A Quality and a Name

Now to understand this. Allah (swt) has attributes. This needs an open mind; it needs to be understood. There is Allah (swt), and there are attributes. What is an attribute? An attribute is a quality; it is an ability. For example, there is a human being, and there is knowledge. The person is not knowledge, but the person is knowledgeable. Knowledge is the attribute; it is the ṣifah of the person. And being knowledgeable is a name that is given to them, based on a quality that they have.

So the difference between a ṣifah and an ism — a quality, an attribute, and a name — is that the ṣifah, the attribute, is a quality of the individual, and the ism is the name that is given to that particular individual, based on the qualities that they have. On the one hand, there are the attributes of Allah, like ʿilm, knowledge, hearing, seeing, power, and so on; and then there are the 99 names, and more. So there is Allah as being the Ghaffār and the Qahhār, and so on.

So the difference between the two is that the attributes are qualities and attributes. The Asmāʾ al-Ḥusnā, the beautiful names, are the names that we give to Allah based on what we recognize of Him, based on the attributes that He has. Somebody is only going to be called knowledgeable if they have knowledge. Somebody is only going to be called generous if they have generosity. Generosity is the attribute, and being generous is the name.

So when these various attributes are put together, and it is seen that Allah (swt) has the power to avenge anybody, then He gets the name: the one who is able to avenge. When there is His power — that He has control over everything; He has His qudrah — then He gets the name Qahhār. When He is the one who provides, then He is the Razzāq. When He is the one who is able to forgive, because He has the ability to do what He wishes, then He is the Ghaffār. So all of these names come about based on the different attributes that Allah (swt) has.