Divine Attributes

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Hadith . Imamah . God (Allah) . Divine Attributes

Are the descriptions of the Imams (as) in Hadiths, such as being referred to as 'the ears of Allah (swt)', among others, to be understood figuratively or literally?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 2 years ago

We believe that Allah The Exalted does not have a physical shape and He is not limited to a place. Allah SWT said in Quran about Himself ''LAYSA KA MITHLIHI SHAY'E'' Surah 42 Ayah 11, which means nothing at all is similar to Allah SWT. Allah SWT does not have any objective existence, but he is everywhere, and he mentioned that the most humble of his servants hear on His behalf, and they serve Him and implement His orders. '' Ears'' of Allah SWT are those most pious servants who hear on behalf of Allah. ''Eyes'' of Allah SWT are the most humble servants who Seefor the sake of Allah SWT. ''Hands'' of Allah SWT are those most humble servants who implement the orders of Allah SWT using their hands for the sake of Allah. So there is no Literal meaning in these words at all, but these words should be understood as part of understanding the Arabic language, which uses the words as can be understood as the the literal word.

Wassalam

116600

God (Allah) . Divine Attributes

Are God's names and attributes manifested and show up as creation? And are God's names and attributes a part of Him? When we remember God, we are told that His essence can never be known, so what is the proper way of thinking about Him?

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 2 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. God is unlimited and superabundant. His Attributes, such as power, knowledge and beauty have no limit or cause and so in Shii theology they are considered to be the same as His Essence. What is discouraged in hadith is to think of His Essence in and of itself as a human is unable to comprehend anything without a point of reference. The Essence is therefore completely unknowable as there is no point of reference with which we can understand it. Rather, we have been encouraged to reflect on His creation and the aspects of the Attributes that are reflected in creation, like His power, knowledge and beauty, while realising that creation can only manifest a limited amount of perfection due to its limitations. When we speak of creation manifesting the Attributes of God, that is because nothing created essentially owns any perfection. Nothing is essentially powerful, knowledgeable or beautiful, let alone existent without God as the source of those attributes. They cannot have those attributes even momentarily without God and so they manifest what truly belongs to God alone. This framework of manifestation is accepted among many philosophers and mystics but other scholars may have different ideas on the issue.

May you always be successful

140596

Majlis . Ahl al-Bayt . Divine Attributes

How is the belief that the Ahlul Bayt are present in every Majlis and are listening to them around the clock not ascribing a Divine attribute to them?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 3 years ago

A similar thing could be said for the Angel of Death: people are dying around the clock, and yet the Angel of Death is always on time!

Shaytan is a similar example - he can act on and be aware of many people at once, regardless of where they are located, without infringing on divinity.

Moving along from these morbid examples... My understanding is that once the soul leaves this world, it is not subject to the same restrictions of physical reality that we experience here (such as regarding space and time).

That could especially be said for those who have a high position near Allah, as well as other created beings which do not primarily exist on earth, such as archangels and the ruh.

Possibly they are able to "stretch" into various places at once while remaining in a place near Allah.

This is my understanding - Allah knows best.

In any case, this particular belief does not require ascribing them a divine attribute, although people may accept or reject the belief, or accept or reject the explanation.

It is a good question however!

105426

Imamah . Divine Attributes . God (Allah)

Is it the case that the Imams are present everywhere and they are watching us at every moment? If so, are we not giving them attributes that are reserved for Allah?

Allah, The Glorious is everywhere and He sees everything every moment as we believe and read in Quran (He is with you where you may be) Sura 57, Verse 4.

'The Prophet Muhammad and his successors are granted knowledge by Allah as and when Allah wants. Their knowledge is gifted to them by Allah. Allah's knowledge is His own and never given to Him.

Infallible Imams are the most humble servants of Allah after the Prophet (SAWA).

Wassalam.

61097

God (Allah) . Divine Attributes

To my understanding Allah is not a person who does things, rather things happen naturally as a result of our deeds, such as an upset stomach caused by infected food. Is this a correct view?

1. Your opinion needs to be revised to be compatible with Quran and authentic Hadeeth.
2. Allah, The Glorious, Has created the whole universe in the most comprehensive and most accurate system and ordered us to follow the system to live peacefully and successfully.

3. Allah said in Qur'an: Every good deed will result in good and every bad deed will result in bad.

4. Allah does not need to do things himself but Has angles to implement and the whole creatures to follow His orders and system.
5. We always seek from Allah to forgive our sins and deal with us by His Mercy, not by His Justice. Our bad deeds can lead us to disastrous result if we are been dealt with by the Justice of Allah, that is why we always seek and beg to Allah, The Most Merciful, Most Gracious, to deal with us by His Great Mercy.

Wassalam.

78860

Eternity . Existence of God . Divine Attributes

Can you explain what is Wajibul Wajood, absolute existence and necessary existence? Can I get to know essential qualities of the eternal being?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. Wajib al-wujud or the Necessary Existent is that existent which does not depend on any other existent for its existence. The Absolute Existent is that existent that has no limitation what so ever. These attributes and others are discussed in transcendental philosophy and mysticism.

May you always be successful

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God (Allah) . Divine Attributes

What is the logical reasoning that Allah always speaks the truth? Can you also recommend some books that explain the attributes of Allah with logical explanations?

Syed Nabi Raza Abidi, Syed Nabi Raza Abidi is based in the US and has a PhD in Theology and Philosophy having attended Howzah in Iran for several years. His research was conducted under the guidance of Ayatollah Ja... Answered 5 years ago

Salamonalaykum

May Allah bless you and your family

Lying – that is, not speaking the truth – is an evil trait. If God were to lie, then God would be a liar; that would mean that God committed an evil act. But God cannot commit an evil act because evil arises from ignorance or a need to deceive; in other words, evil arises from a need. Since God knows all things and has no need of anything, God does not commit evil. Thus, God does not lie and He is Truthful (al-Ṣādiq).

Regarding books. You may refer to Shaykh Jaʿfar Subhani’s Doctrines of Shiʿi Islam: A Compendium of Imami Beliefs and Practices (translated by Reza Shah-Kazemi), al-ʿAllāmah al-Hillī’s al-Bāb al-Hādī ʿAshar: A Treatise on the Principles of Shīʿite Theology (translated by William McElwee Miller), Shaykh Miṣbāh Yazdī’s Theological Instructions.

God (Allah) . Divine Attributes

What is the logical reasoning that Allah always speaks the truth? Can you also recommend some books that explain the attributes of Allah with logical explanations?

Among the reasons is that one of the major motivations for lying is deficiency. People generally lie for reasons such as fear, greed, trying to gain an advantage, or not wanting to hurt someone's feelings (which is often really just fear, such as fear of losing a friendship or a spouse). Because Allah does not have deficiencies, needs, or fears, Allah has no motivation to lie.

Truth is also an inherent quality of the divine and I don't think there is any culture that has envisioned the absolute divine power having untruth. Some polytheistic cultures may envision demigods lying but not the actual underlying creative power of the universe. (As there are many religions throughout history and today, someone is welcome to correct that point, but it is my general sense.)

Our inner nature also points to the idea that truth is ideal, and lying is a falsehood/deficiency, because any human of sound mind - even if they are the most evil dictator - will like to know the truth and detest being lied to, and this is an acknowledgment of the divine value of truth within us.

I recommend reading Shi'i hadith such as in al-Kafi regarding the attributes of Allah. However there are some books on this website that also cover the subject that may be of interest.

Happy reading!