SCHOLARLY CATEGORIZATION OF ALLAH'S NAMES

SCHOLARLY CATEGORIZATION OF ALLAH'S NAMES

1. Names of Essence (Asma' al-Dhāt)

These refer to Allah's intrinsic being — eternal, unchanging, not defined by His actions toward creation.

Examples:

• Al-Ḥayy (The Ever-Living)

• Al-Qayyūm (The Self-Sustaining)

• Al-Aḥad (The One)

• Aṣ-Ṣamad (The Self-Sufficient)

Used in kalām (theology) to emphasize Allah’s necessary existence (wājib al-wujūd).

2. Names of Attributes (Asma' al-Ṣifāt)

These describe attributes of perfection that are not actions but qualities.

Examples:

• Al-‘Alīm (The All-Knowing)

• Al-Qadīr (The All-Powerful)

• As-Samī‘ (The All-Hearing)

• Al-Baṣīr (The All-Seeing)

Often used in rational theology to affirm Allah’s knowledge, power, will, etc.

3. Names of Acts (Asma' al-Af‘āl)

These are verbs turned into names, referring to Allah’s actions in the world.

Examples:

• Al-Khāliq (The Creator)

• Ar-Rāziq (The Provider)

• Al-Muḥyī (The Giver of Life)

• Al-Mumīt (The Giver of Death)

Focus of discussions in both theology and Sufism to describe divine interaction with the cosmos.

4. Names of Tashree‘ (Legislation & Guidance)

These pertain to Allah as Law-Giver, Guide, and Judge — more dominant in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and legal theory.

Examples:

• Al-Ḥakam (The Judge)

• Al-‘Adl (The Just)

• Al-Hādī (The Guide)

• Ash-Shahīd (The Witness)

5. Names of Reward & Mercy

Reflect Allah’s promise, grace, and forgiveness — central to theology of hope (rajā’).

Examples:

• Ar-Raḥmān (The Most Merciful)

• Al-Ghafūr (The Oft-Forgiving)

• At-Tawwāb (The Accepter of Repentance)

• Al-‘Afū (The Pardoner)

6. Names of Punishment & Majesty

Names that reflect Allah’s retribution, control, or wrath — often cited in discussions of divine justice (‘adl).

Examples:

• Al-Muntaqim (The Avenger)

• Al-Jabbār (The Compeller)

• Al-Qahhār (The All-Subduer)

• Dhū al-Jalāl wa al-Ikrām (The Possessor of Majesty and Honor)

7. Negating Names (Asma' al-Salbiyya)

These describe Allah by negating imperfection, often through tanzīh (declaring transcendence).

Examples:

• Al-Aḥad (Not multiple)

• Al-Ghanī (Free of need)

• Al-Quddūs (Free from defect)

• Al-Salām (Free from harm or imperfection)

  
  

  
  

 Source-Based Groupings by Classical Scholar

 Imam al-Ghazali's Framework (in al-Maqsad al-Asna)

He sorted the names into:

1. Personal Names (e.g., Allah, Rabb)

2. Qualities of Power (e.g., Qadīr, Qahhār)

3. Qualities of Knowledge (e.g., ‘Alīm, Ḥakīm)

4. Qualities of Action (e.g., Khāliq, Rāziq)

5. Qualities of Benevolence (e.g., Raḥmān, Ghaffār)

6. Qualities of Majesty (e.g., Jabbār, Mutakabbir)

He emphasized ethical implications — how humans can mirror divine traits (taḥallī bi akhlāqillāh).

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya

His groupings were similar but included:

• Names of Rubūbiyya (Lordship)

• Names of Ulūhiyya (Worship/Divinity)

• Names of Actions

• Names that require duality (e.g., al-Mu‘izz & al-Mudhill)

He discussed the causal and metaphysical logic behind divine names.

 Ibn Arabi’s Mystical Typology

In Sufi metaphysics:

• Names of Jalāl (Majesty)

• Names of Jamāl (Beauty)

• Names of Kamāl (Perfection/Totality)

Used in experiential purification, these groupings were about how different names "manifest" through the cosmos and in the self (tajallī).