The Names of Allah Are Tawqeefiyyah (Restricted to Textual Evidence)

[Shehzad Sattar]

Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen (rahimahullah) said:

CHAPTER: The Names of Allah Are Tawqeefiyyah There Is No Place For Intellectual Free-Thinking Regarding Them:

Allah’s Names are tawqeefiyyah, meaning a kind of knowledge that is restricted to textual evidence; there is no place for intellectual free-thinking regarding them. Based upon 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.

This is due to Allah’s statement,
“And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not, etc.) that of which you have no knowledge (e.g. one’s saying: “I have seen,” while in fact he has not seen, or “I have heard,” while he has not heard). Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allâh). (Surah Al-Isra Surah 17 Ayah 36).

And He also has said,
Say (O Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam)): “(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawâhish (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secetly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allâh for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allâh of which you have no knowledge.” (Surah Al-A’raf, Surah 7 Ayah 33).

Furthermore, to ascribe a name to Allah the Exalted that He did not ascribe to His own Self, or to deny something He has named Himself, would be a serious crime against Him. So one must behave in the appropriate manner in this affair and stick to what is found in established textual evidences only.

[Al Qawaa’idul-Muthlaa fee Sifaatillahi wa Asmaa’ihil-Husnaa , Translated into English language by Moosa Richardson; Published by TROID publications Page 30].

Shaikh further stated:
CHAPTER: The Kinds Of Deviation From the Correct Belief

[Allah commands us to abandon those who are known for ilhaad,] And (all)the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allâh, so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter impious speech against) His Names. They will be requited for what they used to do.
(Surah Al-A’raf , Surah 7 Ayah 180)

Ilhaad with regards to the Names of Allah the Exalted means to stray from the obligatory manner of believing in them, and ilhaad takes many forms:

Point THREE: To ascribe a name to Allah that He did not name Himself with. An example of this is how the Christians call Allah the father, or how the philosophers call Him the root cause of everything (al illatul-Faa’ilah). So since the knowledge of Allah’s Names is tawqeefiyyah, then to ascribe a name to Allah that He did not name Himself with is straying from the obligatory manner of believing in them. Furthermore, these names that have been ascribed to Allah are sheer falsehood that Allah is far removed from….”

Point FOUR: To derive names of idols from the linguistic base of His Names An example of this is what the polytheists did when they derived the name al-‘Uzzaa from al’Azeez, and al-Laat from al-Ilaah, according to one opinion, and they named their idols with these names……. Some kinds of ilhaad may be crimes of shirk or kufr (while others are less than that), depending upon the relative evidences and what they imply.

[Al Qawaa’idul-Muthlaa fee Sifaatillahi wa Asmaa’ihil-Husnaa , Translated into English language by Moosa Richardson; Published by TROID publications Page 37,38].

The Shaikh further states:
The Proofs That Establish The Names And Attributes Are Only From The Book And The Sunnah:

The evidences used to establish Allah’s Names and Attributes are found in the Book and the Sunnah, and no Names or Attributes may be established using other than these proofs. So based on this:

1) Whatever Names and Attributes that have been established by the Book and the Sunnah,it is obligatory to affirm them.

2) Whatever has been negated by the Book and the Sunnah, then it is obligatory for us to negate that, while we affirm its opposite as a perfect Attribute.

3) Whatever has not been affirmed nor negated in the Book and the Sunnah, then it isobligatory for us to remain silent about its wording, as it must not be rejected outright simply because of the lack of evidence regarding its affirmation or negation……

[Al Qawaa’idul-Muthlaa fee Sifaatillahi wa Asmaa’ihil-Husnaa , Translated into English language by Moosa Richardson; Published by TROID publications Page 66].

Ibn Uthaimeen (rahimahullah) states in his another excellent work ‘The Explanation of Sufficiency In Creed by Ibn Qudamah‘…

The Names of Allah are based upon Revelation and as such, their affirmation is dependent upon what is reported in the revealed texts concerning them. Therefore, nothing can be added to them nor subtracted. This is because the intellect is not able to ascertain by itself which names Allah is most deserving of. So it is obligatory to depend upon the revealed texts for determining that. Also, naming Allah with that which He did not name Himself or rejecting what He did name Himself with, is a crime against Him and a perpetration of His right. Thus, abiding by the proper etiquettes with regard to this is obligatory.

[Explanation of Sufficiency In Creed, page 19, by Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Salih al-Uthaimeen (rahimahullah)].

Source: http://salaf-us-saalih.com/2011/06/25/t ... -evidence/