Prophet Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam) said that îmân was to believe in six certain facts. He declared that “First of all, to believe in Allâhu ta’âlâ,” Îmân is to have a heartfelt belief in six certain facts by finding through kashf (revelation) or wijdân (conscience) or by the comprehension of the ’aql (intellect, reason) through an evidence or by trusting and following a distinguished and approved statement, and to confirm this with the tongue.
Allâhu ta’âlâ is the Wâjib al-wujûd and the Real Ma’bûd (the One Worshipped) and the Creator of all creatures. It should be believed for certain that He alone creates everything [every substance, atoms, elements, molecules, compounds, organic substances, cells, life, death, every event, every reaction, all kinds of power and sorts of energy, movements, laws, spirits, angels and every being living or lifeless out of nothing, and He makes them all survive] in both this world and the next without material, time or similarity, out of nonexistence. As He created all creatures in the universe [in one moment while they had been nonexistent], so He [creates some of them from one another, and, when the time for Doomsday comes, in one moment He] will annihilate everything. He is the Creator, Owner, Absolute Ruler of all creatures. It has to be believed and acknowledged that there is nobody to dominate Him, to command Him or to be superior to Him. Every type of superiority, every attribute of perfection, belongs to Him only. No defect, no deficient attribute exists in Him. He is able to do what He wills. What he does is not intended to be useful to Him or to others. He does not do something for a reward. In everything He does, however, there are hidden causes (hikma), uses, blessings and favours.
Allâhu ta’âlâ does not have to do what is good and useful for His creatures, nor does He have to reward some people or torture some others. It would befit His superiority and benevolence if He would bring all the sinners to Paradise. And it would become His justice if He would put all of those who obey and worship Him into Hell. Yet He decreed and declared that He would put Muslims, those who worship Him, into Paradise and grant them favours, and that He would eternally torture disbelievers in Hell. He does not go back on His word. It would be of no use for Him if all the living creatures believed and worshipped Him, nor would it give Him any harm if all creatures became disbelievers, became excessive or disobeyed Him. If man wishes to do something, He creates it if He, too, wills it be so. He alone is the One who creates every action of His human creatures and all things. If He does not will or create, nothing can move. If He does not wish, no one can become a disbeliever or can revolt. He creates disbelief and sins, yet He does not like them. No one can interfere with His works. No one has the strength or the right to ask the reason why He has done this or that or to comment on how He must do. He will forgive, if He wills, a person who has committed any great sin and has died without repentance, except if it is polytheism or disbelief. He will torture him, if He wills, for a merely venial sin. He declared that he would never forgive disbelievers and apostates and that He would torture them eternally.
The elapse of time, day or night, cannot be related to Allâhu ta’âlâ. There can be no change in Him in any respect, nor can it be said that He was in this manner in the past or He will be like that in the future. He does not penetrate (hulûl) into anything. He does not unite with anything. He never has an opposite, reverse, likeness, partner, assistant or guide. He does not have a father, mother, son, daughter or wife. He is always present with everybody, surrounds and overlooks everything. To everyone He is closer than the big artery in his neck. However, His surrounding us, His presence or togetherness or closeness, is not like what we understand from these words. His closeness cannot be comprehended with the knowledge of ’ulamâ’, with the intellect of scientists or with the kashf or shuhûd of Awliyâ’. Human reason cannot understand their inner meanings. Allâhu ta’âlâ is unique in His Person and in His Attributes. No change or differentiation takes place in any of them.
Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Names are tawqîfî, that is, it is permissible to use His Names shown by Islam and not permissible to use other words. Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Names are infinite. It is well-known that He has one thousand and one Names; that is, He revealed one thousand and one of His Names to human beings. In the religion of Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), ninety-nine of them, called “al-Asmâ’ al-husnâ,” were revealed.
Allâhu ta’âlâ has eight attributes (Sifât ath-Thubûtiyya) in the Mâturîdiyya[1] madhhab and seven in the Ash’ariyya[1] madhhab. These attributes of His are eternal and everlasting like His Person; that is, they exist eternally. They are sacred. They are not like the attributes of creatures. The eight attributes of Allâhu ta’âlâ are neither the same as nor other than His Person; that is, His Attributes do not make up His Person, nor are they other than He. These eight attributes are:
Hayât (Life), ’Ilm (Omniscience), Sam’ (Hearing), Basar (Seeing), Qudra (Omnipotence), Kalâm (Speech, Word), Irâda (Will) and Takwîn (Creativeness). In the Ash’ariyya madhhab, Takwîn and Qudra make up the same attribute. Mashiyya and Irâda are synonymous.
Each of the eight attributes of Allâhu ta’âlâ is unique and in a uniform state. No change occurs in any of them. But each of them varies in its related quality in creatures. That an attribute of His varies in its relation to creatures and in affecting them does not harm its uniqueness. Similarly, even though Allâhu ta’âlâ has created so many kinds of creatures and is protecting all of them against annihilation, He is still One. No change ever occurs in Him. Every creature needs Him every moment in every respect. He does not need anybody in any respect.
The one who believes in Allâhu ta’âlâ in above mentioned manner is called Ahl as-Sunna. He will torture in Hell those Muslims who worship Him yet whose faith (i’tiqâd) is not compatible with the faith of the Ahl as-Sunna and who die without repentance. Yet such Muslim people of heresy (bid’a) will not remain in Hell eternally.
[1] Mâturîdiyya madhhab and Ash’ariyya madhhab are Ahl as-Sunna madhabs. There are very small difference between them.
