The Qur'an calls upon Muslims to remember Allah, the One True Almighty God, and to call only upon Him for guidance and help. In the Qur'an, Allah describes Himself to us: the Compassionate, the Merciful, the Loving, the Just. There are dozens of such "names," or attributes, to describe the One True Almighty God in terms that we can understand. In Surah Al-Hashr (59:22-24), the Qur'an says:
"Allah is He, other than Whom there is no other god.
Who knows all things, both secret and open.
He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Allah is He, other than Whom there is no other god.
The Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Guardian of Faith,
the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the justly Proud.
Glory to Allah! High is He above the partners they attribute to Him.
He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator, the Fashioner.
To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.
Whatever is in the heavens and on earth declare His Praises and Glory.
And He is Exalted in Might, the Wise."
To fully understand the depth and meaning of all of these beautiful names, one really needs to ponder and think about them. For example, Allah is the All-Hearer (Al-Basir). Think about it - Allah hears everything, from the buzz of a mosquito's wings, to the rustle of the wind. Every conversation spoken, every thought that you keep to yourself. Language is no barrier, for Allah understands all. To truly ponder on the majesty of Allah makes one humble.
This is what Allah calls us to do - to understand Him through His attributes and names, realize His Omnipotence and Majesty, call upon Him, and humble ourselves to Him.
In the Qur'an, Allah uses dozens of different "names" or attributes, to describe Himself to us. These names help us to understand God's nature in terms that we can understand. These names are known as Asmaa al-Husna (The Most Beautiful Names).
Some Muslims believe that there are ninety-nine such names for God, based on one statement of the Prophet Muhammad. However, the published lists of names are not consistent; some names appear in some lists but not others. There is not a single agreed-upon list which includes only 99 names, and many scholars feel that such a list was never explicitly given by the Prophet Muhammad.
The list below consists of the most common and agreed-upon names, which were explicitly stated in the Qur'an or hadith.
- Allah - The single, proper name for God in Islam
- Ar-Rahman - The Compassionate, The Beneficent
- Ar-Raheem - The Merciful
- Al-Malik - The King, The Sovereign Lord
- Al-Quddoos - The Holy
- As-Salaam - The Source of Peace
- Al-Mu'min - The Guardian of Faith
- Al-Muhaimin - The Protector
- Al-'Aziz - The Mighty, The Strong
- Al-Jabbaar - The Compeller
- Al-Mutakabbir - The Majestic
- Al-Khaaliq - The Creator
- Al-Bari' - The Evolver, The Maker
- Al-Musawwir - The Fashioner
- Al-Ghaffaar - The Great Forgiver
- Al-Qahhaar - The Subduer, The Dominant
- Al-Wahhaab - The Bestower
- Al-Razzaaq - The Sustainer, The Provider
- Al-Fattaah - The Opener, The Reliever
- Al-'Aleem - The All-Knowing
- Al-Qaabid - The Retainer
- Al-Baasit - The Expander
- Al-Khaafid - The Abaser
- Al-Raafi' - The Exalter
- Al-Mu'iz - The Honorer
- Al-Muthil - The Humiliator
- As-Samee' - The All-Hearing
- Al-Baseer - The All-Seeing
- Al-Hakam - The Judge
- Al-'Adl - The Just
- Al-Lateef - The Subtle One
- Al-Khabeer - The Aware
- Al-Haleem - The Forebearing
- Al-'Azeem - The Great One
- Al-Ghafoor - The All-Forgiving
- Ash-Shakoor - The Grateful
- Al-'Aliyy - The Most High
- Al-Kabeer - The Great
- Al-Hafeez - The Preserver
- Al-Muqeet - The Maintainer
- Al-Haseeb - The Reckoner
- Al-Jaleel - The Sublime One
- Al-Kareem - The Generous
- Ar-Raqeeb - The Watcher
- Al-Mujeeb - The Responsive
- Al-Wasi' - The Vast
- Al-Hakeem - The Wise
- Al-Wadood - The Loving
- Al-Majeed - The Glorious
- Al-Ba'ith - The Resurrector
- Ash-Shaheed - The Witness
- Al-Haqq - The Truth
- Al-Wakeel - The Trustee
- Al-Qawiyy - The Strong
- Al-Mateen - The Firm One
- Al-Waliyy - The Supporter
- Al-Hameed - The Praiseworthy
- Al-Muhsee - The Counter
- Al-Mubdi' - The Originator
- Al-Mu'eed - The Reproducer
- Al-Muhyi - The Restorer
- Al-Mumeet - The Destroyer
- Al-Hayy - The Alive
- Al-Qayyoom - The Self-Subsisting
- Al-Waajid - The Perceiver
- Al-Waahid - The Unique
- Al-Ahad - The One
- As-Samad - The Eternal
- Al-Qaadir - The Able
- Al-Muqtadir - The Powerful
- Al-Muqaddim - The Expediter
- Al-Mu'akh-khir - The Delayer
- Al-'Awwal - The First
- Al-'Akhir - The Last
- Az-Zaahir - The Manifest
- Al-Baatin - The Hidden
- Al-Walee - The Governor
- Al-Muta'ali - The Most Exalted
- Al-Barr - The Source of All Goodness
- At-Tawwaab - The Acceptor of Repentance
- Al-Muntaqim - The Avenger
- Al-'Afuww - The Pardoner
- Ar-Ra'uf - The Compassionate
- Malik Al-Mulk - The King of Kings
- Thul-Jalali wal-Ikram - The Lord of Majesty and Bounty
- Al-Muqsit - The Equitable
- Al-Jaami' - The Gatherer
- Al-Ghaniyy - The Self-Sufficient
- Al-Mughni - The Enricher
- Al-Maani' - The Preventer
- Ad-Daarr - The Distresser
- An-Nafi' - The Propitious
- An-Noor - The Light
- Al-Haadi - The Guide
- Al-Badi' - The Incomparable
- Al-Baaqi - The Everlasting
- Al-Waarith - The Inheritor
- Ar-Rasheed - The Guide to the Right Path
- As-Saboor - The Patient
