An Introduction to Belief in the Attributes of
Allaah
By Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan
How to believe in the names and attributes of
Allaah in the way that He prescribed; without
tahreef (distortion), tamtheel (resemblance),
takyeef (stating how) nor ta’teel (denial).
And they do not disbelieve in the Names of
Allaah and His Attributes, and they do not try
to determine their modality and they do not
liken His Attributes to the Attributes of the
creation.
Shaykhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said:
"And from faith in Allaah is faith in what He
described Himself with in His Book and what His
Messenger Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam) described Him with, without tahreef or
ta'ateel and without takyeef or tamtheel."
Commentary:
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan says:
After the writer briefly mentioned the
foundations that are obligatory to have faith
in, he mentions them in a detailed way and he
begins with the first foundation, which is faith
in Allaah the Exalted. So he mentions that
entering into it is faith in the Attributes of
Allaah which He described Himself with in His
Book, or those that He was described with by His
Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) in his
Sunnah. So we affirm these for Him as they came
in the Book and the Sunnah with their
terminology and meanings, without tahreef in
their terminology or ta'ateel in their meanings,
and without making tashbeeh for them with the
attributes of the creation.
Tahreef (alteration): It is the distortion and
disinclination of something from its apparent
meaning. It is said: he altered such and such so
he distorted it. It is of two types:
(alteration): It is the distortion and
disinclination of something from its apparent
meaning. It is said: he altered such and such so
he distorted it. It is of two types:
The First Type: Tahreef in terminology - It
changing the word to other than its apparent
meaning, either by adding a word, or by taking
it out, or by deleting a diacritical mark as in
the statement of the people of misguidance
concerning the statement of Allaah the Exalted:
Tahreef in terminology - It changing the word to
other than its apparent meaning, either by
adding a word, or by taking it out, or by
deleting a diacritical mark as in the statement
of the people of misguidance concerning the
statement of Allaah the Exalted:
"And your Lord will come."
[They say] that is the Command of your Lord. So
they added a word. Similarly, there is their
statement regarding the statement of Allaah the
Exalted:
"And Allaah spoke to Moosaa directly." [They]
reaffirm it to another term.
So they change a diacritical mark.
The Second Type: Tahreef in meaning - It is
changing a word from its apparent meaning and
its reality, and presenting the word with the
meaning of another word. Such as the statement:
'Verily the meaning of Mercy is wanting reward
and the meaning of Anger is wanting punishment.'
Tahreef in meaning - It is changing a word from
its apparent meaning and its reality, and
presenting the word with the meaning of another
word. Such as the statement: 'Verily the meaning
of Mercy is wanting reward and the meaning of
Anger is wanting punishment.'
Ta'ateel (void): Void language - It is used to
make the word empty, that is, to void, and the
meaning here is to negate the Attributes from
Allaah the Glorified and Exalted. The difference
between tahreef and ta'ateel is that tahreef
negates the correct meaning without changing it
to different meaning, like a chaotic action. So
everyone who performs tahreef also performs
ta'ateel but everyone who performs ta'ateel does
not perform tahreef.
(void): Void language - It is used to make the
word empty, that is, to void, and the meaning
here is to negate the Attributes from Allaah the
Glorified and Exalted. The difference between
tahreef and ta'ateel is that tahreef negates the
correct meaning without changing it to different
meaning, like a chaotic action. So everyone who
performs tahreef also performs ta'ateel but
everyone who performs ta'ateel does not perform
tahreef.
Takyeef (to ask 'how') - It is to distinguish
the modality of the Attributes. It is said: 'One
can determine the modality of something if its
modality known.' So to determine the modality of
the Attributes of Allaah is to determine their
'how' and condition which they are upon. This is
not possible for human beings because it is from
that knowledge which Allaah has kept to Himself.
So there is no path to attain it because it is
from His Essence. So just as it is not possible
for humankind to know the Essence of Allaah,
they cannot determine the modality of His
Attributes. So when Imaam Maalik was asked:
(to ask 'how') - It is to distinguish the
modality of the Attributes. It is said: 'One can
determine the modality of something if its
modality known.' So to determine the modality of
the Attributes of Allaah is to determine their
'how' and condition which they are upon. This is
not possible for human beings because it is from
that knowledge which Allaah has kept to Himself.
So there is no path to attain it because it is
from His Essence. So just as it is not possible
for humankind to know the Essence of Allaah,
they cannot determine the modality of His
Attributes. So when Imaam Maalik was asked:
"The Most Merciful ascended (istawaa) above His
Throne."
"How did He ascend?" So he said: "Istawaa is
known and its modality is unknown and faith in
it is obligatory and questions concerning it are
an innovation." This is the statement concerning
the Attributes.
Tamtheel (resembling) - It is to liken Allaah by
saying that His Attributes are like those of the
creation; such as saying that the Hand of Allaah
is like our hands and His Hearing is like our
hearing and His Eyes are like our eyes. (far
above is Allaah from that) Allaah the Exalted
said:
(resembling) - It is to liken Allaah by saying
that His Attributes are like those of the
creation; such as saying that the Hand of Allaah
is like our hands and His Hearing is like our
hearing and His Eyes are like our eyes. (far
above is Allaah from that) Allaah the Exalted
said:
"There is nothing like Him. He is the Seeing,
the Hearing."
So it cannot be said about His Attributes that
they are comparable to our attributes or that
they resemble our attributes or that they are
like our Attributes. Likewise, it cannot be said
that the Essence of Allaah is like our essence.
So the monotheist believer affirms all of the
Attributes of Allaah upon their apparent sense
by Magnifying Allaah and His Greatness. The one
who performs ta'ateel negates them or negates
some of them and the one who likens Allaah
affirms them upon a sense not befitting of
Allaah, and this is only befitting of the
creation. [1]
The people of the Sunnah and the Jamaa'ah do not
take their faith in the fact that there is
nothing like Allaah to mean that they negate
from Him what He affirms for Himself such as
those who go to an extreme in
deanthropomorphizing Him until they make Him
void of His Attributes, in trying to leave of
likenesses for Him, in trying to avoid any
likening of His Attributes to those of the
creation. So the people of the Sunnah say that
the Attributes of Allaah the Exalted are
specific to Him and only He is described with
them. The creation have Attributes specific to
them and they are described with them. There is
not similarity between the Attributes of the
Creator and the attributes of the Creation. So
this warning is not necessary except for those
people who distort Allaah's Attributes. [2]
Shaykhul Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said:
"And they do not disbelieve in the Names of
Allaah and His Attributes, and they do not try
to determine their modality and they do not
liken His Attributes to the Attributes of the
creation."
Commentary:
Ilhaad (disbelief/heresy) in the Language: The
distortion and alteration of something, and from
it meaning is digging (lahada) a grave. Due to
this, it is named as altering and moving from
the road that is in the direction of the Qiblah.
Heresy in the Names of Allaah and His Signs is
alteration and distortion in them from their
realities and correct meanings to falsehood.
Heresy in the Names of Allaah and His Attributes
is of various types:
(disbelief/heresy) in the Language: The
distortion and alteration of something, and from
it meaning is digging (lahada) a grave. Due to
this, it is named as altering and moving from
the road that is in the direction of the Qiblah.
Heresy in the Names of Allaah and His Signs is
alteration and distortion in them from their
realities and correct meanings to falsehood.
Heresy in the Names of Allaah and His Attributes
is of various types:
The First Type: Naming idols by them. This is
like naming al-Laat from al-Ilaah and al-'Uzzah
from al-'Azeez and al-Manaat from al-Mannaan.
Naming idols by them. This is like naming
al-Laat from al-Ilaah and al-'Uzzah from
al-'Azeez and al-Manaat from al-Mannaan.
The Second Type: Naming Him the Glorified and
exalted with what He has not been described
with. This is like the Christians who call Him
'Father' and like the philosophers who call Him
the Reason of the Cause for Activity.
Naming Him the Glorified and exalted with what
He has not been described with. This is like the
Christians who call Him 'Father' and like the
philosophers who call Him the Reason of the
Cause for Activity.
The Third Type: Describing Allaah the Glorified
and Exalted with deficiencies that He is free
of. This is like the statement of the Jews who
say:
Describing Allaah the Glorified and Exalted with
deficiencies that He is free of. This is like
the statement of the Jews who say:
"Verily Allaah is poor and we are wealthy."
And their statement:
"The Hand of Allaah is tied up."
There is also their statement that Allaah rests
on Saturday. (far above is Allaah from what they
say)
The Fourth Type: Resembling His Attributes to
the Attributes of the Creation. This is like the
statement of the anthropomorphist who says: 'His
Hand is like my hand' and other than that. (far
above this is Allaah) Indeed Allaah has
threatened those who commit heresies in His
Names and His Signs with a tremendous threat. So
Allaah the Exalted says:
Resembling His Attributes to the Attributes of
the Creation. This is like the statement of the
anthropomorphist who says: 'His Hand is like my
hand' and other than that. (far above this is
Allaah) Indeed Allaah has threatened those who
commit heresies in His Names and His Signs with
a tremendous threat. So Allaah the Exalted says:
"And Allaah has the most Beautiful Names, so
call upon Him by them. And leave those who
commit heresies in His Names. They will be
recompensed for what they used to do." [Sooratul
A'araaf 7:180]
Allaah says:
"Verily those who commit heresies in Our Aayaat,
they are not hidden from Us." [Sooratul Fussilat
41:40] [3]
Footnotes:
[1] This section was taken from Sharhul
'Aqeedatil Waasitiyyah (p. 15-16) of Shaykh
Saalih al-Fawzaan.
