Calling upon the attributes of Allah, such as “O Hand of Allah”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. You mentioned, may Allah preserve you, that it is permissible to seek nearness to Allah through His names and attributes. So, is it permissible for a person to say?
The Shaykh:
It is permissible; rather, it is recommended to seek nearness to Allah through His names and attributes. Yes.
The questioner:
Is it permissible for a person to say “O Hand of Allah,” considering it to be one of the attributes of Allah?
The Shaykh:
No, there is no occasion for it. I say “O Allah.” Why do you say “O Hand of Allah”? The attribute is not addressed; it is not addressed. It is not permissible to address the attribute. So one does not say “O Face of Allah,” “O Hand of Allah,” “O Knowledge of Allah,” or “O Speech of Allah.” It is not permissible. The one who is addressed is the one described, which is Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), and one seeks nearness to Him through the attribute.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. You mentioned, may Allah preserve you, that it is permissible to seek nearness to Allah through His names and attributes. So, is it permissible for a person to say?
The Shaykh:
It is permissible; rather, it is recommended to seek nearness to Allah through His names and attributes. Yes.
The questioner:
Is it permissible for a person to say “O Hand of Allah,” considering it to be one of the attributes of Allah?
The Shaykh:
No, there is no occasion for it. I say “O Allah.” Why do you say “O Hand of Allah”? The attribute is not addressed; it is not addressed. It is not permissible to address the attribute. So one does not say “O Face of Allah,” “O Hand of Allah,” “O Knowledge of Allah,” or “O Speech of Allah.” It is not permissible. The one who is addressed is the one described, which is Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), and one seeks nearness to Him through the attribute.
Source
شرح قرة عيون الموحدين في تحقيق دعوة الأنبياء والمرسلين، باب قول الله - تعالى - : { وَلِلَّهِ الأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ } — islamhouse.com (1:07:12)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.