Surah Tâ Hâ 20:8

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ

20:8 Asmâ’ al-Husnâ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ means beautiful names. Allâh’s Names are His Attributes, which He ascribes to Himself in His Holy Book. He makes Himself known through His Attributes, which are His Beautiful Names. There are names that make Him known such as the Powerful and All-Mighty (al-‘Azîz; 22:74), the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining (al-Qayyûm; 3:2), Possessor of full power to do whatever He likes (al-Qadîr; 2:284). Then there are names of similarity such as the All-Hearing (al-Samî‘; 22:61) the All-Seeing (al-Basîr; 22:61), the Living (al-Hayyî), All-Knower (al-‘Alîm), the Hearer (al-Sâm‘î), the Well-Aware (al-Khabîr) and the Creator (al-Khâliq). There are other names that are taken from acts ascribed to Him, as for instance Al-Râf‘i- the One Who exalts; Al-Bâsit, the One Who releases in abundance joy, relief and ease. Al-Mûjib – Responder to prayers and supplications Al-Muhyî- the Giver of life; Al-Mumît – the One Who causes to die. He has the Attribute of al-Kalîm (the One who Speaks) that is mentioned indirectly in the Holy Qur’ân because He speaks indirectly, from behind a veil. He said, “It is not given to a human being that Allâh should speak to him except by Revelation (Wahî) or from behind a veil” (42:51; 9:164; 7:143). Then there are names with polarity as Allâh ascribes to Himself as being the Manifest (al-Zâhir) and the Un-manifest or Hidden (al-Bâtin). He is hidden (al-Bâtin) from those who are veiled from seeking Him with their five senses and reason, and He is manifest (al-Zâhir) for those who seek Him by His Light (Nûr) in their hearts. He is al-Bâtin, hidden behind the veils, because the cosmos cannot perceive Him as He perceives Himself, nor He can ever be unveiled. He names himself the First (al-Awwal), as the One without beginning, contradicting any priority in the sense of existence and non-existence. Being infinite, He calls Himself the Last (al-Âkhir). tc "A very authentic and well known companion of the Holy Prophet. Abull Yaman narrated, he said Shu`aib told us that Abû al-Zinad told us that Aaraj said on the authority of Abû Hurairah that the Messenger of Allâh said\: “Allâh has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. He who has memorized them all and learns, understands, enumerates, becomes conscious of them and succeeds in implanting, making them part and parcel of himself and knows it by heart, and believes in those qualities derived from those names and should be accompanied by good deed, which Allah’s names inspire us to do and behave in accordance with their implications will enter Paradise.” This saying of the Holy Prophet do not mean that Allâh has only 99 attributes. There are further names attributable to Allâh even in the Holy Qur'ân as Rabb and infinite others which He has revealed to His choice creations and so many others which may be read in the pages of nature. Some religious scholars have related that Allâh has 3,000 names. There are so many names of the Divine Being that are taken from some attributes or acts ascribed to Him in the Holy Qur'ân. As for instance Al-Rafi’, Al-Qalidz, Al-Bâset, Al-Mûjib, Al-Muhjî, Al-Wâjid, Al-Muqaddim, Al-Mua’khkhir. The attribute Kalâm (speaking) of the Divine Being is mentioned frequently in the Holy Qur'ân. Allâh spoke to [Kallama] Moses (9\:164, 7\:143). He spoke to other Prophets (42\:51). This leaves no doubt that speaking is an attribute of Allâh, as the Holy Qur'ân definitely and decidedly states again and again that Allâh has been speaking to His servants."He says He is the Unique One (Ahad), He is the Self-Sufficient Being (al-Samad), and nothing is His likeness (42:11), and He stands High above any similarity (37:180): these are the Attributes of Incomparability, which is related to Allâh’s Essence. In addition, He possesses the Attributes of Transcendence, i.e., He is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth (24:35). We should “know Him as both Comparable and Incomparable. We will sit in the abode of Truth” (Ibn al-‘Arabî).

There is a saying of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) that Allâh has 99 Attributes. These 99 Attributes are such as can be read in the pages of nature: we can perceive them, and they can come within the scope of our coping, and with them, we can imbue ourselves. They remind us of those Divine moulds in which we have to cast our daily life. High morality consists of reflection and doing deeds in conformity with these Attributes and to a certain extent imitating them (7:180). These 99 Names are not the only Attributes He possesses. His Attributes are limitless and innumerable (18:109). He says, “Every moment He manifests Himself in a new state of glory and wondrous way” (55:29). No one can comprehend them in their entirety. He is the only knower of His own Essence. His Attributes have ranks (Marâtib) and the Name Allâh embraces all His Beautiful Names (Asmâ’ al-Husnâ). tc "To be virtuous is to walk humbly with Allâh, to imbue ourselves with His attributes. Everything that goes against the demands of these attributes is sin; they sum up the whole of Qur'ân injunction. The traces and signs of His attributes in human beings and upon His other creations are at least a reflection, a symbol, a word, a means, a path to understand and reach Him. Of each attribute less than an atom is given to us; it is in order that we know His perfect attributes which He has given us in traces, in signs in and around us. It is so that we know Him and find Him and love Him and be with Him and act as His vicegerent And to Allâh alone belong all the fairest and most perfect attributes, so call on Him by these, and leave alone those who deviate from the right way with respect to His attributes (and violate their sanctity) (7\:180)" His Attributes are a part of His essence, and thus cannot be separated from Him. His Attributes are His mysteries, and the essences of His Attributes are the mysteries of mysteries. Those who attain His nearness are able to penetrate some of these mysteries. They are the true lovers of Allâh.