The View of the Ahl-sunnah wa-al Jama’ah on the Attributes of Allah (s.w.t)
The view of the Ahl-sunnah wa-al Jama’ah on the Attributes of Allah the Almighty is generally that they affirm all the Attributes for Allah the Almighty and recognize them in His essence. This is because Allah the Almighty Himself or the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) have stated these Attributes and Names. There are numerous verses in which Allah the Almighty has described Himself with Attributes; however, it should be noted that the Ahl-sunnah wa-al Jama’ah affirm the Attributes without delving into the specifics of their qualities. This is due to the consensus among the righteous predecessors and the great Imams that Allah the Almighty is indeed accurately described with these Attributes.
Ibn Abdul-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The Ahl-sunnah wa-al Jama’ah agree on acknowledging all the attributes mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, as well as believing in them and affirming their truth, although they do not ascribe any qualities to any of them.”
Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) stated in this regard: “The opinion of the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) is that they affirm all the attributes of Allah and apply them to His essence, while denying any inappropriate qualities, because the word regarding attributes is a branch of the word regarding essence. The proof of essence is the proof of existence, not the proof of qualities, but also the proof of attributes. This is the belief of the Salaf.”
The doctrine of the righteous Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) is to believe in all the names and attributes of Allah the Almighty as mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, without any reduction, addition, or interpretation that contradicts their apparent meaning. The righteous predecessors and the Imams of the era of the Sahaba and the Tabe’een submitted entirely to what has been stated in the Quran and Sunnah regarding the essence and attributes of Allah the Almighty. They did not differ or dispute concerning a single issue of the names, attributes, or actions of Allah the Almighty; rather, their goal was to affirm what has been stated in the Quran and Sunnah in this regard. All their words were consistent from beginning to end, without interpreting the verses and hadiths differently or altering them from their original context.
The monotheism of the names and attributes requires that the servant affirms the names and attributes of Allah the Almighty. Thus, he acknowledges that Allah the Almighty is the Samih (Hearing), the Basir (Seeing), the Alim (Knowing), and the Qadir (Powerful), and he recognizes that the other names and attributes of Allah the Almighty are not merely labels, but rather they indicate specific attributes. For example, Rahman signifies mercy, Alim denotes knowledge, and Hakim represents wisdom.
All Ahl-sunnah wa-al Jama’ah agree that Allah the Almighty is truly described as Hearing and Seeing, without interpretation or qualification. When Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked what he meant by the statement that Allah the Almighty is “the Hearing and the Seeing,” he replied: “I mean what Allah the Almighty has willed, and that is how Allah the Almighty has described Himself; I do not add anything to this.”
The beliefs of the Ahl-sunnah wa-al Jama’ah regarding the names and attributes of Allah the Almighty can be summarized as follows:
1. They call Allah the Almighty by the names that He has used for Himself or that have been stated by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). They neither add to nor subtract from them.
2. They regard the attributes of Allah the Almighty by which He has described Himself in His Holy Book or that were stated by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as fixed, without distortion or interruption, and without any attribution (i.e., describing their qualities) or analogy.
3. They deny all the attributes that Allah the Almighty has negated in His Book or that were stated by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), believing that Allah Almighty is characterized by the complete opposite of any negative attributes.
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