Islam Tees

Covered in this lesson:

• Question 52. What is the evidence for the Most Beautiful Names (of Allāh) from the Book (Qur’ān) and Sunnah? – and its answer.
• Question 53. What are some examples of the Most Beautiful Names (of Allāh) from the Book (Qur’ān)? – and its answer.
• Question 54. What are some examples of the Most Beautiful Names (of Allāh) from the Sunnah? – and its answer.

Notes and points of benefit:

Regarding Q52, the answer of Shaykh Hāfidh Al-Hakamī’s (رحمه الله):

“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allāh , so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter impious speech against) His Names. They will be requited for what they used to do.” [7:180]

“Say (O Muhammad ): ‘Invoke Allāh or invoke the Most Beneficent (Allāh), by whatever name you invoke Him (it is the same), for to Him belong the Best Names. And offer your Salat (prayer) neither aloud nor in a low voice, but follow a way between.”[17:110]

“Allāh! Lā ilāha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He)! To Him belong the Best Names.” [20:8]

The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said “Indeed Allāh has ninety nine names, whosoever enumerates them will enter Paradise.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

He also said:

“…I ask you Allāh through every Name which belongs to You which you named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book (Qur’ān), or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have kept with Yourself in the knowledge of the Ghaib (unseen) with You, that You make the Qur’ān the spring (or life) of my heart…” [Narrated by Imam Ahmed from ‘Abdullāh bin Mas’ūd 1/391]

Explanations of Shaykh Fawzān and Ahmad an-Najmī.


Regarding Q53, the answer of Shaykh Hāfidh Al-Hakamī’s (رحمه الله):

His Sayings, the Most High:

“…Allāh is Ever Most High, Most Great” [4:34]

“…Allāh is Ever Most Courteous, Well-Acquainted with all things” [33:34]

“…He is All-Knowing, All-Omnipotent” [35:44]

“…Allāh is Ever All-Hearer, All-Seer.” [4:58]

“…Allāh is Ever Most Powerful, All-Wise.” [4:56]

“…Allāh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [4:23]

“…He is unto them full of Kindness, Most Merciful” [9:117]

“…And Allāh is Rich (Free of all wants) and He is Most-Forbearing.” [2:263]

“…He (Allāh) is All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious.” [11:73]

“… Surely, my Lord is Guardian over all things.” [11:57]

“…Certainly, my Lord is Near (to all by His Knowledge), Responsive.” [11:61]

“…Surely, Allāh is Ever an All-Watcher over you.” [4:1]

“…And Allāh is Ever All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs.” [4:81]

“…and Allāh is All-Sufficient in taking account.” [4:6]

“…And Allāh is Ever All-Able to do (and also an All-Witness to) everything.” [4:85]

“…Is it not sufficient in regard to your Lord that He is a Witness over all things?” [41:53]

“…Unquestionably He is, of all things, encompassing.” [41:54] (Tafsir of Sa’di: “in knowledge, power, and might” and Tafsir of al-Baghawi: “He encompasses all things in knowledge.”, source: https://www.thenoblequran.com/q/#/search/41_54)

“He is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last (nothing is after Him), the Most High (nothing is above Him) and the Most Near (nothing is nearer than Him). And He is the All-Knower of every thing.” [57:3]

“He is Allāh, than Whom there is Lā ilāha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He) the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen (open). He is the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.”

“He is Allāh than Whom there is Lā ilāha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He) the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allāh! (High is He) above all that they associate as partners with Him. He is Allāh, the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify Him. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” [59:22-24]

And other than these from the Qur’ān.

Explanation of Aal ash-Shaikh.


Regarding Q54, the answer of Shaykh Hāfidh Al-Hakamī’s (رحمه الله):

Ahadīth within; Bukharī or Muslim, or both, Musnad of Imām Ahmad, or Tirmidhī mentioned as evidences/proofs.

Explanation of ‘Uthaimīn.

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Lesson29.mp3

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Covered in this lesson:

• Continuation of answer to Question 51 – What is Tawhīd Al-Asmā was-Sifāt (Tawhīd of Allāh’s Names and Attributes)? – from the explanation of Shaikh ‘Uthaymīn (رحمه الله).

Notes and points of benefit:

• “How do we summarize this Tawhīd?”. It is to single out Allāh with respect to what He has named Himself with and which He has described Himself with upon the Book and what His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم has described Him with. This is by affirming the attributes without; 1) distorting 2) negating 3) specifying how and 4) likening Him (with what we see in the creation).
• Additional point: “What is the nature of our belief?” Our belief is that this is haqīqah (true and real) and not something metaphorical, allegorical or symbolic, etc., whilst not falling into Takyīf (specifying how) and Tamthīl (likening).
• This type of Tawhīd, many people have deviated in it. They have gone into many different orientations. The Ummah has split into many groups and sects on this issue which can be summarised into the following four factions:
  1) The extremists – those who exaggerated in negating the Names and Attributes of Allāh. They (such as the Jahmīyyah) leave and exit Islam by way of this negation, and exaggeration in it. They said the moment we give Allāh a ma’na (meaning) such as mercy, power, etc., we have automatically likened Him to the creation. There are all sorts of philosophical aspects they took from the Greeks whereby Allāh becomes an abstract notion in your head.
  2) Those who are intermediate (in the middle) such as the Ash’arīs and Kullabīyyah, who affirm something of the attributes.
  3) Those who are close to Ahlus-Sunnah, they overwhelmingly agree with Ahlus-Sunnah but have traces of following Ash’arīs, etc.
  4) Those upon the way of the Salaf – Allāh is named with whatever He has described Himself with or what His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم has described Him with.
• Example (#1) of Allah’s Names and how we are to believe in them – in Ayātul-Kursī, the names “Al-Hayy, al-Qūyyum” mentioned. We believe Allāh has these Names, they are from the Names of Allāh. What is the ma’na (meaning), what does it comprise? It is perfect life, not imperfect life that we (the creation) have. His life is not preceded by absence nor succeeded by absence. There is perfection in His attributes unlike for men. The two realities are different between the Creator and the creation.
• Example (#2) relating to as-Samī (All-Hearing). Allāh hears all things. For Allāh to be called as-Samī but He does not have hearing (which is the way of the Mu’tazilah) is impossible! Allāh must hear by necessity, this is what hearing necessitates. They (the Mu’tazilah) play games as they can’t deny what is in the Qur’ān but use this (affirming the Names of Allāh but not what they necessitate of Allāh having attributes) as a ploy of protection against rebuke by the people.
• The Ash’arīs say Allāh’s Hearing means His knowledge. They say affirming actual hearing would be a change in Allāh’s essence. They use sophistry (such as using ta’wīl, which is explaining away the attributes) and make out they are clever and sophisticated. They say affirming (the attributes) would be tashbīh or tamthīl (according to their erroneous viewpoint).
• Sifāt Khabarīyyah – attributes that only come from Khabar (reports) e.g. Face, Hands, etc.
  “Both His Hands are widely outstretched, He spends (of His Bounty) as He wills.” [Qu’rān, 5:64]. Allāh affirmed two Hands. Allah gives abundantly. It is obligatory we try not to imagine this attribute of Allāh nor describe it with our tongues e.g. ‘Allāh’s Hands is like this or like that’ i.e. specifying howness, nor likening to our hands because: “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer”. [Qu’rān, 42:11].
• We affirm the Hukm of attribute. Allah is uncreated, we can’t fathom Allāh’s essence which is unlike ours. Therefore, the reality of His attributes are outside our capability of imagining or understanding in our minds.
• We believe there is a haqīqah to the attribute, we halt at that and don’t specify how. The people of deviation however make tasawwur, they think of man, tissue, bones, etc., and say: ‘How can Allāh have a hand?, this is Kufr! They make that likeness by imagining a likeness. If we don’t know the reality of Allāh’s essence then how can we know the reality of Allāh’s attributes? We don’t know reality of the hand of a Jinn, which not like that of a human. If that’s the case for something of the creation then how much more so for the Creator and the created?!
• Verses from the Qur’ān forbidding and warning against speaking about Allāh out of ignorance and without knowledge: “Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): “(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allāh for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allāh of which you have no knowledge.” [7:33] and “do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge… [17:36]. Those who engage in takyīf lie about Allāh, they speak out of ignorance.
• Example (#3) relating to Allāh’s Actions such as استوى (Istiwā, rising over the Throne). This is affirmed in seven places in the Qur’ān, ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى that is; [7:54], [10:3], [13:2], [20:5], [25:59], [32:4] and [57:4]. In all places the words استوى and عَلَىٰ are used. When the verb Istiwā is made transitive with the word عَلَىٰ it can only ever have one meaning, ‘Uluww (rising and ascending, being above). Allah is established over The Throne, with an aboveness over all of His creation which befits His majesty. It is a true and real aboveness, not metaphorical (or allegorical, symbolic, etc.).
• The way creation makes Istiwā is not the same way as Allāh makes Istiwā. Some change istiwā to Istawlā (with the noun being istīlā) which means to conquer (something) like people, place, etc. This is distorting words from their proper place. Anything that is in a direction must be a body they say. Their chain of thinking is taken from Aristotle. They follow the way of the Yahūd who distort words from their proper places.
• When you flee from the truth fearing a thing, you will fall into something equal or worse. They are trying to flee from tajsīm but fell into something worse. They negated something from Rubūbīyyah, mulk (dominion). If we say Allāh conquered the Throne then why not say Allāh conquered the earth (too)?

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Lesson28.mp3

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Lesson 28 on SoundCloud

Covered in this lesson:

• Continuation of answer to Question 50 – What is the opposite of Tawhīd ar-Rubūbīyyah (Tawhīd of Lordship)? – from the explanation of Shaikh ‘Uthaymīn (رحمه الله).
• Question 51 – What is Tawhīd Al-Asmā was-Sifāt (Tawhīd of Allāh’s Names and Attributes)? – and its answer.

Additional notes:

• Regarding question 51, a mention of Shaykh Hāfidh Al-Hakamī’s (رحمه الله) answer – “To believe in whatever Allāh has described Himself with in His Book and whatever His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم has described Him with from the Most Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes. It is to convey them just as they have come without asking how they are, just as Allāh has brought together their affirmation and the negation of asking how they are in His Book in more than one place such as: [20:110],[26:11] and 6:103]. Hadīth in at-Tirmidhī also mentioned, narrated by Ubay ibn Ka’b (رضي الله عنه‏).
• Explanation of Shaikh Ahmad an-Najmī (رحمه الله) pertaining to negation and affirmation. The erroneous beliefs and positions of Ash’aris, Mu’tazilah and Jahmiyyah also mentioned.

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