Explanation of the Author's Statement: The Chapter on Not Saying "Peace Be Upon Allah"

The Shaykh :"The Chapter on Not Saying 'Peace Be Upon Allah'" "It is not said: 'Peace be upon Allah'" The word "peace" has several meanings, among which is greeting, as in saying "Greet so-and-so," meaning to greet him. It also means safety from deficiency and harm. And "Al-Salam" is one of the names of Allah. Al-Salam is one of the names of Allah. Allah the Exalted said: ... to the end of it ... Al-Salam. So Allah named Himself Al-Salam. Al-Salam means safety from deficiency and harm, like our saying: "Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah." So what are we invoking for him? Safety. Al-Salam means greeting when we say "Greet so-and-so for me" and the like. But it is a greeting restricted by what? By peace, by saying "Peace be upon you." It is not permissible to say "Peace be upon Allah" (Mighty and Majestic) in the sense that you do not say "Peace be upon you, O Lord" or "Peace be upon Allah from His servants." Why? Because if you say "Peace be upon you, O my Lord," it implies a deficiency, since one does not invoke peace for anything except for one who is capable of being described by it, or not? So if you say "Peace be upon you, O Lord," this entails that Allah the Exalted is capable of deficiency. For this reason, we invoke that He be safe from it. Therefore, it is not permissible to say "Peace be upon Allah from His servants." It is forbidden to say that. Its relevance to the oneness of the names and attributes is very clear, because the attributes of Allah the Exalted are all exalted and perfect, just as His names are the best. The evidence that the attributes of Allah are exalted is His saying: What comes after it? And in another verse: "And to Allah belongs the highest description." The meaning of "the highest description" is the most perfect description, the most perfect description. So if we say "Peace be upon Allah," the meaning of that is that this description may be subject to deficiency, which contradicts the perfection of the attributes. So the relevance of this chapter to the oneness of the names and attributes is very clear, and it is that ... it may be subject to deficiency. For this reason, we invoked peace for Him. When He affirmed that Allah the Exalted has the best names, He followed it by stating that these best names and these attributes are safe from all deficiency and flaw. Perfection is not valid except by the absence of flaw, and the establishment of perfection is not established except by the absence of what opposes it. So mere affirmation does not indicate absolute perfection, and negation is pure denial. If I say "Zayd is noble," I have affirmed nobility for him, but have I affirmed that no deficiency attaches to him in this attribute? No, it is possible that he has a deficiency. So if I say "Zayd is noble" and he has not ... anything by way of decline, for example, then now I have affirmed absolute nobility for him in this attribute. The Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, is described with attributes of perfection, but when the negation of what opposes those attributes is mentioned, that becomes more perfect. It becomes this more perfect. For this reason, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) followed the first chapter with this chapter, indicating that the best names and the exalted attributes are not subject to deficiency. Why? Because Allah is Al-Salam. Because Allah is Al-Salam. It has come before us that Al-Salam is an affirmative-negative name. It is affirmative in one aspect, which is that He, Blessed and Exalted is He, is Al-Salam. It is negative in one aspect, which is that it intends the negation of every deficiency or flaw that the mind imagines or the intellect conceives attaching to Allah the Exalted. Whatever can be a deficiency or a flaw, the word Al-Salam negates it. So it is an affirmative name in one aspect, which is the establishment of this name for Him and the attribute it contains, which is safety. And it is negative in another aspect, from the side of what? That it indicates the absence of every attribute of deficiency from Allah. It indicates the absence of every attribute of deficiency. So what is the meaning of Al-Salam? Al-Salam is the One who is safe from every deficiency and flaw, such that no deficiency overtakes Him, neither in His essence, nor in His attributes, nor in His actions, nor in His judgments. No deficiency overtakes Him at all. For this reason, it is not said "Peace be upon Allah," because if you said "Peace be upon Allah," that statement would imply that Allah the Exalted may be overtaken by deficiency. Because one does not seek freedom from something except when that thing is possible. For if it were impossible, its impossibility would be known without supplication, is it not? Also, Allah the Exalted is not invoked for, but rather He is invoked. So if you say "Peace be upon Allah," you are invoking Allah to make Himself safe, and this is not fitting. For Allah the Exalted is invoked, not invoked for, and He is praised with the attributes of perfection established for Him. Do you understand now? So it is prohibited to say "Peace be upon Allah" for two reasons: The first reason is that such a supplication implies that deficiency is possible in His right, so you ask Allah to make Himself safe from it. Why does it imply? Because one does not invoke safety from something except in a place where it is possible to be capable of it, capable of its opposite, which is deficiency. As for a place where it is not possible to be capable of its opposite, there is no need to invoke safety from it. Clear? As for the second reason, if you invoke Allah to make Himself safe, you have reversed the truth, because Allah the Exalted is invoked, not invoked for. He is in no need of us, but He is praised with the attributes of perfection. He is praised, and it is said: "Forgiving, Merciful, Hearing, Knowing, Able," and the like. And this is praise of Him, not supplication for Him.