or kept exclusive within the knowledge of the unseen that is with You.” This ḥadīth is found in the Musnad and in the Ṣaḥīḥ of Abū Ḥātim. It tells us that Allah possesses names He has withheld in the unseen realm; the meanings of those names, which Allah has reserved for Himself, are known to none but Him.
[Allah’s names and attributes vary in meaning yet all indicate His very Essence]
Allah has informed us that He is Knowing, Powerful, Hearing, Seeing, Forgiving, Merciful, and so on among His names and attributes. We grasp the sense of these terms and differentiate between knowledge and power, between mercy and hearing and sight. At the same time we recognize that, although their meanings differ, all the names agree in pointing to the Divine Essence, so they are