An Analytical Investigation on the Meaning of Name in Islamic Intellectual and Transmitted Sciences, with Emphasis on Its Application to God

The issue of divine names and attributes is one of the very widespread theological discussions and the term “name” and its derivations are among the most applied terms in Islamic sciences (including transmitted and intellectualsciences). The discussion of the concept of “God’s Name” has a determinantrole in the propositions related to the issues of divine names. Having reviewed the meaning of God’s name in different Islamic sciences including theology, philosophy and mysticism, the present paper investigates the difference between these meanings. It not only provides different results about the relationship between God’s names in different Islamic sciences, but also concludes that God’s name in theological term is different from its equivalence in transcendent philosophy and Islamic mysticism. In theology, God’s name means the term taken from attribute and act, but in transcendent philosophy and Islamic mysticism name is used as an objective fact vis-à-vis divine essence, attribute and act.