The 99 Names of Allah · The Deen Map

What does Asma ul Husna mean?

Asma ul Husna, more precisely al-asma al-husna, means ‘the most beautiful names’, which is how the Quran itself describes the names of Allah. Quran 7:180 says that the fairest names belong to Allah and tells believers to ‘invoke Him by them’, and Quran 17:110, 20:8 and 59:24 each repeat that His are the most beautiful names.

Asma is the plural of ism, a name, and husna describes what is best and most beautiful; an IslamQA answer explains that each name carries a quality of perfection. Quran 59:22-24 shows this in practice, giving more than a dozen of His names in quick succession.

Scholars also stress that the names come from revelation. A separate IslamQA answer explains that Allah is called only by names found in the Quran and authentic Sunnah, which is one reason scholars discuss which entries in a list are names.

What does the hadith about the 99 names of Allah say?

The Prophet said that Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one, and that whoever enumerates or preserves them will enter Paradise. Abu Hurairah’s report is in Sahih al-Bukhari 2736 and 7392 and in Sahih Muslim 2677a and 2677b, and some narrations add that Allah is single and loves what is odd in number.

The key word is ahsaha, usually translated as enumerates or counts. At the end of 7392 al-Bukhari explains the related word ahsaynahu as hafiznahu, ‘we preserved it’, and other narrations use the verb for preserving directly: Sahih Muslim 2677a reads hafizaha, and Sahih al-Bukhari 6410 reads la yahfazuha ahadun, ‘no one preserves them’ except that he enters Paradise. The English on Sunnah.com renders 6410 interpretively as believing in their meanings and acting accordingly.

Scholars explain this preserving as more than reciting a list. An IslamQA answer describes it as memorising the names, understanding them, acting on what they imply and calling on Allah by them: knowing that He is Ar-Razzaq, the Provider, means not seeking provision from anyone else.

Where does the list of 99 names come from, and is it authentic?

The commonly memorised list comes from Jami at-Tirmidhi 3507, where the names follow the same hadith of Abu Hurairah; Sunnah.com displays its grade as Da’if (Darussalam). At-Tirmidhi called it gharib, known only through Safwan ibn Salih, and said he knew of no other sound chain of this hadith that mentions the names.

Many scholars treat the enumeration as a narrator’s work rather than the Prophet’s words. An IslamQA answer quotes Ibn Hajar, citing Ibn al-Arabi, that the list is more likely a composition of some narrators, and al-San’ani’s statement that scholars agree it was drawn up by some reporters. Sunan Ibn Majah 3861, also Da’if (Darussalam), gives a different list that includes Ar-Rabb, Al-Qarib and Al-Ahad.

This does not make the names doubtful: most are found in the Quran, as the table shows, and the hadith of the ninety-nine names in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is authentic. Scholars do differ over a few entries; IslamQA notes that some counted Al-Adl, the Just, as a name while others, including Ibn Uthaymin, did not, as no authentic text names Him by it.

Nor is the list complete. An Askimam answer approved by Mufti Ebrahim Desai notes further names found in the Quran and hadith, such as Al-Mawla, Al-Muhit and Al-Mannan. In the Tirmidhi wording, Allah opens the list and ninety-eight names follow, which is how the table reaches ninety-nine.

What are the 99 names of Allah and their meanings?

The table gives all ninety-nine names in the order of Jami at-Tirmidhi 3507, each with a short English meaning and one example of where it appears in the Quran. The list opens with the name Allah, and its next thirteen names, from Ar-Rahman to Al-Musawwir, follow the same order as Quran 59:22-24.

Many names appear in the Quran without ‘al-’, as in ‘Allah is Forgiving, Merciful’, and the table counts these as the name itself. ‘As a verb’ means the Quran describes Allah doing the action, such as raising or giving life, without the noun; ‘related word’ means a closely connected word from the same root; and ‘plural of majesty’ means Allah speaks of Himself as ‘We’.

All 95 Quran references were checked against the Arabic of the verified Tanzil text this site uses: 73 show the name, 15 a verb and 7 a related word, and four names are not in the Quran as names. Meanings were compared with Sunnah.com’s English, al-Sa’di’s commentary and Pickthall’s translation; Al-Majid and Al-Maajid, and Al-Wali and Al-Waali, are spelt differently to keep them apart.

No.	Name (transliteration)	Meaning	In the Quran
1	Allah	The one true God, the only one worthy of worship	Quran 59:22
2	Ar-Rahman	The Most Gracious, whose mercy embraces all creation	Quran 59:22
3	Ar-Rahim	The Most Merciful, especially to the believers	Quran 59:22
4	Al-Malik	The King, the Sovereign	Quran 59:23
5	Al-Quddus	The Most Holy, free of every imperfection	Quran 59:23
6	As-Salam	Peace, free of every flaw and the giver of safety	Quran 59:23
7	Al-Mu’min	The Giver of security and faith	Quran 59:23
8	Al-Muhaymin	The Guardian who watches over all	Quran 59:23
9	Al-Aziz	The Almighty, never overcome	Quran 59:23
10	Al-Jabbar	The Compeller, whose will prevails	Quran 59:23
11	Al-Mutakabbir	The Supreme in greatness	Quran 59:23
12	Al-Khaliq	The Creator	Quran 59:24
13	Al-Bari	The Inventor, who brings into being from nothing	Quran 59:24
14	Al-Musawwir	The Fashioner, who gives everything its form	Quran 59:24
15	Al-Ghaffar	The Ever-Forgiving, who forgives again and again	Quran 39:5
16	Al-Qahhar	The Subduer, who prevails over all	Quran 12:39
17	Al-Wahhab	The Bestower of gifts	Quran 3:8
18	Ar-Razzaq	The Provider	Quran 51:58
19	Al-Fattah	The Opener and Judge	Quran 34:26
20	Al-Alim	The All-Knowing	Quran 2:32
21	Al-Qabid	The Constrictor, who withholds and takes	As a verb: Quran 2:245
22	Al-Basit	The Expander, who gives generously	As a verb: Quran 13:26
23	Al-Khafid	The One who lowers	Not in the Quran as a name; from the Tirmidhi list
24	Ar-Rafi	The One who raises	As a verb: Quran 58:11
25	Al-Mu’izz	The One who gives honour	As a verb: Quran 3:26
26	Al-Mudhill	The One who abases	As a verb: Quran 3:26
27	As-Sami	The All-Hearing	Quran 42:11
28	Al-Basir	The All-Seeing	Quran 42:11
29	Al-Hakam	The Judge	Quran 6:114
30	Al-Adl	The Just	Related word: Quran 6:115
31	Al-Latif	The Subtle, the Gentle	Quran 6:103
32	Al-Khabir	The All-Aware	Quran 6:103
33	Al-Halim	The Forbearing	Quran 2:225
34	Al-Azim	The Magnificent	Quran 2:255
35	Al-Ghafur	The Oft-Forgiving	Quran 39:53
36	Ash-Shakur	The Appreciative, who rewards even small deeds	Quran 64:17
37	Al-Ali	The Most High	Quran 2:255
38	Al-Kabir	The Most Great	Quran 22:62
39	Al-Hafiz	The Preserver, the Guardian	Quran 11:57
40	Al-Muqit	The Sustainer, who nourishes and oversees	Quran 4:85
41	Al-Hasib	The Reckoner, who suffices	Quran 4:86
42	Al-Jalil	The Majestic, the Sublime	Related word: Quran 55:27
43	Al-Karim	The Generous	Quran 82:6
44	Ar-Raqib	The Watchful	Quran 4:1
45	Al-Mujib	The Responsive, who answers prayer	Quran 11:61
46	Al-Wasi	The All-Embracing, the Vast	Quran 2:115
47	Al-Hakim	The All-Wise	Quran 59:24
48	Al-Wadud	The Loving	Quran 85:14
49	Al-Majid	The All-Glorious	Quran 11:73
50	Al-Ba’ith	The Resurrector, who raises the dead	As a verb: Quran 22:7
51	Ash-Shahid	The Witness	Quran 22:17
52	Al-Haqq	The Truth	Quran 22:6
53	Al-Wakil	The Trustee, the Disposer of affairs	Quran 3:173
54	Al-Qawi	The All-Strong	Quran 42:19
55	Al-Matin	The Firm, of unbreakable strength	Quran 51:58
56	Al-Wali	The Protecting Friend	Quran 42:28
57	Al-Hamid	The Praiseworthy	Quran 42:28
58	Al-Muhsi	The One who keeps count of all things	As a verb: Quran 72:28
59	Al-Mubdi	The Initiator, who begins creation	As a verb: Quran 85:13
60	Al-Mu’id	The Restorer, who brings creation back	As a verb: Quran 85:13
61	Al-Muhyi	The Giver of life	Quran 30:50
62	Al-Mumit	The Bringer of death	As a verb: Quran 57:2
63	Al-Hayy	The Ever-Living	Quran 2:255
64	Al-Qayyum	The Self-Subsisting Sustainer of all	Quran 2:255
65	Al-Wajid	The Finder, who lacks nothing	As a verb: Quran 93:6
66	Al-Maajid	The Noble, the Illustrious	Related word: Quran 11:73
67	Al-Wahid	The One	Quran 13:16
68	As-Samad	The Eternal Refuge, on whom all depend	Quran 112:2
69	Al-Qadir	The All-Able	Quran 6:65
70	Al-Muqtadir	The All-Powerful	Quran 18:45
71	Al-Muqaddim	The One who brings forward	As a verb: Quran 50:28
72	Al-Mu’akhkhir	The One who delays	As a verb: Quran 14:42
73	Al-Awwal	The First	Quran 57:3
74	Al-Akhir	The Last	Quran 57:3
75	Az-Zahir	The Manifest	Quran 57:3
76	Al-Batin	The Hidden	Quran 57:3
77	Al-Waali	The Governor, who manages all affairs	Related word: Quran 13:11
78	Al-Muta’ali	The Most Exalted	Quran 13:9
79	Al-Barr	The Source of all goodness	Quran 52:28
80	At-Tawwab	The Acceptor of repentance	Quran 2:37
81	Al-Muntaqim	The Avenger, who requites wrongdoing	Quran 32:22, plural of majesty
82	Al-Afuww	The Pardoner, who erases sins	Quran 4:149
83	Ar-Ra’uf	The Most Kind, full of compassion	Quran 57:9
84	Malik al-Mulk	Owner of all sovereignty	Quran 3:26
85	Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram	Possessor of Majesty and Honour	Quran 55:27
86	Al-Muqsit	The Equitable, who acts with justice	Related word: Quran 3:18
87	Al-Jami	The Gatherer	Quran 3:9
88	Al-Ghani	The Self-Sufficient, free of all need	Quran 35:15
89	Al-Mughni	The Enricher	As a verb: Quran 53:48
90	Al-Mani	The Withholder, who prevents	Not in the Quran as a name; from the Tirmidhi list
91	Ad-Darr	The One who decrees harm	Related word: Quran 48:11
92	An-Nafi	The One who brings benefit	Related word: Quran 48:11
93	An-Nur	The Light	Quran 24:35
94	Al-Hadi	The Guide	Quran 25:31
95	Al-Badi	The Originator, who creates without precedent	Quran 2:117
96	Al-Baqi	The Everlasting	As a verb: Quran 55:27
97	Al-Warith	The Inheritor, who remains after all	Quran 15:23, plural of majesty
98	Ar-Rashid	The Guide to the right course	Not in the Quran as a name; from the Tirmidhi list
99	As-Sabur	The Patient	Not in the Quran as a name; from the Tirmidhi list

How do you call on Allah by His names in dua?

You call on Allah by His names by addressing Him with a name that suits what you are asking for, as Quran 7:180 instructs: ‘invoke Him by them’. An IslamQA answer quoting Ibn Uthaymin gives the example of saying ‘Ya Ghafur, forgive me’ when asking for forgiveness, rather than calling on Him by a name connected with punishment.

The Prophet’s own supplications follow the same pattern. Each wording below follows the Arabic on its linked Sunnah.com page, where you can check it before learning it.

Allahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathiran, wa la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa ant, faghfir li maghfiratan min ’indik, warhamni, innaka antal-Ghafurur-Rahim. O Allah, I have greatly wronged myself and none forgives sins but You, so grant me forgiveness from You and have mercy on me; You are the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful (taught to Abu Bakr for his prayer, Sahih al-Bukhari 834).
Allahumma innaka ’Afuwwun Karimun tuhibbul-’afwa fa’fu ’anni. O Allah, You are Pardoning and Generous and You love to pardon, so pardon me (taught to Aishah for Laylat al-Qadr, Jami at-Tirmidhi 3513; Sahih, Darussalam).
Allahumma antal-Awwalu falaysa qablaka shay’, wa antal-Akhiru falaysa ba’daka shay’, wa antaz-Zahiru falaysa fawqaka shay’, wa antal-Batinu falaysa dunaka shay’. O Allah, You are the First and there is nothing before You, the Last and there is nothing after You, the Manifest and there is nothing above You, and the Hidden and there is nothing beyond You (from a bedtime supplication, Sahih Muslim 2713a).
Antal-Muqaddimu wa antal-Mu’akhkhiru, wa anta ’ala kulli shay’in qadir. You are the One who brings forward and the One who delays, and You have power over all things (the close of a supplication for forgiveness, Sahih al-Bukhari 6398).
As’aluka bi-kulli ismin huwa lak, sammayta bihi nafsak, aw anzaltahu fi kitabik, aw ’allamtahu ahadan min khalqik, awista’tharta bihi fi ’ilmil-ghaybi ’indak. I ask You by every name that is Yours, by which You have named Yourself, or sent down in Your Book, or taught to any of Your creation, or kept to Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen with You (from the supplication for anxiety and grief, Hisn al-Muslim 120, which cites Musnad Ahmad and al-Albani’s grading of it as authentic).

Why do the names of Allah often come in pairs?

Many Quranic verses close with two names side by side. Quran 39:53 ends with ‘He is the Forgiving, the Merciful’, Quran 59:24 with ‘the Mighty, the Wise’, Quran 42:11 with ‘the Hearer, the Seer’ and Quran 6:103 with ‘the Subtle, the Aware’. Forgiveness is joined to mercy, and might to wisdom.

The Tirmidhi list also sets contrasting names side by side, such as Al-Qabid and Al-Basit, Al-Mu’izz and Al-Mudhill, Al-Muhyi and Al-Mumit, and Ad-Darr and An-Nafi. In the commentary translated by IslamQA, al-Sa’di explains withholding and expanding as acts of Allah’s wisdom and mercy: no one can withhold what He gives or give what He withholds.

Which names of Allah are used only for Him?

The name Allah belongs to Him alone, and guidance on naming from IslamQA and Darul Uloom Deoband treats Ar-Rahman the same way. Quran 17:110 places the two together, ‘Cry unto Allah, or cry unto the Beneficent’, and an IslamQA answer on the greatest name describes Allah as a name never given to anyone else.

Other names describe qualities that people can have in a limited, created way. Quran 9:128 describes the Prophet as full of pity and merciful towards the believers, using the words behind Ar-Ra’uf and Ar-Rahim, and Quran 12:50 calls the ruler of Egypt the king, al-malik. Quran 42:11 still says that nothing is like Allah.

Some titles are therefore avoided for people. In Sahih al-Bukhari 6205 the Prophet said the most awful name in Allah’s sight is that of a man calling himself Malik al-Amlak, king of kings, and an IslamQA answer on naming children lists al-Khaliq and al-Rahman among names befitting Allah alone.

Can you name a child Abd plus one of Allah’s names?

Many Muslim names join Abd, meaning ‘servant of’, to a name of Allah, and Sahih Muslim 2132 reports the Prophet saying that the names dearest to Allah are Abdullah and Abd al-Rahman. Names such as Abd al-Rahim, Abd al-Karim and Abd al-Malik follow the same pattern and express servanthood to Allah.

A Darul Uloom Deoband answer advises that names exclusive to Allah, such as Rahman, be given in this form, as Abdur Rahman rather than Rahman alone, and the IslamQA answer on naming children places Abdullah and Abd al-Rahman first among good names. For a particular name you are unsure about, ask a qualified scholar.

How can you learn the 99 names of Allah?

Learn the names a few at a time, together with their meanings, and use them in your own supplications. Scholars describe preserving the names as understanding and living by them rather than only memorising a list, so a slower pace that leaves room for reflection serves that aim well.

Start with names you already meet in daily worship: Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim in every Bismillah and in Al-Fatihah, the names in Ayat al-Kursi, and the run of names in Quran 59:22-24. Our guide to tawhid explains how the names fit into belief in Allah’s oneness, and a SeekersGuidance answer notes that reciting His beautiful names is praiseworthy in general.

Take three to five names a week and say each one aloud with its meaning.
Open the Quran reference in the table and read the verse in its context.
Choose one name to reflect on each day, such as Ar-Razzaq when you are worried about provision.
Call on Allah by a fitting name in your own dua, as Quran 7:180 teaches.
Review earlier names before adding new ones; a notebook or a simple counter can help you keep track.

Quran passages in this guide

Read each complete verse below in Arabic and the identified English interpretation. Follow the context link before drawing conclusions from an isolated verse.

Al-A’raaf 7:180. The fairest names belong to Allah, and believers are told to invoke Him by them.

وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ۝١٨٠

And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.