The Criterion for the Negated Attributes.
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The Shaykh : It suffices.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
After we spoke about some of the attributes, the last of which was the vision of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), that is, the vision of the believers of their Lord, we mentioned the attributes that some call negative and others call the negated attributes. This is the better expression; it is better to say that the attributes of Allah are affirmative and negated, meaning established and negated.
As for the negated attributes, we must know what their criterion is. What is their criterion? We say that the criterion for the negated attributes is:
That Allah is free from every attribute of defect. This is the first point.
Second, every attribute of imperfection in His perfection.
Third, every likeness to the created beings. So what is negated from Allah is, first, specific attributes that are never mentioned for Allah at all, such as blindness. This is negated from Allah even if it is not stated in the Shari'ah that Allah the Exalted is not blind. We say that Allah the Exalted cannot be blind because blindness is an imperfection. For this reason, Ibrahim rebuked his father when he said to him:[Maryam 19:42]
The student: He hears.
The Shaykh : [Maryam 19:42] Second, every imperfection in an attribute of His perfection. That is, His perfect attributes cannot be subject to any imperfection. His sight cannot weaken, His hearing cannot weaken, His strength cannot weaken, never. The difference between this and what came before it is that in the first case, we negate the attribute of defect absolutely from Him.
And in the second case, we negate the defect of the attribute of perfection from Him. The defect of the attribute of perfection is its imperfection.
The third is likeness to the created beings. Likeness to the created beings is obligatory to negate. It must be negated, even if it is a perfection in the created being. We negate it from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). I mean likeness, I mean likeness. So the criterion for what is negated from Allah is, my brother, do not be distracted. The intended meaning is:
The student: ...
The Shaykh : We believe in Allah... One should be present for knowledge, present with his heart and his body. If you want this, if you want merely the reward, then Allah gives you the reward. But if your heart is not present, like when you are praying and your heart is not present, and your prayer is sufficient for you, yes, yes.
The questioner : The defect...
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Free from the attribute of defect and imperfection...
The Shaykh : Give it to me in order, first.
The questioner : The defect.
The Shaykh : The defect: every attribute of defect is negated from Allah. Second,
The questioner : The imperfection.
The Shaykh : Imperfection in what?
The questioner : In perfection.
The Shaykh : In perfection. Third,
The questioner : Likeness to the created beings.
The Shaykh : Likeness to the created beings. May Allah reward you. This is the criterion for what is negated from Allah. So all the negated attributes revolve around what?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : These three. And let us read the verses.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
After we spoke about some of the attributes, the last of which was the vision of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), that is, the vision of the believers of their Lord, we mentioned the attributes that some call negative and others call the negated attributes. This is the better expression; it is better to say that the attributes of Allah are affirmative and negated, meaning established and negated.
As for the negated attributes, we must know what their criterion is. What is their criterion? We say that the criterion for the negated attributes is:
That Allah is free from every attribute of defect. This is the first point.
Second, every attribute of imperfection in His perfection.
Third, every likeness to the created beings. So what is negated from Allah is, first, specific attributes that are never mentioned for Allah at all, such as blindness. This is negated from Allah even if it is not stated in the Shari'ah that Allah the Exalted is not blind. We say that Allah the Exalted cannot be blind because blindness is an imperfection. For this reason, Ibrahim rebuked his father when he said to him:
O my father, why do you worship that which
يا أبت لم تعبد ما لاThe student: He hears.
The Shaykh :
hears
يسمعthat which does not hear and does not see
ما لا يسمع ولا يبصرAnd in the second case, we negate the defect of the attribute of perfection from Him. The defect of the attribute of perfection is its imperfection.
The third is likeness to the created beings. Likeness to the created beings is obligatory to negate. It must be negated, even if it is a perfection in the created being. We negate it from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). I mean likeness, I mean likeness. So the criterion for what is negated from Allah is, my brother, do not be distracted. The intended meaning is:
The student: ...
The Shaykh : We believe in Allah... One should be present for knowledge, present with his heart and his body. If you want this, if you want merely the reward, then Allah gives you the reward. But if your heart is not present, like when you are praying and your heart is not present, and your prayer is sufficient for you, yes, yes.
The questioner : The defect...
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : Free from the attribute of defect and imperfection...
The Shaykh : Give it to me in order, first.
The questioner : The defect.
The Shaykh : The defect: every attribute of defect is negated from Allah. Second,
The questioner : The imperfection.
The Shaykh : Imperfection in what?
The questioner : In perfection.
The Shaykh : In perfection. Third,
The questioner : Likeness to the created beings.
The Shaykh : Likeness to the created beings. May Allah reward you. This is the criterion for what is negated from Allah. So all the negated attributes revolve around what?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : These three. And let us read the verses.