The Names of Allah Are Not Limited

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

The Shaykh : The second principle: Are the names of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) limited to a specific number that does not exceed it, or are they not limited? This is the question, and the answer to it is: The names of Allah the Exalted are not limited; we do not grasp them all. Allah the Exalted has informed us of some of His names and reserved the knowledge of other names to Himself. This is indicated by the hadith of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud in the supplication for distress and hardship:

I ask You by every name that is Yours, by which You have named Yourself, or which You have revealed in Your Book, or which You have taught any of Your creation, or which You have kept exclusive to Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen with You.

أسألك بكل اسم هو لك سميت به نفسك أو أنزلته في كتابك أو علمته أحدا من خلقك أو استأثرت به في علم الغيب عندك

Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 18:73

. The point of this is his saying:

You have reserved it in Your knowledge of the unseen

استأثرت به في علم الغيب عندك

Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 18:73

For Allah reserving the knowledge of a thing means that it is not limited and we cannot limit it. As for the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):

Indeed, Allah has ninety-nine Names, whoever counts them shall enter Paradise.

إن لله تسعة وتسعين اسما من أحصاها دخل الجنة

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3508Sahih (Darussalam)

, the meaning is that among His names is this number, and if a person enumerates them, he will enter Paradise. Good.

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

Similar fatwas