THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
Many verses of the Quran describe God's existence, oneness, knowledge, and power on different occasions. In this collection, we have brought together the verses that describe God's attributes most clearly — you can listen to or read these verses and reflect on them.
4 verses
In the Quran, God's attributes are the perfections by which He makes Himself known: oneness, life, knowledge, power, mercy, hearing, sight, wisdom, and sovereignty. They are not enlarged human traits. Ash-Shura 42:11 sets the boundary by affirming that nothing resembles Him while also affirming that He hears and sees. Ayat al-Kursi, Al-Ikhlas, and Al-Hashr 59:22–24 offer a concise starting map.
Verses in This Collection
Related Content
The ninety-nine names hadith and the word "ihsa"
Bukhari (Conditions, no. 2736) and Muslim (Remembrance, no. 2677) report from Abu Hurayra that God has ninety-nine names and whoever "encompasses" them (ihsa) will enter Paradise. Commentators explain "ihsa" as memorizing them, knowing their meanings and living by them. The hadith does not say the names are limited to ninety-nine; the Quran and hadith contain names and attributes that are not in this list. The list that enumerates the names one by one is found in Tirmidhi's narration and is disputed with regard to its transmitters. The verses on this page therefore aim at knowing God through His attributes, not at counting names.
Understanding the Topic
Names and attributes are related, but not identical
Divine names are names by which God is known and invoked, such as the Ever-Living, the All-Knowing, and the Most Merciful. Attributes are the meanings indicated by those names, such as life, knowledge, and mercy. Muslim theologians developed categories to explain these ideas systematically; those categories organize reflection rather than replace the Quran. Schools may differ over technical language, yet their shared starting point is tawhid: God is one, perfect, and unlike creation. A human word can point toward an attribute without making the divine reality comparable to a creature's limited quality.
Reading the central passages together
Ayat al-Kursi, Al-Baqarah 2:255, joins life and self-subsistence with complete knowledge and sovereignty. Al-Ikhlas emphasizes oneness and freedom from dependence. Al-Hashr 59:22–24 brings knowledge, mercy, kingship, peace, creative power, and wisdom into one sequence. Ash-Shura 42:11 prevents these descriptions from becoming physical comparisons: nothing is like God, although the verse still affirms hearing and sight. Reading the passages together avoids reducing belief to one isolated quality. Mercy is not detached from justice, power from wisdom, or knowledge from care.
A useful next step is to read one passage in context and connect one attribute with one concrete responsibility. This keeps the subject rooted in worship, humility, and ethical attention rather than abstract listing.
Sources
- QuranEnc — Ash-Shura 42:11 — English Translation — Noor International Center; divine transcendence, hearing, and sight
- QuranEnc — Al-Baqarah 2:255 — English Translation — Noor International Center; Ayat al-Kursi on life, knowledge, and sovereignty
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam — Sıfat — İlyas Çelebi, conceptual reference article on divine attributes
Reports About the Names of God
Al-A'raf 7:180 says: "The most beautiful names belong to God, so call on Him by them." According to Abu Hurayra, the Prophet said: "God has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one; whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise" (Bukhari, Conditions, no. 2736; Muslim, Remembrance, no. 2677). Scholars explained "enumerating" (ihsa') not merely as counting but as learning the names, understanding their meanings, calling on God by them and living by what they imply.
The commonly recited list of ninety-nine names is not part of this report in Bukhari and Muslim; it appears in a report by Tirmidhi (Supplications, no. 3507). Most hadith scholars noted that the list is not the Prophet's own words but was added by one of the narrators. God's names are therefore not limited to ninety-nine; every name found in the Quran and the sound sunnah is one of His names.
A supplication in the report of Ibn Mas'ud also speaks of names God has not revealed in His book or has kept with Himself in the unseen (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, no. 3712).
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