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al-Sanūsiyya




al- al-‘Aqīdah
‘Aqīdah
al- al-Sanūsiyya
Sanūsiyya

Abū
‘Abdullāh
Muammad
ibn
Y Abū
‘Abdullāh
Muammad
ibn
Yūsuf
ammad
ibn
Yūsuf

ūsuf

al- al-Sanūsī
al- Sanūsī
al-usaynī
al usaynī
al- ī
al-Mālikī
(d.
795
Hijrah)
Translation
&
Commentary
by
Abū
Ādam
al-Narūjīy
Released
by
www.marifah.net www.marifah.net
1428
H.
www.marifah.net











1 al-Sanūsiyya
Table
of
Contents Table
of
Contents Introduction
:
The
Disappearance
of
Knowledge
and
the
Importance
of
the
Science
of
Belief.................................................................................................................................
3
The
Sanūsiyya
.......................................................................................................................
6
Preface
to
the
Translation
of
The
Sanūsiyya
.................................................................
6
The
judgments
of
the
sound
intellect
............................................................................
7
Required
knowledge
for
the
accountable
person
.........................................................
9
The
Attributes
that
Allāh


must
be
attributed
with
...................................................
9
The
attributes
that
are
impossible
for
Allāh


to
be
attributed
with
and
those
that
are
possible
......................................................................................................................
16
The
proofs
of
Allāh’s
attributes
.....................................................................................
17
His
attribute
of
existence
...........................................................................................
18
His
attribute
of
non-beginning
existence
..................................................................
19
His
attribute
of
non-ending
existence
.......................................................................
19
His
attribute
of
non-resemblance
to
creation
..........................................................
19
His
attribute
of
self-existence
....................................................................................
19
His
attribute
of
Oneness
............................................................................................
20
His
attributes
of
Power,
Will,
Knowledge
and
Life
.................................................
20
His
attributes
of
Hearing,
Sight
and
Speech
............................................................
20
What
may
be
true
of
Allāh


....................................................................................
23
The
Messengers
of
Allāh
and
their
attributes
...............................................................
23
Definition
of
Prophet
and
Messenger
......................................................................
23
Attributes
that
Messengers
must
have
......................................................................
24
Attributes
that
are
impossible
for
Messengers

to
have
..........................................
24
Attributes
that
Messengers
could
have
....................................................................
25
Proof
that
Messengers
absolutely
never
lie
..............................................................
26
Miracles
and
other
extraordinary
events
..................................................................
27
The
proof
that
the
Messengers
do
not
sin
................................................................
28
The
proof
that
the
Messengers
are
exposed
to
human
conditions
that
do
not

imply
flaw
in
their
rank
..............................................................................................
28
Relating
everything
mentioned
to
the
creedal
statement
of
Islām

.............................
28
The
meaning
of
“there
is
no
god
but
Allāh”
............................................................
28
What
it
means
that
Allāh


does
not
need
anything…….………………...............29
What
it
means
that
everything
else
needs
Allāh


..................................................
30
The
identity
of
the
Prophet
Muammad

..............................................................
31
Believing
in
Prophet
Muammad

entails
believing
all
Prophets
........................
31
All
Prophets
and
Messenger
are
trustworthy
...........................................................
31
Prophets
and
Messengers
never
sin
..........................................................................
31
Prophets
and
Messenger
are
exposed
to
human
conditions
that
do
not
imply

flaw
in
their
rank
........................................................................................................
31
The
importance
of
remembrance
by
the
creedal
statement
...................................
32
Conclusion
.......................................................................................................................
32
Translator’s
afterword:
the
proofs
of
the
mind
in
Islām
..............................................
32

About
the
Author………………………………………………...……………...……....33
2 al-Sanūsiyya Introduction:
The
Disappearance
of
Knowledge


Introduction:
The
Disappearance
of
Knowledge
and
the
Importance
of
the
Science
of
Belief and
the
Importance
of
the
Science
of
Belief
e
Importance
of
the
Science
of
Belief

In
the
Name
of
God,
who
is
the
Most
Gracious,
Most
Merciful

I
commence
my
writing
by
saying
the
name
of
Allāh,
appealing
for
His
help
and
blessing.
All
praise
belongs
in
truth
to
Him,
for
He
is
the
Creator
of
all
and
their
actions
like
giving.
I
declare
myself
a
believer
in
His
Absolute
Oneness,
and
that
for
those
who
deny
this
there
is
no
forgiveness.
O
God
of
Abraham!
You
are
the
Creator
of
all,
and
by
your
mercy
I
stand
or
I
fall.
No
one
can
question
your
actions,
since
anyone
else
is
merely
among
your
creations.
I
beg
you
to
further
raise
the
rank
of
the
best
of
all
you
have
made,
the
Prophet
Muammad

and
that
in
his
intercession
I
will
find
shade.

It
was
reported
by
Amad,
al-Tirmidhī,
al-Dārimī
and
al-Ţaāwī
that
the
Prophet

was
asked,
after
telling
them
that
knowledge
of
the
religion
will
disappear
in
the
future,
“O
Prophet
of
Allāh,
how
can
knowledge
disappear
when
we
have
copies
of
the
Qur’ān
(al-Mașāif)
and
we
have
learned
what
they
contain,
and
we
have
taught
our
children
and
our
wives
and
our
servants?”

He
raised
his
head
in
anger
and
said,
“These
Jews
and
Christians
have
with
them
their
scriptures,
yet
they
did
not
learn
from
them
what
their
Prophets
brought
them.”
1

Abū
Ja‘far
al-Ţaāwī
in
Mushkil
al-Āthār
narrated
from
the
companion
of
the
Prophet
,
Shaddād
ibn
‘Aws2
that
the
first
knowledge
that
will
disappear
is
khushū’,
and
that
there
will
come
a
time
when
one
will
hardly
ever
see
anyone
with
khushū’
in
the
group
prayer
in
the
Masjids.
al-Ţaāwī
defined
khushū’
as
submission
and
humbleness
to
Allāh

.
He
stated
that
this
appears
on
those
who
have
it,
because
Allāh


said
about
the
Companions
of
the
Prophet
:

0ً ‫َا‬1 ْ ‫ َو ِر‬-ِ 
‫ ا‬ َ ِ ً ْ َ ‫ن‬ َ َُ ْ َ ‫ًا‬
 ُ ً ‫ ْ" َ! ُْ ََا ُهْ ُر
آ‬#َ ‫ ُء‬%َ & َ ‫*َ) ا ْ ُ(
' ِر ُر‬ َ ‫
ا ُء‬+ ِ ‫ َأ‬-ُ َ َ  َ ِ.
‫وَا‬ 3 ‫ُ ِد‬4 3 ‫ ِ ا‬5َ ‫ُ ِه ِْ ِْ َأ‬6‫ ُو‬7ِ ْ‫ ُه‬%َ "ِ
Meaning:
“Those
who
are
with
him
show
no
mercy
for
the
blasphemers
and
are
merciful
toward
“Those
who
are
with
him
show
no
mercy
for
the
blasphemers
and
are
merciful
toward
one
another
(as
Muslims).
You
see
them
bowing
and
prostrating
in
prayer
seeking
grace
and
reward
from
All reward
from
Allllāh.
Their
mark
is
in
their
faces
from
the
trace
of
prostration.” āh.
Their
mark
is
in
their
faces
from
the
trace
of
prostration.”

Al-Ţaāwī
said
that
this
mark
mentioned
in
the
Āyah
was
stated
by
a
number
of
the
Salaf
to
be
the
appearance
of
khushū’.4


In
Jāmi‘
al-‘Ulūm
wa-l-ikam
Ibn
Rajab
expanded
upon
the
meaning
of
khushū’
and
said
that
there
are
two
types
of
knowledge,
knowledge
that
benefits,
and
knowledge
of
the
tongue.
The
first
type
of
knowledge
is
a
person’s
knowledge
of
Allāh

,
His
names,
His
attributes
and
His
actions
which
leads
to
fearing
Him,
glorifying
Him,
humbling
oneself
to
Him,
loving
Him,
1
P.
484,
V.
1,
‘Alī
al-Qārī.
Mirqāt
al-Mafātī.
Beirut,
Lebanon:
Dār
al-Kutub
al-‘Ilmiyya,
2001.
2
He
was
one
of
the
companions
that
was
known
for
knowledge
and
extreme
piety.
He
used
to
go
to
bed
at
night,
saying:
“O
Allāh!
The
Hellfire
is
preventing
me
from
sleep.”
Then
he
would
get
up
again
and
pray
until
morning.

3

Qūrat
al-Fat,
29
4
P.
281-282
V.
1,
al-Ţaāwī,
Mushkil
al-Āthār,
Mu’assasat
al-Risāla,
Beirut.
3 al-Sanūsiyya Hoping
for
His
Grace
and
Mercy,
asking
Him
for
one’s
needs,
relying
on
Him
and
the
like.
The
second
type
of
knowledge
is
that
of
the
tongue,
that
is,
apparent
knowledge
of
the
Qur’ān
and
its
meanings.
This
knowledge
without
the
first
is
what
was
meant
by
Ibn
Mas‘ūd
when
he
said:
“some
people
read
the
Qur’ān,
but
it
does
not
reach
beyond
their
collarbone.”

Then
Ibn
Rajab
said:
“The
first
knowledge
that
is
lifted
away
from
earth
is
the
beneficial
knowledge,
which
is
inside
and
mixes
with
the
hearts
and
mends
them.
The
knowledge
of
the
tongue
remains
as
a
proof
(i.e.
apparent
knowledge
of
the
Qur’ān).
Then
people
become
careless
with
it,
and
do
not
perform
what
it
requires;
neither
those
who
carry
this
knowledge,
nor
others.
Then
this
knowledge
disappears
with
its
carriers,
and
nothing
remains
except
copies
of
the
Qur’ān
in
books,
and
there
is
no
one
around
that
knows
its
meaning,
or
its
limits
or
rules.
Then
this
also
disappears
at
the
end
of
days
and
there
is
nothing
left
at
all
of
this
knowledge,
not
in
copies
and
not
in
hearts.
After
that
comes
the
Day
of
Judgment,
as
the
Messenger
of
Allāh
said:
‘The
Day
of
Judgment
comes
when
there
are
only
bad
people.’”

The
basis
for
beneficial
knowledge
then,
the
knowledge
that
leads
to
khushū’,
is
to
know
Allāh


as
the
Messenger

taught.
This
means
to
know
Allāh’s
attributes,
but
it
also
means
to
know
why
they
must
be
true
of
Allāh

.
This
is
because
faith
not
founded
on
the
reason
of
the
mind
is
susceptible
to
doubt
when
exposed
to
the
arguments
of
those
who
spread
it.
Once
the
mind
has
accepted
that
there
is
no
possible
alternative
to
what
one
believes,
no
matter
what
new
information
one
receives,
then
doubt
will
never
have
access.
This
is
of
course
unless
Allāh


has
willed
for
one
to
accept
falsehood
due
to
a
sickness
in
the
heart.

The
Islamic
Sunni
Science
of
Belief,
or
the
Science
of
Kalām,
serves
this
purpose:
to
remove
doubts
due
to
flaws
in
ones
reasoning.
This
may
be
flaws
in
ones
premises,
arguments
or
conclusions.
Once
the
purpose
of
Kalām
has
been
achieved,
then
combining
it
with
performing
one’s
religious
obligations
and
avoiding
prohibitions,
is
the
pathway
to
true
khushū’
and
success
in
the
Hereafter.
This
is
because
the
mind
has
been
satisfied,
and
now
only
the
heart
needs
mending.
Faith
is
now
backed
by
flawless
reason,
a
powerful
combination
that
only
Islam
provides.

It
is
this
that
transformed
the
companions
of
the
Messenger
of
Allāh

to
the
greatest
generation
in
history.
It
is
the
result
of
this
combination
Allāh


told
us
of
when
He
said
what
means
that
the
companions
“show
no
mercy
for
the
blasphemers;”
the
truth
was
now
obvious
to
them
both
in
the
mind
and
the
heart,
and
they
had
realized
the
extent
of
the
crime
of
not
accepting
Islām.
They
took
the
enemies
of
Allāh


as
enemies
of
their
own,
and
the
enemies
of
Allāh


are
the
blasphemers,
absolutely
and
categorically:

5  َ ِِ (َ ْ ِ ‫و‬8 ُ * َ -َ 
‫ن ا‬
9ِ َ
A
literal
translation
would
state,
“Verily
Allāh
Allāh
is
the
enemy
of
the
blasphemers.”
Note,
however,
that
when
Allāh


is
referred
to
as
having
enmity
towards
someone
in
Arabic,
it
means
that
He
has
cursed
them
and
willed
a
bad
destiny
for
them,
not
that
He
has
emotions.6

This
mercilessness
of
the
companions
was
not
due
to
a
hardening
of
the
heart,
because
they
were
also
“merciful
toward
one
another.”
Moreover,
due
to
this
same
realization
of
the
mind
5

Qūrat
al-Baqarah,
98
6
This
was
stated
by
al-Bayhaqī
in
his
book
“al-Asmā
wa-l-Sifāt”
4 al-Sanūsiyya and
heart
together
“their
mark
is
in
their
faces
from
the
trace
of
prostration,”
for
they
sold
this
world
for
their
Hereafter.

Mending
the
heart
is
achieved
by
the
practical
application
of
one’s
knowledge.
First
by
knowing
Allāh


and
thereby
that
He
deserves
to
be
worshiped,
and
that
no
matter
how
much
He
is
worshiped,
glorified,
and
submitted
to,
it
can
never
be
to
the
extent
that
He
truly
deserves.
Second,
one
applies
knowledge
by
first
learning
the
way
of
worship
that
Allāh


accepts
and
how
to
avoid
His
prohibitions.
This
is
by
the
knowledge
of
fiqh,
which
is
learned
through
trustworthy
scholars
of
one
of
its
four
schools,
that
of
Abū
anīfa,
Mālik,
al-Shāfi‘ī
or
Amad
ibn
anbal.


Strictly
speaking,
knowing
the
Kalām
proofs
for
the
correctness
of
the
Sunni
belief
is
not
an
obligation
for
every
individual
Muslim.
It
is
a
communal
obligation,
in
the
sense
that
there
must
be
enough
people
knowing
these
proofs
to
defend
Islām.
If
this
requirement
is
not
met,
then
all
those
who
were
able
to
learn
are
sinful.
In
this
day
and
age
there
are
not
enough
people
doing
this,
and
many
people
are
sinful
for
not
learning.
Not
only
that,
but
in
light
of
the
massive
attack
on
certainty
in
belief
at
all
levels
of
society
today,
there
is
no
question
that
learning
some
of
these
proofs
is
a
must
for
almost
every
individual.

English
speaking
teachers
and
writings
on
Kalām
to
make
this
science
widely
available
is
sorely
needed.
The
following
translation
of
the
traditional
Kalām
text
known
as
al-Sanūsiyya
will
hopefully
fill
some
of
this
need.
Knowledge
in
Islam,
however,
must
be
received
through
a
properly
qualified
teacher,
and
not
through
reading
alone.
This
was
pointed
out
by
Our
Beloved
Prophet

in
the
adīth
mentioned
in
the
first
paragraph
of
this
section.













5 al-Sanūsiyya The
Sanūsiyya
The
Sanūsiyya
Preface
to
the
Translation
of
the
Sanūsiyya Preface
to
the
Translation
of
the
Sanūsiyya
he
Sanūsiyya

This
is
a
translation
of
the
meaning
of
the
book
“Matn
Umm
al-Barāhīn”,
or
“The
Text
of
the
Mother
of
Proofs”
written
by
the
Imām7
Abū
‘Abdullāh
Muammad
ibn
Yūsuf
al-Sanūsī
al- usaynī
al-Mālikī,
who
was
born
around
830
of
the
Hijrah
calendar,
or
about
600
years
ago.
He
was
a
man
of
encyclopedic
knowledge
in
many
fields,
including
the
sciences
of
belief,
jurisprudence,
Prophetic
Traditions,
logic,
and
the
Qur’ān,
and
he
wrote
books
on
all
of
them.
He
was
the
head
of
the
scholars
in
Tilmisān
(Tlemsen),
a
capital
of
North
Africa
in
Islamic
history.
It
is
located
in
what
is
Algeria
today.

The
book
being
translated
here
is
actually
a
summary
of
his
book
“Umm
al-Barāhīn,”
which
is
one
of
the
most
important
books
explaining
and
proving
the
correctness
of
the
Islamic
belief.
This
summary
of
the
Sunni
doctrine
is
different
from
the
two
other
major
summaries,
that
of
al- Ţaāwī
and
al-Nasafī,
in
its
focus
on
rational
proofs
explicitly
within
the
summary.

The
emphasis
on
rational
proofs8
is
particularly
important
today
when
religious
beliefs
in
general
are
being
attacked
by
agnostic
and
atheist
propaganda.
This
propaganda
falsely
claims
that
freethinking
is
scientific
thinking,
something
that
has
lured
many
away
from
believing
firmly
in
the
Creator,
let
alone
Islām
itself.
The
reason
for
the
success
of
this
onslaught
is
the
general
ignorance
about
the
proofs
of
the
correctness
of
the
Islamic
belief
system.
It
is
in
fact
a
belief
system
superior
to
any
other
and
it
is
more
scientific
than
the
philosophy
of
skepticism.


The
translation
is
a
translation
of
meaning,
without
highly
contrived
attempts
to
follow
the
style
of
Arabic
while
writing
English,
or
translating
word
by
word.
The
translation
of
the
book
itself
is
in
bold
brown
print,
while
explanations
and
additions
have
been
made
in
regular
print.
In
certain
places
elaborations
that
are
important
in
this
day
and
age
have
been
added.
7
The
word
imām
in
Arabic
refers
to
someone
who
is
followed
by
others
in
terms
of
what
he
says
or
does.
It
is
used
as
a
scholarly
title
meaning
a
great
scholar
who
is
followed
even
by
other
scholars.
8
The
topic
of
what
is
called
in
Arabic
sam‘iyāt
is
not
the
focus
of
the
Sanūsiyya.
Sam‘iyāt
means
literally,
“what
pertains
to
hearing,”
or
more
accurately,
“what
is
established
by
narration
of
the
Qur’ān
or
the
teachings
of
the
Prophet
,
and
cannot
be
known
by
reason
alone.”

A
good
translation
would
be

“narrational
beliefs.”
This
term
refers
to
the
beliefs
that
cannot
be
known
except
by
being
told
by
a
Prophet

and
pertain
mainly
to
what
occurs
after
this
life
and
towards
the
Day
of
Judgment.
This
topic
is
covered
more
thoroughly
by
al-Ţaāwī
and
al-Nasafī.
6 al-Sanūsiyya The
judgments
of
the
sound
intellect
The
judgments
of
the
sound
intellect

The
author
(may
Allāh
have
mercy
upon
him
and
benefit
us
with
his
knowledge)
says:

Praise
be
to
All Praise
be
to
Allāh
and
Peace
and
Blessings
upo llāh
and
Peace
and
Blessings
upon
His
āh
and
Peace
and
Blessings
upon
His
Messenger n
His
Messenger. Messenger.

Know
that
the
judgments
of
the
intellect
are
limited
to
3
categories:

Know
that
the
judgments
of
the
intellect
are
limited
to
3
categories:
1) what
absolutely
must
be,
or
the
absolutely
necessary,
2) what
absolutely
cannot
be absolutely
cannot
be,
or
the
absolutely
impossible absolutely
impossible,
and
,
and
3) what
may
be,
or
the
possible.

1) What
absolutely
must
be absolutely
must
be
is
what
the
mind
absolutely
does
not
accept
the
non- is
what
the
mind
absolutely
does
not
accept
the
non-existence
of. That
is,
to
propose
its
non-existence
would
be
absurd.
In
other
words,
Allāh’s



of.
existence.

2) What
absolutely
cannot
be absolutely
cannot
be
is
what
the
mind
does
not
accept
the
potential
existence
of
under
any
circumstance.
That
is,
the
proposition
of
its
possible
existence
is
absolutely
any
circumstance.
absurd
and
logically
incongruent.
What
absolutely
cannot
be
does
not
refer
to
what
is
merely
practically
impossible,
such
as
rivers
flowing
up
a
mountain,
replacing
the
Atlantic
Ocean
with
orange
juice,
or
awaking
the
dead.

3) What may be is that which the mind alone can accept the existence or non-existence of. All created things fall into this category.
Required
knowledge
for
the
accountable
person
Required
knowledge
for
the
accountable
person

It
is
required
of
every
accountable
person
to
know
what
absolutely
must
be
true
of
All It
is
required
of
every
accountable
person
to
know
what
true
of
Allāh,
what
llāh,
what
absolutely
cannot
be absolutely
cannot
be
true
of
Allllāh,
and
what
may
be
true
of
All true
of
Allāh,
and
what
true
of
Allāh.
One
must
also
know
these
llāh.
One
must
also
know
these
things
with
regards
to
the
Messenger things
with
regards
to
the
Messengers,
upon
them
Peace
and
Blessings. Messengers,
upon
them
Peace
and
Blessings.
s,
upon
them
Peace
and
Blessings.

An
accountable
person
is
someone
who
is
sane,
has
reached
Islamic
puberty9
and
has
heard
the
Creedal
Statement
of
Islām.


As
for
sanity
and
puberty,
the
Prophet
Muammad

said,
“The
pen
is
lifted
off
three;
off
the
sleeping
person
until
he
wakes
up,
and
off
the
child
until
it
grows
up
and
off
the
insane
until
he
regains
sanity.”
10
The
lifting
of
the
pen
is
a
figure
of
speech
meaning
that
the
sins
of
these
three
are
not
written
to
be
answered
for
later.

As
for
hearing
the
Creedal
Statement,
Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān
:

11 Rِ  ُ 3 ‫ ْ َ ا‬#َ ٌT
&ُ -ِ 
‫*َ) ا‬ َ ‫س‬ ِ !
ِ ‫ن‬ َ ُ(َ P ّ Qَ ِ
9

Puberty
in
Islām
is
by
menstruation,
pregnancy,
ejaculation
or
reaching
15
lunar
years
of
age.
10

Nasā’ī
No.
3432
11

Qūrat
al-Nisā’
4,165
7 al-Sanūsiyya which
means
that
Allāh


sent
Messengers
so
that
“people
would
have
no
evidence
of
excuse
for
not
having
obeyed
Him.”
In
addition,
Allāh
”


said:

12 Wً ُ‫ َر‬X َ َ ْ 0َ )
& َ  َ "ِ#.Y َ ُ !
‫َو َ ُآ‬
which
means
that
Allāh


does
not
punish
“until
He
has
sent
a
Messenger.”
This
condition
is
met
by
merely
hearing
the
creedal
statement.
The
scholars
all
agreed
on
this
with
consensus
of
the
four
schools
of
jurisprudence,13
because
as
narrated
by
al-ākim
and
others,
“The
Messenger
of
Allāh
never
fought
a
people
until
he
had
called
them
to
Islām.”

The
accountable
person
will
be
held
accountable
by
Allāh


for
all
his
sayings,
deeds
and
beliefs.
He
is
required
to
perform
all
obligations
prescribed
upon
him
by
Allāh


and
avoid
all
that
Allāh


has
prohibited
him
from.
He
is
threatened
by
Allāh’s
punishment
in
the
Hereafter
if
he
does
not.
He
is
promised
reward
in
the
Hereafter
for
performing
the
obligations
Allāh


has
ordered
and
avoiding
what
He
has
forbidden.

If
an
accountable
person
is
not
Muslim,
then
he
must
become
Muslim
immediately
by
saying,
“I
firmly
believe
that
no
one
and
nothing
deserves
to
be
worshiped
except
Allāh,
and
that
Muammad
is
His
Prophet
and
Messenger.”
He
must
accompany
this
with
the
intent
in
his
heart
to
become
Muslim
and
abandon
anything
that
contradicts
that
belief.
He
must
say
it
with
a
voice
that
is
loud
enough
to
hear
himself
under
normal
circumstances.14
If
someone
can’t
pronounce
Muammad
properly,
then
they
may
say:
“and
Abul
Qāsim
is
His
Prophet
and
Messenger.”
Any
other
equivalent
statement
will
also
do.

Allāh


says
in
the
Qur’ān:

15 ‫ِ"ًا‬ َ  َ ِِ (َ ْ ِ 0َ َْ * ْ ‫ َأ‬0
9ِ َ -ِ ِ ُ‫ َو َر‬-ِ 
 #ِ ِْ ْ[ُ َْ َْ ‫َو‬
Meaning:
“Whoever
does
not
believe
in
All “Whoever
does
not
believe
in
Allllāh
and
H āh
and
His
is
Messenger āh
and
His
Messenger;
verily
A Messenger;
verily
All ;
verily
Allllāh
has
prepared
for
āh
has
prepared
for
the
blasphemers
a
fierce
fire.”
Thereby
we
know
that
the
blasphemer
is
anyone
that
does
not
believe
in
Allāh


or
His
Messenger
,
and
that
this
belief
is
an
immediate
obligation.

It
is
also
stated
in
al-Qur’ān:

12

Qūrat
al-Isrā’
17,15
13
Though
some
scholars,
such
as
Abū
anīfa,
said
that
there
is
accountability
for
some
issues
even
before
hearing
the
creedal
statement,
because
the
mind
alone
is
sufficient
to
figure
out
that
there
is
a
Creator
and
that
He
is
One.
Many
scholars
among
those
who
put
hearing
the
call
of
Islam
as
a
prerequisite
for
accountability,
such
as
al-Nawawī,
said
that
some
accountability
come
from
merely
hearing
about
any
past
Prophet
,
because
this
should
trigger
him
to
think
of
the
Creator
and
thus
believe
in
Him,
and
that
He
does
not
have
partner.
After
having
heard
about
a
Prophet
he
has
no
excuse
for
negligence
any
longer.
Based
on
this
the
Arab
pagans
prior
to
the
Prophet

are
in
Hell
forever
as
indicated
in
many
adīths.
Source:
Ibn
al-Humām’s
al-Musāyara
and
its
explanation.
14
This
is
the
most
solid
and
safest
view,
and
is
the
saying
of
the
anafī
Imāms
as
well
as
many
Ash‘arīs

such
as
al-QāVī
‘IyāV.
Other
Ash‘arīs

had
some
further
details
on
this,
but
it
is
a
rather
long
discussion
for
another
time
and
place
in
shā’
Allāh.
15

Qūrat
al-Fat,13
8 al-Sanūsiyya 16 Tِ 
ِ َ ْ ‫ ا‬3 + َ ْ‫\ ُه‬ َ Qِ َ ‫ ِ" َ أُو‬ َ ِِ ] َ َ !
َ 6 َ ‫ ِر‬0َ 7ِ  َ "ِ‫^ ِآ‬ ْ %ُ ْ ‫ب وَا‬ ِ َ (ِ ْ ‫ ا‬Rِ ‫ َآ َ'ُوا ِْ َأ ْه‬ َ ِ.
‫ن ا‬
‫ِإ‬
Meaning:
“Those
who
blaspheme,
among
the
People
of
the
Book
(the
Jews
and
the
Christians)
and
the
idol
worshipers,
and
the
idol
worshipers,
will
be
in
the
Hell- will
be
in
the
Hell-Fire
and
dwell
there
endlessly.
They
are
the
worst
of
creation.”
We
thereby
know
that
blasphemers
are
the
absolute
worst
of
Allāh’s
creation,
which
signifies
the
enormity
of
their
crime.
We
also
know
that
their
torture
is
endless.
They
are
worse
than
the
animals
that
Allāh


has
created,
because
animals
are
not
blessed
with
a
mind
and
accountability.

The
accountable
is
only
accountable
for
his
or
her
own
acts.
It
must
be
kept
in
mind,
however,
that
one
of
the
obligations
to
act
is
to
prevent
the
disobedience
of
others.
The
Prophet

said:
“Whoever
among
you
sees
something
disapproved
of
by
Allāh,
let
him
change
it
by
his
hand.
If
unable,
then
let
him
do
so
by
His
tongue.

If
unable
to
do
even
that,
let
Him
reject
it
in
his
heart,
and
that
is
the
least
(act)
of
faith.”
17


This
means
that
if
we
are
able
to
do
something
to
stop
the
sinner
by
an
appropriate
action,
then
we
are
required
to
do
it,
unless
someone
else
does
it.
If
we
expect
that
using
the
hand
will
lead
to
more
or
worse
sins,
then
we
do
not
use
the
hand,
as
this
defeats
the
purpose.
Note
that
merely
feeling
embarrassed
is
not
an
excuse
for
remaining
passive.

Second,
if
we
are
unable
to
use
the
hand,
we
are
required
to
say
something
to
stop
the
sinner.

Finally,
if
we
are
unable
to
do
or
say
something
to
stop
him,
we
are
required
to
hate
it
in
our
hearts,
and
if
able,
leave
the
place
where
it
is
happening.
This
is
the
least
we
must
do
to
avoid
becoming
sinful
ourselves,
and
thus
the
least
act
that
is
a
sign
of
faith.18
Before
explaining
the
attributes
of
Allāh


that
must
be
learned,
it
should
be
clear
that
Allāh


exists,
and
that
He
has
attributes.
They
are
all
eternal
and
do
not
change.
His
attributes
are
not
other
than
Him,
nor
are
they
Him
Himself,
because
Allāh
is
One.
The
Attributes
that
A The
Attributes
that
All tributes
that
Allāh
llāh


must
be
attributed
with āh
must
be
attributed
with
must
be
attributed
with
Among
the
attributes
which
absolutely
must
be
true
of
All true
of
Allāh
are
20
as
follows: llāh
are
20
as
follows:
āh
are
20
as
follows:

Existence
(al 1) Existence
( Wujūd
/
‫د‬6‫)ا‬,,
al--Wujūd

Non-beginning
existence
(al 2) Non- Qidam
/
‫م‬c‫)ا‬, al--Qidam
),
),

Allāh


stated
in
the
Qur’ān
that:

19 ‫
و ُل‬eَ ‫ُه َ ا‬ 16

Qūrat
al-Bayyina,
98
17

Muslim
No.
49
18
See
2/318,
Akām
al-Qur’ān,
al-Jașșāș,
Beirut,
Lebanon,
Dār
Ihyā’
al-Turāth
al-‘Arabī.
See
also
1/276,
Badā’i’
al-Șanā’i.
‘Alā’uddīn
al-Kāsānī.
Beirut,
Lebanon:
Dar
al-Kitāb
al-‘Arabī,
1982.
19

Qūrat
al-adīd
,03
9 al-Sanūsiyya
“He
is
al- “He
is
al-Awwal.”
This
means
that
He
existed
before
everything
else,
and
that
He
was
not
preceded
by
non-existence.
The
Prophet
Muammad

said:

gُ ُ "ْ h َ ٌ‫ْء‬7+ َ ْ(ُ َ ‫ و‬i‫آ ن ا‬
“Allāh
existed
and
there
was
nothing
else”.20
Allāh’s
existence
then,
does
not
resemble
the
existence
of
created
things,
because
it
is
beginning-less,
a
must
and
is
not
affected
by
anything.

Non-ending
existence
(al 3) Non- ā’

/
‫ ء‬c‫)ا‬,
al--Baqā’ Baqā’ ),

Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān:

21 \ َ #Y ‫ َر‬-ُ 6 ْ ‫َ) َو‬cْ َ ‫َو‬
This
may
be
interpreted
as,
““Allllāh
H āh
Himself
lasts, āh
Himself
lasts,”
that
is,
absolutely.
His
existence
does
not
have
the
possibility
of
ending.

Non-resemblance
to
all
‘events’
-
all
things
that
have
a
beginning
(al 4) Non- al--Mukh Mukhālafatu
li- ālafatu
li-l- awādith
/

‫ادث‬k T' l%‫)ا‬, awā ),
),

Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān:

22 ُ "ِoَ ْ ‫ ا‬pُ "ِ%4
‫ْءٌ َو ُه َ ا‬7+ َ -ِ ِ mْ %ِ ‫ َآ‬n َ "ْ َ
“Absolutely
nothing
resembles
Him,
and
He
is
All- All-Seeing.”
Allāh


All-Hearing,
All- created
everything,
brought
everything
into
existence,
therefore
He
does
not
resemble
anything.
For
example,
He
is
not
attributed
with
death,
light
rays,
darkness,
color,
spirit,
stillness,
movement,
shape,
form,
parts,
divisibility,
limits,
countability,
mode,
mass,
location
or
direction
because
these
attributes
need
to
be
specified
by
a
creator
and
must
therefore
have
a
beginning.

What
one
should
keep
in
mind
is
that
what
all
created
things
have
in
common,
whether
they
are
a
substance
or
an
attribute
of
it,
is
that
everything
about
them
has
a
beginning.
This
is
because
the
definition
of
a
created
thing
is
that
it
is
something
brought
into
existence.

The
rule
is
therefore
that
whatever
you
can
imagine
in
your
mind,
Allāh


does
not
resemble
it.
It
was
narrated
that
the
cousin
of
the
Prophet
Muammad
,
and
famous
companion
Ibn
‘Abbās
said,
“Ponder
about
everything,
but
do
not
ponder
about
the
Self
of
Allāh.”
23
He
said
this
because
this
leads
to
one
drawing
resemblances
between
the
Creator
and
the
created,
which
is
blasphemy.
It
contradicts
the
belief
in
Allāh’s
20

Bukhārī
No.
3019
21

Qūrat
al-Ramān
,27
22

Qūrat
al-Shūrā,
11
23

Fat
al-Bārī
13/383
10 al-Sanūsiyya Oneness,
because
it
leads
to
the
heretical
belief
that
Allāh


has
an
equal.
It
also
involves
denying
the
Qur’ānic
statement:
“Absolutely
nothing
resembles
Him.”
“Absolutely
nothing
resembles
Him.”

The
great
scholar
of
Islām
Ibn
‘Asākir
said
“It
is
neither
said:
‘When
was
He?’
nor:
‘Where
was
He?’,
nor:
‘How
was
He?’
He
existed
and
there
was
no
place,
and
He
made
everything
exist
and
arranged
time.”

5) Self- al--Qiyāmu
bi- Self-existence,
meaning
having
no
need
of
location
or
specification
(al bi- nafsihi

/
-4'!# ‫" م‬c‫)ا‬, nafsihi

),
),

Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān:

24 ُ "ِ%k َ ْ ‫ ا‬7 3 !ِ َ ْ ‫ ُه َ ا‬-ُ 
‫ وَا‬-ِ 
‫َا ُء ِإَ) ا‬cَ 'ُ ْ ‫ ُُ ا‬0ْ ‫س َأ‬ ُ !
‫ َ ا‬3 ‫َ َأ‬
It
may
be
translated
in
meaning
as,
“O
People,
you
are
the
desolate
in
absolute
need
of
Allllāh,
and
A āh,
and
All āh,
and
Allllāh
is
the
One
that
does
not
need
anything
or
anyone,
and
He
is
the
One
āh
is
the
One
that
does
not
need
anything
or
anyone,
and
He
is
the
One
that
deserves
all
praise.”
that
deserves
all
praise.”

al-- 6) Absolute
Oneness,
having
no
second
like
Him
in
self,
actions,
or
attributes
(al dāāniyya
/
T"0‫)ا&ا‬. Wad Wa d ).
).

Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān
:

25 ٌ& َ ‫ َأ‬-ُ 
‫ْ ُه َ ا‬Rrُ
It
may
be
translated
in
meaning
as,
“Say!
[O
Mu Say!
[O
Mu O
Muammad]
ammad]
He
is
All He
is
Allllāh,
He
is
One.” āh,
He
is
One.”
The
word
“One”
here
is
absolute
in
meaning,
as
the
statement
is
absolute.
In
other
words,
it
is
impossible
that
He
should
have
an
equal
in
His
self,
actions
or
attributes,
or
a
partner
or
a
part.
It
is
also
impossible
that
Allāh


should
have
two
attributes
of
the
same
kind,
e.g.
two
powers,
or
two
attributes
of
knowledge.

The
Imām
Amad
ibn
anbal
said
that,
“Allāh
is
One,
not
in
the
sense
of
a
number;
it
is
impossible
that
He
should
be
divisible
or
have
parts;
He
is
One
in
every
sense
of
the
meaning,
whereas
everything
else
is
one
in
one
sense,
but
not
in
others.”
26

These
These
attributes
mentioned

above
are
six.
The
first
attribute,
existence,
is
called
an
“Attribute
Self,” as
it
merely
refers
to
what
exists,
without
additional
meaning.
The
other
five
are
of
Self,”
imperfections –
namely
having
a
beginning,
the
possibility
of
an
end,

attributes
of
negating
imperfections
resemblance
to
anything
that
has
a
beginning,
a
need,
or
having
an
equal
in
one’s
self,
actions
or
attributes.

24

Qūrat
Fāţir,15
25

Qūrat
al-Ikhlāș,
1
26
P.
1/293,
I‘tiqād
al-Imām
al-Mubajjal
Ibn
anbal,
Muammad
ibn
Abī
Ya’lā.
2
vols.
Beirut,
Lebanon:
Dar
al-Ma‘rifah
Publishing
&
Distributing.
11 al-Sanūsiyya Then
there
are
another
7
attributes
that
absolutely
must
be
true
of
All llāh
known
as
]ifāt
al- Allāh
al- ma’ānī
“Attributes
of
Meanings”.
Meanings”. Linguistically
speaking
these
are
adjectives
that
refer
to
a
meaning
only,
without
telling
you
who
the
attributed
is:

7) Power
(al al--Qudra
/
‫رة‬c‫)ا‬, ),
),

Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān:

27 ٌِrَ ‫ْ ٍء‬7+ َ RY ‫*َ) ُآ‬ َ -َ 
‫ن ا‬
‫ِإ‬
It
may
be
translated
in
meaning
as,
“Verily
All Verily
Allllāh
is
able
to
create
anything āh
is
able
to
create
anything.”

al--Irā 8) and
Will
(al da
/
‫رادة‬v‫)ا‬,
both
of
which
relate
to
all
things
that
Irāda
),
both
of
which
relate
to
all
things
that
may
be,
whether
they
exists
or
not,
exists
or
not,
Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān:

28 ُ ُِ %َ ِ ٌ‫\ َ
 ل‬ َ #
‫ن َر‬
‫ِإ‬
Meaning:
“Verily
Your
Lord
does
whatever
He
wills.”

The
attribute
of
Power
is
an
eternal
attribute
by
which
Allāh


brings
what
has
the
possibility
of
existence
into
existence,
or
annihilates
it,
according
to
His
Will.
His
Will
is
an
eternal
attribute
by
which
He
specifies
things
with
what
is
possible.
All
created
things
fall
under
His
Will
and
Power.
He
created
all
actions
of
creation,
such
as
blasphemy,
belief,
obedience,
disobedience,
sickness
and
health.




God’s
power
is
related
to
those
things
which
are
possible
to
the
sound
intellect,
even
those
things
which
are
not
currently
in
existence.
It
is
not
related
to
the
impossible;
that
which
cannot
ever
be.
The
impossible
here
refers
to
propositions
of
something
existing
that
involves
a
contradiction
in
terms;
such
as
if
someone
said
that
Allāh


is
attributed
with
attributes
of
complete
perfection
and
then
said
that
He
has
a
limit.
The
term
“complete
perfection”
is
incompatible
with
having
a
limit,
so
it
cannot
ever
be
that
Allāh


has
a
limit.
Note
that
impossible
propositions
refer
to
things
that
cannot
ever
be,
so
they
are
not
really
“things”,
but
mere
verbal
absurdities
and
contradictions
of
terms.

An
example
of
such
a
contradiction
of
terms
can
also
be
shown
by
explaining
why
it
is
blasphemy
to
say
that
Allāh


has
a
son.
The
essential
meaning
of
the
word
“son”
is
something
begotten
-
something
that
is
generated
out
of
something
else.
In
other
words,
if
someone
said
that
Allāh


has
a
son,
then
he
is
saying
that
Allāh


multiplies
or
divides,
and
this
contradicts
the
belief
that
Allāh
is
One.
It
is
impossible
that
something
should
be
both
one
and
many
at
the
same
time.
Therefore,
it
is
impossible
that
Allāh


should
have
a
son.

27

Qūrat
al-Baqarah,
20
28

Qūrat
Hūd,
107
12 al-Sanūsiyya This
is
true
of
this
blasphemous
phrase,
even
as
a
figure
of
speech.
This
is
because
the
word
“son”
contradicts
the
concept
of
ownership;
it
would
be
absurd
to
say
that
someone
“owns”
his
“son”.
Something
can’t
be
someone’s
son
and
personal
property
at
the
same
time.
In
other
words,
to
say
that
Allāh


has
a
son
is
to
deny
that
He
has
absolute
ownership
of
absolutely
all
created
things,29
and
thus
implies
a
flaw
in
His
absolute
ownership.

The
concept
of
having
a
son
then,
is
incompatible
with
the
concept
of
believing
in
one
Creator
that
has
absolute
ownership
of
His
creation.
That
is
why
Muslims
must
believe
that
it
is
impossible
that
Allāh


should
have
a
son;
it
has
nothing
to
do
with
ability,
because
it
is
nonsensical
and
illogical.
If
someone
asks,
“Can
Allāh
have
a
son?”
it
is
as
if
they
are
saying
“Can
the
number
3
be
4?”
The
correct
way
of
answering
this
then,
is
to
say:
“It
is
impossible
that
Allāh
should
have
a
son.”


Note
based
on
the
above,
that
it
is
blasphemy
to
say
that
Allāh


“can”
have
a
son.
This
is
because
it
implies
a
flaw
in
Allāh’s
attribute
of
godhood
-
being
the
Creator
and
absolute
owner
of
everything.


However,
it
is
also
blasphemy
to
say
that
He
is
“unable”
to
have
a
son,
because
saying
this
shows
disrespect
to
Allāh’s
power.
The
correct
expression
is
to
say
that
it
is
“impossible
that
Allāh
should
have
a
son”
or
“absurd
to
claim
that
Allāh
could
have
a
son”.
Having
a
son
has
nothing
to
do
with
being
the
Creator,
and
therefore
is
not
related
to
Allāh’s
attribute
of
power.
The
power
to
create
is
the
power
to
bring
something
into
existence,
and
this
does
not
pertain
to
things
that
are
impossible.


Do
you
not
see
that
if
you
say
about
something
that
it
has
a
son,
then
you
know
it
is
not
the
Creator
for
the
reasons
mentioned
above?
Similarly
if
you
say
that
Allāh


is
the
Creator,
then
you
know
that
He
does
not
have
a
son.
It
cannot
be
that
something
is
the
Creator
and
has
a
son
at
the
same
time,
just
as
it
cannot
be
that
a
circle
is
square.

Note
also
that
all
things
in
existence,
past,
present
and
future,
belong
to
the
possible
category
of
things,
and
are
therefore
by
Allāh’s
Will
and
Power.
Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān:

30 -ُ 
‫^ َء ا‬ َ َ ْ‫ َأن‬Wّ ‫ن ِإ‬ َ ‫^ ءُو‬ َ َ َ ‫َو‬
which’s
meaning
might
be
translated
as,
“You
do
not
will
anything
unless
All Allllāh
āh
has
willed
it.”
This
is
clear,
because
Allāh


knows
everything,
and
no
one
is
more
powerful
than
Him.
Therefore,
whatever
happens
is
by
His
Knowledge
and
Power.

With
regards
to
the
fact
that
all
which
exists
is
by
Allāh’s
Will,
it
is
useful
to
recount
the
exchange
between
al-Qāñī
‘Abdul
Jabbār
of
the
Mu‘tazilite
sect,
and
the
great
Imām
of
29
Allāh


is
the
absolute
owner
of
everything,
because
He
brought
it
all
from
non-existence
to
existence.
Our
ownership
is
not
absolute,
but
exists
only
because
Allāh


prescribed
it
for
us.
This
is
why
we
cannot
do
whatever
we
want
with
the
things
we
own,
such
as
destroying
our
own
valuable
things
for
no
reason,
or
distribute
our
inheritance
in
whatever
way
we
wish.
In
other
words
the
true
owner
of
our
things
is
Allāh

,
and
our
own
ownership
is
only
figurative.
30

Qūrat
al-Insān,
30
13 al-Sanūsiyya the
Sunnis
of
the
time,
Abūl
Muţhaffar

al-Isfarāyinī.
When
the
two
met,
‘Abdul
Jabbār
said,
“Exalted
is
Allāh,
who
transcends
the
obscene.”

While
this
is
a
sound
expression,
he
meant
to
say
that
Allāh


does
not
create
evil,
and
this
is
blasphemous.
Muslims
must
believe
that
Allāh


is
the
Only
Creator,
because
it
is
stated
in
the
Qur’ān
that
He
created
everything,
and
that
no
one
wills
anything
except
by
His
Will.

Imam
al-
Isfarāyīnī
noticed
his
mockery,
and
responded,
“Exalted
is
Allāh,
who
nothing
happens
in
His
dominion
but
by
His
Will.”
The
Mu‘tazilite
then
made
another
attempt
and
said,

“Does
our
Lord
like
to
be
disobeyed?”
al-Isfarāyinī
quickly
replied,
“Could
He
be
disobeyed
against
His
Will?”
Upon
that
‘AbdulJabbār
tried
again
to
defeat
his
adversary
and
said,
“If
God
denied
me
guidance,
then
ruled
that
I
be
destroyed
for
it,
has
He
treated
me
fairly?”
al-Isfarāyīnī
calmly
answered,
“If
He
denied
you
something
that
is
yours,
then
He
would
have
been
unfair,
but
if
is
not
rightfully
yours,
then
Allāh
does
with
His
creation
what
He
wills.”
‘AbdulJabbār
fell
silent,
and
could
not
argue
further,
because
Allāh


is
the
Owner
of
all
creation.

9) Knowledge
(al Ilm

/
‫)ا‬,
al--‘Ilm ),
which
pertains
to
all
that
absolutely
must
be,
cannot
be,
or
may
be.
That
is,
nothing
is
hidden
from
Allāh’s
knowledge,
including
what
must
be,
what
has
been,
what
is
now,
what
will
be,
what
could
be
and
what
cannot
ever
be.
No
quark
or
atom
moves
except
by
His
Knowledge,
Will
and
Power.
Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān:

31 ٌ"ِ* َ ‫ْ ٍء‬7+ َ RY (ُ #ِ -َ 
‫ن ا‬
‫َأ‬
It
may
be
translated
in
meaning
as,
“Verily
All “Verily
Allllāh
knows
everything.” āh
knows
everything.”

āt

/
‫" ة‬k‫)ا‬,
al--ayāt 10) Life
(al ayāt ),
which
does
not
relate
to
anything,
anything,
and
does
not
have
the
possibility
of
beginning
or
end,
and
does
not
resemble
the
life
of
created
things;
and
is
without
a
body
or
soul.
Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān
:

32 ‫ت‬ ُ ُ%َ W ‫ِي‬.
‫ ا‬7 Ykَ ْ ‫*َ) ا‬ َ ْR‫َو َ َ
آ‬
Its
meaning
might
be
translated
as,
“And
rely
on
the
One
that
is
attributed
with
eternal
Life
and
does
not
die.”
Life
and
does
not
die.”

al--Sam 11) Hearing
(al ‘

/
p%4‫)ا‬, Sam‘

),
),

Bașar
/
o‫)ا‬,
both
of
whic al--Bașar
12) and
Sight
(al ),
both
of
which
pertain
to
all
that
exists, ),
both
of
which
pertain
to
all
that
exists,
h
pertain
to
all
that
exists,
Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān
that,

33 ُ "ِoَ ْ ‫ ا‬pُ "ِ%4
‫ْءٌ َو ُه َ ا‬7+ َ -ِ ِ mْ %ِ ‫ َآ‬n َ "ْ َ
“Absolutely
nothing
resembles
Him,
and
He
is
All- “Absolutely
nothing
resembles
Him,
and
He
is
All-Hearing,
All- Hearing,
All-Seeing.”
From
this
we
understand
that
His
Hearing
and
Seeing
is
not
like
our
hearing
or
seeing.
They
are
not
by
an
instrument,
such
an
ear
or
an
eye.
They
are
not
dependent
on
vibrations,
distance
31

Qūrat
al-Baqarah,
231
32

Qūrat
al-Furqān,
58
33

Qūrat
al-Shūrā,
11
14 al-Sanūsiyya or
light;
unlike
created
hearing
and
seeing.
This
is
because
Allāh
is
One,
and
does
not
need
anything.
His
hearing
and
seeing
is
also
not
sequential,
because
Allāh


does
not
change.
Seen
and
heard
things
are
sequential,
but
His
hearing
and
seeing
are
not.

13) Speech
(al Kalām
/
‫م‬P(‫)ا‬,
al--Kalām
),
without
letter
or
sound,
which
pertains
to
whatever
His
Knowledge
pertains
to.
Knowledge
pertains
to.
Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān:

34 %ً "ِ(ْ َ )َُ -ُ 
‫َو َآ
 َ ا‬
It
may
be
translated
in
meaning
as,
“And
All Allllāh
āh
spoke
to
Moses.”
That
is,
with
His
Speech
that
is
not
letters
or
sounds.

In
the
hereafter,
Muslims
will
hear
Allāh’s
Speech,
as
Moses
did.
They
will
also
see
Him
without
Him
being
in
a
direction,
place,
at
a
distance
or
having
a
form.
It
was
authentically
narrated
by
Imam
al-Bukhārī
that
the
Prophet

said,

-ُ ُ  ُkْ َ ٌ‫ ب‬ َ&ِ W‫ نٌ و‬%َ 6 ُ ُْ -ُ !َ "ْ #َ ‫ َو‬-ُ !َ "ْ #َ n" -ُ #3 ‫ َر‬-ُ %ُ Y(َ "ُ  َ W‫& ٍ إ‬ َ ‫ِ ْ! ُ(ْ  َأ‬
“All
of
you
will
be
spoken
to
by
His
Lord
without
an
intermediary.
There
will
also
be
no
flaw
in
your
sight
preventing
you
from
seeing
Him
(without
Him
having
a
shape,
or
being
in
a
direction
or
place.)”

That
is,
all
will
hear
His
speech
without
His
speech
being
letters,
sounds,
words,
or
being
sequential
or
starting
or
stopping.
It
is
eternal
and
thus
does
not
have
any
beginning.
This
must
be
true,
because
Allāh’s
Speech
is
not
created.
Each
person
will
understand
whatever
Allāh


has
willed
for
him
or
her
to
understand.


Likewise,
as
the
Prophet

stated,
Muslims
will
see
Allāh


without
Him
being
in
a
direction,
at
a
distance,
in
a
place,
or
having
a
body,
shape
or
form.
Non-Muslims
will
not
have
this
privilege.

In
other
words,
this
is
not
like
hearing
or
seeing
a
creation,
because
Allāh


said
in
the
Qur’ān
that,

35 ٌ‫ْء‬7+ َ -ِ ِ mْ %ِ ‫ َآ‬n َ "ْ َ
meaning:
“Absolutely
nothing
resembles
Him.”
“Absolutely
nothing
resembles
Him.”

Note
that
His
Hearing,
Seeing
and
Speech
absolutely
must
be,
and
are
not
something
that
may
be.
It
is
therefore
not
said
that
Allāh
is
able
to
hear,
see
or
speak,
because
that
implies
that
He
may
be
hearing,
seeing
or
speaking,
which
is
a
blasphemous
belief.
Thus
we
say
that
Allāh


hears,
or
Allāh


sees,
or
Allāh


speaks,
but
one
must
never
say,
“Allāh
can
hear,”
or
“can
see,”
or
“can
speak.”
34

Qūrat
al-Nisā’,
164
35

Qūrat
al-Shūrā,
11
15 al-Sanūsiyya
The
last
7
of
the
20
attributes
are
known
as
“]ifāt
ma’nawiyya ma’nawiyya,”
or
“Attributes
pertaining
to
meanings,” Linguistically
speaking
sifāt
ma‘nawiyya
refer
to
adjectives
that
tell
you
that
the
meanings,”
attributed
has
a
certain
attribute.
That
is,
you
cannot
speak
about
these
attributes
without
speaking
about
the
meaning
as
well
as
the
attributed
at
the
same
time.
For
example,
the
expression
“being
powerful,”
which
is
an
“Attribute
pertaining
to
meaning,”
tells
you
that
the
one
attributed
with
the
attribute
of
power
is
certainly
powerful.

Having
learned
the
“Attributes
of
Meanings,”
the
“Attributes
pertaining
to
meanings”
seem
obvious.
For
example,
having
the
attribute
of
power
necessarily
means
“being
powerful,”
but
because
of
its
importance
many
scholars
still
insisted
on
mentioning
them.


They
are
in
agreement
with
the
last
seven
mentioned
above
and
are:

They
are
in
agreement
with
the
last
seven
mentioned
above
and
are:
14) being
Qādir
(‫ در‬r -0‫)آ‬,
or
being
attributed
with
Power,
),
or
being
attributed
with
Power,
15) being
Murīd
( -0‫)آ‬,
or
being
attributed
with
Will,
),
or
being
attributed
with
Will,
16) being
‘Ālim
( * -0‫)آ‬,
or
being
attributed
with
Knowledge,
),
or
being
attributed
with
Knowledge,
17) being
ayy
(7 ّ & -0‫)آ‬,
or
being
attributed
with
Life, ),
or
being
attributed
with
Life,
),
or
being
attributed
with
Life,
that
does
not
have
the
possibility
of
beginning
or
end,
and
does
not
resemble
the
life
of
created
things;
and
is
without
a
body
or
soul.

Samī‘
(p"% -0‫)آ‬,
or
being
attributed
with
Hearing,
18) being
Samī‘ ),
or
being
attributed
with
Hearing,
Bașīr
("o# -0‫)آ‬,
or
being
attributed
with
Seeing,
19) being
Bașīr ),
or
being
attributed
with
Seeing,
20) being
Mutakallim
(( -0‫)آ‬,
or
being
being
attributed
with
Speech,
Speech,
which
is
not
letters,
sounds
or
language.



The
attributes
that
are
impossible
for
All The
attributes
that
are
impossible
for
Allāh
llāh


āh

to
be
attributed
with
and
those
that
are
possible
to
be
attributed
with
and
those
that
are
possible


Among
the
attributes
that
are
impossible
to
be
true
of
All Allāh
llāh
are
20
attributes
that
that
are
the
opposites
of
the
20
mentioned
above,
including:
opposites
of
the
20
mentioned
above,
including:

1) Non- Non-existence,


existence,


2) Being
an
‘event’
– Being
an
‘event’
–
that
is:
having
a
beginning
,
that
is:
having
a
beginning
,
3) Having
an
end,
or

Having
an
end,
or

Similarity
to
‘events’,
that
is,
all
things
that
have
a
beginning,
,
or
traits
of
such
things,
for
4) Similarity
to
‘events’,
,
or
traits
of
such
things,
for
example,
by
being: example,
by
being:
g:

a
body,
or
something
with
bulk,
by
being
something
which
takes
up
space,
place
or
direction,

or
direction,

an
attribute
that
requires
a
body
or
bulk,
an
attribute
that
requires
a
body
or
bulk,
in
a
direction
in
relation
to
a
body,
or
having
a
direction
himself,
in
a
direction
in
relation
to
a
body,
or
having
a
direction
himself,
bound
by
time
or
place,
bound
by
time
or
place,
described
by
‘events’,
described
by
‘events’,
or
by
smallness
or
bigness,
or
to
be
or
by
smallness
or
bigness,
or
to
be
driven
to
take
care
of
the
beneficial
or
to
prevent
harm
in
His
actions
and
rulings,
as
Allāh


has
no
needs
to
fulfill,
and
is
not
influenced
by
anything,
rulings,
since
He
does
not
have
a
beginning.

16 al-Sanūsiyya This
concept
of
non-resemblance
can
be
summarized
by
saying
that
Allāh


is
not
attributed
with
quantity
(e.g.
size,
weight,
volume),
quality
(e.g.
color,
taste,
smell)
or
relativity
(e.g.
sequence,
family,
shape,
composition,
time,
place,
position,
or
direction.)
5) It
is
also
impossible
that
A It
is
also
impossible
that
All sible
that
Allāh
should
not
be
self llāh
should
not
be
self- āh
should
not
be
self-existent,
by
being: existent,
by
being:

an
attribute
of
something,
or
an
attribute
of
something,
or
in
need
of
someone
to
specify
His
attributes.

in
need
of
someone
to
specify
His
attributes.

6) It
is
also
impossible
that
All It
is
also
impossible
that
Allāh
not
be
One
by: llāh
not
be
One
by:
āh
not
be
One
by:
His
self
being
composed
(of
parts),
or



His
self
being
composed
(of
parts),
or



By
there
being
someone
resembling
By
there
being
someone
resembling
Him
in
His
self
or
attributes,
or

Him
in
His
self
or
attributes,
or

There
being
besides
Him
something
with
independent
influence
on
any
event
or
There
being
besides
Him
something
with
independent
influence
on
any
event on
Him.
Only
Allāh


has
the
power
to
influence
events
in
reality.
This
is
illustrated
by
the
miracle
of
Ibrāhīm,
who
stayed
inside
a
huge
fire
without
being
harmed.
The
reason
why
is
that
fire
in
reality
does
not
have
the
power
to
burn
or
make
something
hot.
Fire
only
burns
or
heats
if
Allāh


has
willed
it;
it
does
not
have
an
inherent
ability
to
do
so.
Allāh


is
the
Creator
of
all
causes
in
every
instance.
There
are
no
physical
laws
of
nature
in
reality,
for
nothing
happens
except
by
His
Will
and
Power.
7) It
is
also
impossible
that
All It
is
also
impossible
that
Allāh
should
be
unable
to
bring
into
existence
any
event
which
llāh
should
be
unable
to
bring
into
existence
any
event
which
has
the
possibility
of
existence,
or

has
the
possibility
of
existence,
or

8) to
give
existence
to
anything
which
He
had
not
willed
for,
out
of
negligence,
inattention,
to
give
existence
to
anything
which
He
had
not
willed
for,
out
of
negligence,
inattention,
illness,
or
by
cause
or
nature.

illness,
or
by
cause
or
nature. 9) It
is
also
impossible
that
All Allāh
llāh
should
be
characterized
by
ignorance,
or
lack
of
knowledge
of
any
matter.
It
is
further
impossible
that
All knowledge
of
any
matter.
It
is
further
impossible
that
A llāh
sho llāh
should
be
characterized
by: āh
should
be
characterized
by:
uld
be
characterized
by:
10) Death,



Death,



11) Deafness,

Deafness,

12) Blindness,
or
Blindness,
or
Speech, or
that
His
Speech
would
consist
of
letters,
sounds,
language,
or
be
13) Lack
of
Speech,
something
sequential.

The
opposites
of
the
“Attributes
pertaining
to
Meanings”
are
obvious
from
the
above.
The
opposites
of
the
“Attributes
pertaining
to
Meanings”
are
obvious
from
the
above.

As
for
the
possible,
that
which
may
be
true
of
All As
,
that
which
may
be
true
of
Allāh,
it
is
doing
anything
possible
or
not
doing
it. llāh,
it
is
doing
anything
possible
or
not
doing
it.
āh,
it
is
doing
anything
possible
or
not
doing
it.

The
proofs
of
All The
proofs
of
Allāh’s
attributes llāh’s
attributes
āh’s
attributes
His
attribute
of
existence
His
attribute
of
existence

The
proof
that
All The
proof
that
Allāh
exists
is
the
fact
that
this
world
has
a
beginning. llāh
exists
is
the
fact
that
this
world
has
a
beginning.
Anything
with
a
beginning
āh
exists
is
the
fact
that
this
world
has
a
beginning. must
have
been
brought
into
existence,
and
it
could
neither
have
created
itself
before
it
existed,
nor
have
come
into
existence
without
something
bringing
it
into
existence.
It
follows
then
that
it
must
have
a
creator.



The
judgment
of
the
intellect
concerning
both
the
existence
and
non- The
judgment
of
the
intellect
concerning
both
the
existence
and
non-existence
of
the
world
are
existence
of
the
world
are
equal,
equal, as
both
are
merely
possible
(not
true
by
necessity).

The
existence
of
the
world
thus
clearly
indicates
that
there
absolutely
must
be
something
(not
inherent
in
it)
that
has
power
allowing
it
to
override
its
non- non-existence.

Otherwise
Otherwise
one
would
be
saying
that
one
possibility
17 al-Sanūsiyya absurd.
Consequently,
it
absolutely
must
be
overrode
the
other
without
a
reason,
and
that
is
absurd. true
that
the
world
has
a
Creator,
for
it
has
come
into
existence
after
non-existence
and
didn’t
create
itself.

It
is
central
to
our
proof
of
Allāh’s
existence
to
prove
that
the
world
has
a
beginning.

Let
us
define
the
world
as
everything
that
exists
other
than
Allāh

.

The
world
is
obviously
composed
of
many
components
each
of
which
must
have
a
beginning.

To
see
this,
consider
the
fact
that
the
world
is
constantly
changing,
these
components
move,
grow,
die,
etc.

It
is
our
thesis
that
everything
that
changes
must
have
a
beginning.

Scholars
have
mentioned
several
proofs
to
this.



One
proof
is
to
consider
the
statement,
“you
need
10
steps
to
reach
that
wall,”
which
means
it
is
not
impossible
to
reach
the
wall.
As
for
the
statement,
“you
need
infinite
steps
to
reach
that
wall,”
it
means
that
reaching
the
wall
is
impossible,
as
it
is
impossible
to
finish
infinite
steps
before
reaching
the
wall.
Similar
to
this
is
the
one
who
claims
that
the
world
has
no
beginning,
for
it
would
be
like
saying
it
takes
infinite
events
to
reach
the
present
moment,
which
is
a
contradiction
and
thus
impossible.36
Hence
we
know
by
the
worlds
adherence
to
incidental
characteristics
(‘Arañ),
such
as
movement,
and
stillness
and
others,
that
the
world
itself
must
characteristics
( have
a
beginning,
because
what
adheres
to
events,
whatever
has
a
beginning,

must
itself
be
an
have
a
beginning,
because
what
adheres
to
events,
event.
The
proof
that
incidental
characteristics
have
a
beginning
is
by
observing
its
adherence
event.
The
proof
that
incidental
characteristics
have
a
beginning
is
by
observing
it s
adherence
to
the
states
of
existence
and
non- to
the
states
of
existence
and
non-existence.
Thus
its
existence
is
merely
a
possibility,
and
needs
existence. a
reason
for
its
existence.

From
the
fact
that
the
world
has
a
beginning,
we
have
proven
above
that
it
must
have
a
creator,
and
His
name
is
Allāh
in
Arabic.
If
someone
asks
one,
“Who
created
Allāh?”
we
say
Allāh


does
not
have
a
creator,
and
does
not
need
one
as
He
has
no
beginning.

If
someone
then
asks,
“how
can
you
accept
that
Allāh


has
no
beginning,
while
you
do
not
accept
that
the
world
has
no
beginning?”
The
answer
is
that
we
have
shown
that
the
world
has
a
beginning
based
on
the
fact
that
it
changes.
We
do
not
believe,
however,
that
Allāh


changes.
Rather,
we
believe
He
is
One,
and
doesn’t
change
and
has
no
beginning.
His
attribute
of
non His
attribute
of
non- on-beginning
existence
beginning
existence

The
proof
that
All Allāh
llāh
does
not
have
a
beginning
is
that
if
one
believed
All Allāh
llāh
to
have
a
beginning,
then
one
would
believe
Him
to
need
a
creator.
This
proposition
would
either
lead
to
an
argument
that
is
circular,
saying
that
the
Creator
has
a
creator
who
was
created
by
Him,
or
an
argument
that
is
circular, or
one
that
entails
proposing
an
infinite
progression
progression of
creators,
both
of
which
are
absurd.
The
argument
of
infinite
progression
of
creators
is
when
someone
claims
that
the
Creator
has
a
36

Another
way
to
state
this
proof,
is
to
consider
two
points
in
time
far
apart
from
one
another
(for
example,
Noah’s
flood
and
the
present
time).

To
anyone
claiming
the
world
has
no
beginning,
we
say
consider
the
number
(A)
of
discrete
events
and
changes
that
happened
before
Noah’s
flood
and
the
number
(B)
of
events
and
changes
that
happened
before
our
present
time.

Which
number,
A
or
B
is
greater?

Any
two
numbers
absolutely
must
be
equal
or
one
absolutely
must
be
greater
than
the
other.

If
the
world
has
a
beginning
(our
thesis),
it
is
clear
that
the
second
is
greater
than
first.

If
one
claims
the
world
is
without
beginning
(the
counter
thesis),
then
he
cannot
say
that
one
is
greater
than
the
other,
because
both
would
be
infinite
counts
of
the
same
type.

But
he
also
cannot
say
that
they
are
equal,
as
the
second
set
of
events
includes
the
first
set
as
well
as
events
that
happened
after
the
flood.

So
he
cannot
say
that
they
are
equal
nor
can
they
say
one
is
greater
than
the
other,
so
it
is
impossible
that
the
world
would
have
no
beginning
since
it
is
composed
of
events
and
changes.


18 al-Sanūsiyya creator,
who
again
has
a
creator,
who
again
has
a
creator,
and
so
on.
This
infinite
progression
of
claimed
creators
would
have
to
finish
before
the
creation
of
the
world,
and
we
have
already
shown
this
to
be
impossible.

It
would
also
lead
to
saying
that
there
is
more
than
one
god,
which
is
impossible,
because
all
of
these
would
need
each
others
agreement
to
get
their
will.
This
is
weakness,
and
something
with
weakness
does
not
deserve
to
be
worshiped.
Moreover,
it
could
not
have
brought
something
as
awesome
as
the
cosmos
from
non-existence
to
existence.
His
attribute
of
non- His
attribute
of
non-ending
existence
ending
existence

As
for
the
proof
for
All As
for
the
proof
for
A llāh’s
non llāh’s
non- āh’s
non-ending
existence,
it
is
based
on
the
fact
that
if
He
was
not
non ending
existence,
it
is
based
on
the
fact
that
if
He
was
not
non-- have
an
ending. There
is
no
third
option.

This
would
be
equivalent
to
ending
then
he
would
have
an
ending.
claiming
that
Allllāh
was
merely
possible
in
existence,
not
absolutely
must
be
existing.
.
But
Allāh
But
anything
that
has
possible
existence
must
have
a
beginning,
and
we
have
already
proved
that
Allāh
llāh
is
without
beginning.
beginning.
Alternatively,
something
that
can
cease
to
exist
can
change,
and
anything
that
changes
must
have
a
beginning,
and
we’ve
already
proven
this
to
be
impossible
for
Allāh

.
His
attribute
of
non- His
attribute
of
non-resemblance
to
creation
resemblance
to
creation

As
for
All As
for
A llāh’s
non llāh’s
non- āh’s
non-resemblance
to
‘events’,
if
He
resembled
events
in
any
way,
then
He
would
also
be
an
event
and
that
is
impossible,
since
He
must
be
without
a
beginning
or
an
end,
as
earlier. What
all
events
have
in
common
is
a
beginning,
and
since
Allāh


has
no
shown
earlier.
beginning,
He
does
not
resemble
created
things
in
any
way.
His
attribute
of
self- His
attribute
of
self-existence
existence

As
for
All Allāh’s
llāh’s
self-existence,
it
means
that
Allāh


has
no
need
of
anything
else
in
order
to
self-existence, exist,
neither
something
to
be
in
nor
someone
to
give
Him
specification.
This
is
unlike
attributes
of
creation
which
need
something
to
be
in,
such
as
whiteness,
pain,
or
motion;
they
all
require
an
object
in
which
to
exist.

Allāh


however
is
not
an
attribute
(hence
it
would
be
blasphemous
to
refer
to
Allāh


as
al-quwwat
al-khāliqa,
the
creating
force).

All
this
is
understood
from
“self-existence.”

The
proof
of
All The
proof
of
Allāh’s
self llāh’s
self- āh’s
self-existence
is
that
if
He
needed
something
to
be
in,
then
He
would
be
an
existence
is
that
if
He
needed
something
to
be
in,
then
He
would
be
an
attribute.
This
is
because
attributes
need
something
to
be
in.
That
is,
attributes
need
the
thing
attribute. that
they
are
an
attribute
of.

Moreover,
an
“Attribute
of
Meaning,”
Meaning,” such
as
power
or
knowledge,

is
not
attributed
with
“Attributes
of
Meanings”
Meanings,” such
as
being
powerful
or
Meanings”
or
“
Attributes
pertaining
to
Meanings,”
being
knowledgeable,

and
All and
Allāh
must
be
attributed
with
“Attributes
of
Meanings”. āh
must
be
attributed
with
“Attributes
of
Meanings”.
He
is
not
an
llāh
must
be
attributed
with
“Attributes
of
Meanings”. attribute,
because
attributes
of
meanings,
such
as
knowledge,
power,
or
will,
cannot
be
attributed
with
attributes
of
meanings.
For
example,
you
cannot
say
that
power
has
will
or
knowledge,
or
that
power
is
knowledgeable.
It
is
therefore
impossible
that
Allāh


should
be
an
attribute,
since
He
is
necessarily
attributed
with
power,
will
and
knowledge.

The
reason
why
it
impossible
for
attributes
of
meaning
to
be
attributed
with
attributes
of
meanings,
is
that
if
you
say
that
knowledge
is
an
attribute
of
another
knowledge,
then
you
are
19 al-Sanūsiyya saying
that
the
latter
can
be
the
attribute
of
yet
another
knowledge
and
so
on.
In
other
words,
it
leads
necessarily
to
saying
that
infinite
progression
coming
to
an
end
is
possible.
Since
infinite
progression
coming
to
an
end
is
not
possible,
we
know
that
attributes
of
meaning
cannot
be
attributed
with
attributes
of
meaning.

Moreover,
if
He
needed
someone
to
give
Him
specification,
then
he
would
have
a
beginning. give
Him
specification,
then
he
would
have
a
beginning.
,
then
he
would
have
a
beginning. After
all,
the
specification
has
to
happen
at
some
point
in
time,
and
cannot
be
without
a
beginning.
It
is
impossible
that
He
should
have
a
beginning,
as
shown
earlier. It
is
impossible
that
He
should
have
a
beginning,
as
shown
earlier.

It
is
impossible
that
He
should
have
a
beginning,
as
shown
earlier.
The
proof
of
All The
proof
of
Allāh’s
self llāh’s
self- āh’s
self-existence
is
that
any
attribute
of
creation
must
have
a
beginning,
but
existence
is
that
any
attribute
of
creation
must
have
a
beginning,
but
Allāh
has
no
beginning
so
He
cannot
be
an
attribute
of
creation. āh
has
no
beginning
so
He
cannot
be
an
attribute
of
creation.
We
believe
that
Allāh


exists
llāh
has
no
beginning
so
He
cannot
be
an
attribute
of
creation. and
has
attributes;
He
is
not
His
attributes,
nor
is
He
other
than
His
attributes,
nor
are
His
attributes
part
of
Him.

Allāh’s
self-existence
also
entails
that
He
does
not
need
someone
who
gives
specification
(i.e.
gives
characteristics),
for
that
would
mean
that
Allāh


changed
when
specified,
which
is
impossible.





His
attribute
of
Oneness
His
attribute
of
Oneness

As
for
the
proof
of
All As
for
the
proof
of
Allāh’s
Oneness:
if
He
was
not
One llāh’s
Oneness:
if
He
was
not
One,
then
nothing
of
the
world
could
exist
āh’s
Oneness:
if
He
was
not
One,
then
nothing
of
the
world
could
exist
because
He
would
be
weak.
If
one
claimed
that
more
than
one
‘creator’
existed,
it
would
mean
because
He
would
be
weak. both
were
in
need
of
one
another.

For
if
one
of
them
willed
something
to
be,
and
the
other
willed
for
it
not
to
be,
whose
will
would
be
fulfilled?
If
only
one
of
their
wills
is
fulfilled,
it
would
mean
the
other
is
not
a
true
creator.

The
only
way
for
both
their
wills
to
be
fulfilled
is
for
them
to
agree
as
to
what
is
to
be,
in
which
case,
they
are
both
in
need
of
each
other’s
agreement.

This
would
mean
that
neither
is
truly
the
Creator,
who
we’ve
proven
above
to
be
not
in
need
of
anything.
His
attributes
of
Power,
Will,
Knowledge
and
Life
His
attributes
of
Power,
Will,
Knowledge
and
Life

As
for
All Allāh’s
llāh’s
Power,
Will,
Knowledge,
and
Life,
it
is
clear
that
if
it
were
not
for
these
attributes,
nothing
in
the
universe
would
have
come
into
existence.

attributes,
nothing
in
the
universe
would
have
come
into
existence.

His
attributes
of
Hearing,
Sight
and
Speech
His
attributes
of
Hearing,
Sight
and
Speech

As
for
All As
for
A llāh’s
Hearing,
Sight
and
Speech,
we
believe
in
them
because
they
are
clearly
stated
in
llāh’s
Hearing,
Sight
and
Speech,
we
believe
in
them
because
they
are
clearly
stated
in
the
Qur’ān,
ad the
Qur’ān,
adīthsīths,
and
there
is
ijmā’‘(scholarly
consensus)
on
that.
In
addition,
if
He
was
not
adīths,
and
there
is
attributed
with
them,
then
He
would
have
been
attributed
with
their
opposites,
which
is
a
weakness,
and
this
is
impossible.
For
example,
the
one
who
does
not
hear
is
deaf,
which
is
an
weakness,
and
this
is
impossible. attribute
of
imperfection
and
neediness,
which
is
impossible
for
Allāh

.
The
other
two
attributes
are
similarly
proved
to
be
necessary.

Here
it
is
important
to
note
that
all
the
above
attributes,
which
we
have
described
using
the
same
words
which
are
used
to
describe
attributes
of
creation,
have
nothing
in
common
with
the
attributes
of
creation.
Again,
the
words
are
the
same,
but
the
meanings
are
totally
different.

Also
regarding
our
attributes,
we
may
say
“we
can
hear,”
for
example,
but
we
may
only
say
“Allāh
hears,”
for
the
opposite
is
impossible.
Moreover,
our
speech,
for
example,
is
nothing
like
Allāh’s
Speech,
as
our
speech
has
a
beginning
and
an
end
and
is
composed
of
parts
such
as
letters,
words,
and
sentences
in
sequence.

20 al-Sanūsiyya Our
speech
is
an
ability,
and
a
possibility,
whereas
Allāh’s
attribute
of
Speech
is
an
attribute
of
perfection
and
necessity.
Therefore
it
is
not
allowed
to
say
that
Allāh
can
speak,
but
one
must
say
instead
that
Allāh
is
attributed
with
Speech,
and
that
it
has
neither
beginning,
nor
end,
nor
is
it
composed
of
parts,
nor
does
it
have
sequence,
and
has
nothing
in
common
with
our
attribute
of
speech.

Allāh’s
Speech
is
not
sound,
as
our
speech
is,
but
it
is
possible
that
Allāh
remove
our
inability
to
hear
His
Speech
so
we
would
hear
it
and
understand
from
it
what
He
has
willed
for
us
to
understand.

Beyond
this,
we
are
not
required
to,
and
if
fact
cannot,
know
Allāh’s
attributes.



It
is
important
to
note
here
that
it
would
be
prohibited
to
claim
any
attribute
for
Allāh


which
is
not
mentioned
in
the
Qur’ān,
adīth,
or
agreed
upon
by
ijmā‘
(scholarly
consensus).
But
all
the
above
words,
or
their
meanings,
are
mentioned
in
the
above
three
sources,
so
they
are
permissible
to
use,
as
long
as
we
do
not
confuse
them
with
human
attributes
with
the
same
names.

Non-Arabic
expressions
can
be
used
to
refer
to
attributes
of
Allāh

,
but
only
after
making
sure
that
the
meaning
is
equivalent
to
the
permitted
Arabic
expression.
This
is
not,
however,
enough
alone.
One
must
also
make
sure
that
there
is
no
connotation
of
impoliteness
in
using
the
word
for
Allāh

,
and
that
it
is
not
confusing
or
misleading
so
that
someone
might
think
it
means
something
that
does
not
befit
Allāh

.
In
addition,
it
must
carry
the
sense
of
awe
and
glorification.

Having
said
that,
it
should
be
known
that
there
are
two
views
on
what
is
allowed
to
say
about
Allāh


and
what
is
not.
The
first
is
that
if
the
word
used
has
a
meaning
that
is
known
by
reason
to
be
true
of
Allāh

,
then
it
is
allowed
to
use
it.
This
is
the
saying
of
the
great
Imam
al- Bāqillānī,37
the
leader
of
the
Sunni
Muslims
in
his
time.

The
second
is
that
this
is
only
in
the
case
of
attributes,
but
not
in
names;
names
can
only
be
stated
as
narrated
in
the
Qur’ān,
highly
authenticated
Prophetic
statements,
or
as
agreed
by
scholarly
consensus.
When
such
a
narration
exists
it
means
it
has
permission
for
utterance.
This
37
Muammad
ibn
al-Ţayyib
ibn
Muammad
ibn
Ja‘far,
Abū
Bakr
al-Bāqillānī,
al-QāVī
al-Bāqillānī
(338
h.
-
403
h.)
was
the
head
of
the
Ash‘arīs

of
his
time.
He
wrote
many
books,
some
of
which
are
in
print.
(Source:
al-A‘lām).
al-Dhahabī
in
his
“Tārīkh
al-Islām”
V.
28,
P.
89
relates
that
al-Bāqillānī
was
once
sent
by
the
Muslim
ruler
to
debate
the
Christian
scribes
of
the
Roman
Emperor.
When
he
arrived
to
the
emperor’s
hall
they
had
made
the
entrance
to
the
emperor
very
low,
to
the
extent
that
one
had
to
bow
down
in
order
to
enter.
Al-Bāqillānī
realized
that
it
was
a
trick
to
make
him
bow
to
the
emperor,
so
he
turned
and
entered
back-end
first.
Once
there,
he
turned
to
one
of
the
monks
and
said,
“How
are
the
wife
and
kids?”
Astonished,
the
emperor
replied,
“Do
you
not
know
that
the
monk
elevates
himself

from
having
a
wife
or
kids?”
Al-Bāqillānī
closed
his
trap
by
quickly
replying:
“You
consider
him
above
this,
but
you
do
not
consider
Allāh


to
be
clear
of
and
above
having
a
female
companion
and
child?”
He
was
also
mockingly
asked,
“What
happened
to
Ā’isha?”
They
were
referring
to
the
time
that
she,
the
Prophet’s
wife,
was
accused
by
the
hypocrites
of
having
been
unfaithful.
They
wanted
to
make
him
lose
his
temper
by
their
insinuations.
Al-Bāqillānī
answered:
“As
what
happened
to
Maryam.
(They
were
both
accused
of
adultery),
then
they
were
both
declared
innocent
by
Allāh,
and
Maryam
brought
a
baby,
while
Ā’isha
did
not.”
They
could
find
no
response
to
this,
because
he
had
shown
them
that
permitting

the
slander
of
Ā’isha
would
imply
permitting
ugly
and
heretical
slander
of
Maryam
even
more.
21 al-Sanūsiyya is
the
saying
of
most
leaders
of
the
Sunnis,
including
al-Ghazālī38
and
al-Fakhr
al-Rāzī39.
They
said
it
is
only
because
of
scholarly
consensus
we
know
that
it
is
allowed
to
translate
the
name
of
Allāh
to
languages
such
as
Persian
and
Turkish.40
Other
Arabic
names
of
Allāh
cannot
be
translated,
because
there
is
no
consensus.

Both
schools
agreed
that
using
another
utterance
than
those
narrated,
must
not
be
misleading,
and
must
give
a
sense
of
glorification.
Al-Fakhr
al-Rāzī
said
that
there
are
three
types
of
words
that
indicate
attributes:
First,
those
that
indicate
without
question
what
is
true
of
Allāh

,
either
by
themselves
only,
in
certain
contexts
only,
or
absolutely.
Second,
those
that
indicate
without
question
what
is
not
true
of
Allāh

.
Third,
those
that
indicate
an
attribute
true
of
Allāh

,
but
have
another
meaning
that
is
not.

If
an
utterance
in
the
second
category
is
narrated
in
the
Qur’ān
or
highly
authentic
adīths,
apparently
referring
to
Allāh

,
then
it
is
not
allowed
to
utter
it
except
exactly
as
narrated;
identical
utterance,
and
identical
context.
It
is
not
allowed
to
use
a
derived
form
of
the
narrated
utterance.
Moreover,
it
is
forbidden
to
understand
utterances
of
this
kind
literally.
They
should
be
understood
as
figures
of
speech
meaning
something
other
than
their
literal
meaning.
Examples
are
words
like
nazala,
which’s
literal
meaning
is
“to
descend”,
or
jā’
which’s
literal
meaning
is
“to
come”,
or
șūra,
which’s
literal
meaning
is
“form”.
To
understand
these
literally
when
referring
to
Allāh


Himself
is
blasphemy
without
question,
because
movement
and
form
need
place
and
specification,
and
Allāh


does
not
need
anything.

If
an
utterance
of
the
third
category
is
narrated,
then
it
is
only
allowed
to
use
it
as
narrated.
One
cannot
use
derivatives
of
it.
For
example,
in
the
Qur’ān
it
is
mentioned
that
Allāh


does
something
called
yastahzi’
to
the
hypocrites.
The
word
yastahzi’
means
literally
“to
deceive/dupe”,
but
it
has
another
meaning
meant
here,
which
is
that
the
hypocrites
will
be
38
Abū
āmid
al-Ghazālī
(450-505
Hijrī)
was
nicknamed
ujjat
al-Islām
for
his
brilliant
scholarship,
particularly
in
defending
the
Islamic
Belief
against
deviations.
He
was
initially
one
of
the
students
of
Imām
al-aramayn
al-Juwaynī,
but
quickly
raised
in
the
ranks
of
scholarship.
He
gained
a
reputation
as
a
brilliant
scholar
and
started
authored
books
already
in
al-Juwaynī’s
time.
He
stayed
with
his
teacher
until
he
died.
After
that
he
traveled
to
Baghdad
and
was
made
in
charge
of
the
prestigious
Niţhāmiyya
school
by
it’s
founder,
the
minister
Nithām
al-Mulk,
who
was
practically
the
ruler
at
the
time.
He
had
built
this
school
from
the
greatest
scholar
of
the
time
Abū
Isāq
al-Shīrāzī.
Later
al- Ghazālī
left
all
of
that
behind
to
live
an
ascetic
lifestyle
and
became
one
of
the
greatest
scholars
of
Sufism
after
already
having
achieved
that
in
the
sciences
of
belief
and
jurisprudence.
(al-Ziriklī
7/22;
al- Șafadī
1/211-213).
39
Fakhruddīn
al-Rāzī
(544-606
Hijri
calendar)
is
by
many
regarded
as
the
greatest
scholar
of
his
time,
and
the
sixth
renewer
of
the
religion,
for
the
beginning
of
the
seventh
century
after
the
Hijrah.
He
is
the
Imām
of
the
scholars
of
the
belief
sciences.
He
devastated
the
deviant
sects
with
his
arguments.
The
anthropomorphists
made
it
their
habit
to
leave
notes
for
him
containing
various
insults.
One
time
a
note
said
that
his
wife
was
an
adulteress.
He
read
the
note
to
the
crowd
and
then
said
(in
summary),
“all
of
this
is
possible,
but
at
least
I
do
not
believe
that
Allāh


is
in
a
place,
which
is
impossible.”
(al-Ziriklī
6/313;
Tājuddīn
al-Subkī
8/81-82;
al-Șafadī
4/176).
40
Perhaps
based
on
this
one
could
argue
that
this
consensus
also
applies
to
translating
Allāh’s
name
to
“God”
in
English.
In
any
case,
necessity
calls
for
going
by
al-Bāqillānī’s
view
on
this
particular
name.
22 al-Sanūsiyya recompensed
for
their
deception.
Despite
this,
it
is
not
allowed
to
use
the
word
mustahzi’,
literally:
“deceiver”
about
Allāh.41

In
conclusion,
the
basis
for
knowing
what
is
allowed
to
say
about
Allāh

,
is
the
revealed
texts,
i.e.
Qur’ān,
highly
authenticated
adīths,
or
scholarly
consensus.
This
can
only
be
learned
through
trustworthy
scholars
who
are
exacting
and
careful
about
their
student’s
beliefs.
What
may
be
true
of
Allāh



What
may
be
true
of
Allāh llāh

Doing
anything
possible,
or
not
doing
it,
is
possible
for
All Doing
anything
possible,
or
not
doing
it,
is
possible
for
A llāh;
the
proof
is
that
otherwise,
the
llāh;
the
proof
is
that
otherwise,
the
possible
would
either
be
absolutely
necessary
or
impossible,
and
this
is
a
contradiction.
That
is,
,
and
this
is
a
contradiction. claiming
otherwise
would
involve
saying
that
this
event
is
a
must,
and
that
is
a
contradiction,
because
an
event
can
only
be
a
possibility.

Furthermore,
for
Allāh


to
be
obliged
to
do
something
or
not
to
do
it
would
be
a
f