and al-Karīm (the Most Generous); the servant therefore trains himself to embody mercy and generosity in a manner befitting his human frame. As for the names that belong exclusively to Allah—such as al-Jabbār (the Compeller) and al-ʿAẓīm (the Tremendous)—his duty is to acknowledge them, humble himself before them, and refrain from adopting any of their qualities. Wherever a name conveys a promise, he stands with hope and longing; and wherever it conveys a threat, he stands with fear and awe.

This is further confirmed by the fact that memorising the names only in word, without acting upon them or adopting their implications, is like memorising the Quran without practising it, as in the hadith: “They recite the Quran yet it does not go past their throats.” Reported by al-Bukhari (3166) and Muslim (1063).

6 – Because no authentic enumeration or precise number of these names has come from the Prophet ﷺ, the scholars have differed greatly over them. Some have tried to collect them from the Quran and Sunnah, among them Shaykh Abū ’l-Wafāʾ Muḥammad Darwīsh in his book Al-Asmāʾ al-Ḥusnā.

7 – Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saʿdī—may Allah have mercy on him—said in The Monotheism of the Prophets and Messengers: “Their followers acknowledge and accept every attribute of the Most Merciful that is found in the divine scriptures and confirmed in the prophetic texts. They understand its meaning, internalise it within their hearts, worship Allah through knowing and believing it, and act according to what it entails. These are inward states and lofty forms of spiritual knowledge.

• Attributes of greatness, grandeur, glory, and majesty fill their hearts with awe of Allah and veneration for Him.
• Attributes of might, power, and dominion cause their hearts to submit and humble themselves before their Lord.
• Attributes of mercy, benevolence, generosity, and bounty fill their hearts with longing and hope in Him, in His grace, kindness, and munificence.”