1. العقيدة الاسلامية في ضوء القرآن والسنة
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Session Six
Islamic Belief [in Allah]
In the Light of the Qur’an and the Sunnah
العقيدة الاسلامية في ضوء القرآن والسنة

2. The names of allah Allah’s names (99) Allah’s names are beautiful
The greatest name
Obligation of belief in Allah’s names
Effects of Allah’s names
Benefit of knowing Allah’s names
Knowing Allah
Closeness to Allah

3. How to understand allah’s names
Way to correct understanding of Allah’s attributes
Knowing that Allah is completely unlike anything we know
Allah is as He described Himself
Knowing we can never understand their true nature

4. Those who violated these principles
Mushrikeen: distortion and rejection
Mushabbiha: anthropomorphism – took Allah to level of creation (opposite of mushrikeen)
Mu’attileen (Deniers):
Jahmiya: denied the names and their meanings
Mu’tazila: accepted names, denied attributes
Ash’ariya: accepted only 7, denied all others
Ahlul-Kalaam: Mushabbiha at heart, denied

5. ahlul-kalaam & allah’s attributes
Accept only 7, but as “there but not there”
All of them have been attributed to Allah and also to His creation
How to understand that
Negating attributes
Ancient eternity, everlastingness, different from His creation, oneness, absolute independence
Invented terminology: ancient, everlasting

6. Allah’s attributes of action
Same name, but completely different
Provision (rizq)
Action, doing (‘amal)
Teaching (ta’leem)
Informing (inbaa’)
Giving (eetaa’)

7. All-encompassing attributes
Highness, greatness
Sovereignty
Compelling power
Might
Strength

8. Attributes of essence they disputed
Kindness (ra’fah) and mercy (rahma)
Forebearance (hilm)
Forgiveness
Dangerous position of rejecting Allah’s attributes which he attributed to Himself
In-depth look at Allah’s being upon the throne as an example.

9. Important principles re: attributes
What applies to any applies to all
Speaking about Allah’s attributes is like speaking about His essence
Same names not equal to same reality
Allah cannot be described by negation alone
Whose words are known to be true?
Most denial originates from tashbeeh
Verses about attributes are not ambiguous
Taking the apparent meaning does not equal tashbeeh
Meaning of ta’weel