In Islam, the belief in the absolute uniqueness of the true God (Allah) is fundamental. This includes understanding His characteristics, which are utterly unlike those of any created being.
I. Allah’s Absolute Uniqueness (Tanzīh)
The primary belief in Islam is Tanzīh—the concept that Allah transcends and does not resemble creation in any way. Consequently, Islam does not support the idea, as found in some other religions, that "human beings are created in Allah’s image".
Allah alone possesses attributes that are unique to Him and which a created being cannot acquire, such as being the Creator, the Sole Provider, and the One Allah. The Qur'an clearly establishes this distinction:
“There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer”.
This message of absolute uniqueness is powerfully stated in Surah Al-Ikhlas (Absoluteness):
“Say (O Muhammad): He is Allah, (the) One. Allaah-us-Samad. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.”
Clarification on Resemblance
While Allah’s characteristics are incomparable in essence, the existence of certain shared terms is acknowledged by scholars. For instance, Allah has attributes such as All-Hearing (al-Samee’) and All-Seeing (al-Baseer), and humans also hear and see. However, Allah's attributes are perfect, eternal, and beyond human comprehension, whereas a human’s attributes are limited and finite,. The fact that both Allah and man are described using the same words does not imply any physical or essential resemblance,.
II. Affirming Allah’s Perfect Attributes
As Muslims, we must believe in all the attributes that Allah has narrated about Himself or that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) described. These perfect attributes include:
- al-Qādir (the All-Powerful)
- al-‘Aleem (the All-Knowing)
- al-Hakīm (the Most Wise)
- al-Samī’ (the All-Hearing)
- al-Basīr (the All-Seeing)
These attributes are affirmed in a manner that befits Allah’s majesty, while simultaneously upholding the belief that He does not resemble any of His creation in His Essence or in the perfection of His Attributes.
III. The Moral Imperative for Believers
While a created being can never attain the perfection or uniqueness of Allah’s attributes, Islam encourages believers to strive to acquire the positive moral characteristics implied by some of His Beautiful Names. This principle is often referred to as Takhalluq bi-Akhlāq Allāh (embodying Allah’s characteristics).
The goal is to reflect traits like:
- Knowledge
- Strength
- Mercy
- Forbearance
- Generosity
- Forgiveness
For example, Allah is All-Knowing and loves those who are knowledgeable. He is Generous and loves those who show generosity. He is Merciful and loves those who show mercy. He loves the strong believer more than the weak one. In all cases, when these characteristics are applied to a created being, they are limited and bound by Islamic law, whereas Allah’s attributes and actions are perfect and without comparison.
The great scholar Ibn al-Qayyim eloquently captured this concept, explaining the connection between Allah’s Names and the characteristics He loves in His servants:
“Because Allah is indeed the Appreciative (al-Shakūr), the most beloved of His creation to Him are those who have the characteristic of gratitude (al-shukr)... This applies to His Beautiful names: the most beloved of His creation to Him are those who have the characteristics implied by His names, and the most hated of His creation to Him are those who have the opposite characteristics. Hence He hates those who are ungrateful, those who do wrong, those who are ignorant, hard-hearted, miserly, cowardly and ignoble. He is Beautiful and loves beauty; He is All-Knowing and loves those who have knowledge; He is Merciful and loves those who show mercy; He does good and loves those who do good; He is the Concealer and loves those who conceal; He is Powerful and condemns those who act helpless, and the strong believer is more beloved to Him than the weak believer; He is forgiving and loves forgiveness; He is One and He loves that which is odd-numbered; everything that He loves is connected to His names and attributes; and everything that He hates is the opposite of that.”
In essence, a believer’s striving to embody these positive moral traits is an act of worship, bringing them closer to the way of life that Allah loves.
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