Are Allah’s Names Limited to Ninety-Nine? Detailed Clarification and the Correct Islamic Position
Reference: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Allah’s Names are not restricted to any specific or limited number. This is proven by the authentic ḥadīth in which the Prophet ﷺ supplicated:
«اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّی عَبْدُکَ… أَسْأَلُکَ بِکُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَکَ… أَوْ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِی عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَکَ»
(Musnad Aḥmad 1/391)
Translation:
“O Allah! I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maidservant. My forelock is in Your Hand. Your decree over me is executed; Your judgment upon me is just. I ask You by every Name that belongs to You—by which You have named Yourself, or revealed in Your Book, or taught to any of Your creation, or kept to Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen.”
This shows that there are Divine Names known only to Allah and not disclosed to any creation. Therefore, encompassing all the Names is impossible, and limiting them to a specific number is also impossible.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا، مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ»
(Bukhārī 2736, Muslim 2677)
Translation:
“Indeed, Allah has ninety-nine Names. Whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise.”
This does not mean that Allah has only ninety-nine Names. Rather, it means:
will enter Paradise. The phrase “man aḥṣāhā” (whoever enumerates them) is connected to the previous statement; it is not a restriction on the totality of Allah’s Names.
Example from Arabic usage:
A man might say: “I have one hundred horses prepared for jihad.”
This does not imply he owns only one hundred horses, but that those particular horses are specified for jihad.
◈ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) explained:
The ḥadīth does not mean merely writing or memorizing the Names. It has deeper requirements:
① Memorization of the Words
Preserving and recalling the Names correctly.
② Understanding the Meanings
Studying and comprehending their concepts.
③ Worshiping According to Their Implications
Acting in line with the attributes they represent.
④ Using Them in Supplication
Allah says:
﴿فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا﴾ … الأعراف: 180
“So invoke Him by them.”
Example:
⑤ Observing Their Implications in Worship
For instance:
This is the true meaning of aḥṣāhā which leads to Paradise.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
Reference: Fatāwā Arkān al-Islām
❖ Introduction
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Allah’s Names are not restricted to any specific or limited number. This is proven by the authentic ḥadīth in which the Prophet ﷺ supplicated:
«اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّی عَبْدُکَ… أَسْأَلُکَ بِکُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَکَ… أَوْ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِی عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَکَ»
(Musnad Aḥmad 1/391)
Translation:
“O Allah! I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maidservant. My forelock is in Your Hand. Your decree over me is executed; Your judgment upon me is just. I ask You by every Name that belongs to You—by which You have named Yourself, or revealed in Your Book, or taught to any of Your creation, or kept to Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen.”
This shows that there are Divine Names known only to Allah and not disclosed to any creation. Therefore, encompassing all the Names is impossible, and limiting them to a specific number is also impossible.
❖ The Ḥadīth of Ninety-Nine Names
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا، مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ»
(Bukhārī 2736, Muslim 2677)
Translation:
“Indeed, Allah has ninety-nine Names. Whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise.”
This does not mean that Allah has only ninety-nine Names. Rather, it means:
- Whoever memorizes these ninety-nine Names,
- Understands their meanings,
- Acts according to them,
will enter Paradise. The phrase “man aḥṣāhā” (whoever enumerates them) is connected to the previous statement; it is not a restriction on the totality of Allah’s Names.
Example from Arabic usage:
A man might say: “I have one hundred horses prepared for jihad.”
This does not imply he owns only one hundred horses, but that those particular horses are specified for jihad.
❖ Scholarly Consensus and Ibn Taymiyyah’s Statement
◈ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) explained:
- Ḥadīth scholars agree that the detailed list of ninety-nine Names circulated among some narrations is not authentically established from the Prophet ﷺ.
- Had the Prophet ﷺ listed them explicitly, the Companions would have preserved and transmitted them in the most authentic collections (Bukhārī and Muslim).
- The wisdom behind not listing them was to encourage Muslims to search for them in the Qur’an and Sunnah, thus reflecting their love and diligence in knowing Allah.
❖ True Meaning of Aḥṣāhā (Enumerating the Names)
The ḥadīth does not mean merely writing or memorizing the Names. It has deeper requirements:
① Memorization of the Words
Preserving and recalling the Names correctly.
② Understanding the Meanings
Studying and comprehending their concepts.
③ Worshiping According to Their Implications
Acting in line with the attributes they represent.
④ Using Them in Supplication
Allah says:
﴿فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا﴾ … الأعراف: 180
“So invoke Him by them.”
Example:
- Asking forgiveness: “Yā Ghafūr, ighfir lī” (O Forgiving One, forgive me).
- Seeking protection: “Yā Shadīd al-ʿiqāb, ajirnī min ʿiqābik” (O Severe in punishment, protect me from Your punishment).
⑤ Observing Their Implications in Worship
For instance:
- Believing in Allah’s Name al-Raḥīm requires striving for deeds that bring His mercy.
This is the true meaning of aḥṣāhā which leads to Paradise.
❖ Conclusion
- Allah’s Names are not limited to ninety-nine.
- The ninety-nine mentioned in the ḥadīth are a special set of Names that hold the virtue of Paradise for those who enumerate them correctly.
- Enumerating means memorizing, understanding, applying in worship, and invoking Allah through them — not mere recitation.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
