The Oneness of the Attributes

The Shaykh : The presenter:
We regret that our Shaykh (may Allah preserve him) is not present with us in this session, but this is by the decree and destiny of Allah, so we
are pleased with what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has decreed, and he (may Allah preserve him) has entrusted us to continue our discussion that we began in the morning
regarding tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and to speak about the third point, which is tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes). Before I begin with tawhid
al-asma' wa al-sifat, I must speak about the method of the Qur'an first. You know that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) sent the messengers with guidance
and the religion of truth, and sent them to convey the message to people and to command people to worship Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). We have come to know Allah (Blessed and
Exalted is He) through Himself in His Book and on the tongue of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Originally, the obligatory duty for
the believer—the first obligatory duty for a human being—is to believe in what the Messenger of Allah brought. So the first thing required of a human being
is to believe in the messages and to believe in the books of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). It is not required of a human being to look
first to ascertain the existence of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and then to believe, as many of the scholars of kalam (theology) think. Rather, what is commanded is to believe in what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) brought before anything else, because
the existence of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is ingrained in the fitrah (the innate natural disposition). And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in many verses and in many
surahs (chapters) has not made it clear to us (Blessed and Exalted is He) that it is obligatory for us to look first to arrive at the existence of Allah
(Mighty and Majestic). No, rather He presents the verses and addresses the fitrah of man in them, because this is a self-evident truth among all
human beings, even among the Arabs of the jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic age of ignorance), as our Shaykh mentioned and spoke about this in the morning. Even among
the Christians and the Jews, and among all nations, they all acknowledge the existence of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). The one who denied the existence
of the Creator, the existence of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), was Pharaoh (may the curse of Allah be upon him), and yet he was certain of it in his own soul.
The Creator is the existence of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and he is Pharaoh (may the curse of Allah be upon him), yet he is certain of it in his own soul.
So, affirming the Creator is innate in the fitrah, and there is no need
is to remind first, to remind of the creation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) by the many verses of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) scattered throughout this
universe. And it naturally begins in ourselves. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says regarding the creation of man, there are many verses, and very many indeed.
the universe, and naturally it begins in our souls. Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says regarding the creation of man, there are many verses, and very many indeed.
And He also says: This draws attention, addressing the fitrah and addressing the intellect, foretelling from
the creators?" So no human being, no matter how oppressive he is, and no matter how immersed he is in disbelief, can say that he is the one who creates this water, and that he is the one who forms it. No, he does not dare, and he cannot claim that at all.
And consequently, he must also submit to the fact that the One who created this water, measured it, and formed it is All-Knowing, Wise, and Able.
And He is Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). So the oneness of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) in terms of creation, or in terms of the existence
of the sacred Self, is ingrained in the fitrah, and we are not in need of the premises that the scholars of kalam resort to.
Rather, we are in need of following the method of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and the method of the Book of Allah (Blessed and
the Sacred Self. This is innate in the fitrah, and we are not in need of the premises to which the scholars of kalam (theology) resort.
of their creation and the origin of their making. And Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) clarifies to them in this verse that they were created from something,
and Exalted in the discussion regarding the existence of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and a single verse, as we say, when we stand upon it, it can
awaken the fitrah, and it can awaken and alert the intellect. It is, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said, This is a challenge from Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to these tyrannical humans, so that they may become aware and think about the origin
in addressing this issue, and the other thing is that the messengers called people to worship Allah (Blessed and
and they are not created from nothing, but rather there is a Power that created them and brought them into existence. So they cannot say that they are the creators, but rather they must submit to the fact that there is a Power
is in the fitrah of people of acknowledgment of His existence (Blessed and Exalted is He), so He called them to worship Him. And if tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship)
includes tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), and the reverse is not the case—tawhid al-rububiyyah does not include tawhid al-uluhiyyah, rather tawhid al-uluhiyyah
encompasses tawhid al-rububiyyah—then one does not become a slave to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in the sense of a willing, obedient slave unless he is acknowledging
a god other than Him. All the messengers came with this word, commanding people to worship Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And this is also a second point, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) relied on what
in His Book and addresses us in many verses to turn to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He) in worship and to single Him out in worship, because He
is the Creator. "Is he who creates like he who does not create?" The Creator is the one who deserves to be worshipped, and as for other than the Creator, He does
not deserve that we turn to Him in worship. And therefore we find many verses in the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) speaking about tawhid al-uluhiyyah
more than they speak about tawhid al-rububiyyah. Why? Because tawhid al-rububiyyah, as we said, is ingrained in
the fitrah. And those who denied it, even they denied it while being certain of it. And when Musa (peace be upon him) said to Pharaoh, who
He is the Creator. Is one who creates like one who does not create? The Creator is the one who deserves to be worshipped, whereas the non-creator does not
these verses: "Lord of the heavens and the earth, with insight for people, guidance and light." So this Pharaoh, the denier, even so,
how did Musa address him? He did not come to him with premises and proofs, but rather he addressed him and clarified to him that he is lying, and that what
he is certain of in his own soul, and what he knows with true knowledge, is that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is the One who sent down these verses
denied the existence of Allah the Exalted. He sent down
what had settled in his soul: "Lord of the heavens and the earth, if you are certain." So what did Pharaoh claim at that time? He said, "Your
So how does Moses address him? He does not come to him with premises and proofs, but rather he addresses him and makes it clear to him that he is lying, and that the one who
and the intellect together, and it is not the method of the scholars of kalam who engage in much speech, and yet it is little
the clear proofs. And also when Pharaoh asked, "And who is the Lord of the worlds?" What did Moses (peace be upon him) answer him? So he did not come to them with many proofs, but rather he addressed his fitrah and addressed
tawhid al-rububiyyah, and in affirming tawhid al-uluhiyyah, and after that in affirming tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
your companion is a madman. He claimed to be mad, so at that time Moses also responded to him, saying: So this shows us Moses' insistence on the principle and on this method that addresses the fitrah
is to understand what came from Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and what came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
It is not the function of the intellect to control the verses of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and divert these verses from their meanings. No,
rather the function of the intellect is to reflect upon and understand the verses of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat: our Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He)
described Himself with attributes in His Book and on the tongue of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). So it is obligatory upon the Muslim to
believe in what Allah (Exalted) described Himself with in His Book and on the tongue of His Messenger, without ta'wil (figurative interpretation), without ta'til (denial of the divine attributes), and without
It is not the function of the intellect to control the verses of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and divert these verses from their meanings. No
verse there is negation and affirmation. In this verse there is the negation of any likeness or equal for Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). There is nothing like Him, so
nothing of His creations resembles Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) at all. There are two existences: the existence of the Creator and the existence of the created.
So everything other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is a created thing, brought into existence after it was not, and Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is the Eternal, and He is
likening. The measure in that is the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): So in this
Exalted is He) what He affirmed for Himself, and not liken his Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) to His creations, and not interpret the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)
Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is not like any of His creations at all. There are two existences: the existence of the Creator and the existence of the created.
So everything other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is a created being, brought into existence after it was not, and Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is the Eternal, and He is
the Possessor of existence (Glorified and Exalted is He), and everything other than Him is created. So the Muslim must affirm for Allah (Blessed
and Exalted what He has affirmed for Himself, and not liken his Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) to His creations, and not interpret the words of Allah (Mighty and Majestic)
They deny the attributes of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) out of fear of likening Him to creation or ascribing a body to Him, as some people claim, and especially
those who deny the divine attributes. As we said, the standard and measure is the statement of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): So in this verse, He affirms for Himself hearing and sight, and denies (Blessed and Exalted is He) any resemblance or similarity
to created things or events. So the one who denies the attributes of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) undoubtedly believes that Allah
(Blessed and Exalted is He) has hearing, and that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has sight. He believes in that, but he does not
believe in the other attributes of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). So we must establish the argument against this person from this verse
and from his belief in the hearing of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and His sight, and likewise in every attribute by which Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) describes Himself. So Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) exists, and He is the One who is, and these created things exist
So those who want to interpret the attributes figuratively and deny the attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to escape likening Him to creation and to escape ascribing a body to Him, if
that necessitates for them the total denial of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), and the reality is that this is what they have fallen into. Why? Because, naturally,
they have been describing Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) with negative attributes. All their speech is negation; there are no positive attributes at all
but only negative attributes. And as if by doing so, they have made Allah (the Exalted) non-existent. So Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says
about those who deny the attributes: "Whoever denies [the attributes] worships a non-existence, and whoever ascribes a body worships an idol." So the interpreters worship a non-existence,
and those who ascribe a body worship an idol. The true believer and the true Muslim is the one who believes in what came from Allah (Blessed
and Exalted is He), affirming what He (the Exalted) affirmed for Himself and denying what Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) denied of Himself. So Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)
exists, and we also exist. So the one who wants to deny the hand, the eye, and the like of what Allah
(Glorified and Exalted is He) described Himself with, and on the tongue of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), it necessitates for him! Or it is said to him: Do you
affirm the existence of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)? He must say, yes, he affirms the existence of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And the human being
exists. Does that imply resemblance and similarity? Allah (the Exalted) is far above that, exalted in a great manner. Likewise, he is asked: Do you affirm
for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) hearing and sight? Do you affirm for Allah knowledge or not? He undoubtedly affirms for Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) such
attributes, and he affirms these are the beautiful names of Allah: The All-Knowing, The All-Powerful, The Wise, The Forbearing, The All-Aware, The All-Hearing, The All-Seeing. And Allah (Mighty
and Majestic) described His servants with that:
And He described the human being as All-Knowing: and described the human being as Forbearing and as Merciful
So these are attributes by which Allah (the Exalted) described His servants, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) described Himself
with these words. There is a verbal condition in these attributes. So Allah is Merciful and the human being is merciful. Allah is All-Knowing
and the human being is knowledgeable. Allah is All-Powerful and the human being is powerful. But this power is not like that power, and this hearing is not like that
hearing, and this sight is not like that sight, and this will is not like that will. So the will of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)
is not like any other will, and likewise His knowledge is not like any other knowledge, and His hearing is not like any other hearing. And say the same for every attribute of
Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). The hand of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not like hands. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said
"The just rulers will be on pulpits of light on the Day of Resurrection, to the right of the Most Merciful." And he said, "Both His hands are right." He affirms for Allah
(Blessed and Exalted is He) two hands, not one hand. But as our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) said: No, both His
hands are outstretched. So we must affirm for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) what He affirmed for Himself. So we say that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has a hand
that is not like hands. And we do not interpret it by saying that the hand of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) here means grace, no, or means power, no. Rather,
we place it on the rule: we say that the hand of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is not like hands, just as His existence is not like the existence
of other created things, and just as His knowledge is not like other knowledge. This, naturally, in brief. Likewise, regarding likening Him to creation,
it is said to the one who likens! The one who ascribes a body to our Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) and likens Him to His creations. This, naturally, he does not have
proof and he does not have evidence. Rather, the Book of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) refute
him. So our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) says, "Nothing is like Him." This is a general denial that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) is not like
any of His creations. We do not need to intervene in the details, but only to believe that Allah (Blessed
and Exalted is He) is not like anything in any of His attributes (Blessed and Exalted is He). So we deny ascribing a body to Allah (Blessed
and Exalted is He), and we deny resemblance to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). But let no one understand from that that if we deny
resemblance and deny likening, and also leave figurative interpretation and leave denial of attributes, that we fall into confusion about our matter, or that
that contradicts the truth. No, rather this is the praiseworthy way, and this is the way of the Book of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)
and the way of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). And we understand in that that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has a real existence and a real essence that has
a real existence outside this universe. We do not say that the Creator and the created are one thing, as those who believe
in the unity of existence say, and that these created things are the very Creator, and that these existents are the very Allah (Blessed
and Exalted is He), and that this universe with everything in it is the essence. Rather, we affirm for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) an independent essence, separate from this
universe, possessing all attributes of perfection, free from all attributes of imperfection, as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)
affirmed for Himself on the tongue of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And the thing I want to say! Or clarify, is what the scholars of
kalam (theology) resorted to: detailed denial, contrary to the way of the Book of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), as we said, general denial. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) denied with a general denial: "Nothing is like Him," and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. But the scholars of kalam
the general. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) denied in a general manner: "There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing." But the scholars of kalam
resorted to detailed denial. And you will see now what the difference is between the verses of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and this knowledge that
they claim is knowledge, which is the knowledge of kalam, and how you find bad manners with Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) in their expressions and in
their saying. The scholars of kalam say: "Because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is not a body, nor a phantom, nor a corpse, nor an image, nor flesh
nor blood, nor a person, nor a substance, nor an accident, nor possessing color, nor smell, nor taste, nor tangible, nor possessing
heat, nor cold, nor moisture, nor dryness, nor length, nor width, nor depth, nor conjunction, nor separation,
nor does He move, nor does He rest. He does not move, even though Allah (the Exalted) says:
And the Messenger (peace be upon him) says that Allah descends to the lowest heaven every night and says, "Is there anyone seeking forgiveness?
So I forgive him." So they say that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) does not descend.
The student :
Is movement derived from this?
The presenter:
We do not say that the descent and coming are like our descent and coming. We do not say that it is movement like our movement. Rather,
it is a descent befitting His Majesty (Blessed and Exalted is He), and His actions (Mighty and Majestic) befit Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), not as we imagine
and as we conceive and suppose. When we say He descends, it necessitates movement. What movement? Like our movement? Meaning
when one of us descends, he moves. The descent of Allah (the Exalted) befits Him with His Majesty and His perfection. And if we say we do
not want to enter into these details, because expressing the truth must be with the prophetic, shari'ah terms,
we are bound by the wording that came from Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So we do not
dare to bring a term that the Shari'ah did not bring in the Book or the Sunnah. So Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) affirmed for Himself descent,
so we affirm for Him descent. And He affirmed for Himself coming, so we affirm for Him coming: So Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) comes. And also in the hadith: "If I come walking, I will come running." So if He walks,
I will come running. So Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) here affirmed for Himself running. Do we deny for Allah (the Exalted) what He affirmed
for Himself? No, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is far above that, exalted in a great manner. So as long as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) described that He has running,
we cannot do anything but affirm that Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has this attribute. But running is not like our running, and coming
is not like our coming, and descent is not like our descent, and rising above is not like our rising above, and so on for every attribute of the attributes of Allah
Blessed and Exalted is He. But here, when these people say that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is not a body, nor a phantom, nor a corpse, nor
an image, nor flesh, nor blood, nor a person, nor a substance, nor an attribute, nor possessing a color, nor a smell, nor a taste, nor
a tangible form, nor possessing heat, nor cold, nor moisture, nor dryness, nor length, nor width, nor depth, nor
assembly, nor separation, nor moving, nor being still, nor being partial, nor possessing parts, nor limbs, nor
organs, nor possessing directions, nor possessing a right, nor a left, nor a front, nor a back, nor an above, nor a below, nor
being in a place, nor time passing over Him, nor contact being possible for Him, nor isolation, nor inhabiting places, nor
being affected by the attributes of creation that indicate their createdness, nor being described as having a limit, nor being affected in area, nor
extending in directions, nor being limited, nor being a father, nor being born. This is, of course, and the measures do not encompass Him, meaning no
father, nor being born. This is a phrase from the Book of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He! And the measures do not encompass Him, nor do the veils conceal Him,
to the end of what Abu al-Hasan transmitted. We have no need to put ourselves in a rabbit hole and follow this
path of negation, saying that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is not above, nor below, not right, nor left, nor back, not
inside the world, nor outside it.