Explanation of the author's statement, Chapter: The saying of Allah the Exalted: "And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them, and leave alone those who distort His names"
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The Shaykh : Then the author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Chapter: The saying of Allah the Exalted [Al-A'raf 7:180]" This chapter pertains to the oneness of the names and attributes. This book is a comprehensive work on the types of tawhid (the oneness of Allah): the oneness of worship, the oneness of lordship, and the oneness of the names and attributes. Do you understand? Good. His statement [Al-A'raf 7:180] is part of the oneness of the names and attributes. The meaning of the oneness of the names and attributes is singling out Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with what has been established for Him of attributes of perfection, such that we affirm them for Him in a true sense, without likening Allah to creation, without likening, and without asking how an attribute is. For if you deny the divine attributes, you do not affirm them, and if you liken Allah to creation, you do not affirm His oneness. We have mentioned previously that tawhid consists of affirmation and negation, or not? Affirming the ruling for the One who is worshipped and negating it from all others. If you say "Zayd is standing," have you singled him out, or not? It is possible that another person is standing. If you say "Zayd is not standing," you have not affirmed standing for him. If you say "No one is standing except Zayd," then you have singled him out with standing. "No one is standing except Zayd" — you have singled him out. So if you say "There is no god but Allah," you have singled Him out in oneness of worship. In the names and attributes, if you affirm for Allah the names and attributes without anyone resembling Him, that is tawhid. If you deny them from Him, that is denial of the divine attributes. If you liken Him, that is shirk (associating partners with Allah). Based on this, we say that the oneness of the names and attributes means singling out Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with what He deserves of names and attributes, such that you affirm them for Him in a true sense in a way that no one else resembles Him. Allah the Exalted said [Al-A'raf 7:180] This contains tawhid. What is the path of tawhid here? The path of tawhid here is the fronting of the news (khbar) for Allah: "To Allah belong the names." Because fronting the news implies restriction. And based on this, to Allah alone, and not to others, belong the best names. And at that time, the verse contains the oneness of the names for Allah: the names described by this description. The word "al-Hasna" (the best) is the feminine form of "Ahsan" (most beautiful), so it is a superlative noun. The meaning of "al-Hasna" is reaching the peak of beauty, because a superlative noun indicates this. Then know that "al-Hasna" here is an absolute superlative, because a superlative noun can be restricted or absolute. If you say "Zayd is better than 'Amr," that is a superlative, but it is restricted. But if you say "Zayd is the best," that is an absolute superlative. If you say "Allah's names are better than such-and-such," for example, that is a restricted superlative. If you say "Allah's names are the best," that is an absolute superlative. So the names of Allah the Exalted reach the peak of beauty in every aspect. For this reason, there is no deficiency in them, neither as a fact nor as a possibility. Yes, there is no deficiency in them in any way. This indicates that what is reported about Allah is not the same as what Allah is named with. Because what is reported about Allah includes things that do not contain beauty absolutely, and things that contain praise from one aspect and not praise from another aspect, but they are reported about Him. As for the names by which Allah is named, there is no deficiency in them from any possibility. For example, the Essence (Dhat) is said: "The Essence of Allah." It is reported about Allah, but does it contain a beautiful meaning? No, because the essence of a thing is what corresponds to its attributes. "Dhat" is said for entities, and "sifat" (attributes) for the qualities by which the entities are characterized. So it is said for Allah "Dhat," but He is not named with this name. You do not say, for example, "O Essence, forgive me," or name your son "Abd al-Dhat" (Servant of the Essence), because it is not a name. It is reported about Allah that He is a Speaker, but He is not named with it, because speech from Him includes praiseworthy speech, blameworthy speech, and speech that is neither praised nor blamed. You say that Allah is a Willer, but you do not name Him with it. You name Him with what indicates the perfection of will, as you say "O Doer of what He wills." You say that Allah is ... but you do not name Him with it. All of this is derived from His saying "And to Allah belong the best names."
We have previously conducted a valuable discussion on the names of Allah, and perhaps we will repeat it so that it does not pass by those who were not present. We said that the names of Allah the Exalted contain topics:
The first topic: Are the names of Allah the Exalted proper nouns or attributes? And Muhammad Isma'il will answer that.
The student: They are proper nouns...
The Shaykh : How is that?
The student: In terms of their indication of the Essence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), they are proper nouns. And in terms of their indication of His attributes that point to Him... mercy, knowledge, and others, they are attributes.
The Shaykh : Correct. He says they are proper nouns and attributes. In terms of their indication of the Essence and that they are a proper noun for the Essence of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), they are proper nouns. And in terms of the meanings they contain, they are attributes.
The second topic: Are the names of Allah synonymous or distinct? And notice, these topics are not just for us to know, because there are those who say that the names of Allah are static and are not attributes that indicate an attribute, like the Mu'tazilah. They say that He is All-Knowing without knowledge, All-Hearing without hearing, All-Seeing without sight, and so on.
The second topic: Are the names of Allah distinct or synonymous? 'Abd al-Rahman.
The student: In terms of their indication of the attributes, they are distinct.
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: And in terms of their indication of the Essence of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), they are synonymous, so they are names for a single named entity.
The Shaykh : And attributes. In terms of the attributes, each one indicates an attribute, correct? So in terms of their indication of the Essence of Allah, they are synonymous because they are for a single named entity. And in terms of the meanings they contain, they are distinct because each one of them has a meaning, each one of them has a meaning. And some of the people of denial, from the extremists of the Mu'tazilah and the Jahmiyyah, said that they are synonymous names, so the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, and the Wise are one thing. And there is no doubt that this is clear misguidance.
The third topic: Are the names of Allah other than Him, or are the names of Allah He Himself?
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
ولله الأسماء الحسنى فادعوه بها وذروا الذين يلحدون في أسمائه سيجزون ما كانوا يعملونAnd to Allah belong the best names
ولله الأسماء الحسنىAnd to Allah belong the best names
ولله الأسماء الحسنىWe have previously conducted a valuable discussion on the names of Allah, and perhaps we will repeat it so that it does not pass by those who were not present. We said that the names of Allah the Exalted contain topics:
The first topic: Are the names of Allah the Exalted proper nouns or attributes? And Muhammad Isma'il will answer that.
The student: They are proper nouns...
The Shaykh : How is that?
The student: In terms of their indication of the Essence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), they are proper nouns. And in terms of their indication of His attributes that point to Him... mercy, knowledge, and others, they are attributes.
The Shaykh : Correct. He says they are proper nouns and attributes. In terms of their indication of the Essence and that they are a proper noun for the Essence of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), they are proper nouns. And in terms of the meanings they contain, they are attributes.
The second topic: Are the names of Allah synonymous or distinct? And notice, these topics are not just for us to know, because there are those who say that the names of Allah are static and are not attributes that indicate an attribute, like the Mu'tazilah. They say that He is All-Knowing without knowledge, All-Hearing without hearing, All-Seeing without sight, and so on.
The second topic: Are the names of Allah distinct or synonymous? 'Abd al-Rahman.
The student: In terms of their indication of the attributes, they are distinct.
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: And in terms of their indication of the Essence of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), they are synonymous, so they are names for a single named entity.
The Shaykh : And attributes. In terms of the attributes, each one indicates an attribute, correct? So in terms of their indication of the Essence of Allah, they are synonymous because they are for a single named entity. And in terms of the meanings they contain, they are distinct because each one of them has a meaning, each one of them has a meaning. And some of the people of denial, from the extremists of the Mu'tazilah and the Jahmiyyah, said that they are synonymous names, so the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, and the Wise are one thing. And there is no doubt that this is clear misguidance.
The third topic: Are the names of Allah other than Him, or are the names of Allah He Himself?