The 99 Names of Allah

How many names does Allah have?

Allah has ninety-nine names according to a hadith recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 2736 and Sahih Muslim 2677. The Prophet ﷺ said whoever enumerates them, meaning memorises, understands, and lives by them, will enter Paradise. The number is fixed by this hadith; the list below follows Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3507.

Is it 99 or 100 names of Allah?

Ninety-nine. The hadith says "one hundred less one" precisely so the number is not rounded up, and there is no authenticated hundredth name. Lists titled 100 or 101 are unsourced expansions of the same enumeration. The greatest name, ism al-a'zam, is not a hidden extra either. Full answer on the 99 versus 100 question.

What is the 100th name of Allah?

There is no hundredth name. The phrasing "one hundred less one" in the hadith exists to close the door on rounding, so a list of 100 or 101 names always contains at least one addition that no chain of narration supports. The idea of a hidden hundredth name is often confused with al-ism al-a'zam, the greatest name, which is not an extra name at all but one of the ninety-nine that scholars single out as carrying the strongest claim in supplication.

On which one it is, the leading opinions are the name Allāh itself, the pairing Al-Ḥayy al-Qayyūm that opens Ayat al-Kursi, and the invocation Yā Dhā-l-Jalāli wa-l-Ikrām (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3524). Reciting Ayat al-Kursi covers most of those candidates in one verse, which is part of why it holds the place it does in the daily adhkar.

Which name of Allah do I call for what?

People search for a name by need rather than by number. These groupings collect the names with authored pages by the sense they carry. Every name of Allah may be used in supplication, per Qur'an 7:180; the grouping is a finding aid, not a ruling.

Are these the "only" 99 names?

No. The hadith establishes the number ninety-nine, not a closed list. Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Ibn Hajar all clarify that Allah has other names, some known to His Prophets and some known only to Him (per the du'a of the Prophet ﷺ in Musnad Ahmad 3712). The 99 in the famous list are the ones the community was directed to enumerate, understand, and worship Allah through.

The full list of 99 names of Allah

All ninety-nine, numbered in the order of the Tirmidhi list. Each entry gives the number, the Arabic name, its transliteration and a short English meaning. Every row has its own anchor, so you can link straight to a single name, for example /99-names-of-allah#57-al-muhsi. Deeper meanings vary by scholar; these are the standard translations.

How do I memorise the 99 names?

Five names per week is a realistic target. Recite them in order during your morning adhkar. Once you can hold the sequence, add a meaning each week; the names anchor better when tied to their significance. Common groupings help too: names of mercy (Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Ar-Rauf, Al-Wadud), names of power (Al-Aziz, Al-Qawi, Al-Jabbar, Al-Muqtadir), names of knowledge (Al-Alim, Al-Khabir, Al-Basir, As-Sami').

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