Permissibility of using a shared name
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Fatwa No. ( 8911 ):
Q: It is an honor for me to address your Eminence in my humble letter, as I am speaking to one of the most famous Islamic figures in our Islamic world and beyond. I hope your great heart will be broad enough to read these lines. May Allah grant you abundant thanks and gratitude, and may He reward you with good for us. (The Possessor of Majesty and Honor) is one of the beautiful names of Allah, signifying the exaltation of Allah above all things and His purification from them. I have read a letter sent by your Eminence to the Saudi King, in which you began by saying: (His Majesty the King). Do you not agree with me that majesty belongs to Allah alone, and that "King" is one of His beautiful names, which is not permissible to use for any person, regardless of their status or personality? We ask your Eminence to clarify this so that Muslims do not fall into sin by attributing to people these qualities that Allah has reserved for Himself alone, except for (the Merciful, the Compassionate), which is a description of our Master Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). At the same time, I came across in my hands, while browsing (Al-Majallah al-'Arabiyyah) in its issue (89), a letter of thanks from Professor Muhammad al-Nuwayseer , head of the private office of the Saudi King, to those responsible for
publishing the magazine, in which he begins his letter by saying: (I have received the letter sent by His Majesty our King, may Allah preserve him, along with the issues of the magazine...). Do you agree with me in this as well, regarding his saying: His Majesty our King?
A: Many names are shared between Allah the Exalted and His other creations in wording and in the general mental concept. They are applied to Allah with a meaning specific to Him that befits His majesty, and applied to the created being with a meaning specific to it that befits it. For example, it is said: Allah is forbearing , and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) the Intimate Friend is forbearing, but the forbearance of Ibrahim is not like the forbearance of Allah. Allah is the Merciful, the Compassionate, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Merciful, the Compassionate, but the mercy and compassion of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) are not like the mercy and compassion of Allah toward His creation. Allah the Exalted is Majestic, Generous, the Possessor of Majesty and Honor in an absolute sense. Every prophet is generous and majestic, but the majesty and generosity of every prophet are not like the majesty and generosity of the other prophets, nor are they like the majesty and generosity of Allah. Rather, each of majesty and generosity has what is specific to it. Allah the Exalted is Living, and many of His creations are living, but their life is not like the life of Allah the Exalted. Allah, Glorified is He, is the Master of His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), of Jibril, and of the righteous believers, but what Jibril and the righteous believers have of that is not like what Allah has of lordship and victory for His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)... and so on, from the many examples mentioned in the Book of Allah and the established Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This does not necessitate likening the created to the Creator in name, attribute, or style of speech,
nor does the context in which these terms are used indicate a difference between the perfection that belongs to Allah in His names and attributes and what belongs to the created beings, which is limited and befits them. Read this in the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with reflection and careful consideration, and the matter will become clear to you and the difficulty will be removed, by the might and power of Allah. Then refer to what the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned at the beginning of his letter [al-Tamimiyyah], for he has given the subject its due. And success is from Allah. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Q: It is an honor for me to address your Eminence in my humble letter, as I am speaking to one of the most famous Islamic figures in our Islamic world and beyond. I hope your great heart will be broad enough to read these lines. May Allah grant you abundant thanks and gratitude, and may He reward you with good for us. (The Possessor of Majesty and Honor) is one of the beautiful names of Allah, signifying the exaltation of Allah above all things and His purification from them. I have read a letter sent by your Eminence to the Saudi King, in which you began by saying: (His Majesty the King). Do you not agree with me that majesty belongs to Allah alone, and that "King" is one of His beautiful names, which is not permissible to use for any person, regardless of their status or personality? We ask your Eminence to clarify this so that Muslims do not fall into sin by attributing to people these qualities that Allah has reserved for Himself alone, except for (the Merciful, the Compassionate), which is a description of our Master Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). At the same time, I came across in my hands, while browsing (Al-Majallah al-'Arabiyyah) in its issue (89), a letter of thanks from Professor Muhammad al-Nuwayseer , head of the private office of the Saudi King, to those responsible for
publishing the magazine, in which he begins his letter by saying: (I have received the letter sent by His Majesty our King, may Allah preserve him, along with the issues of the magazine...). Do you agree with me in this as well, regarding his saying: His Majesty our King?
A: Many names are shared between Allah the Exalted and His other creations in wording and in the general mental concept. They are applied to Allah with a meaning specific to Him that befits His majesty, and applied to the created being with a meaning specific to it that befits it. For example, it is said: Allah is forbearing , and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) the Intimate Friend is forbearing, but the forbearance of Ibrahim is not like the forbearance of Allah. Allah is the Merciful, the Compassionate, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Merciful, the Compassionate, but the mercy and compassion of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) are not like the mercy and compassion of Allah toward His creation. Allah the Exalted is Majestic, Generous, the Possessor of Majesty and Honor in an absolute sense. Every prophet is generous and majestic, but the majesty and generosity of every prophet are not like the majesty and generosity of the other prophets, nor are they like the majesty and generosity of Allah. Rather, each of majesty and generosity has what is specific to it. Allah the Exalted is Living, and many of His creations are living, but their life is not like the life of Allah the Exalted. Allah, Glorified is He, is the Master of His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), of Jibril, and of the righteous believers, but what Jibril and the righteous believers have of that is not like what Allah has of lordship and victory for His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)... and so on, from the many examples mentioned in the Book of Allah and the established Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This does not necessitate likening the created to the Creator in name, attribute, or style of speech,
nor does the context in which these terms are used indicate a difference between the perfection that belongs to Allah in His names and attributes and what belongs to the created beings, which is limited and befits them. Read this in the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with reflection and careful consideration, and the matter will become clear to you and the difficulty will be removed, by the might and power of Allah. Then refer to what the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned at the beginning of his letter [al-Tamimiyyah], for he has given the subject its due. And success is from Allah. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.