Belief in Allah includes belief in His names and attributes. On Belief in Allah this stands as the fourth matter of that belief, in summary; this page carries the detail: what the scholars lay down about the Names, and then what they lay down about the Attributes.
What follows is taken from Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen: his book Al-Qawa’id al-Muthla, which sets out the principles concerning the Names and then the principles concerning the Attributes, and his shorter booklet Allah’s Names and Attributes; with Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di’s tafsir [the explanation of the Qur’an] and his explanation of the Names, and one paragraph from Shaykh Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz.
Shaykh Ibn Baz states the whole belief in one paragraph, in Lesson Four of his Essential Lessons for Every Muslim, under Tawhid al-Asma was-Sifat [singling Allah out in His names and attributes], the third category of tawhid:
“Tawhid Al-Asma’i Was-Sifat, or the Uniqueness of the Names and Attributes of Allah. We must believe in all of Allah’s Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes; none can be named or given Allah’s Attributes. We must also confirm all Allah’s Attributes which He has stated in the Qur’an or mentioned through His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, without changing them, ignoring them completely, twisting their meanings, or likening them to any of those of His creatures.”
Four things are avoided in that paragraph: changing them, ignoring them completely, twisting their meanings, and likening them to the attributes of the creatures. The rest of this page works the paragraph out, first for the Names and then for the Attributes, in the principles of Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen.
The Rule for the Names
In his booklet, the Shaykh states the rule of Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah [the people of the Sunnah and the community] regarding the Names as three beliefs:
“This is the rule of Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah regarding Allah’s Names.
1- They believe that they are names that Allah gave to Himself, so they invoke Him by those names.
2- They believe in the attribute implied by the name, since all Allah’s names are derived, and it is known that the derived word indicates the meaning from which it is derived.
3- They believe in the effect of the name if it is transitive, like “the All-Knowing”, “the Most Merciful”, “the All-Hearing”, and “the All-Seeing”.”
A transitive name is one whose meaning reaches the creation: the All-Hearing hears someone, the Most Merciful shows mercy to someone. Al-Qawa’id al-Muthla works this same rule out as a set of principles, and they run as follows.
The Principles Concerning the Names
All of His Names Are Beautiful
“All of Allah’s Names are beautiful, meaning that they reach the utmost limits of beauty. Allah, the Exalted, has said: «And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah.» [7:180]”
His example is the Name al-Hayy [the Ever-Living]:
“An example of this is that Al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) is a Name of Allah the Exalted, and it includes the Attribute of perfect Life.”
The verse the principle rests on is Surah al-A’raf (7), verse 180. It is quoted once on this page, in the printing of Shaykh as-Sa’di’s tafsir:
“To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call on Him by them, and keep away from those who profane His names. They will be requited for what they do.”
Shaykh as-Sa’di explains why they are called beautiful:
“This is indicative of the greatness of His glory and attributes, for to Him belong the most beautiful names. In other words, all good names are His. What this refers to is every name that is indicative of an attribute of perfection and greatness. This is why they are called beautiful, because if they did not refer to an attribute, and were merely information, they would not be beautiful. Similarly, if they referred to attributes of imperfection or attributes that may be praiseworthy or otherwise, then they would not be beautiful. Each of His names points to the meaning of that attribute in the most complete and comprehensive manner, and includes all its shades of meaning.”
Another aspect of their beauty, he says, is “that He cannot be called except by these names.” He is called upon by these names, and by no others.
Titles and Descriptions
“Allah’s Names are titles, as they refer to Him, and descriptions, as they refer to different meanings.”
As titles, they all refer to the One, Allah. As descriptions, each one carries its own meaning, and the book brings verses whose endings join two Names together. Surah al-Ahqaf (46), verse 8, in its printing: “And He is the Ever-Forgiving, ar-Rahim.” And Surah al-Kahf (18), verse 58: “And Your Lord is Oft-Forgiving, the Possessor of Mercy.” Ar-Rahim [the Most Merciful] stands beside the Ever-Forgiving in both, and it is not the same meaning said twice.
What a Name Includes: Three Things or Two
The next principle is the one the rule above turns on: what a Name carries with it.
“If the Name refers to a transitive description, then it includes three things: [1] An established Name of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, [2] An established Attribute that is included in the meaning of the Name, [3] And an established ruling and implication.”
The Shaykh’s worked example is the end of the verse about highway robbers who repent before they are caught:
“Another example, the people of knowledge have said that highway robbers who repent (before being caught) may be exempted from punishment, using as proof the Statement of Allah, the Exalted: «As for those who repented before they fell into your power, then know that Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.» [5:34] This is because the related ruling and implication of these two Names is that Allah, the Exalted, has forgiven them of their sins and bestowed Mercy on them by cancelling the legislated punishment.”
The two Names at the verse’s end are not decoration. Their ruling and implication reach the robbers themselves: forgiveness, and mercy shown by cancelling the punishment. The Shaykh illustrates the three things with the Name as-Sami’ [the All-Hearing]:
“An illustration of this principle is that as-Sami’ (the All-Hearing) includes: [1] The Name as-Sami’ for Allah, the Exalted, [2] The Attribute of Hearing, [3] And a relating ruling and implication - that He hears all secret and concealed talks.”
Allah says, Surah al-Mujadilah (58), verse 1, in the book’s printing:
“And Allah hears the dispute between you both. Verily Allah is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”
The verse came down about Khawlah, who complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about her husband. Moosaa Richardson’s explanation on the same page recounts that Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), in the same room, could not hear the conversation, while Allah, from above the heavens, heard it all. That is the ruling and implication of the Name in one event: He hears all secret and concealed talks.
A name whose meaning does not reach out to an object includes less:
“If the Name refers to a non-transitive description, then it only includes two things: [1] A Name of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic [2] And an Attribute that is included in the meaning of the Name.”
Al-Hayy is the book’s illustration: the Name, and the Attribute of Life within it, with no direct effect on the creation in the Name itself. The Shaykh states the same division in his booklet as a matter of belief:
“Hence, Allah’s Names are of two types: transitive and intransitive. Belief in the transitive names is not fulfilled except by three matters: belief in the name, then in the attribute it denotes, then in its effects.
As to the intransitive names, belief in them is not fulfilled except by establishing two matters: the name, and the attribute it denotes.”
Known Only Through Revelation
The Names are tawqifiyyah [known only through revelation]. The Shaykh states the principle:
“Allah’s Names are tawqifiyyah, meaning a kind of knowledge that is restricted to textual evidence; there is no place for intellectual free-thinking regarding them. Based on this, we must suffice ourselves with what is found in the Book and the Sunnah, without adding or taking anything away. This is because the intellect will not be able to grasp the understanding of Allah’s Names that He rightfully deserves, so then we must suffice ourselves with textual evidences only.”
His proof is Surah al-Isra (17), verse 36, in the book’s printing:
“And do not follow what you have no knowledge of. Verily the hearing, the sight, and the heart, (you) will all be questioned (about each of them).”
No one names Allah with a name of his own making. What He named Himself with in His Book, and what His Messenger ﷺ named Him with in the Sunnah, is the whole of what is said.
Not Limited to a Number
“Allah’s Names are not limited to any specific number, and this is understood from the statement of the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) in the well-known narration: «…I ask You by every Name that You have, those You named yourself with, those You revealed in Your Book, those You taught one of Your created beings, and those You kept with Yourself as knowledge of the Unseen…» It was collected by Ahmad, Ibn Hib-ban, and al-Hakim and it is sahih (authentic).”
Some of His names He kept with Himself in the knowledge of the unseen, so no count of the names we know is a count of all His names. The well-known hadith of the ninety-nine names promises Paradise to the one who learns them by heart: Shaykh as-Sa’di quotes its wording in his tafsir of the verse above, “Allah has ninety-nine names; whoever learns them by heart will enter paradise.” The names themselves, gathered from the Qur’an and the Sunnah, stand on The Ninety-Nine Names of Allah (Asma’ al-Husna); they are not listed again here.
Deviation Regarding the Names
The last principle concerning the Names warns against ilhad [deviation] regarding them. The Shaykh opens it with the verse in his book’s printing:
“And to Allah belong the most beautiful Names, so call on Him using them. And abandon those who commit ilhad regarding His Names.” [7:180]
He then names the kinds of deviation. The first three are headed:
“ONE: To reject some of them, or some of the related Attributes or resulting rulings
TWO: To view them as Names that establish attributes similar to the attributes of the Creation
THREE: To attribute a name to Allah that He did not name Himself with”
His example of the third kind is how the Christians call Allah the father, or how the philosophers call Him the root cause of everything. Shaykh as-Sa’di explains the deviation the verse warns against in the same terms, in his tafsir:
“What that means is misusing the name and calling by these names those who do not deserve them, as the polytheists do when naming their false gods; or denying their meanings and distorting them, giving meanings that were not intended by Allah or His Messenger ﷺ; or likening the divine attributes to the attributes of some created being. What one must do is beware of profaning these names and beware of those who profane them.”
The Principles Concerning the Attributes
The second half of Al-Qawa’id al-Muthla gives the Attributes their own principles. The stance behind all of them is stated in the Shaykh’s booklet:
“The stance of Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah regarding Allah’s Attributes is that they affirm all the attributes that Allah ascribes to Himself, and those which His Messenger, Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) ascribed to Him. But, such affirmation involves neither Takyif (questioning their nature), nor Tamthil (likening), nor Tahrif (distorting), nor Ta’til (negation of function), whether the attribute is related to Allah’s essence or actions.”
All of Them Are Attributes of Perfection
“Some of Allah’s Attributes are, for example: Life, Knowledge, Power, Hearing, Sight, Mercy, Honour, Wisdom, Loftiness, Greatness, etc. The perfection of these Attributes can be proven by textual, intellectual, and instinctive evidence.”
His textual evidence is Surah an-Nahl (16), verse 60, in the book’s printing: “Those who do not believe in the Hereafter, they are the worst example; and for Allah is the loftiest example; and He is the Possessor of Honour, the All-Wise.” For Allah is the loftiest example: the loftiest possible description, in every case. His intellectual evidence runs:
“Everything that truly exists must have an attribute, and that attribute must either be a perfect one or a deficient one. The latter is rejected when referring to the Perfect Lord who deserves our worship.”
Knowledge of the Attributes Is Wider Than Knowledge of the Names
The second principle of this unit is carried here in summary. Knowledge of Allah’s Attributes is more expansive than knowledge of His Names, the Shaykh says, since each one of His Names includes an Attribute, as the principles above have shown. Some of the Attributes are also connected to Allah’s actions, and there is no end to the actions of Allah, just as there is no end to His statements; so the Attributes cannot be counted off the way a list of names can.
Affirmation and Negation
“Allah’s Attributes may be divided into Attributes of Affirmation and Attributes of Negation.
Attributes of Affirmation (as-sifat ath-thubutiyyah), are those that Allah has affirmed for His own Self in His Book or on the tongue of His Messenger (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace). All of them are Attributes of perfection having no deficiencies whatsoever, like Life, Knowledge, Power, Ascension over the Throne, Descent to the lowest heaven, His Face, His Two Hands, etc. It is binding to affirm these for Allah, the Exalted, literally, in the way that is befitting to Him, based on both textual and intellectual evidence.”
What revelation negates from Him is negated for a reason, and the next principle gives the wisdom behind the negations. The affirmed attributes, he says, are greater in number than the negated ones, and the negations are mentioned in only three instances. The first of them is to clarify the generality of His perfection:
“Allah’s established Attributes are Attributes of due praise and perfection, and the more variety that is found in their meanings, the more apparent the perfection of the One being described is. Likewise, Allah’s Attributes of affirmation that He informed us about are greater in number than the attributes He negated, as is known. His Attributes of negation are normally mentioned in only three instances: Firstly, they are mentioned to clarify the generality of His Perfection. This can be found in His Statements; «There is nothing similar to Him.» [42:11] «And there is nothing comparable to Him.» [112:4]”
A negation here is not an emptiness. “There is nothing similar to Him” clears away likeness so that His perfection stands complete.
Permanent Attributes and Chosen Actions
This principle also stands in summary. Allah’s affirmed Attributes, the Shaykh says, are of two kinds. Some are permanent Attributes that He never ceases to be described with, like Knowledge, Power, Hearing, Sight, Honor, Wisdom, Highness, and Greatness. Others are His chosen Actions, which are related to His Will: if He wants, He does them, and if He does not want to do them, He does not do them, like His Ascent over the Throne and His Descent to the lowest heaven.
Shun Likening and Asking How
Two thoughts must be kept away from the affirmation itself: tamthil [likening] and takyif [asking how]. The Shaykh states the principle:
“Affirming His Attributes requires one to shun two very dangerous thoughts: tamthil and takyif. Tamthil is when the affirmer believes that the Attributes he affirms for Allah are similar to the attributes of the creation. This belief is falsehood, as understood from both textual and intellectual evidence: Textual Evidence: Allah, the Exalted, has said: «There is nothing similar to Him.»”
The verse his footnote points to is Surah ash-Shura (42), verse 11. Shaykh as-Sa’di makes the same point from the side of one attribute, mercy, in his Explanation to the Beautiful and Perfect Names of Allah:
“So what is to prevent affirming the Attribute of Mercy (Rahma) and its likes that have been affirmed by Allah and His Messenger ﷺ in the same way, coupled with negating the deficiencies that are associated with the attributes of the creation? What is there that would prevent doing the same with every Attribute that the Lord is described with and the creation is also described with? He, the Magnificent and Exalted, is described by them in the most perfect way, removed from all defects, whereas the servant is described by them as befits him with his defects and weaknesses. It is in this way that Ahlu-s-Sunnah understood the negation of tashbih, not by negating the Attributes as done by those who negate His Attributes (Mu’attila).”
Tashbih is likening, and its negation is not carried out by negating the attributes themselves. His conclusion, in the next paragraph, is that it is obligatory to affirm what Allah affirmed for His noble Self without ta’wil [figurative interpretation] and ta’til [denial]:
“Hence it is obligatory to affirm what Allah affirmed for His noble Self without ta’wil and ta’til.”
We Know the Meanings, but Not the Nature
Asking how is refused because of where knowledge stops. The Shaykh’s booklet states it:
“Thus, we know the meanings of Allah’s Attributes, but we do not know their nature. It is impermissible for us to ask about their nature or to try to imagine how they are. Likewise, it is impermissible for us to liken or draw resemblance between Allah’s Attributes and those of humans. Allah Almighty says: {There is nothing like unto Him: He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.} [Ash-Shura: 11]”
Surah ash-Shura (42), verse 11 stands whole there, in that book’s printing. Shaykh as-Sa’di reads the same verse as answering both errors at once, in his tafsir:
“This and similar verses offer evidence for the views of ahl as-Sunnah wal-jama’ah who affirm the divine attributes and deny that His attributes in any way resemble those of created beings. It offers a refutation of those who liken the divine attributes to those of created beings, in the words {There is nothing like unto Him}; and it offers a refutation of those who deny the divine attributes (by interpreting them in a manner that differs from the apparent meaning), in the words {and He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing}.”
One verse, two halves: the first half refuses likeness, and the second half refuses denial, by affirming that He hears and sees.
Known Only Through Revelation
The last principle of this unit is the same restraint that governed the Names. The Attributes, too, are tawqifiyyah [known only through revelation]:
“Knowledge of Allah’s Attributes is tawqifiyyah, meaning that you do not seek to establish attributes for Allah, except that which is affirmed in the Book and the Sunnah.
Imam Ahmad, may Allah have Mercy on him, said: “Allah may not be described except with what He has described His own Self with, or with what His Messenger has described him with. This can not go beyond the Qur’an and the hadith.””
Conclusion
The two halves hold together. His Names are all beautiful, each one a title that refers to Him and a description that carries a perfect attribute; a Name includes its attribute, and, where its meaning reaches the creation, its ruling and effect as well. The Names are known only through revelation and are not limited to a number, and deviation regarding them is refused in all its kinds. His Attributes are all perfection; they are affirmed as He affirmed them and as His Messenger ﷺ affirmed them, without likening them to the creation and without asking how; their meanings are known, and their nature is not. How this belief sits inside belief in Allah as a whole is set out on Belief in Allah, and the names themselves stand on The Ninety-Nine Names of Allah (Asma’ al-Husna). This page gathers only what the books named below state, in their own words where they are quoted.
References
Al-Qawa’id al-Muthla (The Exemplary Principles Concerning the Beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah): Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen; TROID, translated and explained by Moosaa Richardson, 1431 AH (printed pp. 16, 23-24, 31-32, 38-39, 41, 49-50, 54, 66, 71, 76, 80, 83, 92).
Allah’s Names and Attributes: Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen; Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen Charity Foundation, Series of the Writings of His Eminence the Shaykh (7) (printed pp. 10-11, 15).
Tafsir as-Sa’di, Vol. 3 (Juz 7-9): Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di; IIPH, English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (printed pp. 330-331).
Tafsir as-Sa’di, Vol. 9 (Juz 25-27): Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di; IIPH, English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (printed pp. 34-35).
Explanation to the Beautiful and Perfect Names of Allah: Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di, extracted from Taysir al-Karim al-Rahman; Daarus-Sunnah Publishers, Birmingham, translated by Abu Rumaysah (printed p. 29).
Essential Lessons for Every Muslim: Shaykh Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz; Darussalam (printed p. 12).
In quotations, the divine name is written “Allah” throughout. Some of the books print it with the long spelling, “Allaah” or “Allāh”; the spelling is standardised here, and nothing else in the wording is changed.
Further Reading
- The Ninety-Nine Names of Allah (Asma’ al-Husna): the ninety-nine names gathered from the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
- Why Allah Is Referred to as “He”: the pronoun used for Allah and what it does and does not mean.
Verified on 2026-10-25 against the books listed above.