وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ 180
Translations
And to Allāh belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
Transliteration
Wa-lillahi al-asmaa'u al-husnaa fa-ud'uh biha wa-dharoo alladhina yulhidoona fee asma'ihi sayujzawna ma kanoo ya'maloon
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah possesses the Most Beautiful Names (al-Asma'u al-Husnaa), and believers are commanded to invoke Him by these Names in their supplications, which reflect His perfect attributes and characteristics. The ayah simultaneously warns against those who distort, deny, or misuse Allah's Names through linguistic corruption (ilhad), philosophical innovation, or associating partners with Him, and promises them punishment for their deeds. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that calling upon Allah by His Beautiful Names with proper understanding strengthens one's connection to Him, while ilhad represents a grave sin against divine attributes.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-A'raf (Meccan), which addresses fundamental Islamic beliefs and the rejection of polytheism. The verse is part of the broader Meccan context emphasizing monotheism and Allah's unique attributes against the backdrop of Arabian paganism. The specific mention of those who commit ilhad in Allah's Names likely responds to the linguistic and theological distortions made by the Quraysh and their allies regarding divine attributes.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'Allah has ninety-nine Names; whoever memorizes them enters Paradise' (Sahih Bukhari, 2736). Additionally, 'Call upon Allah by His Beautiful Names' emphasizes the practical application of this ayah in daily worship (At-Tirmidhi and others).
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should develop a deep understanding of Allah's Beautiful Names and invoke Him through them with sincerity and correct belief, recognizing that proper knowledge of divine attributes strengthens faith and worship. Simultaneously, one must guard against intellectual innovations and distortions of Islamic doctrine, understanding that misrepresenting Allah's attributes—whether through philosophy, heresy, or innovation—constitutes a serious spiritual transgression with eternal consequences.
Related Ayahs
وَمِن قَوْمِ مُوسَىٰٓ أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَبِهِۦ يَعْدِلُونَ
And among the people of Moses is a community which guides by truth and by it establishes justice.
ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لَهْوًا وَلَعِبًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ فَٱلْيَوْمَ نَنسَىٰهُمْ كَمَا نَسُوا۟ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَـٰذَا وَمَا كَانُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ
Who took their religion as distraction and amusement and whom the worldly life deluded." So today We will forget them just as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs and for having rejected Our verses.
فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّى وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تُحِبُّونَ ٱلنَّـٰصِحِينَ
And he [i.e., Ṣāliḥ] turned away from them and said, "O my people, I had certainly conveyed to you the message of my Lord and advised you, but you do not like advisors."
قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
They said, "We have believed in the Lord of the worlds,