Lesson 3: Attributes of Allāh

Types of Allāh’s Attributes

The attributes of Allāh are many since He possesses all attributes suggesting perfection and magnificence. Moreover, all things other than Allāh have some deficiency, and He is free from any imperfection. The attributes of Allāh are divided into positive (Sifāt-E-thubuti) and negative (Sifāt-E-salbi), i.e., Beauty (Jamal) and Majesty (Jalal) attributes.

A- The Positive Attributes of Allāh (Sifāt-E-Thubuti)

Positive attributes describe Allāh’s utmost perfection, i.e., they are absolute and positive, whose absence is considered a defect, such as knowledge, power, life, etc. Since they show that perfection is for Allāh to bring beauty and thus, they are called “attributes of beauty”. Although these attributes are many, eight are mentioned here due to their importance. They are as follows:

1. Omniscient (Alīm): Allāh eternally knows whatever comes into being and is all-aware of the universe’s secrets. His acts are based on knowledge and wisdom (Al-Mulk 67: 14).
2. The All-capable (Qādir): Allāh hath power over all things (Al-Baqarah 2: 20).
3. Living (Hayy): Allāh is the living one. He is the source of life for all beings (Al-Baqarah 2: 255).
4. Will Power (Murīd): Allāh hath will and creates everything that he wills if it is good and beneficial (Yā-Sīn 36: 82).
5. Perceiving (Mudrik): Allāh hath perception and understanding. The universe, with its varieties, is present in front of Him, and He is aware of it with His infinite knowledge[1].
6. Eternal (Azali and Abadi): Allāh Almighty has always existed. There is no beginning or ending to His existence, and He is both the “first” and the “last” one to exist (Al-Hadīd 57: 3).
7. Master of Speech (Motakellem): Allāh the Glorified speaks, although not through physical forms. He creates speech through anything, as He spoke through the tree to Prophet Musa. (An- Nisaa 4:164).
8. Truthful (Sādigh): Allāh is ever true to His promises and will never change His mind.

B- The Negative Attributes of Allāh (Sifāt-E-Salbi)

The negative attributes that refer to defects and shortcomings cannot be found in Allāh. Although these attributes are many, seven are mentioned here due to their importance. They are as follows:

1. Allāh has no partner (La Sharīk): Nothing is like Allāh, and He has no partner (Al-Shura 42: 11).
2. Allāh is not a compound (Ghair Murakkab): The essence of Allāh is not made or composed of any matter. Every compound is composed of several elements. However, since Allāh is free from any matter does not need anything else.
3. Allāh is immaterial (Ghair Jesm): any matter is composed of elements and needs space and can be seen, but Allāh is free from such attributes.
4. Allāh is invisible (Ghair mar’i): To see something, it needs to be physically present, but since Allāh is not material, the sights do not apprehend Him, yet He apprehends the sights (Al-An’am 6: 103).
5. Allāh exists without a place (La Makān): (Allāh created space and time. The East and the West belong to Him. Allāh is present everywhere (Al-Baqarah 2: 115).
6. Allāh is not in need (Ghair mohtaj): Allāh does not need anyone or anything, neither in His essence, attributes, nor in His acts. A need is a defect, but Allāh does not need any kind.
7. Allāh does not change (Ghair Mahall-e Hawādith): No states such as birth, death, sleep, wakefulness, mistakes, and forgetfulness have no way over the divine essence because such events require change, passiveness, and occurrence of the divine essence, all of which are associated with limitations and need to the other.

Types of Divine Attributes

  Exercises:

1. What are the positive and negative attributes of Allāh?
2. What do we mean when Allāh is omniscient and all-capable?
3. What are the three negative attributes of Allāh?
4. What is the difference between Allāh’s positive and negative attributes?

[1]. See Mohammad Bagher fazeli behsoodi, Answers to Quranic questions, p. 64.