Name 30 of the 99 Names of Allah. See its root and meaning, the verse where it appears, and how to use it in your dua.
Name 30 of 99
اللَّطِيْفُ
Al-Laṭīf
The Subtle, the Kind
Meaning
Al-Latif (اللَّطِيْفُ) means The Subtle, the Kind. It is name 30 in the well-known list of the 99 Names of Allah. Al-Laṭīf is gentle and kind with His servants in ways they often do not notice, and He knows the finest, most hidden details of things.
Al-Latif comes from the Arabic root ل ط ف (l-ṭ-f), which carries the sense of gentleness, and fine, hidden things.
At the end of his story Yusuf said: "My Lord is Laṭīf with what He wills."
ٱللَّهُ لَطِيفٌۢ بِعِبَادِهِۦ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْقَوِىُّ ٱلْعَزِيزُ
Allahu lateefum bi'ibaadihee yarzuqu mai yashaaa'u wa Huwal Qawiyyul 'Azeez
Allah is Subtle with His servants; He gives provisions to whom He wills. And He is the Powerful, the Exalted in Might.
Quran 42:19. Arabic: Uthmani text (Tanzil). English: Sahih International.
وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا۟ لَهُۥ سُجَّدًۭا ۖ وَقَالَ يَٰٓأَبَتِ هَٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيَٰىَ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّۭا ۖ وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِىٓ إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ ٱلسِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْبَدْوِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِىٓ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌۭ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
Wa raf'a abawaihi 'alal 'arshi wa kharroo lahoo sujjadaa; wa qaala yaaa abati haaza taaweelu ru'yaaya min qablu qad ja'alahaa Rabbee haqqaa; wa qad ahsana beee iz akhrajanee minas sijni wa jaaa'a bikum minal badwi mim ba'di an nazaghash Shaitaanu bainee wa baina ikhwatee; inna Rabbee lateeful limaa yashaaa'; innahoo Huwal 'Aleemul Hakeem
And he raised his parents upon the throne, and they bowed to him in prostration. And he said, "O my father, this is the explanation of my vision of before. My Lord has made it reality. And He was certainly good to me when He took me out of prison and brought you [here] from bedouin life after Satan had induced [estrangement] between me and my brothers. Indeed, my Lord is Subtle in what He wills. Indeed, it is He who is the Knowing, the Wise.
Quran 12:100. Arabic: Uthmani text (Tanzil). English: Sahih International.
Allah says: "And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them" (7:180). Begin your dua with يَا لَطِيْفُ (Yā Laṭīf) and ask for what fits its meaning. For example: "Yā Laṭīf, be gentle with me in what is coming."
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Questions
Al-Latif (اللَّطِيْفُ) means The Subtle, the Kind. Al-Laṭīf is gentle and kind with His servants in ways they often do not notice, and He knows the finest, most hidden details of things.
At the end of his story Yusuf said: "My Lord is Laṭīf with what He wills."
Say Yā Laṭīf (يَا لَطِيْفُ) at the start of your dua, then ask for what suits the Name, for example: "Yā Laṭīf, be gentle with me in what is coming."
Yes, as Abdul-Latif, "servant of Al-Latif", which is a beautiful choice. Latif on its own, without "al", is also used for people as a description, because people can have this quality in a small, limited way.