The Evidence that Allah has Attributes
In [37:180-182]
Ibn Kathir رحمه الله said in interpretation of these Verses:
"Allah glorified Himself and states that He is far above what the lying wrongdoers say about Him; glorified and sanctified and exalted be He far above what they say. He is the Owner of Might and Power whom none can resist. He is free from what they attribute unto Him
Means: May the peace of Allah be upon them in this world and in the Hereafter, because what they say about their Lord and what they attribute Him with is sound, correct, and true.
Praise be to Allah for being attributed with with the Perfect Attributes"
The Rules Regarding the Attributes of Allah
Rule #1 - All Allah's Attributes are perfect, free of any deficiency, defect, or flaw. In [16:60]:
Rule #2 - The Knowledge of Allah's Attributes is a much broader topic than the Names of Allah because:
a) Every Name implies an Attribute
b) There are Attributes connected to Allah's actions, and there is no end to the actions of Allah. (E.g. Allah's descent to the lowest heavens, His Revenge, His Grasp, His Coming, etc..)
These attributes can't be enumerated, and we don't derive Names from them.
In [31:27]:
Rule #3 - Allah's Attributes are divided into:
1) Affirmed Attributes
These are all the attributes Allah has affirmed for Himself in the Qur'an and on the tongue of His Messenger ﷺ such as Life, Knowledge, Ability, etc.
2) Negated Attributes
These are all the attributes Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have negated from Him. They are deficienct and unsuitable to attribute Allah with, such as death, sleep, ignorance, forgetfulness, incapacity, tiredness, etc.
It is upon us to negate these attributes and affirm the opposite perfect Attribute.
E.g. It's not enough for us to say that Allah never dies. We should say Allah is the Ever-Living and never does.
It's not enough for us to say Allah never oppresses. We should say Allah is Just, and never oppresses.
Why?
Because you wouldn't be praising Allah if you didn't.
Rule #4 - The Affirmed Attributes of Allah can be divided into:
1) صفات ذاتية - Intrinsic Attributes
These are continuous; Allah never ceased nor will cease to be attributed with them (such as knowledge, speech, ability, etc.)
They are also attributes Allah affirms to Himself such as Face, Eyes, Shin, Hands, etc.
Allah has these attributes and He never ceased having them. They are Attributes that are never seperated from Allah; as He is the Ever-Living who never dies.
The Scholars called these attributes "ذاتية" because they are related to the Essence of Allah and are never seperated from Him.
2) صفات فعلية - Practical Attributes
The Practical Attributes of Allah are further divided into two groups:
a) Attributes related to causes or means
E.g. The attribute of هداية (guidance) or the Pleasure of Allah. Allah said in [39:7]:
b) Attributes not related to causes or means, but the Will of Allah.
E.g. Descending to the nearest heaven
Rule #5 - The Affirmed Attributes of Allah are divided into:
1) Unrestricted Attributes
They are mentioned in the Qur'an without restriction; such as Mercy, Love, Pleasure, etc.
2) Restricted Attributes
These attributes are perfect, but are restricted to returning the actions of disbelievers and hypocrites.
E.g. Plotting
We aren't allowed to attribute Allah with absolute plotting, or call Him "The Plotter"
In [8:30]:
E.g. Deception
We should not say Allah deceived or is "The Deceiver", we restrict it as a response to the deceiving of the hypocrites, as Allah mentioned in [4:142]:
Rule #6 - We should avoid two matters when affirming an attribute to Allah:
1) تمثيل - Resemblance
2) Description
We should resemble an attribute of Allah with His creation, nor give it a description. Allah said in [42:11]:
When Imam Malik was asked about Istiwa (The rising of Allah over the Throne), He replied, "The Istiwa is known to us, it's description is not known, believing in it is obligatory, and enquiring about it is Bid'ah"
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