Deviation in the Names of Allah the Exalted.
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The Shaykh : What is the meaning of deviation in the Names of Allah? "I'lhad" is derived from "lafd," which means inclination or deviation. To "lafd" and to "i'lhad" means to incline. This is why the digging of a grave is called "lafd" because it is inclined toward one of its sides, toward the direction of the qiblah. So, "i'lhad" is inclination. What is the meaning of "i'lhad" in the Names of Allah? It is inclining them away from what is required of them, inclining them away from what is required in them. This is "i'lhad" in the Names of Allah. So, whoever denies one of the Names of Allah has committed "i'lhad. And whoever affirms it but denies the attribute it indicates has committed "i'lhad. And whoever affirms it and the attribute it indicates but denies the effect or the ruling has committed "i'lhad. Is that right? Good. And whoever names Allah with what He has not named Himself with has committed "i'lhad. And whoever names Allah with what is not befitting Him has committed "i'lhad. And whoever transfers these Names to the idols has committed "i'lhad. And by this we know that "i'lhad has types. The types of "i'lhad are...
The first type is to deny something of the Names of Allah or what they indicate of attributes. This is the first type, pay attention. The first type of "i'lhad is to deny something of the Names or what they indicate of attributes or rulings. What is the reason it is "i'lhad? Because it inclines them away from what is required of them, since it is obligatory to affirm them. It was previously mentioned that affirmation is not complete except by affirming three things in the transitive and two things in the intransitive. So, if it is not affirmed in this manner, it has inclined them away from what is required in them. This is one. The second of "i'lhad is the opposite of this: it affirms the Names of Allah and adds, bringing in Names with which Allah has not named Himself. Give an example of this: naming Him "the Active Cause." The philosophers say there is no God, only an Active Cause in this universe that acts, and this universe is acted upon by it. Some of them refer to it as the Active Intellect, saying that what runs this universe is the Active Intellect. So they name the Lord with this name. Likewise, the Christians name Allah "the Father," they name Allah "the Father." This is "i'lhad because it names Allah with what He has not named Himself with, and it was previously mentioned that this is not permissible because the Names of Allah are based on revelation.
The third type is to make them indicative of likening. It says, yes, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is Hearing, Seeing, Merciful, and Able, and the human is Hearing, Seeing, Merciful, and Able, or not? Good, these Names agree, so it follows that the named things must agree, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) becomes similar to the creation. So he progresses from the agreement of the Names to the agreement of the attributes and says, if you affirm that Allah is Hearing, Seeing, Knowing, Able, and Merciful, then the human is so, or not?[Al-Insan 76:1-2] And the Knowing? Also, Allah described the human with knowledge and described the human with mercy. It came in the hadith: And Allah the Exalted said about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): [At-Tawbah 9:128] And the human is noble, and Allah is also noble, and the human is living, and Allah is living. So he arrives at the belief of similarity. From where? From the Names of Allah, and he makes these Names necessitating likening and comparison. So, whoever makes the Names of Allah necessitating likening to the creation, he has committed "i'lhad in them. How is that? Because they indicated meanings befitting Allah (Mighty and Majestic), where we said previously that they are Names and attributes, so they are indicative of meanings, what? Befitting Allah. It is not possible for them to be similar to the meanings they indicate in the created. Have you seen your hearing? Is it like the hearing of Allah? You are indeed Hearing and Seeing, but is your hearing like the hearing of Allah? No, your hearing is created and will cease, and deficiency will overtake it, or not? And is it also comprehensive of the far and the near? No. And so is the sight and the other attributes. How many types are these? Three types.
The fourth type is to derive from these Names names for the idols. So he says, Allah is a god, and his idol is a god. He derives from the Names of Allah a name for this idol. He named it al-Lat from "ilah" or from "Allah," and he named it al-'Uzza from "al-Aziz," and he named it Manat from "al-Mannan," and so on. They take from the Names of Allah names for these idols in order to dress them in a garment that does not suit them. They name them with what Allah named Himself with, or with what is derived from the Names of Allah, so that they attribute to them some of the majesty, greatness, and divinity, thereby justifying what they are upon. So "i'lhad has four types:
The first is to deny something of the Names or what they indicate of attributes. And some scholars counted this as two, counting the denial of the Names alone and the denial of the attributes alone.
And the second is to name Allah with what He has not named Himself with.
And the third is to make them indicative of likening.
And the fourth is to derive from them names for the idols. And we express it as "tamthil" (likening) which is better than "tashbih" (comparison). ... Yes, "tamthil" is better than "tashbih" because it is what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) denied. Yes, it is what Allah denied in the Qur'an, saying:[Ash-Shuraa 42:11] And He did not say "Nothing is like His likeness." So we express it with what Allah expressed with regarding Himself. And there are no two existing things except that there is a similarity between them in some aspects and a sharing in meaning in some aspects, or not? For example, the created and the Creator share in the meaning of existence, or not? Both are existing, but the existence of this one is specific to him, and the existence of this one is specific to him. The rising above the Throne and the rising of the human on the camel, for example, share in the general meaning of rising, but the rising of the Creator is specific to Him, and the rising of the created is specific to him. And for this reason it came in the Qur'an: [Ash-Shuraa 42:11] Good, it says Allah (Mighty and Majestic): [Al-A'raf 7:180] This is a warning, and it is like His saying the Exalted: [Ar-Rahman 55:31] A threat, and the meaning is not that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is now empty, occupied, wanting to be overtaken by emptiness later, but this is from the category of warning and threat. And this is like His saying, and so here: [Al-A'raf 7:180] And I pointed out a moment ago to the expression in His saying: [Al-A'raf 7:180] And He did not say "They will be given the punishment," for example, indicating that the recompense is of the same kind as the deed. So it is as if it is the deed itself. Yes.
The questioner : ... what suggests being led astray...
The Shaykh : Yes, not for us, we do not leave them in their falsehood. I mean, for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) it is possible, ... the warning.
Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): "They deviate in His Names, they associate partners", "They deviate in His Names, they associate partners in them". And his saying "they associate partners" includes association from both sides: either making them indicative of similarity, or deriving from them names for the idols. All of this is shirk (associating partners with Allah). So, whoever makes them indicative of similarity, likening... to the creation, he has associated partners because he made a like for Allah. And whoever took from them names for his idols, he has associated partners with Him, where he made the named things with these Names participate with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Yes, oh.
The questioner : ... His saying the Exalted:[Al-A'raf 7:180] ...
The Shaykh : Yes, may Allah reward you. This is an important question. "Amal" (work) is used for speech and action. So, what is opposite to speech, what is opposite to speech is action. And as for "amal," it is comprehensive, yes, for speech and for action.[Az-Zalzalah 99:7-8] And this is done by actions and by words. For this reason, if you want to divide, you say "amal" is divided into speech and action. You divide "amal." So if you say into speech and "amal," then the meaning of "amal" here is what? Action. Yes, yes. Who is asking?
The first type is to deny something of the Names of Allah or what they indicate of attributes. This is the first type, pay attention. The first type of "i'lhad is to deny something of the Names or what they indicate of attributes or rulings. What is the reason it is "i'lhad? Because it inclines them away from what is required of them, since it is obligatory to affirm them. It was previously mentioned that affirmation is not complete except by affirming three things in the transitive and two things in the intransitive. So, if it is not affirmed in this manner, it has inclined them away from what is required in them. This is one. The second of "i'lhad is the opposite of this: it affirms the Names of Allah and adds, bringing in Names with which Allah has not named Himself. Give an example of this: naming Him "the Active Cause." The philosophers say there is no God, only an Active Cause in this universe that acts, and this universe is acted upon by it. Some of them refer to it as the Active Intellect, saying that what runs this universe is the Active Intellect. So they name the Lord with this name. Likewise, the Christians name Allah "the Father," they name Allah "the Father." This is "i'lhad because it names Allah with what He has not named Himself with, and it was previously mentioned that this is not permissible because the Names of Allah are based on revelation.
The third type is to make them indicative of likening. It says, yes, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is Hearing, Seeing, Merciful, and Able, and the human is Hearing, Seeing, Merciful, and Able, or not? Good, these Names agree, so it follows that the named things must agree, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) becomes similar to the creation. So he progresses from the agreement of the Names to the agreement of the attributes and says, if you affirm that Allah is Hearing, Seeing, Knowing, Able, and Merciful, then the human is so, or not?
(1) Has there [not] come upon man a period of time when he was not a thing [even] mentioned? (2) Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.
هل أتى على الإنسان حين من الدهر لم يكن شيئا مذكورا إنا خلقنا الإنسان من نطفة أمشاج نبتليه فجعلناه سميعا بصيراThe merciful ones are shown mercy by the Most Merciful.
الراحمون يرحمهم الرحمنto the believers is kind and merciful.
بالمؤمنين رؤوف رحيمThe fourth type is to derive from these Names names for the idols. So he says, Allah is a god, and his idol is a god. He derives from the Names of Allah a name for this idol. He named it al-Lat from "ilah" or from "Allah," and he named it al-'Uzza from "al-Aziz," and he named it Manat from "al-Mannan," and so on. They take from the Names of Allah names for these idols in order to dress them in a garment that does not suit them. They name them with what Allah named Himself with, or with what is derived from the Names of Allah, so that they attribute to them some of the majesty, greatness, and divinity, thereby justifying what they are upon. So "i'lhad has four types:
The first is to deny something of the Names or what they indicate of attributes. And some scholars counted this as two, counting the denial of the Names alone and the denial of the attributes alone.
And the second is to name Allah with what He has not named Himself with.
And the third is to make them indicative of likening.
And the fourth is to derive from them names for the idols. And we express it as "tamthil" (likening) which is better than "tashbih" (comparison). ... Yes, "tamthil" is better than "tashbih" because it is what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) denied. Yes, it is what Allah denied in the Qur'an, saying:
There is nothing like unto Him
ليس كمثله شيءThere is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
ليس كمثله شيء وهو السميع البصيرThey will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
سيجزون ما كانوا يعملونWe will attend to you, O prominent beings.
سنفرغ لكم أيها الثقلانThey will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
سيجزون ما كانوا يعملونThey will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
سيجزون ما كانوا يعملونThe questioner : ... what suggests being led astray...
The Shaykh : Yes, not for us, we do not leave them in their falsehood. I mean, for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) it is possible, ... the warning.
Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): "They deviate in His Names, they associate partners", "They deviate in His Names, they associate partners in them". And his saying "they associate partners" includes association from both sides: either making them indicative of similarity, or deriving from them names for the idols. All of this is shirk (associating partners with Allah). So, whoever makes them indicative of similarity, likening... to the creation, he has associated partners because he made a like for Allah. And whoever took from them names for his idols, he has associated partners with Him, where he made the named things with these Names participate with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Yes, oh.
The questioner : ... His saying the Exalted:
They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
سيجزون ما كانوا يعملونThe Shaykh : Yes, may Allah reward you. This is an important question. "Amal" (work) is used for speech and action. So, what is opposite to speech, what is opposite to speech is action. And as for "amal," it is comprehensive, yes, for speech and for action.