The Third Topic: The Names of Allah Are Not Limited to a Specific Number.

The Shaykh : Now, are the Names of Allah the Exalted limited to a specific number? The answer is: No, they are not limited to a specific number. The evidence for this is His saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the well-known authentic hadith: until He said: You have kept them to Yourself in Your knowledge of the unseen. This hadith indicates that Allah has Names which He has kept to Himself in His knowledge of the unseen. Do you understand? And whatever Allah has kept to Himself in His knowledge of the unseen, no one can know it, and whatever is not known is not limited.
If you were to ask: How do you respond to the saying of Allah the Exalted ?
Yes, it is not correct. The author actually indicated its weakness, but we did not notice it at that time when he said: "It was said it was revealed, and it was said: in the form of a conditional statement (tamrid), so it is weak." Therefore, it is not relied upon, and the difficulty we raised and answered—how 'Umar killed him without returning to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)—is resolved... hmm?
The student: ... I wanted to ask.

The Shaykh : The Chapter on One Who Is Ignorant of Some of the Names and Attributes.
It has been established for us that what is meant by "Names" are the Names of Allah Mighty and Majestic, and by "Attributes" are the Attributes of Allah Mighty and Majestic.
The difference between a Name and an Attribute is that a Name is what Allah is named by, and an Attribute is what He is described by.
We mentioned that the Names of Allah the Exalted are both distinct and synonymous, and that the Names of Allah are proper names and descriptions. What does "distinct and synonymous" mean? Mustafa? Let us treat the matter as if we are starting it now. Yes.
The Names, which refer to the Names of Allah Mighty and Majestic, are discussed in terms of:
First: Are the Names of Allah distinct or synonymous?
Distinct means those whose meaning and wording differ, and synonymous means those whose meaning is the same but whose wording differs.
We say: The Names of Allah the Exalted are both distinct and synonymous. In terms of their indication of the Essence of Allah Mighty and Majestic, they are synonymous, because they indicate one named entity: Allah, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the Almighty, the Wise. They all indicate one thing, which is Allah Mighty and Majestic. In terms of their meanings, they are distinct, because the meaning of the Most Merciful is not the meaning of the All-Hearing, the meaning of the All-Hearing is not the meaning of the All-Seeing, the meaning of the All-Seeing is not the meaning of the Almighty, and the meaning of the Almighty is not the meaning of the Wise, and so on. Is that clear? So if you are asked: Are the Names of Allah distinct or synonymous? You say: Distinct in terms of their meanings, and synonymous in terms of their indication of the Essence, because they indicate one Essence.
Now, are the Names purely proper names, or are they proper names and descriptions? We say: They are proper names and descriptions. This is unlike the names of humans, for example, when one names his son Muhammad, Ali, Bakr, or Khalid, without considering the meaning of the description. A man might be named Ali and yet be one of the most wretched of people, hmm?
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Yes, and he is one of the most wretched of people. And a man might be named Salih and yet be one of the most corrupt of people. And a man might be named 'Abd Allah and yet be one of the most disbelieving of Allah's servants, is that not so? Now, but the Names of Allah Mighty and Majestic are proper names and descriptions. They are proper names because they indicate the Essence of Allah, and they are descriptions because they contain meanings. So Allah the Exalted is the Most High. Why? Because of the Highness of His Essence and the Highness of His Attributes. The Almighty possesses might; the Almighty indicates His might. The Wise indicates His judgment and wisdom, and so on. So they are proper names and descriptions, meaning they indicate the Essence from this angle, making them proper names, and they indicate the attributes they contain from this angle, making them descriptions. This is unlike the name of a human being, which may indicate a description or may not.
Now, the Names. The third discussion regarding the Names: Are the Names of Allah limited or not? We spoke about this. Are the Names of Allah limited or not? Hmm? We mentioned that according to the people of the Sunnah and the community, they are not limited to a specific number. We provided evidence for this with the well-known authentic hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: until He said: And whatever Allah has kept to Himself in His knowledge of the unseen, it is not known.
And we said: The meaning of His saying in the authentic hadith We mentioned a parallel from the expression of the Arabs. What is it? They say: "I have a hundred horses that I have prepared for jihad in the path of Allah." Does that mean he has no others? No, but these hundred are prepared for this purpose. These ninety-nine Names: whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise. Therefore, the saying: is considered a completion of the first sentence, not a separate introductory sentence, but rather a completion of it. Now.
The student: ...?

The Shaykh : For the sake of variety, this is for variety, as is the one before it.
Now, the Names of Allah Mighty and Majestic and His Attributes. The Attributes are what Allah is described by. Is three topics enough that we have mentioned now, or four? Hmm? Three: Are they distinct or synonymous? That they are proper names and descriptions. Third: That they are not limited to a number.