The Most Beautiful Names
وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا“And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them.”
The verse does two things: it tells us that Allah’s names are the most beautiful, and it tells us to use them when we make dua.
The hadith of the 99 names
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا، مِائَةً إِلَّا وَاحِدًا، مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ“Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. Whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise.”
Scholars explain that “enumerating” (aḥṣāhā) means more than counting them off. It includes learning them, understanding their meanings, calling on Allah by them, and letting them shape how you live.
Where the list comes from
The hadith in Bukhari and Muslim gives the number but does not list the names. The best-known list of 99 comes from a narration in Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi (3507). Many hadith scholars have noted that the names in this list may have been compiled by a narrator rather than said by the Prophet ﷺ himself, and other scholars have produced slightly different lists from the Quran and Sunnah.
The list on our 99 Names page follows the widely used Tirmidhi list. For many names we show a verse where the name, or a word from the same root, appears.
Allah has more than 99 names
The hadith does not mean Allah has only 99 names. In a dua taught by the Prophet ﷺ, a person asks Allah by every name He has, including names He has kept in His knowledge of the unseen (Musnad Ahmad 3712). The 99 are those with this special promise attached.
How to learn them
- Learn a few at a time, for example one a day or five a week.
- Learn them in pairs that appear together in the Quran, such as Al-Ghafūr Ar-Raḥīm or Al-‘Alīm Al-Ḥakīm.
- Learn the root of each name. Many share roots with words you already know, such as Ar-Raḥmān and raḥmah.
- Use them in your duas. Ask Ar-Razzāq for provision and Al-Ghaffār for forgiveness.
- Review them regularly. Reciting the list with family is an easy routine.
