Al-Sifat al-Thubutiyah – Positive Attributes

While salbi attributes denote the qualities which Allah (swt) does not have, thubuti (lit. qualitative) attributes denote the ones He have. They exist in His essence and He cannot be imagined without these very attributes. They show his exaltedness and perfection.

a- Life (al-Hayat): Our Lord is alive and has eternal life. A life without beginning or end. Humans need time, space, food, organs and other things to live. Allah (swt), however, does not require anything.

We remind ourselves of this attribute in the beginning of Ayatul Kursi which we read after prayers. (Baqarah, 2/255) Actually, the Lord speaks about many of His attributes in this verse, hence why we should let the meaning of this verse settle into our hearts and refresh our monotheistic beliefs.

Allah (swt) has eternal life and gives life to the lifeless. He creates a living chick from a lifeless egg and a living tree from a lifeless seed. 

Life comes about from the seas, lands and soil. Every moment, countless beings die and countless beings are born. The Creator gives life and death simultaneously.

“Indeed, Allah is the cleaver of grain and date seeds. He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living. That is Allah; so how are you deluded?” (An’am, 6/95)

b- Knowledge (al-Ilm): Allah (swt) has limitless knowledge. Hidden, small or large, nothing can be outside His knowledge. His knowledge is not limited by time or space. He knows the past and future in all details. He knows the seen and the unseen. His knowledge encompasses beings before they come into this world and He shapes their existence.

“Indeed, from Allah nothing is hidden in the earth nor in the heaven. It is He who forms you in the wombs however He wills.” (Ali ‘Imran, 3/5-6)

A book displays the scholarly level of the writer.  A technological device indicates the broad horizon of the engineer’s perspective. A piece of art reflects the artistic mind of the artist. Likewise does the whole universe -from the lifeless to the living, from the cell to the atom, from the grains to the galaxies- represent the limitless knowledge of its Creator. 

Everything is designed in a perfect and minute order with sophisticated wisdom… From the ants to the bees, from the butterflies to the spiders and miniscule beings; all of them start to work as soon as they are born. How do these unintelligent beings know what to do and how to live? Realities like these are witness to the existence of a limitless knowledge and a peerless Knower who encompasses all of existence:

“He knows what penetrates into the earth and what emerges from it and what descends from the heaven and what ascends therein. And He is the Merciful, the Forgiving.” (Sabaʼ, 34/2)

Allah (swt) knows every action of all humans and He knows what they don’t do and hide within themselves. (Mulk, 67/13). His knowledge does not only encompass the entities in this world, but it encompasses all human thoughts and actions as well. The following verses presents us reality:

“Have you not considered that Allah (swt) knows what is in the heavens and earth? There is no private conversation between three but that He is the fourth of them, nor are there five but that He is the sixth of them - and no less than that and no more except that He is with them wherever they are… Indeed Allah is, of all things, Knowing.” (Mujadila, 58/7)

c- Hearing (al-Sami): Allah (swt) hears everything. He hears what no ear can hear. His hearing does not have a limit like humans have.

A believer who knows that Allah (swt) hears everything is mindful of his words. He abstains from backbiting, insults, lies and slander, and speaks in the best of manners. He either speaks good and well, or keeps silent and listens. The Qur’an draws our attention on this topic:

“Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private conversations? Yes, we do.” (Zukhruf, 43/80)

When a Muslim supplicates, he knows that his Lord hears and listens to him. He feels that he is talking with his Lord and prays accordingly. In prayer, every time a person rises up from a bowing position, he says “Sami’allahu liman hamidah” This expression verbalizes the fact that He hears all the praise and glory of the person, letting him feel spiritual comfort.

d- Sight (al-Baseer): Allah (swt) sees all things. His seeing, just like His other attributes, is without equal. It cannot be compared to living beings. He sees everything in the universe simultaneously. No detail is hidden from Him.

We cannot conceive the seeing, hearing, and knowledge of Allah (swt). We do know that He hears as no ear can hear. He sees as no eye can see. He knows as no person can know.

The fact that our Lord sees, knows and hears remembers us of something: There is a Creator who sees, hears and knows all things. So every good and bad deed will have its consequences.

With these attributes, our Lord knows our inner and outer selves, our thoughts, our actions and our mental and physical existence. So we know that He is always with us.  A Lord who hears us when we plead, who sees us as when we do good, who never leaves our good deeds unrewarded, is always by our sides.

Such a friendship with God is the best thing a person can get in this world.

“He is with you wherever you are. Allah sees what you do.” (Hadid, 57/4)

“And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein.” (Qaf, 50/16)

A question might arise to one’s mind: How is it possible for a single Lord to see, hear and know everything in an endless universe? The reason a person would ask this question is because he looks at God from his own perspective and his limited human perception and understanding. A reply for the question could be: The sun enlightens our world with its light. All beings, small or big, lifeless or alive, attest their existence through the sun. It’s what makes the skies blue, leaves green, the eyes bright. It opens the hearts, making mercy of every drop of water, bringing earth to life. There is no being on earth which the sun does not enlighten.

Just as in the analogy of the sun, the attributes of Allah (swt) comprise all beings in the world. When we conceive that all His attributes are limitless and incomparable with creation, we will understand how all His attributes reflect in creation.

d- Omnipotence (al-Qudrah): Allah (swt) has limitless power. He has the power to do what He wills. He creates atoms and cells which the eye cannot see and galaxies and planets which we cannot count.  He creates the insects and the chicken from the egg. 

In the eyes of Allah (swt), the creation of a single butterfly is the same as the creation of all living beings. Creating billions of planets is no different than the creation of one bacteria. His power encompasses all things, just like His knowledge. Similarly, He is the one who gives and takes life. This verse is a reminder for us:

“Do they not see that Allah, who created the heavens and earth and did not fail in their creation, is able to give life to the dead? Yes. Indeed, He is over all things competent.” (Ahqaf, 46/33)

The fact that Allah (swt) has limitless power and strength is a source of comfort and happiness for the believer. Because he is not all alone in this world. Rather, he has a Lord who gives him what he pleases in this world and the Hereafter. Why then shouldn’t he rely on this limitless Force and take strength and power from Him?

e- Will (al-Iradhah): Allah (swt) wills and decrees. No power can oppose or restrict His will.

Neither a living being from the smallest to the largest will come into being, nor will a living thing perish, except for the will of the Supreme Creator. Not a drop of rain or a leaf falls down without His will. No plant will grow nor will a flower flourish. Everything, from the birds flying in the sky and the fish swimming in the water to the animals crawling on the ground and the bees making honey, they can only work by the will of Allah (swt). 

The whole universe continues its existence depending on the laws of nature. The world revolves around the Sun, waters vaporize, the seasons follow up on each other, seeds crack and flourish, and many other occurrences are bound to specific laws. 

Laying down all these laws and managing them happens with the will of Allah (swt).

Our biological and psychological existence is bound to the will of Allah (swt). Every bite, sip and breath we take, every flower we like and many other blessings are possible by the will of Allah (swt). He wants us to benefit from all these blessings for the rest of our lives. The following verse explains this reality:

“And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him; and if He intends for you good, then there is no repeller of His bounty. He causes it to reach whom He wills of His servants. And He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (Yunus, 10/107)

f- Speech (al-Qalam): Our Lord has the attribute of speaking. After all, the opposite is unimaginable, because it would mean inability and incompetence on His behalf, whereas His speech, like all His other attributes, represents perfection and excellence.

“And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea was ink, replenished thereafter by seven more seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted.” (Luqman, 31/27)

Throughout history, Allah (swt) has sent messengers to mankind, informing them of his message, thereby speaking to humanity. We call this revelation of which the Qur’an is the last call to humans, reminding them once more of the reason for their creation.

g- Creation (al-Taqwin): Allah (swt) is the Creator. He created the living and the lifeless. He is the one who created existence out of nothing and continues to create. Just as we can read in this verse:

“And it is He who begins creation; then He repeats it, and that is even easier for Him (than the first time). To Him belongs the highest attribute in the heavens and earth.” (Rum, 30/27)

The creation is filled with countless wonders. Perhaps mankind cannot conceive other living beings, but simply looking at the creation of himself suffices to see the matchless blessings Allah (swt) bestowed on humans.

The biological and psychological existence of human beings is perfect. Mankind is made from a cell not even visible to the eye, then he becomes the most capable entity in the whole universe. And every human sees this miracle happen a hundred times, in front of his eyes. Creation is repeated continuously, from the very first human until today.

Humans continue their existence because of this unique mercy. Walking on in life encompassed with mercy. The most important lesson a believer learns from the attribute of al-taqwin is that he should ponder over his own creation. The verse below remembers us hereof:

“O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous, Who created you, proportioned you, and balanced you? In whatever form He willed has He assembled you.” (Infitar, 82/6-8)