Our discussion today is about the divine attributes and the very first question rises here is that do we have the ability to comprehend and understand the real essence of the Almighty creator? That's why there are a lot of discussions about this particular subject. Some theologians in the past said that in no way can we understand God; we cannot describe him and the path to recognize God, to know Him, to know anything about Him is totally blocked. These are known in history as ((المعطلة Those who say we have no access, we cannot know anything about God. On the other hand some other Muslim theologians from the schools other than the school of Ahlulbayt (a.s.) they were (مجسمة او مشبهة) the anthropomorphists. They describe all the attributes which are suitable for human beings; they refer the same to the almighty God. For example, when we area in the Quran that (يد الله فوق ايديهم) Allah's hand is on top of their hands, they say why not? We believe and accept that Allah ready has got hands. Or when they read (الرحمن,على العرش استوا) Allah has settled on the throne. As Ibin Taymiya put it, that he went on the pulpit of mosque in Damascus and he sat on the highest level of that pulpit and said that Allah or the All merciful settled on the throne as I am settling on this pulpit.
According to the school of Ahlulbayt (a.s.) neither (تعطيل ) nor (تجسيم) none of them is acceptable. In other words, Allah has made it easy and accessible to have some knowledge about Him but of course we do not know about His real essence. On the other hand those who say the road to knowing Allah subhannahu wa talaa is blocked, again they are wrong. Imam Ali (a.s.) in Nahjul Balagha explains that in a very very nice way. He says that whilst Allah did not openly explain His essence to His creatures but at the same time He did not deprive the intellect and brains from the appropriate knowledge of Him.
However when we come to the divine attributes, there are classifications. One of them to talk about the positive and negative, affirmative and privative and this relates to a list of eight attributes which are positive, affirmative and seven which are negative.
The main eight (صفات ثبوتية) or affirmative attributes we hear about the power, the knowledge, the life, will, perception, infinite existence beyond time, speech and verbosity. These eight are known as a very simple approach to the subject of the divine attributes that Allah is the most powerful, the most and all knowing. He has the full will to practice in relation to all His creatures. He is alive and so on.
On the other hand a list of seven from negative or the privative attributes and as you will see, all of them start negation. He is not composite, He is not physical entity, He is not a locus for originated entities, He is not seen, He is without any partner, He is no idea or state and finally He is not in need of anything. If we summarise these, we can summarise the first group in one word and that is the perfection and absolute being.
The second list we can summaries it as the negation of any shortcoming. So in all together we can say that Allah is perfect in every aspect, every way that you might think about His attributes and at the same time any imperfection or any shortcoming is negated from Him. So this is a very simple approach to the divine attributes. Rather more advanced is to be found in the discussion of (الاسماء الحسنى) which is known as the most beautiful divine names and according to well-known Hadeeth they are 99. Indeed there are a lot of discussions whether they are 100 and Allah kept one for Himself but disclosed only 99, and normally you see them written on a piece of paper, paintings and sometimes woven on a cloth and other types were people repeat them and there is a Hadeeth from the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) that (ان لله 99 اسما,من احصاها دخل الجنة) There are 99 most beautiful names for Allah, whoever counts them he will enter paradise.
What is this counting? In reality not just mentioning them one by one by rather communicating with Allah via these names.
So 99, but as Allama Tabatabaee in Tafseer Almeezan and some other scholars mention, in some other Ahadeeth they are 120-123 and anything like that but the well-known Hadeeth is they are 99.
Further we hear and we come to know about Dua Jawshan Kabeer and this great armour or ultimate protection consists of calling upon Allah by 1000 names. This Dua consists of 100 paragraphs, in each paragraph 10 of the divine names and attributes are mentioned and all together they are 1000 and it is a practice for most of the followers of Ahlulbayt (a.s.) to recite this Dua on the nights of Qadr, on the nights of the holy month of Ramadhan and besieging Allah, asking Allah, communicating with Allah through these names and it becomes obvious that when you call upon the Merciful, the source of every goodness, 1000 times, you'd definitely get the positive response. But it needs sincerity; it needs full awareness, and concentration.
We said that there are positive and negative attributes when new talk about the divine attributes. What is the meaning of negative or privative attributes? By privative attributes we mean that any type of shortcoming, imperfection is negated from Allah. For example, when we say that He is not a body, He is not materialistic, He cannot be measured by time, space and measure because all these are signs and qualities for the one who is created not the creator. They are the measures for the effect not for the cause and when for example something which is physical, materialistic is restricted to time because no materialistic, no physical entity can survive without being surrounded with time, space and measure.
So Allah is beyond the time, beyond the space and beyond the measure. And in this way we understand why Allah cannot be described as a gender whether He is a male or female. Of course we say He we are not referring toa gender being masculine, no it is because we don’t have any other way to refer to Him otherwise no one would think that He is what? Male or female?
According to Christianity for example, when they talk about the Father and the Son and sometimes you see there is confusion about Jesus (p.b.u.h.) to be God, to be Son of God?
There are many problems in the Christian theology regarding this trinity, regarding the Father and Son. Whilst we see the very short statement in the Quran in Surat Al Tawheed (لم (يلد ولم يولد He does not beget and not begotten because He is not a human being. So this is one of the examples about the negative or privative attributes.
The other one is about Him being in need. Allah explains in many Ayat in the Quran and it is part of the Islamic theology that Allah is absolutely in no need. He is rich not money wise rather in a way that He does not need anybody else, no need for assistance from all. And self-subsisting. When we say ( الله لا اله الا هو الحي القيوم) , (حي) means alive and (قيوم) means that all other existence rely on Him, beg from Him and need Him for their existence whilst He Himself does not need to rely on anybody or anything else. So in other words self-subsistent, all others need Him, He does not need them.
The other attribute is Allah in no way can be seen. We will discuss that later Insha'Allah but what is important is that is it the physical sight that can approach Him? Is it something that we look at Him as we look at our things? Or when Allah makes it clear (لا تدركه الابصار و هو يدرك الابصار ) the sights cannot reach Him, cannot comprehend Him. The physical sight cannot reflect anything on Him but of course the inner sight is possible. And here is one the very important lessons in Islamic literature and Islamic theology that whilst we are focusing and somehow we are governed by the senses, by the physical senses we have to concentrate and focus on the inner abilities, the inner sight and that is the way that one can communicate with Allah subhannahu wa talaa.
All these negative attributes can be summarized in one thing and that is negating the imperfection from Allah whilst all the other positive, affirmative attributes can be summarized in one thing and that is the perfection.
Now, if we cannot comprehend Allah, is there any logic? Is there any justification for that? Of course there is. First Imam Ali (a.s.) says that if you try to compare Allah to the creatures in reality you did not have any access to Allah, you are talking about something else, you are relating to something other than Allah suhannahu wa talaa. We cannot comprehend Allah for one simple reason, we are limited and Allah is unlimited. We are restricted by time, space and measure and Allah is beyond the time, space and measure. We are created and Allah is the creator. And that’s why we never attempt to comprehend Allah and understand His essence in a logical or in a real way. But Allah helps us to do so that we discussed the previous arguments about teleological arguments or the argument from the design or the signs of Allah. When you look at the signs, when you look at the design then you conclude that there is a designer. The more perfect the design the more capable is the designer. Exactly as we see in any painting, when you see a very nice and precise painting you realise the painter is so professional.
So in other words by approaching and coming in contact with the signs of Allah when we believe that Allah is the source of everything.
We know about goodness, we know about beauty, we know about progress, we know about charity, we know about wisdom, all these are things we come in contact and sometimes we try our maximum effort to gain them, to obtain them, but the absolute perfection of wisdom, power, knowledge, goodness, charity, mercy and all these divine attributes to be found in Allah. And the very simple thing that everybody knows that to start any action by (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ) In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most compassionate. And this mercy, this way of Allah taking care and covering all his creatures with His mercy, with His bounty, with His grace is something which makes us happy. We know that we under the supervision and care of Allah, we are not left loose in this universe. We are always and continuously provided with what Allah gives us so if you have a brilliant memory, a sharp memory, if you have a good heart, if you obtain any type of scientific or academic knowledge, it is a grace from Allah and that’s why one of the Duas which we are recommended to recite after each salat is(اللهم ما بنا من نعمت فمنك ) Whatever bounty, whatever grace, whatever goodness, we might have is from You. If I have strength, if I have memory, if I have knowledge to learn, if I have a kind heart, if I achieve anything good in reality I have to thank Allah for providing me with all these abilities, He is the provider. And that’s why in paradise when Allah describes the believers who are enjoying all that bounty and bliss in paradise, they say one sentence and that is (ان هدا لرزقنا ما له من نفاد) This is our provision which is endless.
May Allah enable us to be amongst those who deserve to get the bliss of paradise.