (the SUSTAINER)
He Who provides all things useful to His creatures...
Sustenance is everything that Allah, the Exalted, gives to especially His living creatures to use. Sustenance does not consist of food and drink only. Everything that can be used or benefited from is sustenance.
Material sustenance is all kinds of food, drinks, clothes, things, money, jewelry, children and family, the power of the body, information, movable-immovable property, wealth, etc.
Spiritual sustenance is the food of the spirit and heart. All of the feelings related to the spiritual life of man, especially belief, and what those feelings need are all spiritual sustenance.
al-FATTAH (the OPENER)
He Who opens all kinds of closed and locked things; He Who eliminates the difficulties and makes things easy...
The blossoming of the flowers, the sprouting of the seeds, the opening of the doors of sustenance and mercy are all the manifestations of the name al-Fattah.
al-ALIM (the KNOWER of ALL)
He Who has full knowledge of all things...
Allah knows everything fully. He is the one Who knows the inside, the outside, the fineness, the openness, the future, the past, the beginning, the end of everything. He knows what has happened and what will happen. It does not matter whether something has happened or will happen, secret or open for Him.
al-QABID (the CONSTRICTOR)
He Who constricts and restricts...
al-BASIT (the RELIEVER)
He Who releases, letting things expand...
All of the beings are in Allah’s hands of power. He removes the wealth, property, children, family, pleasure and tranquility He has given from any of His servants He wishes. That person turns out to be poor after his richness; he suffers the pain of losing his son; he falls into distress, agony and restlessness.
Those states are the manifestations of the name al-Basit.
Allah gives a new life, joy, plenty of sustenance to whomever He wills among His servants; it is also the manifestation of the name al-Basit.
al-KHAFID (the ABASER)
He Who brings down, diminishes...
Allah, the exalter, throws whomever He wills among His servants down. He makes him/her disgraceful and despicable after being honorable.
ar-RAFI’ (the EXALTER)
He Who raises up...
Allah raises or exalts whomever He wills among His servants. He gives them honor and glory. He brightens some hearts with the light of belief and wisdom; He informs them about high truths.
The people that Allah exalts are usually like angels with sweet tongues; they cover the faults and mistakes of others, completing their imperfection; they are kind people who help others with their wealth, bodies, knowledge and advice. Allah will not remove the bounties He has given them unless they deviate from being straight.
al-MU’IZZ (the BESTOWER of HONORS)
He Who confers honor and dignity.
al-MUDHILL (the HUMILIATOR)
He Who degrades and abases...
as-SAMI’ (the HEARER of ALL)
He Who hears very well...
Allah hears. He hears the words in our hearts and everything that can be heard. Distance cannot prevent Him from hearing. The fact that he hears one person does not prevent Him from hearing others. He hears everything as clearly.
al-BASIR (the ALL-SEEING)
He Who sees very well...
Allah, the Exalted, sees whatever everybody does and will do secretly or openly. Darkness cannot prevent Him from seeing. Things like distance-nearness, greatness-smallness that prevent man from seeing cannot prevent His sight.
al-HAKEM (the JUDGE)
He Who judges and realizes the right...
Allah, the Exalted, is the judge. He makes decisions about everything; He carries out His decisions fully. He decides about the judging of the judges and the rule of the rulers. Nothing can happen without His decision; there is no power, government or position that can annul or delay His judgment.
al-ADL (the JUST)
He is absolutely just...
Justice is the opposite of oppression. The word oppression includes hurting, inflicting pain. Allah, the Exalted, is Just. He does not like oppressors. He does not like those who are friends with them, even those who desire to be like them and who take a fancy to them.
al-LATIF (the SUBTLE ONE)
He Who knows the minutest subtleties of all things and who does the subtleties that others cannot perceive how they are done...
He Who sends His slaves various benefits through fine and subtle ways...
Allah, the Exalted, is Latif. He knows the subtlest things because he has created them. He does the subtlest secret things that cannot be known how to do.
al-KHABIR (the ALL-AWARE)
He who has the knowledge of inner and most secret aspects of all things...
Allah is aware of all of the things and events from the smallest to the biggest. Nothing can take place without His knowledge.
al-HALIM (the FORBEARING)
Hilm means to delay the punishment for the crime although one has the power to do it; it means to act leniently towards the criminals and to delay their punishment. Allah, the Exalted, is Halim. He does not punish one who commits a sin at once. He does not hurry to punish and torture people; He gives some time to those whom He is angry with. If they regret and repent during that time, Allah forgives them. He will do whatever He does to those who insist on committing sins.
al-AZIM (the MAGNIFICENT)
He Who has all of the greatness...
Azamah means greatness. The real greatness belongs to Allah. The absolute and perfect greatness on the earth and in the sky belong to Him; everything witnesses His greatness. It is impossible for anyone to be equal to Allah in terms of that attribute.
al-GHAFUR (the FORGIVER)
He Who has plenty of forgiveness...
Allah, the Exalted, has a lot of mercy. No matter how big or how much is the fault of a slave, His forgiveness covers them all; He will not humiliate his honor.
The inhabitants of the heavens see some things that other people do not. The name, Ghafur also expresses the meaning that his mistakes will be concealed from them.
ash-SHAKUR (the REWARDER OF THANKFULLNESS)
He who gratefully rewards good deeds that are carried out for His pleasure...
Thanking means to return a good deed with a good deed. Thanking is the duty of a slave towards Allah, the Exalted.
Shakur means the being who grants high degrees in return for very little worshipping, who grants endless bounties in the hereafter in return for deeds done in the limited number of days. There is no one except Allah who has those characteristics. .
al-ALIYY (the EXALTED)
He Who is exalted in every issue...
Allah is grand and exalted.
The real meaning of being exalted is as follows:
1. It is impossible to think of a being more exalted than Allah.
2. There is no being similar to Him; He has no partner or helper.
3. He is free from anything that is not compatible with His glory.
4. He is superior in information, judgment, will and all other perfection attributes.
al-KABIR (the GREATEST)
Nobody can be thought to be greater than Him...
Allah, the Exalted, has greatness. He Who is great in all aspects; there is no limit to the perfection of His existence. All of the greatness belongs to Him.
al-HAFIZ (the PRESERVER)
He Who records everything in every detail; He Who guards and protects everything from disasters and calamities until a certain time....
Allah has inspired to every creature so that they will know what is harmful for them. It is the manifestation of His name al-Hafiz. An animal knows the harmful plants for it and does not eat them without needing any chemical analysis report.
The fact that the deeds of His slaves are recorded and protected from being lost is one of the manifestations of the name al-Hafiz. Therefore, the resurrection in the hereafter and being reckoned is closely related to the name al-Hafiz.
al-MUQIT (the NOURISHER)
He Who determines every creature’s food and drink and who sends their sustenance to the bodies and hearts...
In this sense, al-Muqit means ar-Razzaq. However, al-Muqit has a more specific meaning. Ar-Razzaq also includes what is not eaten or drunk.
al-HASIB (the ACCOUNTER)
He Who keeps the record of what everybody does throughout their lives in every detail;
He Who is enough for everybody for all of their needs...
Allah, the Exalted, knows whatever can be known as amounts and quantities through accounting without needing any mathematical operations directly and clearly.
Allah, the Exalted, is enough for everybody for every need.
al-JALIL (the GLORIOUS)
He Who is Lord of Majesty and Grandeur; He Who is qualified with the attributes of glory...
Majesty and grandeur belong to Allah. His personality is grand; so are His attributes. However, that grandeur is not in the sense of size or age as it is the case with things. It cannot be measured in time; it cannot be put in places.
al-KARIM (the GENEROUS)
He Whose generosity, favor and grant are most abundant...
When Allah makes a promise, He keeps it; when He gives, He gives abundantly; He forgives when He has the authority to punish.
ar-RAQIB (the WATCHFUL ONE)
He Who watches over all of the beings, Who holds everything under His control...
Allah, the Exalted, is a witness Who watches over all of the beings very moment He never misses anything. He sees everything and gives everyone their due in accordance with what they do.
al-MUJIB (the RESPONDER to PRAYER) .
He Who hears the wishes of those who appeals to Him and grants them their wishes...
It is promised in a verse that Allah will answer every prayer. However, it is not promised that every prayer will be accepted. It depends on the wisdom of God Almighty whether to accept a prayer or not. If His wisdom sees it as necessary, He accepts what is asked exactly, at the same time. If He wishes, He will give a better one. If He wishes, He accepts that prayer for the hereafter; He does not give it in the world. If He wishes, He does not accept it at all because it is not useful for His slave.
al-WASI’(the ALL EMBRACING)
Wide and tolerant...
The knowledge, mercy, power and forgiveness of Allah are large and have encompassed everything. Nothing can be concealed from His knowledge; there is no limit to His generosity and grants.
al-HAKIM (the PERFECTLY WISE)
He Whose every action is pure wisdom...
Allah is perfectly wise. He has no useless, meaningless and coincidental actions. Every command and judgment of His has endless uses and benefits in all aspects. Every creature that He created and every deed that He does are related to the order of the universe. There is no incidence or action that contradicts the general order of the universe.
al-WADUD (the LOVING ONE)
He Who loves His good servants, and bestows his compassion and content upon them, Who is the only being worthy of being loved...
al-MAJID (the GLORIOUS)
He Whose personality is honorable, Whose deeds are nice, Who is worthy of all kinds of praise...
There are two important elements in the meaning of that name:
The First: He is inapproachable due to His greatness and power.
The Second: He is praised and loved due to His lofty characters and nice deeds…
al-BAITH (the RESURRECTOR)
He Who brings the dead to life, and raises them from their tombs; He Who brings out what is hidden in the hearts...
In the hereafter, Allah, the Exalted, will resurrect people and raise them from their tombs after they die and become soil; He will call them to account together with their spirits and bodies; then He will reward or punish them together with their spirits and bodies.
ash-SHAHID (the WITNESS)
He Who knows the outward aspects of events and Who is present everywhere and observes all things...
Allah is Alim since He knows everything absolutely. He is khabir since He knows the mysteries and inward aspects of events. He is shahid since He knows the outward aspects of events.
al-HAQQ (the TRUTH)
He Whose existence remains unchanged...
The personality of Allah does not accept non-existence; it does not accept any changes, either. It is only Allah Who exists really.
Al-WAKIL (the TRUSTEE)
He Who manages the affairs of those who duly commit them to His charge, and who completes them in the best way...
A person who is asked to do something is called a trustee. Allah is the best and perfect trustee. It is He who takes care of, directs and manages affairs. He does not need any trustees in any of His affairs. Allah, the Exalted, completes the affairs of those who trusts Him.
al-QAWIYY (the STRONGEST)
Very strong. Very powerful...
al-MATIN (the FIRM)
Very steadfast. Having intense power...
Allah is Qawiyy since He is the owner of a full power; He is Matin since His Power is very intense.
al-WALIYY (the GOVERNOR)
He Who is the friend of His good slaves and who helps them...
Allah is the friend of His beloved slaves. He helps them. He relieves them of their troubles and hardships, and gives them ease. He makes them successful in their good works. He takes them out of all kinds of darkness and takes them to light. There is no fear and sorrow for those who are Allah’s friends. They never fear when everybody else fears.
al-HAMID (the PRAISEWORTHY)
He Whom all praise belongs to and whom alone the tongues of all creation laud...
Hamd is lauding the great being who owns goodness and praising him through respect and thanks.
Every being glorifies Allah either through their states or tongues. All praising belongs to Him. It is only He who is worthy of respect through praising and thanking, who owns the bounties and who is worthy of worshipping.
al-MUHSI (the APPRAISER)
He Who knows the number of every single thing...
It is Allah Who surrounds everything with His knowledge and knows the number of everything and counts all of them fully.
al-MUBDI’ (the ORIGINATOR)
He Who creates all creatures initially without matter or model...
Mubdi means invention in a sense. The name Muid also means invention. If something similar to an invention was created before, the word iada is used; if the invention is something that has no similarity or model, the word ibda is used.
al-MUID (the RESTORER)
He Who recreates His creatures after He has annihilated them...
When everything completes the lifespan ordained for it and dies, nobody else but Allah remains; however, Allah revives the people who disappeared although they existed in the hereafter; He creates them again. Then, He calls them to account.
al-MUHYI (the GIVER of LIFE)
He Who confers life, gives vitality, revives....
Millions of beings are given life and born every day, every hour and every second. They take place through the command, creation and permission of Allah. Allah gives life out of nothing, or, He can revive the dead. It is called ihya, that is, reviving. It is very easy for Allah, who can create things out of nothing, to revive the dead.
al-MUMIT (the TAKER of LIFE)
He Who creates the death of a living creature...
Allah determines a certain lifespan for every living being that He created. Death is certain for living beings. It is Allah who creates life and death. .
However, death does not mean disappearing and going towards nihility; it is access from the ephemeral and transient life to the permanent and endless life.
al-HAYY (the EVER-LIVING ONE)
The living one Who knows everything and whose strength is sufficient for everything...
Allah, the Exalted, will not die; He is always alive. It is He who gives life to living beings. But for Him, there would be no life. He is free from all kinds of temporariness, declining and mistakes.
al-QAYYUM (the SELF-EXISTING ONE)
He Who maintains the heavens, the earth, and everything that exists....
Allah, the Exalted, created causes for everything to stand until their ordained time. Therefore, everything stands thanks to Allah.
al-WAJID (the FINDER)
He Who needs nothing; He who finds whatever He wishes whenever He wishes; He who is never deprived of the things that are necessary for Him...
al-MAJID (the GLORIOUS)
He, Whose dignity and glory are most great, and whose generosity and munificence are bountiful...
The generosity and favors of Allah towards His slaves that are familiar to Him are too much to express or measure. For instance, He makes them have high ethics and do good deeds and then He praises them due to those good deeds and the distinguished characters they have. He forgives their mistakes and eliminates their bad deeds.
al-WAHID (the UNIQUE)
He Who is Single…
Absolutely without partner or equal in His Essence, Attributes, Actions, Names and Decrees...
as-SAMAD (the ETERNAL)
He Who is the only recourse for the ending of need and the removal of affliction; the one Who is applied to for needs and requests; the one to Whom all desires and requests are presented...
Allah is the unique recourse for every requester. All of the needy people in the world and in the sky turn to Him, give their hearts to Him, open their hands and beg Him. He is the only being Who deserves them.
al-QADIR (the ALL-POWERFUL)
He Who is Able to do what He wills as He wills...
al-MUQTADIR (the CREATOR OF ALL POWER)
He Who disposes at His will even of the strongest and mightiest of His creatures...
Allah has absolute and limitless power over everything. Since He has power over everything, He creates whatever He wants and He creates as much power and strength as He wants in it.
al-MUQADDIM (the EXPEDITER)
He Who brings forward whatever He wills...
Allah created all of the beings. However, He brought forward only those that He selected. He elevated some people over some people by degrees in terms of religion or the world. However, that elevation and selection took place because the slaves deserved it due to their deeds.
al-MUAKHKHIR (the DELAYER)
He Who sets back or delays whatever He wills...
Allah brings forward or delays whatever He wills; He sometimes does not complete the attempts of His slaves when they want and delays them. There are many reasons and wisdoms of it. One should search and try to understand those wisdoms.
al-AWWAL (the FIRST)
He Who comes before every being, He Who does not have a beginning...
Allah is before all of the beings; There is no precedence before His existence. No beginning is ever in question for Him.
al-AKHIR (the LAST)
He Who has no end...
Everything comes to an end and goes towards annihilation; Only He remains. There is no end to His existence. There is no beginning or end for Him.
az-ZAHIR (the MANIFEST ONE)
He Who is Evident; He Who is known by definite evidence...
The existence of Allah is more obvious than everything. Every view that we see, every song that we hear, everything that we hold, everything that our tongue tastes, every meaning that we study on, in short, everything that we have perceived up to now whether inside us or outside witness His existence, oneness and the attributes of perfection.
al-BATIN (the HIDDEN ONE)
He Who is hidden, concealed; He Who cannot be comprehended through sense organs...
The existence of Allah is both evident and hidden. .
It is evident because even those without eyes have seen the evidence and signs that inform us about His existence and even the deaf have heard the general witnessing of things about the reality of that high being.
It is hidden because we cannot comprehend His essence. However, we know His existence definitely.
al-WALI (the GOVERNOR)
He Who arranges the affairs of the beings.
He Who administers this vast universe and all its passing phenomena all alone...
Allah is the only and greatest governor that manages all of the beings. The administration of other governors and sovereigns is through His permission. And their governance and administration are incomplete.
Allah’s governance and measures are limited, real and genuine. Everything is under His command and will. Nothing happens in His property without His knowing.
al-MUTAALI (the SUPREME ONE)
He is exalted in every respect, far beyond anything the mind could possibly attribute to His creatures...
For instance, the following is said about a rich man, “This man may turn out to be poor tomorrow” and the man can be poor though he was rich. However, it is impossible to think about such possibilities for Allah. He is free from all kinds incompleteness, weakness, mistakes and faults.
al-BARR (SOURCE of ALL GOODNESS)
He who treats His servants tolerantly, and Whose goodness and kindness are very great indeed...
Allah always wants ease and comfort for His slaves; He does not want hardship for them, and He does not like those who cause hardship. He forgives the bad deeds that are committed and covers them. He gives at east 10 rewards for one good deed. If the slave intends to do a good deed but he does not do it, He regards it to have been done and gives reward for it. He does not punish bad deeds unless they are committed.
at-TAWWAB (the ACCEPTOR to REPENTANCE)
He Who accepts repentance and forgives sins...
al-MUNTAQIM (the AVENGER)
He Who justly inflicts upon wrongdoers the punishment they deserve...
Allah has avenge. It is He who breaks the back of rebels, overcomes the murderers and who cuts the transgressors down to size.
al-AFUWW (the PARDONER)
He Who pardons a lot...
Allah annihilates sins; he regards them as they have not been committed.
That name is similar to the name al-Ghafur. However, there is a slight difference. Ghufran means to cover the sins. Aff means to eradicate them. To eradicate something is better than to cover it.
ar-RAUF (the KIND)
He who is very compassionate...
The favors, generosity and compassion of Allah to beings especially human beings are too vast and great to express or measure.
MALIKU’L-MULK (the OWNER of ALL PROPERTY)
Allah is both the owner and the king of all property. He manages His property as He wishes. Nobody has the right to oppose and criticize His management. He gives to whomever He wishes and He takes from whomever He wishes. He needs no partners of helpers in His property.
DHU’L-JALALI wa’l-IKRAM (the LORD of MAJESTY and BOUNTY)
He Who possesses both greatness and gracious magnanimity...
Jalal means greatness and loftiness. All of the superiority that indicates greatness belongs to Allah.
Allah is also the owner of great goodness and generosity. The numerous and unlimited bounties that are continuously flow towards the creatures are the grace and grant of Allah. No one has any rights on even the slightest amount of those bounties.
al-MUQSIT (the EQUITABLE ONE)
He Who does everything with proper balance and harmony.
He Who has mercy on the oppressed person and protects him from the oppressor.
al-JAMI’ (the GATHERER)
He Who brings together what He wills, when He wills, where He wills.
He Who brings and holds together the things that resemble or do not resemble to one another and the things that are opposite to one another...
Allah is going to bring together again the atoms of our bodies that decayed and dispersed into water, air and soil; He is going to rebuild our bodies.
Allah brings together both the things that resemble one another and the beings that are different from one another. He makes them live together. That Allah holds together the opposite things like heat and cold, dryness and humidity is the manifestations of Allah’s name, al-Jami’.
al-GHANIYY (the RICH ONE)
He Who is infinitely rich and completely independent.
He Who does not need anything; hH who does not have to apply to anyone by any means since He has everything with Him.
al-MUGHNI (the ENRICHER)
He Who enriches anyone He likes...
Allah, the Exalted, makes anyone He likes rich, makes him live as a rich person all his life. He makes anyone He likes live as a poor person all his life.
He makes some of His rich slaves poor and some of His poor slaves rich..
“On the day of Judgment, poverty and wealth will not be accounted for; the patience shown against poverty and the gratitude shown for wealth will be accounted.
The question is not to be very poor or very rich; it is to show patience a lot or to thank a lot.” (Yahya bin Muadh)
al-MANI’ (the PREVENTER)
He Who does not allow something to happen...
We have many desires and wishes, some of which are good and some are bad; they appear one after another. They will not end before we die... We keep on working in order to obtain those desires and wishes. Each desire or wish depends on some causes and those causes depend on the command of Allah, who is al-Mani’ and al-Mu’ti. Allah, the Exalted, gives those who wishes things if He wants; then, the causes that the person wishes happen at once. That is the meaning of His name, al-Mu’ti. Allah does not allow some wishes. Then, the causes that the person wishes do not take place no matter how hard he tries. That is the manifestation of His name al-Mani’.
To prevent the disasters and misfortunes that will affect His slaves and to return them are the manifestations of His name, al-Mani’.
ad-DARR (the DISTRESSER)
He Who creates things that cause pain and injury...
an-NAFI’ (the CREATOR of GOOD)
He Who creates things that yield advantages and benefit...
It is Allah Who creates useful and harmful things, Who creates the good and evil. Man receives good things and bad things based on some causes but those causes are not the owners and makers of those advantages and harms but veils.
an-NUR (the LIGHT)
He Who gives light to all the worlds, Who illuminates the faces, minds and hearts of His servants...
The light that illuminates all of the things originates from the light of the personality of Allah because He is the light of the skies and the earth.
Every particle that the sun illuminates is the proof of the existence of the sun; similarly, the illumination seen in every particle of the universe is the proof of the existence of the Creator of that illumination.
al-HADI (the GUIDE)
He Who creates guidance.
He Who enables the ones that He likes among His slaves to follow good and profitable ways to be successful and to attain what they want.
He Who teaches each creature what they need and what they need to do...
Guidance is Allah’s showing the ways of goodness and happiness to His slaves to attain their goals through His blessing and generosity and taking them to those ways. Only showing the ways and causes of the way of goodness is called irshad (guidance) and making them walk on that way till they attain their goals is called tawfiq (success).
al-BADI’ (the INCOMPRABLE)
He Who is without model or match, and Who brings into being worlds of amazing wonder...
He Who is matchless in terms of His personality and attributes...
Badi’ means mubdi, that is, one who invents something that has no model or match.
al-BAQI (the EVERLASTING ONE)
He Whose existence has no end...
That name denotes the “maintenance of existence”. The maintenance of existence means not having a beginning or an end. Allah, the Exalted, is called al-Qadim because He has no beginning and He is called al-Baqi because He has no end. The names al-Azali and al-Abadi are similar in meaning.
The existence of Allah is not included in the notion of time in terms of maintenance because time is a notion that shows the degrees of the flow towards eternity beginning from the moment when the universe was created. When there was no universe, there was no time, either, but Allah existed. The universe will end; time will end; but, Allah is al-BAQI.
al-WARITH (the INHERITOR of ALL)
He Who is the Real Owner of all riches when the permanent owners of the riches disappear empty-handed...
Allah, the Exalted, is both the real owner and the real inheritor of all property. Both the ownership and inheritance of people are temporary and have a period. The real inheritor of the property is Allah, Who is the owner of all property. On the Day of Judgment, all living beings will die and all of the property will be left to Him.
ar-RASHID (the RIGHTEOUS TEACHER)
He Who moves all things in accordance with His eternal plan, bringing them with order and wisdom to their ultimate destiny;
He Who puts everything in its place; He Who puts everything in order in the perfect way...
The name ar-Rashid has two meanings:
1. He Who shows the right and safe path. In this sense, it has the same meaning as al-Hadi.
2. He none of Whose works is vain and useless; He Who is never mistaken in any of His measures; He none of Whose appreciation is reasonless.
as-SABUR (the PATIENT ONE)
Allah never hurries to do something before its due time. He ordains some time for the things He will do and apply them based on the laws He has imposed when they are due. He does not delay the time He has ordained like a lazy person does. He does not try to do something before its due time like a hasty person does. On the contrary, He does things when they are due.
* Other names of Allah:
The number of the names of Allah is not limited with 99. Some other names apart from those 99 names are attributed to Allah in verses and hadiths.
Some other names that are attributed to Allah are as follows:
al-Ahad instead of al-Wahid, al-Qahir instead of al-Qahhar, ash-Shakir instead of ash-Shakur; al-Kafi, ad-Daim, al-Munawwar, as-Siddiq, al-Muhit, al-Qarib, al-Witr, al-Fatir, al-Allam, al-Akram, al-Mudabbir, ar-Rafî’, Dhuttawl, Dhulmaarij, Dhulfadl, al-Khallaq, al-Mawla, an-Nasir, al-Ghalib, al-Hannan, al-Mannan...
The name Allah is mentioned 2800 times in the Quran. The second mostly mentioned name in the Quran is Rab It is mentioned in 960 places.
The other mostly mentioned names after the name Rab in the Quran are the names ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim and Malik.
The original meaning of the word Rab, which includes the meanings to train, to nurture, to raise, is “the one who elevates someone by degrees and protects him until he reaches perfection.”
4-)
What does belief in Allah mean? Is it possible for us to see Allah and to comprehend His true nature?
It is fard for every Muslim to believe that Allah has all of the beautiful attributes and that He is free from imperfect attributes.
The attributes that have to be accepted regarding Allah are as follows:
• Existence (Wujud):
That attribute expresses that Allah exists. The existence of Allah does not depend on any other being; it is His necessary attribute. Therefore, the attribute of “Necessary Being” is used for Allah.
The opposite of existence, that is, non-existence (adam) cannot be considered about Allah.
To claim the non-existence of Allah necessitates denying the universe and the beings in the universe because it is He who creates everything.
• Qidam (Pre-eternity):
It means Allah, the Exalted, has no beginning. Allah, the Exalted, is pre-eternal. He has always existed. He was not created afterwards. It is impossible to imagine a moment that Allah did not exist. In fact, it is He who created time and place. Therefore, He is free from the conditions of time and place.
Huduth (origination in time) which is the opposite of pre-eternity is not in question for Allah, the Exalted.
• Baqa (Everlastingness):
Allah’s existence is without ending; He is always present.
As Allah’s existence has no beginning, it has no ending. He is both pre-eternal and eternal.
The opposite of baqa, that is, fana, means to have an ending. It is out of question for Allah.
• Mukhalafa lil-hawadith (Non-resemblance to the creatures):
It means Allah’s non-resemblance to the creatures that were created later.
Allah does not resemble to any of His creatures in person or in terms of His attributes.
Allah defines His personality as follows in the Quran:
“There is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).” (ash-Shura 11)
Our Prophet says the following confirming that meaning:
“Allah is other than what comes to your mind.”
• Qiyam bi Nafsihi (Self-existence):
It means Allah continues to exist without needing any other beings or places.
All of the beings originated afterwards. Therefore, they need a Creator and a place. However, the existence of Allah, who is the Creator of everything, is not dependent on anything.
If Allah had needed another being in order to exist, then, he would have been a creature and would not have been the Creator of everything.
• Wahdaniyyah (Oneness):
It means the oneness of Allah.
That attribute expresses that Allah is one in his personality, attributes and actions and that he has no partners in his sovereignty and activities.
The opposite of that attribute, taaddud (being more than one) and tasharruk (having a partner) cannot be thought of about Allah.
In Islam, even in all of the true religions, the belief of oneness of Allah (tawhid) forms the base of all of the religious beliefs. No belief or deed is valid unless one has the belief of oneness in his heart. Therefore, first of all, Islam presents the mankind with the belief of oneness and calls the mankind to accept that Allah is one and to make him free from any associates. The most important point that true religions differ from wrong religions is that point.
The most important truth after accepting the existence of Allah is the belief of oneness. Belief in Allah has no significance and value without the belief of oneness.
Some of the verses that mention the oneness of Allah and the belief of tawhid in the Quran are as follows:
“Say: He is Allah the One and Only.” (al-Ikhlas, 1).
“Is there a Creator, other than Allah, to give you Sustenance from heaven or earth?” (Fatir, 3).
“Nor is there any god along with Him: (if there were many gods), behold, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have lorded it over others.” (al-Mu’minun, 91)
“If there were in the heavens and the earth, other gods besides Allah, there would have been ruin in both!” (al-Anbiya, 22)
Those 6 attributes are called the essential attributes of Allah. Those attributes are obligatory (wajib) attributes about the existence of Allah.
• Hayah (Life):
It means God Almighty is qualified with the attribute of life.
That attribute, which is obligatory for God Almighty, is not like the one that originates from the combination of matter and spirit seen in the creatures and it is pre-eternal and post-eternal. It is the real life that is the origin of all lives.
The attribute of life is closely connected with the attributes of perfection like Knowledge, Will and Power. The being that has those attributes must have life because a dead being cannot have attributes like knowledge, will and power.
The opposite of the attribute of life is death. It is impossible for Allah.
• Ilm (Knowledge):
It means Allah knows everything, and His knowledge surrounds everything.
The Creator that created this world in the best way and perfect order and that rules it must know the things that He created including the finest details. How can something whose benefit, necessity and wisdom are not known be created? Then, it is necessary for the Creator first to know something then to create it in accordance with the necessities of knowledge in order to create it. In addition, to reward people with belief and good deeds and punish people who disobey and go astray is only possible through knowing the details of what those people do.
The opposite of knowledge is ignorance, heedlessness and forgetfulness. They cannot be thought about Allah.
• Iradah (Will):
It means Allah wishes something to happen like that and not happen like this; it means He determines everything as He wishes.
Everything that happened and will happen in the universe happened or will happen through the wish or will of Allah. Whatever he wishes takes place; whatever he does not wish never takes place. The following is stated in the Quran regarding the issue:
“Allah createth what He willeth; when He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it `Be', and it is!” (Aal-i-Imran, 47) In a hadith, the following is stated: “Whatever Allah willed took place; whatever He did not will did not take place.”
• Qudrah (Power):
Power means that God Almighty does things on beings in accordance with His will and knowledge; it means He has the power to do and to create everything.
The universe that we see and the beauties and the unerring order it has is the greatest proof that Allah has endless power and He has power over all things.
• Takwin (Creating):
Takwin means inventing and creating. Takwin is defined as creating something out of nothing, bringing into existence.
All of the actions of God Almighty like creating, giving sustenance and bounties, punishing, reviving and killing are the products of the attribute of takwin. They are regarded as its manifestations.
Qudrah and takwin are attributes of perfection; their opposite is weakness, which is impossible for Allah.
• Sam’ (Hearing) and Basar (Sight):
They mean that Allah hears everything and sees everything.
The concepts like distance – nearness, secrecy – openness, darkness – light do not act as barriers for the hearing and sight of Allah.
He hears the whispers in us and the prayers that we say in our hearts. He answers them in accordance with His wisdom.
It is mentioned a lot of times in the Quran that God Almighty is Sami’ (the All-Hearing) and Basir (the All-Seeing).
The opposites of the attributes of hearing and sight are blindness and deafness, which are impossible for Allah.
• Kalam (Speech):
It means Allah, the Exalted, speaks without needing letters and voice.
Allah has the attribute of kalam, that is, saying, speaking. That attribute is pre-eternal and post-eternal. Therefore, Allah is also called al-Mutakallim (the Speaker). The Quran is called kalamullah, meaning the word of Allah.
The revelations that Allah sent to His prophets, the divine books He sent to them and the inspirations He sends to His creatures are all the manifestations of His attribute of kalam.
Those attributes are immutable attributes of Allah. They are the attributes whose existence is obligatory and that express perfection.
12-)
Reading Text: The order in the Universe cannot take place on its own
