Is it appropriate for a layperson to study the descriptive and attribute-based qualities of Allah in order to know Him?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah reward you. Is it appropriate for a layperson to study the descriptive and attribute-based qualities of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in order to know Allah (Mighty and Majestic), even if they limit themselves to...?
The Shaykh : As for the attribute-based qualities, yes, they should study them, such as the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, the Wise, and the like. As for the descriptive qualities, people differ; a layperson might understand likening Allah to creation from them immediately. This does not mean he should not study them in depth, but rather, for example, it is said that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has His hands outstretched, spending as He wills, as in the Qur'an. For every occasion, there is a specific discourse. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned a useful rule: Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the attribute-based qualities, yes, they should study them, such as the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, the Wise, and the like. As for the descriptive qualities, people differ; a layperson might understand likening Allah to creation from them immediately. This does not mean he should not study them in depth, but rather, for example, it is said that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has His hands outstretched, spending as He wills, as in the Qur'an. For every occasion, there is a specific discourse. Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned a useful rule: