Beautiful names of God have honestly been the only thing keeping me from losing my entire mind this year, and that’s saying something because I lose my keys like twice a day. I’m sitting here in my extremely cluttered apartment in suburban Ohio, November 2025, half a pumpkin spice latte gone cold, dog snoring on my feet, doom-scrolling muted on the TV, and yeah, these names still slap. Like, genuinely slap harder than the new Taylor Swift bridge nobody saw coming.
I didn’t grow up super religious, okay? More like culturally Christian, went to youth group for the pizza, that whole vibe. Then 2024 tried to fist-fight me in a Walmart parking lot (metaphorically, thank God), and suddenly I’m 34, divorced-ish, broke-ish, and whispering “Ya Rahman” in my car like it’s a secret password to not have a full meltdown. Spoiler: it kinda works.
Why These Specific 12 Beautiful Names of God Keep Haunting Me
Look, there’s 99 official ones (Asma ul Husna, if you wanna be fancy), but these twelve? These are the ones that stalk me in the best-worst way.
1. Ar-Rahman – The Most Merciful, Like Stupid-Level Merciful
I first really felt this one when I rear-ended someone last March because I was ugly-crying to Adele. The guy got out, saw my face, and just… didn’t yell? He handed me a tissue from his glovebox. That random dude in Dayton, Ohio was Ar-Rahman in a Reds cap and I still think about him.
2. Ar-Rahim – The Especially Merciful to Screw-Ups (aka me)
Different from Rahman, apparently? My Muslim friend Ayesha tried explaining the nuance while we stress-ate Chipotle. I still don’t fully get it, but I know Rahim is the one I beg when I’m on day 3 of no sleep and yelling at my mom on the phone.
3. Al-Wadud – The Loving, the Actual Valentine
I muttered this one drunk on Two-Buck Chuck after swiping left on literally everyone in a 50-mile radius. Next morning I woke up to a text from an old friend checking in. Coincidence? Maybe. But I’m claiming Al-Wadud anyway.
4. As-Salam – The Source of Peace
I say this one every time the news makes me want to yeet my phone into the Ohio River. Works about 60% of the time. Better than Xanax and cheaper.
5. Al-Ghaffar – The Constant Forgiver
This is the one I need when I re-watch the cringey voice memos I sent my ex at 1 a.m. in 2023. Al-Ghaffar apparently forgives infinite times? Wild. I can barely forgive my roommate for eating my last yogurt.
The rest I’ll speed-run because my ADHD meds are wearing off and the dog just farted:
- Al-Karim – The Most Generous (paid for my groceries once when my card declined, true story)
- Al-Wahhab – The Bestower (random Venmo from a stranger with the memo “you sounded sad on the internet”)
- Al-Fattah – The Opener (doors, hearts, stubborn pickle jars)
- Al-Hadi – The Guide (GPS for the soul, basically)
- An-Nur – The Light (turned on in my pitch-black brain at 3 a.m. more than once)
- Al-Latif – The Subtle One (sneaky miracles, like finding my car in the airport lot)
- Al-Mujeeb – The Responsive (literally answers, I’ve tested this, results may vary)
Yeah, I’m Still a Messy American Who Says “Beautiful Names of God” Out Loud in Target
Sometimes I’ll be in the self-checkout line muttering “Ya Mujeeb” under my breath because the machine keeps yelling “unexpected item in bagging area” and people think I’m cursing in Arabic. Honestly? Same energy.
These beautiful names of God didn’t fix me; I’m still late on rent, still ghosted that nice guy from Hinge, still eat cereal for dinner. But they gave me this tiny pocket of calm in my chest that wasn’t there before. That’s gotta count for something.
Anyway, if you’re also a disaster human in 2025 America, try whispering one of these when life feels extra unhinged. Worst case, you sound mysterious at the gas station. Best case? Something shifts.
Which of the beautiful names of God hits you the hardest right now? Drop it in the comments, I actually read them while eating ice cream straight from the tub, no judgment here.
(References for the nerds:
- 99 Names of Allah – Sunnah.com
- Tafsir on the meanings – Yaqeen Institute)
Alright, I’m gonna go reheat this sad latte now. Peace (As-Salam) out. 🫶
