And the negative attributes: those which Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has negated about Himself in His Book, or on the tongue of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)
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The Shaykh : He said "And the negative attributes are those which Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has negated about Himself in His Book, or on the tongue of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and all of them are attributes of deficiency in His right" Everything that Allah has negated about Himself is an attribute of deficiency in His right. Pay attention to this condition, because something may be a perfection in the right of the created being, while it is a deficiency in the right of the Creator. An example of this is death, sleep, ignorance, forgetfulness, inability, and fatigue. These are negated regarding Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Why? Because they are all deficiencies in His right. Death is a deficiency in His right, whereas in the right of the human being, it may be a perfection in the sense that if he is a believer, he moves from good to better. Sleep is a deficiency in the right of Allah, and in the right of the human being, it is a perfection. That is why, when a person is ill, he does not sleep; it is a perfection in his right. But even so, it is a perfection in his right that indicates a deficiency. Glory be to Allah! A proof of perfection that indicates a deficiency. How wonderful. Is that so, Ya Yahya?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Ah, exactly. It indicates that the human being is deficient and needs rest through sleep from past fatigue, and a renewal of energy for future work. As for ignorance and forgetfulness: ignorance is the absence of knowledge, and forgetfulness is forgetting what was known. Which of the two is prior and more appropriate to knowledge? Ignorance is prior, and forgetfulness is subsequent. And inability and fatigue? Inability is the total absence of capability, and fatigue is capability accompanied by fatigue. The opposite of fatigue is strength, and the opposite of inability is capability. So Allah the Exalted is free from these attributes because they are attributes of deficiency.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Ah, exactly. It indicates that the human being is deficient and needs rest through sleep from past fatigue, and a renewal of energy for future work. As for ignorance and forgetfulness: ignorance is the absence of knowledge, and forgetfulness is forgetting what was known. Which of the two is prior and more appropriate to knowledge? Ignorance is prior, and forgetfulness is subsequent. And inability and fatigue? Inability is the total absence of capability, and fatigue is capability accompanied by fatigue. The opposite of fatigue is strength, and the opposite of inability is capability. So Allah the Exalted is free from these attributes because they are attributes of deficiency.