Last Three Verses of Surah Al-Hashr
Al-Hashr 59:22–24. Also known as Huwallahul ladhi la ilaha illa huwa, Names of Allah in Surah Hashr, Huwa Allahu al-Khaliq al-Bari al-Musawwir
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۖ عَٰلِمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِۖ هُوَ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿٢٢﴾ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلۡمَلِكُ ٱلۡقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَٰمُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُ ٱلۡمُهَيۡمِنُ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡجَبَّارُ ٱلۡمُتَكَبِّرُۚ سُبۡحَٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشۡرِكُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡخَٰلِقُ ٱلۡبَارِئُ ٱلۡمُصَوِّرُۖ لَهُ ٱلۡأَسۡمَآءُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُۥ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ ﴿٢٤﴾
Huwa Allahu allathee la ilaha illa huwa AAalimu alghaybi waalshshahadati huwa alrrahmanu alrraheemu Huwa Allahu allathee la ilaha illa huwa almaliku alquddoosu alssalamu almuminu almuhayminu alAAazeezu aljabbaru almutakabbiru subhana Allahi AAamma yushrikoona Huwa Allahu alkhaliqu albario almusawwiru lahu alasmao alhusna yusabbihu lahu ma fee alssamawati waalardi wahuwa alAAazeezu alhakeemu
22He is Allah. There is no god but He, the Knower of secrets and declarations. He is the Compassionate, the Merciful. 23He is Allah; besides whom there is no god; the Sovereign, the Holy, the Peace-Giver, the Faith-Giver, the Overseer, the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the Overwhelming. Glory be to Allah, beyond what they associate. 24He is Allah; the Creator, the Maker, the Designer. His are the Most Beautiful Names. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him. He is the Majestic, the Wise.
The last three verses of Surah Al-Hashr, the 59th surah, are a sequence of the names and attributes of Allah. Each verse begins with the words He is Allah, and together they name Him more than a dozen ways, from the Knower of the unseen to the Creator, the Maker and the Shaper.
They are among the passages Muslims turn to when they want to learn and reflect on the names of Allah. Surah Al-Hashr is a Medinan surah of 24 verses, so these verses close it.
What it means
Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Merciful
Verse 22 begins by declaring that Allah is the one besides whom there is no god. He knows what is hidden and what is visible, and He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The first names given are about knowledge and mercy.
The King, the Holy, the Source of Peace
Verse 23 repeats that there is no god but Him and lists His names of majesty: the Sovereign, the Holy, the Giver of Peace, the Giver of Security, the Guardian over all, the Almighty, the Compeller and the Supreme in greatness.
Exalted above what they associate
Verse 23 ends by declaring Allah glorified and far above the partners people attribute to Him. After so many names of greatness, the verse makes clear that nothing shares in them.
The Creator, the Maker, the Shaper
Verse 24 names Allah as the Creator, the Originator and the Fashioner. These three names describe creation in stages: deciding on it, bringing it into being, and giving it its form.
The most beautiful names, and all creation praising Him
The surah ends by saying that the most beautiful names belong to Him, that everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him, and that He is the Almighty, the Wise. The surah began with these same words in 59:1, so it closes where it opened.
Where it sits in Surah Al-Hashr
Surah Al-Hashr, The Exile or The Gathering, begins with everything in the heavens and earth glorifying Allah, and then tells of the expulsion of a tribe from its fortresses in Medina, which commentators identify as the Banu an-Nadir. Later verses describe the emigrants and the helpers of Medina, and warn about hypocrites. Verse 18 calls on believers to consider what they have sent ahead for tomorrow, and verse 19 warns against being like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. Verse 21 says that if this Quran had been sent down on a mountain, it would have been seen humbled and split apart in awe of Allah. Verses 22 to 24 then describe the One who sent it down.
How it is used
Many Muslims recite these verses in the morning and evening, and they are often learned together as a passage about the names of Allah. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim report that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said Allah has ninety-nine names, and whoever preserves them, which scholars explain as learning them, understanding them and living by them, will enter Paradise, and these verses contain many of them. A narration in Sunan at-Tirmidhi speaks of a large reward for reciting the end of Surah Al-Hashr in the morning and evening, but at-Tirmidhi himself called it gharib and scholars consider its chain weak, so it should not be relied upon.
Questions
How many names of Allah are in the last three verses of Surah Al-Hashr?
Counting differs slightly depending on what is counted as a name, but the passage contains around sixteen names and descriptions of Allah, which is why it is often studied alongside the ninety-nine names.
Is there a virtue for reciting the last three verses of Surah Hashr?
A popular narration in Sunan at-Tirmidhi mentions a large reward for reciting them morning and evening, but it has a weak chain. The verses are still Quran, and reciting and reflecting on them is good in itself.
Where else does the Quran mention the most beautiful names?
In 7:180, 17:110 and 20:8, as well as at the end of 59:24.