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Verses 180–186 ​

Chapter 7: Al-Aʿrāf (Elevations) · Printed edition: Volume 16, pp. 233–279

وَ لِلَّهِ الْأَسْماءُ الْحُسْنى‏ فَادْعُوهُ بِها وَ ذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمائِهِ سَيُجْزَوْنَ ما كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ١٨٠ وَ مِمَّنْ خَلَقْنا أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَ بِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ ١٨١ وَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآياتِنا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لا يَعْلَمُونَ ١٨٢ وَ أُمْلِي لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ ١٨٣ أَ وَ لَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا ما بِصاحِبِهِمْ مِنْ جِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ ١٨٤ أَ وَ لَمْ يَنْظُرُوا فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ ما خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِنْ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَ أَنْ عَسى‏ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ ١٨٥ مَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلا هادِيَ لَهُ وَ يَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ١٨٦

  1. To Allah belong the most excellent names, so supplicate Him by them, and abandon those who commit sacrilege in His names. Soon they shall be requited for what they used to do.
  2. Among those We have created are a nation who guide by the truth and do justice thereby.
  3. As for those who deny Our signs, We will draw them imperceptibly [into ruin], whence they do not know.
  4. And I will grant them respite, for My devising is indeed sure.
  5. Have they not reflected that there is no madness in their companion, [and that] he is just a manifest warner?
  6. Have they not contemplated the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and whatever things Allah has created, and that maybe their time has already drawn near? So what discourse will they believe after this?!
  7. Whomever Allah leads astray has no guide, and He leaves them bewildered in their rebellion.

Introduction ​

This section builds on the last section by defining the criterion of guidance and error: it is whether one calls God by His excellent names, or commits sacrilege with respect to His names. All people—whether religious or atheist, educated or illiterate—acknowledge God through their fiṭrah (primal nature, innate disposition, initial makeup). They know intuitively that this visible world depends on a reality that upholds all its parts and gives order to it. That reality is God, from Whom everything originates, and to Whom everything returns. He is the One Who bestows upon the world any beauty or perfection that it has. All is from Him and belongs to Him. Notwithstanding this essential agreement, people can be classified into three groups with respect to their view of God:

(1) Some people describe God with names that are only befitting of Him. These are names that affirm all perfection for God, and negate all defect and deficiency from Him.

(2) Some people commit sacrilege in His names, meaning that they distort the divine names and ascribe them to other beings. Here are some examples of such people:

  1. Atheists and materialists: they ascribe qualities that are exclusively God’s—such as creating, giving life, and providing sustenance—to nature or matter.
  2. Idol-worshipers: they ascribe good and prosperity to their gods.
  3. Some People of the Book, who describe their prophets or saints with divine qualities.
  4. Some believers [that is, Muslims in particular, or monotheists more generally] who treat the means and instruments in the world as independent causes, while the only independent force in the world is God.

(3) Some people believe in God, but they too commit sacrilege in His names through ascribing certain qualities and actions to Him that are not befitting of Him. Here are some examples of such beliefs:

  1. God is physical.
  2. He has a location.
  3. He can be perceived with our senses in certain conditions.
  4. His knowledge, will and power are like our knowledge, will and power.
  5. His existence endures in time.
  6. It is possible for wrong actions or ignorant rulings to issue from Him.

All of these are forms of committing sacrilege with respect to His names.

These three groups can be further generalized into two groups in reality: (i) One group calls God through His excellent names. They worship Allah, Who is possessor of glory and grace. They are those who are guided to the truth. (ii) Another group commits sacrilege in His name, through either applying His names to other beings, or applying their names to Him. They are straying, and their path leads to hell, although they are at different levels and degrees of error.

God further clarifies that all guidance is from Him. Guidance is a positive quality, and its reality belongs to God. Meanwhile, it is not possible to attribute ḍalāl (misguidance, straying, error) to God whatsoever. The reality of ḍalāl is lacking God’s guidance, which makes it a privative and non-existential quality. Yet, sometimes it is used as a quality that the person “possesses” or an inseparable trait of a soul. What is meant in these cases is being deprived and cut off from God’s blessing. This is itself a divine punishment for those who choose error over guidance. It is how God penalizes those who reject His signs and communications. It is in this sense that the Qur’an attributes ḍalāl to God. His role here is to give them respite (imlāʾ) and lead them step-by-step into temptation (istidrāj).

The previous set of verses said that guidance and error are all from God []. These verses elaborate on the essence and reality of that. They clarify that one’s guidance depends on calling God by His excellent names—and all excellent names belong to God—while one’s error is a result of committing sacrilege in His names. A group of people are guided by God’s guidance, such that they do not deviate from Him to others. And a group of people stray, deviate from His names, and deny His signs. God drives the second group to hell because of denying His signs and communications, as He said: Certainly We have created for hell many of the jinn and humans… (). He does this through a gradual process of leaving them on their own and giving them respite.

Commentary ​

وَ لِلَّهِ الْأَسْماءُ الْحُسْنى‏ فَادْعُوهُ بِها وَ ذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمائِهِ سَيُجْزَوْنَ ما كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ١٨٠

(7:180) To Allah belong the most excellent names (al-asmāʾ al-ḥusná), so supplicate Him by them, and abandon those who commit sacrilege in His names. Soon they shall be requited for what they used to do.

Linguistically speaking, the word ism (name, noun) is something that serves to denote and indicate something. This can be in two ways: (1) Sometimes it is a word that indicates a certain meaning, such as non-proper nouns. (2) Sometimes it is a proper noun that refers to a certain being, such as Zayd and ʿAmr. The latter is especially true about improvised proper nouns [which are unprecedented by any particular meaning]. The word al-ḥusná is the feminine form of aḥsan (best, most beautiful, most excellent). This shows that what is meant by “names” here is not merely proper names, but names that indicate a meaning and describe the qualities of the being. In fact, one may question whether any of God’s names is purely a proper name. Furthermore, the verse is not merely about meaningful and descriptive names, but names that have an element of ḥusn (goodness, beauty, excellence); and not just that, but the highest degree of ḥusn when compared to other names with respect to God. For instance, “courageous” and “self-restrained” are good qualities, but they are not applicable to God’s sanctity since they imply an integral element of physicality that cannot be stripped from them. If such elements [of deficiency and materiality] can be divested of a name, then it can be applied to God, such as al-Jawād (the Generous), al-ʿAdl (the All-Just) and al-Raḥīm (the Ever-Merciful).

Therefore, an “excellent name” of God would be a name that has two properties: (1) It denotes a quality of perfection. (2) It is free from all defect, and unmixed with any non-existential aspect, unless it can be divested and abstracted from that aspect. The second condition refers to anything that implies some need or deficiency on the part of God, such as being physical, having physical properties, committing evil, being unjust or having a lack.

It should be noted that all divine names are still part of our language. They are words that we have designed for human applications, which always have an element of limitation, need and imperfection. However, even though all these names and qualities originate from the limited world of human existence, they can be classified into two types: (1) There are some concepts that are inherently limited, such that we cannot negate their element of need and deficiency. Some examples are body, color and size. (2) There are other concepts that can be divested from human limitations, such as knowledge, power and life. In the case of human knowledge, we develop a mental image of something from the outside world through our physical senses. Our knowledge is to conceptually encompass that mental image. Human power is the capacity to act through the physical movement of our muscles. Human life is our state of having knowledge and power through the means and instruments of each. None of these qualities is befitting of God, but we can strip their material aspects from their core meanings. Then knowledge would be encompassing something through the presence of that thing before the knower. Power would be the capacity to give existence to something. And life would be the quality of having knowledge and power. These abstracted meanings can be safely applied to God, since they are free from the human aspects of limitation and need.

Based on both rational proof and scriptural evidence, all qualities of perfection belong to God. He is the One Who bestows these qualities upon other beings without any previous model or example to follow. Hence, God is Knowledgeable, Powerful, and Living. He does not possess these attributes in the way that we do, but in a way that is appropriate to His precinct of sanctity, which means the reality and essence of these perfections, without any element of imperfection.

The verse literally says, “Belong to God the most excellent names,” where the predicate (Belong to God) precedes the subject (the most excellent names). This way of expression indicates exclusivity. Al-asmāʾ is a plural noun (asmāʾ) used with the article al-. Such usage shows universality and encompassment. This means that all beautiful names in existence belong to God alone, and no one else has any part in them. Nevertheless, we see [in the Qur’an] that God sometimes describes others with these qualities—such as knowledge, life, creation and mercy. Therefore, what is meant here is that the reality of these qualities exclusively belongs to Him.

This is confirmed by the apparent meaning—or rather, by the explicit text—of many verses, such as: that power, altogether, belongs to Allah (); all honor belongs to Allah (); they do not comprehend anything of His knowledge except what He wills (); He is the Living One, there is no god except Him (). These verses show that the reality of any quality of excellence and perfection belongs to God alone. No other being has any share of these qualities except to the extent and in the way that He bestows upon them according to His will.

The same can be inferred from other verses that talk about God’s names in plural: Allah—there is no god except Him—to Him belong the most excellent names (); Say: Invoke “Allah” or invoke “the All-Merciful.” Whichever [of His Names] you may invoke, to Him belong the most excellent names (); To Him belong the most excellent names. Whatever there is in the heavens glorifies Him and [whatever there is in] the earth (). The apparent meaning of all these verses is that the reality of any beautiful name belongs to God alone.

Some exegetes have suggested that the article al- in al-asmāʾ [“the” in the most excellent names] is a definite article. However, this is an unwarranted interpretation, and there is no evidence for it in the verses. This interpretation stems from certain narrations which enumerate the most excellent names of God. We shall discuss them in our next examination of the narrations, by God’s will.

… so supplicate Him (fa-udʿūhu, from daʿwah) by them…: The word daʿwah can have three meanings: (1) Naming. When someone is given a certain name or title, it is said: daʿawtuhu Zaydan or daʿawtuka ʿAbd-Allāh. (2) Calling. The meaning would be: Call God by these names like O All-Merciful, O Ever-Merciful. (3) Worshiping. The meaning would be: Worship God while you admit that He possesses these excellent qualities and beautiful meanings.

Exegetes have offered all of the above three interpretations, but the usage of duʿāʾ in other similar contexts in the Qur’an favors the last. Here are a few examples:

  1. A verse that we already quoted above: Say: Invoke (udʿū) “Allah” or invoke “the All-Merciful.” Whichever [of His Names] you may invoke, to Him belong the most excellent names ().
  2. Your Lord has said, “Call Me (udʿūnī), and I will answer you!” Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship (ʿibādatī) will enter hell in utter disgrace (). In this verse, the words duʿāʾ (call) and ʿibādah (worship, service) are used interchangeably.
  3. Another similar substitution is found in these verses: Who is more astray than him who invokes (yadʿū) besides Allah such as would not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and who are oblivious of their invocation (duʿāʾihim)? When humankind are mustered [on the Day of Judgement] they will be their enemies, and they will disavow their worship (ʿibādatihim) ().
  4. He is the Living One, there is no god except Him. So supplicate Him (fa-udʿūhu), putting exclusive faith in Him (). What is meant here is exclusive worship (ʿibādah) of God.

The above interpretation is also confirmed by the subsequent part of this very verse: and abandon those who commit sacrilege in His names. Soon they shall be requited for what they used to do (). The verse talks about being requited for their actions. If the intended meaning of supplicate Him by them was that “you should give these names to God” or “you should call Him with these names” then the verse should have ended by referring to their speech and descriptions—much like the verse: Soon He will requite them for their descriptions (waṣfahum) ()—not by referring to their actions. Nevertheless, naming and calling are also implications of worship.

The meaning is: “All names that are the best of names belong to God. So worship Him and turn to Him through these names.” God knows best.

… and abandon those who commit sacrilege (yulḥidūna) in His names…: The word in the verse can be recited as either yalḥadūna, derived from laḥd; or as yulḥidūna, derived from ilḥād (following the transitive verbal pattern ifʿāl). The two are synonymous. Both laḥd and ilḥād mean “inclining from the middle to one side.” Laḥad is a part of a grave that is on one side, as opposed to ḍarīḥ, which is in the middle. It is narrated from some lexicographers that laḥd means “inclining to one side,” while ilḥād means “dispute, quarrel.”

… Soon they shall be requited for what they used to do: This part of the verse is not connected to the previous part with a conjunction [like and, or, then, so, because]. The reason for this is that the sentence serves to answer an implied question (called a prolepsis). When the verse says: abandon those who commit sacrilege in His names, one would naturally ask, “What will happen to them?” The verse explains: Soon they shall be requited for what they used to do.

There is more to discuss on the topic of God’s most excellent names, which we shall continue after we finish the exposition of this set of verses, by God’s will.

وَ مِمَّنْ خَلَقْنا أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَ بِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ ١٨١

(7:181) Among those We have created are a nation who guide by the truth and do justice thereby.

We discussed some of the points relating to this verse under a similar verse above: Among the people of Moses is a nation who guide [the people] by the truth and do justice thereby (). The current verse is in a set of verses that divide all humankind into either guided or misguided. Based on the previous verse, the criterion for this division is whether one calls God through the best names that befit Him, or one commits sacrilege with respect to His names. The verse is saying that humankind consists of some group—either small or large—that are truly guided.

What is intended here is genuine guidance and misguidance, which are attributable to God’s doing: Whomever Allah guides is rightly guided (al-muhtadī), and whomever He leads astray—it is they who are the losers (). Muhtadī is derived from ihtidāʾ (being guided, receiving guidance). If one is truly guided (muhtadī), it shows that the person has received genuine guidance (hidāyah), which can only come from God as its sole possessor.

God’s act of guidance does not fail or miss its objective in any way. It secures one from error and straying. We discussed this under other verses such as: So if these disbelieve in them, We have certainly entrusted them to a people who will never disbelieve in them (). Furthermore, one who guides to the truth cannot receive guidance from anyone other than God. This is inferred from the verse: Is He who guides to the truth worthier to be followed, or he who guides not unless he is [himself] guided? (). The reader should reflect on this.

Given the above explanations, the ascription of guidance to the nation mentioned in this verse shows that they are immune from error and fault through clinging and subscribing to God. This can be interpreted in two ways: (1) The entire nation in this verse has this infallibility, which means that the verse is specifically about the prophets and saints. (2) The verse uses the quality of some members of a group to describe the whole. There are other examples of this usage in the Qur’an: Certainly We gave the Children of Israel the Book, judgement and prophethood (); He [God] made you [O Children of Israel] kings (); that you may be witnesses to the people (). In these verses, only a subset of the audience is characterized by the qualities described in the verse. God knows best.

The meaning is: We do not expect from you something that is unfeasible and beyond human capability, because among those We have created are a nation who are genuinely covered with divine guidance, and who guide to the truth. This is because God has blessed them with His particular guidance.

وَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآياتِنا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لا يَعْلَمُونَ ١٨٢

(7:182) As for those who deny Our signs, We will draw them imperceptibly [into ruin] (sa-nastadrijuhum, from istidrāj), whence they do not know.

Istidrāj is “to raise or lower something or someone step by step.” It is to gradually approach something or some place. Given the verse’s context, what is meant here is to approach ruin and destruction, either in this world or in the hereafter.

… whence they do not know: This qualification means that they do not see, feel, or realize their gradual damnation. This is because they are completely engrossed in the apparent glamor, pleasures and occupations of the material life.

There are two possible interpretations for istidrāj (gradual ruin) in this verse:

(1) They constantly get closer to their own destruction through adding to their wrongdoing, but they do not pause to reflect on their grim end since God keeps renewing and perpetuating His material bounties upon them. We discussed this idea under the verses: Then We changed the evil for good until they multiplied [in numbers] (); Never be misled by the bustle of the faithless in the towns. It is a trivial enjoyment; then their refuge is hell, and it is an evil resting place ().

(2) Those who deny the signs and communications of God cut off themselves from the remembrance of their Lord. They cling to the apparent means and instruments in order to secure themselves. As a result, they lose inner peace and the composure of the heart. This is their punishment; they are afflicted by inner agitation, anxiety and stress. The means and sources that they hope in will fail them, and difficulties will pile up on them. They think that this is what life is all about, not realizing the true meaning of a blissful life. Hence they fall into a vicious cycle: they continue seeking and accumulating the adornments of this world, and see that as an extension and increase of blessings upon them. But that only adds to their punishment, until they eventually land on eternal punishment in the hereafter, which will be most calamitous and bitter (). This is how they are on a slippery slope toward punishment from when they deny the signs and communications of their Lord, until they encounter their day, which they are promised (, ).

The second interpretation can be matched with these verses: Lo! The hearts find rest in Allah’s remembrance (); But whoever disregards My remembrance, he shall have a tight life (); So let not their wealth and children impress you: Allah only desires to punish them with these in the life of this world, and that their souls may depart while they are faithless (). However, this sense of istidrāj is not compatible with the next verse: And I will grant them respite (). Hence, we must go with the first interpretation.

وَ أُمْلِي لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ ١٨٣

(7:183) And I will grant them respite (umlī, from imlāʾ), for My devising is indeed sure.

Imlāʾ is synonymous with imhāl (to postpone, to delay, to extend). This verse involves a shift of address from the first person plural to the first person singular. There are two explanations for this shift: (1) It shows extra emphasis on their deprivation of divine mercy, and their leading into damnation. (2) The verse is about postponing their judgment and punishment until their appointed time. This is more elaborately stated in the verse: were it not for a prior decree of your Lord [granting them reprieve] until a specified time, decision would have been made between them (). That is what God said to Adam upon his fall on the earth: On the earth shall be your abode and sustenance for a time (). This is a decree of God’s that is attributable to Him alone. That is why it is expressed in the first person singular. However, in the case of istidrāj, which means bestowing and renewing blessings one after another upon the servant, God’s angels are also involved as intermediaries. That is why the last verse was in the first person plural.

… for My devising is indeed sure: This sentence explains and justifies both the last verse and the current one. This part is also in the first person singular because it encompasses both istidrāj (gradual ruin through blessings) and imhāl (giving respite).

أَ وَ لَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا ما بِصاحِبِهِمْ مِنْ جِنَّةٍ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ ١٨٤

(7:184) Have they not reflected that there is no madness (jinnah) in their companion, [and that] he is just a manifest warner?

There is much disagreement among the exegetes about the composition of this verse. The most apparent and direct meaning that springs to the mind, given the context, is that the verse consists of two complete sentences: (1) Have they not reflected? This is a rhetorical question which implies a negation and rebuke. (2) There is no madness in their companion. This is a confirmation of the Prophet’s claim to prophethood. Meanwhile, the second sentence also clarifies what the audience should reflect upon.

The verse can be elaborated as follows: Have they not reflect on the fact that their companion is not a madman—so that this fact would become clear to them? Indeed, there is no madness in him, for he is only a manifest warner.

By referring to the prophet as their companion (ṣāḥib), the verse gives them direction on how to reflect. It is pointing out that the Prophet was among them and in their company throughout his life. So if there were any madness in him, they would have surely known by now. This proves that the news that he has brought is a message of warning, not a symptom of madness.

It is said that jinnah is a specific kind of madness. Another possibility is that it means a person of the jinn. This is based on a common belief at the time that madness is when one of the jinn enters the person and talks using the madman’s tongue.

أَ وَ لَمْ يَنْظُرُوا فِي مَلَكُوتِ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ ما خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِنْ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَ أَنْ عَسى‏ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَبِأَيِّ حَدِيثٍ بَعْدَهُ يُؤْمِنُونَ ١٨٥

(7:185) Have they not contemplated the kingdom (malakūt) of the heavens and the earth, and whatever things Allah has created, and that maybe their time has already drawn near? So what discourse will they believe after this?!

As we discussed previously, malakūt in the Qur’an refers to the inner aspect of things, through which they face and connect to their Lord. This is deduced from these verses: All His command, when He wills something, is to say to it “Be,” and it is. So glory be to Him in Whose hand is the kingdom (malakūt) of all things (). Moreover, observing this divine aspect of things is a necessary concomitant of yaqīn (certitude, conviction). This is inferred from the verse: Thus did We show Abraham the kingdom (malakūt) of the heavens and the earth, that he might be of those who possess certitude ().

The verse reprimands the audience for neglecting and turning away from the divine aspect of things. Why are they oblivious of this aspect? Why do they not look into it, so that it may realize that the Prophet is calling them to the truth?

… and whatever things Allah has created…: The conjunction “and” joins this phrase to the heavens in the previous part. The verse literally says, “And what God has created of anything,” where “of anything” (min shayʾ) describes and clarifies “what” (mā).

The meaning is: Why do they not reflect on the creation of the heavens, the earth, and anything else that God has created? Not in the sense that they are particular objects—which only leads one to a scientific knowledge of their physical properties—but in the sense that they are dependent beings, that they are connected to another source, that they are in need of a Lord Who directs their affairs and the affairs of all things. That is the Lord of the worlds.

… and that maybe their time has already drawn near…: The verse literally says, “And the possible closing on them of their time,” which is treated as a singular noun. That is why the conjunction “and” is used to add this entire phrase [as a single item] to kingdom in the previous part of the verse.

The implied meaning is: “Do they not contemplate on the fact that their death might have drawn near?” Taking this possibility into account could awaken them and help them stop continuously straying in error. Indeed, the forgetting of death is the primary motive that diverts people’s attention from building their eternal life and makes them fall prey to the illusions of this world. Death is a reality that one does not know when it shall occur. If one only realizes that they have no idea about their time of death, and that it could be any time, then that would uproot their inadvertence, and would prevent them from following their desires and prolonging their hopes.

… So what discourse will they believe after this?!: This means that it is rather hopeless that they would believe. Given the context, the demonstrative pronoun “this” refers to the Qur’an. God has manifested Himself to the people through His speech—the Qur’an—which comprises of rational arguments and moral admonitions that stand to reason. At the same time, the Qur’an is also a clear miracle. Now, if they do not believe in the religion despite the Qur’an, they will not believe by any other means. As God says elsewhere, He has sealed their hearts, so they do not understand the message of guidance, and do not believe in the truth. Thus He says in the next verse: Whomever Allah leads astray has no guide ().

مَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلا هادِيَ لَهُ وَ يَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ١٨٦

(7:186) Whomever Allah leads astray has no guide, and He leaves them bewildered (yaʿmaḥūna, from ʿamah) in their rebellion.

There are two possible meanings for ʿamah: (1) wandering in error; (2) lack of understanding. The complement of this verse is: “Whomever God guides, no one can mislead.” This is not mentioned here because the verse serves as an explanation and justification for the last verse: So what discourse will they believe…? (). It is as though one has asked, “Why is it that they do not believe?” and this verse explains: “Because whomever Allah leads astray…”

Discourse

The discussion “Discussion on the Excellent Names of God” appears here in the printed volume. Read it in the Al-Mizan App.

Examining Narrations ​

  1. Imam ʿAlī said: The Almighty God has 99 names. Whoever calls God by them, He shall answer their call. And whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise.

Author’s comment: We shall soon present a similar narration to this from the Prophet, narrated by the Ahl al-Bayt. What is meant by “enumerating them” is the belief (īmān) that God is characterized by all realities and meanings denoted by these names, without leaving out any of them.

  1. The Messenger of God said: There are 99 names for God—one less than 100. Whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise. He is Odd and He likes the odd.
  2. The Messenger of God said: God has 100 names minus one name. Whoever prays with them, God will answer their prayer.
  3. The Messenger of God said: God says, “I have 99 names. Whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise.”
  4. The Messenger of God said: Indeed God has 99 names—one less than 100. Whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise.
  5. The Messenger of God said: God has 99 names. Whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise. They are in the Qur’an.

Author’s comment: The last narration contravenes the narrations which list these names, because all of them include names that are not exactly found in the Qur’an. Unless what is meant is that their meaning is found in the Qur’an.

  1. Imam al-Ṣādiq narrated from his fathers, from Imam ʿAlī: The Messenger of God said, “Indeed God has 99 names—one less than 100. Whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise.” They are: (1) Allāh, (2) al-Ilāh (the Deity), (3) al-Wāḥid (the One), (4) al-Aḥad (the Unique), (5) al-Ṣamad (the Absolute, the Besought-of-all, the All-Perfect), (6) al-Awwal (the First), (7) al-Ākhir (the Last), (8) al-Samīʿ (the Ever-Hearing), (9) al-Baṣīr (the Ever-Seeing), (10) al-Qadīr (the Omnipotent), (11) al-Qāhir (the Dominant), (12) al-ʿAlī (the Ever-Sublime), (13) al-Aʿlá (the Most Sublime), (14) al-Bāqī (the Enduring), (15) al-Badīʿ (the Ever-Innovator), (16) al-Bāriʾ (the Producer), (17) al-Akram (the Most Gracious, the Noblest), (18) al-Ẓāhir (the Apparent), (19) al-Bāṭin (the Hidden), (20) al-Ḥayy (the Ever-Living), (21) al-Ḥakīm (the Ever-Wise), (22) al-ʿAlīm (the Omniscient), (23) al-Ḥalīm (the Ever-Tolerant), (24) al-Ḥafīẓ (the Ever-Protector), (25) al-Ḥaqq (the Truth), (26) al-Ḥasīb (the Ever-Reckoner, the Ever-Sufficer), (27) al-Ḥamīd (the Ever-Praiseworthy), (28) al-Ḥafī (the Ever-Caring), (29) al-Rabb (the Lord), (30) al-Raḥmān (the All-Merciful), (31) al-Raḥīm (the Ever-Merciful), (32) al-Dhāriʾ (the Creator), (33) al-Rāziq (the Provider), (34) al-Raqīb (the Ever-Watchful), (35) al-Raʾūf (the Ever-Kind), (36) al-Rāʾī (the Seer), (37) al-Salām (the Peaceful, the Peaceable), (38) al-Muʾmin (the Trusty, the Faithful), (39) al-Muhaymin (the Guardian, the Pervading), (40) al-ʿAzīz (the Ever-Mighty), (41) al-Jabbār (the All-Dominating), (42) al-Mutakabbir (the Grandiose, the Superb), (43) al-Sayyid (the Master), (44) Subbūḥ (the All-Glorified), (45) al-Shahīd (the Ever-Witness), (46) al-Ṣādiq (the Honest), (47) al-Ṣāniʿ (the Artisan, the Maker), (48) al-Ẓāhir (the Apparent), (49) al-ʿAdl (the All-Just), (50) al-ʿAfuww (the Ever-Pardoning), (51) al-Ghafūr (the Ever-Forgiver), (52) al-Ghanī (the Ever-Rich), (53) al-Ghiyāth (the Rescuer), (54) al-Fāṭir (the Originator), (55) al-Fard (the Single), (56) al-Fattāḥ (the All-Arbiter), (57) al-Fāliq (the Splitter), (58) al-Qadīm (the Ever-Ancient), (59) al-Malik (the King), (60) al-Quddūs (the All-Sacred), (61) al-Qawī (the Strong), (62) al-Qarīb (the Ever-Near), (63) al-Qayyūm (the All-Upright), (64) al-Qābiḍ (the Contracter), (65) al-Bāsiṭ (the Expander), (66) Qāḍī al-ḥājāt (the Fulfiller of needs), (67) al-Majīd (the Ever-Glorious), (68) al-Mawlá (the Master), (69) al-Mannān (the All-Favorer), (70) al-Muḥīṭ (the Encompassing), (71) al-Mubīn (the Manifest), (72) al-Mughīth (the Savior), (73) al-Muṣawwir (the Designer, the Shaper), (74) al-Karīm (the Ever-Gracious, the Ever-Noble), (75) al-Kabīr (the Ever-Great), (76) al-Kāfī (the Sufficer), (77) Kāshif al-ḍurr (the Remover of harm), (78) al-Witr (the Odd), (79) al-Nūr (the Light), (80) al-Wahhāb (the All-Bestower), (81) al-Nāṣir (the Helper), (82) al-Wāsiʿ (the Vast, the Expansive), (83) al-Wadūd (the Ever-Lover), (84) al-Hādī (the Guide), (85) al-Wafī (the Ever-Faithful), (86) al-Wakīl (the Ever-Trustee, the Ever-Guardian), (87) al-Wārith (the Inheritor), (88) al-Barr (the Righteous), (89) al-Bāʿith (the Resurrector), (90) al-Tawwāb (the All-Relenter, the All-Returner), (91) al-Jalīl (the Ever-Majestic), (92) al-Jawād (the Generous), (93) al-Khabīr (the Ever-Aware), (94) al-Khāliq (the Creator), (95) Khayr al-nāṣirīn (the Best Helper), (96) al-Dayyān (the Retributer), (97) al-Shakūr (the Ever-Grateful), (98) al-ʿAẓīm (the Ever-Magnificent), (99) al-Laṭīf (the Ever-Subtle), (100) al-Shāfī (the Healer).
  2. The Messenger of God said: Indeed there are 99 names for God—one less than 100. Whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise. Indeed He is Odd and He likes the odd. He is Allah, beside Whom there is no god, (1) al-Raḥmān, (2) al-Raḥīm, (3) al-Malik, (4) al-Quddūs, (5) al-Salām, (6) al-Muʾmin, (7) al-Muhaymin, (8) al-ʿAzīz, (9) al-Jabbār, (10) al-Mutakabbir, (11) al-Khāliq, (12) al-Bāriʾ, (13) al-Muṣawwir, (14) al-Ghaffār, (15) al-Qahhār, (16) al-Wahhāb, (17) al-Rāziq, (18) al-Fattāḥ, (19) al-ʿAlīm, (20) al-Qābiḍ, (21) al-Bāsiṭ, (22) al-Khāfiḍ (the Abaser), (23) al-Rāfiʿ, (24) al-Muʿizz (the Giver of Honor), (25) al-Mudhill (the Giver of Dishonor), (26) al-Samīʿ, (27) al-Baṣīr, (28) al-Ḥakam, (29) al-ʿAdl, (30) al-Laṭīf, (31) al-Khabīr, (32) al-Ḥalīm, (33) al-ʿAẓīm, (34) al-Ghafūr, (35) al-Shakūr, (36) al-ʿAlī, (37) al-Kabīr, (38) al-Ḥafīẓ, (39) al-Muqīt, (40) al-Ḥasīb, (41) al-Jalīl, (42) al-Karīm, (43) al-Raqīb, (44) al-Mujīb, (45) al-Wāsiʿ, (46) al-Ḥakīm, (47) al-Wadūd, (48) al-Majīd, (49) al-Bāʿith, (50) al-Shahīd, (51) al-Ḥaqq, (52) al-Wakīl, (53) al-Qawī, (54) al-Matīn, (55) al-Walī, (56) al-Ḥamīd, (57) al-Muḥṣī, (58) al-Mubdiʾ, (59) al-Muʿīd, (60) al-Muḥyī, (61) al-Mumīt, (62) al-Ḥayy, (63) al-Qayyūm, (64) al-Wājid (the Possessor, the Finder), (65) al-Mājid (the Magnificent), (66) al-Wāḥid, (67) al-Aḥad, (68) al-Ṣamad, (69) al-Qādir, (70) al-Muqtadir, (71) al-Muqaddim (the Hastener), (72) al-Muʾakhkhir (the Delayer), (73) al-Awwal, (74) al-Ākhir, (75) al-Ẓāhir, (76) al-Bāṭin, (77) al-Barr, (78) al-Tawwāb, (79) al-Muntaqim (the Avenger), (80) al-ʿAfuww, (81) al-Raʾūf, (82) al-Mālik al-mulk, (83) Dhū al-jalāl wa al-ikrām, (84) al-Wālī, (85) al-Mutaʿāl, (86) al-Muqsiṭ (the Just), (87) al-Jāmiʿ, (88) al-Ghanī, (89) al-Mughnī (the Enricher), (90) al-Māniʿ (the Ever-Sublime, the Ever-Withholder), (91) al-Ḍārr (the Harmer, the Distressor), (92) al-Nāfiʿ (the Benefactor), (93) al-Nūr, (94) al-Hādī, (95) al-Badīʿ, (96) al-Bāqī, (97) al-Wārith, (98) al-Rashīd (the Ever-Guide, the Ever-Correct), (99) al-Ṣabūr (the Ever-Patient).
  3. The Messenger of God said: Indeed God has 99 names. Whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise. I ask (1) Allāh, (2) al-Raḥmān, (3) al-Raḥīm, (4) al-ilāh, (5) al-Rabb, (6) al-Malik, (7) al-Quddūs, (8) al-Salām, (9) al-Muʾmin, (10) al-Muhaymin, (11) al-ʿAzīz, (12) al-Jabbār, (13) al-Mutakabbir, (14) al-Khāliq, (15) al-Bāriʾ, (16) al-Muṣawwir, (17) al-Ḥakīm, (18) al-ʿAlīm, (19) al-Samīʿ, (20) al-Baṣīr, (21) al-Ḥayy, (22) al-Qayyūm, (23) al-Wāsiʿ, (24) al-Laṭīf, (25) al-Khabīr, (26) al-Ḥannān (the All-Kind), (27) al-Mannān, (28) al-Badīʿ, (29) al-Ghafūr, (30) al-Wadūd, (31) al-Shakūr, (32) al-Majīd, (33) al-Mubdiʾ, (34) al-Muʿīd, (35) al-Nūr, (36) al-Bādiʾ (the Beginner) [version: al-Qāʾim (the Standing)], (37) al-Awwal, (38) al-Ākhir, (39) al-Ẓāhir, (40) al-Bāṭin, (41) al-ʿAfuww, (42) al-Ghaffār, (43) al-Wahhāb, (44) al-Fard [version: al-Qādir], (45) al-Aḥad, (46) al-Ṣamad, (47) al-Wakīl, (48) al-Kāfī, (49) al-Bāqī, (50) al-Mughīth, (51) al-Dāʾim (the Everlasting), (52) al-Mutaʿāl, (53) Dhā al-jalāl wa al-ikrām, (54) al-Mawlá, (55) al-Naṣīr, (56) al-Ḥaqq, (57) al-Mubīn, (58) al-Wārith, (59) al-Munīr (the Ever-Illuminator, the Bringer of Light), (60) al-Bāʿith, (61) al-Qadīr [version: al-Mujīb], (62) al-Muḥyī, (63) al-Mumīt, (64) al-Ḥamīd [version: al-Jamīl (the Ever-Beautiful)], (65) al-Ṣādiq, (66) al-Ḥafīẓ, (67) al-Muḥīṭ, (68) al-Kabīr, (69) al-Qarīb, (70) al-Raqīb, (71) al-Fattāḥ, (72) al-Tawwāb, (73) al-Qadīm, (74) al-Witr, (75) al-Fāṭir, (76) al-Razzāq, (77) al-ʿAllām, (78) al-ʿAlī, (79) al-ʿAẓīm, (80) al-Ghanī, (81) al-Malīk, (82) al-Muqtadir, (83) al-Akram, (84) al-Raʾūf, (85) al-Mudabbir, (86) al-Mālik, (87) al-Qāhir, (88) al-Hādī, (89) al-Shākir, (90) al-Karīm, (91) al-Rafīʿ, (92) al-Shahīd, (93) al-Wāḥid, (94) Dhā al-ṭawl, (95) Dhā al-Maʿārij, (96) Dhā al-Faḍl, (97) al-Khallāq, (98) al-Kafīl, (99) al-Jalīl.

Author’s comment: The name Allāh is not part of the list. It is rather mentioned in these narrations as the subject to be predicated by the other names.

  1. Muḥammad b. Jaʿfar says: I once asked my father, [Imam] Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad al-Ṣādiq, about the 99 divine names, which whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise. He said: “They are mentioned in the Qur’an. There are five names in Sūrah al-Fātiḥah (Chapter 1): (1) Yā Allāh, (2) Yā Rabb, (3) Yā Raḥmān, (4) Yā Raḥīm, (5) Yā Mālik.

There are 33 names in Sūrah al-Baqarah (Chapter 2): (6) Yā Muḥīṭ, (7) Yā Qadīr, (8) Yā ʿAlīm, (9) Yā Ḥakīm, (10) Yā ʿAlī, (11) Yā ʿAẓīm, (12) Yā Tawwāb, (13) Yā Baṣīr, (14) Yā Walī, (15) Yā Wāsiʿ, (16) Yā Kāfī, (17) Yā Raʾūf, (18) Yā Badīʿ, (19) Yā Shākir, (20) Yā Wāḥid, (21) Yā Samīʿ, (22) Yā Qābiḍ, (23) Yā Bāsiṭ, (24) Yā Ḥayy, (25) Yā Qayyūm, (26) Yā Ghanī, (27) Yā Ḥamīd, (28) Yā Ghafūr, (29) Yā Ḥalīm, (30) Yā Ilāh, (31) Yā Qarīb, (32) Yā Mujīb, (33) Yā ʿAzīz, (34) Yā Naṣīr, (35) Yā Qawī, (36) Yā Shadīd, (37) Yā Sarīʿ, (38) Yā Khabīr.

In Sūrah Āl-i ʿImrān (Chapter 3): (39) Yā Wahhāb, (40) Yā Qāʾim, (41) Yā Ṣādiq, (42) Yā Bāʿith, (43) Yā Munʿim, (44) Yā Mutafaḍḍil.

In Sūrah al-Nisāʾ (Chapter 4): (45) Yā Raqīb, (46) Yā Ḥasīb, (47) Yā Shahīd, (48) Yā Muqīt, (49) Yā Wakīl, (50) Yā ʿAlī, (51) Yā Kabīr.

In Sūrah al-Anʿām (Chapter 6): (52) Yā Fāṭir, (53) Yā Qāhir, (54) Yā Laṭīf, (55) Yā Burhān.

In Sūrah al-Aʿrāf (Chapter 7): (56) Yā Muḥyī, (57) Yā Mumīt.

In Sūrah al-Anfāl (Chapter 8): (58) Yā Niʿm al-Mawlá, (59) Yā Niʿm al-Naṣīr.

In Sūrah Hūd (Chapter 11): (60) Yā Ḥafīẓ, (61) Yā Majīd, (62) Yā Wadūd, (63) Yā Faʿ ʿālan li-mā yurīdu.

In Sūrah al-Raʿd (Chapter 13): (64) Yā Kabīr, (65) Yā Mutaʿāl.

In Sūrah Ibrāhīm (Chapter 14): (66) Yā Mannān, (67) Yā Wārith.

In Sūrah al-Ḥijr (Chapter 15): (68) Yā Khallāq.

In Sūrah Maryam (Chapter 19): (69) Yā Fard.

In Sūrah Ṭā-Hā (Chapter 20): (70) Yā Ghaffār.

In Sūrah qad aflaḥa (Chapter 23): (71) Yā Karīm.

In Sūrah al-Nūr (Chapter 24): (72) Yā Ḥaqq, (73) Yā Mubīn.

In Sūrah al-Furqān (Chapter 25): (74) Yā Hādī.

In Sūrah Sabaʾ (Chapter 34): (75) Yā Fattāḥ.

In Sūrah al-Zumar (Chapter 39): (76) Yā ʿĀlim.

In Sūrah Ghāfir (Chapter 40): (77) Yā Ghāfir, (78) Yā Qābil al-tawb, (79) Yā Dhā al-ṭawl, (80) Yā Rafīʿ.

In Sūrah al-Dhāriyāt (Chapter 51): (81) Yā Razzāq, (82) Yā Dhā al-quwwah, (83) Yā Matīn.

In Sūrah al-Ṭūr (Chapter 52): (84) Yā Barr.

In Sūrah iqtarabat (Chapter 54): (85) Yā Malīk, (86) Yā Muqtadir.

In Sūrah al-Raḥmān (Chapter 55): (87) Yā Dhā al-jalāl wa al-ikrām, (88) Yā Rabb al-mashriqayn, (89) Yā Rabb al-maghribayn, (90) Yā Bāqī, (91) Yā Muḥsin.

In Sūrah al-Ḥadīd (Chapter 57): (92) Yā Awwal, (93) Yā Ākhir, (94) Yā Ẓāhir, (95) Yā Bāṭin.

In Sūrah al-Ḥashr (Chapter 59): (96) Yā Malik, (97) Yā Quddūs, (98) Yā Salām, (99) Yā Muʾmin, (100) Yā Muhaymin, (101) Yā ʿAzīz, (102) Yā Jabbār, (103) Yā Mutakabbir, (104) Yā Khāliq, (105) Yā Bāriʾ, (106) Yā Muṣawwir.

In Sūrah al-Burūj (Chapter 85): (107) Yā Mubdiʾ, (108) Yā Muʿīd.

In Sūrah al-Fajr (Chapter 89): (109) Yā Watr.

In Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ (Chapter 112): (110) Yā Aḥad, (111) Yā Ṣamad.”

Author’s comment: There are several problems in this narration: (i) It includes the name Allāh as one of the 99, while it is not one of them. (ii) Some names are repeated, such as al-Kabīr. (iii) It says 99 at the beginning, but adds up to 110 [excluding Allāh]. (iv) It has listed al-Burhān as a divine name that appears in Sūrah al-Anʿām, and al-Fard as a divine name that appears in Sūrah Maryam. There are further issues that one can raise regarding this narration.

The above [numbers 7-10] were some narrations that we found, which enumerate the divine names. Given the difference between them, it becomes clear that none of these narrations is meant to restrict the divine names to the given list. Moreover, some of them include names that are not found in the Qur’an in the nominal form, while there are some names in the Qur’an which are missing from them. All these narrations say is that there are 99 divine names which have these special features: (i) Whoever prays with them, their prayer will be answered. (ii) Whoever enumerates them shall enter paradise.

There are other narrations which suggest that God has more than 99 names, as we shall see presently. Furthermore, there are many other divine names which are found neither in the Qur’an nor in the narrations that enumerate the divine names, but are found in some supplications narrated from the Prophet and the Imams.

  1. Imam al-Ṣādiq said: God has created a name that is not pronounced through letters, that is not uttered by words, that is not embodied in a person, that is not described by any analogy, and that is not colored by any color. Sides and locations do not apply to it; definitions are far from it; and the senses of all thinkers are veiled from it. It is covered without having a covering. Then He made it a complete word based on four concomitant parts that none precedes the others. He manifested three of them due to His creatures’ need of them, and He veiled one of them which is the name that is concealed and reserved. So these are the names that have appeared. The manifest names are Allāh, Tabāraka (He is Blessed) and Taʿālá (He is Exalted). God has subordinated four pillars for each of these names, making twelve pillars [in total].

Then He created thirty names for each pillar, as actions that are attributable to that [pillar]. He is (1) al-Raḥmān, (2) al-Raḥīm, (3) al-Malik, (4) al-Quddūs, (5) al-Khāliq, (6) al-Bāriʾ, (7) al-Muṣawwir, (8) al-Ḥayy, (9) al-Qayyūm, (10) Lā taʾkhudhuhu sinah wa lā nawm (no nap or sleep overtakes Him), (11) al-ʿAlīm, (12) al-Khabīr, (13) al-Samīʿ, (14) al-Ḥakīm, (15) al-ʿAzīz, (16) al-Jabbār, (17) al-Mutakabbir, (18) al-ʿAlī, (19) al-ʿAẓīm, (20) al-Muqtadir, (21) al-Qādir, (22) al-Salām, (23) al-Muʾmin, (24) al-Muhaymin, (25) al-Bāriʾ, (26) al-Munshiʾ, (27) al-Badīʿ, (28) al-Rafīʿ, (29) al-Jalīl, (30) al-Karīm, (31) al-Rāziq, (32) al-Muḥyī, (33) al-Mumīt, (34) al-Bāʿith, (35) al-Wārith.

These names, and the rest of the most excellent names up to 360 names, are related to those three names. The three names are the pillars, while He has veiled the one [fourth] name—that is concealed and reserved—with them. This is [the meaning of] His words: Say: Invoke “Allah” or invoke “the All-Merciful.” That which you may invoke, to Him belong the most excellent names ().

Author’s comment: Let us discuss this hadith part by part:

“God has created a name that is not pronounced through letters…” The descriptions given at the beginning of this hadith explicitly show that what is meant by “name” here is not a word, nor the mental concept indicated by the word. It should be clear that neither a word, nor the mental concept corresponding to it, has the features described in this hadith. Similarly, the next part of the hadith is not compatible with the common notion of a “name” [as a word or a mental concept]. Even if there is some word involved, what is meant by “name” here can only be an external entity that is designated by the word. In particular, when we take into account its three-fold elements of Allāh, Tabāraka and Taʿālá, we realize that this sense of the “name” cannot be anything but the divine essence—or something that subsists by the divine essence, and is certainly not external to it.

“God has created a name.” Given the above explanation, what is meant here is not what is commonly understood by “creation.” Rather, it means a certain appearance or manifestation of the divine essence, such that a particular name emerges from it. This confirms what we said previously: that there is a hierarchy within the divine names. Some of them are causes with respect to others; they act as a channel for the appearance and existence of their subordinate names. The chain extends all the way up, to a name whose particular determination is a total lack of determination. The qualification of the divine essence by that name is tantamount to an absolute unconditionality.

“The manifest names are Allāh, Tabāraka and Taʿālá.” Here the hadith is describing general aspects which are a point of reference for all particular aspects of perfection. Every need and lack in the world of creation is fulfilled by these three aspects of the divine: (1) Allāh: this name indicates the divine essence in its most inclusive sense, as a collection of all perfections. (2) Tabāraka: this name indicates an affirmative aspect of the divine. It affirms every quality of perfection for it, and presents it as a source of every good and blessing. (3) Taʿālá: this name indicates a negational aspect of the divine. It negates all deficiency from it, and presents it as the remover of every need.

“As actions that are attributable to that [pillar].” The demonstrative pronoun “that” here refers to the [three manifest] names. This is effectively what we said above: there is a causal hierarchy between the names, such that one emanates from another. The explicit mention of number 360 in this hadith proves that the divine names are not limited to 99.

“The three names are the pillars, while He has veiled the one [fourth] name.” The one which is “concealed and reserved” is still a “name,” which means that it is an expression and determination of the transcendent essence of God. At the same time, it is concealed and unmanifest by the virtue of its very nature and reality. This means that its expression lies in being unexpressed; its determination is lack of determination. This is what is meant by the idea that God is not delimited by any definition, including this very negational definition. He does not fall into any description or attribute, including this very negational description. The reason is that these expressions are descriptions from us, while the divine essence is greater and higher than all our descriptions.

This means that the name Allāh—which embraces all divine qualities of perfections—is a reality that is inferior to the divine essence. It is also inferior to the concealed and reserved name of God. The same goes with Tabāraka and Taʿālá. These three names together veil and guard the concealed name, without any of them being higher than others. Then the four of them—the three names, as well as the concealed name—are inferior to the divine essence. The divine essence, however, cannot be indicated by any expression or hint. That is because any phrase or sign that one may devise would serve as a “name,” which means that it is delimited [by the particular definition and determination of that name], while the divine essence is greater than and superior to any definition.

The hadith then refers to the verse: Say: Invoke “Allah” or invoke “the All-Merciful” (al-Raḥmān) That (ayyan) which you invoke, to Him belong (lahu) the most excellent names (). The relevance of this verse to the hadith is that the pronoun in lahu (Him or It) refers to the word ayyan (that), and ayyan is a conditional noun (ism al-sharṭ) which indicates an indeterminate meaning. Its determinate meaning is lack of determination. It should also be evident that what is meant in this verse by Allāh and al-Rāḥmān is not the actual words, but the reality indicated by them. That is why the verse does not say, “Invoke with [the name] Allah (udʿū bi-Allāh)” but it says, “Invoke Allah [directly] (udʿū Allāh).” Hence, the verse is saying that all divine names are ascribed to, and supported by, a certain station of which there cannot be any report or indication except the lack of report and indication. The reader should reflect on this.

Some of the divine names in this hadith—such as Tabāraka (He is Blessed), Taʿālá (He is Exalted) and Lā taʾkhudhuhu sinah wa lā nawm (no nap or sleep overtakes Him)—are rather verbs and phrases, not nouns proper. They are “names” not in the linguistic sense, but in the sense that they denote God’s essence from the angle of a particular quality.

This is among the key narrations in this regard. Its content is much loftier than what is found in common discussions and understood by ordinary minds. For the same reason, we did not comment on it beyond some basic intimations. A full exposition of it would be beyond the scope of the current work. Nevertheless, we already presented the principles needed to decode the hadith under number 4 of our discussion on the excellent names of God, titled “The Relation of the Divine Names and Attributes to Us and to Themselves.” The reader should contemplate that discussion so that the matter may become clear to them as it should. And God is the support.

  1. Imam al-Bāqir said: The Greatest Name of God comprises of 73 letters. Asaph son of Berachiah (Āṣaf b. Barkhiyā) had only one letter of that. He cut through the land between him and the Queen of Sheba’s throne, brought the throne with his hand, and then the earth reverted to its original condition. He did all that in less than the blink of an eye through uttering that one letter. We [Ahl al-Bayt] have 72 letters. And one letter is reserved with God in His knowledge of the unseen. There is no movement and no power save by God, the Supreme, the Magnificent.
  2. Imam al-Ṣādiq said: God made His Greatest Name composed of 73 letters. He gave twenty-five letters of it to Adam, fifteen letters to Noah, eight letters to Abraham, four letters to Moses, and two letters to Jesus—with which He used to bring the dead to life, and cure the blind and the leper. He gave 72 letters to Muḥammad, and concealed one letter. Thus no one may know what He holds within, but He knows what His servants hold within.

Author’s comment: There are other narrations in line with the last two. The idea that the Greatest Name can be broken into 73 letters, or that it is composed of these letters, should not lead one to imagine that it is literally composed of alphabetical letters. We already clarified this. Both narrations talk about the letters of a single name being divided among the prophets, except for one letter. If the Greatest Name were really a word composed of alphabetical letters, then it would indicate a meaning with all its components, and dividing it among the prophets would certainly not benefit any of them [since the meaning is conveyed only by all letters together].

  1. Imam ʿAlī said in a sermon: My Lord is Subtle in subtlety, yet He cannot be described with subtlety. He is Magnificent in magnificence, yet He cannot be described with magnificence. He is Great in greatness, yet He cannot be described with greatness. He is Immense in immensity, yet He cannot be described with thickness. He is before everything, so one cannot talk about something “before” Him. He is after everything, so one cannot talk about something “after” Him. He willed all things not through [mental] deliberation. He achieves [what He seeks] not through deception. He is within all things, but He is neither mixed with them, nor separate from them. He is Apparent, but not in the sense of direct contact. He is Manifest, but not to be seen through observation. He is Distinct, but not through distance. He is Near, but not in the sense of mutual proximity. He is Subtle, but not as a physical body. He is Existent, but not after being non-existent. He is a Maker, but without being forced. He wills, but not through deliberation. He hears, but not through any instrument. He sees, but not through any tool.

Author’s comment: In this hadith, as one can see, the Imam affirms the root meaning of the names and attributes for God, but negates their particular properties that arise due to contingence (imkān) and material deficiency. This confirms what we said in our exposition of the verse []. The same idea is found in very many narrations from the Imams, especially in sermons by Imams ʿAlī, al-Ḥasan, al-Ḥusayn, al-Bāqir, al-Ṣādiq, al-Kāẓim and al-Riḍā. Interested readers should refer to the compendiums of hadith. And God is the Guide.

  1. Imam al-Ṣādiq said: He has no like, counterpart or equivalent. To Him belong the most excellent names, which cannot be applied to anyone else, and which He has described in His Book: so supplicate Him by them, and abandon those who commit sacrilege in His names (); [they commit sacrilege in His name] out of ignorance, not knowledge. One who commits sacrilege in His names without knowledge, commits polytheism unknowingly, and disbelieves while they think they are doing good. That is why He says: And most of them do not believe in Allah without ascribing partners to Him (). They are those who commit sacrilege in His names () not out of knowledge, by placing His names where they do not belong.

Author’s comment: This hadith confirms our discussion on what makes the divine names “most excellent” and what it means to commit sacrilege in them. What “cannot be applied to anyone else” is the meaning of the names after being divested of their material and deficient aspects, which makes them applicable to God. For instance, the name “the Creator” (al-Khāliq) cannot be applied to anyone else in its real sense that is applicable to God. The same can be said about the other divine names.

  1. Concerning To Allah belong the most excellent names, so supplicate Him by them () Imam al-Ṣādiq said: By God, we [Ahl al-Bayt] are the most excellent names [of God]. He does not accept any act [of worship and goodness] from His servants unless they acknowledge us [as divine leaders].

Author’s comment: In this narration, “name” is meant as something that designates something else, whether it is a word or not. The prophets and their successors are divine names in a few ways: (i) They guide to God. (ii) They are intermediaries between God and His creation. (iii) They are at such level of servitude that they do not have anything other than God. Hence, they manifest the divine names and attributes. This should also clarify the next two narrations.

  1. Once Imam al-Ṣādiq was asked about the verse: Among those We have created are a nation who guide by the truth and do justice thereby (). He said: They are the Imams.
  2. Concerning the same verse Imam al-Bāqir said: That is us [Ahl al-Bayt].
  3. Concerning Among those We have created are a nation who guide by the truth and do justice thereby () the Messenger of God said: There is a group among my nation (ummah) who persist with the truth until Jesus son of Mary descends—whenever he descends.
  4. Imam ʿAlī said: This nation [of Muslims] will divide into 73 sects. 72 of them will be in hell, and one will be in paradise. Those [in paradise] are the ones whom God has described: Among those We have created are a nation who guide by the truth and do justice thereby (). They are me and my followers (shīʿah).

Author’s comment: Al-ʿAyyāshī has also narrated the same hadith, except that the last sentence is: “They are on the right path.” We already presented two similar hadiths to this from the Imam under the verse: Among the people of Moses is a nation who guide [the people] by the truth and do justice thereby (). One of them [hadith 14] was from Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, on the authority of Abū al-Ṣahbāʾ; and the other [hadith 15] was from al-Durr al-manthūr through various chains.

  1. Imam al-Ṣādiq said: When a servant sins, if God wants good for that servant, He sends a punishment for them and makes them remember to ask forgiveness. When a servant sins, if God wants evil for that servant, He sends a bounty to make them persist with that [sin] and forget to ask forgiveness. That is what He says: We will draw them imperceptibly [into ruin], whence they do not know (): [He draws them] through bestowing bounties upon them when they sin.
  2. Once Imam al-Ṣādiq was asked about the verse: We will draw them imperceptibly [into ruin], whence they do not know (). He said: That is when a servant sins, but their bounties are renewed for them, such that they make the person forget to ask forgiveness for that sin.
  3. Al-Ḥasan b. al-Ṣayqal says: Once I asked Imam al-Ṣādiq about what some people have narrated: “One hour of contemplation is better than one [entire] night of standing [in prayer].” I asked, “What kind of contemplation?” He explained, “It is to stop when you pass by a ruined place or house, and say: Where are your residents? Where are your builders? How come you don’t speak?”

Author’s comment: This narration offers a clear example of contemplation [but meritorious and constructive contemplation is not limited to this].

  1. Imam al-Riḍā said: Worship is not to pray or fast a lot. Indeed worship is but to contemplate upon the affairs of God, Mighty and Majestic He is.
  2. Imam ʿAlī said: Contemplation leads one to goodness and acting upon it.
  3. Imam al-Ṣādiq said: The best worship is to continually contemplate on God and His power.
  4. Concerning and He leaves them bewildered in their rebellion () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: He leaves the person to themself.

Author’s comment: What is meant by God leaving them bewildered in their rebellion () is that He will not assist them against their egos. He leaves them alone in this regard by cutting off His aid. This is effectively the same as “leaving the person to themself” [as interpreted by al-Qummī].

  1. For the difference between being physical and having physical properties, see my first footnote on the section titled “What is Meant by Seeing” above, under verses . (Trans.) ↩︎

  2. Knowledge and power can also be interpreted as consciousness and force, respectively. (Trans.) ↩︎

  3. “Bestows” can be interpreted as “manifests” for more mystical and metaphysical accuracy. (Trans.) ↩︎

  4. In other words, the verse is not saying that “all excellent names belong to God,” but it is saying that “certain excellent names which are already known to the audience belong to Him.” (Trans.) ↩︎

  5. The meaning would be: “Use these excellent names to refer to God.” (Trans.) ↩︎

  6. See volume 7 (1st ed.), p. 131 of the English translation, and the very first part of the current volume. (Trans.) ↩︎

  7. It is as though the speaker (God) is personally taking charge of this affair. (Trans.) ↩︎

  8. See volume 1 (1st ed.), p. 191, under verse ; volume 2 (1st ed.), pp. 80-81, under verse ; and volume 13 (1st ed.), pp. 217ff, under verse , of the English translation. Also, see verses above, just before the section titled “Back to the Verse.” (Trans.) ↩︎

  9. The Arabic particle an (that) in an yakūna is called an maṣdariyyah. It serves to turn the verb that follows it into a maṣdar (gerund, infinitive noun). (Trans.) ↩︎

  10. Al-Tawḥīd, via its chain of narration, from Imam al-Riḍā, from his fathers. ↩︎

  11. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Aḥmad, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, Ibn Khuzaymah, Abū ʿAwānah, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ibn Ḥabbān, al-Ṭabarānī, Abū ʿAbd-Allāh b. Mandah’s al-Tawḥīd, Ibn Mardawayh, Abū Nuʿaym and al-Bayhaqī’s al-Asmāʾ wa al-ṣifāt, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah. ↩︎

  12. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Abū Nuʿaym and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah. ↩︎

  13. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Dārqaṭnī’s al-Gharāʾib, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah. ↩︎

  14. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Abū Nuʿaym and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās and Ibn ʿUmar. ↩︎

  15. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Abū Nuʿaym, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās and Ibn ʿUmar. ↩︎

  16. Apparently the list is part of Imam ʿAlī’s words. (Trans.) ↩︎

  17. This is the same as number 18. That is why the count goes up to 100. (Trans.) ↩︎

  18. Al-Tawḥīd, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

  19. Translations are only given subsequently for names which have not been listed above. (Trans.) ↩︎

  20. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Tirmidhī, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Ḥabbān, Ibn Mandah, al-Ṭabarānī, al-Ḥākim, Ibn Mardawayh and al-Bayhaqī, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah. ↩︎

  21. Yā (O, Oh) is a vocative term that is used when calling or praying to someone. Yā Allāh means “O God!” (Trans.) ↩︎

  22. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Abū Nuʿaym. ↩︎

  23. For instance, many of the names are not found in the chapter, but are derived and deduced from descriptions of God in the chapter, such as al-Mubdiʾ and al-Muʿīd in Sūrah al-Burūj. Meanwhile, such inference can support the claim that the divine names are not restricted to what is found in the scripture verbatim. (Trans.) ↩︎

  24. Al-Tawḥīd’s version says: “He veiled one of them which is the name that is concealed and reserved by those three names that have appeared. The manifest names are Allāh, Tabāraka and Subḥāna (He is Glorified), each of which has four pillars, making twelve pillars [in total].” ↩︎

  25. The author has quoted al-Tawḥīd’s version under verse . That version also mentions the name al-Baṣīr after al-Samīʿ. There the author notes: “These are 36 names out of the total of 360. Note that the name al-Bāriʾ (the Maker) is mentioned twice, which is perhaps a mistake on the part of the scribes. The second one might have been al-Bādiʾ (the Beginner).” See vol. 25, p. 313 of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎

  26. Al-Tawḥīd’s version says: “The three names are the pillars and a veil for the one name that is concealed and reserved by them.” ↩︎

  27. The verse’s translation here is slightly modified in accordance with the author’s interpretation below. (Trans.) ↩︎

  28. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

  29. In other words, it is not particularized, qualified or molded in any way whatsoever. (Trans.) ↩︎

  30. In defining the primary meaning of a verse, what comes first is Qur’anic evidence, in the light of historical context and conventional understanding (ʿurf). Narrations and linguistics come next. In terms of Qur’anic evidence, verse should be understood in the light of verses , and . They belong to the same series. All these verses address a common misconception at the time of the revelation of the Qur’an, especially with respect to the divine name al-Raḥmān. They clarify that there is no distinction or duality between Allāh and al-Raḥmān. Given these verses, and given what is conventionally understood by the general audience, the verse is saying: “You may call God by either the name Allāh or the name al-Raḥmān. Either of them that you call is valid, because to Him belong the most excellent names.” The author’s interpretation of the verse could refer to a secondary layer of meaning, which he has deduced in the light of the above hadith. His linguistic points—about ayyan and the lack of the letter bāʾ before Allāh and al-Raḥmān—also serve to match the verse with the hadith. Otherwise, the verse can be closely matched with the current verse of discussion: To Allah belong the most excellent names, so supplicate Him by them (). (Trans.) ↩︎

  31. Baṣāʾir al-darajāt, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

  32. Baṣāʾir al-darajāt, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

  33. This can also be translated as: “His subtlety is subtle” or “He is the subtlety’s subtlety.” The same would apply to the subsequent passages. Overall, what is meant is to emphasize that God is the absolute and infinite source of any perfection. (Trans.) ↩︎

  34. Al-Tawḥīd, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

  35. That is, by ascribing His names to other beings. (Trans.) ↩︎

  36. Al-Tawḥīd, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Ḥanān b. Sadīr, as a part of a longer hadith. ↩︎

  37. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Muʿāwiyah b. ʿAmmār. It is also narrated in Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī. ↩︎

  38. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of ʿAbd-Allāh b. Sinān. This is also narrated from Imam al-Bāqir in Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, on the authority of Ḥumrān. ↩︎

  39. Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, on the authority of Muḥammad b. ʿAjlān. ↩︎

  40. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ. ↩︎

  41. Tafsīr al-burhān, on the authority of Muwaffaq b. Aḥmad, on the authority of al-Sarī, on the authority of Ibn al-Mundhir, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn b. Saʿīd, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abān b. Taghlib, on the authority of Faḍl, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Malik al-Hamdānī, on the authority of Zādhān. ↩︎

  42. I could not find this in Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, nor in any other books of tafsīr or hadith. (Trans.) ↩︎

  43. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Sufyān b. al-Simṭ. ↩︎

  44. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Samāʿat b. Mihrān. Another similar hadith is also narrated in al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Ibn Riʾāb, on the authority of some of his companions. ↩︎

  45. The word sāʿah (hour, time, moment) indicates a short indeterminate amount of time. It is not necessarily 60 minutes. (Trans.) ↩︎

  46. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

  47. What is meant by “affairs” here is the acts of God and what pertains to Him. Also, the exclusive expression of the hadith could be interpreted as either emphasis, or referring to the core and foundation of God’s ʿibādah (worship, servitude, service). It is noteworthy that several verses of the Qur’an mention both ʿibādah and prayer (or prostration), implying a distinction between the two (, , , , , ). If we add these verses to verse , we can deduce the above hadith. (Trans.) ↩︎

  48. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Muʿammar b. Khallād. ↩︎

  49. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Ribʿī. ↩︎

  50. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Abī al-Naṣr, on the authority of some of his men. ↩︎