Comprehensive Study Notes on Al-Aqeedah Al-Tahawiyyah 3

Divine Transcendence (Tanzih) and Absolute Negation of Resemblance (Nafy al-Mumathalah)

  • Scriptural Evidences for Absolute Transcendence:

    • Divine self-purification from all forms of polytheism (Shirk) is established in explicit Quranic declarations:
    • Surah Al-Hashr (23): "Glory be to Allah, far above what they associate with Him."
    • Surah An-Nahl (1): "Exalted is He and high above whatever they associate with Him."
    • Surah Al-Mu'minun (91): "Glory be to Allah, far above what they describe!"
    • Surah Ash-Shura (11): "There is nothing like unto Him."
    • Surah Al-Ma'idah (72): "Indeed, whoever associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise."
    • Scholars of Islamic jurisprudence (Fuqaha al-Millah) combined the affirmation of divine oneness (Ithbat al-Wahdaniyyah) with the negation of any partner (Nafy ash-Sharik) to realize complete faith in both the Divine Essence (Ad-Dhat) and Divine Attributes (As-Sifat).
    • God is One (Wahid) in His actions and Unique (Ahad) in His Essence.

  • Rational Arguments Negating Resemblance Between Creator and Creation:

    • The statement "Nothing is like Him" (Wa la shay'a mithluh) verifies the absolute perfection of His Essence in pre-eternity (Azal). Uncreated pre-eternity (Qadam) inherently negates any peer (Natheer) or equal (Mumathil).
    • Asserting similarity between God and creation implies the negation of Lordship (Nafy al-Uluhiyyah) and a denial of the Creator (Inkar as-Sani'):
    • Total Similarity (Min Kulli Wajh): If similarity existed in every respect, it would mandate complete equality in divine judgments and characteristics. Since creation is conclusively originated/contingent (Hadath) and God is pre-eternal (Qadam), total equality would mandate either that the entire world is pre-eternal or that the Creator is originated in every aspect.
    • Partial Similarity (Min Wajhin Duna Wajh): If similarity existed in one aspect and not another, it would necessitate that the world is pre-eternal from one aspect and originated from another, and likewise the Creator. Whatever is originated—whether entirely or partially—cannot be God.
    • Consequence of World's Eternity: If partial similarity mandated the pre-eternity of the world, the Creator would be negated entirely, as an eternal entity is self-sufficient (Mustaghni) and has no need for an originator. Since definitive proofs establish the existence of the Creator, any premise leading to His negation is false.

Refutation of Corporealism: God is Not a Body (Jism), Substance (Jawhar), or Accident ('Arad)

  • Taxonomy of Created Existence:

    • Creation consists strictly of Bodies (Ajsam), Substances (Jawahir), and Accidents (A'rad). If the Creator resembled creation, He would necessarily belong to one of these created categories.

  • Impossibility of the Creator Being a Body (Jism):

    • The defining characteristic (Khasissah) of a body is composition (Tarkib).
    • Composition inherently realizes itself through constituent parts, components, and divisions (Ajza' wa Ab'ad), rendering every body divisible (Mutajazzi').
    • The Creator cannot be composed or divided because composition requires a Composer (Murakkib).
    • Refutation of Anthropomorphism:
    • Anyone who asserts that God is a body invalidates His divinity and reduces Him to a crafted object (Masnu').
    • Anyone who asserts that He is pre-eternal while simultaneously being a body invalidates the contingent nature of bodies, asserts the eternity of matter, and destroys the rational proof for the existence of the Creator (since the proof of cosmic origination is the composed nature of bodies).

  • Impossibility of the Creator Being a Substance (Jawhar):

    • A substance is defined as a primary substratum capable of accepting composition (Al-asl al-qabil lil-tarkib).
    • If the Creator were a substance, He would be a locus receptive to contingencies/accidents (Mahallan qabilan lil-hawadith).
    • Receptivity to contingencies is a definitive mark of origination (Amarat al-hadath), as substances are never devoid of changing accidents like colors (Alwan) and spatial states (Akwan: motion or rest). An eternal entity (Qadim) cannot undergo change (Taghayyur).

  • Impossibility of the Creator Being an Accident ('Arad):

    • The defining characteristic of an accident is that it cannot subsist by itself (La yaqumu bi-nafsih) and its persistence across two moments of time is impossible (Yastahilu baqa'uh).
    • The Creator is elevated above these qualities, as He is Self-Subsisting (Qa'im bi-datih), and by His creative command all substances and bodies subsist to carry temporary accidents.

  • Rational Arguments of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him):

    • Prophet Ibrahim used these rational principles to refute his people's polytheism, which God designated as His Proof (Hujjatuna) in Surah Al-An'am (76-83):
    • Setting of the Star: Upon observing the star set, he disavowed the divinity of anything that sets (Ya'ful) or moves in essence from place to place (Falamma afala qala la uhibbul-afilin).
    • Setting of the Moon: Observing the moon set, he declared that attributing spatial movement to the Lord is misguidance (Dalal).
    • Setting of the Sun: Observing the sun set, he declared that attributing cosmic transition to the Lord is shirk.
    • Conclusion: Describing the Lord with characteristics of created phenomena (movement, setting, spatial transfer) is shirk and misguidance.

Exegesis and Theological Significance of "Laysa Ka-Mithlihi Shay'"

  • Textual Meaning:

    • Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi explained that Laysa kamithlihi shay' explicitly means: "There is nothing like Him."
    • Created entities possess numerical counts, shapes, and structural peers. Even when creatures resemble one another in specific attributes or essences, they never match in every single aspect.
    • God negated all resemblance between Himself and the universe through this decisive text (Nass Muhkam) which contains no ambiguity or alternative interpretation.
    • He has no peer in His Attributes (Sifah) or in His Essence (Nafs).

  • Contextual Structure in Surah Ash-Shura:

    • Surah Ash-Shura establishes Divine Oneness (Dhalikumullahu Rabbi) and describes His supreme power over the heavens and earth.
    • It details the created orders: the vast heavens, the earth, humanity created in pairs (Azwaj), and livestock divided into classes (An'am).
    • Immediately following this classification of created categories, God asserts His absolute elevation above resembling any created genre: "There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing."

  • Application of the Term "Thing" (Shay') to God:

    • The verse Laysa kamithlihi shay' proves that the term "Thing" (Shay') can be applied to God.
    • God negated similarity (Mithliyyah) while retaining the application of "thingness" (Shay'iyyah).
    • The term "Thing" does not denote modality (Kayfiyyah), quiddity/essence-type (Mahiyyah), or genus (Jinsiyyah); it strictly denotes absolute existence (Mutlaq al-wujud).
    • God is Existent and Necessary in Existence by Himself (Wajib al-Wujud li-datih), whereas everything else is Contingent in Existence (Ja'iz al-Wujud).
    • Theological principle: It is correct to state, "He is a Thing unlike [other] things" (Shay'un la kal-ashya'), just as it is stated, "Knowing unlike [other] knowing ones" ('Alimun la kal-'ulama').
    • Affirming "thingness" is an affirmation of existence (Ithbat), and in affirmation lies Tawhid. Scriptural proof: Surah Al-An'am (19): "Say, 'What thing is greatest in testimony?' Say, 'Allah…'"

Divine Omnipotence (Kamal al-Qudrah) and Refutation of Opposing Sects

  • Meaning of "Nothing Incapacitates Him" (Wa La Shay'a Yu'jizuh):

    • Qadi Abu Hafs al-Ghaznawi noted that this phrase describes God with absolute perfection of power (Kamal al-Qudrah).
    • Rational Evidences:
    1. The existence of every created thing is entirely dependent on Him; therefore, it is logically impossible for anything to incapacitate Him.
    2. Incapacity ('Ajz) is a defect (Naqs) and a sign of origination (Amarat al-hadath). An eternal entity cannot accept deficiency or non-existence.
    3. Incapacity is the direct opposite of power (Qudrah). Power guarantees the manifestation of the decreed object; incapacity prevents existence.
    4. A created agent in the witnessed realm (Al-Shahid) possesses limited power derived from another (Mustafadah min ghayrih), operating only within a localized area. The Creator in the unseen (Al-Gha'ib) is All-Powerful by Himself (Qadir bi-datih); His power is eternal, essential, and infinite (Azaliyyah la nihayata laha).

  • Creation from Non-Existence vs. Creation from Pre-existing Matter:

    • Divine power creates both without pre-existing matter (Insha' shay' la min shay', e.g., heavens and earth) and from pre-existing matter (Insha' shay' min shay', e.g., humanity from a fluid drop).
    • The Human Development Argument:
    • God transforms a fluid drop (Nutfah) into a clot ('Alaqah), completely annihilating the original drop.
    • The clot is transformed into a lump of flesh (Mudghah), annihilating the clot.
    • The lump of flesh is transformed into bones, annihilating the flesh.
    • The bones are clothed with flesh, and the spirit (Ruh) is breathed into it within three darknesses (abdominal wall, uterine wall, placental membrane).
    • This process demonstrates relative creation from matter (starting from nutfah) and creation from absolute non-existence (annihilating the matter at each phase and originating the soul from nothingness).

  • Refutation of Naturalists (Tabā'i'iyyah) and Materialists (Dahriyyah):

    • Refutation of Naturalists: Unconscious nature (Taba'i') cannot possess intentional design or specialize specific forms, as nature is inanimate (Mawat) and devoid of life, knowledge, or power.
    • Refutation of Dahriyyah (Eternity of Matter):
    • The continuous succession of changing states (Ta'aqub al-ahwal) proves the origination of the universe.
    • Dahriyyah denied creation from non-existence, arguing from witnessed human crafts (e.g., doors made from wood, garments woven from yarn).
    • Ahl al-Haqq Response: This is a false analogy (Tamwih). In human crafts, the underlying material (wood/yarn) remains unchanged in essence, undergoing only superficial modification of attribute due to the worker's limited power. Divine power annihilates the original essence (nutfah) and originates an entirely new substance (mudghah, bone, spirit), demonstrating absolute creation from non-existence.
    • Refutation of Manifestation and Latency (Dhuhur wa Kumun): Dahriyyah claimed that complex structures exist latently inside seeds or drops without a Creator (e.g., a massive date palm latent in a seed, a giant bird latent in an egg, or a bearded adult man latent in a drop of water). This is an absurd rejection of intellect and sensory reality.

  • Cosmic Wonders Proving Infinite Power:

    • The suspension of the heavens in open air without overhead attachments or underlying pillars.
    • The suspension of dense clouds (Sahab) carrying oceans of heavy water upon delicate, subtle air (Hawa'), moving or standing across vast distances without physical support.

  • Textual Proofs for Omnipotence:

    • Surah Al-Baqarah (106/259): "Do you not know that Allah is over all things competent?"
    • Surah Yasin (81): "Is not He who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the likes of them? Yes, indeed; and He is the Knowing Creator."

Affirmation of Unconditional Oneness (Tawhid) and Negation of False Deities

  • Meaning of "There is No God Other Than Him" (Wa La Ilaha Ghayruh):
    • In Arabic, Ilah explicitly denotes the Object of Worship (Al-Ma'bud).
    • Saying "There is no god other than Him" invalidates all false idols and false deities set up by creation.
    • Scriptural Evidences: Surah Az-Zukhruf (45) ("Did We appoint besides the Most Merciful gods to be worshipped?" - i.e., We did not); Surah Al-Anbiya (25); Surah Aal 'Imran (64).
    • Rational Proof of Oneness:
    • Human anatomy and cosmic harmony testify to the unity of a single Creator.
    • Argument from Mutual Hindrance (Dalil al-Tamani'): If multiple gods existed, disagreement among them would lead to the destruction of the cosmos. The continued stable existence of creation proves the absolute oneness of the Creator.

Pre-Eternity (Qadam), Everlastingness (Baqa'), and the Status of Intellect ('Aql)

  • Meaning of "Eternal Without Beginning" (Qadim Bila Ibtida'):

    • Confirms that God is pre-eternal (Azali) without any newly occurring beginning (Awwaliyyah).
    • Linguistically, qadim can be applied to created things that precede others in time (e.g., an old building, an old man, or "like the old date stalk" [Yasin: 39]).
    • Applied to God, Qadim means He is eternal, self-existent (Wajib al-Wujud li-datih), and uncreated in His Essence and Attributes.

  • Scriptural Status of Divine Names and the Authority of Intellect ('Aql):

    • The primary principle regarding Divine Names is textual restriction (Tawqif Shar'i) based on explicit Quranic text or mutawatir hadith.
    • The term Qadim is not explicitly found in the Quran or mutawatir traditions (appearing only in solitary Ahad narrations).
    • However, rational scholars (Al-'Uqala') across generations unanimously agreed on naming the Creator Qadim.
    • This consensus demonstrates that Intellect ('Aql) is a valid proof (Hujjah) established by God.
    • Proof that Intellect is a Valid Proof:
    • Surah Al-Mulk (10): "And they will say, 'If only we had been listening or reasoning, we would not be among the companions of the Blaze.'" They were condemned for failing to utilize both Hearing (Sam') and Intellect ('Aql).
    • The disjunctive "or" (Aw) indicates that utilizing intellect to recognize the Creator prior to revelation would have saved them from punishment.
    • Clarification on Worldly Extermination ('Adhab al-Isti'sal):
    • Surah Al-Isra (15): "And We never punish until We send a messenger."
    • This verse refers specifically to worldly destruction ('Adhab al-Isti'sal) visited upon villages in Dunya, which God delays out of divine grace (Tafaddul).

  • Meaning of "Everlasting Without End" (Da'im Bila Intiha'):

    • Confirms that God is Everlasting in Himself (Baq bi-datih). As He is pre-eternal, change (Taghayyur) and cessation (Zawal) are strictly impossible.
    • Surah Al-Hadid (3): "He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate."
    • Exegesis by Abu Mansur al-Maturidi:
    • The pronoun Huwa conveys Tawhid. He is the First in Himself without beginning, the Last in Himself without end.
    • Opposite terms (First/Last, Ascendant/Intimate, Great/Subtle) are combined so that His attributes are not understood according to human experience, where such qualities exclude one another.
    • Divine permanence does not depend on time (Zaman) or the succession of moments (unlike the continuous duration of the Afterlife).

  • Meaning of "Neither Perishes Nor Ceases" (La Yafna wa La Yabid):

    • Combining both terms emphasizes eternal continuity.
    • Negation of Perishing (Nafy al-Fana'): Negates the destruction or disintegration of the Divine Essence (Nafy talashi ad-dhat).
    • Negation of Ceasing (Nafy al-Bayd): Negates the invalidation or end of Divine Life (Nafy butlan al-hayah).
    • As He is Pre-Eternal without cause (Qadim thabit bi-ghayri 'illah), He is Necessary in Existence (Wajib al-Wujud) and therefore Necessary in Permanence (Wajib al-Baqa').

Attribute of Divine Will (Iradah) and Refutation of Mu'tazilite Metaphors

  • Theological Foundation:

    • Everything in existence besides God exists through His creative origination (Takwin) and Will (Iradah).
    • Takwin (Origination) is an eternal attribute (Sifah Azaliyyah) subsisting in God's Essence, just like Knowledge and Power. Takwin is pre-eternal (Azali), while the originated creation (Muta-kawwan) is temporal/contingent (Hadith).
    • Terms like Takwin, Takhliq (Creating), Iyjad (Originating), and Ikhtira' (Inventing) are synonymous terms for one eternal meaning.

  • Linguistic Derivation and Definitions of Will (Iradah):

    • Derived linguistically from rawd (seeking/inclining).
    • Technical Definitions:
    1. An attribute that opposes dislike (Karahiyyah) and compulsion (Idtirar), granting intent (Qasd) and choice (Ikhtiyar) to the Agent.
    2. An attribute that specializes a created object with specific properties rather than others (Ikhtisas al-maf'ul bi-wajhin duna wajh).
    • Without Will, all created things would occur simultaneously, in one form and attribute. Their manifestation in specific sequences, orders, shapes, quantities, times, and places proves the Agent's Will.
    • Among orthodox theologians (Ahl al-Haqq), Iradah and Mashi'ah (Divine Will) are identical synonyms. (Refuting the Karramiyyah, who claimed Mashi'ah is eternal while Iradah is a contingent accident created within God's Essence).

  • Refutation of the Mu'tazilite View on Will:

    • Mu'tazilites (Al-Nazzam, Al-Ka'bi, Abu al-Husayn al-Khayyat) claimed God is not described with Will in reality ('Ala al-haqiqah), but only metaphorically (Majazan).
    • They asserted that when attributed to God's actions, "God willed X" simply means "He did X"; when attributed to human actions, it means "He commanded X".
    • Their pretext: They claimed Will equals craving/desire (Shahwah), which is impossible for God since He does not seek self-benefit.
    • Refutation by Ahl al-Haqq:
    • Craving (Shahwah) is a specific subset of desire for self-benefit, whereas divine Will is an eternal attribute of Lordship (Sifah Rububiyyah).
    • If an agent lacks Will, He is compelled (Mudtar). A compelled entity is incapable, subject to external power, and therefore originated (Muhdath).
    • Interpreting "Willed for humans" as "Commanded" is refuted by Surah Yunus (99): "And if your Lord had willed, those on earth would have believed - all of them entirely." If this meant "commanded", it would imply God never commanded humanity to believe, which contradicts explicit Quranic commands.
    • Explicit Scriptural Proofs: Surah Aal 'Imran (40): "Allah does whatever He wills"; Surah Al-Ma'idah (1); Surah An-Nahl (40): "Our word to a thing when We intend it is only that We say to it, 'Be,' and it is."

Beatific Vision (Ru'yah) and Negation of Spatial Encompassment (Idrak)

  • Meaning of "Imaginations Cannot Reach Him, Nor Understandings Comprehend Him":

    • Imagination (Wahm): What is conceived or visualized. God has no modality (Kayfiyyah) to be conceptualized or formed in imaginations.
    • Understanding (Fahm): What the intellect encompasses. God has no limits (Hadd) or spatial boundaries for the mind to reach His core (Kunh).
    • The encompasser (Muhit) is superior to the encompassed (Muhat bih); God is exalted above being encompassed.
    • Textual Proofs: Surah TaHa (110): "But they encompass Him not in knowledge"; Surah Al-Baqarah (255).

  • Refutation of Mu'tazilite Misinterpretation of Idrak:

    • Surah Al-An'am (103): "Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision."
    • Linguistically, Idrak signifies penetration, spatial restriction, and encompassing the limits of an object (Al-ihatah bi-atraf ash-shay').
    • God praised Himself by negating Idrak (encompassing limits), not by negating Vision (Ru'yah) itself.
    • Mu'tazilites erred by confusing the negation of encompassment (Idrak) with the negation of seeing (Ru'yah).
    • Principles of the Beatific Vision (Ru'yah):
    • Seeing God is rationally permissible (Ja'iz 'Aqlan) and textually affirmed (Waqi' Shar'an).
    • God will be seen by believers in the Afterlife without modality (Bila kayfiyyah), without quiddity (Bila mahiyyah), and without spatial encompassment (Bila ihatah).
    • Vision is deferred to the Afterlife to maintain the trial of faith in the unseen (Mihnat al-iman bil-ghayb) during worldly life.

Negation of Resemblance to Creation (Anam)

  • Definitions of Creation (Anam):

    • Linguistically defined as all living beings possessing a soul (Kull dhi ruh), or all creation (Jami' al-khala'iq) [Ar-Rahman: 10].
    • Abu Mansur al-Maturidi noted it specifically refers to humanity (Al-Bashar), for whom the cosmos was subjugated.

  • Analytical Breakdown:

    1. If Anam means all creation: Resemblance is negated by Surah Ash-Shura (11) (Laysa kamithlihi shay').
    2. If Anam means living beings (angels, humans, jinn): Negating resemblance to those endowed with life, power, and choice negates resemblance to lower inanimate creation a fortiori (Bi-tariq al-awla).
    3. If Anam means humanity: Since humans are the central focal point of worldly creation [Al-Jathiyah: 13], negating resemblance to humans negates it for all other creatures a fortiori.
    4. Refutation of Anthropomorphism: The text explicitly highlights humanity because Jews and anthropomorphist sects (Mujasimah/Mushabbiha) described God in human form, while Christians described Him with a child and spouse. Asserting "Nor does creation/mankind resemble Him" directly refutes these fabrications.

Essential Attributes (Dhatiyyah) and Action Attributes (Fi'liyyah)

  • Pre-Eternity of All Divine Attributes:

    • Statement: "He has always been with His attributes pre-eternal before His creation; He did not gain anything from their creation that was not already among His attributes before them."
    • Both Essential Attributes (Sifat Dhatiyyah: Life, Power, Knowledge, Will, Hearing, Sight) and Action Attributes (Sifat Fi'liyyah: Creating/Takhliq, Originating/Takwin, Reviving/Ihya', Mortifying/Imatah) are pre-eternal (Azaliyyah), subsisting in His Essence from all eternity.
    • This is the firm creed of Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf, Muhammad al-Shaybani, Malik, Al-Shafi'i, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah.

  • Logical Proofs for Eternal Attributes:

    • Pre-eternity requires absolute perfection (Kamal).
    • If God lacked any attribute of perfection in pre-eternity, He would have been described with its opposite defect (death, ignorance, weakness, silence).
    • Acquiring an attribute after creating the world would imply that God was perfected or completed by His creation, which means He stood in need of creation. God is Self-Sufficient (Ghani), free from all needs [Fatir: 15].

  • Affirmation of Pre-Eternal Divine Knowledge of Non-Existent Things:

    • God knew all non-existent contingent things (Al-Ma'dumat) in pre-eternity prior to their existence.
    • Refuting Hisham ibn al-Hakam and Hisham ibn 'Amr (Mu'tazilite), who falsely claimed God does not know non-existent things until they materialize.
    • Rebuttal: A masterful, orderly creation requires prior knowledge of the object before its creation. Intricate creation cannot issue from ignorance.
    • Scriptural predictions of non-existent future events (such as prophecies of the Prophet in earlier scriptures [Al-A'raf: 157], future conquests, and Afterlife events) prove eternal knowledge of the non-existent.
    • Rebuttal to Verses containing "So that We may know" (Li-na'lam): Phrases like "that We may test you to know…" mean "So that We may make manifest as actualized existence what We already knew in pre-eternity before it occurred" (Li-yadhhara ma 'alima fil-azal).

Attributes of Meaning (Sifat al-Ma'ani) and Refutation of Opponents

  • Position of Ahl al-Haqq (Maturidiyyah/Sunnis):

    • Attributes of Meaning (Life, Power, Knowledge, Will, Hearing, Sight, Takwin) are real entities/meanings (Ma'ani) subsisting in God's Essence from eternity to eternity.
    • The foundational Sunni formula regarding attributes: "They are not He [the Essence], nor are they other than He" (La hiya ad-dhat wa la hiya ghayruh).

  • Refutation of the Mu'tazilite Negation of Attributes (Ta'til):

    • Mu'tazilites claimed God is Knowing without knowledge ('Alimun bila 'ilm), Powerful without power (Qadirun bila qudrah), and Living without life.
    • Sayf al-Haqq Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi's Rebuttal:
    • Quranic texts explicitly affirm Knowledge and Power as real qualities: Surah Al-Baqarah (255) ("min 'ilmih"); Surah Hud (14) ("anzalahu bi-'ilmillah"); Surah Al-Baqarah (165) ("annal-quwwata lillahi").
    • Linguistically, applying derived names ('Alim, Qadir) while denying the underlying root attribute ('Ilm, Qudrah) is a linguistic contradiction and reduces divine praise to mockery (like calling a blind man "seeing").
    • Past-tense expressions (Wa kanallahu 'aliman hakima) prove these attributes subsisted in pre-eternity.

  • Refutation of the "Multiplicity of Eternals" Argument:

    • Mu'tazilites claimed that affirming eternal attributes creates multiple eternal entities (Ta'addud al-qudama').
    • Sunni Response: Attributes do not exist as independent, self-subsisting essences; they are eternal attributes subsisting within the One Pre-Eternal Essence (Qadim bi-sifatih).
    • Deconstructing the Definition of "Two Others" (Al-Ghayrayn):
    • Karramiyyah defined Ghayrayn as "two things". Nasafi refuted this because "Other" (Ghayr) is a relative term (Ism Idafi), whereas "Thing" (Shay') is an essential term (Ism Dhati).
    • Abu Hashim al-Jubba'i invented the theory of "States" (Al-Ahwal), claiming God is knowing due to a "State" that is neither existent nor non-existent, neither essence nor other than essence. Nasafi exposed this as an irrational, self-contradictory absurdity.
    • Definitive Maturidi Definition of Al-Ghayrayn: "Two existents where it is valid for one to exist without the other" (Al-mawjudan alladhani yasihhu wujudu ahadihima ma'a 'adamil-akhar).
    • This definition cannot apply to God and His Attributes because God's Essence is Necessary in Existence (Wajib al-Wujud) and His attributes are necessary attributes of perfection; neither can exist without the other nor become non-existent.

Pre-Eternity of Origination (Takwin) vs. Ash'arite Views

  • Maturidiyyah/Hanafi Position on Action Attributes:

    • Statement: "He possessed the meaning of Lordship without a subject, and the meaning of Creator without a creation… As He is the Reviver of the dead after bringing them to life, He deserved this name before bringing them to life; likewise He deserved the name Creator before creating them."
    • Origination/Creation (Takwin/Takhliq) is a pre-eternal attribute subsisting in God's Essence.
    • Refutation of Kulabiyyah, Qalanisiyyah, and Ash'ariyyah:
    • Ash'arites claimed that Action Attributes are contingent/temporal (Hadithah), and that Takwin (Origination) is identical to Al-Muta-kawwan (the created object).
    • Maturidiyyah Evidences that Takwin is Eternal and Distinct from Muta-kawwan:
    • Textual Proof: Surah An-Nahl (40) (Kun fa-yakun). God expressed Takwin by His word "Be" (Kun), and the created object by "and it is" (Fa-yakun). Divine Speech (Kun) is pre-eternal (Azali), whereas created objects are contingent substances and accidents (Hadith).
    • Rational Proof: If Takwin were identical to Muta-kawwan, the world would exist by itself without a creative act issuing from God, which logically leads to asserting the pre-eternity of the universe (Qadam al-'alam).
    • God praised Himself in pre-eternity with names of action: Al-Khaliq (The Creator), Al-Bari' (The Originator), Al-Musawwir (The Fashioner) [Al-Hashr: 24].

  • Historical Continuity of the Hanafi-Maturidi Creed:

    • Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi preserved this creed from Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf, and Muhammad al-Shaybani.
    • Maintained by generations of scholars: Abu Bakr al-Juzjani, Abu Nasr al-'Iyyadi, Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, Abu al-Qasim al-Hakim al-Samarqandi, Abu سلمة al-Samarqandi, Al-Estagfani, and Sayf al-Haqq Abu al-Mu'in al-Nasafi.
    • Supported by early Sufi masters documented in Abu Bakr al-Kalabadhi's At-Ta'arruf (including Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, Muhammad al-Baqir, Ja'far al-Sadiq, Hasan al-Basri, Ibrahim ibn Adham, Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, Junayd al-Baghdadi, and Sari al-Saqati).

Divine Decree (Qadar), Lifespans (Ajal), and Human Agency

  • Meaning of "He Created Creation with His Knowledge, Decreed for Them Decrees, and Set for Them Lifespans":

    • Everything that occurs in creation runs by divine decree (Qadar).
    • Two Dimensions of Qadar:
    1. The precise limit/measure (Al-Hadd) upon which everything issues (wisdom, form, nature). Creating acts of disbelief is divine wisdom (Hikmah), because wisdom is placing everything in its proper nature.
    2. The specification (Bayan) of time, place, reward, and punishment for every event.

  • Absolute Singularity of Lifespans (Ajal Mabrum):

    • Every individual has one fixed, unalterable lifespan (Ajal).
    • Surah Al-A'raf (34): "When their time comes, they cannot delay it an hour, nor can they advance it."
    • Refutation of the Mu'tazilite Two-Lifespan Theory:
    • Mu'tazilites claimed a murdered person has two lifespans (one if murdered, another if not).
    • Ahl al-Haqq Response: A murdered person dies at their sole decreed lifespan through the Angel of Death [As-Sajdah: 11]. Murder is a sinful act (Ma'siyah) committed by the killer's choice, for which retaliation/punishment is imposed due to violating divine prohibitions, not because the victim's lifespan was altered.

  • Divine Pre-Knowledge and Human Responsibility:

    • God knew all human actions before creating humanity [Al-Mulk: 14].
    • God commanded obedience and forbade disobedience to establish trial (Ibtila').
    • Humanity possesses acquired power (Qudrat Iktisab) and choice (Ikhtiyar), operating between divine grace (Fadl) and divine justice ('Adl).
    • Abu Hanifa's Golden Dictum: "No compulsion (Jabr), no delegation (Tafwid), no coercion (Karh), and no absolute empowerment (Taslit)."

Universal Divine Will (Mashi'ah) and Refutation of "The Optimal Best" (Aslah)

  • Scope of Universal Divine Will (Mashi'ah):

    • Statement: "Everything runs by His Power and Will; His Will is executed; servants have no will except what He wills for them; what He wills for them occurs, and what He does not will does not occur."
    • Every contingent event—good or bad, obedience or sin, faith or disbelief—occurs by God's Will (Mashi'ah), Power (Qudrah), and Decree (Qada').
    • Important Distinction:
    • Obedience: Occurs by God's Will, Power, Decree, Approval (Rida), Love (Mahabbah), and Command (Amr).
    • Sin/Disbelief: Occurs by God's Will, Power, and Decree, but NOT by His Command, Approval, or Love.
    • Refutation of Mu'tazilites: Mu'tazilites claimed God wills only obedience, not sin. This implies that disbelievers execute their own will against God's Will, making human or satanic will more effective in the cosmos than God's Will! This attributes weakness ('Ajz) to God.
    • Scriptural Evidences for Universal Will: Surah Al-A'raf (179); Surah Al-An'am (125); Surah Hud (34); Surah Al-An'am (149); Surah Yunus (99); Surah At-Takwir (29).

  • Refutation of the Obligation of "The Optimal Best" (Wujub Ri'ayat al-Aslah):

    • Statement: "He guides whom He wills, protects and cures whom He wills out of Grace (Fadlan); and He misguide whom He wills, humiliates and afflicts whom He wills out of Justice ('Adlan)."
    • Mu'tazilites claimed God is obligated (Yajib 'alallah) to do what is best (Al-Aslah) for servants in religion.
    • Ahl al-Haqq Refutation:
    • Servants have no mandatory right upon God.
    • Guidance (Hidayah): Creating the act of faith/guidance in the servant out of pure Divine Grace (Fadl).
    • Misguidance (Idlal): Creating the act of error/disbelief in the servant out of Divine Justice ('Adl).
    • If God were obligated to perform the optimal best, He would have been forced to grant faith to all disbelievers. His acts are governed by His sovereign Will and Grace, free from any external obligation.