Discussion on Attributes in Theology

This principle refutes the Ash'aris, who

treat the seven attributes one way

and the rest of the attributes another way. The Ash'aris

are among the most contradictory sects in this regard.

Now pay attention. When you approach an Ash'ari

and ask, "What is your position on the attributes?" he says, "I believe in seven attributes."

I mentioned them to you previously in the last lesson.

You ask, "And what is your position on the rest?" He says, "By God, excuse

me, I do not affirm them." You then ask the Ash'ari for the criterion

and distinction between what he affirms and what he denies. He

will answer you with one of two criteria.

The first criterion is that he will say the attributes

he affirms do not entail likening God to His creation.

Thus, he treats the attributes one way.

What do you say to him, Sunni?

You must apply this same principle to the attributes you denied,

since you affirmed hearing that does not resemble the hearing of created beings,

and affirmed for God sight that does not resemble the sight of created beings.

If you affirm seven,

you must affirm mercy

that does not resemble the mercy of created beings, and loftiness that does not resemble loftiness

created beings, and an establishment that does not resemble that of created beings.

So what you say about your seven attributes,

you must say about the rest of the attributes, otherwise you are being inconsistent.

Of course, he will say, he will say, “No, brother,

the attributes I affirm, I only affirm in a manner befitting

God.” I said, “Fine, then the attributes you negate, you must

go back

and affirm them in a manner befitting God.” If he says, “No, brother,

the attributes I negate, if I were to affirm them,

affirming them would entail likening God to His creation.”

I said, “Fine, and the attributes you affirm also entail…”

likening God to His creation, so either affirm them all and put us at ease.

Or deny them all and side with the Mu'tazilites.

Don't sit there straddling the fence,

affirming some and denying others. That's wrong.

So the Ash'ari cannot answer that.

Rather, you say to him,

Is the Mu'tazilite who denies all attributes pleased with you O Ash'ari, for affirming the seven?

الأشعري في إثبات السبع؟

Is the Mu'tazilite pleased with you for affirming the seven? The Mu'tazilite says, "O

brother, what emboldened you to deny and reject all the attributes but retain these seven?"

Click it and come with us.

Put it on both ropes. By God, eat.

Disable it. Stay with us, it’s better for you. Otherwise, you may need the Sunnah.

Will al-Ash'ari agree with the Mu'tazilites in denying it? Or will he defend His attributes

that he affirmed?

I answer: He will defend the attributes that

he affirmed.

The scholars say that al-Ash'ari’s defense of

the attributes he affirmed is the Sunni rebuttal to him

regarding the attributes he denied.

Al-Ash'ari. Caught, caught.

He has the Mu'tazilites pinned down by affirming the seven. Poor thing with rebuttals.

Therefore, Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah Most High have mercy on him, says in

al-Tadmuriyyah, “This one who differentiates between some attributes and others…”

He means the one

who is told,

who is told, just as he says it

to his opponent regarding

what he affirmed. He says, “Any argument made by

al-Ash'ari in response to the Mu'tazilites, defending his seven attributes,

is precisely the Sunni’s response to al-Ash'ari concerning the attributes

he denied, because the discussion of attributes

is one and the same.”

So if the attribute of hearing,

affirming it for God does not entail likening God to His creation,

then affirming all attributes does not entail likening God

through His creation. But to make affirming some attributes necessarily entail

while others

do not, that is a clear and explicit contradiction.

This is the Ash'ari's first answer, but he has a second answer

that he resorts to when the Sunni presses him hard. What is it?

He says, “Basically, Sunni,

I did not affirm the seven attributes I affirmed

based on textual evidence.

Rather, I affirmed them because

my reason itself indicated them. The seven attributes I affirmed

were only affirmed because

reason

indicated that creation proves power,

specification proves will,

and will and power can only subsist in a living being, making three: life,

and a living being must be hearing, seeing, and speaking.

All right, move on.

So, the Ash'ari's basis for affirming these seven is not

based on what? It is not based on proof

and textual evidence. He only affirmed them

from his reason. So how do we answer this? We answer

by saying that the issue of attributes is an unseen matter, and unseen

matters are not referred back to what? To reason. Rather, they are referred back

to the texts. That is one.

Two,

reason varies in this matter,

Thus, your Jahmite grandfather's reason

was incapable of affirming all the names and incapable of affirming the attributes

in their entirety,

while your Mu'tazilite father's reason was able, praise be to God,

to affirm the names, but it was incapable of

affirming

the attributes. As for the Ash'ari grandson's reason, it was incapable,

though it was able to affirm the names,

but it could affirm only certain attributes.

Thus, your reasoning differs, so by which reason are the Book

and the Sunnah to be measured?

Is it by the Jahmite's reason

or the Mu'tazilite's or the Ash'ari's?

By which reason were the Book and the Sunnah revealed? Everyone claims that

his reason is the reason the Ummah must follow

what it entails and embrace its conclusions. Thus, the Book and the Sunnah

are not referred back to people's reason, because minds differ.

One of the characteristics of Sharia is seeking certainty. If we referred

the matter to what minds affirm and deny, we would refer it to a varying standard

because each person would say, "My mind is the loftiest mind that the Ummah should

be committed to." Then the Ummah would be thrown into turmoil, with many opponents and disputes among it,

if acceptance and rejection are based on the texts that

Everyone agrees to believe in it and submit to it.

Al-Ash'ari is contradictory. Al-Ash'ari is contradictory.

What principle is this statement based on?

Thus, these are two of Ibn Taymiyyah's principles in Al-Tadmuriyyah.

The discussion of the attributes is subsidiary to the discussion of what?

Regarding the essence. This is the first principle, Professor Muhammad.

The second is that the discussion of one attribute or of all the attributes is like the discussion of any of them.

The rule is clear.

The rules are clear.