Al-Qawl al-Mufid ala Kitab al-Tawhid — Volume 3 (القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد) — Page 18

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

قَوْلُهُ: «بَابُ احْتِرَامِ أَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ»:

His words: 'Chapter on respecting the names of Allah'.

أَيْ وُجُوبُ احْتِرَامِ أَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ؛ لِأَنَّ احْتِرَامَهَا احْتِرَامُ اللَّهِ - عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

This means it is mandatory to respect the names of Allah, for to respect them is to respect Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.

وَمِنْ تَعْظِيمِ اللَّهِ - عَزَّ وَجَلَّ - فَلَا يُسَمَّى أَحَدٌ بِاسْمٍ مُخْتَصٍّ بِاللَّهِ، وَأَسْمَاءُ اللَّهِ تَنْقَسِمُ إِلَى قِسْمَيْنِ:

Part of venerating Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, is that no one should be given a name reserved for Him. The names of Allah are divided into two categories:

الْأَوَّلُ: مَا لَا يَصِحُّ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ فَهَذَا لَا يُسَمَّى بِهِ غَيْرُهُ، وَإِنْ سُمِّيَ وَجَبَ.

First: Names that are valid only for Allah and may not be used for anyone else; if someone is given such a name, it must be changed.

الثَّانِي: أَنَّهَا حَقِيقَةٌ فِي الْعَبْدِ مَجَازٌ فِي الرَّبِّ، وَهَذَا قَوْلُ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ النَّاشِي.

Second: The view that these names are literal when applied to a servant but metaphorical when applied to the Lord, which is the opinion of Abu al-Abbas al-Nashi.

الثَّالِثُ: أَنَّهَا حَقِيقَةٌ فِيهِمَا، وَهَذَا قَوْلُ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَهُوَ الصَّوَابُ

Third: The view that they are literal in both cases, which is the position of the People of the Sunnah and the correct view.

وَاخْتِلَافُ الْحَقِيقَتَيْنِ لَا يُخْرِجُهَا عَنْ كَوْنِهَا حَقِيقَةً فِيهِمَا، وَلِلرَّبِّ تَعَالَى مَا يَلِيقُ بِهِ وَلِلْعَبْدِ مَا يَلِيقُ بِهِ.

The difference between the two realities does not prevent them from being literal in both; the Lord, the Exalted, possesses what befits His majesty, while the servant possesses what befits his nature.

السَّادِسَ عَشَرَ: أَنَّ الِاسْمَ وَالصِّفَةَ مِنْ هَذَا النَّوْعِ لَهُ ثَلَاثُ اعْتِبَارَاتٍ:

Sixteenth: Names and attributes of this type have three considerations:

اعْتِبَارٌ مِنْ حَيْثُ هُوَ مَعَ قَطْعِ النَّظَرِ عَنْ تَقْيِيدِهِ بِالرَّبِّ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَوِ الْعَبْدِ.

First: Considering the name or attribute in itself, without reference to whether it belongs to the Lord, Blessed and Exalted, or to a servant.

الِاعْتِبَارُ الثَّانِي: اعْتِبَارُهُ مُضَافًا لِلرَّبِّ مُخْتَصًّا بِهِ.

Second: Considering it as attributed to the Lord and specific to Him.

الِاعْتِبَارُ الثَّالِثُ: اعْتِبَارُهُ مُضَافًا إِلَى الْعَبْدِ مُقَيَّدًا بِهِ.

Third: Considering it as attributed to the servant and restricted to him.

السَّابِعَ عَشَرَ: الصِّفَاتُ أَنْوَاعٌ: صِفَاتُ كَمَالٍ وَصِفَاتُ نَقْصٍ، وَصِفَاتٌ لَا تَقْتَضِي وَاحِدًا مِنْهُمَا، وَصِفَاتٌ تَقْتَضِيهِمَا بِاعْتِبَارَيْنِ

Seventeenth: Attributes fall into several types: attributes of perfection, attributes of deficiency, attributes that imply neither, and attributes that imply both depending on the context.

وَالرَّبُّ تَعَالَى مُنَزَّهٌ عَنْ هَذِهِ الثَّلَاثَةِ مَوْصُوفٌ بِالْأَوَّلِ، وَهَكَذَا أَسْمَاؤُهُ أَسْمَاءُ كَمَالٍ فَلَا يَقُومُ غَيْرُهَا،

The Lord, the Exalted, is free from the latter three and is described by the first. His names are names of perfection, and nothing else can take their place.

وَإِذَا عَرَفْتَ هَذَا فَلَهُ مِنْ كُلِّ صِفَةِ كَمَالٍ أَحْسَنُ اسْمٍ وَأَكْمَلُهُ

Once you understand this, you will see that for every attribute of perfection, He has the most excellent and complete name.

فَلَهُ مِنْ صِفَةِ الْإِدْرَاكَاتِ: الْعَلِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ دُونَ الْعَاقِلِ الْفَقِيهِ، وَالسَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ، دُونَ السَّامِعِ وَالْبَاصِرِ وَالنَّاظِرِ،

Regarding the attribute of perception, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Aware, rather than merely rational or learned. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, rather than just one who hears or observes.

وَمِنْ صِفَاتِ الْإِحْسَانِ الْبَرُّ الرَّحِيمُ، دُونَ الرَّفِيقِ وَالشَّفُوقِ، وَكَذَلِكَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ، دُونَ الرَّفِيعِ الشَّرِيفِ.

Regarding the attributes of benevolence, He is the Righteous, the Merciful, rather than gentle or compassionate. Similarly, He is the Exalted, the Great, rather than high or noble.

الثَّامِنَ عَشَرَ: الْإِلْحَادُ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ أَنْوَاعٌ:

Eighteenth: Deviation regarding His names takes several forms:

الْأَوَّلُ: أَنْ يُسَمَّى بِهِ غَيْرُهُ مِنَ الْأَصْنَامِ.

First: Using His names to name idols.

الثَّانِي: أَنْ يُسَمَّى بِمَا لَا يَلِيقُ بِجَلَالِهِ كَتَسْمِيَتِهِ أَبًا أَوْ عِلَّةً فَاعِلَةً.

Second: Attributing names to Him that do not befit His majesty, such as calling Him a father or an active cause.

الثَّالِثُ: وَصْفُهُ بِمَا يُنَزَّهُ عَنْهُ كَقَوْلِ أَخْبَثِ الْيَهُودِ: إِنَّهُ فَقِيرٌ.

Third: Describing Him with qualities He is far above, such as the claim of the most wicked among the Jews that He is poor.

الرَّابِعُ: تَعْطِيلُهَا عَنْ مَعَانِيهَا وَجَحْدُ حَقَائِقِهَا كَقَوْلِ الْجَهْمِيَّةِ: إِنَّهَا أَلْفَاظٌ مُجَرَّدَةٌ لَا تَدُلُّ عَلَى أَوْصَافٍ: سَمِيعٌ بِلَا سَمْعٍ، بَصِيرٌ بِلَا بَصَرٍ.

Fourth: Stripping His names of their meanings and denying their realities, as the Jahmiyyah do by claiming they are empty words that indicate no attributes, such as calling Him All-Hearing without hearing or All-Seeing without sight.

الْخَامِسُ: تَشْبِيهُ صِفَاتِهِ بِصِفَاتِ خَلْقِهِ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا يَقُولُ الْمُلْحِدُونَ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا.

Fifth: Likening His attributes to those of His creation. Exalted is Allah far above what the heretics say.

Vocabulary · المفردات (14 verbs · 75 nouns)

• اِحْتَرَمَ — to respect
• انْقَسَمَ — to be divided
• صَحَّ — to be valid
• سَمَّى — to name
• وَجَبَ — to be necessary
• خَرَجَ — to exit
• لَاقَ — to befit
• تَبَارَكَ — to be blessed
• أَضَافَ — to add
• اقْتَضَى — to require
• قَامَ — to be applicable
• عَرَفَ — to know
• دَلَّ — to indicate
• قَالَ — to say
• بَابٌ — chapter
• احْتِرَامٌ — respect
• اسْمٌ — name
• وُجُوبٌ — obligation
• تَعْظِيمٌ — veneration
• أَحَدٌ — The One
• مُخْتَصٌّ — specific
• قِسْمٌ — part
• عَبْدٌ — servant
• مَجَازٌ — metaphor
• رَبٌّ — Lord
• قَوْلٌ — saying
• أَهْلٌ — people
• سُنَّةٌ — tradition
• صَوَابٌ — correctness
• اخْتِلَافٌ — difference
• حَقِيقَةٌ — reality
• كَوْنٌ — being
• صِفَةٌ — attribute
• نَوْعٌ — type
• اعْتِبَارٌ — consideration
• حَيْثُ — where
• قَطْعٌ — cutting
• نَظَرٌ — view
• تَقْيِيدٌ — restriction
• مُضَافٌ — added
• كَمَالٌ — perfection
• نَقْصٌ — deficiency
• وَاحِدٌ — one
• مُنَزَّهٌ — exalted
• مَوْصُوفٌ — described
• أَحْسَنُ — best
• أَكْمَلُ — most complete
• إِدْرَاكٌ — perception
• عَلِيمٌ — all-knowing
• خَبِيرٌ — all-aware
• عَاقِلٌ — rational
• فَقِيهٌ — jurist
• سَمِيعٌ — all-hearing
• بَصِيرٌ — all-seeing
• سَامِعٌ — hearer
• بَاصِرٌ — seer
• نَاظِرٌ — observer
• إِحْسَانٌ — benevolence
• بَرٌّ — righteous
• رَحِيمٌ — merciful
• رَفِيقٌ — gentle
• شَفُوقٌ — compassionate
• عَلِيٌّ — exalted
• عَظِيمٌ — great
• رَفِيعٌ — high
• شَرِيفٌ — noble
• إِلْحَادٌ — heresy
• صَنَمٌ — idol
• جَلَالٌ — majesty
• تَسْمِيَةٌ — naming
• أَبٌ — father
• عِلَّةٌ — cause
• فَاعِلٌ — active
• وَصْفٌ — description
• أَخْبَثُ — most evil
• يَهُودِيٌّ — Jew
• فَقِيرٌ — poor
• تَعْطِيلٌ — negation
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• جَحْدٌ — denial
• لَفْظٌ — word
• مُجَرَّدٌ — abstract
• سَمْعٌ — hearing
• بَصَرٌ — sight
• تَشْبِيهٌ — anthropomorphism
• خَلْقٌ — creation
• مُلْحِدٌ — heretic
• عُلُوٌّ — exaltation
• كَبِيرٌ — great