Asma al-Husna

The Most Beautiful Names of Allah

Allah The Greatest Name
Ar-Rahman 1 The All-Compassionate
Ar-Rahim 2 The All-Merciful
Al-Malik 3 The Absolute Ruler
Al-Quddus 4 The Pure One
As-Salam 5 The Source of Peace
Al-Mu'min 6 The Inspirer of Faith
Al-Muhaymin 7 The Guardian
Al-'Aziz 8 The Victorious
Al-Jabbar 9 The Compeller
Al-Mutakabbir 10 The Greatest
Al-Khaliq 11 The Creator
Al-Bari' 12 The Maker of Order
Al-Musawwir 13 The Shaper of Beauty
Al-Ghaffar 14 The Forgiving
Al-Qahhar 15 The Subduer
Al-Wahhab 16 The Giver of All
Ar-Razzaq 17 The Sustainer
Al-Fattah 18 The Opener
Al-'Alim 19 The Knower of All
Al-Qabid 20 The Constrictor
Al-Basit 21 The Reliever
Al-Khafid 22 The Abaser
Ar-Rafi' 23 The Exalter
Al-Mu'izz 24 The Bestower of Honors
Al-Mudhill 25 The Humiliator
Allah
The Greatest Name
In the name of God,
the infinitely Compassionate and Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of all the worlds.
The Compassionate, the Merciful.
Ruler on the Day of Reckoning.
You alone do we worship,
and You alone do we ask for help.
Guide us on the straight path,
the path of those who have received your grace;
not the path of those who have brought down
wrath,
nor of those who wander astray.
Amen.
Al-Fatiha 1, tr. Helminski

Hand is above hand, child, in skill and in strength,

up to the Essence of God.
The ultimate end of all hands is the Hand of God:
the ultimate end of all torrents is undoubtedly the
sea.
From it the clouds take their origin,
and in it, too, the torrent has an end.
Rumi, Mathnawi IV:3162-3164, tr. Helminski

Ar-Rahman
The All-
Compassionate
The Most Gracious has imparted this Qur'an unto
man.
He has created man: He has imparted unto him
articulate thought and speech.
At His behest the sun and the moon run their
appointed courses; before Him prostrate themselves
the stars and the trees.
And the skies has He raised high, and has devised
for all things a measure, so that you too, O men,
might never transgress the measure of what is right:
weight, therefore, your deeds with equity, and cut
not the measure short!
and the earth has He spread out for all living beings,
with fruit thereon, and palm trees with sheathed
clusters of dates, and grain growing tall on its stalks,
and sweet-smelling plants.
Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you
disavow?
Ar-Rahman 55:1-13, tr. Asad

Ar-Rahim
The All-Merciful
Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
In the name of God, the infinitely Compassionate
and Merciful
Al-Fatihah 1:1, tr. Helminski

Al-Malik
The Absolute Ruler
And thus have We bestowed from on high this divine
writ
as a discourse in the Arabic tongue,
and have given therein many facets to all manner of
warnings,
so that men might remain conscious of Us,
or that it give rise to a new awareness in them.
Know, then that God is sublimely exalted,
the Ultimate Sovereign, the Ultimate Truth:
and knowing this, do not approach the Qur'an in
haste,
ere it has been revealed unto thee in full, but always
say:
"O my Sustainer, cause me to grow in knowledge!"
Ta Ha 20:113-114, tr. Asad
Al-Quddus
The Holy
And We vouchsafed unto Jesus, the son of Mary,
all evidence of the truth, and strengthened him with
holy inspiration.
Al-Baqarah 2:252, tr. Asad

As-Salam
The Source of Peace
And know that God invites man unto the abode of
peace,
and guides him that wills to be guided onto a
straight way.
Yunus 10:25, tr. Asad

Al-Mumin
The Inspirer of Faith
O you who have attained to faith!
Remember God with unceasing remembrance,
and extol His limitless glory from morn to evening.
He it is who bestows His blessings upon you,
with His angels echoing Him,
so that He might take you out of the depths of
darkness into the light.
Al-Ahzab 33:41, tr. Asad

How long will you say,

"I will conquer the whole world and fill it with
myself"?
Even if snow covered the world completely,
the sun could melt it with a glance.
A single spark of God's mercy
can turn poison into springwater.
Where there is doubt,
He establishes certainty.
Rumi, Mathnawi I:542-546, tr. Helminski

Al-Muhaymin
The Guardian
Unto thee O Prophet have We vouchsafed this
divine writ,
setting forth the truth, confirming the truth
of whatever there still remains of earlier revelations
and determining what is true therein.
Judge, then, between the followers of earlier
revelation
in accordance with what God has bestowed from on
high,
and do not follow their errant views,
forsaking the truth that has come unto thee.
Al-Ma'idah 5:48, tr. Asad

Al-Aziz
The Victorious
For, God's are all the forces of the heavens and the
earth;
and God is indeed almighty, truly wise!
Al-Fath 48:7, tr. Asad

Al-Jabbar
The Compeller
And they prayed to God that the truth be made to
triumph.
Ibrahim 14:15, tr. Asad

Al-Mutakabbir
The Greatest
God alone is the ultimate Truth,
so that all that men invoke instead of Him is sheer
falsehood;
and because God alone is exalted, truly great!
Luqman 31:30, tr. Asad

Al-Khaliq
The Creator
God is He who has created seven heavens,
and, like them, the many aspects of the earth.
Through all of them flows down from on high,
unceasingly,
His creative will, so that you might come to know
that God has the power to will anything,
and that God encompasses all things with His
knowledge.
At-Talaq 65:12-13, tr. Asad

The sky, so beautiful and glorious:

God said, "then turn thy gaze again towards it."
As regards this roof of light,
don't be content with just one look:
look many times; see:
Are there any flaws?
Since He has told you to look often
at this excellent roof, examining it for flaws,
know then, how much discernment the dark earth
needs.
Rumi, Mathnawi II:2946-2949, tr. Helminski

Al-Bari
The Maker of Order
He... creates every thing and determines its nature
in accordance with His own design.
Al-Furqan 25:2, tr. Asad

Al-Musawwir
The Shaper of Beauty
He it is who has created for you all that is on earth,
and has applied His design to the heavens
and fashioned them into seven heavens;
and He alone has full knowledge of everything.
Al-Baqarah 2:29, tr. Asad

Everything that is made beautiful and fair and

lovely
is made for the eye of one who sees.
Mathnawi I:2383, tr. Helminski

Al-Ghaffar
The Forgiving
And He alone is truly forgiving, all embracing in
His love,
in sublime almightiness enthroned,
a sovereign doer of whatever He wills.
Al-Buruj 85:14-16, tr. Asad

Water says to the dirty, "Come here."

The dirty one says, "I'm so ashamed."
Water says, "How will your shame be washed away
without me?"
Mathnawi II:1366-1367, tr. Helminski

Al-Qahhar
The Subduer
Which is more reasonable:
belief in the existence of numerous divine lords,
each of them different from the other --
or in the One God, who holds absolute sway over all
that exists?
Yusuf 12:39, tr. Asad

Al-Wahhab
The Giver of All
My Sustainer has endowed me (Moses)
with the ability to judge between right and wrong,
and has made me one of His message-bearers.
Ash-Shu'ara 26:21, tr. Asad

Ar-Razzaq
The Sustainer
It is God who has made the earth a resting-place for
you
and the sky a canopy,
and has formed you -- and formed you so well --
and provided for you sustenance out of the good
things of life.
Such is God, your Sustainer:
hallowed, then, is God, the Sustainer of all the
worlds!
Ghafir 40:64, tr. Asad

Look at every animal from the gnat to the elephant:

they all are God's family
and dependent on Him for their nourishment.
What a nourisher is God!
All these griefs within our hearts
arise from the smoke and dust
of our existence and vain desires.
Mathnawi I:2295-2296, tr. Helminski

Al-Fattah
The Opener
O our Sustainer!
Lay Thou open the truth between us and our people
--
for Thou art the best of all to lay open the truth!
Al-A'raf 7:89, tr. Asad
 Al-Alim
The Knower of All
Such is He who knows all that is beyond the reach
of a created being's perception,
as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature's
senses or mind;
the Almighty, the Dispenser of Grace,
who makes most excellent everything that He
creates.
As-Sajdah 32:6-7, tr. Asad

Al-Qabid
The Constrictor
Art thou not aware of thy Sustainer through His
works? --
how He causes the shadow to lengthen towards the
night
when, had He so willed, He could indeed have
made it stand still:
but then, We have made the sun its guide;
and then, after having caused it to lengthen,
We draw it in towards Ourselves with a gradual
drawing-in.
Al-Furqan 25:45, tr. Asad

This discipline and rough treatment are a furnace

to extract the silver from the dross.
This testing purifies the gold
by boiling the scum away.
Rumi, Mathnawi I:232-233, tr. Helminski
Al-Basit
The Reliever
Have We not opened up thy heart,
and lifted from thee the burden that had weighed so
heavily on thy back?
And have We not raised thee high in dignity?
And, behold, with every hardship comes ease:
verily, with every hardship comes ease!
Hence, when thou art freed from distress,
remain steadfast, and unto thy Sustainer turn with
love.
Ash-Sharh 94, tr. Asad

Sometimes, in order to help, He makes us miserable;

but heartache for His sake brings happiness.
Laughter will come after tears.
Whoever foresees this is a servant blessed by God.
Wherever water flows, life flourishes:
wherever tears fall, Divine mercy is shown.
Rumi, Mathnawi I:817-820, tr. Helminski

Al-Khafid
The Abaser
When that which must come to pass at last comes to
pass,
there will be nought that could give the lie
to its having come to pass, abasing some, exalting
others.
Al-Waqi'ah 56:103, tr. Asad

God has made reputation heavy as a thousand

pounds of iron.
So many are bound in that unseen chain!
Pride and lack of faith block the doorway of
repentance
so that the one in separation can't even utter a sigh.
God said, "We have put chains around their necks
chin high,
and forced them to lift up their heads."
Those chains aren't put on us from outside.
Mathnawi I:3240-3242, tr. Helminski

Ar-Rafi
The Exalter
High above all orders of being is He, in almightiness
enthroned.
By His Own will does He bestow inspiration
upon whomever He wills of His servants,
so as to warn all human beings of the coming of the
day
when they shall meet Him --
the Day when they shall come forth from death,
with nothing of themselves hidden from God.
Ghafir 40:15-16, tr. Asad

You are a bird of the sea,

even though a chicken has sheltered you beneath
her wing.
The desire in your heart is for the sea;
your soul has that nature from your mother.
Leave your land-bound nursemaid and move on.
Come into the sea of reality.
You are a waterfowl: you can live on land and sea.
You are of royal birth, for... We have ennobled the
children of Adam:
you walk on both dry land and sea.
Rumi, Mathnawi II:3771-3772, tr. Helminski

Al-Muizz
The Bestower of Honors
Behold, all honour belongs to God alone.
An-Nisa 4:139, tr. Asad

Al-Mudhill
The Humiliator
Know that you can never elude God, and that,
verily, God shall bring disgrace upon all who refuse
to acknowledge the truth.
At-Tawbah 9:2, tr. Asad

He alone has the right to break,

for He alone has the power to mend.
He that knows how to sew together,
knows how to tear apart:
whatever He sells,
He buys something better in exchange.
He lays the house in ruins;
then in a moment He makes it more liveable than
before.
Mathnawi I:3882-3886, tr. Helminski

As-Sami
The Hearer of All
And do not allow your oaths in the name of God
to become an obstacle to virtue and God
consciousness
and the promotion of peace between men:
for God is all-hearing, all-knowing.
Al-Baqarah 2:224, tr. Asad

Al-Basir
The Seer of All
And God sees all that is in the hearts of His servants.
Al 'Imran 3:15, tr. Asad

Al-Hakam
The Judge
Behold, God bids you to deliver
all that you have been entrusted with
unto those who are entitled thereto,
and whenever you judge between people,
to judge with justice.
An-Nisa 4:58, tr. Asad

Al-'Adl
The Just
Behold, God enjoins justice, and the doing of good,
and generosity towards one's fellow-men;
and He forbids all that is shameful
and all that runs counter to reason, as well as envy;
and He exhorts you repeatedly
so that you might bear all this in mind.
An-Nahl 16:90, tr. Muhammad Asad

O God, help me against this self of mine

that is seeking help from You;
I seek justice from no one but from
this justice-seeking self.
I shall not get justice from any one except from
Him who is nearer to me than myself;
For this I-ness comes moment by moment from
Him.
Rumi, Mathnawi I:2195-2198, tr. Helminski

Al-'Adl
The Just
Behold, God enjoins justice, and the doing of good,
and generosity towards one's fellow-men;
and He forbids all that is shameful
and all that runs counter to reason, as well as envy;
and He exhorts you repeatedly
so that you might bear all this in mind.
An-Nahl 16:90, tr. Muhammad Asad

O God, help me against this self of mine

that is seeking help from You;
I seek justice from no one but from
this justice-seeking self.
I shall not get justice from any one except from
Him who is nearer to me than myself;
For this I-ness comes moment by moment from
Him.
Rumi, Mathnawi I:2195-2198, tr. Helminski
 Al-Latif
The Subtle One; The Inexpressible, Unfathomable
Such is God, your sustainer:
there is no deity save Him, the Creator of
everything:
worship, then, Him alone --
for it is He who has everything in His care.
No human vision can encompass Him,
whereas he encompasses all human vision:
for He alone is unfathomable, all-aware.
Al-An'am 6:101-3, tr. Asad

Al-Khabir
The All-Aware
How could it be that He who has created all should
not know all?
Yea, He alone is unfathomable in His wisdom, all-
aware!
Al-Mulk 67:14, tr. Asad

Al-Halim
The Forebearing
A kind word and the veiling of another's want
is better than a charitable deed followed by hurt;
and God is self-sufficient, forbearing.
Al-Baqarah 2:263, tr. Asad

Al-Azim
The Magnificent
His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on
earth;
and most exalted, tremendous is He.
Ash-Shura 42:4, tr. Asad

Al-Ghafur
The Forgiver and Hider of Faults
Remember the time when We said:
"Enter this land, and eat of its food as you may
desire, abundantly;
but enter the gate humbly and say,
"Remove Thou from us the burden of our sins,"
whereupon We shall forgive you your sins,
and shall amply reward the doers of good.
Al-Baqarah 2:58, tr. Asad

O, happy the soul that saw its own faults,

and if anyone mentioned a fault,
wished eagerly to take responsibility --
for half of each person
has always belonged to the realm of fault,
but the other half belongs
to the Realm of the Unseen.
Rumi, Mathnawi II:3-34-3035, tr. Helminski

Ash-Shakur
The Rewarder of Thankfulness
He who is grateful to God is but grateful for his own
good;
and he who is ungrateful should know that,
verily, my Sustainer is self-sufficient, most generous
in giving!
An-Naml 27:40, tr. Asad
 Al-'Ali
The Highest
His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on
earth;
and most exalted, tremendous is He.
Ash-Shura 42:2, tr. Asad

Al-Kabir
The Greatest
God alone is the Ultimate Truth,
so that all that men invoke beside Him is sheer
falsehood,
and because God alone is exalted, great!
Al-Hajj 22:62, tr. Asad

Al-Hafiz
The Preserver
...with Us is a record unfailing.
Qaf 50:4, tr. Asad

Al-Muqit
The Nourisher
For He it is who, after creating the earth,
placed firm mountains on it, towering above its
surface,
and bestowed so many blessings on it,
and equitably apportioned its means of subsistence
to all who would seek it:
and all this He created in four aeons.
Fussilat 41:10, tr. Asad

Al-Hasib
The Accounter
When you are greeted with a greeting of peace,
answer with an even better greeting,
or at least with the like thereof.
Verily, God keeps count indeed of all things.
An-Nisa 4:86, tr. Asad

Al-Jalil
The Mighty
Hallowed be thy Sustainer's name, full of majesty
and glory!
Ar-Rahman 55:78, tr. Asad

Al-Karim
The Generous
Who is it that will offer up unto God a goodly loan,
which He will amply repay?
For, such as do so shall have a noble reward
on the Day when thou shalt see all believing men
and believing women,
with their light spreading rapidly before them and
on their right,
and with this welcome awaiting them:
"A glad tiding for you today: gardens through
which running waters flow,
therein to abide! This, this is the triumph supreme!"
Al-Hadid 57:12, tr. Asad

Ar-Raqib
The Watchful One
Now, verily, it is We who have created man,
and we know what his innermost self whispers
within him:
for We are closer to him than his neck-vein.
And so, whenever the two demands of his nature
come face to face,
contending from the right and from the left,
not even a word can he utter but there is a watcher
with him, ever present.
Qaf 50:16-18, tr. Asad

Al-Mujib
The Responder to Prayer
My Sustainer is ever-near,
responding to the call of whoever calls unto Him!
Hud 11:61, tr. Asad

Al-Wasi
The All-Comprehending
All things does our Sustainer embrace within His
knowledge;
in God do we place our trust.
Al-A'raf 7:89, tr. Asad
 Al-Hakim
The Perfectly Wise
Verily, thou hast received this Qur'an
out of the grace of One who is wise, all-knowing.
An-Naml 27:6, tr. Asad

Al-Wadud
The Loving One
And He alone is truly forgiving, all-embracing in his
love.
Al-Buruj 85:14, tr. Asad

Al-Májid
The Majestic One
All that lives on earth or in the heavens is bound to
pass away;
but forever will abide thy Sustainer's Self,
full of majesty and glory.
Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you
disavow?
Ar-Rahman 55:26-7, tr. Asad
 Al-Ba'ith
The Resurrector
O Men! If you are in doubt as to the truth of
resurrection,
remember that, verily, We have created every one of
you out of dust,
then out of a drop of sperm, then out of a germ-cell,
then out of an embryonic lump complete in itself
and yet incomplete,
so that We might make your origin clear unto you.
And whatever We will to be born We cause to rest
in the mothers' wombs for a term set by Us,
and then We bring you forth as infants
and allow you to live so that some of you might
attain to maturity;
for among you are such as are caused to die in
childhood,
just as many a one of you is reduced in old age to a
most abject state,
ceasing to know anything of what he once knew so
well.
And if, O man, thou art still in doubt as to
resurrection, consider this:
thou canst see the earth dry and lifeless --
and suddenly, when We send down waters upon it,
it stirs and swells and puts forth every kind of
lovely plant!
All this happens because God alone is the Ultimate
Truth,
and because He alone brings the dead to life,
and because He has the power to will anything.
Al-Hajj 22:5-6, tr. Asad
 Ash-Shahid
The Witness
However it be, God Himself bears witness to the
truth
of what He has bestowed from on high upon thee:
out of His own wisdom has He bestowed it from on
high,
with the angels bearing witness thereto --
although none can bear witness as God does.
An-Nisa 4:166, tr. Asad

Al-h Haqq
The Truth
Say: "Who is it that provides you with sustenance
out of heaven and earth,
or who is it that has full power over your hearing
and sight?
And who is it that brings forth the living out of that
which is dead,
and brings forth the dead out of that which is alive?
And who is it that governs all that exists?"
And they will surely answer, "It is God."
Say, then: "Will you not, then, become fully
conscious of Him --
seeing that He is God, your Sustainer, the Ultimate
Truth?
For, after the truth has been forsaken, what is there
left but error?
How, then can you lose sight of the truth?"
Yunus 10:31-32, tr. Asad
Through the window between heart and heart
flashes the light that tells truth from lie.
Rumi, Mathnawi II:2462, tr. Helminski

Al-Wakil
The Trustee
Such is God, your Sustainer:
there is no deity save Him, the Creator of
everything:
worship, then, Him alone --
for it is He who has everything in His care.
Al-An'am 6:102, tr. Asad

Al-Qawi
The Possessor of All Strength
God is most kind unto His creatures:
He provides sustenance for whomever He wills --
for He alone is powerful, almighty!
Ash-Shura 42:19, tr. Asad

Al-Matin
The Forceful One
...My subtle scheme is exceedingly firm!
Al-A'raftr. Asad

Al-Wáli
The Governor
It is God who has raised the heavens without any
supports that you could see, and is established on
the throne of His almightiness; and He it is who has
made the sun and the moon subservient to His laws,
each running its course for a term set by Him. He
governs all that exists.
Ar-Ra'd 13:2, tr. Asad

Al-Hamid
The Praised One
And it is He who sends down rain after men have
lost all hope, and unfolds His grace thereby; for He
alone is their Protector, the One to whom all praise
is due.
Ash-Shura 42:28, tr. Asad

Al-Muhsi
The Appraiser
All that they have ever yearned for awaits them
with their Sustainer: such will be the reward of the
doers of good. And to this end, God will efface from
their record the worst that they ever did, and give
them their reward in accordance with the best that
they were doing in life.
Az-Zumar 39:34-35, tr. Asad

Al-Mubdi
The Originator
Who is it that creates all life in the first instance, and
then brings it forth anew? And who is it that
provides you with sustenance out of heaven and
earth? Could there be any divine power besides
God?
An-Naml 27:64, tr. Asad
 Al-Mu'id
The Restorer
Say: "The truth has now come to light, and
falsehood is bound to wither away: for, falsehood
cannot bring forth anything new, nor can it bring
back what has passed away!"
Saba 34:49, tr. Asad

Al-Muhyi
The Giver of Life
Behold, then, these signs of God's grace -- how He
gives life to the earth after it had been lifeless!
Verily, this Selfsame God is indeed the One that can
bring the dead back to life: for He has the power to
will anything.
Ar-Rum 30:50, tr. Asad

Al-Mumit
The Taker of Life
And He it is who grants life and deals death; and to
Him is due the alternation of night and day.
Al-Mu'minun 23:80, tr. Asad

Everyone is so afraid of death,

but the real sufis just laugh:
nothing tyrannizes their hearts.
What strikes the oyster shell doesn't damage the
pearl.
Mathnawi I:3495-3496, tr. Helminski

Al-Hayy
The Ever Living One
God -- there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living,
the Self-Subsistent Fount of All Being!
Al-Imran 3:1, tr. Asad

Al-Qayyum
The Self-Existing One
God -- there is no deity save Him, the Ever-Living,
the Self-Subsistent Fount of all Being!
Al 'Imran 3:2, tr. Asad

Everything is perishing except His Face;

unless you have that Face, don't try to exist.
Mathnawi I:3052, tr. Helminski

Al-Wajid
The Finder
Has He not found thee an orphan, and given thee
shelter?
and found thee lost on thy way, and guided thee?
Ad-Duha 93:6-7, tr. Asad

Al-Majíd
The Glorious
And He alone is truly-forgiving, all-embracing in
His love,
in sublime almightiness enthroned,
a sovereign doer of whatever He wills.
Al-Buruj 85:14-15, tr. Asad

Al-Wahid
The Only One
Leave Me alone to deal with him whom I have
created alone...
Al-Muddaththir 74:11, tr. Asad

That voice which is the origin of every cry and

sound:
that indeed is the only voice, and the rest are only
echoes.
Rumi, Mathnawi I:2107, tr. Helminski

Al-Ahad
The One
Say: He is Allah, the One.
He is Allah, the Eternal,
Al-Ikhlas 112:1-2, tr. Helminski

What does it mean to learn the knowledge of God's

Unity?
To consume yourself in the presence of the One.
If you wish to shine like day,
burn up the night of self-existence.
Dissolve in the Being who is everything.
you grabbed hold of "I" and "we,"
and this dualism is your ruin.
Rumi, Mathnawi I:3009-3012, tr. Helminski

As-Samad
The Eternal
Say: "He is the One God: God the Eternal, the
Uncaused Cause of All That Exists. He begets not,
and neither is He begotten; and there is nothing that
could be compared with Him."
Al-Ikhlas 112, tr. Asad

Al-Qadir
The All Powerful
For, God's is the dominion over the heavens and the
earth and all that is between them; He creates what
He wills: and God has the power to will anything!
Al-Ma'idah 5:17, tr. Asad

Al-Muqtadir

The Creator of All Power

And propound unto them the parable of the life of
this world: it is like the water which We send down
from the skies, and which is absorbed by the plants
of the earth: but in time they turn into dry stubble
which the winds blow freely about. And it is God
alone who determines all things.
Al-Kahf 18:45, tr. Asad

Al-Muqaddim
The Expediter
Now if God were to hasten for human beings the ill
which they deserve by their sinning in the same
manner as they themselves would hasten the
coming to them of what they consider to be good,
their end would indeed come forthwith!
Yunus 10:11, tr. Asad

Al-Mu'akhkhir
The Delayer
Now if God were to take men immediately to task
for all the evil that they do on earth, He would not
leave a single living creature upon its face.
However, He grants them respite until a term set by
Him: but when the end of their term approaches,
they can neither delay it by a single moment, nor
can they hasten it.
An-Nahl 16:61, tr. Asad

Al-Awwal
The First
And thy Sustainer knows all that their hearts
conceal as well as all that they bring into the open:
for He is God, save whom there is no deity. Unto
Him all praise is due, at the beginning and at the
end of time; and with Him rests all judgment; and
unto Him shall you all be brought back.
Al-Qasas 28:69-70, tr. Asad

Al-Akhir
The Last
He is the First and the Last,
and the Outward as well as the Inward:
and He has full knowledge of everything.
Al-Hadid 57:3, tr. Asad
Az-Zahir
The Manifest One
It is He who bestows from on high
clear messages unto this His servant,
to lead you out of the deep darkness into the light:
for, behold, God is most compassionate towards
you,
a dispenser of grace.
Al-Hadid 57:7, tr. Asad

When a dispute arises as to the ownership of the

husk,
the husk belongs to the one who possesses the
kernel.
The heavenly sphere is the husk;
the light of the spirit is the core.
This sky is visible; spirit is not;
but don't stumble because of this.
The body is manifest;
Life's spirit is hidden:
the body is like a sleeve;
the spirit is the hand.
Rumi, Mathnawi II;3251-3252, tr. Asad

Al-Batin
The Hidden One
God created pain and sorrow
that happiness might show itself by contrast.
For hidden things are made manifest
by means of their opposites:
since God has no opposite, He is hidden.
Mathnawi 1:1130-1, tr. Helminski

Al-Walí
The Protecting Friend
God is the Protector of all who are conscious of Him.
Al-Jathiyah 45:19, tr. Asad

Al-Muta'ali
The Supreme One
He knows all that is beyond the reach of a created
being's perception
as well as all that can be witnessed by a creature's
senses or mind --
the Great One, the One far above anything that is or
could ever be!
Ar-Ra'd 13:9, tr. Asad

Al-Barr
The Doer of Good
And He it is who has set up for you the stars so that
you might be guided by them
in the midst of the deep darkness of land and sea:
clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages
unto people of innate knowledge!
Al-An'am 6:97, tr. Asad
 At-Tawwib
The Guide to Repentance
It is God alone who can accept the repentance of His
servants
and is the true recipient of whatever is offered for
His sake.
At-Tawbah 9:104, tr. Asad

Beware! Don't allow yourself to do

what you know is wrong, relying on the thought,
"Later I will repent and ask God's forgiveness."
True repentance flashes inside and rains tears.
Such lightning and clouds are needed.
Without the lightning of the heart
and the rain storms of the eyes,
how shall the fire of Divine wrath be calmed?
How shall the greenery grow
and fountains of clear water pour forth?
Rumi, Mathnawi II:1652-1656, tr. Helminski

Al-Muntaqim
The Avenger
Canst thou, perchance, O Muhammad, make the
deaf hear,
or show the right way to the blind
or to such as are obviously lost in error?
But whether We do or do not take thee away ere thy
message prevails --
verily, We shall inflict Our retribution on them;
and whether We show thee or do not show thee in
this world
the fulfilment of what We have promised them --
verily, We have full power over them!
Zukhruf 43:40-42, tr. Asad

Al-Afu
The Forgiver
As for those who avoid the truly grave sins and
shameful deeds --
even though they may sometimes stumble --
behold, thy Sustainer is abounding in forgiveness.
An-Najm 53:32, tr. Asad

Be cheerful, call for help

to the One who comes at the call,
saying, "Forgive us, You who love to forgive.
Rumi, Mathnawi 1:3252-3, tr. Helminski

Ar-Ra'uf
The Clement
O you who have attained to faith!
Do not ask about matters which,
if they were to be made manifest to you in terms of
law,
might cause you hardship;
for, if you should ask about them while the Qur'an is
being revealed,
they might indeed be made manifest to you as laws.
God has absolved you from any obligation in this
respect:
for God is much-forgiving, forbearing.
Al-Ma'idah 5:101, tr. Asad
 Al-Malik al-Mulk
The Owner of All
He alone is the all-knowing Creator:
His Being alone is such that when He wills a thing
to be,
He but says unto it, "Be" -- and it is.
Limitless, then, in His glory is He
in whose hand rests the mighty dominion over all
things;
and unto Him you all will be brought back.
Ya Sin 36:83, tr. Asad

Dhul-Jalali Wal-Ikram
The Lord of Majesty and Bounty
All that lives on earth or in the heavens
is bound to pass away:
but forever will abide thy Sustainer's Self,
full of majesty and glory.
Ar-Rahman 55:26-27, tr. Asad

Al-Muqsit
The Equitable One
If thou dost judge, judge... with equity:
verily, God knows those who act equitably.
Al-Ma'idah 5:42, tr. Asad

What is justice? Giving water to trees.

What is injustice? To give water to thorns.
Justice consists in bestowing bounty in its proper
place,
not on every root that will absorb water.
Mathnawi V:1089-1090, tr. Helminski

Al-Jami
The Gatherer
And among His signs is the very creation
of the heavens and the earth, and of all the living
creatures
which He has caused to multiply throughout them;
and since He has created them,
He has also the power to gather them unto Himself
whenever He wills.
Ash-Shura 42:29, tr. Asad

Al-Ghani
The Rich One
Unto Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all
that is on earth;
and, verily, God -- He alone -- is self-sufficient,
the One to whom all praise is due.
Al-Hajj 22:64, tr. Asad
Al-Mughni
The Enricher
It is He alone who frees from want and causes to
possess;
and... it is He alone who sustains the brightest star.
An-Najm 53:49-50, tr. Asad

Abundance is seeking the beggars and the poor,

just as beauty seeks a mirror.
Beggars, then, are the mirrors of God's bounty,
and they that are with God are united with
Absolute Abundance.
Mathnawi I:2745, 2750, tr. Helminski

Al-Mani
The Preventer of Harm
He alone knows that which is beyond the reach
of a created being's perception,
and to none does He disclose aught of the mysteries
of His Own unfathomable knowledge,
unless it be to an apostle whom He has been pleased
to elect therefor:
and then He sends forth the forces of heaven to
watch over him in whatever lies open before him
and in what is beyond his ken --
so as to make manifest that it is indeed but their
Sustainer's messages that these apostles deliver:
for it is He who encompasses with His knowledge
all that they have to say,
just as He takes count, one by one, of everything
that exists.
Al-Jinn 72:26-28, tr. Asad

Said He (to Moses): We shall strengthen thine arm

through thy brother,
and endow both of you with power,
so that they will not be able to touch you:
by virtue of Our messages shall you two, and all
who follow you, prevail!
Al-Qasas 28:35, tr. Asad

Many prayers are destructive,

which God in kindness ignores.
Mathnawi II:140, tr. Helminski

Ad-Darr
The Creator of the Harmful
If We let man taste some of Our grace and then take
it away from him --
behold, he abandons all hope,
forgetting all gratitude for Our past favours.
And thus it is:
if We let him taste ease and plenty after hardship
has visited him,
he is sure to say, "Gone is all affliction from me!" --
for, behold, he is given to vain exultation,
and glories only in himself.
And thus it is with most men --
save those who are patient in adversity and do
righteous deeds:
it is they whom forgiveness of sins awaits, and a
great reward.
Hud 11:9-11, tr. Asad

An-Nafi
The Creator of Good
It is God who grants abundant sustenance
or gives it in scant measure unto whomever He
wills.
Ar-Rum 30:37, tr. Asad

An-Nur
The Light
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
The parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche
and within is a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass;
the glass as it were a brilliant star, lit from a blessed
Tree,
an Olive, neither of the East nor of the West,
whose Oil is nearly luminous, though fire has
hardly touched it.
Light upon Light!
Allah guides whom He will to His Light,
Allah sets forth Parables for men,
and Allah knows all things.
An-Nur 24:35, tr. Helminski

The light which shines in the eye

is really the light of the heart.
The light which fills the heart
is the light of God, which is pure
and separate from the light of intellect and sense.
Mathnawi 1:1126-7, tr. Helminski

Al-Hadi
The Guide
Who is it that guides you
in the midst of the deep darkness of land and sea,
and sends forth the winds as a glad tiding of His
coming grace?
An-Naml 27:63

Without an escort you're bewildered on a familiar

road;
don't travel alone on a way you haven't seen at all;
don't turn your head away from the Guide.
Mathnawi I:2944-2945, tr. Helminski

Al-Badi
The Originator
Say: "Go all over the earth and behold
how wondrously He has created man in the first
instance:
and thus, too, will God bring into being your second
life --
for, verily, God has the power to will anything!
Al-Ankabut 29:20, tr. Asad

Al-Baqi
The Everlasting One
As for us, behold, we have come to believe in our
Sustainer,
hoping that He may forgive us our faults...
for God is the best to look forward to,
and the One who is truly abiding.
Ta-Ha 20:73, tr. Asad
Al-Warith
The Inheritor of All
Behold, We alone shall remain
after the earth and all who live on it have passed
away,
and when unto Us all will have been brought back.
Maryam 19:40, tr. Asad

Ar-Rashid
The Righteous Teacher
We shall teach thee,
and thou wilt not forget aught of what thou art
taught,
save what God may will thee to forget --
for verily, He alone knows all that is open to man's
perception as well as all that is hidden from it --
and thus shall We make easy for thee
the path towards ultimate ease.
Al-A'la 87:7-8, tr. Asad

God turns you from one feeling to another

and teaches by means of opposites,
so that you will have two wings to fly,
not one.
Rumi, Mathnawi II:1552, 1554, tr. Helminski

As-Sabur
The Patient One
And be patient in adversity:
for, verily, God is with those who are patient in
adversity.
Al-Anfal 8:46, tr. Asad
If you are wholly perplexed and in straits,
have patience, for patience is the key to joy.
Rumi, Mathnawi I:2908, tr. Helminski