Crucial Points regarding the Attributes of Allah
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No Deficiency In His Attributes
His Attributes can be divided into Two categories
Affirmed attributes (Thubootiyyah) can be further divided into two types
Allah's Attributes cannot be compared to his creation's attributes.
The Four Crucial Boundary Lines
What may be used to refute those who commit ta’teel (rejection).
This article is going to highlight crucial points regarding the Attributes of Allah from the correct way in ‘aqeedah of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah.
81 Names from the Qur'an
18 Names from the Sunnah
Allah has 99 names as mentioned in the Hadith:
"Allah has ninety-nine Names, one-hundred less one; and he who memorized them all by heart will enter Paradise." Sahih al-Bukhari 7392, Book 97, Hadith 21
Scholars also emphasise that it is not limited to 99 Names as those are the names Allah has given for us to know of which these 99 names is a cause of entry into paradise, the rest are in the unseen with him.
This is based on the famous hadith:
“I ask You, O Allah, by every one of Your Names by which You have named Yourself or revealed in Your Book. Or (those which You have) taught to one of Your creatures or appropriated for Yourself in the knowledge of the Ghaib (Unseen) that is with You.” Hadeeth Saheeh: This is a part from the hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ood t that has been reported by Ahmad (1/394, 452), Ibn Hibbaan (no. 2372 of the Mawaarid), and Al-Haakim (1/519).
No Deficiency In his Attributes:
All of Allahs Attributes are of the highest degree of perfection and praise possible. There is no deficiency found in them whatsoever. Some examples of these Attributes are: (His) living, knowledge, ability, hearing, seeing, wisdom, mercy, highness and other than these. This is based on His saying:
“And to Allaah belongs the highest description.” [Surat-un-Nahl (16): 60]
It is also because the Lord is absolutely perfect; thus His Attributes must be perfect.
If an attribute is deficient and imperfect, then it is restricted from Him, such as death, ignorance, inability, deafness, blindness, and other than that. This is because Allah will punish those who describe Him with deficiencies and He has freed Himself from all the defects that they attribute to Him. Also, it is not possible for the Lord to have a defect due to the incompatibility of deficiency with the aspect of Lordship (Rububiyyah).
If an attribute is perfect in one way and deficient in another way, then it is not affirmed for Allah nor is it restricted from Him in the absolute sense. Rather, a distinction between the two cases must be made. Thus, it is affirmed for Allaah in the circumstances when it is perfect and it is not possible to affirm it for Him in the condition when it is deficient. Examples of this are planning (Makr), plotting (Kaid), deception (Khadaa’) and so on. These three attributes are perfect when they are implemented as a response to their equals (being done by an opponent), since they indicate that the One who is doing it is not incapable of encountering His enemy with his same action. And it would be deficient in any other condition.
So it is affirmed for Allah in the first condition and not in the second. Allaah says:
“They (disbelievers) were planning and Allaah too was planning (i.e. makr). And Allaah is the best of those who plan.” [Surat-ul-Anfaal (8): 30]
“Verily, they are but scheming a plot. And I too am scheming a plot (i.e. kaid).” [Surat-ut-Taariq (86): 15-16]
“Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allaah, but it is He who deceives (i.e. khadaa’) them.” [Surat-un-Nisaa (4): 142]
So if for instance, it is said: “Has Allah attributed plotting to Himself?” Then do not say yes, and do not say no. Instead say: “He is plotting against those who are deserving of that, and Allah knows best.”
The attributes of Allah can be divided into two categories:
Thubootiyyah - Affirmed: consists of the attributes that Allah has affirmed for Himself, such as living, knowledge and ability. Affirming these for Allah in a manner befitting to Him is obligatory. This is because Allah has affirmed them for Himself and He is the most knowledgeable concerning His Attributes.
Salbiyyah - Negated: consists of the attributes that Allah has negated for Himself, such as injustice. Negating these from Allah is obligatory because Allah has negated them from Himself. However, it is obligatory to believe in affirming their most perfect opposites, for Allah, since a negation is not complete until it consists of an affirmation.
An example of this is Allah’s statement:
“And your Lord treats no one with injustice.” [Surat-ul-Kahf (18): 49]
Thus, it is obligatory to negate injustice from Allah, while affirming (the opposite) – which is justice – for Him, based on its most perfect perspective.
A believer cannot just negate Allah's attributes alone, it must come with affirming. Neither can a believe affirm his attributes alone until it consists of negating it.
Affirmed attributes ( Thubootiyyah ) can be further divided into two types:
Permanent - as-sifaat ath-thaatiyyah, those he is always described with e.g having knowledge, power, hearing etc... Some are only known to us through his reports
As-Sifāt Al-Khabariyyah, like his face, two hands, and two eyes etc.
Chosen Actions - as-sifaat al-fi`liyyah, these are the actions related to Allah's will. If he wills he does them, and if he does not he does not. Like his Ascent (Al-Istiwā) over the throne and his Descent (An-Nuzool) to the lowest heaven.
There is a third one which is that Attributes ascribed to both His Self and His Actions - As-Sifāt Adh-Dhātiyyah Al-Fi’liyyah - combine aspects of both His eternal essence (Dhāt) and His active will/actions (Fi'l).
The ability to do the action is eternal (always there), but the action itself happens whenever God chooses. Speech (Al-Kalām) is a primary example of this combined attribute. The ability to speak is eternal to God's essence, but the act of speaking happens whenever He wills. For example, God has always possessed the ability to speak, but He chose to speak to Prophet Moses at a specific moment in time.
Asking the How - Takyeef?
Abdullah ibn Nafi’ reported: Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about the saying of Allah Almighty, “The Most Merciful rose above the Throne,” (20:5). The man said, “How is His rising?” Malik said, “The rising is acknowledged, its modality is unknown, and asking about it is an innovation. I see you are a man who intended evil with this question.” Source: al-Istidhkār 2/529
Ibn Abdul Barr said, “The people of the Sunnah agreed upon affirming the divine attributes as reported in the Book and the Sunnah, interpreting them as reality and not as a metaphor, except that they do not ask ‘how’ is the modality of any of that.” Source: al-‘Ulūw lil-‘Alī al-Ghaffār 1/250
Yahya ibn Yahya reported: We were with Malik ibn Anas, may Allah have mercy on him, and a man came to him, saying, “O Abu Abdullah, ‘The Merciful rose above the Throne,’ (20:5). How is this rising?” Malik bowed his head silently until he raised it, dripping sweat, saying, “The rising is not unknown, its modality is inconceivable, faith in it is an obligation, and asking about it is an innovation. I do not see you as anything but a heretic.” Then, he ordered the man to be expelled. Source: al-I’tiqād lil-Bayhaqī 1/116
it is not permissible to describe how an attribute is, due to Allah’s statement:
“But they will never encompass anything of His Knowledge.” [Surah TaHa (20): 110]
Also, the intellects are not able to comprehend the nature of how Allah’s attributes are.
It cannot be compared to the creation’s attributes (Tamtheel), due to Allah’s saying:
“There is nothing whatsoever like Him.” [Surat-ush-Shooraa (42): 11]
And also Allah is worthy of the utmost perfection, therefore it is impossible for Him to be compared to the creation, since that is something deficient and imperfect.
The Four Boundary Lines:
No Distortion (Tahreef / تحريف): Do not alter the scriptural words or twist their obvious, intended meanings.
No Negation (Ta'teel / تعطيل): Do not deny, reject, or strip away the attributes that God has claimed for Himself.
No Speculation (Takyeef / تكييف): Do not ask "how" a quality physically works or imagine its physical mechanics.
No Resemblance (Tamtheel / تمثيل): Do not compare God to human beings or equate His traits with creation.
What may be used to refute those who commit ta’teel (rejection of Allah’s Attributes).
The Mu’tilah (those who commit ta’teel) are the ones who reject anything from the Names and Attributes of Allah and distort the texts from their literal meanings. They are also known as the ones who commit ta’weel (distorted interpretation).
The fundamental principle by which the people of Ahlus Sunnah and Scholars may refute them is to say that their statements:
Are in contradiction to what is literally apparent from the texts
Are in contradiction to the understanding of the Salaf
Do not have any authentic proof (to support them)
For some attributes, there may be a fourth perspective, or more than that.
Books used:
Sharh Lum’atul-‘Itiqaad
Al-Qawaa`id al-Muthlaa
