Ruling on the view that we should seek to acquire the characteristics of Allaah

Ruling on the view that we should seek to acquire the characteristics of Allaah
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One of the khateebs said in his Friday khutbah that we have to strive
to acquire the attributes and characteristics of Allaah. Is there a
correct way of interpreting this sentence, and isthere anyone who has
said this before?.
Praise be to Allaah.
This sentence is not appropriate,but there is a correct way of
interpreting it, which is that we are encouraged to strive to acquire
the characteristics implied by the attributes and names of Allaah.
That means looking at the attributes which itis befitting for a
created being to acquire the characteristics implied by them, unlike
the attributes which belong only to Allaah, such as His being the
Creator, the Provider, the One God, etc. These are characteristics
which a created being cannot acquire, and it is not permissible for
him to lay claim to them or similar names. Rather what is referred to
is the attributes which Allaah likes for His slaves to acquire the
characteristics implied thereby, such as knowledge, strength, mercy,
forbearance, generosity and forgiveness, etc. So Allaah isAll-Knowing
and loves those who are knowledgeable; He is Strong and He loves the
strong believer more than He loves the weak believer; He is Generous
and loves those who are generous; He is Merciful and He loves those
who show mercy; He is Forgiving and loves forgiveness, etc. But when
applied to Allaah, these attributes are more perfect and greater than
when applied to any created being, because there is nothing like unto
Allaah in His attributes and actions, justas there is nothing like
unto Allaah in His Essence. Rather it is sufficient for a person to
have ashare in the sense of these attributes, in a manner that
suitshim and within the limits set by sharee'ah. If his generosity
oversteps the mark, then he becomes a spendthrift; if his mercy
oversteps the mark, then he will not carry out the punishments
dictated by sharee'ah; if his forgiveness transgresses the limits set
by sharee'ah, then it is inappropriate. This was stated by the great
scholar Ibn al-Qayyim in his books 'Uddat al-Saabireen and al-Waabil
al-Sayyib, and in other books such as al-Madaarij and Zaad al-Ma'aad.
There follows what hesaid in al-'Uddah and al-Waabil:
In al-'Uddah (p. 310) he said: "Because Allaah is indeed the
Appreciative (al-Shukoor), the most beloved of His creation to Him are
those who have the characteristic of gratitude (al-shukr), just as the
most hatedof His creation to Him are those who are lacking in this
characteristic or who have the opposite characteristic. This applies
to His Beautiful names: the most beloved of His creationto Him are
those who have the characteristics implied by His names, and the most
hated of His creation to Him are those who have the opposite
characteristics. Hence He hates those who are ungrateful, those who do
wrong, those who are ignorant, hard-hearted, miserly, cowardly and
ignoble. He is Beautiful and loves beauty; He isAll-Knowing and loves
those who have knowledge; He is Merciful and loves those who show
mercy; He does good and loves those who do good; He is the Concealer
and loves those who conceal; He is Powerful andcondemns those who act
helpless, and the strong believeris more beloved to Him than the weak
believer; He is forgiving and loves forgiveness; He is Oneand He loves
that which is odd-numbered; everything that He loves is connected to
His names and attributes; and everything that He hates is the opposite
of that."
He said in al-Waabil (p. 543 of Majmoo'at al-Hadeeth): "Generosity is
one of the attributes of the Lord, for He gives and does not take, He
feeds and is not fed, He is the most generous of those who are
generous. The most beloved of His creation to Him are those who seek
to acquire the characteristics implied by His attributes. For He is
Generous and loves those among His slaves who are generous; He is
All-Knowing and loves those who have knowledge; He is All-Powerful and
loves those who are courageous; He is Beautiful and loves beauty."
I hope that what we have mentioned will be sufficient andwill serve
the intended purpose. I ask Allaah to help us all to understand His
religion and to fulfil our duty towards Him, for He is All-Hearing,
Ever Near.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa MaqaalaatMutanawwi'ah,