669. What Are The Names That Only Belong To Allah Alone?

By Asma Bint Shameem

The names of Allaah are of two kinds.

1. Names that only belong to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala Alone and no one can be given these names.  

For example Allaah, al-Rabb, al-Rahmaan, al-Ahad, al-Samad, al-Mutakabbir, etc. 

There’s consensus of the scholars that we can’t name a child these names except by adding the word  ‘Abd’ in front of it. 

(Abd means ‘slave of..’)

So Abd-Allaah, AbdurRabb, AbdurRahmaan, AbdulAhad, etc is permissible. 

2. Names that don’t apply to Allaah Alone. 

These names can be used for humans. 

For example Samee’, Baseer, Ali, Hakeem, Raheem etc. 

Allaah called the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam ‘Raheem’ and ‘Ra’oof’ in Surah at-Taubah. 

He said:

‎لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad) is anxious over you (to be rightly guided, to repent to Allah, and beg Him to pardon and forgive your sins, in order that you may enter Paradise and be saved from the punishment of the Hell-fire); for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.” (Surah at-Taubah: 129)

What is forbidden is only those names that apply to Allaah Alone, such as al-Rahmaan, al-Ahad, al-Khaaliq, etc. 

Ibn al-Qayyim said: 

“Names which it is forbidden to give to people include the names of the Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, so it is not permissible to call people by names such as al-Ahad (the Unique), al-Samad (the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks), al-Khaaliq (the Creator) or al-Razzaaq (the Provider), or any of the other names that apply only to the Lord, may He be blessed and exalted. And it is not permissible to call kings al-Qaahir (the Subduer) or al-Zaahir (the Most High or the Manifest), or to call them al-Jabbaar (the Compeller), al-Mutakabbir (the Majestic), al-Awwal (the First), al-Aakhir (the Last), al-Baatin (the Most Near or the Hidden), or ‘Allaam al-Ghuyoob (Knower of the unseen).”

[Tuhfat al-Mawdood (p. 125)]

So it’s best not to name the child Ahad or Khaaliq or Rahmaan or Qudoos but you can add ‘Abd’ in front of it to make it Abdul Ahad, or Abdul Khaaliq or AbdurRahmaan or Abdul Qudoos etc. 

And Allaah knows best.