"And to Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call upon Him by them."
Sūrah al-Aʿrāf · 7:180 · Sahih International
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "Indeed, Allah has ninety-nine names — one hundred minus one. Whoever encompasses them shall enter Paradise." (Sahih al-Bukhari 2736, Sahih Muslim 2677)
To "encompass" them is more than memorising. It means to know them, understand their meanings, worship Allah by them, and live by what they call us toward. Mercy invites us to be merciful. Knowledge calls us to learn. Justice asks us to be just.
99 names · From Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhī 3507
01
ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ
Ar-Raḥmān
The Most Gracious — whose mercy encompasses all of creation
02
ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Ar-Raḥīm
The Most Merciful — whose mercy is reserved especially for the believers
Astaghfirullāh, Astaghfirullāh, Astaghfirullāh. Allāhumma anta s-Salām, wa minka s-salām, tabārakta yā dha l-Jalāli wa l-Ikrām.
I seek Allah's forgiveness. I seek Allah's forgiveness. I seek Allah's forgiveness. O Allah, You are Peace, and from You is peace. Blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour.
Allāhumma anta Rabbī, lā ilāha illā ant, khalaqtanī wa anā ʿabduk, wa anā ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika ma staṭaʿt, aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿt, abūʾu laka bi-niʿmatika ʿalayy, wa abūʾu bi-dhanbī, faghfir lī, fa-innahu lā yaghfiru dh-dhunūba illā ant.
O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no god but You. You created me, and I am Your servant. I hold to Your covenant and Your promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me, and I acknowledge my sin. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.
Bismika Rabbī waḍaʿtu janbī, wa bika arfaʿuh, fa-in amsakta nafsī farḥamhā, wa in arsaltahā faḥfaẓhā bimā taḥfaẓu bihi ʿibādaka ṣ-ṣāliḥīn.
In Your name, my Lord, I lay down my side, and in Your name I raise it. If You take my soul, then have mercy on it. And if You release it, then protect it as You protect Your righteous servants.
Allāhumma innaka khalaqta nafsī wa anta tawaffāhā, laka mamātuhā wa maḥyāhā, in aḥyaytahā faḥfaẓhā, wa in amattahā faghfir lahā, Allāhumma innī asʾaluka l-ʿāfiyah.
O Allah, You have created my soul, and You take it. To You belongs its death and its life. If You give it life, then protect it. And if You cause it to die, then forgive it. O Allah, I ask You for well-being.
Allāhumma innaka khalaqta nafsī wa anta tawaffāhā, laka mamātuhā wa maḥyāhā, in aḥyaytahā faḥfaẓhā, wa in amattahā faghfir lahā, Allāhumma innī asʾaluka l-ʿāfiyah.
O Allah, You have created my soul, and You take it. To You belongs its death and its life. If You give it life, then protect it. And if You cause it to die, then forgive it. O Allah, I ask You for well-being.
Allāhumma innī astakhīruka bi-ʿilmik, wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratik, wa asʾaluka min faḍlika l-ʿaẓīm, fa-innaka taqdiru wa lā aqdir, wa taʿlamu wa lā aʿlam, wa anta ʿallāmu l-ghuyūb. Allāhumma in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha l-amra khayrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī faqdurhu lī wa yassirhu lī thumma bārik lī fīh, wa in kunta taʿlamu anna hādha l-amra sharrun lī fī dīnī wa maʿāshī wa ʿāqibati amrī faṣrifhu ʿannī waṣrifnī ʿanhu waqdur liya l-khayra ḥaythu kāna thumma arḍinī bih.
O Allah, I seek Your guidance by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. For You are able and I am not. You know and I do not, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affairs — then decree it for me, make it easy for me, and bless me in it. And if You know that this matter is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood, and the outcome of my affairs — then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and decree for me what is good wherever it may be, and make me content with it.
Rabbanā ghfir lanā wa li-ikhwānina lladhīna sabaqūnā bi-l-īmāni wa lā tajʿal fī qulūbinā ghillan li-lladhīna āmanū, Rabbanā innaka Raʾūfun Raḥīm.
Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith, and put not in our hearts any resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.
Astaghfirullāh, Astaghfirullāh, Astaghfirullāh. Allāhumma anta s-Salām, wa minka s-salām, tabārakta yā dha l-Jalāli wa l-Ikrām.
I seek Allah's forgiveness. I seek Allah's forgiveness. I seek Allah's forgiveness. O Allah, You are Peace, and from You is peace. Blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour.
Lā ilāha illa llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu l-mulku wa lahu l-ḥamdu, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr. Allāhumma lā māniʿa limā aʿṭayt, wa lā muʿṭiya limā manaʿt, wa lā yanfaʿu dha l-jaddi minka l-jadd.
There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. To Him belongs all sovereignty and praise, and He is over all things capable. O Allah, none can withhold what You have given, and none can give what You have withheld.
The dua of Ṭālūt's small army facing the giant Jālūt. They asked for patience, not power.
Sourced duʿā
An important scholarly note
The hadith establishing that Allah has 99 names is unanimously authentic — narrated in both Sahih al-Bukhari (2736) and Sahih Muslim (2677). This part is beyond doubt.
However, the specific list of the 99 names shown above comes from a different ḥadīth in Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhī (3507), narrated by Abū Hurayrah. Imam at-Tirmidhī himself classified this hadith as gharīb — meaning "unusual" or "rare" — and noted it has only one chain of transmission with this list of names.
Classical and modern scholars (including Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Ḥajar, Ibn ʿUthaymīn, and Sheikh Abd al-Muḥsin al-ʿAbbād) have noted that around 21 names on this list are not directly found in the Quran or other authentic ḥadīth, and that other valid lists exist. The principle of 99 names is certain; the exact list above is the most widely-known and well-loved tradition, but it should be understood with this scholarly nuance.
This list remains the one most Muslims learn, recite, and reflect upon worldwide — and reflecting on these names of Allah is, regardless, an act of worship and a source of immense reward.
Sources & References
This page draws on the most authoritative sources for the names of Allah and their meanings.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2736 — the foundational ḥadīth: "Allah has 99 names; whoever encompasses them shall enter Paradise"
Sahih Muslim 2677 — narration confirming the 99 names
Jamiʿ at-Tirmidhī 3507 — the canonical list of 99 names (graded gharīb by Tirmidhī himself)
Quran 7:180, 17:110, 20:8, 59:24 — verses establishing the "most beautiful names"
Selected Qurʾanic and authentic hadith duʿās — cited directly beneath each expandable Name where a sourced duʿā is available
Sheikh ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-ʿAbbād, Sheikh Ibn ʿUthaymīn, Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī — for scholarly notes on the list
Sunnah.com, IslamQA — for cross-referencing
A note on translation: Translating Allah's names into English is necessarily incomplete — the Arabic carries depths of meaning that no single English word can fully convey. Where possible, we have given a phrase rather than a single word.
If you find any error, please contact us — we will correct it immediately.
May Allah grant us understanding of His names and let our hearts be filled with His remembrance.