Refutation of the Mu'tazilah who affirm the names and deny the attributes
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The Shaykh : Then he moved on from the discussion to the foundation of the school, which is that the Mu'tazilah affirm for Allah the names, but do not affirm the attributes to which they point. They affirm for Allah the names, but do not affirm the attributes to which they point. Listen, everyone, to this amazing wonder. They say: Allah is All-Hearing, but He has no hearing; All-Seeing, but He has no sight; All-Powerful, but He has no power; All-Willful, but He has no will. Is this logical? What do you say, Adam?
The student: This is the talk of madmen.
The Shaykh : Now, he says:
"Can one be a living, hearing, or seeing being *** without any hearing and without any sight?" Can this be? No, it cannot.
"And likewise, All-Willful, though will was not *** an attribute for Him; this is from the ravings"
Now, what Allah willed, Ibn al-Qayyim has testified for you. Yes, he says: This is from the ravings. How can we say All-Willful when will was not an attribute for Him?
"And likewise, All-Powerful, though He has no power *** established in Him; this is the clearest of falsehood"
How can you say All-Powerful when power is not an attribute for Him? Listen, everyone. If you found a person who was paralyzed, would it be correct to say: He is All-Powerful? Huh? They say: Allah is All-Powerful, but He has no power. Glory be to Allah, how can He be All-Powerful and have no power? He says: Yes, All-Powerful, but He has no power, because if you affirmed for Him power, the power would be eternal, and that would necessitate the multiplication of eternal beings: an eternal power, an eternal All-Powerful, an eternal hearing, an eternal All-Hearing, an eternal sight, an eternal All-Seeing. How many gods have they become?
The student : Six.
The Shaykh : Six, and so on. They said: You declared the Christians disbelievers when they said: Allah is the third of three, and you are saying: millions of millions. Yes, so you are more disbelieving than the Christians. If you affirm that Allah has an eternal attribute, that is the very essence of disbelief, and I seek refuge in Allah. In fact, their speech contradicts reason. We say to him: Come, are you All-Hearing? He will say: Yes. Do you have hearing? Yes. All-Seeing, do you have sight? All-Powerful, do you have power? How many are you? One. So the multiplication of attributes does not necessitate the multiplication of the one described. But, O Allah, to You be praise, praise be to Allah, may Allah keep us firm and you. Yes, he said: By Allah, yes.
The reciter: "And Allah, Exalted is His majesty, is a Speaker *** by transmission and by reason"
The Shaykh : There is the verse
"And the house, and hearing, and sight, established in another *** this is the impossible, clear by the lie"
They say: All-Hearing does not mean that Allah has hearing. The All-Hearing is the hearing by some of the created things, meaning: The All-Hearing created hearing in others. Pay attention. The All-Powerful created power in others. How is this? All-Hearing means He created hearing in others, meaning the hearing is for whom? For others, not for Him. So how can an attribute be attributed to the one described, and then this attribute be in another? Yes.
The student: This is the talk of madmen.
The Shaykh : Now, he says:
"Can one be a living, hearing, or seeing being *** without any hearing and without any sight?" Can this be? No, it cannot.
"And likewise, All-Willful, though will was not *** an attribute for Him; this is from the ravings"
Now, what Allah willed, Ibn al-Qayyim has testified for you. Yes, he says: This is from the ravings. How can we say All-Willful when will was not an attribute for Him?
"And likewise, All-Powerful, though He has no power *** established in Him; this is the clearest of falsehood"
How can you say All-Powerful when power is not an attribute for Him? Listen, everyone. If you found a person who was paralyzed, would it be correct to say: He is All-Powerful? Huh? They say: Allah is All-Powerful, but He has no power. Glory be to Allah, how can He be All-Powerful and have no power? He says: Yes, All-Powerful, but He has no power, because if you affirmed for Him power, the power would be eternal, and that would necessitate the multiplication of eternal beings: an eternal power, an eternal All-Powerful, an eternal hearing, an eternal All-Hearing, an eternal sight, an eternal All-Seeing. How many gods have they become?
The student : Six.
The Shaykh : Six, and so on. They said: You declared the Christians disbelievers when they said: Allah is the third of three, and you are saying: millions of millions. Yes, so you are more disbelieving than the Christians. If you affirm that Allah has an eternal attribute, that is the very essence of disbelief, and I seek refuge in Allah. In fact, their speech contradicts reason. We say to him: Come, are you All-Hearing? He will say: Yes. Do you have hearing? Yes. All-Seeing, do you have sight? All-Powerful, do you have power? How many are you? One. So the multiplication of attributes does not necessitate the multiplication of the one described. But, O Allah, to You be praise, praise be to Allah, may Allah keep us firm and you. Yes, he said: By Allah, yes.
The reciter: "And Allah, Exalted is His majesty, is a Speaker *** by transmission and by reason"
The Shaykh : There is the verse
"And the house, and hearing, and sight, established in another *** this is the impossible, clear by the lie"
They say: All-Hearing does not mean that Allah has hearing. The All-Hearing is the hearing by some of the created things, meaning: The All-Hearing created hearing in others. Pay attention. The All-Powerful created power in others. How is this? All-Hearing means He created hearing in others, meaning the hearing is for whom? For others, not for Him. So how can an attribute be attributed to the one described, and then this attribute be in another? Yes.