The Names and Attributes of Allah

Islamic tradition holds that God has ninety-nine names (al-Asma al-Husna, 'the most beautiful names'), each describing an attribute of His nature — mercy, power, knowledge, justice, and more. A well-known hadith states that whoever preserves and reflects on these names will enter Paradise, and reciting them remains a common form of devotion. Among the most frequently invoked are Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim (the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful) — both appear at the opening of nearly every chapter of the Quran. Others describe God as Al-Khaliq (the Creator), Al-'Alim (the All-Knowing), As-Sami' (the All-Hearing), Al-Basir (the All-Seeing), and Al-'Adl (the Just). Scholars are careful to note that these are not ninety-nine separate 'names' in a casual sense, but descriptions drawn directly from the Quran and hadith that together build a picture of God's nature — merciful and just, powerful and near, without any of these attributes being understood in a way that resembles created beings. Reflecting on them is treated in Islamic spirituality as a way of knowing God more directly, and several are commonly used as personal names for Muslims, prefixed with 'Abd' (servant of), such as Abdur-Rahman or Abdul-Karim.