The Shaykh’s remarks on the fact that what is said regarding the attributes is what is said regarding the Essence

The Shaykh : And the best I have read of the scholars’ words on this matter, and I believe it is obligatory for every student of knowledge to have this statement in his mind and memory, is from al-Khatib al-Baghdadi. He said: “What is said regarding the attributes is what is said regarding the Essence.” What is said regarding the divine attributes is what is said regarding the divine Essence. This statement is the backbreaker of all the deniers of the divine attributes (ta'til), in all their differences. Some of them plunge into denial, while others take a middle path, such as the Maturidiyyah and the Asha'irah and their like. What is said regarding the Essence is said regarding the attributes, whether in affirmation or negation. Do we affirm the Essence of Allah as an existing Essence that has a reality and is not merely a concept in the mind? Yes, it is the reality that created everything after there was nothing but Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Does this Essence have an entity? It has an entity. Is there a description of it that we can comprehend with our minds? The answer is no. So say the same thing you say regarding the Essence of Allah regarding any attribute of Allah that He has affirmed, either in His Book or in the hadith of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). With this concise rule, the Muslim is saved from the denial of attributes (ta'til), which usually arises from figurative interpretation (ta'wil), and is safe from likening Allah to creation (tashbih), which usually arises from exaggeration in affirmation. This is the meaning of His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): The purpose of this indication is to refute the deniers, such as the Mu'tazilah and their like, who interpret His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): “The All-Hearing, the All-Seeing” to mean “The All-Knowing,” even though Allah (Mighty and Majestic) described Himself in the Noble Qur'an as being All-Knowing of everything. So they denied the attributes of hearing and seeing by interpreting them as knowledge.