Describing Allâh by His Revelation

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Describing Allâh by His Revelation

Khaled Fahmy

Describing Allâh by His Revelation

We believe in all that He assigned to Himself or what His Messenger described Him with, of names and attributes. However, we reject two concepts:
1] To say or believe that Allâh’s attributes are similar to those of his creatures; and
2] To say or believe that Allâh’s attributes are like such and such. We negate all what He negated about Himself or what His Messenger negated about Him. We believe that negation implies the affirmation of its perfect opposite. We do not discuss what He or His Messenger did not mention about Him.
We believe that following this approach is a must, because what Allâh affirmed or negated concerning Himself is a statement He made about Himself. He knows Himself best. His words are most just and trustful, and people cannot know everything about Him. What Allâh’s Messenger affirmed or negated about Him is a statement that he made about Allâh. Besides knowing Allâh better than anyone, he is the most truthful, sincere, and eloquent among people. Thus, in what Allâh said and what His Prophet said concerning His names and attributes is the truth, knowledge, and clarification. Therefore, we have no excuse to reject or even hesitate in accepting it.


Qu’ran and Sunnah
Sources of His Attributes: All that we have mentioned about Allâh’s attributes, whether briefly or in detail and affirmatively or negatively, is based on the book of our Lord [the Qu’ran] and the traditions of our Prophet. It also agrees with the practice of the previous generations of Muslims and the rightly guided scholars who came after them.


We believe it is obligatory to take the texts of the Qu’ran and the prophetic traditions conceding Allâh’s attributes at their face value and to interpret them in a way that is suitable to Almighty Allâh. We reject the practice of those who twist the meanings of these texts and understand them in a way that was not intended by Allâh and His messenger.


We also reject the practice of those who make them devoid of their meanings as conveyed by Allâh and His Messenger. Finally, we reject the approach of those who exaggerate, who gave them a physical interpretation that makes Allâh similar to some of His creatures.


Free from Contradictions:
We know for sure that what is revealed in Allâh’s book and in the traditions of His Messenger is the truth. It does not contain any contradiction: “Do they not ponder over the Qu’ran? If it had been from other than Allâh, surely they would have found in it a lot of differences” [4:82]. Contradictions in statements falsify them. It is impossible for there to be a contradiction in any statement revealed by Allâh and said by His Messenger, peace be upon him. Whoever claims that there are contradictions in the Qu’ran, the prophetic traditions, or between the two must have wicked intentions and a misguided heart. He should repent and quit his sin. If someone imagines that there are some contradictions in the Qu’ran, the sayings of the Prophet, or between these two, this must be a result of his little knowledge, inadequate understanding, or lack of deep thinking. Therefore, he should seek knowledge and do his best to reflect upon matters until the truth is clear to him. If, after all of these efforts, the truth is not clear to him, he should leave the whole matter to the One who knows it and should quit his imagination. He should say, as do those who are firmly rooted in knowledge: “We believe in it, all is from our Lord” [3:7]. He must know that there are neither contradictions nor differences in the Qu’ran, the Sunnah, or between the two.