Ninety-nine names of Allah (Sufism)

Although religious scholars indicate that Allah has three thousand names - one thousand known only by angels, one thousand known only by prophets, 300 in the Torah, 300 in Zabar (Psalms of David), 300 in the New Testament and 99 in the Quran together with one known only to Allah but hidden in the Quran - the 99 names in the Quran are said to be Allah's alone. To the mystic, the Absolute reveals itself in the form of one of the divine names through divine presences, which are states or stations. His very presence is said to efface the name, so that God is present in any name at the same moment as he is absent.

Jami indicates that the perfection of the divine names can be realized in two ways - outward expression or [jala]

, the visible manifestation, and inward display or [istijla]

, the invisible Self, consciousness of God Himself. The calligraphic form of the divine names, as of any name in Arabic script, can be understood as a visual embodiment of divine revelation, the balance and rhythm of form and non-form, evoking a particular timeless quality and thus speaking to the mystic state it represents. The structure of any such calligraphic form, composed of a set of horizontal and vertical strokes, interweaves horizontal and vertical dimensions corresponding to the active and passive qualities in all things, evoking and reinforcing a particular mystical awareness, especially as a result of continual and uninterrupted repetition of invocation, thus writing his own inner complementary opposites.

The divine names give understanding of God unmanifest in form. With creation, the names are revealed as attributes, since so-called created things are divine attributes which, before their appearance, were in the form of the divine names. Teaching the names of things implies making a man conscious of the essence of those things, having full knowledge. This, in turn, implies the essence of the name becoming part of the being. Repeating the name "Allah" or some of His infinite attributes as indicated in the 99 names allows the believer to remember and come near Him. Anyone who learns, understands and enumerates the 99 names enters Paradise and achieves eternal salvation. Because the names are powerful, repetition must be with respect, care and good intention, or injury could result. One should also observe the proper ritual.