022  Subuti attributes of Almighty Allah (1)


Dear Readers,

Besides the "Personal Attributes" that are only unique to Almighty Allah and no other living being possesses, He also has some other attributes. These are called the "Subutî Attributes". Unlike the "Personal Attributes", He granted humans and some other living some of these Subutî Attributes partially so that they understand these attributes and meet their own vital needs. However, the similarity of these qualities to those granted to living beings are only in respect of meaning and function. These qualities that living beings are blessed with cannot even be compared to those that Almighty Allah possesses. Almighty Allah is an absolute being. Like His own existence, every attribute He has is also absolute, inclusive of all created things, eternal and perpetual. Whereas all the attributes, qualities and skills that He granted to the living beings that He created are mortal, temporary and limited to meeting their own biological needs only.

These Subutî Attributes are:

1. Hayat [Life] (He is alive)
2. Ilm [Knowledge] (He knows everything)
3. Iradah [Will] (He has the ability to do what He wants)
4. Qudrat [Power] (He has the power to do everything)
5. Sam [Hearing] (He hears everything)
6. Basar [Sight] (He sees everything)
7. Kalam [Speech] (He has the saying)
8. Takwin [Creating] (He creates)

I will try to explain these to you in detail.

The personal attributes of the Creator are no doubt unique to Him. No other living being that He created possesses those attributes. He, on the other hand, partially granted of his Subutî Attributes to other living beings. In other words; the Creator sees, hears; human and other living beings hear and see too. However, the way the living beings see and hear is not the same the way the Creator sees and hears, just as a camera and human seeing differently. The Creator is an absolute being. His attributes are absolute too; they are inclusive, eternal and perpetual. However, all living beings live under His existence; they are relative beings who survive through Him. Therefore, their qualities are not the same of those that the Creator possesses, they are the representatives of His attributes and limited to a proportion that He bless them with; they are relative, partial, limited, temporary.

Just as the existence of the creatures is a blessing and gift of the absolute reality Almighty Allah, the qualities they have are also the blessing and gift of Almighty Allah.


• Allah (swt) is alive (Hayat)

Allah (swt) is alive. However, this aliveness is not the same with the aliveness of the created living beings. The aliveness of the living beings is subject to Allah blessing them with the necessary energy so that they can meet their needs. For example, if they are not able to feed themselves, get oxygen or meet their water requirement their aliveness ends. When they do some activity, they get tired and need to rest. They sleep, fall asleep. However, Allah has a self-aliveness. This aliveness is eternal and perpetual. It is unlimited. There is no decrease or ending to this aliveness.

"And put thy trust in Him Who lives and dies not..." [Furqan, 58]

"Allah. There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Supporter of all. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep..." [Baqarah, 255]


• Allah (swt) has wisdom (Ilm)

Allah (swt) has the endless knowledge. Allah's knowledge is infinite. It is eternal and perpetual. It involves the material and spiritual worlds. Allah (swt) not only knows the things happened in the past but also those that will happen in the future. He not only knows the obvious but also those that are not known. There is nothing hidden or unrevealed to Him. Secret or not, He created everything. Just as a person who invented a complex machine would know everything about that machine, the Almighty Allah also knows everything about the living beings He created.

"Should He not know?" [Mulk, 14)

"He has full knowledge of all things." [Hujurat, 16]

"He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them." [Baqarah, 255]

Just as He knows every event and process happening in our bodies, he also knows our thoughts in our minds and intentions in our hearts.

"And whether ye hide your word or make it known, He certainly has (full) knowledge, of the secrets of (all) hearts. Should He not know,- He that created?" [Mulk, 13-14]

Therefore, we must control our hearts well and never move away from decency.

We can only know the things we can perceive with our five senses. The knowledge of the creatures like us is limited. Those we do not perceive, we try to learn about them by using tools and equipment such as magnifying lenses, microscope, telescope and digital machines. We neither know what goes on in the hearts of others nor at places that are far from where we are in terms of time and location. However, Allah (swt) knows everything.

The knowledge that humans have is limited to the extent that Allah blesses them with or permits.

"He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth." [Baqarah, 255]

When this is the case, how presumptuous it is that some stand up to Allah by relying on the blessings that Allah gave to them.


• Allah (swt) is able to do anything when he wants (Iradah)

Allah (swt) does anything he wants. Whatever He wants happens and whatever he doesn't want doesn't happen. He is not liable to anyone for the things he does. No one and nothing can force Him. He does not need to think, plan or project to do something. Ability to think, mind, reasoning are the skills that the almighty Allah created unique to humans. In other words, they are the qualities that were created subsequently along with humans. The Almighty Allah does not need these skills to do or create something. He just wishes and things happen.

"To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills..." [Shura, 49]

"He cannot be questioned for His acts, but they will be questioned (for theirs)." [Anbiyaa, 23]

"For to anything which We have willed, We but say, "Be", and it is." [Nahl, 40]

Allah's will is absolute. He wants, does and creates trillions of things simultaneously in the universe. These are not difficult for Him.

The will of His creatures on the other hand is relative, limited and little. It is relative because it is subject to the Almighty Allah's infinite will. They can't do anything if He does not want to. It is limited and little because they can only do a certain thing at a time.

Be entrusted to Allah..

Dr. Ismail Ulukus

(to be cont'd)


          





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