Allah's Names

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Allah's Names

Muhammad Naim Ya-Sin


The names of Allah are those proper nouns employed in reference to Him in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
Every one of those names refers to one or more attribute of Allah. Each name is derived from its verbal noun, such as the All-Knowing, the Able, the All* Hearing, the All-Seeing, and so on.
The name 'the All-Knowing', for example, is derived from the attribute of 'knowledge', and the same is true of the Merciful, the Beneficial, etc.
The name that incorporates the meanings of all the other nouns and attributes is the name 'Allah'.
Some scholars, such as Ibnu al-Qayyim, Sibawayh and at-Tabaree, contended that it is derived from the word 'AI-Ilaah', meaning god. Others maintained that it is not derived from any other word.[1]
There is no contradiction between those names being adjectives or nouns. The name 'Merciful', for instance, is both a proper noun and an adjective. All of Allah's names are adjectives of praise as well as being references to their proper meanings.[2]
Those names were described as beautiful (Husnaa in Arabic) because they describe the Most Excellent and Exalted being.
The Tawheed of Allah in His names requires the belief in each and every name He ascribed to Himself, and belief in the qualities and consequences incorporated in them. For example, 'the Merciful' which was mentioned in the Qur'an on more than one occasion: we must believe in it as one of the names of Allah, believe in the fact that mercy is one of the attributes of Allah, and also believe that Allah has mercy upon whomever He wishes. The same applies to all the other names of Allah mentioned in the Qur'an or in the Sunnah of His Prophet (Peace be upon him).[3]

[1] See: "Fathu al-Majeed", p. 11. At-Tabaree said that 'Allah' has to be worshipped and is the Lord of all His creation. "Tafseer at-Tabaree", Vol. 1, p. 123.

[2] "Fathu al-Majeed", p. 14, "Al-Asilah wal Ajwibah al-Usuliyyah", p. 44.

[3] "Al-Asilah wal Ajwibah al-Usuliyyah", p. 44.