The Attributes of God, the Creator, according to the Muslims
The Oneness of
God (Glorious & Exalted) has been proved to us with all certainty—He Who is
the Creator of this observable universe and all the creatures and beings
therein, the Creator of all things—as we have shown previously, since the
existence of any other god beside Allah (Mighty & Majestic) is impossible.
As a result of what we have clarified, in
terms of the Oneness of Allah (Glorious & Exalted), we must necessarily
believe and have faith that Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is the Creator, the
Sovereign, and the Designer of all things.
This is what is called the unity of
lordship (tawhid al-rububiyyah): that lordship belongs to Allah (Might
& Majestic), since there is no lord beside Him (Noble & Sublime).
This means that:
If we confess to the unity of lordship:
that Allah Alone is the true and only Lord (Mighty & Majestic), then we
must single Him (Glorious & Exalted) out exclusively for worship, by not
taking any person or partner beside Allah Almighty to be worshipped or drawn
near to through sacrificial offerings or the like, for Allah (Glorious &
Exalted) Alone is entitled to worship, to the exclusion of all others. This is
what is known as the unity of divinity (tawhid al-uluhiyyah).
Suppose a man admits completely to the
unity of lordship—that Allah Alone is the Lord and Creator, the Provider, the
Sovereign, the Designer of all things, etc., but he—this man—worships others
beside Allah (Noble & Sublime), such as in going to a grave to worship the
person inside, praying to him or giving a sacrificial offering to draw near to
him, then he—this man—would thereby have committed the sin of shirk, or
associating others in worship with Allah Most High. He would therefore be
subject to His punishment and torment, for if he has confessed to the unity of
the Lordship of Allah (Noble & Sublime), but he diverted his worship to
other than Allah (Glorious & Exalted), then he would not benefit from his
confession to the unity of lordship.
We would also like to imply that:
As we are obliged to believe in the Oneness
of Allah (Glorious & Exalted), and to single Him out exclusively as Lord
and God by not worshipping anything other than Him or making sacrificial
offerings to anyone but Him for the sake of drawing near to Him. That is
because belief in the Oneness of Allah (Glorious & Exalted) also requires
of us belief in the unity of His Names and Attributes, by way of acknowledging
the uniqueness of the Names He (Glorious & Exalted) has used to refer to
Himself and the Attributes He has ascribed to Himself in His Book or on the
tongue of His messenger (pbuh), without deviation, denial, qualification or
assimilation.
In other words, it is necessary to believe
in what Allah Most High has called Himself and in the Attributes He has used to
describe Himself literally, not metaphorically. These must be taken without
qualification and without assimilation, for we do not claim anything of which
we have no knowledge.
We say about Allah (Mighty & Majestic)
that which He said about Himself and what His Messenger, Muhammad (pbuh), said
about Him. We use these Names and Attributes in a positive sense, without
assimilation or qualification, and we negate about Him (Noble & Sublime)
that which He negated about Himself (Glorious & Exalted) and that which His
Messenger, Muhammad (pbuh), negated about Him, in terms of Names and
Attributes, without denial or deviation, in light of Allah's Saying, {There is
none like unto Him.}[Al-Shura 42: 11]
God the Creator (Noble & Sublime)
cannot be nothing; this is elementary.
And
if He is not nothing, then he must be described with positive qualities.
It is not possible that He (Noble &
Sublime) only has mental existence, for He (Glorious & Exalted) is the
Creator of minds. Thus, His Existence (Noble & Sublime) precedes the
existence of such minds.
As such, whoever compares the Attributes
of God the Creator (Noble & Sublime) to the attributes of created beings
has effectively worshipped an idol. Likewise, anyone who explains the
Attributes of God the Creator (Noble & Sublime) in a way that denies their
meaning has effectively worshipped nothingness.
What we have
related here in brief are the three aspects of Islamic monotheism discussed by
the scholars: the unity of lordship (tawhid al-rububiyyah), the unity of
divinity (tawhid al-uluhiyyah), and the unity of names and attributes (tawhid
al-asmaa' wal-sifaat).
In preparation for the explanation of the
Attributes of God the Creator we would like to say that:
Man, in his pure, good nature, believes in
his Lord. His natural tendencies were designed to make him believe in the
Existence of Allah (Mighty & Majestic), His Most Beautiful Attributes, and
His Absolute Power. Indeed, man's good nature is ever on the lookout for a God
Who is the Creator, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Wise, and so on from the
Attributes of Allah Almighty and His Most Beautiful Names.
Indeed, Allah (Glorious & Exalted) has
bestowed us with the blessing of reason, and distinguished us and preferred us
over many of His other creations, so that we might comprehend, through
knowledge of the Greatness of His Power, Wisdom, etc., the elevated status, the
highest level, and the most exalted position befitting His Greatness (Noble
& Sublime).
Although he is created, man uses his
reason carefully. He puts effort into using it to achieve the best, most
superior qualities he can for himself in everything.
If someone of high status and authority
compliments him on his excellent manners and good qualities, for instance, we
rationalize and imagine this person in the best way and the highest position.
Likewise, if a building is described as
tall, grand, and beautiful, of solid foundation and good quality, for instance,
we reason and imagine the building in the best way we possibly can.
So,
if the positive imaginings we mentioned are the case with created human beings
or other created things, then how should it be with God, the Creator and Maker?
Wouldn't this great blessing—the blessing
of reason—which Allah (Blessed & Exalted) has bestowed on us then lead us
to glorify Allah (Mighty & Majestic) to the extent He deserves? Wouldn't it
make us exalt this Great Deity, our Creator and the One Who made all things,
above anything unbefitting of Him (Glorious & Exalted), in terms of the
qualities of imperfection, defect, or debasement ascribed to Him by the
Christians, the lies of the Jews, or any of the other nations that came before
them, or contemporary false sects? Would we not confess the Greatness of His
Power, the Perfection of His Wisdom, and the Beauty of His Creation, since He
created signs for us to show us this?
The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (pbuh),
came with Islam, as a religion and law from Allah (Blessed & Exalted),
consisting of sound beliefs and ideas from Allah (Glorious &
Exalted)—beliefs and ideas pleasing to men's good natures and pure souls,
beliefs and ideas that are not unpalatable to reason or indomitable to the
mind, beliefs and ideas anyone of sound mind could accept.
Allah's Messenger (pbuh) came with that
which contained glorification of Allah (Noble & Sublime): the unity of
lordship (tawhid al-rububiyyah), the unity of divinity (tawhid
al-uluhiyyah), and the unity of Divine Names and Attributes (tawhid
al-asmaa' wal-sifaat), as we have previously shown.
Allah's Messenger (pbuh) also came to
vindicate Allah of all that is unbefitting of Him, from actions, statements and
attributes. He came to clear His Holy Name of all imperfection, blame, defect
and fault attributed to Him, such as the charge of taking a wife and a son, as
the Christians falsely claim, or the charge of being the god of one particular
group of people, as the Jews falsely claimed when they said that the Lord is
the Lord of the Israelites, or the attribution of weakness or inability, as the
Zoroastrians falsely claim, besides all the other lies perpetrated against the
Creator by His creations, may Allah Almighty be exalted high above all that.
Allah's Messenger (pbuh) came with the
Holy Quran which contains Allah's Saying, {There is none like unto Him, and He
is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing}[Al-Shura 42: 11], for the Attributes of
Allah, the Great Creator, are not like those of His slaves whom He created.
The Attributes of Allah (Mighty &
Majestic) are the epitome of absolute perfection in their beauty and splendor,
in their meaning and essence.
Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is the
First, the Alpha: there is nothing before Him. He is described with the
Attribute of Perfection before all things, for His Names and Attributes (Noble
& Sublime) are everlasting and eternal.
Just as He (Glorious & Exalted)
Himself is the First without beginning, His Names and Attributes follow from
His Being (Noble & Sublime). Thus, they are pre-Existing by the
pre-Existence of Allah Almighty, without beginning. Likewise, He (Glorious
& Exalted) does not acquire any new attribute that did not exist before,
nor does He lose any Attribute that has been with Him.
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came with
the Saying of Allah Most High,
{Say: "He is Allah, (the)
One. * Allah, the Self-Sufficient Master (Whom all creatures need, though He is
dependent on none) * He begets not, nor was He begotten. * And there is none
co-equal or comparable unto Him."}
[Al-Ikhlas 112: 1-4]
Thus, Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is the
One and Only God, the Unique, to Whom none compare. He is not equal to any of
His creation. No laws, analogies, or rules apply to Him as they apply to them.
He (Glorious & Exalted) is al-Samad, the Master Who is obeyed, the
One others seek out in their continual need. Allah (Glorious & Exalted) has
not taken a son, for He (Noble & Sublime) begets not, nor is He begotten.
He is the Creator, and He is Independent of any need to take a son.
He (Glorious & Exalted) has no peer or
equal, for there is none like unto Him.
To find out more about the Most Beautiful
Names and Attributes of Allah Almighty, please refer to Islamic books which are
specialized in explaining and discussing them, especially the book, Allah's
Most Beautiful Names Confirmed in Quran and Sunnah (Asmaa' Allah
al-Husnaa al-Thaabitah fil-Kitaab wal-Sunnah), by Dr. Mahmoud Abdul-Raaziq
al-Ridwaani.
What we have set forth here is but a brief
summary of some of the Attributes of Allah (Glorious & Exalted) that a
Muslim believes about his God and Creator, from which no one of sound, reliable
reason and good, pure nature should be dissuaded. Indeed, that is not his
right.
There are a few of the
Attributes of Allah (Glorious & Exalted) that we would like to discuss in
greater detail, in less general terms, due to their importance, and the
confusion some people have concerning them. Among these Attributes are:
1. The
Attribute of Creation Itself:
This is referenced in such
Verses of the Quran as: {Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the
Guardian over all things.}[Al-Zumar 39:62]
Allah (Mighty & Majestic) is the One
Who brought all things into existence after they had not been present, and He
decreed things in Eternity after they had been nonexistent.
Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is the
Creator Who creates from nothing, with foreordainment and knowledge, then by
forming and creating with ability and independence, in accordance with the
Saying of Allah Most High, {Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is
only that He says to it, "Be!"—and it is!}[Ya-Sin 36: 82] He
(Glorious & Exalted) is the Supreme Creator Who originates in His creation
as much and however He likes.
2. The
Attribute of Eternity and Infinity:
These are two of the
Attributes mentioned in the Holy Quran, in the Saying of the Most High, {He is
the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last (nothing is after Him)}[Al-Hadid
57: 3]
Allah (Glorious & Exalted) preceded in
His Existence everything that exists other than Him. He (Noble & Sublime)
is the Everlasting; He remains after every creature that is transient goes
away. He (Glorious & Exalted) is the First Who is not preceded in Existence
by anything, and He is the One Whose Being and Stature is exalted above all
else. He is not in need of anything. He is the Self-Sufficient, Who is not
dependent on anything.
Since Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is
Eternal, He must necessarily be Self-Sufficient, Independent of anything else.
He (Glorious & Exalted) is described
by perpetuity and permanence. He (Noble & Sublime) is the Everlasting, Who
remains after His creation has ceased to exist. This is indicated in the
meaning of the Saying of Allah Most High, {Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will
perish. * And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honor will abide
forever.}[Al-Rahman 55:26-27]
Here the question presents itself:
How do we combine and reconcile the
description of Allah (Mighty & Majestic) as the Last, the Remaining, Whom
nothing comes after, and the eternity the created will spend in Paradise? The
Most High has said the following about the people of Paradise, its blessings,
and the permanence of its pleasures and entertainments:
{Allah will say, "This is
a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens
under which rivers flow (in Paradise) – they shall abide therein forever. Allah
is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success (Paradise).}
[Al-Ma'idah 5: 119]
Allah (Mighty & Majestic)
also said the following in His Perfect Book about the people of the Hellfire,
their torment, and their evil destiny:
{"…and whosoever disobeys
Allah and His Messenger, then verily, for him is the Fire of Hell, he shall
dwell therein forever."}
[Al-Jinn 72: 23]
There is also the exegesis of
Allah's Saying, {And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honor will abide
forever}[Al-Rahman 55: 27] and the hadith related by Muslim, that the
Prophet (pbuh) used to say in his prayers, "And You are the Last; there is
nothing after You."
The answer is: though it may seem
contradictory on the surface that the people of Paradise and the Hellfire will
remain there for all eternity and that Allah Alone (Mighty & Majestic) is
Eternal, and that He is the Last, and there is nothing after Him, this
contradiction vanishes when we learn that there is an essential difference
between the Eternity of Divine Being and Attributes and the forever of beings
created by Allah (Mighty & Majestic), such as Paradise, the Hellfire and
everything in them.
Paradise, for example, will remain forever by
the Eternal Permanence of Allah (Mighty & Majestic) and because of it. The
blessings that are renewed in it are dependent for their existence on the Will
of Allah (Noble & Sublime).
Allah's Being and Attributes, on the other
hand, will remain forever by His Own Eternal Life.
How great is the difference between the
Eternal Life of Allah (Glorious & Exalted) and that which remains through
His maintenance.
Paradise is created, since Allah (Mighty
& Majestic) brought it into being, and it exists subject to His Command; it
is a captive to His Will and Wisdom.
Thus, the existence of Paradise and its
inhabitants for time without end is merely by the preservation of Allah (Noble
& Sublime) and His Will, for existence and eternity are not characteristics
of that which is created, nor are they part of its essence; rather, the nature
of all created things is impermanence.
Eternal life is neither from the essence
nor nature of created things; in fact, only through continual extension from
Allah Almighty and His constant maintenance is it not discontinued.[1]
3. The
Attribute of Knowledge:
This is the Attribute referred
to in Allah's Saying, {So Allah will suffice you against them, and He is the All-Hearing,
the All-Knowing.}[Al-Baqarah 2: 137]
One of the Attributes of Allah (Mighty
& Majestic) is that He is Omniscient. He knows everything that was,
everything that is, and everything that will be. Nothing is hidden from Him
(Noble & Sublime) in the earth or in the heavens, may He be glorified above
all imperfection. His knowledge encompasses all things, evident or concealed,
great or small. Indeed, He knows things before they exist.
Allah (Mighty & Majestic) knows
everything that was, everything that is, and everything that will be. By virtue
of His Ultimate Wisdom, He even knows everything that, if it would be, how it
would be.[2]
The Knowledge of Allah (Glorious &
Exalted) is described as Comprehensive Knowledge, in that His Knowledge extends
to and contains all things.
What a difference there is between the
Eternal, Permanent Divine Knowledge of the Creator and the knowledge of
transient, created slaves! The Knowledge of Allah (Noble & Sublime) is
Vast, Complete Knowledge which is not preceded by ignorance, while the limited,
narrow knowledge of the created is preceded by ignorance.
Thus, His Name, the All-Knowing, as
mentioned in the Noble Verse and other scriptural sources, is a proper name,
which indicates an attribute and its absolute quality.
4. The
Attribute of Power:
This Attribute is referred to
in the Sayings of Allah Most High, {And Allah is Able to do everything}[Al-Kahf
18: 45] and {He creates what He wills, and it is He Who is the All-Knowing, the
All-Powerful.}[Al-Rum 30: 54]
Indeed, one of the Attributes of Allah
(Mighty & Majestic) is that He is Able to do anything. This is the meaning
referred to by the Name, al-Muqtadir, that was mentioned in the first Noble
Verse.
He (Glorious & Exalted) is al-Muqtadir,
Whose Knowledge completely encompasses a thing, Who has absolute mastery over
it with power, Who is in full control of it with complete mastery and ability,
so that nothing is impossible for Him.
The Ability of Allah (Mighty &
Majestic) is described as Absolute Power. This description is not fit for
anyone besides Him (Noble & Sublime), for Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is
the Eternal, Everlasting God, the Creator of all things.
5. The
Attribute of Sovereignty:
This Attribute is mentioned in
the Saying of the Most High, {Say, "Oh Allah! Possessor of the
kingdom…"}[Al-`Imran 3: 26]
Indeed, Allah (Mighty & Majestic) is
the King, Sovereign over all things. He is the King of the Visible and Unseen
Worlds. Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is the King in the Absolute, Eternal,
Infinite sense.
This Attribute is also mentioned in the
Saying of the Most High, {So, Exalted be Allah, the True King, none has the
right to be worshipped but Him, the Lord of the Supreme Throne!}[Al-Mu'minoon
23: 116]
Allah (Mighty & Majestic) is the King
to Whom belongs the right to command and prohibit in His kingdom. He is the One
Who may administer His creation freely, giving orders and acting independently;
no one has any preference over Him in doing what He pleases with His kingdom.
He (Noble & Sublime) does what He
wills and what He wants according to what His Complete, Ultimate Wisdom
requires of Him, as it says in the following Saying of the Most High, {He does
what He intends.}[Al-Burooj 85: 16]
Allah (Mighty & Majestic) is the True,
Permanent King. There is no Creator for this universe besides Him, and no
Designer for it besides Him (Noble & Sublime).
6. Transcendence
(Rising Above):
This Attribute is referenced
in the Saying of Allah Most High, {The Most Beneficent (Allah) rose over the
Throne.}[Taha 20: 5]
We should know before all else that the
'rising' of Allah (Glorious & Exalted) over His Throne does not resemble
the rising of the created over things, for there is nothing like unto Allah
(Glorious & Exalted).
We should also know that the Throne is one
of the greatest of Allah's creations. Allah (Mighty & Majestic) glorified
it Himself, and honored it by rising over it; indeed, He is the Lord of the
Throne. He says, {Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He)
above all (the lies) they attribute to Him!}[Al-Anbiyaa' 21: 22]
The rising of Allah Almighty over the
Throne means that He (Noble & Sublime) ascends in a special way befitting
His Glory and Grandeur. This ascendance is an established fact about Allah
Almighty in a real sense.
Allah (Glorious & Exalted) ascends to
the Throne in a way befitting Him (Mighty & Majestic). It does not resemble
the rising of a human being onto his bed, nor does it resemble ascendancy in
astronomy or anything else.
As for those who interpret the rising (istiwaa')
as taking possession (istilaa'), these have fallen into gross error, for
that is a deviation of the word from its place. It is contrary to that which
was agreed upon by the Companions of Allah's Messenger (pbuh) and those who
followed them in truth. Such a false interpretation has corrupt consequences,
so no believer should utter it.
Taking possession of a thing can only be
in a case in which there is an opposite. Whichever of the two overcomes the
other becomes the possessor of that thing. As such, this interpretation is
corrupt and incorrect. May Allah be exalted above the idea of having an
opponent to vie with over His kingdom!
The truth is that the istiwaa' of
Allah (Mighty & Majestic) over His Throne is rising and actual ascendancy.
It is a rising that befits His Glory and Grandeur, in accord with the Saying of
the Most High, {There is none like unto Him.}[Al-Shura 42: 11]
This is the meaning that is true to the
term, for the Holy Quran was revealed in the Arabic language, and the principle
in determining the meaning of words in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the
Prophet (pbuh) is that it remains on the exact meaning in the Arabic language.
When Imam Malik was asked concerning the
Verse, {The Most Beneficent (Allah) rose over the Throne}[Taha 20: 5]: how is
the istiwaa'? He replied (may Allah be merciful to him), "The istiwaa'
(rising) is known, but the 'how' is unknown; belief is obligatory, and the
question about it is innovation (bid`ah)."
As we have now established, the rising of
Allah (Mighty & Majestic) over His Throne is an ascendancy befitting His
Glory and Grandeur, and this rising does not resemble the rising of a created
human being, onto his bed or otherwise, and that there is nothing like unto
Allah Almighty. This now leads us to an important question, which is: Where is
Allah?
Allah (Noble & Sublime) has informed
us that He is in the heavens, ascendant over His Throne. The Most High has said,
{Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not cause the
earth to sink with you, then behold it shakes (as in an earthquake)?}[Al-Mulk
67: 16]
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told us that
His Lord (Noble & Sublime) is in the heavens. He said, "Do you not
believe me, when I am trusted by He Who is in the heavens, and news comes to me
morning and evening?" [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Indeed, Allah's Messenger (pbuh) testified
to the faith of the slave-girl when she told him that Allah is in the heavens
[or: sky]. In Sahih Muslim,
Mu`awiyah ibn al-Hakam struck a slave-girl of his, due to some shortcoming in
protecting his sheep, but then he regretted it, so he came to Allah's Messenger
(pbuh) asking his permission to set her free. So, Allah's Messenger (pbuh)
called for her and asked her, "Where is Allah?" She replied, "In
the sky." He asked, "Who am I?" She replied, "You are the
Messenger of Allah." He said, "Set her free, for she is a believer."
[Reported by Muslim]
We would like to point out that, in saying
that Allah (Noble & Sublime) is in the heavens, we do not mean that He
(Mighty & Majestic) is present within the heavens. What we mean is
that Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is above the heavens. He is High
above His creation, not connected to them, and that His Ascendancy (Noble &
Sublime) is that of Being, Position, Honor, and Force; indeed, it is one of His
Essential Attributes.
What we have said can be confirmed in the
Holy Quran and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh).
What we have indicated can be clarified by
Allah's Words in the story of the Pharoah, when he said to those who believed
Moses (Musa, peace be upon him) in the Quran, {…and I will surely crucify you
on the trunks of palm trees…}[Taha 20: 71]
In this Verse, Pharoah threatens those who
believed in the God of Moses (peace be upon him) that he would crucify them on
the trunks of palm trees, but not in them, since the preposition, "fi,"
in the Noble Verse gives the meaning, "on," [though its more common
meaning is "in"].
Additionally, the Existence of Allah
Almighty above the heavens is a matter known by the natural tendency of man's
pure nature, just as it is known by sound and reliable reason. This is shown in
the answer of the slave-girl.
A deviant question might then
be asked: If Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is described as being high, does
this Attribute of Ascendancy mean by definition that He is confined—that He
exists in a place of fixed dimensions? Or, alternately, would the Almighty be
described as being everywhere?
We will answer by saying first that Allah
(Mighty & Majestic) is characterized by Ascendancy without limitation, and
that He (Noble & Sublime) cannot be described as being everywhere.
First we would like to address the second
issue: that Allah (Noble & Sublime) is not to be described as present
everywhere. That is because man's pure, good nature and his sound, reliable
reason both deny such corrupt statements, and there is no evidence for such a
claim in the Holy Quran or in the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh). In fact, it
would be impossible for the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) to
say anything of the sort.
The Holy Quran is the truth. Our Lord
(Blessed & Exalted) sent it down upon His messenger, Muhammad (pbuh), to
deliver man from darkness into the light. Thus, it cannot contain anything but
the truth, in accordance with the Saying of the Most High, {And with truth We
have sent it down (i.e., the Quran) and with truth it has descended. And We have
sent you (oh Muhammad, pbuh) as nothing but a bearer of glad tidings and a
warner.}[Al-Israa' 17: 105]
The truth is that Allah (Mighty &
Majestic) is Great. He is vindicated of any defect or imperfection in His
Being, or His Attributes and Names. This is what man's good nature and sound
reason indicate, since they could not accept that it is from the Attributes of
Allah (Mighty & Majestic) that He be present in an impure or filthy place,
or in places of actual impurity or filth, and these would be included in
"everywhere."
It is impossible to accept a description
that locates Allah (Mighty & Majestic) in any impure animal, such as a pig
or anything else of the sort.
High Exalted is Allah (Noble &
Sublime) above having His Attributes tainted by the likes of such an absolute
claim, "everywhere." That is because it would mean containing the
Divine Being, which is something impossible to imagine, as we have shown.
To comment further on this claim, we say
that Allah (Mighty & Majestic) is with us through His Attributes: He sees
us anywhere we are, in accordance with the Saying of the Most High, {I am with
you both, Hearing and Seeing.}[Taha 20: 46]
In fact, He (Noble & Sublime) knows
what is concealed and what the hearts hide, in accord with His Saying, {Allah
knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal.}[Ghaafir 40: 19]
Here we move on to answer the
first issue: that Allah (Mighty & Majestic) is described as being without
limitation. We will clarify this response as follows:
Before Allah (Mighty & Majestic)
created creation, there was no time or place; there was nothing but Allah
(Glorious & Exalted).
Allah (Glorious & Exalted) is Eternal
and Everlasting. He is the Originator of all things, the Creator of all that is
created.
Time and place were both created by Allah
(Mighty & Majestic) for His creation after He created them from nothing,
for He (Glorious & Exalted) does whatever He pleases, in accordance with
His Absolute, Ultimate Wisdom. He (Glorious & Exalted) is Able to do
anything, and there is none like unto Him.
Time and place are both creations of Allah
(Mighty & Majestic).
Therefore, Allah (Glorious & Exalted)
is unlimited by place, nor does He exist within the bounds of time.
Before time and place existed, nothing
existed except God, the Creator (Glorious & Exalted).
As such, the Ascendancy of Allah (Glorious
& Exalted) above His creation and above the heavens He created is an
Ascendancy of Being, Position, Honor, and Force, encompassing them, without
being connected to them, and without limitations.
To represent this logically with what Imam
Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, as a hypothetical example: He (may Allah have mercy on
him) said, "If a man had, in his hand, a vessel of clear glass, in which
was a clear liquid, his human sight could encompass the vessel without him
being inside the vessel. Thus, Allah—to Whom belongs the ultimate
example—encompasses all His creation without being inside any of it.[3]
In addition, if a man constructed a
building with all its amenities and then shut the door and went outside, it
would not be unknown to this man how many homes were in this building, and how
big each house was, without this owner being present inside the building. Thus,
Allah—to Whom belongs the ultimate example—encompasses all His creations. He
knows their secrets and their exteriors, without being inside anything He
created.[4]
This was a logical representation of what
we have presented, in order to bring the meaning closer to the mind, for that
is what the honest, straightforward mind accepts.
Let us now
contemplate the great extent to which Muslims glorify their God, the Supreme
Creator, in the Final Legislation with which the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came,
which vindicates Him (Noble & Sublime) of all charges of imperfection in
His Being, His Attributes, and His Names.
How perfectly synchronized is the Muslims'
glorification of Allah Most High with the sound, pure nature with which man was
made by his God and Creator!
How harmonious is the Muslims'
glorification of Allah Most High with the honest, straightforward reason which
Allah (Blessed & Exalted) granted human beings in order to know His Supreme
Attributes (Noble & Sublime) and testify to them, so as not to accept or be
pleased with anything that faults them or detracts from their quality or
status.
Allah (Noble & Sublime) is not
glorified to the extent that He is rightfully due, except in the religion of
Islam, with which the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came. This we will now prove (by
the Will of Allah Almighty), by way of clarifying some of that which has been
attributed to Him by adherents of false religions and the previous divine
messages that were corrupted—Christianity and Judaism—in terms of attributes
which blame and humble God, the Creator (Noble & Sublime).
[1]
Allah's Most Beautiful Names
Confirmed In Quran and Sunnah (Asmaa'
Allah al-Husnaa al-Thabitah fil-Kitaab wal-Sunnah), by Mahmoud Abdul-Raaziq
al-Ridwaani
[3]
The Method of Argument and
Debate in Settling Matters of Belief (Manhaj al-Jadal wal-Munadharah fi Taqrir al-I`tiqaad), by Dr.
Uthman Ali Hassan
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