Is it true that istiwaa' is among the intellectual attributes and al-'ulu is among the essential attributes?
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The questioner : Noble Shaykh, it has been said that Allah's rising above the Throne is among the intellectual attributes and His exaltation is among the essential attributes. Is this correct?
The Shaykh : The intellectual attributes are those that the intellect establishes, and the essential attributes are those that are inseparable from the Essence. The correct view is that rising above the Throne is among the action attributes, because Allah said:[Al-A'raf 7:54] The intellect does not lead to this unless Allah informs us of it. If Allah had not informed us of the rising above the Throne, we would not have known that He is above His Throne. The intellectual attributes are established by the intellect alone. For example, Allah's knowledge and power are intellectual attributes, and they are also revealed attributes. But the rising above the Throne is established by pure revealed evidence only, and without that, it would not have been permissible for us to affirm that Allah rose above the Throne. Yes, the intellect indicates the exaltation of Allah the Exalted, but regarding His being above the Throne, we did not know this except through transmission, through revealed evidence. For this reason, when Abu al-'Ala' al-Hamdani spoke, Abu al-Ma'ali al-Juwayni was speaking and saying: "Allah was, and there was nothing" Is this sentence correct? "Allah was, and there was nothing" with Allah, meaning this is correct, because Allah is the First, before whom there is nothing. Then he said: "And He is now as He was" Only geniuses understand this word. By his saying: "And He is now as He was" he intends to deny His rising above the Throne. If He was and there was nothing, the Throne did not exist and nothing existed, and He is now as He was, then He is not above the Throne. So Abu al-'Ala' al-Hamdani said to him: "O Professor, leave us alone from mentioning the Throne" meaning because his evidence is revealed, not intellectual. "But inform us about this necessity that we find in our souls. No one has ever said 'O Allah' but found in his heart a necessity to seek exaltation" Is that right or not? When you say "O Allah," where does your heart go? Not right, not left? It goes upward. This is an innate intellectual proof. So he kept hitting his head and saying: "Al-Hamdani has confused me, he has confused me" because he cannot go against the fitrah. Every person, by his fitrah, when he says "O Lord," his heart is not at ease except toward the sky.
The important point is that the evidence for rising above the Throne is revealed, and the evidence for exaltation is what? It is intellectual. As for the essential attributes, they are those that are inseparable from the Essence of Allah the Exalted, and they are of two types:
Conceptual: such as hearing, sight, knowledge, and power.
And descriptive: the counterpart of the descriptive ones are parts and components for us, such as the face, the hand, and the eye. These are parts and components for us. What are they? Parts and components. But for Allah, you do not say they are parts and components; it is not permissible, because a part or component cannot be absent while its origin exists. The hand of Allah the Exalted, His face, and His eye can never, absolutely not, be separated from Allah the Exalted according to the intellect.
So, what do we say in defining the essential attributes? What are the essential attributes?
The essential attributes: they are those that are inseparable from Allah, such as knowledge, power, hearing, and sight. They are either purely descriptive or conceptual. Hearing, sight, knowledge, and power are conceptual, and the hand, the face, the eye, and their like are descriptive attributes. It is not permissible for you to say they are parts. It is forbidden for you regarding Allah, absolutely. But their counterpart for us are parts: the hand of a man is a part, his face is a part of his body, his eye is likewise. So these essential attributes, if they are conceptual, and what comes after? And the descriptive ones. Yes.
The Shaykh : The intellectual attributes are those that the intellect establishes, and the essential attributes are those that are inseparable from the Essence. The correct view is that rising above the Throne is among the action attributes, because Allah said:
Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne
إن ربكم الله الذي خلق السماوات والأرض في ستة أيام ثم استوى على العرشThe important point is that the evidence for rising above the Throne is revealed, and the evidence for exaltation is what? It is intellectual. As for the essential attributes, they are those that are inseparable from the Essence of Allah the Exalted, and they are of two types:
Conceptual: such as hearing, sight, knowledge, and power.
And descriptive: the counterpart of the descriptive ones are parts and components for us, such as the face, the hand, and the eye. These are parts and components for us. What are they? Parts and components. But for Allah, you do not say they are parts and components; it is not permissible, because a part or component cannot be absent while its origin exists. The hand of Allah the Exalted, His face, and His eye can never, absolutely not, be separated from Allah the Exalted according to the intellect.
So, what do we say in defining the essential attributes? What are the essential attributes?
The essential attributes: they are those that are inseparable from Allah, such as knowledge, power, hearing, and sight. They are either purely descriptive or conceptual. Hearing, sight, knowledge, and power are conceptual, and the hand, the face, the eye, and their like are descriptive attributes. It is not permissible for you to say they are parts. It is forbidden for you regarding Allah, absolutely. But their counterpart for us are parts: the hand of a man is a part, his face is a part of his body, his eye is likewise. So these essential attributes, if they are conceptual, and what comes after? And the descriptive ones. Yes.