Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The Names of Allah are tawqifiyyah, meaning that Allah may only be given the names by which He named Himself in His Book, or by which His Messenger ﷺ named Him in his Sunnah.
Therefore, it is not permissible to establish a name for Allah merely because its meaning is correct or because the word indicates an attribute of perfection. Rather, the naming must be established by evidence.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“The Names of Allah are tawqifiyyah; reason has no authority over them. Therefore, one must restrict oneself to what is established in the Qur’an and Sunnah, neither adding to nor removing from them. This is because reason cannot determine which names Allah deserves, so it is necessary to restrict this matter to textual evidence.”
He cited the saying of Allah:
“And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart—all of these will be questioned about.” [Al-Isra’: 36]
Allah also says:
“Say: My Lord has only forbidden immoralities—what is apparent of them and what is concealed—and sin, transgression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down any authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know.” [Al-A‘raf: 33]
Accordingly, the matter of Allah’s Names is based upon revelation, and nothing may be added or removed without evidence.
The word “As-Sattaar” has not, as far as we know, been established in the Qur’an and Sunnah as one of the Names of Allah.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Rajihi, may Allah preserve him, was asked whether “As-Sattaar” is one of the Beautiful Names of Allah. He answered, in meaning, that this wording is not known to be one of Allah’s Names. Rather, what is reported is “As-Sitteer,” as mentioned in the hadith:
“Indeed, Allah is Hayiyyun, Sitteer; He loves modesty and concealment...”
He explained that “As-Sattaar” may be used when speaking about Allah because the category of informing about Allah is broader than the category of His Names. However, this does not establish it as one of Allah’s Beautiful Names.
The Sunnah describes Allah as “Sitteer.”
It was narrated from Ya‘la ibn Umayyah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Indeed, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is Haleem, Hayiyy, Sitteer. He loves modesty and concealment. So when one of you bathes, let him conceal himself.”
Narrated by Abu Dawud; al-Albani declared it authentic.
According to the position that the hadith is authentic, “As-Sitteer” is one of the Names of Allah, because the methodology of Ahl as-Sunnah is that when a name is authentically established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, it is affirmed as a name of Allah.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about “As-Sitteer” and whether it is one of Allah’s Names. He stated that the hadith concerning it requires examination regarding its authenticity, and that if the hadith is authentic, the name is established, because whatever is authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ concerning Allah’s Names is affirmed.
Both “As-Sitteer” and “As-Sattaar” fundamentally indicate abundant concealment and covering.
Allah conceals the faults of His servants and does not expose them merely because they fall into sins. Rather, He conceals them and calls them to repentance, and He is the Possessor of forgiveness and mercy.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his Nuniyyah:
He is the Most Modest, so He does not expose His servant
when he openly commits disobedience.Rather, He casts His covering over him;
He is As-Sitteer and the Possessor of Forgiveness.
From the linguistic perspective, “As-Sattaar” follows the pattern fa‘‘aal, which indicates intensification and abundance in an attribute. “As-Sitteer” follows the pattern fi‘‘eel, which is also one of the intensive forms.
Such forms occur in the Qur’an, such as Allah’s saying:
“O Yusuf, O most truthful one!” [Yusuf: 46]
And His saying:
“That is because among them are devoted worshippers...” [Al-Ma’idah: 82]
“As-Sitteer” is reported in the Prophetic Sunnah. If the hadith is established as authentic, it is permissible to use it as a name of Allah.
“As-Sattaar” has not, as far as we know, been established as one of Allah’s Beautiful Names. Therefore, it should not be made a name of Allah merely because the word indicates abundant concealment.
It is permissible to inform about Allah using an expression whose meaning is sound, because the category of informing about Allah is broader than the category of His Names and Attributes.
Both words fundamentally indicate abundant concealment and covering, but regarding Allah’s Names, what matters is that the naming be established by evidence.
And Allah knows best.