He thus divided His Names into three categories:

– A category by which He named Himself and disclosed it to whomever He willed among His angels or others, without revealing a scripture through it.

– A category with which He sent down His Book, thereby making Himself known to His servants.

– A category He has reserved within the knowledge of His unseen and has not shown to anyone⦗1⦘ of His creation. Hence the wording, “or kept exclusively to Yourself,” that is, You alone possess its knowledge. The point is not that He alone bears those names⦗2⦘, for that kind of exclusivity is already true of the names by which He sent down His Book.

This is illustrated by the Prophet’s statement in the hadith of intercession: “Then praises of Him will be inspired to me such as I do not know now.”⦗3⦘ Those praises are His Names⦗4⦘ and Attributes.

Likewise, his saying ﷺ: “I cannot enumerate Your praise; You are as You have praised…"