The Meaning of the Attribute for Allah (Mighty and Majestic)

The questioner : Where is Allah?

The Shaykh : Regarding the hadith "Where is Allah," what do you have?

The questioner : Our Shaykh, the man wants to ask, meaning about the attributes, the meaning of the word "attributes," and what is the meaning of the attributes? Is the attribute of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) like the attributes of the created beings, or not?

The Shaykh : Far be it from Allah, far be it. Allah says: One, unique, with no partner. We have partners, so we are not Allah, and Allah is not us. Allah is One, the Self-Sufficient. Among His attributes is that people and all created beings turn to Him, and none of them is free from need of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Rather, Allah, as He said in the Noble Qur'an: He did not beget. I am surprised by such a question. Allah did not beget and was not begotten. Among us, it is correct to say of one person that he did not beget and was not begotten. It is an attribute of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): meaning He has no like and no equal, as He said in the other verse: The All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. These are two attributes, two of the perfect, exalted attributes of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So He is All-Hearing. What does All-Hearing mean? It means He is not deaf. If it were said of a person that he is deaf, would that be praise or blame? It is blame. But if it is said that he hears, that is praise. And if it is said that he is All-Hearing, it is even more praise, if the expression is correct, because it is a form of exaggeration. What does All-Hearing mean in the language? It means he hears with very precise hearing. So when the scholars address this divine attribute, what do they say? He hears the scurrying of a black ant on a smooth rock on a dark night. All-Hearing, not just hearing. All-Hearing is an attribute by which a human is never described. And He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. Also, if it is said of a person that he is blind, is that praise or blame? Undoubtedly, it is blame. So its opposite is praise. Thus, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) described Himself in the Noble Qur'an with all attributes of perfection and purified Himself from all attributes of deficiency. Whereas every created being must have many defects. Ask yourselves, and that will suffice you in research and speech on the matter. So it is strange in the extreme that a Muslim man, who perhaps prays and fasts, asks what is the meaning of Allah having an attribute, but not having an attribute! Here, some poets say poetry. Of course, I do not memorize it as we said earlier, but the meaning remains in my mind. He says in the first line that there are two things that have no reality. The second line says: The Phoenix and the loyal friend. These are imagination, having no reality. One of them is the Phoenix. The name Phoenix exists in books of language. What is the Phoenix? They say it is a bird beyond what a human can imagine. If you want to know about this bird and its greatness, read the story of Sindbad the Sailor in One Thousand and One Nights. There you will know the story of this great bird. This bird is like eggs, like the largest dome you see. Its egg is like this. This is imagination.

Another questioner : We hear that this bird, in the story of Solomon, challenged him, and regarding the matter of divine decree and destiny.

The Shaykh : You are mistaken.

The questioner : No problem, but I want to see the extent of the authenticity of the narration. Is it fabricated or is it authentic? But from your presence?

The Shaykh : No, even with its fabrication, you have confused the matter. It is not about the Phoenix, but about the hoopoe or a similar bird that was with Solomon (peace be upon him). It is from the Isra'iliyyat. I heard it is from the Isra'iliyyat. So do not think about it. The important thing is that the Phoenix is an imaginary bird that does not exist, and this is the essence. And Sindbad the Sailor: they claim that the one who fabricated the story is that when this bird comes like thunder in the sky, when it descends on the eggs, which are like the dome, it is imagination within imagination. Now, what is the intent of this speech? The Phoenix is a name in our minds, but does it have an existence? Does it have a reality in the universe? This has no reality. What does this mean? Imagination. So this poet gives an example by saying two things have names but no reality. One is the Phoenix, and the other is the loyal friend, meaning the friend who is faithful to you throughout his life with you. This does not exist, as this poet says. So he attached the loyal friend to the Phoenix. What do I intend from this speech? When the believer believes that this universe has a Creator, is this Creator an imagination like the Phoenix, or is it a reality? Undoubtedly, it is a reality. So this reality, which is the Divine Essence, is it described with attributes or is it not described? It is a strange thing for such a question to be directed. My brother, Allah is Able over all things. This is one of the attributes of Allah. Wise, All-Knowing, and so on. The One who created this entire universe must have the highest attributes and the best names. So I do not think the issue requires more time and explanation than this.