Allah (4/4)

In reference to God’s Names, the Qur’an employs the term al-Asma al-Husna (the Most Beautiful Names), which is referred to four times in the Qur’an on various occasions. ‘Say Muhammad! Call upon God or call upon the Merciful (al-Rahman); whichsoever you call upon, to Him belongs the names, Most Beautiful’ (Surah Al-Isra’, 17.110).

The Qur’an portrays about fifteen Names of God together in the following verses:

 “He is Allah, than whom there is no other God, the Knower of the invisible and the visible. He is the Beneficent, the Merciful. He is Allah, than whom there is no other God, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the Majestic, the Compeller, and the Superb. Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him). He is Allah, the Creator, the Shaper out of naught, the Fashioner. To Him belong the most beautiful names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him, and He is the Mighty, the Wise”. (Surah Al-Hashr, 59:22–24)

The Qur’an does not present any reference to the number of God’s beautiful names. Traditionally Muslim theologians speak of the ninety-nine names of God. The number can increase to 313, if the names related to God’s actions are included. The number Ninety-Nine derives, in fact, from a tradition narrated by Abu Hurayra in which the Prophet says: ‘There are ninety-nine names of God. Whosoever memorizes and accepts these names will enter paradise.’ In another version of the same hadith all names are listed. Scholars of Islamic theology have come to a consensus that the above-mentioned tradition is not meant to limit the number of God’s names, but to give an idea of his many names. In fact, there are some names, such as al-Nasir (the Helper), al-Mawla (the Friend) and al-Ghalib (the Defeater) cited in the Qur’an, but not found in the list provided by the aforementioned hadith. Furthermore, if one calculates the names mentioned in the two versions of the hadith, the number will rise to 124. The Prophet himself supplicates God with his known and his unknown names as well: ‘I pray to You by the names that you have preserved for Yourself in the realm of the unseen.’

Muslim theologians have developed various categories of Divine Names. One might go on to elaborate on each categorization. Bekir Topalog˘ lu, a prominent theologian in modern Turkey, provides a comprehensive categorization. According to his categorization, the divine names are divided into four groups: those related to God’s essence, to the Universe, to the natural world, and to the human being.

1. The names such as Allah, al-Haqq (the True), al-Awwal (the First), al-Akhir (the Last), al-Baqi (the Permanent), al-Warith (the Inheritor), al-Samad (the Refuge of All) constitute examples of the first group of this category. All of these names define God’s essence, to make the unknowable, knowable and understandable by our mind.

2. The following names represent examples of the second group: al-Khaliq (the Creator), al-Bari (the Originator), al-Mubdi (the Starter), al-Mu’id (the Resurrector), al-Muhyi (the Giver of Life) and al-Mumit (the Giver of Death).

3. The names such as Malik al-Mulk (the Owner of the Kingdom), al-Malik (the Owner), al-Qayyum (the Sustainer), al-Wali (the Ruler), al-Muhaymin (the Sovereign) and al-Hafiz (the Guardian) comprise examples of the third group of this categorization.

4. The names related to human beings seem to be many. The following names represent some of those which involve the examples of the fourth group: al-‘Adl (Justice), al-Hakam (the Keeper of Balance), al-Fattah (the Opener), al-‘Afuww (the Forgiver of Mistakes), al-Ghafur (the Forgiver of Sins), al-Tawwab (the One who Accepts Repentance), al-Halim (the Kind), al-Mujib (the One who Answers all Calls), al-Hasib (the One who Reckons the Deeds of his Servants), al-Wahhab (the One who Gives) and al-Wadud (the Lover and Beloved).

The names of God represented in the Islamic teaching are for the practical purposes of human understanding. There are some names restricted to God, which cannot be used for any other being, for example Allah and al-Rahman. However, we relate some attributes such as living, knowing, desiring, power, hearing and seeing to humans as well as to God, albeit with an evident difference. Human attributes are transient and a pale reflection of reality, while God’s attributes are eternal.

Further reading al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid (1995) The Ninety Nine Beautiful Names of God, trans. and ed. David Burrell and Nazih Daher, Cambridge: The Islamic Texts Society. Cragg, Kenneth (1998) Readings in the Qur’an, London: Collins Religious Publishing, 86–112. Gorden, Christian Van (2003) No God but God: A path to Muslim-Christian dialogue on God’s nature, New York: Orbis Books. McAuliffe, J.D. (1990) ‘Fakhr al-Din al-Razi on God as al-Khaliq’, in D. Burrell and B. McGinn (eds) God and Creation: An ecumenical symposium, Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 276–96.