Transliteration:( Wa lillaahil Asmaaa 'ul Husnaa fad'oohu bihaa wa zarul lazeena yulhidoona feee Asmaaa'ih; sa yujzawna maa kaanoo ya'maloon )
180. And to Allah belong the Best Names [413], so call upon Him by them, and leave those who deviate regarding His Names [414]. They will soon be recompensed for what they used to do [415].
This verse was revealed when Abu Jahl objected that the Prophet ﷺ used both “Allah” and “Ar-Rahman”, implying two deities. Allah clarified that all these are His Most Beautiful Names (Asma’ul Husna). As stated in Hadith, Allah has 99 Names, and whoever remembers (acts upon or internalizes) them will be admitted to Paradise. This does not limit Allah’s Names to ninety-nine, as scholars have mentioned up to a thousand Names, each pointing to His Perfection, Majesty, and Mercy.
The Names of Allah are not subject to metaphor or translation rooted in non-Islamic traditions. One may say “Allah” or “Ar-Rahman,” but not “Raam,” “Parbhoo,” or “Satnarayan,” as such names carry foreign theological concepts. Even names like Sattaar (Concealer) must be used carefully to avoid double meanings like “conniver.” Only the attributes confirmed in Qur’an and Sunnah may be used to address or call upon Him.
Misnaming or misrepresenting Allah—whether by false attribution, incorrect meanings, or mockery—incurs divine punishment. Those who deviate or invent meanings for Allah’s Names will be held accountable. Calling Him “MIA,” or comparing Him to idols or mythological figures, is strictly forbidden. His Names are not abstract or symbolic—they are real, sacred, and legally bound to revelation.
180. And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie His Names. They will be requited for what they used to do.
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,
(Verily, Allah has ninety-nine Names, a hundred less one; whoever counts (and preserves) them, will enter Paradise. Allah is Witr (One) and loves Al-Witr (the odd numbered things),) The Two Sahihs collected this Hadith. We should state that Allah’s Names are not restricted to only ninety-nine. For instance, in his Musnad, Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah said;
(Any person who is overcome by sadness or grief and supplicates, `O Allah! I am Your servant, son of Your female servant. My forelock is in Your Hand. Your decision concerning me shall certainly come to pass. Just is Your Judgement about me. I invoke You by every Name that You have and that You called Yourself by, sent down in Your Book, taught to any of Your creatures, or kept with You in the knowledge of the Unseen that is with You. Make the Glorious Qur’an the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the remover of my grief and the dissipater of my concern.’ Surely, Allah will remove his grief and sadness and exchange them for delight.) The Prophet was asked “O Messenger of Allah! Should we learn these words” He said,
(Yes. It is an obligation on all those who hear this supplication to learn it.) Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said about Allah’s statement,
(and leave the company of those who belie His Names) “To belie Allah’s Names includes saying that Al-Lat (an idol) derived from Allah’s Name.” Ibn Jurayj narrated from Mujahid that he commented,
(and leave the company of those who belie His Names) “They derived Al-Lat (an idol’s name) from Allah, and Al-`Uzza (another idol) from Al-`Aziz (the All-Mighty).” Qatadah stated that Ilhad refers to associating others with Allah in His Names (such as calling an idol Al-`Uzza). The word Ilhad ﴿used in the Ayah in another from﴾ means deviation, wickedness, injustice and straying. The hole in the grave is called Lahd, because it is a hole within a hole, that is turned towards the Qiblah (the direction of the prayer).
(7:180) Allah has the most excellent names.[141] So call on Him by His names and shun those who distort them. They shall soon be requited for their deeds.[142]
141. Here the present discourse is nearing its end. Before concluding, people are warned in a style which combines admonition with censure against some basic wrongs. People are here being warrned particularly against denial combined with mockery which they, had adopted towards the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him).
142. The name of a thing reflects how it is conceptualized. Hence, inappropriate concepts are reflected in inappropriate names, and vice versa. Moreover, the attitude a man adopts towards different things is also based on the concepts he entertains of those things. If a concept about a thing is erroneous, so will be man’s relationship with it. On the other hand. a right concept about a thing will lead to establishing, the right relationship with it. In the same way, as this applies to relationships with worldly objects, so it applies to relationships with God. If a man is mistaken about God – be it about His person or attributes – he will choose false words for God. And the falsity of concepts about God affects man’s whole ethical attitude. This is understandable since man’s whole ethical attitude is directly related to man’s concept of God and God’s relationship with the universe and man. It is for this reason that the Qur’an asks man to shun profanity in naming God. Only the most beautiful names befit God, and hence man should invoke Him by them. Any profanity in this respect will lead to evil consequences.
The ‘most excellent names’ used of God express His greatness and paramountcy, holiness, purity, and the perfection and absoluteness of all His attributes. The opposite trend has been termed ilhad in this verse. The word ilhad literally means ‘to veer away from the straight direction’. The word is used, for instance, when an arrow misses the mark and strikes elsewhere. (See Raghib al-Isfahani, al-Mufradat, q.v. ilhad – Ed.) The commitment of ilhad in naming God mentioned in the verse consists of choosing names which are below His majestic dignity and which are inconsistent with the reverence due to Him; names which ascribe evil or defect to God, or reflect false notions about Him. Equally blasphemous is the act of calling some creature by a name which befits God alone, The Qur’anic exhortation in the above verse to ‘shun those who distort God’s names’ implies that if misguided people fail to see reason, the righteous should not engross themselves in unnecessary argumentation with them. For such men will themselves suffer dire consequences.
[425]- i.e., use them improperly or deny them.
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