Sufi Introduction to the 99 Names of Allah and sufi ... - Deen islam

Collected by Muhammad Sajad Ali - webmaster – www.deenislam.co.uk - 10 th December 2009
The Meanings and Benefits of the Beautiful Ninety-Nine of Allah
Origin of this list of Beautiful Names
The list of 99 Beautiful Names as described on this page is one of the most commonly available lists
of 99 Beautiful Names which have been given to us by Islamic traditions. Many of the most widely
circulated lists of the Beautiful Names are nearly identical, often differing by only one or two
Names.
The Qur'ân does not specify any particular list of Beautiful Names or any particular number of
Beautiful Names. the various lists of Beautiful Names have been given to us as tools to help us keep
the glory of Allah in constant remembrance through the use of these convenient and well-known
lists of Beautiful Names.
The Qur'ân planted the seeds for awareness of the Beautiful Names by mentioning the concept of
the Beautiful Names in the following verses:
The most beautiful names belong to Allâh: so call on Him by them Qur'ân 7:180, tr Yusuf Ali
Call upon Allâh or call upon Rahmân: by whatever name ye call upon Him (it is well): for to Him
belong the Most Beautiful Names. Qur'ân 17:110, tr Yusuf Ali
The glorious name Allâh, subhâna wa ta'âlâ, is the greatest and most beautiful of all the names.
The name Allâh encompasses all of the divine names and attributes of perfection.
The name Allâh is the Arabic proper name of the One, while other names, descriptions and titles
such as these ninety-nine beautiful names are considered to be attributes of Allâh. That is, they are
the signs by which we recognize the wonder and glory of the Almighty One.
The essence of all attributes, descriptions and names are unified in this one name, Allâh, which
denotes the ultimate perfection of love, harmony and beauty.
He is Allah the Creator the Evolver the Bestower of Forms (or colors). To Him belong the Most
Beautiful Names: Whatever is in the heavens and on earth doth declare His Praises and Glory: and
He is the exalted in Might the Wise. Qur'ân 59:24, tr Yusuf Ali
Allah! there is no god but He! To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Qur'ân 20:8, tr Yusuf Ali
The various lists of 99 Beautiful Names are largely based on Divine Names and Attributes which are
specifically mentioned in the Qur'ân. However, there are Names mentioned in the Qur'ân which are
missing from the traditional lists (such as al-Mawla (master), an-Nasir (protector), al-Ghalib
(victor), al-Qarib (close), ar-Rabb (lord) and al-Fatir (creator)), while there are Names in the
traditional lists that are not used in the Qur'ân as Names of Allâh (such as ar-Rashid, al-Baqi, ad-
Darr, al-Mudhill, and an-Nafi).
The lists of 99 Beautiful Names are known as mudraj, meaning inserted, interpolated or included
in, which is to say that the list of Names is not specified in the Qur'ân, or in any reliable hadith, but
rather they have been included in Islamic thought as aids to our understanding and remembrance.
Although there are several different versions of the Abu Hurayrah narration given in the hadith,
each with a slightly different list of Names, the following version transmitted by Tirmidhi is the
source of the list of Beautiful Names used in this document:
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