14. Calling Upon Allah by His Names

Allah, Glorified and Exalted, possesses Names of perfect beauty and majesty. These Names are not mere labels like those of created beings; they reflect His divine attributes, His essence and greatness. Allah commands us to call upon Him by these Names as they draw us closer to Him:

وَلِلّٰهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوْهُ بِهَا

 “And to Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them” (7:180).

He also says: “Say: Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful — whichever name you call, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names” (17:110).

These Names are filled with divine light, flowing from Allah’s essence and revealing His perfection and majesty. Calling upon Allah by His Names increases the likelihood of Him accepting our duʿās.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Indeed Allah has 99 Names; whoever preserves them will enter Paradise” (Muslim).

Preserving the Names of Allah is not limited to memorising them. It is essential to understand them, reflect upon them, praise and call upon Allah through them, and act according to what they signify (for example, if Allah is the Most Kind, you should hope for His kindness and show kindness to His creation).

Calling Upon Allah With His Beautiful Names

Calling upon Allah means to worship Him, praise Him, and make duʿāʾ using His Beautiful Names. This practice was deeply rooted in the life of the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Supplicate frequently with, يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ [O Lord of Majesty and Honour]” (Tirmidhī). Anas b. Mālik (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said: “Whenever a matter would distress the Messenger of Allah, he would say ُيَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّوْمُ ، بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيْث” (Tirmidhī).

A powerful example of this is found in the ḥadīth of Buraydah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu). The Prophet ﷺ heard a man supplicating, saying:

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّيْ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللهُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِيْ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُوْلَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

“O Allah, I ask You as I bear witness that You are Allah, there is no god worthy of worship but You, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, who has not given birth and was not born, and to whom no one is equal.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ remarked, “By the One in Whose Hand is my life, He has certainly asked Allah with His Greatest Name; when He is supplicated by it, He responds, and when asked, He gives” (Tirmidhī).

Another narration reported by Anas b. Mālik (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) states that he was sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and a man was performing ṣalāh. The man then said, 

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدَ ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْمَنَّانُ ، بَدِيْعُ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ، يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ ، يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّوْمُ

“O Allah, I beg You as all praise only belongs to You. There is no god worthy of worship except You, the Giver of all good, the Originator of the heavens and the earth. O Lord of Majesty and Honour, O the Ever Living, O the One who sustains and protects all that exists.“

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ remarked, “He has certainly asked Allah with His Greatest Name; when He is supplicated by it, He responds, and when asked, He gives” (Abū Dāwūd).

The Companions’ Deep Knowledge of Allah

The Prophet ﷺ nurtured his Companions to know and connect with Allah through His Names. They didn’t merely memorise them. As we saw in the narrations above, they understood their meanings, lived by them, and used them in duʿā’ and worship.

A notable example is when the Prophet ﷺ asked Ubayy b. Kaʿb (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) about the greatest verse in the Qur’ān. Ubayy replied with Āyatul-Kursī, and the Prophet ﷺ affirmed his answer and praised him for his knowledge. Ubayy recognised that this verse is the greatest because it is filled with the Names and Attributes of Allah. This incident reflects how the Companions (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhum) deeply valued the knowledge of Allah.

Knowing Allah, through His Names, Attributes and actions, was the most important knowledge to the Companions. It was the foundation of their connection with the Creator, the source of spiritual strength, guidance and the key to effective supplication.

Knowing Allah Through His Beautiful Names

One of the highest stations of īmān is deep knowledge of Allah through His Names and Attributes. These Names, revealed in the Qur’ān and Sunnah, are the means by which a believer nurtures love for Allah in the heart and deepens worship. 

Constant reflection on how the Names manifest in everyday life allows you to transform your heart, character, and actions. Reflect on how the different Names manifest in your life, so you feel intimately connected to them. For example, reflect on His Name ‘al-Karīm (The Generous)’ by thinking about everything He has blessed you with.

Studying Allah’s Names is a spiritual journey of its own. Whether through reading a book, listening to lectures, or attending a class, make it a priority to learn and reflect on these Names. Once you have understood the Names, continue to reflect on them whenever you encounter them in the Qur’ān. Let them shape your duʿā’, your worship and your view of the world. Feel a sense of closeness to Allah (ʿazza wa jall) and become deeply acquainted with Him by asking Him through His Names. 

“Whoever attains the maʿrifah (deep awareness) of Allah through His Names, Attributes and Actions, will undoubtedly love Him.” – Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)

Why We Call Allah Through His Beautiful Names

Once we understand Allah through His Names, we naturally turn to Him in duʿā’, invoking the Names most relevant to our needs.

We call upon Allah al-Muḥīṭ, knowing that His knowledge encompasses everything, and that He alone knows what is truly good for us both now and in the future. We call upon al-ʿAlīm, fully certain that He knows our struggles, even the ones we cannot articulate ourselves.

We turn to al-Samīʿ, the All-Hearing, with the firm belief that He hears every voice, in every language, with every request, no matter how many call upon Him at once. 

We are certain that al-Mujīb will respond, al-Wahhāb will shower gifts, and al-Karīm will bless with generosity. We knock at the door of al-Mannān, knowing He loves to be asked and never turns away the desperate.

We plead with our Rabb, the nurturing and caring Lord who wants the best for His servants. We call upon al-Wāḥid, al-Aḥad, the One and Only, for no one else has the power to fulfil our needs. When every door seems closed, we turn to al-Fattāḥ, knowing the doors of His mercy are always open. We seek help from al-Qayyūm, the One who sustains and manages all affairs, certain that He can resolve what seems impossible. We keep asking without hesitation, because we know that our Rabb is al–Ḥayiyy: shy to turn His servant away empty-handed.

Even when our needs feel beyond reach, we turn to al-Qadīr, the All-Powerful, with full certainty that He is able to grant them. We ask Him alone, because only He is worthy of worship.

When we make duʿā’, we confess that even though we are weak, desperate and sinful, we have a Lord who is al-Ghafūr: the Most Forgiving and ar-Rahīm: The Most Compassionate.

We realise that He is al-Ṣamad: the One who is absolutely self-sufficient while we are in need of Him in every moment. The more we recognise this, the more sincere our duʿā’ becomes. 

How to Make Duʿa Using Allah’s Names

One of the most beautiful and effective etiquettes in making duʿā’ is to call upon Allah using the Names that best correspond to your need or request. Each of His Names carries profound meanings, and invoking the one most relevant to your situation reflects both understanding and sincerity. (Remove the definite article ‘al-’ when calling upon Allah by His Names. For example, say ‘Yā Razzāq’ rather than ‘Yā al-Razzāq’.)

A person seeking forgiveness can say Yā Ghaffār (O Oft-Forgiving) and Yā Tawwāb (O Accepter of Repentance). One who feels lost or is in need of guidance may say Yā Hādī (O Guide) and Yā Raḥmān (O Most Merciful). Someone going through financial hardship can turn to Yā Razzāq (O Provider), Yā Karīm (O Generous), or Yā Ghaniyy (O Self-Sufficient), asking for sustenance and ease. Likewise, if someone is facing injustice or oppression, they might invoke Yā Qawiyy (O All-Strong), Yā Jabbār (O Compeller), or Yā Nāṣir (O Helper), seeking strength and support.

These examples illustrate how intimately Allah’s Names connect to every circumstance of our lives. Truly knowing His Names goes beyond memorisation; it requires understanding, reflection, and sincere invocation in duʿā’. The more we know Allah through His Names, the more meaningful our worship becomes, and the closer we grow to Him.

Duʿā’ can also be made more generally by invoking all of Allah’s Names, as the Prophet ﷺ demonstrated: “I ask You – by every name that is Yours, by which You have named Yourself, or taught any one of Your creation, or revealed in Your Book, or kept unto Yourself in the knowledge of the unseen that is with You – to make the Qur’ān the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the banisher of my grief and the reliever of my anxiety” (Aḥmad). 

“The best and most effective supplication is that in which the one calling upon Allah uses His Names and Attributes as a means of seeking His response.” – Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)