Is it obligatory for every Muslim to learn and know all the names and attributes and their meanings, especially if he is ignorant and cannot read or write?

The questioner : He says: Is it obligatory for every Muslim to learn and know all the names and attributes and their meanings, especially if he is ignorant and cannot read or write?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is obligatory to know Allah (Mighty and Majestic) as He has described Himself, but not in the manner that every scholar must know Him. Rather, one should take the summary; that is, one should take the creed of the common people. What did Allah say regarding this old dispute between the Salafis and the Khalafis? Is Allah above or below? No, above. This is what every Muslim should know. Allah said in the Qur'an that He comes, and Allah said that. And remove from yourself the likening of Allah to creation that these claimants of knowledge instill in you. Submit to the transcendence of Allah by listening to the previous verse , and Surat al-Ikhlas . When the common Muslim reads this verse, he must pass over it without understanding what "there is none comparable to Him" means! He must understand that He has no likeness, no counterpart, and no equal. This is the meaning of the verse. As for delving into these studies, which are in reality most like the science of theology (kalam), this is not obligatory for the common person or any Muslim. But above all, he must devote himself to believing in what came in the Book of Allah and in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then, as a second step, he should believe that whenever he reads a verse and its meaning is difficult for him to understand, he should ask the people of knowledge, as He (the Exalted) said: . And he should not ask from the people of knowledge except as indicated in the same verse, that they be from the people of remembrance. The people of remembrance are the people of the Qur'an, not those who dance in remembrance. The people of remembrance are the people of the Qur'an, and the people of the Qur'an are none but those who call all Muslims, when they differ in a matter, to return to the Book of Allah, to the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and to the methodology of the righteous Salaf.