Sifat Allah al-Warida fi al-Kitab wa al-Sunna
- Author died
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- Editions
- al-Durar al-Saniyya - Dar al-Hijrah
Sifat Allah al-Warida fi al-Kitab wa al-Sunna (The Attributes of Allah Mentioned in the Book and the Sunnah) is a contemporary theological reference work by the Saudi scholar Alawi al-Saqqaf, dedicated to compiling, classifying, and evidencing the divine attributes of God according to the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah .
Purpose and Background
In his introduction, al-Saqqaf observed that while numerous scholars had compiled works dedicated to enumerating and expounding God's divine names (al-asma al-husna), there was a lack of dedicated reference works comprehensively compiling and evidencing God's attributes (al-sifat) according to the Salafi methodology . Although earlier classical texts had addressed divine attributes—such as Kitab al-Sunnah by Ibn Abi Asim, Kitab al-Tawhid by Ibn Khuzaymah, Kitab al-Tawhid by Ibn Mandah, and Ibtal al-Ta'wilat by Abu Ya'la al-Farra'—they did not aim to systematically enumerate them . Al-Saqqaf compiled the work by extracting every attribute mentioned in the Quran and the primary hadith compendia, cross-referencing them with the statements and explanations of early Muslim scholars .
Structure and Content
The book opens with four introductory thematic sections (mabahith) before proceeding to an alphabetical dictionary of attributes :
- The First Study: Explains the linguistic and conceptual definitions of sifah (attribute), wasf (description), na't (epithet), and ism (name), outlining the distinct characteristics of names versus attributes .
- The Second Study: Presents twenty-one foundational rules governing the understanding of divine attributes .
- The Third Study: Categorizes divine attributes across three dimensions: affirmation versus negation, essence (dhatiyya) versus divine action (fi'liyya), and scriptural (khabariyya) versus rational/auditory (aqliyya/sam'iyya) proof .
- The Fourth Study: Details the spiritual and practical fruits of believing in God's attributes .
The main body arranges the divine attributes alphabetically, modeling its layout after Ibn Mandah's arrangement in Kitab al-Tawhid, though al-Saqqaf intentionally begins with al-Awwaliyya (Firstness) and concludes with al-Akhiriyya (Lastness) . The catalog encompasses:
- All essential attributes (sifat dhatiyya), whether purely scriptural (such as the Face, the Hands, the Fingers, the Shin, and the Feet) or rational/auditory (such as Life, Power, and Knowledge) .
- All attributes derived from divine names, noting names falsely attributed to God in popular use (such as al-Sabur, al-Nasir, and al-Sattar) .
- All scriptural active attributes (sifat fi'liyya khabariyya), including laughter (al-dahik), joy/delight (al-bashashah), anger (al-ghadab), love (al-hubb), and hatred (al-bughd) .
- Non-attributive descriptions that are textually permissible when informing about God (al-ikhbar), such as shay' (thing), dhat (essence), and shakhs (entity), as well as contested terms requiring qualification (such as al-jiha and al-haraka) .
- Scriptural terms erroneously thought by some to be divine attributes (such as al-janb and al-zill), which he distinguished with a preceding hyphen [-] .
Methodology
Al-Saqqaf stipulated strict source-critical guidelines: he accepted only authentic narrations, citing from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim whenever an attribute was found therein, and turning to other collections only when necessary . He also restricted the affirmation of attributes to those explicitly affirmed by early authorities of the salaf, unless the scriptural wording was self-evident . Unverified attributions lacking authentic scriptural proof—such as al-sa'id (forearm) or al-istiqa' (reclining)—were excluded .
Publication History and Reception
The first edition was published in 1414 AH by Dar al-Hijra in Riyadh . A second edition appeared seven years later (1422 AH / 2001 CE), incorporating corrections, expanded evidence, and newly examined attributes and names (such as al-Dayyan, al-Muqit, and al-Hadi), while withdrawing two names (al-'Alim and al-Warith) pending further verification . A third edition was issued in 1426 AH / 2006 CE, followed by a fourth 463-page edition published in 1432 AH by the Dorar Foundation in Dhahran . Contemporary scholars, such as Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid, commended the work as one of the finest and most thorough contemporary compilations enumerating the divine attributes established in the Quran and the Sunnah .
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