Monday, December 31, 2012

Names and Attributes of Allaah- , Are al-Sitteer and al-Sattaar names of Allaah?.

What is the difference between al-Sitteer and al-Sattaar? Which of
them is one of the names of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The names of Allaah are a tawqeefi matter [i.e., they can only be
known through divine Revelation and sound texts of hadeeth, with no
room for ijtihad], as is the view of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah, so
He is not to be called by anything except that by which he called
Himself or that His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon
him) called Him.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The names of Allaah are tawqeefi and reason plays no role in
knowingthem. Based on that, we should limit our sources concerning
them to what is narrated in the Qur'aan and Sunnah, and not add or
subtract anything from that, because human reason cannot work out the
names that He deserves. So we must limit ourselves to the divine texts
and sound hadeethwith regard to that, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And follow not (O man, i.e., say not, or do not, orwitness not) that
of which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing, and the sight,
and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned (by Allaah)"
[al-Isra' 17:35]
"Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): '(But) the things that my Lord
has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawaahish (great evil sins and every kind
of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly,
sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in
worship) with Allaah for which He has given no authority, and saying
things about Allaah of which you haveno knowledge'"
[al-A'raaf 7:33]
Because calling Him by a name which He has not called Himself by, or
denying a name that He has called Himself by, is atransgression
against Hisrights. It is essential to observe proper etiquette with
regard to that and limit it to what is mentioned in the text. End
quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 3/275
Secondly:
The name al-Sattaar is not proven -- as far as we know -- in the texts
of the Qur'aan and Sunnah as one of the names of Allaah, may He be
exalted. Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez al-Raajihi (may Allaah preserve him)
wasasked: Is al-Sattaar one of the beautiful names of Allaah?
He replied: I do not know of al-Sattaar beingone of the names of
Allaah, but one of the names of Allaah is al-Sitteer, as it says in
the hadeeth: "Allaah is Hayiy (so Kind that He does not ignore the
pleaof the one who asks of Him), Sitteer (the One Who conceals
(people's faults and mistakes))." But as for the name al-Sattaar, I do
not knowthat it is one of the names of Allaah; rather itcomes under
the heading of description: it may be said of Allaah that He is
sattaar, and description is broader than the names. End quote.
Quoting from the tape Sharh al-Ibaanah al-Sughra li Ibn Battah.
With regard to the nameal-Sitteer, it was narrated by Abu Dawood(4012)
that the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Allaah is characterized by modesty and concealment, and He
loves modesty and concealment. When one of you washes himself, let him
conceal himself." It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Jaami'.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked in
Liqa' al-Baab al-Maftooh:Are al-Muhyiy and al-Sitteer regarded as
names of Allaah?
He replied: al-Muhyi is not one of the names of Allaah; rather it
refers to one of the actions of Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"It is He Who gives life and causes death. And when He decides upon a
thing He says to it only: 'Be!' ___ and it is"
[Ghaafir 40:68]
So muhyiy is the participle from the verb ahya (to give life), and it
is one of His actions, not one of His names.
With regard to the nameal-Sitteer, it is mentioned in a hadeeth,but
its authenticity needs to be examined. Ifit is saheeh, then it is one
of the names of Allaah, because the view of Ahl al-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ah is that every name of Allaah that is proven to be saheeh
from the Messenger of Allaah is proven, i.e., it is proven to be one
of His names. End quote.
As for the difference between al-Sitteer and al-Sattaar, both of them
are indicative of extreme concealment, and Allaah covers a greatdeal
for His slaves.
And Allaah knows best.

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