Is al-Witr one of the names of Allah or one of His attributes?
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The questioner : The honorable Shaykh, the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Ibn Majah 1169Da’if (Darussalam) Is this one of the names of Allah or one of His attributes?
The Shaykh : It is possible that it is one of the names of Allah, and it is possible that it is not, because some scholars mentioned a rule, saying: What comes with the definite article (al) is one of the names of Allah, and what does not come with the definite article is one of the attributes of Allah. And some scholars say: Every attribute of Allah by which the Messenger described his Lord is a name. The answer is based on this: If we say that the names of Allah are those accompanied by the definite article (al), then I do not know al-Witr to have come accompanied by the definite article. And if we say: Everything that Allah affirmed for Himself, or that the Messenger affirmed for Him, whether with the definite article (al) or without it, is a name, then we say that al-Witr is one of the names of Allah, and Allah knows best.
The questioner : ... every attribute ...
The Shaykh : other than the descriptive attributes. The descriptive ones, such as the Face and the Eye, do not fall under this; [it refers to] the conceptual attributes.
for Allah is Witr* and He loves the odd (numbered).
إن الله وتر يحب الوترThe Shaykh : It is possible that it is one of the names of Allah, and it is possible that it is not, because some scholars mentioned a rule, saying: What comes with the definite article (al) is one of the names of Allah, and what does not come with the definite article is one of the attributes of Allah. And some scholars say: Every attribute of Allah by which the Messenger described his Lord is a name. The answer is based on this: If we say that the names of Allah are those accompanied by the definite article (al), then I do not know al-Witr to have come accompanied by the definite article. And if we say: Everything that Allah affirmed for Himself, or that the Messenger affirmed for Him, whether with the definite article (al) or without it, is a name, then we say that al-Witr is one of the names of Allah, and Allah knows best.
The questioner : ... every attribute ...
The Shaykh : other than the descriptive attributes. The descriptive ones, such as the Face and the Eye, do not fall under this; [it refers to] the conceptual attributes.