بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Allah means whoever has divinity, which is the power to create things. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Beneficent is He who has mercy.

The Merciful is a superlative form indicating the one who acts mercifully. It is said that the Beneficent is willing to provide for every living thing in the world, whereas the Merciful is willing to honor the believers in Paradise ultimately. Thus each meaning goes back to the attribute of will, which is inherent to His essence.

The King is He who possesses complete sovereignty. The Owner is He who possesses special dominion. The reality of each is in Allah’s attribute of being able to cause existence. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Holy is He who is pure of all faults and transcendent beyond having children and equals. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Secure is He who is protected from every fault and free of every ailment. He possesses this attribute intrinsically. It is also said that it means the one from whose punishment the believers are secure.

The Believer is He who affirms Himself and His believing slaves. His affirmation of Himself is His knowledge that He is truthful. His affirmation of His slaves is His knowing that they are truthful. It is also said that the Believer is He who declares His unity. It is from His essential attributes. It is also said that the Believer is He who secures His believing slaves from His punishment on the Day of Resurrection.

The Guardian witnesses His creation and whatever statement or deed they perform. It is from His essential attributes. It also means the Securer—the watcher over a thing and its preserver.

The Almighty is the dominant who cannot be dominated, the preventer who cannot be reached. It is also said that it means the able and the strong. It is also said that it means He who has no likeness. It is from His essential attributes.

The Overpowering is He who cannot be touched, and nothing happens in His domain other than what He wills. It is among the attributes He possesses intrinsically. It is also said that He is the one who forces on the creation whatever He wills. It is also said that He is the one who assists the poor of creation, and this meaning is an attribute of His actions.

The Proud is He who is exalted over the attributes of His creation. He possesses this attribute intrinsically. It is also said that He is the one who overcomes the insolent ones of His creation. If they vie with Him for greatness, He breaks them.

The Creator is the innovator and inventor of the creation for which nothing else like it existed before.

The Originator is the Creator with specific reference to changing things.

The Fashioner is He who originates His creation in various forms.

The Ever-Forgiving is He who covers the sins of His slaves time and time again.

The Forceful is a superlative form indicating power. Its meaning goes back to the attribute of power, which is an attribute inherent to His essence. It is also said that He is the one who forces whatever He wills upon the creation.

The Giver is He who gives generously for nothing in return.

The Provider is the maintainer of every being with whatever sustains it and whatever it benefits from, whether permissible or impermissible.

The Opener is the Judge between His slaves; the Opener opens closed matters—religious or worldly—for His slaves. It also has the meaning of the Supporter.

The Knowledgeable is the Knower in the superlative form. Indeed knowledge is an essential attribute of His.

The Gripper and the Spreader are He who expands provision and restricts it; He extends with His generosity and mercy and restricts with His wisdom. It has been said that the Gripper is He who clutches the souls through death (which He prescribed for His slaves), and the Spreader is He who expands souls in bodies.

The Debaser is He who debases whomever He wills by His vengeance. The Raiser is He who elevates whomever He wills by His blessings.

The Dignifying dignifies whomever He wills, and the Degrader degrades whomever He wills. There is no degrader for whomever He dignifies, and no one to dignify whomever He degrades.

The Hearer is He who has hearing through which He hears all audible things. Hearing is an essential attribute for Him.

The Seeing is He who has sight through which He sees all visible things. Seeing is an essential attribute for Him.

The Judicious is the Judge. His judgment is His communication, and His communication is His statement. The meaning goes back to the attribute of speech. It can mean His judgment that one person receives blessings, and another is given trials, so it would be from the attributes of His action.

The Just is He who may do whatever He does. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Subtle is He who treats His slaves well, which is an attribute of His action. Also, it could mean the Knower of obscure matters and thus is an essential attribute.

The Well-Informed is the Knower of the ultimate nature of a thing, who is cognizant of its reality. It is said that the informed is the informer, and it is from His essential attributes.

The Forbearing is He who delays the punishment from those who deserve it, and He may excuse them.

The Magnificent is He who is worthy of the qualities of sublimity, loftiness, majesty, magnificence, and transcendence from every deficiency. It is from the attributes that He possesses intrinsically.

The Forgiving is He who frequently forgives.

The Grateful is He who extols a small amount of obedience and gives an abundant reward in return for it. His gratitude could mean His praise for His slave, in which case its meaning goes back to the attribute of speech, which is an attribute that subsists in His essence.

The Sublime is the High, the Powerful. It is said that He is the one who transcends being categorized with the attributes of the creation. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Great is He who is described with majesty and grand importance. Every great thing is puny next to His Majesty. It is said that it refers to one who is too great to be likened to created things. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Preserver is the guardian of everything and everyone He wills to protect. It is said that He is the one who does not forget what He knows, in which case its meaning goes back to the attribute of knowledge.

The Nourisher is the strong, in which case its meaning goes back to the attribute of ability. It is said that the timekeeper is the preserver, and it is said that He is the giver of provision, in which case it is an active attribute.

The Accountant is the Sufficient. It is said that it means one who keeps an account of things.

The Majestic is derived from majesty and magnificence. Its meaning is applied to the majesty of ability and grand importance. So, He is majestic to whom every majestic is puny next, and everyone of high rank is humbled before. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Generous is He who is transcendent above lowliness. He possesses this attribute intrinsically. It is said that the Generous is the one of abundant good. It is also said that He is the one who is good without an obligation upon Him, and forgiving of rights owed to Him. With this meaning, it is an active attribute.

The Watcher is the Preserver to whom nothing is absent. Its meaning goes back to the attribute of knowledge.

The Responder is He who responds to the desperately needy when he supplicates Him and aids the worried when he calls Him.

The Encompassing is the Knower, so its meaning returns to the attribute of knowledge. It is said that He is the Independent whose independence envelops the needs of the creation.

The Wise is masterful in His creation of things. It could also refer to the correctness of His actions.

The Loving is He who loves His believing slaves and whom His believing slaves love. Allah’s love for His slaves is His wanting mercy for them and praising them, so its meaning returns to the attributes of will and speech. It could also refer to His blessing them by making them the beloved of His creation, and according to this meaning, it is from the active attributes.

The Ever Glorious is the majestic, the one of lofty status, the good-doer, the one of abundant good. Linguistically, glory could mean nobility or abundance. According to the first meaning, it is an attribute that He possesses intrinsically.

The One Who Resurrects is He who resurrects His slaves after death for recompense. He could resurrect whomever He wills among them whenever they fall and raise them whenever they are struck down.

The Witness is He to whom nothing escapes His vision. It is said that He is the Knower and the Seeing, so the meaning goes back to the attributes of knowledge and sight.

The Truth is truly existent. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Disposer of Affairs is the Sufficient: He who deals independently with the affair that is entrusted to Him. He is said to be the caretaker regarding the provision and overseeing the creation of whatever is in their welfare.

The Strong is the Able, which means that He has complete ability, and inability does not overcome Him in any state whatsoever. Its meaning goes back to the attribute of ability.

The Invincible is the extremely powerful whose power does not cease and fatigue does not affect His actions. Its meaning also goes back to the attribute of ability.

The Protector is the Helper. It is also said that it refers to the one in charge of the affair and the one who sustains it.

The Praiseworthy is the praised who deserves all praise. It is said that it is He who has the attributes of lauding and perfection. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Counter is He who counts everything with His knowledge. Its meaning goes back to the attribute of knowledge.

The Starter is He who originated humanity, i.e., started them as an invention.

The One Who Returns Things Back is He who returns the creation to death after life, then returns them to life after death.

The Reviver is He who revives the dead drop and extracts from it the living soul. He revives decayed bodies by returning their souls to them at the Resurrection, revives hearts with the light of realization, and revives the earth after its death by sending down rain and growing provision.

The One Who Causes Death is He who causes the living to die and weakens the strength of the strong through death.

The Living refers to Allah’s attribute, and it is He has never ceased to exist and is described with life. His life is an attribute of His that subsists in His essence.

The Self-Subsistent is He who is constantly, unceasingly existent. Its meaning goes back to the attribute of perpetuity, which is an essential attribute. It is said that He is the planner and manager of everything that happens in the world; so according to this meaning, it is an active attribute.

The Rich is the Independent who has no need. Richness is independence, and it can also mean existence. In the latter sense, it means that He is not tired of others seeking Him, nor does anything seek to escape Him. It also could mean the Knower.

The Glorious is the ever-glorious, and its meaning has been given earlier.

The One is the singular who has never ceased to be by Himself without an associate. It is said that [that it refers to] He whose essence has no peer, no likeness, and no associate. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Absolute is the master whom all affairs ultimately depend on, and He who is sought for in times of need. It is said that He is the Everlasting who never ceases, which is from the essential attributes.

The Able is He who has all-inclusive ability, and ability is an essential attribute of His.

The Powerful is the All-Powerful for whom nothing is impossible. ​

The One Who Brings Forward and the One Who Keeps Back is He who sets things in their places. He brings forward whatever He wills and keeps back whatever He wills.

The First is He who has no beginning to His existence.

The Last is He, who has no end to His existence. This and the previous one are two attributes that He possesses intrinsically.

The Apparent is He who is apparent through His spectacular evidence, clear proofs, and the witness of His signs that indicate the establishment of His lordship and the correctness of His oneness. Appearance could also mean sublimity, loftiness, and possibly dominance.

The Hidden is He who cannot be imagined with modality. The meaning of the Apparent could be the Knower of the affairs that appear, and the meaning of the Hidden could be the one cognizant of whatever is unseen. Both of them are essential attributes.

The Possessor is the Owner of all things and the one in charge of them. It could also mean the one who gives blessings repeatedly.

The Exalted is He who is transcendent of the attributes of creation. He possesses this attribute intrinsically. It could also mean the High over His creation by His force.

The Virtuous is He who treats His creation well, includes them all for His provision, and singles out whomever He willed among them for His protective friendship, receiving multiple rewards for obedience and having disobedience pardoned.

The Accepter of Repentance is He who turns to whomever He wills among His slaves and accepts their repentance.

The Vengeful is He who takes vengeance from His enemies and recompenses them with torment for their acts of disobedience. It could also mean one who destroys them.

The Pardoner is He who pardons exceedingly. It could also mean the eraser, and this meaning goes back to pardon sins. It could also mean grace; hence He gives abundantly from His grace.

The Compassionate is the Merciful. Compassion is profound mercy. Allah’s mercy is His wanting to bless whomever He wills among His slaves. Thus, the meaning goes back to the attribute of will. Furthermore, this blessing could be called mercy.

The King of Kings means that all sovereignty is in His hand, and He gives it to whomever He wills. It could also mean the owner of kings or the inheritor of kings on the day that no one will claim sovereignty or dispute over it. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Possessor of Majesty and Nobility is the one deserving to have His majesty and honor proclaimed and thus is not to be denied. He possesses this attribute intrinsically. The meaning of honor could be His honoring the people of His protective friendship in the world by giving them knowledge of Him and in the Afterlife by giving them Paradise. According to this [latter meaning], it would be an active attribute.

The Fair is the one just in His judgment.

The Gatherer is He who will gather all created beings on the day in which there is no doubt. It is an attribute of action. It is also said that He is the one who comprises all laudable qualities. In this sense, it is an attribute He possesses intrinsically.

The Independent is He who has no need for creation. It is also said that He is the one capable of executing His will in any fashion. He possesses this attribute intrinsically. ​

The Enricher is He who supports those in need from the creation. It could also mean the one of sufficient wealth, which is the meaning of sufficiency.

The Preventer is the helper who safeguards and supports by preventing harm from His protected friends. It is also said that He is the one who prevents giving to some people and prevents tribulation from others.

The Harmer is He who brings harm to whomever He wants.

The Benefactor is He who brings benefit to whomever He wills.

The Light is the Guide. It is also said that [it means] He who illuminates, which is an attribute of action. It is also said that He is the Truth, and He is the one who, through evidence, is not hidden from His protected friends, and it is possible to see Him with eyesight. The Originator possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Guide is He by whose guidance the people of His protective friendship find [the correct] direction, and by His guidance, animals find direction to what is in their welfare and take precaution from what harms them.

The Innovator is He who originated the creation as an entirely new thing without any previous example. This is from the active attributes. It could also mean that He has no likeness; in this sense, it is an intrinsic attribute that He possesses.

The Everlasting is He whose existence is forever. Perpetuity is an attribute that subsists in His essence. The Inheritor has the same meaning.

The Rightly-Guiding is He who gives direction, which is the Guide. It could also mean the Wise and the Possessor of Guidance due to the rightness of His planning and the exactness of His actions.

The Patient is He who does not rush to punish the disobedient. This is close to the meaning of the Forbearing. The attribute of forbearance is more expressive of being secure from His punishment.

As for those names that are related in the narration of ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn al-Husayn that are not in the narration of al-Walid ibn Muslim, then among them are:

The Lord, which means the Master. It is also said that it means the Owner, or He who takes everything He innovated to the extent of its perfection that He determined for it. According to this meaning, it is from the attributes of His action; and according to the former, it is from the attributes of His essence.

The Affectionate means the possessor of mercy.

The Liberal is He who is exceedingly giving.

The Initiator means the Starter.

The Unique is He who has no peer and no rival.

The One is He who has no associate and no equal. It has been expressed in another manner as well: the Unique is He who solely possesses an attribute and no one shares in it with Him, and the One is He who is alone with His essence and no one can harm Him. Both are attributes that He possesses intrinsically.

The Sufficient is He who suffices His slaves by dealing with their concerns and repelling their calamities.
The Supporter is He who meets His slaves in turmoil and delivers them.

The Constant is the existent who has never ceased and will not cease. Its meaning goes back to the attribute of perpetuity.

The Master is the Helper and the Aider.

The Evident is He for whom the affair of oneness is clear. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Truthful is He who speaks the truth and fulfills His promise. It is from the attributes of His essence.

The All-Encompassing is the one whose ability envelops all objects of ability and whose knowledge envelops all objects of knowledge. Ability and knowledge are attributes that subsist in His essence.

The Near means that He is near to His creation with His knowledge, and by His response, He is near to whoever calls Him.

The Eternal is the existent that has never ceased. He possesses this attribute intrinsically.

The Odd Number is the singular who has no associate and no rival. He possesses this attribute intrinsically also.

The Inventor is He who invented the creation, i.e. commenced their creation.

The Omniscient means the Knowledgeable. Knowledge is an attribute that subsists in His essence.

The Absolute Owner is the Owner in the superlative sense. It could also mean the King. The meanings of both have been mentioned previously.

The Most Honourable is He who no honorable one equals and no rival can match. It could also mean generosity.

The Planner is He who is the Knower of the finality and ultimate outcome of affairs, the determiner of all measures who bring them to their ends, plans all affairs with His wisdom, and arranges them according to His will.

The Possessor, [namely of] the ascending steps—these are the steps that the angels rise on.
The Possessor of Abundance and the Possessor of Bounty—this means that He is abundantly generous and magnanimous. Allah says: ‘Owner of majesty and honor.’

The Beautiful is the one who beautifies and treats well.

The Lofty could mean He who raises up: raising the degrees of whomever He wills; thus, it would be from the active attributes. It could also mean He who has the loftiest status and who possesses all degrees of accolade and praise that no one other than Him possesses. With this meaning, it is an essential attribute.

Allah knows best.

[The Creed of Imam Bayhaqi]

جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا