And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them.
“And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them.”
To Allah, glory be to Him, belongs the most beautiful names which show His majesty and perfection. So use them to call on Allah when you ask for whatever you wish for. Also leave those who turn away from the truth of these names by assigning them to false dieties, or denying them, or distorting their meanings.
The plain meaning, from Al-Mukhtasar fi at-Tafsir
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
And to Allah 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.
What does Quran 7:180 mean?
The verse turns the names into an instruction: they are His, so call on Him by them. Ibn Kathir cites here the hadith of Abu Hurayrah that Allah has ninety-nine names, and whoever takes them in will enter Paradise. The second half of the verse warns against distorting them — which the commentators explain as denying them, twisting their meanings, or handing them to something else.
Written from Al-Mukhtasar fi at-Tafsir