Which name of Allah appears most in the Quran?

The name Allah itself, 2,699 times. After it comes Rabb, 'Lord', with 975 appearances, and then al-ʿAlīm, 'the All-Knowing', whose word appears 163 times.

Is this the full list of 99 names of Allah?

No. This page only covers the names and attributes that are among the 600 most frequent words of the Quran. Many other beautiful names appear less often and are not included here.

Why do some names have a high count even though they are rare as names?

The count is for the word in all its uses. ʿAẓīm, 'great', also describes a great punishment or a great reward, and waliyy, 'protector, friend', is also used for people. The verses on this page show each word used for Allah.

What is the difference between Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim?

Both come from the root r-ḥ-m, mercy. Pickthall translates ar-Raḥmān as 'the Beneficent' and ar-Raḥīm as 'the Merciful'; Junagarhi's Urdu gives 'bada meherbaan' and 'nihaayat rahm karne wala'.

Allah Names Meaning: 25 Names of Allah Used Most in the Quran

The name Allah appears 2,699 times in the Quran, and Rabb, "Lord", 975 times. After those two come the names you hear at the end of so many verses: al-ʿAlīm the All-Knowing, ar-Raḥīm the Merciful, al-ʿAzīz the Mighty, al-Ḥakīm the Wise, al-Ghafūr the Forgiving. This page lists the 25 names and attributes of Allah that are among the 600 most common words of the Quran, with their meaning in English and Roman Urdu and one real verse for each.

It is not the full list of 99 names. It is the set you will meet most often while reciting, which makes it the most useful place to start.

وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَٰٓئِهِۦ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

Allah's are the fairest names. Invoke Him by them. And leave the company of those who blaspheme His names. They will be requited what they do.

Aur achhe achhe naam Allah hi ke liye hain, so un naamon se Allah hi ko mausoom kiya karo, aur aise logon se taalluq bhi na rakho jo us ke naamon mein kaj-rawi karte hain. Un logon ko un ke kiye ki zaroor saza milegi.

Surah Al-Aʿrāf · 7:180

Names of Allah in the Quran with meaning

Arabic	Say it	Meaning	Roman Urdu	Times in the Quran
اللَّه	Allah	Allah	Allah	2,699
رَبّ	rabb	Lord	Rabb, Parwardigar	975
عَلِيم	ʿalīm	all-knowing	khoob jaanne wala	163
رَحِيم	raḥīm	most merciful	nihaayat rahm karne wala	116
عَظِيم	ʿaẓīm	great, mighty	bada, azmat wala	107
عَزِيز	ʿazīz	mighty, dear	ghaalib, zabardast	101
حَكِيم	ḥakīm	wise	hikmat wala	97
غَفُور	ghafūr	Most Forgiving	bahut bakhshne wala	91
وَلِيّ	waliyy	friend, protector	dost, madadgaar	86
أَحَد	aḥad	one; anyone	ek; koi	74
رَحْمٰن	raḥmān	the Most Gracious	bada meherbaan	57
شَهِيد	shahīd	witness	gawaah	56
بَصِير	baṣīr	all-seeing	khoob dekhne wala	51
سَمِيع	samīʿ	all-hearing	khoob sunne wala	47
قَدِير	qadīr	all-powerful, able	har cheez par qudrat wala	45
خَبِير	khabīr	all-aware	poori khabar rakhne wala	45
كَبِير	kabīr	big, great	bada	40
نَصِير	naṣīr	helper	madadgaar	35
كَرِيم	karīm	noble, generous	izzat wala, karam wala	30
حَيّ	ḥayy	living, alive	zinda, hamesha zinda	24
غَنِيّ	ghanī	rich, self-sufficient	beniyaaz, kisi ka mohtaaj nahi	24
وَكِيل	wakīl	guardian, trustee	kaarsaaz, nigehbaan	24
مَوْلَى	mawlā	protector, patron	maula, sarparast	18
عالِم	ʿālim	knower, knowing	jaanne wala	18
حَمِيد	ḥamīd	praiseworthy	taareef ke laaiq, khoobiyon wala	17

A note on these counts

The number is how often the word appears, in every use. For the pure names, Allah, Rabb, ar-Raḥmān, the count is almost entirely about Allah. For others it is not. ʿAẓīm "great" also describes a great punishment or a great reward. Waliyy "friend, protector" is also used for people, as in "the friends of Allah" (10:62). Aḥad often means "anyone". Karīm "noble" also describes the Quran itself (56:77). Every verse below uses the word for Allah.

Allah and Rabb

قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

Say: He is Allah, the One!

Aap keh dijiye ke woh Allah Ta'ala ek (hi) hai

Surah Al-Ikhlāṣ · 112:1

Rabb is more than "Lord". Junagarhi often translates it Parwardigar, the One who brings up and looks after. In Surah Al-Fatiha, Rabb al-ʿālamīn is "Lord of the Worlds".

وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَٱرْغَب

And strive to please thy Lord.

Aur apne Parwardigar hi ki taraf dil laga

Surah Ash-Sharḥ · 94:8

Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim: the names of mercy

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Shuru karta hoon Allah Ta'ala ke naam se jo bada meharbaan nihaayat rahm wala hai

Surah Al-Fātiḥah · 1:1

Both names come from the root r-ḥ-m, like raḥma "mercy" (rank 97) and raḥima "he had mercy" (rank 379). You say both in every Bismillah. Our Bismillah meaning guide explains each word.

Al-Alim and Al-Hakim: knowledge and wisdom

When the angels admitted they knew only what Allah had taught them, they ended with these two names:

قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَٰنَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَآ إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَآ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

They said: Be glorified! We have no knowledge saving that which Thou hast taught us. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Knower, the Wise.

Un sab ne kaha: aey Allah! Teri zaat paak hai, hamein to sirf utna hi ilm hai jitna Tu ne hamein sikha rakha hai. Poore ilm-o-hikmat wala to Tu hi hai.

Surah Al-Baqarah · 2:32

A closely related word is ʿĀlim, "Knower". In 13:9 Allah is عَٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ, "the Knower of the Invisible and the Visible", and the same verse calls Him ٱلْكَبِيرُ al-Kabīr, "the Great".

Al-Aziz and Al-Ghafur: mighty and forgiving

ʿAzīz means mighty, the One who cannot be overcome. In 26:217 the Prophet ﷺ is told to put his trust in "the Mighty, the Merciful". Ghafūr is the One who forgives again and again:

وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ

And He is the Forgiving, the Loving,

Woh bada bakhshish karne wala aur bahut mohabbat karne wala hai

Surah Al-Burūj · 85:14

The pairing إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ "Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful" closes many verses. Once you know the two words, you will hear it everywhere. If forgiveness is on your mind, read our Astaghfirullah meaning guide, which looks at the same root gh-f-r.

As-Sami, Al-Basir and Al-Khabir

Allah hears, sees and is fully aware. One of the best-known verses about Him ends: لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِۦ شَىْءٌ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ, "Naught is as His likeness; and He is the Hearer, the Seer" (Us jaisi koi cheez nahi, woh sunne aur dekhne wala hai).

Khabīr, "Aware", closes 67:14: "Should He not know what He created? And He is the Subtile, the Aware."

Al-Hayy, Al-Qadir and Al-Azim

Ayatul Kursi opens with ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ, "Allah! There is no deity save Him, the Alive, the Eternal", and closes with وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ, "He is the Sublime, the Tremendous". So al-Ḥayy and al-ʿAẓīm frame Ayatul Kursi. The full word-by-word is in our Ayatul Kursi meaning guide. Notice ilāh, "god, deity", in the opening line: lā ilāha illā huwa.

Qadīr, "Able, All-Powerful", usually comes in the phrase "He is Able to do all things":

إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Unto Allah is your return, and He is Able to do all things.

Tum ko Allah hi ke paas jaana hai aur woh har shai par poori qudrat rakhta hai

Surah Hūd · 11:4

Al-Ghani and Al-Hamid

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ

O mankind! Ye are the poor in your relation to Allah. And Allah! He is the Absolute, the Owner of Praise.

Aey logo! tum Allah ke mohtaaj ho aur Allah beniyaaz khoobiyon waala hai

Surah Fāṭir · 35:15

Ghanī is the One who needs nothing, and Ḥamīd the One who deserves all praise. The verse puts us, the needy, right beside Him, the Free of all need.

Protector and helper: Al-Wali, Al-Mawla, An-Nasir, Al-Wakil

Four words describe Allah as the One who looks after you. In 4:45: وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ نَصِيرًا, "Allah is sufficient as a Guardian, and Allah is sufficient as a Supporter."

بَلِ ٱللَّهُ مَوْلَىٰكُمْ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلنَّٰصِرِينَ

But Allah is your Protector, and He is the Best of Helpers.

Balke Allah hi tumhara maula hai aur wahi behtareen madadgaar hai

Surah Āl ʿImrān · 3:150

Wakīl, "Guardian, Trustee", is in 39:62: "Allah is Creator of all things, and He is Guardian over all things." It is also the last word of the famous phrase حَسْبُنَا ٱللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ ٱلْوَكِيلُ, "Allah is Sufficient for us! Most Excellent is He in Whom we trust!" (3:173).

Al-Karim, Ash-Shahid and Al-Ahad

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ ٱلْكَرِيمِ

O man! What hath made thee careless concerning thy Lord, the Bountiful,

Aey insaan! Tujhe apne Rabb-e-Kareem se kis cheez ne behkaaya?

Surah Al-Infiṭār · 82:6

Shahīd, "Witness", closes 4:79: وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًا, "Allah is sufficient as Witness." And Aḥad, "the One", is in the first verse of Surah Al-Ikhlas, qul huwa llāhu aḥad (see our Surah Ikhlas meaning).

How to use these names today

Listen for the verse endings. Many verses close with a pair of names: ʿalīm ḥakīm, ghafūr raḥīm, samīʿ baṣīr, ʿazīz ḥakīm. Recognising them gives you the "message" of the verse even before you know every word.
Call on Allah by the name that fits. 7:180 above says "Invoke Him by them". Asking for forgiveness? Yā Ghafūr. Feeling alone? Yā Waliyy, yā Naṣīr.
Learn five a week. Five weeks and all 25 are yours.

All 25 of these words are in our book 600 Words of the Quran, each with its own page, a verse where it appears and its meaning in English and Roman Urdu. You can see the lessons on the book page.