The Beautiful Names of Allaah and His Greatest Name

The Beautiful Names of Allaah and His Greatest Name

Posted: Jun 2nd, 2004
Author: Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan
Source: http://www.sahab.com - Fatwa #259

Question: Has it been established in the purified Sharee’ah, the classification of the Beautiful Names of Allaah? And can you relate them? And what is Allaah’s Greatest Name?
Answer: All praise is due to Allaah, the Lord of all that exists. And may the blessings and peace be upon His trustworthy Messenger. To proceed:
Allaah, the Most High said:

“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him by them.” – Al-A’raf (7):180

And the Most High said:

“To Him belong the Best Names.” – Ta-Ha (20):8

And the Beautiful Names of Allaah, there number is not known except by Allaah (:swt:). And their enumeration is not (found) in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah but it is possible to enumerate them from what has come in the Book and the Sunnah.
And many of them have been gathered by some of the scholars in their rasaa’il (letters) and some of them classified them, such as Ibnul Qayyim in “al-Nooniyyah”. And Shaykh Hasan bin ‘Alee Aal ash-Shaykh in his classification (entitled) “al-Qawlul Asnaa Fee Nadham al-Asmaa’ al-Husnaa” and this has been published and circulated.
And as for Allaah’s Greatest Name, then it has come that it is in these two verses:

“Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), al-Hayy (the Ever Living), al-Qayyoom (the One Who sustains and protects all that exists).” – Al-Baqarah (2):255

And His statement:

“Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), al-Hayy (the Ever Living), al-Qayyoom (the One Who sustains and protects all that exists).” – Aali Imran (3):2

And it has come, that it is also in a third verse, the statement of Allaah in Soorah Ta-Ha:

“And (all) faces shall be humbled before (Allaah), al-Hayy (the Ever Living), al-Qayyoom (the One Who sustains and protects all that exists).” – Ta-Ha (20):111

And this was related by Ibn Katheer in his tafseer (explanation of the Qur’aan).