The Meaning of Negative, Relational, and Compound Attributes
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Those who deny the attributes do not affirm for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) any affirmative attributes; rather, they affirm for Him only negative or relational attributes, or those compounded from both. What is a negative attribute? What is a relational attribute? And what is one compounded from both?
These innovators say: Indeed, Allah the Exalted is not affirmed to have any affirmative attributes; rather, only relational or negative attributes, or those compounded from both, are affirmed for Him. As for the relational attributes, if we say that He is the Creator,So its meaning is not: that He is described with creation,But its meaning is: that He has a created being, then describing Him with creation is merely a matter of relation.
As for the negative attribute, they say: We do not affirm for Allah anything that is affirmative; we do not affirm for Him (Glorified is He) any knowledge,But we say: rather, we say that Allah is not ignorant,And we do not say: and we do not say that Allah is Hearing, but rather we say that He is not deaf, and so on. They transform the affirmative attributes into negative attributes.And this is the meaning of their statement: They do not affirm anything except relational or negative attributes, or those compounded from both, which they make into negative relational attributes. We ask Allah for well-being.
The negative relational attributes, for example, they say: Indeed, Allah is the Creator,Meaning: He is not incapable of creation, and He is the Creator who has a created being, so they make it a negative relational attribute.
These innovators say: Indeed, Allah the Exalted is not affirmed to have any affirmative attributes; rather, only relational or negative attributes, or those compounded from both, are affirmed for Him. As for the relational attributes, if we say that He is the Creator,So its meaning is not: that He is described with creation,But its meaning is: that He has a created being, then describing Him with creation is merely a matter of relation.
As for the negative attribute, they say: We do not affirm for Allah anything that is affirmative; we do not affirm for Him (Glorified is He) any knowledge,But we say: rather, we say that Allah is not ignorant,And we do not say: and we do not say that Allah is Hearing, but rather we say that He is not deaf, and so on. They transform the affirmative attributes into negative attributes.And this is the meaning of their statement: They do not affirm anything except relational or negative attributes, or those compounded from both, which they make into negative relational attributes. We ask Allah for well-being.
The negative relational attributes, for example, they say: Indeed, Allah is the Creator,Meaning: He is not incapable of creation, and He is the Creator who has a created being, so they make it a negative relational attribute.