الْمُحْصِي
One of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah
Al-Muhsee
The Counter
Al-Muhsee is the Counter, the One to whom the count of things is known; He takes everything into account and knows every change and every instant. Its verse is 58:6, where people forget what they did and Allah has kept count of it, and the Name is mentioned 6 times in the Quran.
Key verse
﴿يَوْمَ يَبْعَثُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوٓا۟ ۚ أَحْصَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ وَنَسُوهُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ﴾On the Day Allah resurrects them all together, He will then inform them of what they have done. Allah has kept account of it all, while they have forgotten it. For Allah is a Witness over all things.
The scholar's text
The Counter, The Reckoner, The One whom the count of things is known to Him.
Allah is Al-Muhsi, the One who takes all things into account and understands the specifics of each change or instant. He understands all and has knowledge about everything.
(On the Day Allah resurrects them all together, He will then inform them of what they have done. Allah has kept account of it all, while they have forgotten it. For Allah is a Witness over all things.) Al-Mujadilah 58:6
يَوْمَ يَبْعَثُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ جَمِيعًۭا فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوٓا۟ ۚ أَحْصَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ وَنَسُوهُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ شَهِيدٌ
It is mentioned 6 times in the Holy Quran
العاد، الحاسب، الذي يعلم عدد الأشياء.
الله هو المحصي، الذي يحيط بكل شيء ويعلم تفاصيل كل تغير ولحظة، يعلم كل شيء وعنده علم كل شيء.
يَوْمَ يَبْعَثُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوٓا۟ ۚ أَحْصَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ وَنَسُوهُ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ المجادلة 58: 6
ورد في القرآن الكريم 6 مرات.
They Forgot, He Counted
The verse of Al-Muhsee holds two records of the same deeds. The people who did them have forgotten; Allah has kept account of all of it, and on the Day He raises them He tells them what they did. He can tell them, al-Sa'di says, because He knew it, wrote it in the Preserved Tablet and had the noble recording angels write it. They forgot. Allah counted.
Arabic: أحصاه الله ونسوه
تقابل آية الاسم بين نسيان العاملين وإحصاء الله لأعمالهم: ﴿يَوْمَ يَبْعَثُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوٓا۟ ۚ أَحْصَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ وَنَسُوهُ﴾، قال السعدي: «لأنه علم ذلك، وكتبه في اللوح المحفوظ، وأمر الملائكة الكرام الحفظة بكتابته، هذا و العاملون قد نسوا ما عملوه، والله أحصى ذلك».
Every One of Them, Counted
﴿لَّقَدْ أَحْصَىٰهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا﴾Indeed, He fully knows them and has counted them precisely.
19:94 comes right after the verse that brings everyone in the heavens and the earth to the Most Compassionate as a servant, and says He has counted them precisely. For al-Sa'di that takes in every creature, the people of the heavens and of the earth, and every deed they do. His knowledge covers them all, He makes no mistake and forgets nothing, and nothing at all is hidden from Him.
Arabic: لقد أحصاهم وعدهم عدا
تأتي آية مريم بعد ذكر أن كل من في السماوات والأرض آتي الرحمن عبدا: ﴿لَّقَدْ أَحْصَىٰهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: لقد أحاط علمه بالخلائق كلهم، أهل السماوات والأرض، وأحصاهم وأحصى أعمالهم، فلا يضل ولا ينسى، ولا تخفى عليه خافية».
What They Leave Behind
﴿إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا۟ وَءَاثَـٰرَهُمْ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَـٰهُ فِىٓ إِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ﴾It is certainly We Who resurrect the dead, and write what they send forth and what they leave behind. Everything is listed by Us in a perfect Record.
36:12 adds to the record what a person leaves behind. Al-Sa'di's list is practical: good that others do because of your knowledge, your teaching or your advice, books that benefit people in your life and after your death, a mosque or a public place you built, a prayer or a charity someone copied from you. Evil left behind is written the same way.
Arabic: ونكتب ما قدموا وآثارهم
توسع آية يس ما يحصى: ﴿وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا۟ وَءَاثَـٰرَهُمْ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَـٰهُ فِىٓ إِمَامٍ مُّبِينٍ﴾، قال السعدي: «فكل خير عمل به أحد من الناس، بسبب علم العبد وتعليمه ونصحه، أو أمره بالمعروف، أو نهيه عن المنكر، أو علم أودعه عند المتعلمين، أو في كتب ينتفع بها في حياته وبعد موته، أو عمل خيرا، من صلاة أو زكاة أو صدقة أو إحسان، فاقتدى به غيره، أو عمل مسجدا، أو محلا من المحال التي يرتفق بها الناس، وما أشبه ذلك، فإنها من آثاره التي تكتب له، وكذلك عمل الشر».
Not a Sin Left Out
﴿وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ فَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا فِيهِ وَيَقُولُونَ يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا ۚ وَوَجَدُوا۟ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ حَاضِرًا ۗ وَلَا يَظْلِمُ رَبُّكَ أَحَدًا﴾And the record ˹of deeds˺ will be laid ˹open˺, and you will see the wicked in fear of what is ˹written˺ in it. They will cry, “Woe to us! What kind of record is this that does not leave any sin, small or large, unlisted?” They will find whatever they did present ˹before them˺. And your Lord will never wrong anyone.
18:49 is the moment the record is opened. The wicked cry out: what kind of record is this that leaves no sin, small or large, unlisted? It leaves out no sin, al-Sa'di says, small or great: every one is written and kept, secret or open, by night or by day. 78:29 adds the other side. No one will be punished for a sin he did not do, al-Sa'di says, and no deed of theirs is lost or forgotten, not even an atom's weight.
Arabic: لا يغادر صغيرة ولا كبيرة إلا أحصاها
تصف آية الكهف لحظة وضع الكتاب: ﴿يَـٰوَيْلَتَنَا مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَا يُغَادِرُ صَغِيرَةً وَلَا كَبِيرَةً إِلَّآ أَحْصَىٰهَا﴾، قال السعدي: «أي: لا يترك خطيئة صغيرة ولا كبيرة، إلا وهي مكتوبة فيه، محفوظة لم ينس منها عمل سر ولا علانية، ولا ليل ولا نهار». وفي النبأ: ﴿وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَـٰهُ كِتَـٰبًا﴾، قال السعدي: «فلا يخشى المجرمون أنا عذبناهم بذنوب لم يعملوها، ولا يحسبوا أنه يضيع من أعمالهم شيء، أو ينسى منها مثقال ذرة».
Ninety-Nine Names
Allah's Names come with a promise in the hadith: “Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2736). At the end of his witr, in the du'a below, the Prophet ﷺ said he could not praise Allah enough, and that Allah is as He praised Himself.
Arabic: تسعة وتسعون اسما
ووعد النبي ﷺ في أسماء الله: «إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمَا مِائَةً إِلاَّ وَاحِدًا مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ» (صحيح البخاري 2736). وقال ﷺ في آخر وتره، في الدعاء الآتي: «لاَ أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ».
From the Sunnah
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمَا مِائَةً إِلاَّ وَاحِدًا مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ
A du'a with this Name
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ وَبِمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ لاَ أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ
O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath and in Your forgiveness from Your punishment. And I seek refuge in You from You; I cannot praise You enough; You are as You have praised Yourself
Sunan an-Nasa'i 1747, graded sahih by al-Albani: what the Prophet ﷺ said at the end of his witr, as Ali ibn Abi Talib reported
Related Names
Questions about Al-Muhsee
What does Al-Muhsee mean?
Al-Muhsee is the Counter: the count of all things is known to Him.
How many times is Al-Muhsee in the Quran?
Al-Muhsee is mentioned 6 times in the Quran. Its verse is 58:6: Allah has counted the deeds that people forgot.
Are deeds counted after death?
Yes, what a person leaves behind is written for them, al-Sa'di says on 36:12: books that benefit people after their death, good that others copy, and the same for evil.
Will anyone be punished for a sin he did not commit?
Never, al-Sa'di says on 78:29: punishment is only for what a person did, and no deed of his is lost.