What relationship is there between Allah's Names and the meanings they indicate?
2026-09-21
T44 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Selected explanation · Selected source passage(s) — fully translated
Selected passage from a rebuttal. The claim that affirming attributes is rationally impossible is the imagined opponent’s argument, which Ibn Taymiyyah goes on to answer; it is not Ibn Taymiyyah’s own creed. The English translates every displayed Arabic paragraph; this selection is not the complete surrounding work. Square brackets identify translator-supplied clarification.
النص العربي
المقتطف
وَإِنْ قَالَ: نَعَمْ قِيلَ لَهُ: فَلِمَ فَهِمْت مِنْهَا دَلَالَتَهَا عَلَى نَفْسِ الرَّبِّ وَلَمْ تَفْهَمْ دَلَالَتَهَا عَلَى مَا فِيهَا مِنْ الْمَعَانِي مِنْ الرَّحْمَةِ وَالْعِلْمِ وَكِلَاهُمَا فِي الدَّلَالَةِ سَوَاءٌ؟ فَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَقُولَ: نَعَمْ؛ لِأَنَّ ثُبُوتَ الصِّفَاتِ مُحَالٌ فِي الْعَقْلِ لِأَنَّهُ يَلْزَمُ مِنْهُ التَّرْكِيبُ أَوْ الْحُدُوثُ بِخِلَافِ الذَّاتِ. فَيُخَاطَبُ حِينَئِذٍ بِمَا يُخَاطَبُ بِهِ الْفَرِيقُ الثَّانِي كَمَا سَنَذْكُرُهُ وَهُوَ مَنْ أَقَرَّ بِفَهْمِ بَعْضِ مَعْنَى هَذِهِ الْأَسْمَاءِ وَالصِّفَاتِ دُونَ بَعْضٍ.
English translation
English translation reviewed against the displayed Arabic by SalafAlSalih editorial preparation (AI-assisted); explanatory additions appear in square brackets or separate notes.
Selected explanation
If he says, “Yes,” he is asked: “Why, then, did you understand that they [these names] signify the Lord Himself, but not that they signify the meanings they contain, such as mercy and knowledge, when both are equally indicated?” He must then say: “Yes, because affirming attributes is rationally impossible, since it entails composition or coming into existence, unlike [affirming] the essence.” He is then addressed in the same way as the second group, as we shall mention: those who acknowledge understanding some of the meanings of these names and attributes but not others.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 13/298
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic passage checked against the cited volume and printed page. English reviewed against every displayed Arabic paragraph on 14 October 2026.