40- Description of the belief of Sahabah concerning the Names and Attributes of Allah
Q: Your Eminence, what was the `Aqidah (belief) of Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) concerning the Attributes of Allah, Tawhid (belief in the Oneness of Allah/ monotheism), Qur`an, resurrection and requital? May Allah reward you with the best!
A: Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, his family, his Companions, and those who follow in his footsteps. This is a vital and critical question. The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) believed in the `Aqidah (creed) pointed out in the Noble Qur`an and the purified Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet) of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) regarding the Names and Attributes of Allah, resurrection and requital, etc. The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught the Sahabah the `Aqidah that was revealed in the Qur`an: to believe in Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) as their true Lord who is the Only One worthy of worship and devote all acts of worship to Him. Salah (Prayer), Dua`a (supplication), vows, prostration, and sacrificing, etc., should be only for Him. They believed that worship should be exclusively offered to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and not to a messenger or an angel. In Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance), people used to worship, invoke, and seek the help of idols, trees, and stones. However, when Allah sent His Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to guide them to Islam, they realized that devoting acts of worship to other than Allah is Batil (null and void) and major Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship), and that all kinds of worship should rather be dedicated to Allah alone. They believed in the Names and Attributes of Allah as they were revealed without Takyif (descriptive designation of Allah's Attributes) or Tamthil (likening Allah's Attributes to those of His Creation). They also believed that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the All-Wise, the All-Knowing, the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent who assumed Istiwa' (Allah's rising over the Throne in a manner that befits Him) above all His creation, and He is the Most High, the Most Great. He is the Ever-Living, the Ever-Lasting, the One Who everything is at His disposal, the Ruler Who governs all of creation with order and balance, the Creator, and the Sustainer of all things Who has no peer, equal or counterpart. Allah (Glorified be He) says: Say (O Muhammad ﷺ ): "He is Allah, (the) One. Allah-us-Samad (السيد الذي يصمد إليه في الحاجات) [Allah the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks)]. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him." And: "There is nothing like Him; and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer." This is the `Aqidah of the Sahabah regarding the Names and Attributes of Allah. They believed that Allah rose over His `Arsh (Allah's Throne) and is above all His Creation. He is the Most High, the Most Great. All righteous deeds are submitted to Him. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: "To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it" (i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allah unless and until they are followed by good deeds) And: "The angels and the Ruh [Jibril (Gabriel)] ascend to Him i.e. ascends or rises upwards." Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: "So the judgement is only with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great!" And: "And He is the Most High, the Most Great." Regarding `Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him) Allah says: I will take you and raise you to Myself) And: "But Allah raised him [`Isa (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself" (and he (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) is in the heavens).) Allah rose over His `Arsh and is above His Creation. He is the Most High, the Sublime and the Owner of the `Arsh. Allah (Glorified be He) says, (He is Allah) Owner of High Ranks and Degrees, the Owner of the Throne. Istiwa' means that Allah rose over the `Arsh in a manner befitting His Majesty. None of His Attributes such as His Istiwa' or His Speech is similar to that of His Creation. They believed that He, the Most High and the Sublime, rose over His `Arsh, but without determining the manner in which it took form. Ahl-ul-Sunnah wal-Jama`ah (adherents to the Sunnah and the Muslim mainstream) who are the Sahabah and their followers do not question the 'how' of these Attributes. They believe that Allah rose over His `Arsh but they do not question the manner of His rising. They believe that He rose over it in a manner which only He (Glorified be He) knows. Thus, we do not know the manner in which His Attributes are manifested. We believe that He...
