Does the fact that the Lawgiver is silent about certain attributes mean we should be silent about them?
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The questioner : We said that we affirm the names and attributes that have come in the Book and the Sunnah, we deny what is denied, and we look into what is silent about. Shaykh, may Allah reward you, should we not say: "We are silent about what the Lawgiver is silent about"?
The Shaykh : No, we say: we look into it, because if it indicates a meaning that is not befitting for Allah, then the Lawgiver has spoken about it, and Allah has denied it of Himself.
The questioner : Shaykh, regarding this issue, the Shaykh al-Islam in al-Majmu' transmitted the consensus on affirming the attribute of silence.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The Shaykh al-Islam.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : In al-Majmu', he transmits the consensus on affirming silence as an attribute of Allah.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is what Allah is silent about. If the word indicates a deficient meaning, did Allah remain silent about it? He did not remain silent. I mean, our speech here is merely a specification. Otherwise, even in our books, our phrasing is: "Silence regarding what He is silent about." But we sometimes say that a word may come in its literal form without being mentioned in the Qur'an or Sunnah, neither as a denial nor an affirmation, but it contains a defective meaning. In that case, we say: Allah did not actually remain silent about this; rather, He denied it of Himself by His saying:[An-Nahl 16:60] for it indicates that what is not such is not of Allah. Do you understand? So this is merely a specification of this matter.
The Shaykh : No, we say: we look into it, because if it indicates a meaning that is not befitting for Allah, then the Lawgiver has spoken about it, and Allah has denied it of Himself.
The questioner : Shaykh, regarding this issue, the Shaykh al-Islam in al-Majmu' transmitted the consensus on affirming the attribute of silence.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The Shaykh al-Islam.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : In al-Majmu', he transmits the consensus on affirming silence as an attribute of Allah.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is what Allah is silent about. If the word indicates a deficient meaning, did Allah remain silent about it? He did not remain silent. I mean, our speech here is merely a specification. Otherwise, even in our books, our phrasing is: "Silence regarding what He is silent about." But we sometimes say that a word may come in its literal form without being mentioned in the Qur'an or Sunnah, neither as a denial nor an affirmation, but it contains a defective meaning. In that case, we say: Allah did not actually remain silent about this; rather, He denied it of Himself by His saying: