The 99 Names of Allah: What the Sahih Hadith Says, and Where the Famous List Comes From

About this video

Allah has ninety-nine names, and whoever 'counts' them will enter Paradise: the Prophet (peace be upon him) said this in a hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. This calm explainer looks at what 'counting' them means (memorising, understanding, calling on Him by them, living by them), why His names are not limited to ninety-nine, and where the famous list really comes from: a report in Jami' at-Tirmidhi graded weak, which Ibn Hajar and Ibn Kathir explain was added by narrators, with the names gathered from the Qur'an. It ends with a small start: learning a few names from the Qur'an, calling on Him by them, as in the du'a the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and showing mercy to people. Just before that close it shows the ninety-nine names as at-Tirmidhi lists them, with short meanings: the list report is graded weak, and most of its names are in the Qur'an.

Chapters

1. 0:00Ninety-nine names
2. 0:23Qur'an · the most beautiful names
3. 1:08The hadith · ninety-nine names
4. 1:36Another wording: “memorises”
5. 1:58What “counting” them includes
6. 2:27Not a limit
7. 3:57Honesty note · the famous list
8. 5:07Honesty note · the verdict
9. 5:36The close of Surah al-Hashr
10. 6:01Calling on Him by His names
11. 6:30Praise by His names
12. 7:05Let the names shape the day
13. 7:34Living by the names
14. 7:59Recap
15. 8:55The list in Jami' at-Tirmidhi
16. 10:19A small start

Sources in this video

• Qur'an 7:180, 17:110, 20:8, 59:23–24, 2:255
• Sahih al-Bukhari 2736, 7392, 6410, 6326, 7376
• Sahih Muslim 2677a
• Sunan Abi Dawud 1493 (Sahih, al-Albani)
• Musnad Ahmad 3712 = 1/391 (Sahih, al-Albani, via Hisn al-Muslim 120; graders differ over its chain)
• the list: Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3507 and Sunan Ibn Majah 3861 (both Da'if, Darussalam), with at-Tirmidhi's notes at 3507–3508
• Mishkat al-Masabih 2287–2289
• Bulugh al-Maram 1382 (Ibn Hajar)
• Fath al-Bari 11/214–227 (Ibn Hajar)
• Sharh Sahih Muslim 17/177–178 (an-Nawawi)
• Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 7:180