The Attributes Of Perfection

As a Muslim you have to – without any doubt – describe Allahu ta’ala with the attributes of perfection.

He ta’ala says,

For those who believe not in the Hereafter is the description of evil, and for Allah is the highest description. And He is al-‘Aziz, al-Hakim. (an-Nahl 16/60)

In “Tafsir al-Qur’an al-’Azim” (4/578) the highest description is explained as, (it is) the complete perfection in every aspect.

And to that which proves that Allah has all the attributes of perfection belongs, that if He wouldn’t have the attribute that He is living, knowing, powerful, hearing, seeing, speaking He surely would have the opposite of them as (His) attributes, like death (!), ignorance (!), deafness (!) and dumbness (!). (see al-Jawab as-Sahih 3/217)

This point here is extremely important. If Allah wouldn’t have the attributes of perfection He would have the opposites of them as His attributes, which are only deficiencies. Allah is high above this.

If He (Allahu ta’ala) isn’t described with omnipotence He surely is described with inability.

Banu Isra’il had been worshipping a calf. Allahu ta’ala says,

Don’t they see that it (the calf) doesn’t return them a word, and that it has no power either to harm them or to do them good? (Ta Ha 20/89)

And He ta’ala says,

Did they not see that it (the calf) can neither speak to them nor guide them to the way? They took it (as an Ilah – they worshipped it) and they were wrong-doers. (al-A’raf 7/148)

Imam Ahmad Ibnu Hanbal said in “al-‘Aqidah” p.106,

So He ‘azza wa jalla said about those who toke the calf (as an Ilah),

Did they not see that it (the calf) could neither speak to them nor guide them to the way? They took it (as an Ilah – they worshipped it) and they were wrong-doers. (al-A’raf 7/148)

So He criticized them for worshipping an Ilah that could neither speak nor did it have speech. So if our Ilah wouldn’t be speaking nor having speech then the criticism would apply to Him (!). And then the argument against those who toke the calf (as an Ilah) which He argued with against them would become invalid.

The last sentence means in other words, “If our Ilah – Allah – also wouldn’t speak then we couldn’t argue with this against the idolaters that their idol couldn’t speak.”

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other arguments against them. But only, that in this case there would exist one argument less against them, and Allah is exalted above not being described with the attributes of perfection.

Ibnu Khuzaymah said in “at-Tawhid” p.71,

Khalil ur-Rahman (Ibrahim) said to his father,

Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything? (Maryam 19/42)

Isn’t it impossible – oh people of understanding – that when Khalil ur-Rahman (Ibrahim) said to his father Azar, “Why do you worship that which neither hears nor sees?” he was criticizing him for worshipping that which neither hears nor sees…and that he afterwards calls him to the worship of someone who neither hears nor sees, just as the idols?

At this point Ibnu Khuzaymah is indicating that Ibrahim alayhi sallam is criticizing the idol for not hearing or seeing because this is a major defect. That means, he explains that at any rate he is unjustly being worshipped. Allah is without any doubt free of these defects because He hears and sees everything. He ta’ala says,

Say, “If the sea were ink for the Words of my Lord, surely, the sea would be exhausted before the Words of my Lord would be finished, even if We brought the like thereof as an addition.” (al-Kahf 18/109)

’Uthman Ibnu Sa’id ad-Darimiyy said in “ar-Radd ‘ala al-Jahmiyyah” p.201,

The idol – according to their claim – and ar-Rahman are on one level as concerns the speech. So which Kufr is more obvious than that?

He also said in the same book p.155,

So Allah speaks at the beginning and at the end. He always was speaking when there was none who spoke except Him. And He will always be speaking when there won’t be anyone left who will speak except Him. So He will say,

“To whom belongs the kingdom today?” (Ghafir 40/16)

“I am the King, where are the kings of the earth?” [This has been narrated in a hadith qudsiyy]

So no one denies the speaking of Allah ‘azza wa jalla except the one who declares that which Allah ‘azza wa jalla sent down to be invalid. And how can the One be unable to speak Who taught the slaves the speech and let the creatures speak?

This explanation of ad-Darimiyy is also very important. Allahu ta’ala says,

Then he (Ibrahim ‘alayhissalam) turned to their Alihah and said, “Don’t you eat? What is the matter with you that you speak not?” (as-Saffat 37/91-92)

Here he is drawing attention to that the idols cannot speak. And it is more than obvious that his statement doesn’t have to do anything with Shirk, because not a single Prophet of Allah ever committed Shirk. There is no doubt that he didn’t make Du’a’ to them at all…but rather he was only saying that idols cannot speak.

Imam Ahmad Ibnu Hanbal said in “ar-Radd ‘ala az-Zandiqah wal-Jahmiyyah” p.36,

You have already produced a lie against Allah when you claimed that He doesn’t speak. So you have compared Him with the idols which are being worshipped instead of Allah because the idols do not speak.

He said in the same book (p.36) as well,

And the speech of the sons of Adam is created as well. So you have already compared Allah to His creation when you claimed that His speech is created. Your way is that He existed already at a time when He didn’t speak until He created the speech. And the sons of Adam didn’t speak as well until Allah created the speech for them. You have already combined Kufr with Tashbih [that means they have already combined Kufr with Tashbih – comparing Allah with the creation – which is also a form of Kufr.], and Allah is exalted above these attributes.

And how good is that which Nu’aym Ibnu Hammad, the Shaykh of al-Bukhariyy, said, “Whoever compares Allah to the creation has already committed Kufr. And whoever denies something which Allah has described Himself with has already committed Kufr. And there is no Tashbih in that which Allah and His Messenger sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam have described Him with.