Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 180

(Ayah 180) ➊ {وَ لِلّٰهِ الْاَسْمَآءُ الْحُسْنٰى: ’’ الْحُسْنٰى ‘‘} is the feminine of {’’اَلْأَحْسَنُ‘‘}, the most beautiful names. By bringing the predicate {’’ لِلّٰهِ ‘‘} first, exclusivity is created, meaning that the most beautiful names and attributes belong solely and only to Allah. It is understood that the way to avoid the misguidance and Hell mentioned in the previous verse is to call upon Him with these very names. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ لِلّٰهِ تِسْعَةً وَّ تِسْعِيْنَ اسْمًا، مِائَةً إِلَّا وَاحِدَةً، مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ ] “Indeed, Allah has ninety-nine names, that is, one less than a hundred; whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise.” [ بخاری، الشروط، باب ما یجوز من الاشتراط … : ۲۷۳۶، عن أبی ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] The meaning of “enumerate” includes to memorize, to count, and to preserve, that is, to have faith in their meanings, to recite them one by one with sincerity for blessing and reward, to memorize them, and to mold one’s actions according to their requirements. The words of the hadith mentioned above have come in many narrations with authentic chains, but in one narration of Tirmidhi, these ninety-nine names are also specified. However, there is almost consensus among the scholars that these names were arranged from the Qur’an by some narrators and included in the narration; otherwise, these names are not in the established narration from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This does not mean that Allah has no other names besides these; rather, many other names have come in the Qur’an and Hadith. Scholars have written books on the Most Beautiful Names; some scholars have extracted more than a thousand Most Beautiful Names from the Qur’an and Hadith, and the reality is that just as Allah’s attributes cannot be counted, so too His names cannot be counted. In an authentic hadith, it is mentioned that Allah has some names which He has not told anyone. Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whenever a person is afflicted with worry or grief, if he recites this supplication, Allah will remove his worry and grief.” It was said to him: “O Messenger of Allah! Should we not learn it?” He said: “Whoever hears it should learn it.” The supplication is: [ اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ عَبْدُكَ وَ ابْنُ عَبْدِكَ وَابْنُ أَمَتِكَ نَاصِيَتِيْ بِيَدِكَ، مَاضٍ فِيَّ حُكْمُكَ، عَدْلٌ فِيَّ قَضَاءُكَ اَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ اَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ اَحَدًا مِّنْ خَلْقِكَ أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِيْ كِتَابِكَ اَوِ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِيْ عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيْعَ قَلْبِيْ وَ نُوْرَ صَدْرِيْ وَجَلَاءَ حُزْنِيْ وَ ذَهَابَ هَمِّيْ ] “O Allah! Indeed, I am Your servant, the son of Your servant, and the son of Your maidservant. My forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is ever executed, Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or taught to any of Your creation, or revealed in Your Book, or kept with Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen, that You make the Qur’an the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the remover of my sorrow, and the reliever of my distress.” [ أحمد : 391/1، ح : ۳۷۱۱ ] Ibn Hibban: (972) and Abu Ya’la (198/9, 199, H: 5297) have some variation in wording.

In this blessed supplication, supplication is made by means of all the names of Allah, and this is clear evidence that Allah’s names are not limited to ninety-nine. In the hadith of intercession, it is mentioned that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will be granted permission to appear before Allah and will fall into prostration, at that time he will praise Allah with such praise that only then Allah will teach him. [ بخاری، التوحید، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی : «وجوہ یومئذ ناضرۃ…» : ۷۴۴۰۔ مسلم : ۱۹۴ ]

➋ {فَادْعُوْهُ بِهَا وَ ذَرُوا الَّذِيْنَ يُلْحِدُوْنَ فِيْۤ اَسْمَآىِٕهٖ:} The personal name of Allah is only one, and that is Allah; the rest are attributive names. It is said to supplicate to Allah with these names and to leave those who deviate concerning His names, that is, who turn away from the straight path. Turning away from the straight path means to invent a name for Him from oneself, or to call Him by a word that diminishes His majesty. In some nations, such names for Allah are common that are used for one among several deities, such as Yazdan, Bhagwan, and Ram, etc.; it is obligatory to avoid using such names for Allah. Another form of deviation is to distort Allah’s names and give them to idols, such as Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat, which are corrupted forms of Allah, Aziz, and Mannan. (Ibn Kathir) Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) has also written another form of deviation: “To use Allah’s names in charms and amulets; even if such people achieve worldly benefit, they will certainly be punished.” (Mawdhih) Another form of deviation in Allah’s names is to deny their clear meanings (this is ta’til), or to distort them and call it interpretation (ta’wil), or to liken them to the creation (this is tashbih), or to say that their meaning is not known at all (this is tafwid). Rather, the correct way is that the meaning of the words containing these attributes is known to all, for example, the meaning of {’’ سَمِيْعٌ‘‘} is “the All-Hearing,” but in a manner befitting Allah’s majesty. As for how it is, what its reality is, that is left to Allah. If any attributive name of Allah in Arabic is translated into one’s own language, there is no harm in it; for example, if “Rabb” is translated as “Lord” or “Sustainer,” or “Razzaq” as “Provider,” this is permissible.