The 99 names of the well-known list (al-Asma al-Husna), in the order of the hadith reported by al-Tirmidhi. For each one: its meaning, the explanation of scholars, the verses where it occurs, hadiths, and 72 names to listen to as they are recited in the Quran.
72 names occur as such in the Quran: each is taken from the recitation of Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary; more reciters on each name’s page.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah has ninety-nine names – one hundred minus one – and no one memorizes them but that they will enter Paradise. He is One, and He loves odd numbers.”
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, Allah has ninety-nine names, one-hundred minus one. Whoever memorizes them all will enter Paradise."
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا مِائَةً إِلاَّ وَاحِدًا مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ " . وَزَادَ هَمَّامٌ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّهُ وِتْرٌ يُحِبُّ الْوِتْرَ
The authentic hadith above mentions 99 names without listing them. The well-known list comes from a hadith reported by al-Tirmidhi (no. 3507), in which the names are listed. Here is that hadith and what scholars said about it.
This is a ghareeb hadeeth (i.e., it is weak, as is the apparent meaning of his words here). It was narrated to us by more than one person from Safwaan ibn Saalih, but we only know of it through Safwaan ibn Saalih, and he is thiqah (trustworthy) according to the scholars of hadeeth. This hadeeth was also narrated by more than one person from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet , but in many reports we do not know of any saheeh isnaad mentioning the names except this hadeeth. Adam ibn Abi Iyaas narrated this hadeeth with another isnaad from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), in which he mentioned the names of Allaah, but its isnaad is not saheeh.
— al-Tirmidhi
The hadeeth was also classed as da’eef by al-Haafiz ibn Hajr in al-Talkhees al-Habeer, 4/172. He also narrated that Ibn Hazm, al-Bayhaqi and others classed it as da’eef.
And it was classed as da’eef by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/482.
Are the names of Allah limited to 99?
The scholars unanimously agreed that this hadith does not mean that Allah has only ninety-nine names, or that He does not have any other names apart from these ninety-nine. Rather what the hadith means is that whoever learns these ninety-nine will enter Paradise. The point is that one may enter Paradise by learning them, not that the number is limited to these names.
— al-Nawawi
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated that the scholars were unanimously agreed that the names of Allaah are not limited to this number.
This indicates that Allah has more than ninety-nine names.
— Ibn Taymiyyah
This indicates that He has names that He has preserved with Him, and that indicates that the words “Allah has ninety-nine names , whoever learns them will enter Paradise” mean that there are ninety-nine of His names which whoever learns them will enter Paradise. This is like saying, “I have one thousand dirhams which I have prepared to give to charity,” even if his wealth is greater than that. In the Quran Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them.” [al-A’raf 7:180]
Allah has commanded us to call upon Him by His names in general terms, He did not say that He has only ninety-nine names.
— Ibn Taymiyyah
The names of Allah are not limited to a certain number. The evidence for that is the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the sahih hadith: “O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave… I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You.”
What Allah has preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with Him cannot be known and what is not known is unlimited.
With regard to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. Whoever learns them will enter Paradise,” this does not mean that He does not have any names apart from these, rather it means that whoever learns these ninety-nine of His names will enter Paradise. This is like when the Arabs say: “I have one hundred horses which I have prepared for jihad for the sake of Allah,” which does not mean that the speaker has only these hundred horses, rather these hundred are prepared for this purpose.
— Ibn ‘Uthaymin
Names taken from the Quran and the Sunnah (Ibn ‘Uthaymin)
Ibn ‘Uthaymin gathered 81 names from the Quran and 18 from the Sunnah.
Linked names have their own page here; the others are not in al-Tirmidhi’s list.
Frequently asked questions
Is the hadith that lists the 99 names authentic?
The names of Allaah are not limited to a specific number. There is a saheeh report from which some people understand that Allaah has only ninety-nine names. This report was narrated bu al-Bukhaari (2736) and Muslim (2677) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), and says that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. Whoever learns them will enter Paradise.”
How did scholars derive the list of names?
Many scholars have striven to derive the names of Allaah from the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and they have laid out guidelines by means of which they found out the names of Allaah, may He be exalted. We should point out two things here: 1 – The scholars have defined these names of the basis of what each one of them thought was appropriate, and we cannot be certain that these are what the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant. 2 – The hadeeth that is narrated by al-Tirmidhi in which these names are listed is da’eef (weak) according to the consensus of the scholars of hadeeth. You will find a more detailed discussion of this issue and others in the answer to question no. 72318.
Does Allah have more than 99 names?
Al-Bukhari (2736) and Muslim (2677) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. Whoever learns them will enter Paradise.” Some of the scholars (such as Ibn Hazm – may Allah have mercy on him) understood this hadith as meaning that the names of Allah are limited to this number. (Al-Muhalla, 1/51) But what Ibn Hazm said is not supported by the majority of scholars. Rather some of them (such as al-Nawawi) narrated that the scholars agreed that the names of Allah are not limited to this number. It seems that they regarded the view of Ibn Hazm as odd and as something that should not be paid any attention.
What does “counting” (ihsa) the names of Allah mean?
“Learning by heart”, which is mentioned in the hadeeth, implies the following: 1.Memorising them 2.Understanding their meaning 3.Acting in accordance with the meanings. So if a person knows that He is One, he does not associate anything else with Him. If he knows that He is the Provider (ar-Razzaq), he does not seek provision from anyone other than Him. If he knows that He is Most Merciful (ar-Raheem), then he does acts of obedience and worship that are the means of attaining this mercy… and so on.
