All praise is due to Allah, and may blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Al-Tāmm is not one of Allah’s Most Beautiful Names, because the enumeration of names in the narration containing it is not authentic. Some scholars have counted Al-Shadīd among the names, but the preferred view adopted by the fatwa is that it is not among them. This does not negate the established descriptions of Allah as possessing strength, tremendous might, and severity in punishment. Affirming an attribute differs from affirming a name.
Why is “Al-Tāmm” not established as a name?
Al-Tāmm appears in a list of Allah’s names in a narration recorded by Ibn Mājah (3861), but its chain of transmission is weak.
Al-Būṣīrī says in Al-Zawāʾid (4/148): “The chain of Ibn Mājah’s narration is weak because of the weakness of ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Muḥammad al-Ṣanʿānī.”
Ibn Kathīr also explains that a number of leading hadith scholars held that the enumeration of the names was interpolated into the hadith. That is, it was inserted into the narration from the words of some transmitters and was not part of the Prophet’s words, blessings and peace be upon him. He mentions that some scholars compiled these names from the Qur’an. See Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (3/515).
Al-Albānī’s ruling on Ibn Mājah’s narration was: “Authentic, apart from the enumeration of the names.”
An important distinction emerges here: the authenticity of the basic hadith does not establish the authenticity of the accompanying list of names. The appearance of Al-Tāmm in this narration is therefore insufficient to establish it as a name of Allah. The fatwa consequently excludes it from the Most Beautiful Names.
Is “Al-Shadīd” one of Allah’s names?
The Qur’an contains Allah’s statement:
“He is tremendous in might.” [Al-Raʿd 13:13]
The word Al-Shadīd also appears in some versions of the hadith that enumerate the names, but these enumerations are not authentic, as explained above.
Some scholars have counted Al-Shadīd among Allah’s names. The cited source attributes this view to several scholars, including Sufyān ibn ʿUyaynah, Ibn Mandah, Al-Qurṭubī, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Ibn Ḥajar. See Muʿtaqad Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah fī Asmāʾ Allāh al-Ḥusnā by Dr. Muḥammad ibn Khalīfah al-Tamīmī (p. 178).
There is therefore a reported difference of opinion. However, the fatwa favors not counting Al-Shadīd as an independent name among Allah’s Most Beautiful Names. A qualified description such as shadīd al-miḥāl (“tremendous in might”) does not necessarily establish the unrestricted name Al-Shadīd.
What does “shiddah” mean when describing Allah?
ʿAlawī ibn ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Saqqāf states that shiddah, in the sense of strength, is an established attribute of Allah, while disagreeing with counting Al-Shadīd among His names. See Ṣifāt Allāh ʿAzza wa-Jalla al-Wāridah fī al-Kitāb wa-l-Sunnah (p. 214).
Al-Zajjājī explains that shiddah in descriptions of Allah is understood in two ways:
First: strength, as opposed to weakness. It does not mean what may be intended when describing a human being, such as bodily firmness and strength. These meanings associated with created bodies do not befit Allah.
Second: severity of punishment. When Allah is described as severe in punishment, the meaning is that His punishment is severe, as He says:
“Indeed, My punishment is severe.” [Ibrāhīm 14:7]
See Ishtiqāq Asmāʾ Allāh by Al-Zajjājī (p. 192).
The description is thus understood according to its context, without interpreting it in terms of characteristics particular to created beings and without automatically deriving an independent name from it.
The texts cited on this subject
Alongside Allah’s statement, “He is tremendous in might” [Al-Raʿd 13:13], the fatwa cites:
“He said: We will strengthen you through your brother and grant you both authority.” [Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:35]
And:
“We created them and strengthened their bodily frame.” [Al-Insān 76:28]
From the Sunnah, it cites the Prophet’s supplication, blessings and peace be upon him:
“O Allah, intensify Your punishment upon Muḍar.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhārī (2932) and Muslim (675).
These texts are considered under the established attributes and acts. They do not, by themselves, mean that every word derived from them becomes one of Allah’s Most Beautiful Names.
Conclusion
Al-Tāmm is not established as a name of Allah by the narration mentioned. Scholars differ over counting Al-Shadīd among His names, and the fatwa’s preferred view is not to include it. Nevertheless, the descriptions established in the texts are affirmed and understood in a manner befitting Allah, while preserving the distinction between a name and an attribute.
And Allah knows best.