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Allah’s Names and How to Use Them in Duas

by in Soul on 21st April, 2022

Knowing Allah is a pathway towards loving Him and to know Him, we must begin by learning and using the names He has chosen to reveal to us through the Qu’ran and Sunnah. One of the best ways to solidify our knowledge of His beautiful names and attributes is by applying them in our duas. For every need you have, find an attribute of your Lord which suits it.

“And Allah’s names are the best names, so call on Him and leave those who violate the sanctity of His Names. They shall be recompensed for what they did.”

[Qur’an 7:180]

1. Al-Mujeeb (The One Who Responds) 

When you’re in desperate need of help, distressed or under great difficulty, call upon Al-Mujeeb 

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah is conscientious and generous. He is shy to return the outstretched hands of his servant empty and disappointed.” (Tirmidhi)

2. Al-Wakeel (The Disposer of Affairs) 

When you feel strapped for time, money or capacity, call on Al-Wakeel 

Place your trust in Allah and repeat: Hasbunallah wa ni’mal wakeel (Sufficient for us is Allah and [He is] the best Disposer of Affairs)

3. Al-Jabbar (The Restorer)

When you find yourself lacking in the necessary skills to achieve a goal, call on Al-Jabbar to fill in the gaps and make up your deficiencies 

How perfect He is, The Possessor of total power, sovereignty, magnificence and grandeur

4. Al-Fattah (The Opener)

When you want to improve your relationship and connection with Allah. Ask Al-Fattah to open your heart to Him:

Ya Fattah grant me a deep understanding of Your religion and make it a means of my nearness to you.

5. Al-Wali (The Protecting Friend) 

When you need someone to bail you out of distress, call on Al-Wali:

Anta Walliyyunā fa-ghfir lanā war-ḥamnā wa Anta khayrul-ghāfirīn. (You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us. You are the best of those who forgive.) (7:155)

6. As-Salam (The Source of Peace) 

When you are in need of security and reassurance, call on As-Salam

Recite after salah: Allahumma antas salam wa minkas salam tabarakta dhal jalali wal ikram (O Allah, You are peace, peace comes from You. Blessed are You O Possessor of Glory and Honour)

7. Al-Shafi (The Healer) 

Whatever illness you or anyone beloved to you may be going through, call on Al-Shafi:

O Allah, Lord of the people! Remove the trouble and heal the patient, for You are the Healer. There is no healer but You; give him a healing which leaves no disease behind.

8. Al-Haseeb (The Sufficient)

When you are worried about where your next sustenance will come from, call on Al-Haseeb 

Recite 7x morning and evening: Allah is sufficient for me. There is no god but Him. I have placed my trust in Him only and He is the Lord of the Magnificent Throne.

9. Al-Waduud (The Most Loving)

When you feel all alone, call on Al-Waduud to bless you with people who will love you for His sake and always remind you of His blessings 

Say: Ya Waduud make me and my loved ones among those who are beloved to You.

10. Al-Qayyum (The One Who Sustains and Protects All That Exists) 

When you’re in distress about your affairs, call on Al-Qayyum:

Yā Ḥayyu yā Qayyūm I seek assistance through Your mercy. Rectify all of my affairs and do not entrust me to myself for the blink of an eye.

11. Al-Musawwir (The Fashioner) 

When you don’t feel secure in your sense of self or your physical attributes, call upon Al-Musawwir:

Ya Musawwir, teach to me love myself the way You fashioned me and just as You have beautified me, beautify my character.

12. Al-Matin (The Powerful) 

When you’re struggling to accept the outcome of an event or a situation, reach out to Al-Matin:

Ya Matin, nothing happens without your knowledge. Soften my heart and grant me the strength to accept that what You want for me is and will always be what’s best for me.

13. Al-Basit (The Extender, The Amplifier) 

When you’re about to embark on something new or unknown, call on Al-Basit:

Ya Basit, You give plentiful to whomever You will. Open doors for me on this path and aid me against unanticipated difficulties

14. Al-Baseer (The All-Seeing) 

When you’re tempted by your nafs or shaytan to commit an act that’s displeasing to Allah, call upon Al-Baseer:

Ya Baseer, fill my heart with awe and consciousness of You and help me to always remember that You see everything I do.

15. Al-Muqtadir (The Perfect in Ability) 

When you feel things are impossible or too difficult, call upon Al-Muqtadir:

Ya Muqtadir, all power and might belong to You, and nothing is impossible for You. Make a way for me where there seems to be no way.

16. As-Sitteer (The Concealer of Sins) 

When someone compliments you, and you feel immense gratitude for the way they see you, give utmost thanks and praise to As-Sitteer 

And say: Allahuma-astur ‘awrati, wa amin raw’ati (O Allah, conceal my faults and calm my fears)

17. Al-Mu’min (The Giver of Security) 

When you’re feeling overburdened with the stresses of this world, call on Al-Mu’min:

Ya Mumin, grant us the best outcome in all of our affairs, and protect us from the humiliation of this world and the punishment of the hereafter.

18. Al-Wajid (The Finder) 

When you’re struggling with the next step to take, call on Al-Wajid:

Ya Wajid, You found Your beloved ﷺ lost and guided him. Direct my affairs and take me beyond where I think I need to be.

19. Al-Hayy (The Ever Living) 

When you’re feeling hopeless or defeated, call on Al-Hayy 

And recite ayatul kurisiyu (Qur’an 2:255) after each salah today

20. As-Sami (The All-Hearing) 

When you feel like your worries and complaints are going unheard, call upon As-Sami:

Ya Sami, take care of my worries and grant me ease in my affairs. Indeed, You hear all prayers.

21. Al-Hadi (The Guide) 

When your heart wavers due to doubt, call upon Al-Hadi

Say: Allāhumma-ghfir lī, war-ḥamnī, wa ʿāfinī, wah-dinī war-zuqnī (O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, grant me wellbeing, guide me and grant me sustenance.)

22. Al-Qareeb (The Ever Near)

When you need motivation to keep choosing what’s right, call upon Al-Qareeb:

Ya Qareeb ib-ni lī ʿindaka baytan fi-l-Jannah (O The Ever Near, build for me, near You, a house in Paradise)

23. Al-Wahid (The One) 

When you desires and wants keep taking precedence over what Allah wants, call upon Al-Wahid: 

Ya Wahid, I seek Your protection from knowingly associating partners with You and seek Your forgiveness for unknowingly doing so.

24. Al-Qadir (The Most Able) 

When you’re worried about the outcome of an event, activity or work, call upon Al-Qadir:

Ya Qadir, all power and might belongs to you. Grant me ease in my affairs and success in my endeavours.

25. Ar-Razzaq (The Provider) 

When you’re struggling to make ends meet, call on Ar-Razzaq: 

Allāhumma innī as’aluka ʿilma-n-nāfiʿā, wa rizqan ṭayyibā, wa ʿamala-m-mutaqabbalā (O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, wholesome sustenance, and deeds which are accepted.)

26. As-Sabur (The Most Patient and Enduring) 

When you feel frustrated about life, call upon As-Sabur:

Ya Sabur afrigh ‘alayna sabran wa tawaffana Muslimeen (O The Most Patient, pour upon us patience and let us die as Muslims [in submission to You].) [7:126]

27. Al-Ghani (The Self-Sufficient) 

When you’re struggling with financial anxiety, worries or debt, call upon Al-Ghani:

Allāhumma innī as’aluka-l-hudā wa-t-tuqā wa-l-ʿafāfa wa-l-ghinā (O Allah, I beg You for guidance, taqwā (piety), chastity and self-sufficiency)

28. Al-Mannan (The Bestower) 

When you find yourself constrained by time and ability, call on Al-Mannan:

O Allah, I ask you as all praise is Yours. There is no god but You, You are al-Mannan, Originator of the Heavens and Earth, Possessor of Majesty and Honor. O Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting.

29. Ar-Raheem (The Especially Merciful) 

When you’re struggling with dropping a bad habit or a sin, seek help from Ar-Raheem:

Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us and have mercy on us: You are the Best of those who are merciful [23:109]

30. Al-Jawaad (The Most Generous) 

When you’re struggling to articulate your needs, call on Al-Jawaad:

Ya Jawaad innī limā anzalta illayya min khayrin faqīr. (O The Most Generous, truly I am in dire need of any good which You may send me.) [28:24]

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Suad Kamardeen

Suad Kamardeen

Suad Kamardeen is a British-Nigerian Muslim writer, editor, engineering graduate and a Creative Writing Masters student at the University of Oxford. She is also a founding editor at WAYF journal. She is committed to documenting histories and cultures, as well as impacting people’s lives positively through storytelling. Her young adult novel, Never Enough, won the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2022, and her adult novel was shortlisted for the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction 2021. Her writing has also appeared in Bad Form Review and Sapelo Square. You can find her on Twitter/IG: @suadkamardeen