Lesson 4. The Essential Attributes (al-sifat al-dhatiyyah) & The Immutable (Positive) Attributes (as-sifat al-thubutiyyah) THINK.

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1 Lesson 4 The Essential Attributes (al-sifat al-dhatiyyah) & The Immutable (Positive) Attributes (as-sifat al-thubutiyyah) God Almighty should be considered from five perspectives. One is His Essence as Divine Being (Dhat in Islamic terminology), which only He can know. The second perspective is His Essential Qualities as God, which are the Attributes source. A Prophetic Tradition says: Do not reflect on God s Essence ; instead, reflect on His works and acts. God is absolutely free from any defect and shortcoming. The third perspective is His Attributes, which are of three kinds: Essential Attributes (e.g., Existence, Having No Beginning, Oneness, Being Unlike the Created); God has no partners, likes or resemblance, as pointed to by the verse: There is nothing like or compared unto Him (42:11). Positive Attributes (Life, Knowledge, Power, Speech, Will, Hearing, Seeing, Creating); and Negative Attributes, summed up as: God is absolutely free from any defect and shortcoming. THINK When you see the reflection of the sun in water, is it conceivable that there is an actual sun in each drop of water? Or, does it make more sense that the sun you see in the drop of water is just a manifestation of the sun s reflection? Key vocabulary Essential: extremely important and necessary

2 Whatever exists in the universe is the result of the Names and Attributes manifestations: Universal and individual provision points to His Name the All-Providing. Likewise, the All-Healing is the source of remedies and recovery for the sick. The acts, Names, and Attributes are the links between Allah and the created, or the reflectors with which to have knowledge of Allah. Just the same way, if everything in the universe is not attributed to One God, the Absolutely All- Powerful One, it will be necessary to accept, in place of One God, as many gods as the particles in the universe. IMAGINE THE ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES (AL-SIFAT AL-DHATIYYAH) A man spends his entire life searching for knowledge. Without proper guidance, think of how many unnecessary, useless, and unimportant facts he would find among his gained knowledge. If you don t seek a way of making scientific and other knowledge useful, and spiritual, your knowledge will be incomplete. What can you do to make sure ALL your knowledge becomes valuable knowledge of Allah? 1. Al-Wujud (Self-Existence): Allah is the Existing One. This essential Attribute of Allah the Almighty denotes that His existence is by Himself. He is the Necessarily Existent One. 2. Al-Qidam (Having No Beginning): Allah is the Eternal in the Past. He existed before everything. 3. Al-Baqah (Having No End): Allah is the Eternal in the Future, He has no end. 4. Al-Mukhalafatun-lil-Hawadith (Being Unlike the Created): Allah is not like the things He created. This Attribute denotes that the All-Majestic, All-Exalted Allah does not resemble, in any way, any of His creatures in His Essence or Attributes. 5. Al-Qiyam-bi-Nafsihi (Self-Subsistence): Allah is the Self-Existing One. He is dependent on nothing else to exist. Allah subsists by Himself in absolute independence of anything else and without needing anything, either in His existence or subsistence, while everything and everyone other than Him owes both their existence and subsistence to Him. 6. Al-Wahdaniyyah (Oneness): Allah is the Unique One. He has no partner; He is not equal to anything. He has no equals nor likes in His Oneness. Key vocabulary provision:the act or process of supplying or providing something Denotes: to mean something Subsists / Subsistence: the amount of something needed to stay alive

3 THE IMMUTABLE (POSITIVE) ATTRIBUTES (AS-SIFAT AL-THUBUTIYYAH) DISCUSS Allah is One, Single and totally different from all that exists. We try to know or recognize Allah by His acts, Names, and Attributes. How can we use the knowledge we gain through this to know Allah without associating likeness or comparison unto Him? 1. Al-Hayat (Life): Allah is alive. He is the Living One. The life in the universe most certainly testifies to the necessary Existence of the Eternally Living One. 2. Al- Ilm (Knowledge): Allah knows everything. He is the All-Knowing One. Divine Knowledge encompasses everything and nothing is outside this limitless, all-encompassing circle. He is indeed All-Knowing of the states and conditions of all things. 3. Al-Iradah (Will): Allah has an absolute Will. Nothing binds His Divine Will. The book of the Universe and the Divine laws found in nature come from Divine Attributes of Power and Will. 4. Al-Qudrah (Power): Allah is the Almighty and Omnipotent (All-Powerful) One. His absolute Power contains no defect, and dominates everything. 5. As-Sam (Hearing): Allah hears everything. He is the All-Hearing One. He listens to and hears all sounds and voices. 6. Al-Basar (Sight): Allah sees everything, be it hidden or not. He is the Omniscient (All-Seeing) One. 7. Al-Kalam (Speech): Allah speaks in a unique way. He needs no sounds or letters. The Divine Speech cannot be compared to any kind of speech we are familiar with. 8. At-Takwin (Making Exist): He is the Creator of everything. The Attribute of Making Exist is the Attribute of Glory that is the origin of this creation. This is pointed to in the verse: To Allah applies the most sublime Attributes (an-nahl 16:60). SOME OF GOD S NAMES Key vocabulary Allah: Translated as God, Allah is the proper Name of the Divine Being Who creates and administers His creatures, individually and as a whole, Who provides, brings up, sustains, protects, guides each and all, Who causes to perish and revives each and all, Who rewards or punishes, and so on. All His Attributes are Attributes of absolute perfection, and He is absolutely free from any and all defects. He is Unique and Single, having no like or resemblance and nothing is comparable to Him. He is absolutely beyond any human conception. He is the Unique, Single Being with the exclusive right to be worshipped and to be made the sole aim of life. He is loved in and of Himself. Immutable: unable to be changed sublime: very beautiful or good

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5 (Al-) Adl: The All-Just (Al-) Afuww: The All-Pardoning (Who overlooks the faults of His servants); The One Who grants remission; The One Who excuses much (Al-)Ahad: The Unique One (Who is beyond all kinds of human conceptions of Him and absolutely free from having any partners, likes, parents, sons or daughters) (Al-)Ahir: The Last (Whom there is none that will outlive) (Al-) Alim: The All-Knowing (Al-) Aliyy: The All-Exalted (Al-)Amin: The One in Whom Refuge is Sought (Al-) Atuf: The All-Affectionate (Al-)Awwal: The First (Whom there is none that precedes) (Al-) Aziz: The All-Glorious with irresistible might (Whom none can prevent from doing what He wills) (Al-)Baqi: The All-Permanent (Al-)Bari: The All-Holy Creator (Who is absolutely free from having any partners and Who makes every being perfect and different from others) (Al-)Basir: The All-Seeing (Al-)Batin: The All-Inward (Who encompasses the whole existence from within in His Knowledge, and there is none that is more penetrating than Him) (Ad-)Dayyan: The Supreme Ruler and All-Requiting (of good and evil) (Al-)Fard: The All-Independent, Single One (free from having any equals or likes in His Essence and Attributes) (Al-)Fatir: The All-Originating (with a unique individuality) (Al-)Fattah: The One Who judges between people with truth and separates (Al-)Ghaniyy: The All-Wealthy and Self-Sufficient (Al-)Habib: The All-Loving and Loved (Al-)Hadi: The All-Guiding (Al-)Hafiz: The All-Preserving and Keeper of records (Al-)Hakim: The All-Wise (in Whose every act and decree there are many instances of wisdom) (Al-)Halim: The All-Clement (showing no haste to punish the errors of His servants) (Al-)Hamid: The All-Praiseworthy (as the Lord Who creates, provides, and rears) (Al-)Hannan: The All-Kind and Caring (Al-)Haqq: The Ultimate Truth and Ever-Constant (Al-)Hayy: The All-Living (Al-)Jabbar: The All-Compelling of supreme majesty (Who subdues wrong and restores right) (Al-)Jalil: The All-Majestic (Al-)Jamil: The All-Gracious and All-Beautiful (Al-)Jawad: The All-Generous

6 (Al-)Kabir: The All-Great (Al-)Kafi: The All-Sufficing (Al-)Karim: The All-Munificent (Al-)Khabir: The All-Aware (Al-)Khaliq: The Creator (Who determines measure for everything and brings it into existence out of nothing) (Al-)Latif: The All-Subtle (penetrating into the most minute dimensions of all things); the All-Favoring (Al-)Mahmud: The All-Praised (Al-)Malik: The Sovereign (Al-)Mannan: The All-Bounteous and Favoring (Al-)Ma ruf: The One Known (with His works); the All-Recognized (Al)Mubin: The One from Whom nothing is hidden and Who makes all truth manifest (Al-)Mughni: The All-Enriching (Al-)Muhaymin: The All-Watchful Guardian (Al-)Muhit: The All-Encompassing (Al-)Muhsin: The All-Benevolent (Al-)Muhyi: The One Who revives, Who gives life to the dead (Al-)Mu in: The All-Helping and Supplying (Al-)Mu izz: The All-Exalting and Honoring (Al-)Mujib: The All-Answering (of prayers) and Meeting (of needs) (Al-)Mu min: The Supreme Author of safety and security Who bestows faith and removes all doubt (Al-)Mumit: The One Causing to Die; the All-Dealer of death (Al-)Mundhir: The All-Informing and Warning (Al-)Murid: The All-Willing (Al-)Musawwir: The All-Fashioning (Al-)Mutakabbir: The One Who has exclusive right to all greatness (Al-)Mu ti: The All-Granting (An-)Nur: The All-Light (Al-)Qaim: The All-Observing and Controlling (Al-)Qadir: The All-Powerful (Al-)Qahhar: The All-Overwhelming (with absolute sway over all that exists) (Al-)Qarib: The All-Near (Al-)Qawiyy: The All-Strong (Al-)Qayyum: The Self-Subsisting (by Whom all subsist) (Al-)Quddus: the All-Holy and All-Pure (Who is absolutely free of any defect and keeps the universe clean) (Ar-)Rabb: The Lord (God as the Creator, Provider, Trainer, Upbringer, and Director of all creatures)

7 WHAT DID WE LEARN? LESSON SUMMARY: The Essential Attributes (al-sifat al-dhatiyyah) 1. Al-Wujud 2. Al-Qidam 3. Al-Baqah 4. Al-Mukhalafatun-lil-Hawadith 5. Al-Qiyam-bi-Nafsihi 6. Al-Wahdaniyyah The Immutable (Positive) Attributes (as-sifat al-thubutiyyah) 1. Al-Hayat 2. Al- Ilm 3. Al-Iradah 4. Al-Qudrah 5. As-Sam 6. Al-Basar 7. Al-Kalam 8. At-Takwin Allah is known through His acts, Names, and Attributes. Whatever exists in the universe is the result of the Names and Attributes manifestations The acts, Names, and Attributes are the links between Allah and the created, or the reflectors with which to have knowledge of Allah. LESSON REVIEW: INDIVIDUAL ASSESSMENT 1. According to the text, what are the links between Allah and the created, or the reflectors with which to have knowledge of Allah? 2. Prophet Muhammad asks us to focus on what instead of Allah s Essence? 3. Which Attribute of Allah is defined as Allah hears everything. He is the All-Hearing One. He listens to and hears all sounds and voices. 4. In your own words, define Al-Qiyam-bi-Nafsihi. ESSAY Choose an Attribute of Allah and write in detail how that Attribute is seen in your life on a daily basis. Use specific details and examples from your own experiences. LESSON VOCABULARY Provision Essential Denote Subsists/Subsistence Immutable Sublime Bonus Word: Requiting REFERENCE PAGE Unal, Ali An introduction to Islamic Faith and Thought. New Jersey, Tughra Books, 2009 Print. Osman Bilgen, Ahmet Ozdemir Daily Prayers in Islam. New Jersey, The Light, Inc. Print. Merriam-Webster s Learner s Dictionary. Merriam-Webster s Learner s Dictionary. N.p., n.d.