10 Names, 10 Functions
The Quran is not merely 'The Book'; it uses 10 distinct names + attributes for itself. Each name points to a different function, a different reading relationship. Hudā guides, Furqān distinguishes, Shifāʾ heals, Dhikr awakens. This is not just variety — it is the multi-dimensional reading covenant the Quran establishes with itself. This page presents an inventory of the Quran's self-names + the meaning-layers of each within the framework of al-Rāghib al-Iṣfahānī.
Classical Sources
er-Râgıb el-İsfahânî
al-Mufradāt fī Gharīb al-Qurʾān
?–1108 (İsfahan)
Root, derivation, and full meaning-spectrum of every word in the Quran. The foundational reference for the Quran's self-names — the distinction between bayān, tibyān, mubīn comes from here.
ez-Zerkeşî
al-Burhān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān
1344–1392 (Kahire)
Compendium of Quranic sciences; systematically treats the names, attributes, and diversity of Quran's self-designations.
es-Süyûtî
al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān
1445–1505 (Kahire)
Species 17, 'The names and epithets of the Quran' — inventories 55 different names and attributes; the most comprehensive classical reference.
Gazâlî
Jawāhir al-Qurʾān
1058–1111
Reads the Quran as a jewel-treasure — treats names like nūr, shifāʾ, hudā within an experiential frame.