Faith in the Oneness of Allah’s Names and Attributes

 Faith in the 

Oneness of Allah’s 

Names and Attributes

Those who associate themselves to Islam have split-up with 

regards to this category of Tawheed. They have split into various 

groups based on the following three principles; 

a) Believing in (all) the Names and Attributes of Allah , 

b) Believing in the Names of Allah without believing in 

His Attributes 

c) Believing in the Names of Allah and some Attributes 

of Allah 

There are also those extremists who even deny the Names of 

Allah and say, "Allah has no Names and no Attributes. We 

have left them (i.e., the Qur'aanic verses and Ahadeeth which 

speak about the Names and Attributes of Allah) because they 

are unclear.” 

(the first group) As-Salaf as-Saleh (the pious predecessors) affirmed 

the Names and Attributes of Allah in their obedience to what is 

mentioned in the Saying of Allah, "(all) the Most Beautiful Names 

belong to Allah, so call on Him by them," [Soorah al-A'raf (7): 180] 

This (above-mentioned verse) is a proof of affirming the Names of 

Allah and the following verse is a proof of affirming Allah's Attributes, 

"For Allah is the highest description." [Soorah an-Nahl (16): 60] The 

meaning of, 'highest description,' is the complete description. 

These are two general verses affirming two issues; 

(i) The Names of Allah 

(ii) The Attributes of Allah 

There are numerous details in the Qur'an and the Sunnah 

(concerning the Names and the Attributes of Allah). 

(the second group) Those who affirm Allah's Names without affirming His Attributes say, "Allah is Samee (All-Hearing) without a 

Hearing, He is Baseer (All-Seeing) without sight.' This is well-known 

in the Mu'tazilah Madhhab. 

The third group affirms the Names of Allah and some Attributes. 

They affirm seven attributes and negate all the others, and those 

seven Attributes are: (i) Life, (ii) Knowledge, (iii) Power, (iv) Hearing, 

(v) Sight, (vi) Will and (vii) Speech. 

As-Safaraanee gathered them in his saying, 

"He has life, Speech and Sight, Hearing, 

Will, Knowledge and Power..." 

Those who affirm the Names and some Attributes of Allah (i.e., the 

third group) argue, "We affirm these Attributes because (only) these 

attributes are approved by the intellect while the rest are not 

approved by the intellect, so we do not affirm them. 

(Intellectual proofs of the third group are;) 

The existing creation proves that it was originated. Its origin 

proves power (to originate) because there cannot be 

origination without power. This is an intellectual proof (for 

Allah's Attribute of Power). 

Choice proves Will - i.e. (the choice/will) to make the sun, the 

moon, the sky and the earth. All this proves the Will of their 

Creator, Who Willed that these things should be as they are. 

This is also an intellectual proof (for Allah's Attribute of Will) 

If we look into the creation, we find it to be a perfectly 

coherent creation. Coherence proves knowledge because an 

ignorant cannot create coherence. 

So, three Attributes have been affirmed for Allah (i) Power, 

(ii) Will and (iii) Knowledge and these three cannot exist 

except with life and therefore they affirm that Allah is Living. 

A living would be hearing, seeing and speaking which are 

attributes of perfection or a living would be blind, deaf and 

dumb which are attributes of deficiency. So, (they say) it is 

obligatory to affirm the attribute of perfection for the Living. 

So, these are their logical proofs based upon which they affirm seven 

Attributes for Allah. 

If one of them is asked to affirm the attribute of Mercy for Allah, he 

refuses saying, “I do not affirm Mercy for Allah because I explain it as 

I believe. I say, Mercy is the Will of doing good, or it is doing good 

itself." and therefore he does not understand Mercy as an Attribute 

(of Allah). 

But we say, This (understanding/explanation) is wrong. (Moreover,) 

We can rationally prove the Mercy (of Allah) through the effects of 

Allah's Mercy that we witness (in the world). Blessings (of Allah for 

His creatures) that cannot be enumerated are due to the Mercy (of 

Allah). Cruelty from which we are protected is also due to the Mercy 

(of Allah). These blessings prove the Attribute of Mercy (for Allah). 

The proof of blessings for affirming the Mercy of Allah is stronger 

than the proof of choice for affirming the Will of Allah because the 

former is known by both the common and the learned. Despite this, 

they deny the Attribute of Mercy and affirm the Attribute of Will. 

From this instance, it becomes known that whosoever forsakes the 

path of the Salaf, he is in constant decline because there is no 

harmony in falsehood. "Do they not consider the Qur'an carefully? 

Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much contradiction." [Soorah an-Nisa (4): 82] 

Our (Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah's) belief concerning the Names and 

Attributes of Allah is that we affirm all the Names and Attributes of 

Allah that Allah has affirmed for Himself. We purify this affirmation 

from the two great prohibitions: 

- Tamtheel (resembling Allah to His creation) 

- Takyeef (asking how the Names and Attributes are). 

These two prohibitions are proven by the text (of the Quran 

and the Sunnah) and also by the intellect. 

Allah says,

 

"There is nothing like unto Him."

 

[Soorah ash-Shura (42): 11]

 

"So put not forward similitude for Allah."

 

[Soorah an-Nahl (16): 74]

 

"Do you know of any who is similar to Him?"

 

[Soorah Maryam (19): 65]

 

There are many texts in the Quran and the Sunnah concerning the prohibition of resemblance. 

Rational Proof

 

(for the Prohibition of Resembling Allah to His creation) 

It can never ever be rational that the Creator resembles the creation 

whilst there is a huge difference between the two: 

- The Creator is the One who brings (the creation) into 

existence (from nothingness). 

- The creation is that which is brought into existence. 

- The Existence of the Creator is Eternal and Everlasting. 

- The creation is not always present and can be 

destroyed, rather it will perish. “Whatsoever is on it (the 

earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of 

Majesty and Honor will abide forever." [Soorah ar￾Rahman (55): 26-27] 

Some of the Salaf (pious predecessors) said that if you read the verse, 

“Whatsoever is on it (i.e., the earth) will perish.” 

do not stop at this point; continue to read what is mentioned 

after it, 

"the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honor 

will abide forever." 

(One should continue reading) in order to establish the clear 

distinction between the Creator and the creation, and to know the 

Perfection of Allah and deficiency of others bedsides Him. 

If someone argues that Allah has affirmed a Face for 

Himself in the verse, "the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honor 

will abide forever." [Soorah ar-Rahman (55): 27] 

(But) I do not understand the Face except like the face of the 

creation and therefore affirming the Face of Allah 

necessitates resembling Allah with the creation. (Such is) 

because the Quran is in Arabic and (the meaning of face) is 

what is well-known amongst the people, and the most 

perfect face is the human face. So, the Face of Allah is like the 

human face. 

So, how do we reply? 

Reply: This is an incorrect understanding because the 

Face is attributed to Allah and that which is attributed befits 

the One, it is attributed to. So, the Face of Allah befits Him, 

and the human face befits the human. 

(For instance), you have a face and the lion has a face, and the 

cat has a face. So, if we say, the face of a man, the face of a lion 

and the face of a cat - does this necessitate resemblance? 

No one ever says that his face resembles the face of a cat or a 

lion. So we know from this instance that the face befits the 

one it is attributed to. 

It is thus proven by textual and rational proofs that affirming the 

Attributes of Allah does not necessitate any resemblance between 

the Creator and the creation.