سورة الحشر

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Hisham ibn al-Hakam said: "I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the names of Allah and their derivation, and from what اللَّه is derived." He said: "O Hisham! اللَّه is derived from إله (ilah), and ilah requires a ma'luh [one who is worshipped], and the name is other than the named. So whoever worships the name without considering the meaning has disbelieved and has worshipped nothing; and whoever worships the name and the meaning has disbelieved and has worshipped two things; and whoever worships the meaning without the name, that is tawhid (monotheism). Have you understood, O Hisham?" I said: "Tell me more." He said: "Allah has ninety-nine names. If the name were the named itself, each of those names would be a god. But Allah is a meaning to which all these names point, and all of them are other than Him. O Hisham! Bread is the name of something eaten, water is the name of something drunk, clothing is the name of something worn, and fire is the name of something that burns. O Hisham! Have you grasped it in a way by which you can repel and contend with our enemies and those who take another besides Allah the Mighty and Majestic?" I said: "Yes." He said: "O Hisham! May Allah benefit you by it and keep you firm." Hisham said: "By Allah, from the time I rose from that gathering to this place of mine, no one has been able to overcome me on the matter of tawhid."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): His statement هُوَ اللهُ الْخالِقُ الْبارِئُ [He is Allah the Creator, the Maker] means He is the One who creates everything from nothing.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Sinan said: I asked Imam Rida (peace be upon him), 'Was Allah aware of Himself before He created the creation?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Did He see Himself and hear Himself?' He said, 'He had no need of that, because Allah Himself was nothing other than Him that He would ask of Himself or seek from Himself. Rather, Allah is His own Self and His Self is He. His power is effective and He creates the creation by His power. So He has no need to be called by a name or to specify a name for Himself. However, Allah the Exalted chose for Himself names by which others would call upon Him, because if He is not called by a name, He would not be known.'

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): He is the Creator, without there being any movement for Him in creating [unlike a created being who, in order to bring something into existence and give it form, needs various movements and the use of instruments and means]; He was the Creator and Fashioner when no created or fashioned thing existed.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): He is the Creator, not in the sense of creating with movement and toil.

Imam al-Jawad (peace be upon him): Abu Hashim al-Ja'fari said: I was in the presence of Imam al-Jawad (peace be upon him); a man asked him, 'Inform me about Allah the Exalted and the several names and attributes mentioned in the noble verses of the Qur'an — are those very names and attributes what Allah the Exalted intends?' The Imam (peace be upon him) replied: 'If you say that these names and attributes of His have always existed, this too has two meanings: if what you mean is that they have always been in His knowledge and He has always been deserving of them, then it must be said, "Yes"; and if you want to say that their meaning, pronunciation and articulation of their letters have always existed, then it must be said, "Ma\'adh Allah (Allah forbid) that anything else should have been alongside Allah. Rather, Allah existed and there was no creation, and then He created them and made His names and attributes a means between Himself and His creation, so that through them they might beseech His court and worship Him, and these are His remembrance; Allah existed and there was no remembrance."'

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Allah the Blessed and Exalted has ninety-nine names. Whoever enumerates them enters Paradise. Those names are as follows: Allah, al-Ilah, al-Wahid, al-Ahad, al-Samad, al-Awwal, al-Akhir, al-Sami', al-Basir, al-Qadir, al-Qahir, al-Ali, al-A'la, al-Baqi, al-Badi', al-Bari', al-Akram, al-Zahir, al-Batin, al-Hayy, al-Hakim, al-Alim, al-Halim, al-Hafiz, al-Haqq, al-Hasib, al-Hamid, al-Hafi, al-Rabb, al-Rahman, al-Rahim, al-Dhari', al-Raziq, al-Raqib, al-Ra'uf, al-Barr, al-Salam, al-Mu'min, al-Muhaymin, al-Aziz, al-Jabbar, al-Mutakabbir, al-Sayyid, al-Subbuh, al-Shahid, al-Sadiq, al-Sani', al-Tahir, al-Adl, al-Afuww, al-Ghafur, al-Ghani, al-Ghiyath, al-Fatir, al-Fard, al-Fattah, al-Faliq, al-Qadim, al-Malik, al-Quddus, al-Qawi, al-Qarib, al-Qayyum, al-Qabid, al-Basit, Qadi al-Hajat, al-Majid, al-Mawla, al-Mannan, al-Muhit, al-Mubin, al-Muqit, al-Musawwir, al-Karim, al-Kabir, al-Kafi, Kashif al-Durr, al-Watr, al-Nur, al-Wahhab, al-Nasir, al-Wasi', al-Wadud, al-Hadi, al-Wafi, al-Wakil, al-Warith, al-Barr, al-Ba'ith, al-Tawwab, al-Jalil, al-Jawad, al-Khabir, al-Khaliq, Khayr al-Nasirin, al-Dayyan, al-Shakur, al-Azim, al-Latif, al-Shafi.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has ninety-nine names. Whoever calls upon Him by these names, He answers his prayer, and whoever enumerates them enters Paradise.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Allah the Mighty and Majestic has ninety-nine names. If the name were the very same as the named, then every one of those names would be a god; but Allah the Mighty and Majestic is a specific reality upon which these names indicate, and all these names are other than Him.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): آه [Ah] is one of the names of Allah the Mighty and Majestic; so whoever says آه [Ah] has sought help from Allah the Blessed and Exalted.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): I am more familiar with the paths of the heavens than with the paths of the earth. We are the stored and hidden name [of Allah]; we are the most excellent names by which, when Allah the Mighty and Majestic is asked, He answers.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): We are those most excellent names, without whose recognition Allah will not accept any deed from the servants. By Allah, we are those very words which Adam (peace be upon him) received from his Lord, whereupon his repentance was accepted.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): I am the most beautiful names of Allah, His highest likenesses, and His greatest signs.