al-Haqq wa al-Thabat fi al-Asma wa al-Sifat
- Author died
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- Editions
- Dar al-Sumay'i li-l-Nashr wa-al-Tawzi'
al-Haqq wa al-Thabat fi al-Asma wa al-Sifat (The Truth and Firmness Regarding the Names and Attributes) is a concise theological treatise on Islamic creed by Abd al-Aziz al-Utaybi, focusing on the divine names and attributes according to the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah.
Purpose and Scope
The author composed the work as a brief summary to facilitate memorization and understanding of the meanings of God's names and attributes for general readers. In the introduction, al-Utaybi emphasizes that knowledge of God's names and attributes represents the noblest of religious sciences, being one of the three principal branches of monotheism (tawhid) alongside tawhid al-rububiyyah (the oneness of divine Lordship) and tawhid al-uluhiyyah (the oneness of God in worship).
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized into thematic sections covering foundational hermeneutical principles, theological classifications, an exposition of specific divine names, and an enumeration of divine attributes:
- Principles of the Names and Attributes: al-Utaybi outlines fundamental rules governing divine names and attributes, drawing substantially upon Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin's al-Qawa'id al-Muthla fi Sifat Allah wa Asma'ihi al-Husna (Exemplary Principles Concerning God's Names and Attributes). These principles state that all of God's names are supremely beautiful (husna) and serve as both proper designations and descriptive attributes (a'lam wa-awsaf); that their enumeration (ihsa') entails memorization, understanding, supplication, and acting upon their demands; that certain names and attributes are exclusive to God; that shared terminology between the Creator and creation does not imply equivalence in reality or modality; that divine names and attributes are strictly non-speculative and scriptural (tawqifiyyah); and that they must be affirmed upon their apparent meaning (zahir) without inquiring into modality (takyif), metaphorical distortion (tahrif), denial (ta'til), or anthropomorphic comparison (tamthil and tashbih).
- Classification of Attributes: Attributes are divided into affirmative (thubutiyyah) and negated (salbiyyah); purely textual (khabariyyah) and rational-textual (sam'iyyah 'aqliyyah); as well as essential (dhatiyyah), which never separate from God's essence, and active (fi'liyyah), which are tied to His will.
- Exposition of Divine Names: The book enumerates ninety-nine divine names, providing brief definitions and lexical nuances for each (e.g., distinguishing between al-Wahid and al-Ahad, or al-Rahman and al-Rahim), followed by selected scriptural proofs from the Quran and hadith.
- Exposition of Divine Attributes: The author discusses specific divine attributes substantiated by revelation, including the two hands, palm (kaff), foot (rijl), feet (qadamayn), fingers (asabi'), shin (saq), divine withness (ma'iyyah), speech (kalam), descent (nuzul), joy (farah), laughter (dahik), wonder ('ajab), wrath (ghadab), and vengeance (intiqam), noting distinctions between absolute attributes and those conditioned as responses to disbelievers (such as makr and kayd).
Sources and Methodology
The text relies directly on scriptural proofs from the Quran and canonical hadith collections. In interpreting names and theological terms, al-Utaybi quotes classical and later scholars, such as al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, al-Nawawi, al-Khattabi, al-Zajjaj, al-Zajjaji, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di, and al-Uthaymin.
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