Is al-Muhsin one of the names of Allah? And the discussion regarding being named 'Abd al-Sattar.

The questioner : A questioner asks: Is al-Muhsin one of the names of Allah? The name 'Abd al-Muhsin has become widespread among us in the Hijaz and Najd. Please give us a ruling on this, may Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : We do not know from what has come in the Book and the Sunnah that al-Muhsin is among the names of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), not even in the hadith narrated by al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan, which begins with and then lists them. Scholars of hadith have nearly agreed that this addition to the number of names is not established. Some say the narrator made a mistake, while others say it is an insertion and not part of the original hadith. In any case, the divine names mentioned in this hadith in al-Tirmidhi's Sunan, al-Hakim's Mustadrak, and others are not authentic from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Even in these hadiths listed in al-Tirmidhi's narration and others, the name al-Muhsin does not appear. It is like the name "al-Sattar", which some people among us in Syria use, naming themselves "Abd al-Sattar" frequently, to the point that one of the muftis among us is named "Abd al-Sattar". The point is that since the names of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) are, by the consensus of scholars, based on revelation (taqifi) and not derived (ishtiqqi), and since it has not been established in the Book or the Sunnah that al-Muhsin is among the names of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), one should not take this name. Rather, whoever has been afflicted with it should hasten to change it if it is easy. I know that this is difficult for some people under the current systems in some Islamic countries, as it requires some lying, claiming that this was a registration error and that his real name is... and he should bring two witnesses. That is how it is in Syria; I do not know how the situation is in other countries. But the point is: if it is easy for him to change a name that has not been established as one of the names of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), he should hasten to change it, otherwise .

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.