Classes on Theology

Sheikh Jaffer H. JafferMasumeen Islamic Centre

March 6th, 2012Week Five

Last Week• Attributes of Essence:

– Life – الحياة– Knowledge – العلم– Power – القدرة

• Attributes of Action الفعلية الصفات– Creatorship - الخالقية– Lordship – الربوبية– Divinity – األلوهية

Additional Attributes of God• Divine Will – الله ارادة

– Is it an attribute of action or essence?– Is it pre-existent – قديم or is it temporal

(originated) – حادث ?– Is it singular or multiple?

• What is ‘Will’?– First: Wishing or desiring – Second: Deciding to perform an action

Additional Attributes of God

• First understanding (Wishing or Desiring):– Equivalent to Loving something

• Human beings: Their love of perfection– Therefore God loves perfection as well (SIMPLE PROOF)

• Divine Will means love of ontological perfections

– This understanding would mean that Will• Attribute of essence• Pre-existent – قديم • Singular

Additional Attributes of God• Second understanding (Deciding to perform

an action):– Attribute of action– Temporal (originated) – حادث – Multiple

"ه ُك ن • "ق وَل" ل "ن ي '&ا َأ ي اد" َش" ر"" *َذ"ا َأ ُه ِإ ْم&ر

" /َم"ا َأ *َّن ِإ"ُك ون َف"ي

• His command, when He wills something, is to say to it" Be," and it is (Yasin:82)

Additional Attributes of God

• We can understand from the Will of God:– All things created have been created from the

aspect of having goodness and perfection– He created them out of His own desire and not

because He is forced into creating

• Therefore all of His actions must have a purpose and benefit– This type of Will is called:

• Wise Will – الحكيمة االرادة

– Wise – الحكيم

Additional Attributes of God

• His Speech – االلهّي الكالم– Attribute of Action

• The concept of speech is abstracted from the relationship that exists between speaker (God) and the addressed (creation)

• Since the Qur’an are the words and message of God intended for the addressed, there is no doubt that it is also created

*اَّل/ • 7ِه*م ْمح5&د"ث4 ِإ ب &ر4 ْم7ن ر/ *يِه*م ْم7ن َذ*ُك ِت& "ْأ ْم"ا ي

&ع"ُب ون" "ل "َم"ع وُه َو" ه م& ي َت اْس&• There does not come to them any new reminder from their Lord but they listen

to it as they play around (al-Anbiya 2)

Additional Attributes of God• Truthfulness – الصدق

– If God’s speech is understood as being commands, prohibitions or assertions

• Then we cannot label it as being true or false

– If God’s speech is understood as a form of prophecy

• His speech must have the attribute of Truthfulness الصدق –

'ا• /ه* ح"د*يًث ْص&د"ُق ْم*ن" الل" َ" ْم"ن& َأ

• and who is more truthful in speech than Allah? (an-Nisa 87)

– Proof:• If He lied it would go against His goal of guidance

and submission

Tawheed• We first discussed the need to study religion (it is

part of our Fitra to find out where we are from and where we are going)

• Then we discussed the need for a necessary existent

• We then discussed the attributes (positive and negative) of this NE to distinguish it from other possibilities.

• Then why do people deviate from this clear Truth?

Reasons for Deviation• Psychological reasons for deviation –

– النفسي ة العوامل

• Sociological reasons for deviation -– االجتماعي ة العوامل

• Intellectual Reasons for deviation –– الفكرّي ة العوامل

Questions?

• Time change