Asma Al Husna

Asma al-Husna The Most Beautiful Names of Allah

The Greatest Name

Allah 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 AllCompassionate 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, allaware! 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