The definition of Tawhid al Asmaa wa’s Sifat: That you affirm everything of the names and attributes that Allah has confirmed about himself and what His Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam has mentioned in the Sunnah – [without interpreting it or distorting or denying it or asking how or comparison with His creation]
Allah says:
Allah – no one has the right to be worshiped except Him. To Him belong the best names. (Ta-Ha 20/8)
Nothing is like Him; and He is the Allhearing, the Allseeing. (ash-Shura 42/11)
We believe in everything from the names and attributes that Allah has mentioned about himself and that are in the Sunnah without interpreting or distorting or denying or asking how or comparing it with His creation, because this causes that one does not recognize its reality and denies its meaning.
Allah says:
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who deviate concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing. (al-A’raaf 7/180)
Anyone who doubts that Allah is Allknowing or is ignorant about it is Kafir
Allah says:
And you were not covering yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, but you assumed that Allah does not know much of what you do.And that was your assumption which you assumed about your Lord. It has brought you to ruin, and you have become among the losers.” (Fussilat 41/22-23)
So these people thought – out of ignorance – that Allah does not know, and Allah has called them the losers.
Anyone who doubts that Allah is able to resurrect the dead or is ignorant about it, is Kafir
And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, “I do not think that this will perish – ever. And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return.” His companion said to him while he was conversing with him, “Have you disbelieved in He who created you from dust and then from a sperm-drop and then proportioned you [as] a man? But as for me, He is Allah, my Lord, and I do not associate with my Lord anyone. (al Kahf 18/35-38)
Have you disbelieved? according to the rules of the Arabic language means: you have disbelieved.
Whoever doubts that Allah is the most high or is ignorant about this, is kafir
Muawiyah bin Al-Hakam As-Salmi said:
“I had a slave-girl who used to herd sheep for me. One day I discovered that a wolf had killed one of her sheep, and I’m a man from the children of Adam, I get upset like they get upset, and I slapped her in the face. Then I went to the Prophet who impressed upon me the seriousness of my act. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, should I not set her free?’ He said, ‘Bring her to me.’ He asked her, ‘Where is Allah’, She said, ‘He is above the heavens.’ He said, ‘Who am I?’ She said, ‘You are the Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Free her, for she is a believer.’ (Muslim and Abu Dawud)
This is proof that someone who does not know where Allah is, is not a believer.
Whoever doubts that Allah can speak or is ignorant about this, is kafir
And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam – from their loins – their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we have testified.” [This] – lest you should say on the day of Resurrection, “Indeed, we were of this unaware.” Or [lest] you say, “It was only that our fathers associated [others in worship] with Allah before, and we were but descendants after them. Then would You destroy us for what the falsifiers have done?” (al-A’raaf 7/172-173)
So Allah has made us testify that He is our Lord, and He spoke to us and has a covenant with the people that they must know Him and only worship Him.
Whoever doubts that Allah can see or is ignorant about this, is kafir
Does he not know that Allah sees? (al-‘Alaq 96/14)
Herein is a rebuke for the one who does not know that Allah can see.
Whoever doubts that Allah can hear or is ignorant about this, is kafir
Or do you think that most of them hear or reason? They are not except like livestock. Rather, they are [even] more astray in [their] way. (al Furqan 25/44)
So Allah lets us know that those who do not hear are like the cattle, and worse.
Sayings of the scholars about the Names and Attributes
Al-Marouzi (275H) said:
‘And ignorance concerning Allah is Kufr in all situations before and after the news (Khabr).’ (Ta’dheem Qadr al-Salah 2/520)
Muhammad bin Ismail al-Tirmidhi said, Iheard al-Muzni (264H) say:
‘No ones Tawhid is correct until he knows that Allah is above his throne with his Attributes.’
I [the narrator] said: ‘Like which [attributes]?’
He replied: ‘The All-Hearing, The All-Seeing, The All-Knowing and The All-Powerful.’ (Transmitted by Ibn Mundah in his “Tareekh” as is in al-Dhahbi’s “al-Uluww” 461)
Iblees sent his servants out on the road and one of the shayatin came to a worshiper and asked him: Can your lord put the world in an egg shell? Then he said: I do not know. Then Iblees said: Did you see how he became kafir in a second? Then the jinn went to a scholar and asked: Can your lord put the world in an egg shell? He answered: Yes. Then the shaytan said: How? he said: By saying: Kun fa yakoon. (Al-Faqih wa Al-MutaFaqqih of Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi)
Nu’aym ibn Hammad said: “Who compares Allah with something of his creation is a disbeliever and everyone who denies anything of the attributes that Allah has described himself with, is a kafir. And that with which Allah has described himself and His prophet is not a comparison (with creatures).” (Sharh Usul Itiqad Ahli Sunnah wa Al-Jama’a from Al-Laalkaaie)
Ibn Mindah said in his refutation of Al-Jahmiyah: “At-Ta’weel (misinterpretation) is according to the Ashab il Hadeeth (Ahli Sunnah) a type of Takdheeb (belying/rejecting).” [Ar-Rad ‘ala Al-Jahmiyah]
Al-Tirmidhi said: Allah mentions the Hand and the Hearing in several places in His book, but the jahmiyya interpreted this ayaat differently than ahlu l-ilm and said that the Hand meant strength. (Sunan Al-Tirmidhi 3/51)
The ashariyya say exactly the same as the jahmiyya and therefore they are kuffar.