The 99 names of Allah
Islamic Studies · Key Stage 2 · The School
Names that describe, not just label
Muslims speak of Allah having 99 names. These are often called AL-ASMA AL-HUSNA, the most beautiful names. The scholar al-Nawawi wrote that scholars agreed the number 99 does not mean Allah has only 99 names. Each one describes a quality. Ar-Rahman: the Most Merciful. Al-Alim: the All-Knowing. As-Sami: the All-Hearing. These are not separate beings. It is one Allah, described from many sides.
What the Quran says to do with them
The Quran says it directly. The best names belong to Allah. So use them to call on Him (7:180). Muslims use these names all the time in du'a. They pick the name that fits the moment. Ar-Razzaq, the Provider, when asking for provision.
Learning them as children
Many Muslim children learn a good number of the 99 names early. It is often part memory game, part devotion. Knowing them changes how Allah is understood. Not one flat idea. Someone described as merciful, just, forgiving, and powerful, all at once. Some children even collect them like a list.
Here is an imagined case. Zara is in Year 4. She breaks her friend Mia's ruler by accident and says nothing. At bedtime she feels bad and does not know what to do. She remembers what the scholar al-Qurtubi wrote about 7:180, which tells people to call on Allah by His names. He said to ask by each name for what suits it. One of his examples is saying O Guide, guide me. Zara thinks of Ar-Razzaq, the Provider. But she is not asking for provision. She needs guidance. So she chooses Al-Hadi, the Guide, and says, O Guide, guide me. Then she thinks about what she should do. She decides that Mia should hear the truth. The next morning she tells Mia and offers to buy a new ruler. Mia thanks her for telling the truth.