Important questionsabout the beliefs of Ahl as-Sunnah concerning the names and attributesof Allah.

Names and Attributes of Allah,- Are all the attributes of Allah
similar to one another or are there several different attributes, each
of one isdifferent from another? Similarly, do His names have the same
meaning or similar meanings, or does each name have a meaning that is
differentto others? Is it permissible to say that the attributes of
Allah are infinite, and so are His names, or are they finite and
limited, and that Allah knows them?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There is no doubt that the attributes of Allah are different with
regard to their meanings. The attribute of power is not the sameas the
attribute of might,which is not the same as the attribute of
knowledge. No rational person would say that they are similar to one
another in terms of meanings. We will explain that further below.
Secondly:
The belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah concerning the names ofAllah
is that they are the same in that they refer to His Essence, may He
beglorified and exalted, and are different with regard to their
meanings.
To explain that further, we say: His names al-Qadeer (the Powerful),
al-'Aleem (TheAll-Knowing), al-'Azeez (the Almighty), al-Hakeem (the
Wise) – for example – all point toone Essence, which is theholy
Essence of Allah. So in this regard they are the same and not
different. But at the same time, the attributesof power, knowledge,
might and wisdom differfrom one another. So in this sense they differ
from one another.
So the beautiful names of Allah are synonymous in that they refer to
one Essence, but the attributes referred to in those names differ from
one another.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Allah, may He be glorified, has told us thatHe is All-Knowing,
Powerful, All-Hearing, All-Seeing, Forgiving, Most Merciful, and other
names and attributes. We understand the meaning of that, and wecan
differentiate between knowledge and power, between mercy and hearing
and vision; we know that all the names agree in that they refer to the
Essence of Allah. Even though they have different meanings, they are
in agreement and are the same with regard to His Essence, different
with regard to His Attributes.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 3/59
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The names and attributes of Allah, may He be exalted, are namesin that
they refer to His Essence and they are attributes with regard tothe
meanings contained in these words. In the first regard they are the
same because they refer to one Essence, namely Allah, may He be
exalted and glorified, and in the second regard they are different
because each one has a different meaning.
So al-Hayy (the Ever-Living), al-'Aleem (the All-Knowing), al-Qadeer
(the Powerful), as-Samee' (the All-Hearing), al-Baseer (the
All-Seeing), ar-Rahmaan (the Most Merciful), ar-Raheem (the Most
Compassionate), al-'Azeez (the Almighty), al-Hakeem (the All Wise) are
all names of one named entity, who is Allah, may He be exalted,but the
meaning of al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) is different from the meaning of
al-'Aleem (the All-Knowing), and the meaning of al-'Aleem(the
All-Knowing) is different from the meaning of al-Qadeer (the
Powerful), and so on.
Rather we say that they are names and attributesbecause the Qur'aan
refers to that, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"
[Yoonus 10: 10]
"And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of Mercy"
[al-Kahf 18:58].
The second verse indicates that the Most Merciful is the One Who has
the characteristic of mercy. There is consensus among linguists and
the way people understand the language that no one can be called
'aleem (knowing) except one who has knowledge; no one can be called
samee'(hearing) except one who has hearing; no onecan be called baseer
(seeing) except one whohas sight. This matter is too clear to need any
proof.
Al-Qawaa'id al-Mathla fi Sifaat Allah wa Asma'ihi al-Husna, p. 8
The same may be said about the names of the Qur'aan, the names of the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the names of
the Last Day. Ineach case they all refer to one thing – the Qur'aan or
the Messenger or the Last Day – but at the same time they differ in
that each of these names refers to an attribute that is different from
others, so the names carry different meanings.
Thirdly:
The belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah concerning the
beautifulnames of Allah – according to the correct view – is that they
are not limited to a specific number and the same may be said
concerning His attributes. Allah, may He be exalted, has namesthat He
has kept to Himself in the knowledge of the unseen with Him, and these
names refer to attributes. So His names and attributes are not limited
to a specific number.
Among the evidence for this belief is the following:
-1-
It was narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There
isno-one who is afflicted by distress and grief, and says: 'Allaahumma
inni 'abduka ibn 'abdika ibn amatija naasyati bi yadika, maada fiyya
hukmuka, 'adlun fiyya qadaa'uka. As'aluka bi kulli ismin huwa laka
sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fi kitaabika aw 'allamtahu ahadan
min khalqika awista'tharta bihi fi 'ilm il-ghayb 'indaka an
taj'alal-Qur'aana rabee' qalbi wa noor sadri wa jalaa' huzni wa
dhihaab hammi (O Allaah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of
Your maidservant; my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is
forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every
name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed
in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have
preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You, that You make the
Qur'aan the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a
departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety),' but Allaah
will take away his distress and grief, and replace it with joy." He
was asked: "O Messengerof Allaah, should we learn this?" He said: "Of
course; everyone who hears it should learn it."
Narrated by Ahmad, 3704; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in
as-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 199.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The beautiful names of Allah are not limited andare innumerable.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has names and attributes that
He has kept to Himself in the knowledge of the unseen with Him. They
are not known to any Angel who is close to him or any Prophet who was
sent, as it says in thesaheeh hadeeth: "…. I ask You by every name
belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed in
Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have
preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You…"
So His names may be divided into three types:
(i) Those by which he called Himself and taught them to
whomever He willed of His Angels or others, but He did not reveal them
in His Book.
(ii) Those that He revealed in His Book andtaught them to
His slaves.
(iii) Those that He kept to Himself in the knowledge of the
unseen, so none of His creation knows them. Hence the du'aa' says:
"You have preserved" i.e., only You know them; it does not mean that
He is the only one who is called by them, because the names that are
proven to be only forHim include names that Allah revealed in His
Book.
Badaa'i' al-Fawaa'id, 1/174-176
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It should be noted that the beautiful names of Allah are not limited
to ninety-nine.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 2/328
See also Majmoo' al-Fataawa by Ibn Taymiyah, 22/482-486
-2-
It was narrated that 'Aa'ishah said: I noticed that the Messenger of
Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was not in the bed
one night, so I looked for him, and my hand fell on the sole of his
foot. He was in the mosque, with his feet held upright, and he
wassaying, "O Allaah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath,
in Yourforgiveness from Your punishment. I seek refuge in You from
You. Icannot praise You enough; You are as You have praised Yourself."
Narrated by Muslim, 486
The attributes – as we have mentioned – are connected to the names.
Every name that is proven to be a name of Allah refers to an attribute
as befits His Majesty, may He be glorified and exalted.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
He (the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that
praise of Allah cannot be limited; if he knew all His names he would
know all His attributes and thus be able to praise Him sufficiently,
because His attributes are only expressed through His names.
Dar' Ta'aarud al-'Aql wa'n-Naql, 3/332, 333
Some of them thought that the names of Allah, may He be exalted, were
limited to a specific number, which is ninety-nine! An-Nawawi (may
Allah have mercy on him) narrated that the scholars are unanimously
agreed that the names of Allah are not limited to this number. In the
answer to question no. 41003 we have quoted the evidence to show that
they are not limited to this number, as well as quoting the opinions
of the scholars in refutation of those who thought that the names of
Allah, may He be exalted, were limited to this number.
To sum up: the names, attributes and actions of Allah, may He be
exalted,have no limit. No one will doubt this who studies the evidence
of the Qur'aan and Sunnah,examines the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ah, and bases his belief in the names and attributes of
Allah on proper rules and guidelines.
And Allah knows best.