When nobody is superior, nobody is inferior.

When nobody is superior, nobody is inferior. Thus, the belief in the Unity of God promotes the sense of brotherhood and equality and equity which is another feature of Islam. Attributes of Allah Now time has come to explain in short what is our belief concerning God. In preceding chapters almost all the aspects of our belief have been explained.

It should be apparent by now that there are many attributes which are a must for God, while there are others which are beneath His dignity and cannot be found in Him. Therefore, in our faith, the attributes of Allah have been grouped as `positive' and `negative'. as-Sifaat ath-thubutiyyah The positive attributes which are befitting Allah are called as-Sifat ath-thubutiyyah. They are many in number, but only eight of them are usually mentioned.

They are: al-Qadim: It means that Allah is Eternal, that is, He has neither beginning nor end. Nothing except Allah is eternal. al-Qadir: It means that Allah is Omnipotent, that is, He has power over everything and every affair. al- Alim: It means that Allah is Omniscient, that is, He knows everything. Even our unspoken intentions and desires are not hidden from Him. al-Hayy: It means that Allah was always alive and will remain alive for ever. 5.

al-Murid: It means that Allah has His own will and discretion in all affairs. He does not do anything under compulsion. al-Mudrik: It means that He is All-perceiving, as as-Sami' ` (All-hearing), al-Basir (All-seeing). Allah sees and hears everything without any need of eyes or ears. al-Mutakallim: It means that Allah is the Master of the word, that is, lie can create speech in anything, as He did in a tree for Prophet Musa (Moses - p.b.u.h.) and in the “Curtain of Light” for our Holy Prophet (p.

b. u. h. a. h. p.). as-Sadiq: It means that Allah is true in his words and promises. It is impossible to fix any limit to His attributes. This list is not exhaustive but it is essential to understand the Glory of Allah. These attributes are not acquired but are inherent in the conception of Divinity. as-Sifat as-salbiyyah The Negative Attributes which cannot be found in Allah because they are below His dignity are called “as-Sifdt as-salbiyyah ”.

They are many, but like “as-Sifat ath-thubutiyyah ” only eight are listed here. They are: ash-Sharik: The word “ash-sharik” means a colleague or partner. Allah has neither a colleague nor a partner in His Divinity. al-Murakkab: This word means “Compound” or “Mixed”.