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The 99 Names of God, also known as The 99 attributes of Allah ( ), are the names of God revealed to man in the Qur'an;• even though His names (as adjectives, word constructs, or otherwise) exceed ninety-nine in the Qur'an.
Origin In one Islamic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad used to call God by all his names: "Allahumma inni ad`uka bi asma'ika al-husna kulliha" "اللهم اني ادعوك باسمائك الحسنى كلها" "O God, I invoke you with all of your beautiful names." (Narrated by Ibn Maja, book of Du`a; and by Imam Malik in his Muwatta', Kitab al-Shi`r) The Prophet is also reported to have said in a famous Hadith: "Verily, there are ninety-nine names of God, one hundred minus one. He who enumerates them would get into Paradise." (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, p. 1410) This caused people to search them out in the Qur'an, and a list was compiled. Over time it became custom to recite the list in its entirety. While most Muslims believe that this list is mentioned by the Prophet himself, the specialist Muslim scholars argue that the list was just compiled by a Muslim scholar, (Al Waaleed ibn Muslim). If it was only an attempt of a scholar, they are not necessarily the names proper, and other attempts may still be made. A recent scholar, Dr. Mahmoud Abdel-Razek, made an attempt * of this kind and explained in detail why he differs in opinion with Al Waleed about enlisting some of the names. However, reciting the traditional names has developed into a ritual by some Muslims (a bit like a Catholic litany of Saints) as an attempt to enumerate them, while some other muslims believe that the "enumeation" is not just the act of recitation, but applying the attributes that the names suggest. As one Muslim puts it: "...by reciting and contemplating the names, and by embodying them as far as possible in his actions, the devout Muslim strives to remember God and draws near to Him, and with God's grace makes them part of his own being." * Palm of the Hand What could be interpreted as the number 99 written in Arabic is imprinted on human hands. If one looks at his or her palms, thumbs facing upward, the lines in the hands appear as "١٨ ٨١", which are the arabic numerals of 81 and 18, which sum to 99. For Muslims this is a reference to the names of God. It should be noted that this has no Islamic or Qu'ranic basis supporting it, and is more likely a novelty that has developed in Muslim culture. List of Names The 99 Names of God according to the tradition of Islam are: Another epithet found in the Qur'an is Dhul Fazl al Azim (ذو الفضل العظيم) "The Lord of Infinite Grace" (2.105, 3.74, 8.29, 57.21, 57.29, 62.4), but it is not part of the traditional list of the 99 names of Allah. 100th Name of God Muslims teach that there are 99 names for God and that the 100th name is hidden. The idea has become a kind of mystery with little references to what it means. (Mellis) Once again, the Hadith about the names of God says: "Verily, there are ninety-nine names of God, one hundred minus one. He who enumerates them would get into Paradise." (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 4, p. 1410) Sufism In Sufism, the idea of the 100th name is most prominent. It has become the elusive object of mystic devotion, the symbol of God's transcendent being. Sufis often describe their discipline as the quest to know the one-hundredth name of God and thus to merge their consciousness with the divine reality. * Mahdi Other such Hadiths, which vary according to different Shi'a sects of Islam, suggest that the 100th Name will be revealed by the Mahdi on the day of resurrection, known as the day of Qiyamah. Baháí The Bahá'í Faith has claimed to fulfill the prophecy of the Mahdi, and the 100th name was revealed as "Bahá’" (an Arabic word بهاء meaning "glory, splendor" etc.), and is the root word for Bahá'u'lláh and Bahá'í.• While the Bahá'í Faith has roots in Islam, it is an independent religion, and its followers are not considered Muslims. Arab Folklore Arab folklore says that the camel knows the 100th name of God but will tell no one. That is why he solemnly holds his head high and plods defiantly across the desert, holding the secret to himself. Some people claim that the 99 names are adjectives of God and do not tell us the true entity of God. The 100th name may be the one that really is the name of God. * Arab Christianity In Arab Christianity, the idea of the 100th name is based on trinitarian idea. Thus 100th name of God for Arab Christians is ath-Thalouth al-Muqaddas, meaning 'Holy Trinity'. Arab Christians believe that God consists of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Personal Names According to Islamic tradition, a Muslim may not be given any of the 99 names of God in the exact same form- for example, nobody may be named Al Malik (The King), but may be named Malik 'King'. Similarly, Allah Baksh and so on. An exception may be made in some cases — for example, the son of Khattab ibn Nufayl is named "Umar ibn Khattab", but since his father was famous, he is called Umar ibn al-Khattab. This implies "Umar, the son of the famous Khattab" and not "Umar, the son of the one and only Khattab". In the same manner, there are people named "x ibn al-y". However the names/attributes of God can be combined with the word "‘Abd -" which means servant (i.e. - of God) and are commonly used as personal names among Muslims. For example ‘Abd ar-Rahman ("servant of the Most Compassionate God"). Some notable people having names resembling those 99 (but without the article "The" which is only used to denote God) are: See also Notes | ||||||||
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