The benefits of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (( ... Indeed, Allah is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing )) .
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Among the benefits of this noble verse is the affirmation of two of the names of Allah, namely al-Sami' (the All-Hearing) and al-Basir (the All-Seeing), the affirmation of the attributes they indicate, and the affirmation of the effects or rulings they indicate.
This is because faith in the names of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is not complete unless one believes in three things if the name is transitive: first, affirming the name; second, affirming the attribute it indicates; and third, affirming the effect or ruling it indicates. This is if the name is transitive. As for if it is intransitive, faith in it is not complete unless one believes in two things: affirming the name and affirming the attribute it indicates.
Al-Sami' (the All-Hearing) is transitive:[Ali 'Imran 3:181] [Al-Mujadila 58:1] is transitive. Therefore, you must believe in al-Sami' as one of the names of Allah. Is there anyone who denies the names? Yes, there are some of the ta'til (denial of divine attributes) people who claim to belong to the Islamic religion who deny the names of Allah. And you must believe in the attribute it indicates, which is hearing. So Allah the Exalted is not All-Hearing without hearing; rather, He is All-Hearing with hearing.
Is there anyone who affirms the name without the attribute? Yes, the Mu'tazilah. Their principle is to affirm the names and deny the attributes indicated by these names. They say that Allah is All-Hearing without hearing, and All-Seeing without sight. Glory be to Allah, how can He be All-Seeing without sight? He says: Yes, All-Seeing without sight, because if you affirm sight, then sight is an attribute added to the Essence. The attribute is other than the one described. If you say it is eternal, you affirm the plurality of the eternal, and you become more disbelieving than the Christians. The Christians affirmed three gods; you are now affirming fifty gods or more, according to the number of names for which you affirm an attribute. And this is disbelief. If we declare the Christian a disbeliever for three and say he is a disbeliever, we say you are a disbeliever — disbeliever — disbeliever. Multiply three by ... until you reach the names. You are more disbelieving than the Christians if you affirm an eternal attribute. And if you affirm it as an accident, it necessitates that accidents subsist in Allah, and accidents do not subsist except in an accident, so you have affirmed that Allah is created and that He is an accident. What is the matter with you when this speech is formulated in more eloquent and more expressive words than mine? Do the ignorant not get deceived by it? They are certainly deceived. But we say: Allah the Exalted is All-Hearing with hearing. It is inconceivable for a derived name to exist without what it is derived from, absolutely. It is not correct to say to the deaf man that he is All-Hearing, nor to the blind man that he is All-Seeing. It is impossible for a derived name to exist in any of the world's languages without the original from which it is derived preceding it.
As for your saying that the attribute is other than the one described, we say that Allah the Exalted has always been and will always be with His attributes. There is no Essence without an attribute, absolutely. Whoever claims that there is an Essence without an attribute has claimed the impossible. There is no existent thing that does not have an attribute. Even if it had no attribute other than the attribute of existence and subsisting in the Essence, and the like of that, there is no described thing that does not have an attribute. But the described one with His attributes is not something separate from Him. For this reason, we do not say that the attributes of Allah are Allah, nor do we say they are other than Allah. Rather, we say: Allah is with His attributes. Because if you say the attributes are Allah, it means He has no attribute. And if you say they are other than Him, you separate the attribute from the described one, and this is impossible.
Therefore, faith in the name requires that you believe in the attribute it contains. Its containment of the attribute may be by inclusion or by implication. Do we believe in the attribute it indicates by inclusion only, or by inclusion and implication? By inclusion and implication. For example, al-Khaliq (the Creator) is a name that indicates the attribute of creation. Its indication of the attribute of creation is by inclusion, and its indication of knowledge is by implication, because there is no creation without knowledge. And its indication of power is also by implication, because there is no creation without power. Therefore, you believe in the attribute indicated by the name, whether it is by inclusion or by implication.
The third matter, if the name is transitive: the effect or the ruling. For example, al-Sami' (the All-Hearing) is the One with hearing who hears. You must believe in a hearing that extends to others, so He hears every word. Al-Basir (the All-Seeing) is likewise transitive. We believe in al-Basir as a name, in sight as an attribute, and that He sees as a ruling or effect.
As for if the name is intransitive, one believes in two things: first, the name, and second, the attribute. Al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) — Allah does not give life; it is not from al-Hayy that there is al-Muhyi (the Giver of Life). Al-Hayy is an intransitive description, or life is an intransitive attribute that does not extend to other than Allah. So al-Hayy is one of the intransitive names. You believe in al-Hayy as one of the names of Allah, and you believe in the attribute indicated by al-Hayy, which is life. So if we believe in this, we contradict all the people of ta'til (denial of divine attributes).
This is because faith in the names of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is not complete unless one believes in three things if the name is transitive: first, affirming the name; second, affirming the attribute it indicates; and third, affirming the effect or ruling it indicates. This is if the name is transitive. As for if it is intransitive, faith in it is not complete unless one believes in two things: affirming the name and affirming the attribute it indicates.
Al-Sami' (the All-Hearing) is transitive:
has certainly heard the statement
قد سمع الله قولAnd Allah hears your dialogue
والله يسمع تحاوركماIs there anyone who affirms the name without the attribute? Yes, the Mu'tazilah. Their principle is to affirm the names and deny the attributes indicated by these names. They say that Allah is All-Hearing without hearing, and All-Seeing without sight. Glory be to Allah, how can He be All-Seeing without sight? He says: Yes, All-Seeing without sight, because if you affirm sight, then sight is an attribute added to the Essence. The attribute is other than the one described. If you say it is eternal, you affirm the plurality of the eternal, and you become more disbelieving than the Christians. The Christians affirmed three gods; you are now affirming fifty gods or more, according to the number of names for which you affirm an attribute. And this is disbelief. If we declare the Christian a disbeliever for three and say he is a disbeliever, we say you are a disbeliever — disbeliever — disbeliever. Multiply three by ... until you reach the names. You are more disbelieving than the Christians if you affirm an eternal attribute. And if you affirm it as an accident, it necessitates that accidents subsist in Allah, and accidents do not subsist except in an accident, so you have affirmed that Allah is created and that He is an accident. What is the matter with you when this speech is formulated in more eloquent and more expressive words than mine? Do the ignorant not get deceived by it? They are certainly deceived. But we say: Allah the Exalted is All-Hearing with hearing. It is inconceivable for a derived name to exist without what it is derived from, absolutely. It is not correct to say to the deaf man that he is All-Hearing, nor to the blind man that he is All-Seeing. It is impossible for a derived name to exist in any of the world's languages without the original from which it is derived preceding it.
As for your saying that the attribute is other than the one described, we say that Allah the Exalted has always been and will always be with His attributes. There is no Essence without an attribute, absolutely. Whoever claims that there is an Essence without an attribute has claimed the impossible. There is no existent thing that does not have an attribute. Even if it had no attribute other than the attribute of existence and subsisting in the Essence, and the like of that, there is no described thing that does not have an attribute. But the described one with His attributes is not something separate from Him. For this reason, we do not say that the attributes of Allah are Allah, nor do we say they are other than Allah. Rather, we say: Allah is with His attributes. Because if you say the attributes are Allah, it means He has no attribute. And if you say they are other than Him, you separate the attribute from the described one, and this is impossible.
Therefore, faith in the name requires that you believe in the attribute it contains. Its containment of the attribute may be by inclusion or by implication. Do we believe in the attribute it indicates by inclusion only, or by inclusion and implication? By inclusion and implication. For example, al-Khaliq (the Creator) is a name that indicates the attribute of creation. Its indication of the attribute of creation is by inclusion, and its indication of knowledge is by implication, because there is no creation without knowledge. And its indication of power is also by implication, because there is no creation without power. Therefore, you believe in the attribute indicated by the name, whether it is by inclusion or by implication.
The third matter, if the name is transitive: the effect or the ruling. For example, al-Sami' (the All-Hearing) is the One with hearing who hears. You must believe in a hearing that extends to others, so He hears every word. Al-Basir (the All-Seeing) is likewise transitive. We believe in al-Basir as a name, in sight as an attribute, and that He sees as a ruling or effect.
As for if the name is intransitive, one believes in two things: first, the name, and second, the attribute. Al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) — Allah does not give life; it is not from al-Hayy that there is al-Muhyi (the Giver of Life). Al-Hayy is an intransitive description, or life is an intransitive attribute that does not extend to other than Allah. So al-Hayy is one of the intransitive names. You believe in al-Hayy as one of the names of Allah, and you believe in the attribute indicated by al-Hayy, which is life. So if we believe in this, we contradict all the people of ta'til (denial of divine attributes).